A 19th-century copy of a 1773 letter from Moses Mendelssohn to Rabbi Jacob Emden; here written in the hand of Hyman A. Wagenaar.

This letter is from a celebrated correspondence between the Berlin-based philosopher and the maverick rabbi of Altona. They discuss issues of modernity, the conflict between science and tradition, and the salvation of righteous heathens outside of Europe who are unaware of the Seven Noahide Laws. Alternatively marked by both warmth and tension, these letters form a highly interesting chapter of early modern Jewish history. Wagenaar used this correspondence in his biography of Rabbi Emden. See Toldot Yaavetz (Amsterdam, 1868) Appendix Five, pp. VI-VII.