Ɛpsilon

To B. J. Placzek   15 September 1878

Down. | Beckenham. Kent.

Sep: 15. 1878.

Dear Sir.

I thank you for your extremely courteous letter & for your kind remarks about what I have been able to do in Science—1 The history of every new view is interesting & sometimes highly instructive. & whenever I receive the work; which you are so good as to say that you will send me—I will read it.2 But you are mistaken about my knowledge of German for I read it only with difficulty. As I am at present much engaged on other subjects, I shall probably be unable to read your essay for some little time. I may mention that a learned Jew in Poland (whose name I have at present forgotten) has published a small volume in Hebrew, shewing that evolution is an ancient belief & that orthodox Jews may safely accept it—3

Wishing you success in your labours— I remain | Dear Sir. | Yours faithfully | Charles Darwin.

Copy

1
Placzek’s letter has not been found.
2
There is a copy of Placzek’s article ‘Die Agada und der Darwinismus / Der Darwinismus in der Agada’ from the Jüdische Literaturblatt for 1878 in DAR 226.2: 5–20 (Placzek 1878). The Agada or Haggadah is ‘the homiletical and illustrative part of the authoritative book of Jewish civil and religious law, the Talmud’ (Chambers). In his article, Placzek pointed out congruences between transmutation theory and Jewish scriptures, and discussed teleology and anthropocentrism.
3
See Correspondence vol. 24, letter from Naphtali Lewy, [26 March – 24 April 1876]. Lewy’s ‘small volume’ was Toldot Adam (Lewy 1874). See also letter from Naphtali Lewy, 14 May 1878.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-11694,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-11694