Examines and explores divers topics of Jewish thought and history

A fascinating and eclectic collection of twenty-two essays, Essays in Jewish Thought examines and explores diverse topics of Jewish thought and history. From Judaism’s view of ancient Rome at its imperial apogee and the Dead Sea Scrolls to Jewish thought in Europe’s revolutions of 1848 and Franz Kafka, the collection offers a rich compendium of essays of interest to scholars, historians, philosophers, and students. 

Nahum Norbert Glatzer (1903–1990) earned his Ph.D. at the University of Frankfurt, where he was Martin Buber’s successor until forced to flee Hitler. In 1938 he came to the U.S., where he taught at Brandeis and Boston universities, among others. An editor as well as a scholar, he was a founder of Schocken Books and edited the works of Franz Kafka for publication in English, and he became a notable interpreter of Kafka and Franz Rosenzweig.

"Essays in Jewish Thought covers a wide range of subjects: some essays deal with the Biblical and post-Biblical periods, some with medieval Jewry, and a goodly number with the modern period and some of its philosophical spokesmen. Glatzer has the marvelous ability to gather together isolated statements from the Talmud and weave them into a fine historical pattern. One might take exception to some of his ideas, but one must agree with the general thrust of his historical review.” —Jewish Quarterly Review

“Glatzer must be considered one of the central figures in the emigration of German-Jewish culture to North America [and is] responsible for training a whole generation of American-born scholars. . . . [He] has also been primarily responsible for the discovery and dissemination in America of the works of Franz Rosenzweig and Franz Kafka. . . . What is immediately impressive in Essays in Jewish Thought is the extraordinary range of his interests and expertise. It is inspiring to find such a model of breadth from the Rabbinic period to the Middle Ages and the 19th and 20th centuries.” —International Studies in Philosophy