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Harry Austryn Wolfson

ハリー・オーストリン・ウルフソン

Harī Ōsutorin Urufuson

Aliases: Zvi Hershel ben Mendel Wolfson / ツヴィ・ハーシェル・ベン・メンデル・ウルフソン

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1887-11-02 （Astryna, Vilna Governorate (now Grodno Region, Belarus)）
Died
1974-09-19 （Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States） age 86
Nationality
United States
Languages
English, Hebrew, Yiddish
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
New York (East Side) → Scranton, Pennsylvania → Cambridge, Massachusetts

Career

Occupations
philosopher, historian, Judaica scholar, university professor
Active Years
1915-1974
Affiliations
Harvard University, American Academy for Jewish Research, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Philosophical Society
Memberships
American Academy for Jewish Research, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Philosophical Society
Influenced By
George Santayana, George Foot Moore, Moshe Mordechai Epstein (teacher)
Influenced
R.D. Crouse (Robert Crouse), Isadore Twersky and many subsequent Judaica scholars

Education

Harvard University
Hebrew Literature and Philosophy (Semitic/Comparative)
Degree: B.A.
Period: 1908–1911
Year of Graduation: 1911
Country: United States
Bachelor's degree
Harvard University
Hebrew Literature and Philosophy
Degree: M.A.
Period: 1911–1912
Year of Graduation: 1912
Country: United States
Master's degree
Harvard University
Hebrew Literature and Philosophy
Degree: Ph.D.
Period: 1912–1915
Year of Graduation: 1915
Country: United States
Doctor of Philosophy (Harvard)
Slabodka yeshiva (Yeshivas Knesses Yisrael)
Orthodox Jewish theology and Talmudic studies
Period: 青年期（移民前）
Country: Russian Empire (now Belarus)
Studied under Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Epstein

Awards

Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
1933
Organization: American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Result: elected
National Jewish Book Award (Jewish Thought)
1949
Work: Philo: Foundations of Religious Philosophy in Judaism, Christianity and Islam
Category: Jewish Thought
Organization: Jewish Book Council
Result: winner
Elected to the American Philosophical Society
1956
Organization: American Philosophical Society
Result: elected
Honorary degrees (10 universities)
Organization: Various universities
Result: awarded

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Crescas' Critique of Aristotle: Problems of Aristotle's Physics in Jewish and Arabic philosophy

1929 scholarly monograph (philosophy / Judaica)

A critical study of Hasdai Crescas that examines problems in Aristotle's physics as treated in Jewish and Arabic philosophical traditions.

medieval Jewish philosophyinterpretation of Aristotlecomparative Jewish-Arab thought

The Philosophy of Spinoza: Unfolding the Latent Processes of His Reasoning

1934 scholarly monograph (philosophy)

A systematic analysis of Spinoza's philosophical reasoning and his position in the transition to modern philosophy.

Spinoza studiesinfluence on modern philosophyrationalism

Philo: Foundations of Religious Philosophy in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

1947 scholarly monograph (religious philosophy / comparative thought)

A landmark study demonstrating a coherent philosophical system in Philo's writings and arguing for the long-lasting influence of Philonic thought across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Philo studiesorigins of religious philosophycomparative religious philosophy

The Philosophy of the Church Fathers: Volume I Faith Trinity, Incarnation

1956 scholarly monograph (patristics / history of theology)

Philosophical analyses of the Church Fathers, exploring conceptions of faith, the Trinity, and incarnation in early Christianity.

patristicsearly Christian thoughtreligious philosophy

The Philosophy of the Kalam

1976 scholarly monograph (Islamic philosophy)

A study organizing the philosophical aspects of Islamic theological discourse (Kalam) and considering its influence on Jewish philosophy (posthumous / supplemented edition).

KalamIslamic philosophyintellectual exchange

Repercussions of the Kalam in Jewish philosophy

1979 scholarly monograph (comparative thought)

A posthumous examination of how concepts and debates from the Kalam affected Jewish philosophical thought.

Jewish-Islamic intellectual exchangehistory of religious philosophy

Bibliography

  • Crescas' Critique of Aristotle (1929)
  • The Philosophy of Spinoza (1934/1962)
  • Philo: Foundations of Religious Philosophy in Judaism, Christianity and Islam (1947)
  • The Philosophy of the Church Fathers (1956)
  • The Philosophy of the Kalam (1976)
  • Repercussions of the Kalam in Jewish philosophy (1979)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
erudite, meticulous scholarly prosecomparative and interdisciplinary approachrigorous philological and historical method
Recurring Motifs
emphasis on continuity and exchange among Jewish, Christian, and Islamic thoughtwillingness to propose bold hypotheses with limited direct evidencesystematic comparison across texts and traditions

Legacy

He was the first scholar to hold a dedicated chair in Jewish studies at Harvard and produced pioneering comparative work on Philo, Crescas, Spinoza, and the Kalam. He helped institutionalize Judaica in the American university and trained many influential students.

Academic Societies

  • American Academy for Jewish Research
  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • American Philosophical Society

Archives

  • Harvard University Archives (Harry A. Wolfson writings and publications)

Quotes

  • He was reminiscent of an old-fashioned gaon, transposed into a modern university setting, studying day and night, resisting presumptive attractions and distractions, honors and chores, with a tenacity which sometimes seemed awkward and antisocial.
    Source: Isadore Twersky, Journal of the American Oriental Society (1975) — memorial/obituary (1975)

Trivia

  • Born Zvi Hershel ben Mendel Wolfson.
  • Never married.
  • Known for being the first to enter and last to leave Widener Library at Harvard.
  • Brother Nathan lived to age 101 (d. 2001).
  • Nephew Erwin S. Wolfson was involved in the development of the Pan Am Building (MetLife Building) in Manhattan.