Paulus Stephanus Cassel
Encyclopedia
Paulus Stephanus Cassel born Selig Cassel, was a German
Jewish convert to Christianity
, writer, orator, and missionary to Jews.
. His father was a sculptor, and his brother David was a well-known rabbi in Berlin
and docent at the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judenthums (University for the Study of Judaism). Cassel studied at the Gymnasia of Glogau and Schweidnitz
and at the University of Berlin
, where he followed with special interest the lectures of the historian Leopold von Ranke
. In 1849 he edited in Erfurt
Die Constitutionelle Zeitung, and in 1850-56 Die Erfurter Zeitung, in a royalist spirit. He later received a doctor of divinity degree from Vienna.
According to his own statement, his Christian friends, and especially his study of the history of Israel, led him to Christianity. He was baptized on May 28, 1855 in Büßleben, near Erfurt
, receiving the name "Paulus Stephanus." In later years he celebrated May 28 as his "second birthday". He became librarian of the Royal Library and secretary of the Academy in Erfurt in the following year. He remained in Erfurt till 1859. King Frederick William IV
bestowed the title of professor on Cassel in recognition of his loyal labors. In 1860 he removed to Berlin, where he was a teacher at a gymnasium for a short time, and occupied himself with literary work. He was briefly editor of the official Deutsche Reform. He delivered public lectures, which drew increasingly large audiences, both Jews and Gentiles. These lectures made him known throughout Berlin and the country.
In 1866-67 Cassel was a Conservative member of the Prussian Chamber of Deputies (Landtag). He became a prominent member of the Conservative Party.
In 1867 Cassel was appointed missionary by the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews (a Jewish Christian missionary society now known as the Church's Ministry Among Jewish People
or CMJ), a position which he retained till March 1891. At the same time (1867) Cassel was assigned to the pastorate of the Christuskirche in Berlin, with over a thousand sittings, erected by the Society in Wilhelmstrasse in 1864. He remained in service there for twenty-four years.
He traveled and lectured widely, as this excerpt from a published letter shows ("Thoughts on the Jewish Mission", 1887):
He baptized 262 Jews in Christuskirche, among them doctors, authors, merchants.
In a pamphlet published a short time before his death, he complained of the inconsiderate treatment he had received at the hands of his Christian friends ("Sendschreiben an Freunde in Deutschland und England über die Christuskirche in Berlin und Ihr Martyrium Durch die London Society," Berlin, 1891). H.L. Strack
states that it is not clear what induced Cassel to join the Christian Church, though he contends that Cassel's reasons were obviously not mercenary. (See Herzog-Hauck, Real-Encyc. iii. 744). Cassel combated anti-Semitism with considerable warmth (in Wider Heinrich von Treitschke für die Juden, Berlin, 1880; Die Antisemiten und die Evangelische Kirche, 2d ed., Berlin, 1881; Ahasverus, die Sage vom Ewigen Juden mit einem Kritischen Protest Wider, Ed. von Hartmann und Adolf Stöcker, Berlin, 1885; also Der Judengott und Richard Wagner, eine Antwort an die Bayreuther Blätter
). He wrote and spoke against Adolf Stöcker
and Richard Wagner
and other expressions of Protestant anti-Semitism during a period of its resurgence.
In his Emancipation und Mission Cassel endeavored to show that the Jews would obtain permanent relief from persecution not by civil enfranchisement, but through evangelization. In later years, however, he frankly receded from this view. De le Roi, the historian of Christian propaganda among the Jews, says that Cassel was animated by "a very decided Jewish spirit." In 1860 Cassel published a History of the Jewish People Since the Destruction of Jerusalem, issued in Berlin by the Gesellschaft zur Beförderung des Christenthums Unter den Juden. He exerted himself in the interest of proselytism among Jews. He stated his views on missionary work among them in a pamphlet: "Wie Ich über Judenmission Denke," Berlin, 1886; see also "Nathanael," edited by H.L. Strack, 1897. From 1875 to 1889 he edited Sunem, ein Berliner Wochenblatt für Christliches Leben und Wissen (16 vols.). Hallelujah, Einhundert und Acht und Achtzig Geistliche Lieder is a collection of hymns reprinted from this journal. In 1847 Cassel wrote an earnest though somewhat fantastic study of Hungarian archaeology, Magyarische Alterthümer, which long remained of value. Of especial interest is his translation (with notes) of the reply to Chisdai ben Isaac of Joseph, king of the Khazars
(pp. 183 et seq.).
