Overview

Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972) was a prolific scholar, impassioned theologian, and prominent activist who participated in the black civil rights movement and the campaign against the Vietnam War. He has been hailed as a hero, honored as a visionary, and endlessly quoted as a devotional writer. In this sympathetic, yet critical, examination, Shai Held elicits the overarching themes and unity of Heschel's incisive and insightful thought. Focusing on the idea of transcendence—or the movement from self-centeredness to God-centeredness—Held puts Heschel into dialogue with contemporary Jewish thinkers, Christian theologians, devotional writers, and philosophers of religion.

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9780253011268

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<p>Abraham Joshua Heschel was a legendary teacher, theologian, and charismatic Jewish leader, whose legacy for Jewish life today is hard to overestimate. At the core of this legacy are extensive writings that articulate theological ideas and a view of Judaism of great power and novelty. However, our understanding of this contribution is clouded by hagiography; Heschel's work and his thought have rarely been subjected to careful, critical exploration. Shai Held's new book is a watershed in this regard. It is philosophically and theologically sophisticated. It leaves no stone unturned in its effort to clarify the main themes and foundational commitments that shaped Heschel's thinking, and it does not shy away from critical evaluation and employs a rich array of contextual factors, including attention to developments in Christian theology and philosophical thinking, in order to provide us with the best picture we have of Heschel's work and his theological thought.--Michael L. Morgan, Indiana University Bloomington

<p> Abraham Joshua Heschel was a legendary teacher, theologian, and charismatic Jewish leader, whose legacy for Jewish life today is hard to overestimate. At the core of this legacy are extensive writings that articulate theological ideas and a view of Judaism of great power and novelty. However, our understanding of this contribution is clouded by hagiography; Heschel's work and his thought have rarely been subjected to careful, critical exploration. Shai Held's new book is a watershed in this regard. It is philosophically and theologically sophisticated. It leaves no stone unturned in its effort to clarify the main themes and foundational commitments that shaped Heschel's thinking, and it does not shy away from critical evaluation and employs a rich array of contextual factors, including attention to developments in Christian theology and philosophical thinking, in order to provide us with the best picture we have of Heschel's work and his theological thought. --Michael L. Morgan, Indiana University Bloomington--Michael L. Morgan, Indiana University Bloomington

<p> 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--Michael L. Morgan, Indiana University Bloomington

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.

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