a philosophy of Judaism Heschel, Abraham Joshua 1907-1972 creator text nyu New York The Noonday Press. Farrar, Straus & Giroux [1955] 1955 monographic eng

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437 p. 21 cm. Contents: I. God -- 1. Self-understanding of Judaism -- to recover the questions -- philosophy and theology -- situational thinking -- radical self-understanding -- depth-theology -- the self-understanding of religion -- critical reassessment -- intellectual honesty -- philosophy as a perspective -- elliptic thinking -- religion of philosophy -- a way of thinking -- metaphysics and meta-history -- a challenge to philosophy -- the worship of reason -- ideas and events -- the philosophy of Judaism -- 2. Ways to his presence -- the Bible is absent -- memory and insight -- man's quest for God -- "seek ye my face" -- three ways -- 3. The sublime -- the grand premise -- power, beauty, grandeur -- the distrust of faith -- on the sublime in the Bible -- the beautiful and the sublime -- the sublime is not the ultimate -- horror and exaltation -- 4. Wonder -- a legacy of wonder -- a tiny screw -- two kinds of wonder -- "stank still and consider" -- "for thy continual marvels" -- he alone knows -- 5. The sense of mystery -- "far off and deep" -- in awe and amazement -- "where shall wisdom be found?" -- two kinds of ignorance -- we apprehend and cannot comprehend -- "hidden are the things that we see" -- 6. The enigma is not solved -- God dwells "in deep darkness" -- a loaf of bread -- the ineffable name -- the mystery is not God -- beyond the mystery is mercy -- three attitudes -- God is not eternally silent -- 7. Awe -- "as the great abyss" -- the beginning of wisdom is awe -- the meaning of awe -- awe and fear -- awe precedes faith -- return to reverence -- 8. Glory -- the glory is the ineffable -- the glory is not a thing -- the glory is the presence of God -- the living presence -- the knowledge of the glory -- blindness to the wonder -- hardness of heart -- 9. The world -- the worship of nature -- the disillusionment -- the desanctification of nature -- what is given is not the ultimate -- the contingency of nature -- the fallacy of isolation -- nature in adoration of God -- a thing through God -- the question of amazement -- 10. A question addressed to us -- metaphysical loneliness -- not a scientific problem -- beyond definitions -- the principle of incompatibility -- the dimension of the ineffable -- the awareness of transcendent meaning -- the sense of wonder in insufficient -- the argument from design -- religion begins with wonder and mystery -- a question addressed to us -- "a palace full of light" -- what to do with wonder -- 11. An ontological presupposition -- moments of insight -- the encounter with the unknown -- preconceptual thinking -- religion is the response to the mystery -- to rise above our wisdom -- ultimate concern is an act of worship -- we praise before we prove -- an ontological presupposition -- the disparity of experience and expression 12. About the meaning of God -- the minimum of meaning -- two corollaries -- God's part in human insight -- the role of time -- the religious situation -- moments -- an answer in disguise -- 13. God in search of man -- "where art thou?" -- faith is an event -- a flash in the darkness -- return to God is an answer to Him -- a spiritual event -- 14. Insight -- hear, o Israel -- the initiative of man -- "the eye of the heart" -- "doors for the soul" -- 15. Faith -- "canst thou by searching find out God?" -- no faith at first sight -- faith is attachment -- the embarrassment of faith -- faith includes faithfulness -- 16. Beyond insight -- within the reach of conscience -- God is the subject -- adverbs -- oneness is the standard -- from insight to action -- only insights and nothing else? -- II. Revelation -- 17. The idea of revelation -- man with Torah -- why study the problem? -- we forgot the question -- the dogma of man's self-sufficiency -- the idea of man's unworthiness -- the distance between God and man -- the dogma of God's total silence -- the personal analogy -- 18. The prophetic understatement -- the idea, the claim, the result -- what is prophetic inspiration? -- words have many meanings -- the prophetic understatement -- the language of grandeur and mystery -- descriptive and indicative words -- responsive interpretation 19. The mystery of revelation -- revelation and the experience or revelation -- the mystery of revelation -- the negative theology of revelation -- to imagine is to pervert -- the elimination of anthropomorphism -- like no other event -- 20. The paradox of Sinai -- the paradox of prophecy -- in deep darkness -- beyond the mystery -- the two aspects -- was Sinai an illusion? -- a way of thinking an ecstasy of God -- 21. A religion of time -- thought and time -- the God of Abraham -- the category of uniqueness -- the chosen day -- the uniqueness of history -- escape