MENDELSSOHN, Moses. — Philosopher, b. at Dessau on 6 Sept. 1729, d. at Berlin on 4 Jan. 1786. Having begun, at Dessau, to study the works of Maimonides (q.v.), he completed his philosophical training at Berlin, partly under the guidance of Lessing (q.v.), especially through the study of contemporary currents (Leibnizian rationalism, empiricism, and English preromanticism).
Mendelssohn is less a systematic philosopher than a critic of systems and doctrines. He regards the existence of God, the immortality of the soul, and moral principles as demonstrable truths, and religiosity as an essential aspect of man; yet the objective content of religion consists principally in its laws and practical maxims. Even certain forms of pantheism can found a pure and profound religiosity. With these and similar doctrines, Mendelssohn contributed to the affirmation of the idea of religious tolerance in law and public opinion. His influence was even greater on the attitude of Jews toward society and cultural life. He facilitated for his coreligionists, through translations of the Old Testament (Pentateuch, Psalms), access to the sources of their religious tradition, and in his apology Jerusalem oder über religiöse Macht und Judentum (Berlin 1783) he offered an interpretation of Judaism in accord with the spirit of modern culture.
Other works: Philosophische Gespräche (Berlin 1755); Abhandlung über die Evidenz in den metaphysischen Wissenschaften (ibid. 1764); Phädon oder über die Unsterblichkeit der Seele (ibid. 1767); Morgenstunden oder über das Dasein Gottes (ibid. 1785).
