Fifty Key Jewish Thinkers

Summary of Fifty Key Jewish Thinkers (Second Edition by Dan Cohn-Sherbok):

Fifty Key Jewish Thinkers is a comprehensive single-volume reference book that presents a panoramic survey of over 2,000 years of Jewish intellectual history. It covers religious, secular, ancient, and modern thinkers who have significantly influenced Jewish thought. The author, Dan Cohn-Sherbok, aimed to make Jewish philosophical, theological, and mystical thought accessible to students and general readers by profiling fifty influential figures.

Each entry includes:

• A biographical overview of the thinker.

• A summary of their philosophical, religious, or political contributions.

• Key themes or debates they engaged in.

• A list of their major works.

• Recommended secondary literature for further reading.

Key figures featured include:

• Hannah Arendt – Political theorist known for concepts like the “banality of evil.”

• Sigmund Freud – Founder of psychoanalysis, who explored Jewish identity and religion.

• Maimonides – Medieval philosopher and legal scholar.

• Ahad Ha-Am – Cultural Zionist who emphasized spiritual over political Zionism.

• Isaac Abrabanel – Philosopher and biblical commentator who addressed prophecy, creation, and Jewish governance.

The book also includes:

• Chronological tables placing the thinkers in historical context.

• Historical maps of Jewish settlement.

• Bibliographic references to further scholarly works.

This second edition updates entries and includes new introductions to more recent figures such as Judith Plaskow and Immanuel Lévinas, expanding the relevance of the text to contemporary discourse in Jewish thought.