to the timeless -- seeds of eternity -- immune to despair -- evolution and revelation -- 22. Process and event -- process and event -- to see the past in the present tense -- 23. Israel's commitment -- attachment to events -- the memory of a commitment -- loyalty to a moment -- a word of honor -- life without commitment -- revelation is a beginning -- 24. An examination of the prophets -- what sort of proof? -- the mistaken notion -- is revelation explainable? -- are the prophets reliable? -- a product of insanity -- self-delusion -- a pedagogical invention -- confusion -- the spirit of the age -- the subconscious -- there are no proofs -- 25. The Bible and the world -- Is the Bible an illusion? -- is God absent everywhere? -- the place of the Bible in the world -- what the Bible did -- no words more knowing -- the singularity of the Bible -- how to account for it -- the omnipotence of the Bible -- precious to God -- holiness in words -- Israel as evidence -- how to share the certainty of Israel -- not because of proof 26. Faith with the prophets -- faith with the prophets -- origin and presence -- the frontier of the spirit -- not a book -- "cast me not away" -- 27. The principle of revelation -- revelation is not a chronological issue -- the text as it is -- revelation is not a monologue -- the voice according to man -- wisdom, prophecy, and God -- the unrevealed Torah -- the Torah is in exile -- idea and expression -- commonplace passages -- harsh passages -- the Bible is not a utopia -- continuous understanding -- the oral Torah was never written down -- III. Response -- 28. A science of deeds -- the supreme acquiescence -- a leap of action -- the deed is the risk -- our ultimate embarrassment -- a meta-ethical approach -- the partnership of God and man -- ways, not laws -- the divinity of deeds -- to do what he is -- likeness in deeds -- "the good drive" -- ends in need of man -- a science of deeds -- 29. More than inwardness -- by faith alone? -- the error or formalism -- no dichotomy -- spirituality is not the way -- autonomy and heteronomy -- the law -- a spiritual order -- a theological exaggeration -- 30. The art of being -- only deeds and nothing else? -- a cry for creativity -- God asks for the heart -- why Kavanah? -- to do in order to be -- the immanence of God in deeds -- to be present -- 31. Kavanah -- attentiveness -- appreciation -- integration -- beyond Kavanah 32. Religious behaviorism -- religious behaviorism -- Spinoza and Mendelssohn -- Judaism and legalism -- the fundamental importance of agada -- Torah is more than law -- beyond Halacha -- Pan-halachism -- a religion without faith -- dogmas are not enough -- the four cubits -- 33. The problem of polarity -- Halacha and Agada -- quantity and quality -- Halacha without Agada -- Agada without Halacha -- the polarity of Judaism -- the tension between Halacha and Agada -- regularity and spontaneity -- the value of habit -- actions teach -- 34. The meaning of observance -- origin and presence -- the meaning of observance -- eternity, not utility -- spiritual meaning -- an answer to the mystery -- adventures of the soul -- "a song every day" -- reminders -- action as reunion -- attachment to the holy -- the ecstasy of deeds -- 35. Mitsvah and sin -- the meaning of mitzvah -- "for we have sinned" -- "the evil drive" -- "there is but one step" -- 36. The problem of evil -- a palace in flames -- "into the hands of the wicked" -- the confusion of good and evil -- the atonement for the holy -- religion is not a luxury -- a supreme distinction -- how to find an ally -- the Torah is an antidote -- is the good a parasite? -- evil is not the ultimate problem -- God and man have a task in common -- the ability to fulfill -- in need of redemption 37. The problem of the neutral -- the isolation of morality -- how to deal with the neutral -- all joy comes from God -- 38. The problem of integrity -- vested interests -- alien thoughts -- the escape to suspicion -- the test of Job -- "a diadem with which to boast" -- disgusted polytheism -- the failure of the heart -- 39. The self and the non-self -- is desire the measure of all things? -- the conversation of needs -- self-effacement -- regard for the self -- 40. The deed redeems -- awareness of inner enslavement -- moments of purity -- contrition -- God is full of compassion -- ends purify motives -- the deed redeems -- "serve him with joy" -- "we spoil and he restores" -- 41. Freedom -- the problem of freedom -- freedom is an event -- freedom and creation -- divine concern -- 42. The spirit of Judaism -- the meaning of spirit -- the spirit of Judaism -- the art of surpassing civilization -- 43. The people Israel -- the meaning of Jewish existence -- thinking compatible with our destiny -- Israel -- a spiritual order -- the dignity of Israel. Abraham Joshua Heschel Judaism Religion Philosophy BM 560 .H46 1955 55011188 DLC 720810 20151117103221.0 6052292