Cassel died at Friedenau
near Berlin, his last words being, "Wo ist denn das Himmelreich?" He was buried at the Old Jerusalem Cemetery. According to the Allgemeine Zeitung des Judenthums,
, however, says of it: "It is one-sided and merely gives episodes out of the life of Jews in various countries. It is collated in a fragmentary manner, though rich in erudite notes" (I.M. Jost, Geschichte des Judenthums und Seiner Sekten, Section 3, p. 365, Leipzig, 1859). Sabbathliche Erinnerungen was also published before Cassel's conversion — the first part anonymously, the second (signed "S. C." in the preface) being put forth for the benefit of indigent veterans of 1813-15.
's Theologisch-Homiletisches Bibelwerk. A second edition appeared in 1887, which was translated into English in 1872. In 1878 appeared Das Buch Esther, ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des Morgenlandes, aus dem Hebräischen Uebersetzt, Historisch und Theologisch Erläutert, section 1, with an appendix, a translation of the Second Targum
. The original text of the Second Targum Cassel published in Aus Litteratur und Geschichte, Berlin and Leipzig, 1885: "Zweites Targum zum Buche Esther, im Vocalisierten Urtext mit Sachlichen und Sprachlichen Erläuterungen Herausgegeben." An English translation by Aaron Bernstein
was published in Edinburgh in 1888. This English edition also gives translations of several of Cassel's essays; viz., "Mithra" (pp. 345–361), "The Winged Bulls of Persepolis" (pp. 362–377), and "Zoroaster" (pp. 378–400). Most of Cassel's other literary work partakes of the character of controversy. His larger work on Weihnachten, Ursprünge, Bräuche und Aberglauben, ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Christlichen Kirche und des Deutschen Volkes, Berlin, 1861, is a medley of ingenious but unsystematized erudition, and is pervaded by a tone of pious emotionalism.
Altogether, Cassel's versatility has secured him merely the admiration of his contemporaries. He was incapable of acquiring a position of influence in the church of his adoption. His more general works are: Vom Wege nach Damascus, Apologetische Abhandlungen, Gotha, 1872; Aus Guter Stunde, Betrachtungen und Erinnerungen, Gotha, 1874; Für Ernste Stunden, Betrachtungen und Erinnerungen, 2d ed., Berlin, 1881; Aus Literatur und Symbolik, Leipzig, 1884; Aus Literatur und Geschichte, Berlin and Leipzig, 1885; Vom Nil zum Ganges, Wanderungen in die Orientalische Welt, Berlin, 1880; and Das Leben des Menschen in Gesch. und Symbol, in "G. S." (only one volume published), Berlin, 1893. Besides, Cassel wrote a large number of pamphlets on theological, ethnological, and philological subjects.
Essays with respect to Judaism, dating from this time, are the following:
Other writings by Cassel with reference to Judaism and the Jews are the following:
An important treatise on medieval folklore, and the contributions made thereto by Jews, is Mischle Sindbad, Secundus Syntipas, Edirt, Emendirt und Erklärt; Einleitung und Deutung des Buches der Sieben Weisen Meister, 3d ed., Berlin, 1891. He wrote many poems and hymns and some plays, including Vom Könige", Das neue Schauspiel, Der Weiner Congress and Paulus at Damascus.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Jewish convert to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, writer, orator, and missionary to Jews.
Biography
Cassel was born in Gross-Glogau, SilesiaProvince of Silesia
The Province of Silesia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1815 to 1919.-Geography:The territory comprised the bulk of the former Bohemian crown land of Silesia and the County of Kladsko, which King Frederick the Great had conquered from the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th...
. His father was a sculptor, and his brother David was a well-known rabbi in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and docent at the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judenthums (University for the Study of Judaism). Cassel studied at the Gymnasia of Glogau and Schweidnitz
Swidnica
Świdnica is a city in south-western Poland in the region of Silesia. It has a population of 60,317 according to 2006 figures. It lies in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, being the seventh largest town in that voivodeship. From 1975–98 it was in the former Wałbrzych Voivodeship...
and at the University of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
, where he followed with special interest the lectures of the historian Leopold von Ranke
Leopold von Ranke
Leopold von Ranke was a German historian, considered one of the founders of modern source-based history. Ranke set the standards for much of later historical writing, introducing such ideas as reliance on primary sources , an emphasis on narrative history and especially international politics .-...
