Nachman Krochmal

Nachman Kohen Krochmal (* February 17, 1785 in Brody, Galicia, † July 31, 1840 in Ternopol ) was a Jewish religious philosopher, historian and author. His main work More Nebukhe ha - Zeman, which he called first goals of the refined faith, in 1851 edited by Leopold Zunz posthumously under the title Guide of the Perplexed this time, as an allusion to the book Guide of the Perplexed of Maimonides. It is the attempt of a modern religion and philosophy of history on the basis of post-Kantian idealism (especially Schelling, Hegel).

Life

In his youth, Krochmal acquired a broad education and learned Torah and Talmud also next to Jewish philosophy, read the letters of Maimonides and Abraham ibn Ezra and learned several foreign languages. Using his knowledge of German, he studied the works of Kant, Hegel, Fichte and Schelling. In addition, he learned Latin, French, Arabic and Syriac. His students later confirmed his broad education. At age 14 years Krochmal married and moved to his rich father-in- Zolkiew. In 1814 he began a circle of students to collect himself, carried with them talking about philosophy, history and Jewish literature and became one of the most important representatives of the Haskalah in Poland. After the death of his father, he began work as a dealer. After he returned in 1836 for two years after Brody, he spent the last two years of his life in Ternopil. The proposal to take a job as a rabbi in Berlin, he struck out and dealt instead with the writing of his book, but that he could not accomplish.

Writings (selection )

• Guide of the Perplexed time. Translated, with an introduction and registers edited by Andreas Lehnardt. 2 vols. Meiner, Hamburg 2012, ISBN 978-3-7873-2138-4, ISBN 978-3-7873-2139-1.