S. M. Dubnow - Jewish History : an essay in the philosophy of history

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Title: Jewish History

Author: S. M. Dubnow

Release Date: April, 2005 [EBook #7836][This file was first posted on May 21, 2003]

Edition: 10

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO Latin-1

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, JEWISH HISTORY ***

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The author of the present essay, S. M. Dubnow, occupies a well-nighdominating position in Russian-Jewish literature as an historian andan acute critic. His investigations into the history of thePolish-Russian Jews, especially his achievements in the history ofChassidism, have been of fundamental importance in these departments.What raises Mr. Dubnow far above the status of the professionalhistorian, and awakens the reader's lively interest in him, is not somuch the matter of his books, as the manner of presentation. It israre to meet with an historian in whom scientific objectivity andthoroughness are so harmoniously combined with an ardent temperamentand plastic ability. Mr. Dubnow's scientific activity, first and last,is a striking refutation of the widespread opinion that identifiesattractiveness of form in the work of a scholar with superficiality ofcontent. Even his strictly scientific investigations, besides offeringthe scholar a wealth of new suggestions, form instructive andentertaining reading matter for the educated layman. In his criticalessays, Mr. Dubnow shows himself to be possessed of keen psychologicinsight. By virtue of this quality of delicate perception, he aims toassign to every historical fact its proper place in the line ofdevelopment, and so establish the bond between it and the generalhistory of mankind. This psychologic ability contributes vastly to theinterest aroused by Mr. Dubnow's historical works outside of thelimited circle of scholars. There is a passage in one of his books[1]in which, in his incisive manner, he expresses his views on the limitsand tasks of historical writing. As the passage bears upon the methodsemployed in the present essay, and, at the same time, is acharacteristic specimen of our author's style, I take the liberty ofquoting:

"The popularization of history is by no means to be pursued to thedetriment of its severely scientific treatment. What is to be guardedagainst is the notion that tedium is inseparable from the scientificmethod. I have always been of the opinion that the dulness commonlylooked upon as the prerogative of scholarly inquiries, is not aninherent attribute. In most cases it is conditioned, not by the natureof the subject under investigation, but by the temper of theinvestigator. Often, indeed, the tediousness of a learned disquisitionis intentional: it is considered one of the polite conventions of theacademic guild, and by many is identified with scientific thoroughnessand profound learning. If, in general, deadening, hide-bound castemethods, not seldom the cover for poverty of thought and lack ofcleverness, are reprehensible, they are doubly reprehensible inhistory. The history of a people is not a mere mental discipline, likebotany or mathematics, but a living science, a magistra vitae,leading straight to national self-knowledge, and acting to a certaindegree upon the national character. History is a science by thepeople, for the people, and, therefore, its place is the openforum, not the scholar's musty closet. We relate the events of thepast to the people, not merely to a handful of archaeologists andnumismaticians. We work for national self-knowledge, not for our ownintellectual diversion."

[1] In the introduction to his Historische Mitteilungen, Vorarbeiten zu einer Geschichte der pol-nischrussischen Juden.

These are the principles that have guided Mr. Dubnow in all his works,and he has been true to them in the present essay, which exhibits in aremarkably striking way the author's art of making "all things seemfresh and new, important and attractive." New and important his essayundoubtedly is. The author attempts, for the first time, a psychologiccharacterization of Jewish history. He endeavors to demonstrate theinner connection between events, and develop the ideas that underliethem, or, to use his own expression, lay bare the soul of Jewishhistory, which clothes itself with external events as with a bodilyenvelope. Jewish history has never before been considered from thisphilosophic point of view, certainly not in German literature. Thepresent work, therefore, cannot fail to prove stimulating. As for thepoet's other requirement, attractiveness, it is fully met by the workhere translated. The qualities of Mr. Dubnow's style, as describedabove, are present to a marked degree. The enthusiasm flaming up inevery line, coupled with his plastic, figurative style, and hisscintillating conceits, which lend vivacity to his presentation, isbound to charm the reader. Yet, in spite of the racy style, even thelayman will have no difficulty in discovering that it is not a cleverjournalist, an artificer of well-turned phrases, who is speaking tohim, but a scholar by profession, whose foremost concern is withhistorical truth, and whose every statement rests upon accurate,scientific knowledge; not a bookworm with pale, academic bloodtrickling through his veins, but a man who, with unsoured mien, withfresh, buoyant delight, offers the world the results laboriouslyreached in his study, after all evidences of toil and moil have beencarefully removed; who derives inspiration from the noble and thesublime in whatever guise it may appear, and who knows how tocommunicate his inspiration to others.

The translator lays this book of an accomplished and spiritedhistorian before the German public. He does so in the hope that itwill shed new light upon Jewish history even for professionalscholars. He is confident that in many to whom our unexampled past offour thousand years' duration is now terra incognita, it willarouse enthusiastic interest, and even to those who, like thetranslator himself, differ from the author in religious views, it willfurnish edifying and suggestive reading. J. F.

The English translation of Mr. Dubnow's Essay is based upon the
authorized German translation, which was made from the original
Russian. It is published under the joint auspices of the Jewish
Publication Society of America and the Jewish Historical Society of
England. H. S.

THE RANGE OF JEWISH HISTORY
Historical and Unhistorical Peoples
Three Groups of Nations
The "Most Historical" People