The Making of the Wissenschaft des Judentums in Italy. Judaism and the Bible between Risorgimento and Fascism

This article argues that, while adhering to a chronological pattern that highlights the several distinctive features of the Italian Wissenschaft des Judentums, scholarly practices of the study of Jewish culture in Italy were also influenced and challenged by intellectual traditions that aimed at offering alternative religious identities as well as coherent worldviews, like socialism, nationalism, and communism, amid the backdrop of the conflict between Church and state. Even state-controlled institutions like universities, eager to offer positions to Jews as scholars of Judaism, would pursue topics of research that might reflect the wider cultural and religious debates of the time. Therefore, in order to appreciate the achievements of the Italian Wissenschaft des Judentums, the analysis of its authors and their works should be evaluated in relation to the broader network of scholars, but also in terms of an ongoing reciprocal relationship with local and national cultures.