The Messianic Idea in Judaism by Gershom G. Sholem (review)

724 BOOK REVIEWS This book is admirably balanced. It is sound and practical. Priests and teachers should find it useful in counseling and the book could well be adopted for high school and adult C.C.D. groups. Even those trained in theology may find much food for thought in this work, which expresses a simple and straightforward-but not simpliste-faith in Christ and in his Church. Unfortunately, many who could profit by meditation upon the truths outlined in this work will refuse to give Prof. Rice's book an openminded reading, due to their " liberal " prejudice that no case for Catholic orthodoxy can be worthy of their attention. Georgetown University Washington, D. C. GERMAIN GRISEZ The Messianic Idea in Judaism. By GERSHOM G. SHOLEM. New York: Schocken Books, 1971. Pp. 350. $15.00. There is a delightful story about Gershom Sholem's service in the German army in World War I. I found it in my colleague Herbert Weiner's excellent book o £essays, 9% Mystics, The Kabbala Today (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969). Sholem was a pacifist, yet he was drafted into the Kaiser's army. He confronted his commanders with an ability to speak only Latin. He was so good both at the Latin and in performance that he was hastily released from active duty. Two sides of Prof. Scholem's per~orality surface in this story: he is a " ham " with a bit of pixy in him; a11d whatever he kncws about, he knows a lot about. He holds a degree in mathematics. He knows a lot about natural science, about all the behavioral disciplines, about all the humanities. But he knows most about Jewish mysticism, to which has devoted the past 45 years. (He is now Prof. Emeritus at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem where he has l.ived since 19~4-5). lVIartin Buber, who was Scholem's jousting partner on many occasions, as well as his friend (see pp. ~~7 ff. and 314 ff. of the book under review for a fine expression of each aspect of their complex relationship), said of Scholem, with a touch of sarcasm, " he made a science out of Kabbala (Jewish mysticism)." A Jerusalem Kabbalist was less kind; he called Scholem an accountant: "... accountants know where the wealth is, its location and value. But it doesn't belong to them. They cannot use it." (Weiner, op. cit., p. 57) Whether or not Scholem "uses " his encyclopedic knowledge of mysticism is a question. That he knows incredibly about it, that is unquestionable. BOOK REVIEWS 725 Scholem's Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism remains the best book in the field in English, though it was published more than 35 years ago. The Messianic Idea is a wide-ranging collection of essays previously published in various languages in several kinds of journals. It is good that they have been collected, for the selection includes some of Scholem's most perceptive and penetrating work. Christian religionists will not be excited about all the essays. For example, his appraisal of Wissenschaft des Judentums (Science of Judaism) over the past 100 years will not mean much to any but the most specialized Christian scholars. On the other hand, most of the essays have two great values: the information they contain in seminal, essential to an understanding of many aspects of ,Judaism; and there will be constant earperking over the comparisons and contrasts between Jewish mystical thought in its evolution and Christian mysticism. It is important for Christians to discover just how deep-rooted and how complex is Jewish Messianism. Little is known by most Christian scholars of the Sabbatean movement of the 17th century and its ongoing expressions within the Jewish community. As Christians read here about Frankish literature, about the fascinating crypto-Jewish Turkish Muslims called Donmehparallel in medieval Christain thought will come to mind rapidly. Several of the essays are goldmines of factual data about concepts and aspects of Judaism. Scholem's exploration of "devekut," close communion with the Divine, is important. I was delig-hted to reread the essay on the "Sheld (or Star) of David," whose evolution the author traces painstakingly . Anyone who has read Andre Schwarz-Bart's...