. In 1849 he edited in Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
Die Constitutionelle Zeitung, and in 1850-56 Die Erfurter Zeitung, in a royalist spirit. He later received a doctor of divinity degree from Vienna.
According to his own statement, his Christian friends, and especially his study of the history of Israel, led him to Christianity. He was baptized on May 28, 1855 in Büßleben, near Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
, receiving the name "Paulus Stephanus." In later years he celebrated May 28 as his "second birthday". He became librarian of the Royal Library and secretary of the Academy in Erfurt in the following year. He remained in Erfurt till 1859. King Frederick William IV
Frederick William IV of Prussia
|align=right|Upon his accession, he toned down the reactionary policies enacted by his father, easing press censorship and promising to enact a constitution at some point, but he refused to enact a popular legislative assembly, preferring to work with the aristocracy through "united committees" of...
bestowed the title of professor on Cassel in recognition of his loyal labors. In 1860 he removed to Berlin, where he was a teacher at a gymnasium for a short time, and occupied himself with literary work. He was briefly editor of the official Deutsche Reform. He delivered public lectures, which drew increasingly large audiences, both Jews and Gentiles. These lectures made him known throughout Berlin and the country.
In 1866-67 Cassel was a Conservative member of the Prussian Chamber of Deputies (Landtag). He became a prominent member of the Conservative Party.
In 1867 Cassel was appointed missionary by the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews (a Jewish Christian missionary society now known as the Church's Ministry Among Jewish People
Church's Ministry Among Jewish People
Church's Ministry Among Jewish People is an Anglican missionary society founded in 1809.-History:...
or CMJ), a position which he retained till March 1891. At the same time (1867) Cassel was assigned to the pastorate of the Christuskirche in Berlin, with over a thousand sittings, erected by the Society in Wilhelmstrasse in 1864. He remained in service there for twenty-four years.
He traveled and lectured widely, as this excerpt from a published letter shows ("Thoughts on the Jewish Mission", 1887):
Invitations came to give lectures in places at a distance. A dear friend of mine shewed me in 1860 a map of Germany, on which he marked all the towns in which I have lectured. Since then I have delivered over a thousand original lectures in Berlin and elsewhere. God's hand has guided me everywhere. My journeys have extended from Amsterdam to Buda-Pesth. I always had an attentive audience, and the poorer people in both large and small towns heard the Word with gladness - nay, even with enthusiasm.
He baptized 262 Jews in Christuskirche, among them doctors, authors, merchants.
In a pamphlet published a short time before his death, he complained of the inconsiderate treatment he had received at the hands of his Christian friends ("Sendschreiben an Freunde in Deutschland und England über die Christuskirche in Berlin und Ihr Martyrium Durch die London Society," Berlin, 1891). H.L. Strack
Hermann Strack
Hermann Leberecht Strack was a German Protestant theologian and Orientalist; born at Berlin May 6, 1848. Since 1877 he was assistant professor of Old Testament exegesis and Semitic languages at the University of Berlin. He was the foremost Christian authority in Germany on Talmudic and rabbinic...
states that it is not clear what induced Cassel to join the Christian Church, though he contends that Cassel's reasons were obviously not mercenary. (See Herzog-Hauck, Real-Encyc. iii. 744). Cassel combated anti-Semitism with considerable warmth (in Wider Heinrich von Treitschke für die Juden, Berlin, 1880; Die Antisemiten und die Evangelische Kirche, 2d ed., Berlin, 1881; Ahasverus, die Sage vom Ewigen Juden mit einem Kritischen Protest Wider, Ed. von Hartmann und Adolf Stöcker, Berlin, 1885; also Der Judengott und Richard Wagner, eine Antwort an die Bayreuther Blätter
Bayreuther Blätter
Bayreuther Blätter was a monthly newsletter founded in 1878 by its editor Hans von Wolzogen, with the encouragement of Richard Wagner, for visitors to the Bayreuth Festival in Bavaria, which celebrates Wagner's operas...
). He wrote and spoke against Adolf Stöcker
Adolf Stocker
Adolf Stocker was a Swiss fencer. He competed in the individual and team sabre events at the 1936 Summer Olympics.-References:...
and Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
and other expressions of Protestant anti-Semitism during a period of its resurgence.
