Overview

Full Product Details

9780253017147

Table of Contents

Reviews

.. . [a] thoughtful, illuminating new study of Heschel s thought.... It is one of the many virtues of Shai Held s book that it helps us to place Heschel alongside not only Kaplan but Halevi, Horovitz, and Rav Nahman as well as the Psalmist. Jewish Review of Books

Held puts Heschel into dialogue with contemporary Jewish thinkers, Christian theologians, devotional writers, and philosophers of religion.11/12/13 * Menachem Mendel * Held's study is a book to be savored: it is too richly detailed to be absorbed in anything but short sittings. For the reader with the patience and the necessary philosophical and theological backgrounds, reading Held's work is a decadent and enormously rewarding process to be treasured. * Jewish Book Council * Held's study of Heschel's thought is a well-researched and long-needed volume that presents a systematic account of Heschel's ideas, clarifying many things that are obscure or difficult to understand, pointing to both the strengths and the weaknesses of his work. * Jerusalem Post * In Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendence, Held, a Conservative rabbi, seeks to make the case for Heschel's contributions to Jewish religious thinking. He succeeds in distilling Heschel's wide-ranging, idiosyncratic, and sometimes contradictory thought for the lay reader in clear and accessible prose. Most refreshing, he is unafraid to criticize aspects of Heschel's theology that deserve censure. * Commentary * Rabbi Held's . . . writing style fits his subject. He's clear and eloquent, attuned to capture and explicate Rabbi Heschel's complexity. * New York Jewish Week * Held has reworked his dissertation into an accessible yet carefully argued interpretation of Heschel's most fundamental anthropological and theological intuitions. * AJS REVIEW * Shai Held's book is a master class in one of the most significant Jewish voices of our time. * Tablet * Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendence is one of the most important works of scholarship on Heschel, resulting from serious, comprehensive, and sensitive reading. Unlike many Heschel scholars, Held has clearly immersed himself in every word of his works. At the same time, his own book is written in language that makes it quite readable. . . . One of the great contributions of Held's work is his summary and critique of the study of Heschel. From now on, no one will be able to write any creditable academic work about Heschel without referring to Held's words and notes. * Tikkun * I recommend this book with enthusiasm for anyone interested in life's fundamental questions, as well as in specific issues of faith, justice, and worship. The presentation is clear, careful, and pedagogically friendly. Readers can benefit from an extensive bibliography and especially the endnotes, richly argued and carefully documented, as the author concisely continues his debates with other interpreters and with Heschel himself. . . . Under the guidance of Shai Held, readers can return with increased confidence to Heschel's . . . own writings and thus trace, and perhaps emulate, his devotion to God, amazement at existence itself, and reverence for all humankind. * Shofar * Held has written a brilliant collection of essays that should help both theologians . . . and philosophers connect to Heschel's work for many years to come. It should be in most academic libraries and all seminary libraries. * AJL Reviews * This is an important book for everyone who wants to understand one of the most significant religious thinkers of modern times. It brings the man whom Reinhold Neibuhr described as 'one of Eastern Europe's greatest spiritual gifts to America' to the attention of a new generation, which needs his warning and his vision. * JNS.org * . . . [a] thoughtful, illuminating new study of Heschel's thought. . . . It is one of the many virtues of Shai Held's book that it helps us to place Heschel alongside not only Kaplan but Halevi, Horovitz, and Rav Nahman-as well as the Psalmist. * Jewish Review of Books * Heschel's work had a profound impact on American Jewish readers, and he was a social critic as well as a visionary theologian, fighting for civil rights and fiercely condemning the Vietnam War. The influence of Heschel's writings and activism thus extended beyond the Jewish community. . . Shai Held's book, Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendence, is a sophisticated interpretation of Heschel's theology.35.2 May 2015 * Modern Judaism * [Held] has written a clear, persuasive, argumentative book . . . .April 2015 * Journal of Religion * Shaid Held . . . offers a sympathetic, yet critical, examination of the thought of this influential mid-twentieth century theologian, scholar, and activist. * New Books Network * From his perch at the Jewish Theological Seminary of New York, the Warsaw-born rabbi [Abraham Joshua Heschel] cast a long shadow over American Jewry, especially its Conservative variant, during the quarter-century after World War II. He also became a byword for American Jewish social-justice activism-most of all for the alliance between Jews and blacks.Feb. 14, 2014 * New York Times Sunday Book Review *

