Hermann Strack

Hermann L. Strack.

Hermann Leberecht Strack(6 May 1848 – 5 October 1922) was a GermanProtestanttheologianandorientalist;born inBerlin.

Biography

From 1877, Strack was assistant professor ofOld TestamentexegesisandSemitic languagesat theUniversity of Berlin.He was the foremostChristianauthority in Germany onTalmudicandrabbinic literature,and studiedrabbinicsunderSteinschneider.Since the reappearance ofanti-Semitismin Germany, Strack had been the champion of theJewsagainst the attacks of such men as HofpredigerAdolf Stoecker,ProfessorAugust Rohling,and others. In 1885 Strack became the editor ofNathanael. Zeitschrift für die Arbeit der Evangelischen Kirche an Israel,published atBerlin;and in 1883 he founded theInstitutum Judaicum,which aimed at the conversion of Jews toChristianity.In the beginning of his career thePrussiangovernment sent Strack toSt. Petersburgto examine the Bible manuscripts there; on this occasion he examined also the antiquities of theFirkovichcollection, which he declared to be forgeries. This claim was found to be untrue: the Firkovich collection is closely related toCairo Genizamaterial found bySolomon Schechter.

Selected works

• Prolegomena Critica in Vetus Testamentum Hebraicum(Leipzig, 1873);
• Katalog der Hebräschen Bibelhandschriften der Kaiserlichen Oeffentlichen Bibliothek in St. Petersburg(St. Petersburg and Leipzig, 1875), in collaboration withA. Harkavy;
• Prophetarum Posteriorum Codex Babylonicus Petropolitanus(ib. 1876);
• A. Firkowitch und Seine Entdeckungen(ib. 1876);
• editions of theMishnahtractatesAbot(Carlsruhe, 1882; 2d ed. Berlin, 1888),Yoma(ib. 1888),'Abodah Zarah(ib. 1888), andShabbat(ib. 1890);
• Hebräische Grammatik(Karlsruhe, 1883; 3d ed. Munchen, 1902);Hebrew Grammar(Berlin-London-New York, 1889; 2nd English ed.)
• Lehrbuch der Neuhebräischen Sprache und Litteratur(ib. 1884), in collaboration with Karl Siegfried;
• Herr Adolf Stöcker(ib. 1885; 2d ed. 1886);
• Einleitung in den Talmud(Leipzig, 1887; 2d ed. 1894), a revised reprint of his article on the subject in Herzog-Hauck'sReal-Encyklopädie,to which he made a whole series of contributions on rabbinic subjects;
• Paradigmen zur Hebräischen Grammatik(Leipzig, 1887)
• Einleitung in das Alte Testament(Nördlingen, 1888; 5th ed. Munich, 1898);
• Der Blutaberglaube in der Menschheit, Blutmorde und Blutritus(ib. 1891; 5th ed. 1900), an investigation into theblood libel;
• Die Juden. Dürfen Sie 'Verbrecher von Religionswegen' Genannt Werden?(Berlin, 1893);
• Abriss des Biblischen Aramäisch(Leipzig, 1897).
• Jüdische Geheimgesetze? Mit 3 Anh.: Rohling, Ecker und kein Ende?. Artur Dinter u. Kunst, Wissenschaft, Vaterland. "Die Weisen von Zion" und ihre Gläubigen(Berlin 1920; ib. 3rd and 4th ed. 1921).
• Introduction to the Talmud & Midrash(1931), Jewish Publication Society of America, based on the 5th Edition of Einleitung in den Talmud & Midrasch.
• Kommentar zum Neuen Testament Aus Talmud und Midrasch,withPaul Billerbeck;(1922–1928; 4 volumes).

Since 1886 Strack was associated with Zoeckler in editing theKurzgefasster Kommentar zu den Schriften des Alten und Neuen Testaments(Nördlingen and Munich). Strack was also a member of the Foreign Board of Consulting Editors of theJewish Encyclopedia.

Translations

• The Passover Meal,translated by Nathaniel J. Biebert (Red Brick Parsonage,2013).
• Luke 18 and Fasting: Commentary on Luke 18:11b,12a,translated by Nathaniel J. Biebert (Red Brick Parsonage,2013).
• John 10 and Hanukkah: Commentary on John 10:22-30,translated by Nathaniel J. Biebert (Red Brick Parsonage,2013).
• Commentary on Luke 7:36-50,translated by Nathaniel J. Biebert (Red Brick Parsonage,2013).
• Commentary on Matthew 5:13-14,translated by Nathaniel J. Biebert (Red Brick Parsonage,2014).

References

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Singer, Isidore;et al., eds. (1901–1906)."Hermann Strack".The Jewish Encyclopedia.New York: Funk & Wagnalls.

External links

• Works by or about Hermann Strackat theInternet Archive
• Works by Hermann StrackatLibriVox(public domain audiobooks)
• Digitized works by Hermann Strackat theLeo Baeck Institute, New York