In his Emancipation und Mission Cassel endeavored to show that the Jews would obtain permanent relief from persecution not by civil enfranchisement, but through evangelization. In later years, however, he frankly receded from this view. De le Roi, the historian of Christian propaganda among the Jews, says that Cassel was animated by "a very decided Jewish spirit." In 1860 Cassel published a History of the Jewish People Since the Destruction of Jerusalem, issued in Berlin by the Gesellschaft zur Beförderung des Christenthums Unter den Juden. He exerted himself in the interest of proselytism among Jews. He stated his views on missionary work among them in a pamphlet: "Wie Ich über Judenmission Denke," Berlin, 1886; see also "Nathanael," edited by H.L. Strack, 1897. From 1875 to 1889 he edited Sunem, ein Berliner Wochenblatt für Christliches Leben und Wissen (16 vols.). Hallelujah, Einhundert und Acht und Achtzig Geistliche Lieder is a collection of hymns reprinted from this journal. In 1847 Cassel wrote an earnest though somewhat fantastic study of Hungarian archaeology, Magyarische Alterthümer, which long remained of value. Of especial interest is his translation (with notes) of the reply to Chisdai ben Isaac of Joseph, king of the Khazars
Khazars
The Khazars were semi-nomadic Turkic people who established one of the largest polities of medieval Eurasia, with the capital of Atil and territory comprising much of modern-day European Russia, western Kazakhstan, eastern Ukraine, Azerbaijan, large portions of the northern Caucasus , parts of...
(pp. 183 et seq.).
Cassel died at Friedenau
Friedenau
Friedenau is a locality within the borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg in Berlin, Germany. Per population density it is the highest one into the city.- Etymology :...
near Berlin, his last words being, "Wo ist denn das Himmelreich?" He was buried at the Old Jerusalem Cemetery. According to the Allgemeine Zeitung des Judenthums,
When the anti-Semites began to show themselves, Cassel remembered his origin, and opposed the leaders, Stöcker, Wagner, and others with great decision and manliness. It was this manly action that gives us some satisfaction for his desertion of the parental religion. We have to judge this apostasy very differently from that of many others in former and present times, as he did not forsake his old creed for any worldly reason, or to get honors and position, but rather because he followed a mystical line of thought. God alone can judge the veracity and purity of his life; we dare not. 'Peace be to his ashes!'
History of the Jews
Cassel's only methodic work is his history of the Jews from the destruction of Jerusalem to 1847 ("Juden [Geschichte]" in Ersch and Gruber, Encyc. ii., part 27, pp. 1–238). This scientific treatment of Jewish history he wrote before his conversion, and it is signed "Selig Cassel." Isaak Markus JostIsaak Markus Jost
Isaak Marcus Jost was a Jewish historical writer.He studied at the universities of Göttingen and Berlin. In Berlin he began to teach, and in 1835 received the appointment of upper master in the Jewish commercial school at Frankfort-on-the-Main...
, however, says of it: "It is one-sided and merely gives episodes out of the life of Jews in various countries. It is collated in a fragmentary manner, though rich in erudite notes" (I.M. Jost, Geschichte des Judenthums und Seiner Sekten, Section 3, p. 365, Leipzig, 1859). Sabbathliche Erinnerungen was also published before Cassel's conversion — the first part anonymously, the second (signed "S. C." in the preface) being put forth for the benefit of indigent veterans of 1813-15.
Biblical studies
Cassel's Biblical studies are conservative; and it is surprising that he neglected to use the fund of rabbinical lore he undoubtedly possessed. In 1865 he wrote "Das Buch der Richter und Ruth" for Johann Peter LangeJohann Peter Lange
Johann Peter Lange , was a German Calvinist theologian of peasant origin.-Biography:...
