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"In a Place, Where There Are No Men..." Hatred of Humankind in Roman Philosophy and Early Rabbinic Literature

"In a Place, Where There Are No Men..." Hatred of Humankind in Roman Philosophy and Early... "IN A PLACE, WHERE THERE ARE NO MEN..." HATRED OF HUMANKIND IN ROMAN PHILOSOPHY AND EARLY RABBINIC LITERATURE Arkady Kovelman Moscow State University Misanthropy is one of the most seductive ideas of western civiliza- tion. It appeared in the Timon of Athens by Shakespeare, in the Misan- thrope by Moliere, in European romanticism, and in the writings of Nietzsche. As its very name shows, it originated from Greek culture. An exemplary misanthrope, Timon, lived in Athens in the fifth cen- tury B.C.E. and was probably mentioned by Plato in Phaedo 89b- 90b.' Yet the high point of misanthropy came later, in the first centuries C.E. To understand this phenomenon, we analyze it from the perspective of Jewish culture of the same period. With commendable consistency, Philo defended his famous char- acters from accusations of misanthropy. His Abraham "withdraws from the public and loves solitude ... not because he is misanthropical, for he is eminently a philanthropist, but because he has rejected the vice which is welcomed by the multitude ..." (De Abrahamo 22). His Therapeutae "pass their days outside the walls pursuing solitude in gardens or lonely bits of country, not from any acquired habit of misanthropical bitterness http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Review of Rabbinic Judaism Brill

"In a Place, Where There Are No Men..." Hatred of Humankind in Roman Philosophy and Early Rabbinic Literature

Kovelman, Arkady
Review of Rabbinic Judaism , Volume 4 (1): 45 – Jan 1, 2001
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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 2001 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
1568-4857
eISSN
1570-0704
DOI
10.1163/157007001X00027
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

"IN A PLACE, WHERE THERE ARE NO MEN..." HATRED OF HUMANKIND IN ROMAN PHILOSOPHY AND EARLY RABBINIC LITERATURE Arkady Kovelman Moscow State University Misanthropy is one of the most seductive ideas of western civiliza- tion. It appeared in the Timon of Athens by Shakespeare, in the Misan- thrope by Moliere, in European romanticism, and in the writings of Nietzsche. As its very name shows, it originated from Greek culture. An exemplary misanthrope, Timon, lived in Athens in the fifth cen- tury B.C.E. and was probably mentioned by Plato in Phaedo 89b- 90b.' Yet the high point of misanthropy came later, in the first centuries C.E. To understand this phenomenon, we analyze it from the perspective of Jewish culture of the same period. With commendable consistency, Philo defended his famous char- acters from accusations of misanthropy. His Abraham "withdraws from the public and loves solitude ... not because he is misanthropical, for he is eminently a philanthropist, but because he has rejected the vice which is welcomed by the multitude ..." (De Abrahamo 22). His Therapeutae "pass their days outside the walls pursuing solitude in gardens or lonely bits of country, not from any acquired habit of misanthropical bitterness

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Review of Rabbinic Judaism – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 2001

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