The Prague Sojourn of Rabbi Jacob Emden as Depicted in his Autobiography Megillat Sefer
The Prague Sojourn of Rabbi Jacob Emden as Depicted in his Autobiography Megillat Sefer

Summary/Abstract: On the Aschkenaz-Emden-Wilner-Ofner Family History and the First ‘Eybeschuetz Affair’ (transl. S. Hattersley) "The dispute between Rabbi Jacob Emden (1698–1776) and Rabbi Jonathan Eybeschuetz (cca 1690–1764), which broke out in 1751, divided the Jewish community into two intransigent camps. The many years of hateful polemics, at times accompanied by violence, had brought about a situation that neither side wanted - a compromising of rabbinic authority. The dispute was not ended even by the death of the two main protagonists or by a change in the political and social situation. It also crossed over to the field of science without losing any of its intensity. No agreement has been reached concerning the basic question as to whether Rabbi Jonathan Eybeschuetz, at least at some point in his life, was a Sabbatean, and it is impossible to say if or when this issue will ever be resolved. Among scholars from an Orthodox milieu, a conviction as to the guilt or innocence of J. Eybeschuetz is a consistent part of family-based religious traditions and is unlikely to change. It is not possible to characterize the state of the dispute in an unambiguous or impartial manner. With a certain simplification it may be said that most of the exponents of contemporary historical science - particularly Gershom Scholem and his pupils - inclined towards the opinion that Eybeschuetz was a Sabbatean. Among rabbinical scholars, however, there is a prevailing conviction as to his innocence [...]"

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