World Creation through Symbol or/and Metaphor? A Methodological Comparison between Gershom Scholem and Hans Blumenberg

The symbolic theory of Gershom Scholem (1897–1982) is guided by a meta-level of aesthetic-reception.

If the texts studied by Scholem are read again in the light of the metaphorology of the Jewish philosopher Hans Blumenberg (1920–1996) new intellectual and methodological perspectives will emerge.

1. It will become obvious that metaphors are organs of creation, not just expressions of cultural identity. They are actors. They are not only “images”(in German: Bilder), but also “creators”(Bilnder) of identity-building processes.
2. It might be demonstrated that metaphors express the collective consciousness which they are borne of and which in the persecutable "process of replacement" (Umbesetzungsprozess) provide information about the transformation of cultural change in establishing new identities. In this interaction between “cognitive effects” (Erkenntniseffekte) on the one hand and acculturation effects (Akkulturationseffekte) on the other, the identity of a cultural space is defined in terms of metaphorical practice in the realm of culture.

Jewish studies will profit from such an examination insofar, as it can be shown how this Jewish “picture field community” (Bildfeldgemeinschaft, see Weinreich 1976) was constituted and changed by the interpretation of texts.

To this end, the texts examined by Scholem have to be analysed again with regard to their metaphors of world creation (Welterzeugung)and their transformations caused by their different ritual dynamics. It will be shown that they are no longer merely pictures of social practices which are directed and activated by the intended recipients, but rather creative actors (Bildner) of social practices.