Research

Research at the Institute for Jewish Philosophy and Religion

Research at the institute covers a broad range of topics in the field of Jewish thought from antiquity to the present. Jewish philosophy is thereby perceived within the framework of philosophy as well as a distinct phenomenon that evolved through exchange with other Jewish and non-Jewish intellectual traditions.

The Institute works in close cooperation with the Department of Philosophy and two affiliated research projects that are funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG): the Maimonides Centre for Advanced Studies and the PESHAT project. PESHAT, which stands for “Premodern Philosophical and Scientific Terminology“ (Link), is a project in historical lexicography that analyzes translation techniques and the use of philosophical and scientific terminology in medieval Jewish and Arabic philosophical, scientific, and legal texts. It constitutes a major contribution to the study of medieval and Early Modern philosophical and scientific writings in Arabic and Hebrew. The results of the project will be made accessible online via a multilingual database.

Of particular interest is our cooperation with the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures. The Centre hosts international experts that engage in historical, philological, codicological and comparative research of manuscripts from Asia, Africa, and Europe.

On this page you can find a description of all ongoing and completed research projects, an overview of current PhD projects and information about the European Journal of Jewish Studies and the journal Studies in Jewish History & Culture both of which are co-edited by Prof. Veltri.