Correlations in Rosenzweig and Levinas

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Robert Gibbs radically revises standard interpretations of two key figures in modern Jewish philosophy: Franz Rosenzweig and Emmanuel Levinas. Rosenzweig, known for his monumental work, and Levinas, a significant contemporary intellectual, engaged with different philosophical schools and wrote in distinct styles. Their relationships to Judaism and Christianity were notably different, and their historical contexts diverged—Rosenzweig died before Nazism, while Levinas lived under its shadow. Despite these differences, Gibbs identifies fundamental affinities between them. By correlating traditional Jewish themes in social ethics with postmodern philosophy, both thinkers uncover new resonances in Jewish thought and reorient philosophy towards the individual's responsibility for others. Levinas, recognized as an early expositor of phenomenology in France, is often viewed as detached from his Jewish roots, while Rosenzweig is seen solely as an existentialist theologian. Gibbs argues that Rosenzweig aims to clarify universally accessible concepts and social practices, and that Levinas embodies a similar Jewish perspective. This analysis offers significant insights into how philosophy evolves through its engagement with diverse traditions.