Synopses & Reviews
There is no adequate understanding of contemporary Jewish and Christian theology without reference to Martin Buber. Buber wrote numerous books during his lifetime (1878-1965) and is best known for
I and Thou and
Good and Evil. Buber has influenced important Protestant theologians like Karl Barth, Emil Brunner, Paul Tillich, and Reinhold Niebuhr. His appeal is vast--not only is he renowned for his translations of the Hebrew Bible but also for his interpretation of Hasidism, his role in Zionism, and his writings in psychotherapy and political philosophy.
In addition to a general introduction, each chapter is individually introduced, illuminating the historical and philosophical context of the readings. Footnotes explain difficult concepts, providing the reader with necessary references, plus a selective bibliography and subject index.
Review
"Asher D. Biemann has gathered the ‘essential writings of Buber, allowing one to gain an overview of the many bridges he built. The selection also provides a nuanced appreciation of the deep existential and moral commitment that sustained Buber's life of dialogue. Biemann's selection is judicious, and his explanatory notes illuminating." --Paul Mendes-Flohr, Professor of Modern Jewish Thought at The University of Chicago and director of the Franz Rosenzweig Research Center at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
...a fine tribute to Buber...helpfully places the various works in context.
-Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Martin Buber was professor of the history of religions and Jewish religion & ethics from 1923 to 1933 at the University of Frankfurt. He resigned in 1933, after Hitler came to power, and immigrated to Israel where he taught at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Buber wrote numerous books during his lifetime (1878-1965) and is best known for I and Thou and Good and Evil. His philosophy of dialogue-that is, the 'I-Thou' relationship which affirms each individual as being of unique value-is extremely well-known and has influenced important Protestant theologians like Karl Barth, Emil Brunner, Paul Tillich, and Reinhold Niebuhr. There is truly no genuine understanding of contemporary Jewish and Christian theology without reference to Martin Buber. His appeal is vast - not only is he renowned for his translations of the Old Testament but also for his interpretation of Hasidism, his role in Zionism, and his writings in both psychotherapy and political philosophy.
About the Author
Asher Biemann teaches modern Jewish thought and intellectual history at Harvard University. He is the author of a study on Martin Buber's philosophy and is co-editor of the first critical edition of Martin Buber's collected works in German.
Table of Contents
Introduction *
I. THE BIBLE* 1. The Election of Israel (1938) * 2. Biblical Leadership (1933) * 3. What are we to do about the Ten Commandments? (1929) * 4. In the Midst of History (1933) * 5. Prophecy, Apocalyptic, and the Historical Hour (1954) * 6. Biblical Humanism (1933) * 7. The Man of Today and the Jewish Bible (1936) *
II. HASIDISM* 1. Spirit and Body of the Hasidic Movement (1935) * 2. The Life of the Hasidim (1908) * 3. Hasidism and Modern Man (1956) *
III. JUDAISM AND JEWISH RELIGIOSITY* 1. The Faith of Judaism (1929) * 2. The two Foci of the Jewish Soul (1932) * 3. Jewish Religiosity (1923) * 4. Heruth (1919) * 5. On the (Jewish) Renaissance (1903) * 6. The Renewal of Judaism (1911) * 7. Hebrew Humanism (1941)
* IV. DIALOGUE* 1. From Religion as Presence (1918) * a) Experiences of the It * b) The Human c) Nature * d) The Thou e) Three Layers of the World * f) The Thou and the Absolute Thou * 2. I and Thou (1923) * 3. Dialogue (1932) * 4. Distance and Relation (1950) * 5. Elements of the Interhuman (1954) *
V. PHILOSOPHY AND EDUCATION* 1. Philosophical and Religious Worldview (1928) * 2. Religion and Philosophy (1951) * 3. Religion and Ethics (1951) * 4. On the Situation of Philosophy (1948) * 5. Teaching and Deed (1934) *
VI. COMMUNITY AND POLITICS* 1. Comments on the Idea of Community (1931) * 2. Community (1919) * 3. How Can Community Happen? (1930) * 4. Three Theses of a Religious Socialism (1928) *
VII. ZIONISM AND NATIONALISM* 1. Concepts and Reality: From a Response to Hermann Cohen (1916) * 2. The Conquest of Palestine (1918) * 3. Nationalism (1921) * 4. Zionism and Nationalism: From an address to the XVI, Zionist Congress at Basle (1929) * 5. The National Home and National Policy in Palestine (1929) * 6. Zion and Galuth (1932) * 7. Zionism and ‘Zionism (1948)