Mendelssohn, who was born the son of a poor Jewish school teacher in the Jewish quarter of Dessau in 1729, achieved prominence in eighteenth-century intellectual and philosophical circles. He became one of the most enthusiastic, well known, and prolific supporters of the principles of the German Enlightenment. Mendelssohn also advocated religious toleration and throughout his life worked to engender understanding and cooperation between Christians and Jews. His writings manifest a synthesis of religious faith and philosophical conviction, and his elegant arguments are testimony of his enduring importance as a metaphysician, social and political philosopher, and Jewish scholar. The exhibition presents this extraordinary career and its enduring relevance for scholarship through a display some of Mendelssohn's books, drawn from the Ludwig Rosenberger Collection of Judaica, held by the University of Chicago Library, Department of Special Collections.
Exhibit Publications & Documents
Checklist 8p. w/ intro (stapled), $2
Ordering Information