Louis Finkelstein (1895-1991), scholar
Louis Finkelstein (1895-1991) was a Jewish-American scholar.
Biography
Rabbi. Specialist in Jewish law and the history of Pharisaism. American-born, taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary (of which he was the head from 1940 to 1972). Dominant leader of American Conservative Judaism. Pioneer of Interfaith dialogue, in 1938 established the Institute for Religious and Social Studies (from 1986, the Finkelstein Institute), which brought together Protestant, Catholic and Jewish scholars for theological discussions.
Works on Second Temple Judaism
Books
- The Pharisees: The Sociological Background of Their Faith (2 vols.; 1938; 2nd ed. 1940; 3rd ed. 1962)
- Pharisaism in the Making: Selected Essays (1972)