What Are Jews For? History, Peoplehood, and Purpose

"For what purpose in the world were the Jews singled out as God's 'chosen people'? What Are Jews For? explores the history of western thinking on the historical purpose of the Jewish people, starting with ancient and medieval foundations but focusing on the period from 1600 to the present. In both Judaism and Christianity the Jews have long been accorded a crucial role at the end of history, when they will the world into an transformed era of unity and harmony in which all human divisions will be overcome. Since the seventeenth century this messianic conception of historical purpose has been repeatedly reconfigured in new forms. From the political theology of the early modern era and the universalist aspirations of Enlightenment philosophy, to almost all the key domains of modern thought - social, economic, nationalist, radical, assimilationist, satirical, psychoanalytical, religious and literary - the Jews have retained a close association with the positive transformation of the world. Across the past four centuries the 'Jewish Purpose Question' has been central to the attempts of both Jews and non-Jews to make sense of cultural particularity in relation to a wider vision of collective purpose in history. The deep and intricate layering of this question demands careful attention, as it remains extremely resonant in contemporary global politics and culture: polarized universalistic and particularistic conceptions of Jewish purpose have become emblematic of the most fundamental divisions over the meaning of peoplehood and collective purpose for all of us"--