God in Search of Man : A Philosophy of Judaism

God in Search of Man : A Philosophy of Judaism
by Abraham Joshua Heschel

God in Search of Man : A Philosophy of Judaism
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Book Summary Information

Author: Abraham Joshua Heschel
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1976-06-01
ISBN: 0374513317
Number of pages: 437
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Book Reviews of God in Search of Man : A Philosophy of Judaism

Book Review: AWE-INSPIRING, CAPTIVATING, ENLIGHTENING, CRYSTALCLEAR TRUTH
Summary: 5 Stars

DON'T LET THE TITLE SCARE YOU. I THOUGHT IT WAS WAY ABOVE MY HEAD AT FIRST TOO. HOWEVER, NOW, AFTER FIVE YEARS OF "DIGESTING" THIS BEAUTIFUL PICTURE OF WHO GOD REALLY IS, I FIND THAT NEXT TO THE BIBLE, IT STANDS ALONE AS MY VERY FAVORITE BOOK.

I recommend you start with Chapter 7 "AWE" - first. ...you'll be delighted with the gems, such as "to sense the ultimate in the common and the simple; to feel in the rush of the passing the stillness of the eternal."

My favorite quote in the entire book is on page 290 - it reads: "WE LIVE BY THE CONVICTION THAT ACTS OF GOODNESS REFLECT THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF HIS HOLINESS. HIS LIGHT IS ABOVE OUR MINDS, BUT NOT BEYOND OUR WILL. IT IS WITHIN OUR POWER TO MIRROR HIS UNENDING LOVE IN DEEDS OF KINDNESS, LIKE BROOKS THAT HOLD THE SKY."

Sit and absorb the phenomenal richness in that one paragraph.

I've asked the Lord, "Where did he get this wealth of insight", which by the way seems so sadly missing in most people truly seeking to know God today...and the answer I got was, "He got it by simply spending time in the Presence of God".

I especially recommend this book to CHRISTIANS. It is unfortunate that many will not pick up this book because they first of all assume that since it is written by a Rabbi it will not have much for a Christian to absorb. WRONG!!!! In my heart of hearts, I am convinced that Heschel "knew" Jesus - he just didn't know Him by that name. The same thread of truth that is woven through the Old Testament, as it unveils the awesome beauty of our Creator, is the same beauty that is woven into Heschel's writings, and on into the New Testament. It is the SAME Spirit.

I encourage you to get this book and ignore your fears. I had to look up almost every word when I started...yes He is very scholarly, but if you allow you mind to be broadened, the words he uses become familiar to you in time, and you too find yourself asking God to allow you to become one of those who mirrors His unending LOVE in deeds of Kindness...like Brooks that hold the sky!!!!

God Bless You!

I welcome correspondence with any Christian, or Jewish believers!

Summary of God in Search of Man : A Philosophy of Judaism

Abraham Joshua Heschel was one of the most revered religious leaders of the 20th century, and God in Search of Man and its companion volume, Man Is Not Alone, two of his most important books, are classics of modern Jewish theology. God in Search of Man combines scholarship with lucidity, reverence, and compassion as Dr. Heschel discusses not man's search for God but God's for man--the notion of a Chosen People, an idea which, he writes, "signifies not a quality inherent in the people but a relationship between the people and God." It is an extraordinary description of the nature of Biblical thought, and how that thought becomes faith.

God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism is among Abraham Joshua Heschel's most comprehensive studies of the Jewish religion. It is a work of impeccable scholarship conveyed with absolute clarity, in a spirit of utmost reverence and compassion. "Religion is an answer to man's ultimate questions," Heschel declares on the book's first page. Religion that forgets its roots in humanity's lived experience, religion that inadequately addresses the earthly realities of life, Heschel says, is false religion. And yet, Heschel asserts that religion is not a vehicle by which humanity draws closer to God; it is always God who reaches out to humanity through religion. "Judaism is God's quest for man. The Bible is a record of God's approach to His people. More statements are found in the Bible about God's love for Israel than about Israel's love for God."

God in Search of Man is almost as exhausting as it is exhaustive. Detailed analyses of "Awe," "Wonder," and "Glory" stand alongside discourses on religion and time, the nature of prophesy, and the problem of evil. Heschel's encyclopedic knowledge of and omnivorous interest in the nature of Judaism is, for most readers, more productively taken in small doses than swallowed whole. The book's table of contents, however, will get a considerable workout over the years, as readers return again and again to find Heschel's opinions about various aspects of spiritual life. --Michael Joseph Gross

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