Adam Baudiš
Dominika Šimlová
AN ANALYSIS AND COMPARISON OF THE SECONDARY LITERATURE RELATED TO FRANKISM:
HEINRICH GRAETZ AND ALEKSANDER KRAUSHAR
Abstract: Frankism, a new religious movement of the late 18th century, has presented a controversial
theme in Jewish historiography nearly since its inception in the first half of the 19th century, and
it is still controversial today, mostly because of continuous reiteration of the politicized statements
made in those times and promoted by experts such as Gershom Scholem. In the paper presented
here we aim to show the evolution of these interpretations evident in the example of two influential
historians of Judaism—Heinrich Graetz and Aleksander Kraushar— whose opinions on Frankism
were, as we argue here, highly influenced by their personal views on Judaism. While Graetz presents
a more traditional approach based on his distrust towards Jewish mysticism, Kraushar represents
the beginnings of the modern research influenced by his personal views on assimilation and his
critique of traditional Judaism.
Keywords: Frankism; historiography of the 19th century; Heinrich Graetz; Aleksander Kraushar
THEOLOGICAL REVIEW, Vol. 92, 2021, No. 2, Number of Article 4, p. 189 – 200.
DOI: 10.14712/12117617.92.2.4