Held's study of Heschel's thought is a well-researched and long-needed volume that presents a systematic account of Heschel's ideas, clarifying many things that are obscure or difcult to understand, pointing to both the strengths and the weaknesses of his work. -Jerusalem Post Shai Held's book is a master class in one of the most significant Jewish voices of our time. -Tablet ... [a] thoughtful, illuminating new study of Heschel's thought... It is one of the many virtues of Shai Held's book that it helps us to place Heschel alongside not only Kaplan but Halevi, Horovitz, and Rav Nahman-as well as the Psalmist. -Jewish Review of Books Rabbi Held's... writing style fits his subject. He's clear and eloquent, attuned to capture and explicate Rabbi Heschel's complexity. -New York Jewish Week In Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendence, Held, a Conservative rabbi, seeks to make the case for Heschel's contributions to Jewish religious thinking. He succeeds in distilling Heschel's wide-ranging, idiosyncratic, and sometimes contradictory thought for the lay reader in clear and accessible prose. Most refreshing, he is unafraid to criticize aspects of Heschel's theology that deserve censure. -Commentary From his perch at the Jewish Theological Seminary of New York, the Warsaw-born rabbi [Abraham Joshua Heschel] cast a long shadow over American Jewry, especially its Conservative variant, during the quarter-century after World War II. He also became a byword for American Jewish social-justice activism-most of all for the alliance between Jews and blacks. -New York Times Sunday Book Review I recommend this book with enthusiasm for anyone interested in life's fundamental questions, as well as in specific issues of faith, justice, and worship. The presentation is clear, careful, and pedagogically friendly. Readers can benefit from an extensive bibliography and especially the endnotes, richly argued and carefully documented, as the author concisely continues his debates with other interpreters and with Heschel himself... Under the guidance of Shai Held, readers can return with increased confidence to Heschel's... own writings and thus trace, and perhaps emulate, his devotion to God, amazement at existence itself, and reverence for all humankind. -Shofar Held has written a brilliant collection of essays that should help both theologians... and philosophers connect to Heschel's work for many years to come. It should be in most academic libraries and all seminary libraries. -AJL Reviews Held puts Heschel into dialogue with contemporary Jewish thinkers, Christian theologians, devotional writers, and philosophers of religion. -Menachem Mendel This is an important book for everyone who wants to understand one of the most significant religious thinkers of modern times. It brings the man whom Reinhold Neibuhr described as 'one of Eastern Europe's greatest spiritual gifts to America' to the attention of a new generation, which needs his warning and his vision. -JNS.org Presents a highly compelling theory about the core principles of Heschel's corpus that demands that his thought be studied anew. -Robert Erlewine, Illinois Wesleyan University Heschel's work and thought have rarely been subjected to careful, critical exploration. Shai Held's book is a watershed in this regard. It is philosophically and theologically sophisticated, leaves no stone unturned in its effort to clarify the main themes and foundational commitments that shaped Heschel's thinking, and employs a rich array of contextual factors, including attention to developments in Christian theology and philosophical thinking. -Michael L. Morgan, Indiana University Bloomington In this lucid and learned account, Abraham Joshua Heschel emerges as a dialectical thinker who holds together such opposites as theology and spirituality, the transcendence and self-transcendence of God, the presence and absence of God, the humanity and divinity of the Bible, and prayer as praise and lament. A powerful challenge to Jewish and Christian readers as well as those who stand outside biblical traditions, including secular readers. -Merold Westphal, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Fordham University In this lucid and elegant study, one of the keenest minds in Jewish theology in our time probes the vision of one of the most profound spiritual writers of the twentieth century, uncovering a unity that others have missed and shedding light not only on Heschel but also on the characteristically modern habits of mind that impede the knowledge of God. The book is especially valuable for the connections it draws with other philosophers, theologians, and spiritual writers, Jewish and Christian. Enthusiastically recommended! -Jon D. Levenson, Harvard University A masterful work of scholarship and careful thought. In Shai Held, Heschel has found the serious and critical reader he so richly deserves.Through Heschel, Held's work reachesout more broadly to treat us to a profound discussion of the great issues in contemporary Jewish theology. -Arthur Green, Hebrew College Rabbinical School [Held] has written a clear, persuasive, argumentative book... -Journal of Religion Heschel's work had a profound impact on American Jewish readers, and he was a social critic as well as a visionary theologian, fighting for civil rights and fiercely condemning the Vietnam War. The influence of Heschel's writings and activism thus extended beyond the Jewish community... Shai Held's book, Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendence, is a sophisticated interpretation of Heschel's theology. -Modern Judaism Held has reworked his dissertation into an accessible yet carefully argued interpretation of Heschel's most fundamental anthropological and theological intuitions. -AJS REVIEW Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendence is one of the most important works of scholarship on Heschel, resulting from serious, comprehensive, and sensitive reading. Unlike many Heschel scholars, Held has clearly immersed himself in every word of his works. At the same time, his own book is written in language that makes it quite readable... One of the great contributions of Held's work is his summary and critique of the study of Heschel. From now on, no one will be able to write any creditable academic work about Heschel without referring to Held's words and notes. -Tikkun Held's study is a book to be savored: it is too richly detailed to be absorbed in anything but short sittings. For the reader with the patience and the necessary philosophical and theological backgrounds, reading Held's work is a decadent and enormously rewarding process to be treasured. -Jewish Book Council

