Franz Rosenzweig's Interpretation of Judah Halevi's Kuzari

This article explores the significance of Judah Halevi's Kuzari – the classic work of particularism and ethnocentrism in medieval Jewish philosophy – for the German-Jewish philosopher Franz Rosenzweig. Specifically, it argues that Rosenzweig's conception of the corresponding messianic tasks of Judaism and Christianity in the final section of The Star of Redemption was based on an idiosyncratic interpretation of Halevi's parable of the seed (Kuzari 4.23). By interpreting Rosenzweig's writings against the backdrop of his affinity for the Kuzari, this study clarifies some of the most vexing and contested elements of Rosenzweig's philosophy of Judaism. In particular, it provides a new interpretation of his provocative and much-discussed characterization of the Jewish people as a »blood-community« and argues that The Star, far from affirming the truth and equal standing of Christianity alongside Judaism, offers a radical vision of Judaism's superiority over it.