Thus Religion Grows - The Story Of Judaism

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THUS RELIGION GROWS To ISRAEL BROTHER AND COLLEAGUE How does religion come to be what it is Let us follow the story of one particular religion, Judaism, whose span of activity reaches from remote antiquity to the present day and we shall see. PREFACE A PATTERN in gold is boldly woven into the history of the Jew. It gives quality and character to the record of the Jew it is his distinctiveness, his glory, his raison detre. This pat tern in gold is the religion of the Jew. Is it not amazing, then, to discover that there has not yet appeared in English a continuous account, in a single volume, of the growth of the Jewish religion from its very origin to the present day There are, to be sure, histories of Jewish literature, of Jewish music, of Jewish philanthropy, of the Jewish people and in all these histories religion necessarily occupies the most important position but there is still lack ing a history of the religion itself, of the process of religious growth, such as is reflected in the literature and demonstrated in the life of the people. Perhaps the closest approach to this objective is to be found in George Foot Moores History of Religions, but there, unfortunately, the necessity of describing several religions confines the treatment of Judaism to but an outline. Abra ham Geigers scholarly Judaism and Its History, written in 1864 originally in German, is a series of individual lectures which conclude with the close of the Middle Ages. True, particular periods or phases of Judaism the Religion of An cient Israel, for example, or Hellenistic Judaism or Rabbinic Judaism or Reform Judaism have been admirably dealt with in separate studies. The need is urgent, however, historically tosurvey the entire course of Judaism and thus to present a unified picture of the gradual unfolding and shaping of the Jewish religion. It is unfair to judge Judaism by any one phase of its develop ment. Religion is dynamic. It grows, along with mans growth. One historic religion differs from a second historic religion because of its different history, and although both vii viii THUS RELIGION GROWS may seek similar values and both may arrive at similar truths yet each bears the stamp, the momentum and the inspiring appeal, of its own history, and the subtle shades of meaning resultant therefrom. In What We Jews Believe p. 32, Samuel S. Cohon has suggested an apt analogy. Suppose we were asked to dis tinguish the Hudson from the Mississippi. Would it be enough to point to the water which both of them contain Or would it suffice to subject a quantity of water from each river to a chemical analysis for the discovery of their con stituent properties The chemist would find hydrogen and oxygen in both, and he would probably find some other elements besides. The water of one river may appear mud dier than the water of another river, and consequently less pleasant to taste. Whatever the results of the test this pro cedure will hardly convey to us any idea whatsoever of either the Hudson or the Mississippi. To gain a proper picture of either river, we have to learn something about its sources, about the length, width, and depth of its current, about the countries which it traverses and about the various uses to which it is put. It is the experience of several years pioneer work in Eng landin organizing into a Jewish congregation many who, because they could find no adequate modern expression oftheir religion, had become estranged from their heritage, and many who challenged entirely the validity of religion which has impressed me with the urgent need for a clear and unin volved narration of how religion grows, of how the religion of the Jew has evolved. To unfold the story of Judaism, in the light of cause and effect, is a colossal venture. Yet, a start must be made, rather sooner than later...

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