Shaid Held... offers a sympathetic, yet critical, examination of the thought of this influential mid-twentieth century theologian, scholar, and activist. -New Books Network Held's study is a book to be savored: it is too richly detailed to be absorbed in anything but short sittings. For the reader with the patience and the necessary philosophical and theological backgrounds, reading Held's work is a decadent and enormously rewarding process to be treasured. -Jewish Book Council Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendence is one of the most important works of scholarship on Heschel, resulting from serious, comprehensive, and sensitive reading. Unlike many Heschel scholars, Held has clearly immersed himself in every word of his works. At the same time, his own book is written in language that makes it quite readable.... One of the great contributions of Held's work is his summary and critique of the study of Heschel. From now on, no one will be able to write any creditable academic work about Heschel without referring to Held's words and notes. -Tikkun Held has reworked his dissertation into an accessible yet carefully argued interpretation of Heschel's most fundamental anthropological and theological intuitions. -AJS REVIEW Heschel's work had a profound impact on American Jewish readers, and he was a social critic as well as a visionary theologian, fighting for civil rights and fiercely condemning the Vietnam War. The influence of Heschel's writings and activism thus extended beyond the Jewish community... Shai Held's book, Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendence, is a sophisticated interpretation of Heschel's theology. -Modern Judaism [Held] has written a clear, persuasive, argumentative book.... -Journal of Religion A masterful work of scholarship and careful thought. In Shai Held, Heschel has found the serious and critical reader he so richly deserves.Through Heschel, Held's work reachesout more broadly to treat us to a profound discussion of the great issues in contemporary Jewish theology. -Arthur Green, Hebrew College Rabbinical School In this lucid and elegant study, one of the keenest minds in Jewish theology in our time probes the vision of one of the most profound spiritual writers of the twentieth century, uncovering a unity that others have missed and shedding light not only on Heschel but also on the characteristically modern habits of mind that impede the knowledge of God. The book is especially valuable for the connections it draws with other philosophers, theologians, and spiritual writers, Jewish and Christian. Enthusiastically recommended! -Jon D. Levenson, Harvard University In this lucid and learned account, Abraham Joshua Heschel emerges as a dialectical thinker who holds together such opposites as theology and spirituality, the transcendence and self-transcendence of God, the presence and absence of God, the humanity and divinity of the Bible, and prayer as praise and lament. A powerful challenge to Jewish and Christian readers as well as those who stand outside biblical traditions, including secular readers. -Merold Westphal, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Fordham University Heschel's work and thought have rarely been subjected to careful, critical exploration. Shai Held's book is a watershed in this regard. It is philosophically and theologically sophisticated, leaves no stone unturned in its effort to clarify the main themes and foundational commitments that shaped Heschel's thinking, and employs a rich array of contextual factors, including attention to developments in Christian theology and philosophical thinking. -Michael L. Morgan, Indiana University Bloomington Presents a highly compelling theory about the core principles