Frankel, Zacharias

Frankel, Zacharias
born Sept. 30, 1801, Prague, Bohemia
died Feb. 13, 1875, Breslau, Ger.

Hungarian German rabbi and theologian.

He graduated from the University of Budapest and served as rabbi in several German communities. As chief rabbi in Dresden (1836–54), he developed a theology called positive-historical Judaism, which diverged from Orthodox Judaism in its willingness to accept scientific and historical research as well as changes in the liturgy but adhered to traditional customs more firmly than Reform Judaism. In 1854 he became president of Breslau's Jewish Theological Seminary, and his theology spread through central Europe and to the U.S., where it took root as Conservative Judaism. His books include Introduction to the Mishna (1859) and Introduction to the Palestinian Talmud (1870).

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▪ German theologian
born Sept. 30, 1801, Prague, Bohemia, Austrian Empire [now in Czech Republic]
died Feb. 13, 1875, Breslau, Ger. [now Wrocław, Pol.]

      rabbi and theologian, a founder of what became Conservative Judaism.

      After graduation from the University of Budapest in 1831, Frankel served as rabbi in several German communities, becoming chief rabbi of Dresden in 1836. During this period he developed a theology that he called positive-historical Judaism. It differed from Orthodoxy in its acceptance of scientific and historical research and in its willingness to make some liturgical changes. It differed from Reform Judaism in that it sought to maintain traditional customs and adhere to the national aspects of Judaism.

      In 1854 Frankel was chosen president of the newly organized Jewish theological seminary at Breslau, which became and remained one of the most important modern European institutions for the training of rabbis until the Nazi period. Through the faculty and students of Breslau seminary, Frankel's viewpoint became highly influential in central Europe. In the 20th century it took root in the United States, where, under the name of Conservative Judaism, it attained its greatest growth. Frankel's first major work, Die Eidesleistung der Juden (1840; “Oath-Taking by Jews”), attacked discrimination against Jews who testified in courts in Saxony. It effectively helped disprove the notion that Jews were untrustworthy in swearing oaths. Frankel also published Vorstudien zur Septuaginta (1841; “Preliminary Studies in the Septuagint”), in which he, the only major 19th-century Jewish scholar who wrote on the Septuagint (the first Greek version of the Old Testament), sought to show the necessary connection between Talmudic and Septuagintic exegesis. It is considered a classic work. Two works he wrote in Hebrew, Darke ha-Mishnah (1859; “Introduction to the Mishna”) and Mebo ha-Yerushalmi (1870; “Introduction to the Palestinian Talmud”), were major contributions to Jewish religious thought.

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  • FRANKEL, ZACHARIAS — (1801–1875), rabbi and scholar. Frankel was born in Prague. After receiving a talmudic education under bezalel ronsburg , he studied philosophy, natural sciences, and philology in Budapest (1825–30). In 1831 the Austrian government appointed him… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Frankel, Zacharias — (1801–75)    Bohemian rabbi and scholar. Born in Prague and educated in Budapest, Frankel was appointed rabbi of Teplitz and then chief rabbi of Dresden. In 1854 he became director of the new Juedisch Theologisches Seminar of Breslau, where he… …   Who’s Who in Jewish History after the period of the Old Testament

  • Frankel, Zacharias — (1801 75)    German rabbi and scholar. He was born in Prague. He served as rabbi at Litomerice and Teplice and became chief rabbi of Dresden in 1836. In 1854 he became director of the Breslau Rabbinical Seminary. He founded the positivist… …   Dictionary of Jewish Biography

  • Frankel, Zacharias — (30 sep. 1801, Praga, Bohemia–13 feb. 1875, Breslau, Alemania). Rabino y teólogo húngaro alemán. Se graduó en la Universidad de Budapest y fue rabino en varias comunidades alemanas. Como rabino jefe en Dresde (1836–54), elaboró una teología… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Zacharias Frankel — (* 30. September 1801 in Prag; † 13. Februar 1875 in Breslau) war ein deutscher Rabbiner. Er gilt als Begründer des konservativen Judentums …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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  • Frankel — Frankel, Zacharias, jüd. Theolog, geb. 30. Sept. 1801 in Prag, gest. 13. Febr. 1875 in Breslau, studierte jüdische Theologie, Mathematik und Literatur in Pest, wurde 1832 Kreisrabbiner in Leitmeritz, 1836 Oberrabbiner für Dresden und Leipzig,… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Frankel — Frankel, Zacharias, geb. 1801 zu Prag, Oberrabbiner zu Dresden, für die Emancipation der Juden nicht ohne Erfolg als Schriftsteller thätig. »Die Eidesleistung der Juden in theolog. und histor. Beziehung«, Dresden und Leipzig 1840; »der… …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Frankel — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Benjamin Frankel (1906–1973), englischer Komponist David Frankel (* 1959), US amerikanischer Filmregisseur, Filmproduzent und Drehbuchautor Justin Frankel (* 1978), Softwareentwickler Mark Frankel… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Zacharias Frankel — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Frankel. Portrait de Zacharias Frankel, fondateur du judaïsme positivo historique Zacharias Frankel[1] (Pr …   Wikipédia en Français

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