We raise a question that is anything but self-evident. As an initial step, both sides of the “and” in our title must first be scrutinized. On one side, two main misunderstandings have to be removed concerning Messianism. The notion can be taken in a purely metaphorical sense; hence, for example, Marxism can be considered a messianic phenomenon inasmuch as it includes an utopian view of the best society. But, even while each one of the numerous forms of messianism incorporates utopian elements, every utopia is not by itself messianic. Alternatively, there is the risk of obsessing over the diverse contents of the very words - “messianism,” “messiah,” or “messianic” - in order to bring forth the underlying idea. At issue is a combination of discontent vis-à-vis the current world and a preoccupation in favour of a future inspired by the Jewish conception of redemption.

On the other side of the “and” is the existence of a “Jewish philosophy,” which can be neither presupposed nor simply proven. The field of our inquiry is the encounter between philosophy as such and Jewish tradition, two more or less conflicting discourses about the truth, each one expressed through a particular language belonging to a specific history. Before explaining how this encounter with respect to Messianism does exist and what it means, we must ask when, where, and why it has been possible.