of Heschel's corpus that demands that his thought be studied anew. -Robert Erlewine, Illinois Wesleyan University This is an important book for everyone who wants to understand one of the most significant religious thinkers of modern times. It brings the man whom Reinhold Neibuhr described as 'one of Eastern Europe's greatest spiritual gifts to America' to the attention of a new generation, which needs his warning and his vision. -JNS.org Held puts Heschel into dialogue with contemporary Jewish thinkers, Christian theologians, devotional writers, and philosophers of religion. -Menachem Mendel Held has written a brilliant collection of essays that should help both theologians... and philosophers connect to Heschel's work for many years to come. It should be in most academic libraries and all seminary libraries. -AJL Reviews I recommend this book with enthusiasm for anyone interested in life's fundamental questions, as well as in specific issues of faith, justice, and worship. The presentation is clear, careful, and pedagogically friendly. Readers can benefit from an extensive bibliography and especially the endnotes, richly argued and carefully documented, as the author concisely continues his debates with other interpreters and with Heschel himself.... Under the guidance of Shai Held, readers can return with increased confidence to Heschel's... own writings and thus trace, and perhaps emulate, his devotion to God, amazement at existence itself, and reverence for all humankind. -Shofar From his perch at the Jewish Theological Seminary of New York, the Warsaw-born rabbi [Abraham Joshua Heschel] cast a long shadow over American Jewry, especially its Conservative variant, during the quarter-century after World War II. He also became a byword for American Jewish social-justice activism-most of all for the alliance between Jews and blacks. -New York Times Sunday Book Review In Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendence, Held, a Conservative rabbi, seeks to make the case for Heschel's contributions to Jewish religious thinking. He succeeds in distilling Heschel's wide-ranging, idiosyncratic, and sometimes contradictory thought for the lay reader in clear and accessible prose. Most refreshing, he is unafraid to criticize aspects of Heschel's theology that deserve censure. -Commentary Rabbi Held's... writing style fits his subject. He's clear and eloquent, attuned to capture and explicate Rabbi Heschel's complexity. -New York Jewish Week ... [a] thoughtful, illuminating new study of Heschel's thought.... It is one of the many virtues of Shai Held's book that it helps us to place Heschel alongside not only Kaplan but Halevi, Horovitz, and Rav Nahman-as well as the Psalmist. -Jewish Review of Books Shai Held's book is a master class in one of the most significant Jewish voices of our time. -Tablet Held's study of Heschel's thought is a well-researched and long-needed volume that presents a systematic account of Heschel's ideas, clarifying many things that are obscure or difcult to understand, pointing to both the strengths and the weaknesses of his work. -Jerusalem Post

[Held] has written a clear, persuasive, argumentative book.... Journal of Religion

Held has reworked his dissertation into an accessible yet carefully argued interpretation of Heschel s most fundamental anthropological and theological intuitions. AJS REVIEW

Author Information

Shai Held is Dean and Chair of Jewish Thought at Mechon Hadar, an institute for Jewish prayer, personal growth, and Jewish study which he co-founded. He is winner of a 2011 Covenant Award for excellence in Jewish education, and Newsweek has twice named him one of America's most influential rabbis.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available