Joseph Klausner

Joseph Klausner
Joseph Klausner
Born	Joseph Gedaliah Klausner (1874-08-20)20 August 1874 Olkeniki,Vilna Governorate,Russian Empire
Died	27 October 1958(1958-10-27)(aged 84) Jerusalem,Israel
Nationality	Israeli
Occupation(s)	historian and professor ofHebrew Literature
Known for	redactorof theEncyclopedia Hebraica
Title	professor of Hebrew literature at theHebrew University of Jerusalem
Academic work
Institutions	Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Notable works	Jesus of Nazareth: His Life, Times & Teaching

Joseph Gedaliah Klausner(Hebrew:יוסף גדליה קלוזנר;20 August 1874 – 27 October 1958), was aLithuanian-bornIsraelihistorian and professor ofHebrew literature.He was the chiefredactorof theEncyclopedia Hebraica.He was a candidate for president in thefirst Israeli presidential electionin 1949, losing toChaim Weizmann.Klausner was the great uncle of Israeli authorAmos Oz.

Biography

Joseph Klausner was born inOlkeniki,Vilna Governoratein 1874. At the turn of the 20th century, the Klausners left Lithuania and settled inOdessa.Klausner was active in the city's scientific, literary and Zionist circles. He was a committedZionistwho knewTheodor Herzlpersonally and attended theFirst Zionist Congress.

In 1912, Klausner visited Palestine for the first time, and settled there in 1919. In 1925, he became a professor of Hebrew literature at theHebrew University of Jerusalem.He specialized in the history of theSecond Temple period.Although not anOrthodoxJew, he observedSabbathand thedietary laws.He had a wide grasp of theTalmudandMidrashicliterature.

A young Joseph Klausner

Joseph Klausner was a member of the circle of Russian Zionist political activists from Odessa, which includedZe'ev JabotinskyandMenachem Ussishkin.Although not a 'party man,' he supportedRevisionist Zionism.In 1919 he helped organize theRuslan,a ship carrying Jewish refugees and immigrants to Jaffa from Odessa.In July 1929, Klausner established thePro-Wailing Wall Committeeto defend Jewish rights, and resolve problems over access and arrangements for worship at the Western Wall.His house inTalpiotneighborhood of Jerusalem was destroyed in the1929 Palestine riots.

Despite his Zionist ideology, Klausner had numerous disagreements withChaim Weizmann.The two were candidates in thepresidential election of 1949;Weizmann was declared the firstPresident of Israel.

Academic career

Klausner earned hisPhDinGermany.One of his most influential books was aboutJesus.The bookJesus of Nazareth,and its sequel,From Jesus to Paul,gained him fame. In it, Klausner described how Jesus was best understood as a Jew andIsraelitewho was trying to reform the religion, and died as a devout Jew.Herbert Danby,an Anglican priest, translated the work from Hebrew into English so that English scholars might avail themselves of the information. A number of clergymen, incensed at Danby for translating the book, demanded his recall from Jerusalem.Later in his career, he was given a chair inJewish history.

Amos Oz described his childhood visits to Klausner's house inTalpiotand his impression of Klausner's erudition in his memoir,A Tale of Love and Darkness.

Awards and recognition

Joseph Klausner 1945

In both 1941 and 1949, Klausner was awarded theBialik Prizefor Jewish thought. In 1958, he was awarded theIsrael Prizein Jewish studies. In 1982, in recognition of his scholarly achievements, the State of Israel issued a stamp with his picture on it.

Published works

• Klausner, Joseph (1921).Jesus of Nazareth: His Life, Times & Teaching.Translated byDanby, Herbert.New York: Macmillan.
• Klausner, Joseph (1932).A History of Modern Hebrew Literature (1785-1930).Translated byDanby, Herbert.London: M. L. Cailingold.
• Klausner, Joseph (1942).From Jesus To Paul.Translated byStinespring, William F.New York: Macmillan.
• Klausner, Joseph (1954).The Messianic Idea in Israel: From Its Beginning to the Completion of the Mishnah.Translated byStinespring, William F.New York: Macmillan.ISBN1-4917-7210-7.
• Klausner, Joseph (1989).Jesus of Nazareth: His Life, Times & Teaching.Translated byDanby, Herbert(Reissued ed.). New York: Bloch.ISBN0819705659.

See also

• List of Israel Prize recipients
• List of Bialik Prize recipients

External links

• "Into the fray: Joseph Klausner's approach to Judaism and Christianity in the Greco-Roman world". Dissertation.
• (Univ. of) Heidelberg's Hope, address by Fania Oz-Salzberger, great-great-niece of Klausner
• Herbert Danby: "The Jew and Christianity,Jewish attitude towards Christianity ", ch.5 (I propose to bring this series of lectures to an end by describing...Dr. Joseph Klausner's Jesus of Nazareth: his Times, his Life and his Teaching; and by indicating the kind of reception which this book has met within various Jewish circles...)read all online on archive.org
• The film that saved the wall
• "Joseph Klausner's 'Jesus of Nazareth' (1922): A Modern Jewish Study of the Founding Figure of Christianity".17 October 2014.Retrieved26 November2015.