's Theologisch-Homiletisches Bibelwerk. A second edition appeared in 1887, which was translated into English in 1872. In 1878 appeared Das Buch Esther, ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des Morgenlandes, aus dem Hebräischen Uebersetzt, Historisch und Theologisch Erläutert, section 1, with an appendix, a translation of the Second Targum
Targum
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
. The original text of the Second Targum Cassel published in Aus Litteratur und Geschichte, Berlin and Leipzig, 1885: "Zweites Targum zum Buche Esther, im Vocalisierten Urtext mit Sachlichen und Sprachlichen Erläuterungen Herausgegeben." An English translation by Aaron Bernstein
Aaron Bernstein
Aaron David Bernstein was a German Jewish scientist, author and reformer.-Biography:His translation of the Song of Songs and his publication of Young Germany established his reputation as a writer among the literary critics of Berlin...
was published in Edinburgh in 1888. This English edition also gives translations of several of Cassel's essays; viz., "Mithra" (pp. 345–361), "The Winged Bulls of Persepolis" (pp. 362–377), and "Zoroaster" (pp. 378–400). Most of Cassel's other literary work partakes of the character of controversy. His larger work on Weihnachten, Ursprünge, Bräuche und Aberglauben, ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Christlichen Kirche und des Deutschen Volkes, Berlin, 1861, is a medley of ingenious but unsystematized erudition, and is pervaded by a tone of pious emotionalism.
Altogether, Cassel's versatility has secured him merely the admiration of his contemporaries. He was incapable of acquiring a position of influence in the church of his adoption. His more general works are: Vom Wege nach Damascus, Apologetische Abhandlungen, Gotha, 1872; Aus Guter Stunde, Betrachtungen und Erinnerungen, Gotha, 1874; Für Ernste Stunden, Betrachtungen und Erinnerungen, 2d ed., Berlin, 1881; Aus Literatur und Symbolik, Leipzig, 1884; Aus Literatur und Geschichte, Berlin and Leipzig, 1885; Vom Nil zum Ganges, Wanderungen in die Orientalische Welt, Berlin, 1880; and Das Leben des Menschen in Gesch. und Symbol, in "G. S." (only one volume published), Berlin, 1893. Besides, Cassel wrote a large number of pamphlets on theological, ethnological, and philological subjects.
Other writings
Other publications of Cassel's are:- Wissenschaftliche Berichte, Unter Mitwirkung von Mitgliedern der Erfurter Akademie
- Magyarische Altertumer, 1848
- Von Warschau bis Olmutz, 1851
- Denkschrift der Königlichen Akademie Gemeinnütziger Wissenschaften in Erfurt, Herausgegeben am Sekulartage Ihrer Gründung, den 19. Juli, 1854
- Irene, eine Sprachlich-Exegetische Skizze, Erfurt, 1855
- Thüringische Ortsnamen, 1856-58
- Eddische Studien, 1856
- Rose und Nachtigall, 1860
- Der Mittler, ein Exegetischer Versuch zu Galater iii. 19, 20
- Aus der Hagia Sophia, ein Akademisches Neujahrs-Programm
- Über Thüringische Ortsnamen, Abdruck von Wissenschaftlichen Berichten der Erfurter Akademie
- Das 1000 jährige Reich, 1890
Essays with respect to Judaism, dating from this time, are the following:
- "Das Glaubensbekenntniss der Zenobia, Fürstin von Palmyra," in Orient, Lit, 1841, Nos. 31 et seq.
- "Der Apostat," ibid. 1843, Nos. 18 et seq.
- "Historische Versuche: Anmerkungen zu Benjamin von Tudela, Französische Städtenamen, Apologie," Berlin, 1847
- "Die Rabbinerversammlung des Jahres 1650, eine Historische Abhandlung," Berlin, 1845
Other writings by Cassel with reference to Judaism and the Jews are the following:
- Die Symbolik des Blutes und der Arme Heinrich von Hartmann von der Aue, Berlin, 1882
- "Shylock, der Kaufmann von Venedig", in Aus Literatur und Symbolik, pp. 368–386
- "Caricaturnamen" in Literatur und Geschichte, pp. 323–347
- "Der Ewige Jude," in G. S. i. 367-410
- "Das Zicklein aus der Jüdischen Passahliturgie," in Aus dem Lande des Sonnenaufgangs, pp. 1–16, Berlin, 1886
- "Zur Naturgeschichte der Chuzpe," a reply to Fritz Mauthner's review of Ahasverus, ibid. pp. 89–100
An important treatise on medieval folklore, and the contributions made thereto by Jews, is Mischle Sindbad, Secundus Syntipas, Edirt, Emendirt und Erklärt; Einleitung und Deutung des Buches der Sieben Weisen Meister, 3d ed., Berlin, 1891. He wrote many poems and hymns and some plays, including Vom Könige", Das neue Schauspiel, Der Weiner Congress and Paulus at Damascus.
External links
- Biography from HaDavar