The Conversion of Edith Stein [Hardcover]

Florent Gaboriau (Author), Ralph McInerny (Translator)

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Two thousand years of Jewish-Christian dialogue have seen great acrimony and worse, but rapprochement and more are possible. The German Jewish philosopher Edith Stein (1891-1942) journeyed all the way from Jerusalem to Rome, eventually becoming a Carmelite nun. Conversion didn't protect her from the Holocaust, however, and she died in the gas chamber at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Pope John Paul II beatified her in 1987 and canonized her as St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross in 1998. Gaboriau explains her conversion in terms of her status as a Jew, a woman, and a philosopher and also as an ongoing process that culminated in martyrdom as a Jew, though for the sake of Christian principles. Between the chapters of Gaboriau's argument appear excerpts from Stein's writings that often exceed Gaboriau's in interest, and the pope's homily on the occasion of Stein's canonization concludes this dense little book. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 136 pages
• Publisher: St. Augustine's Press (February 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587311259
• ISBN-13: 978-1587311253
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,489,694 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Jewess, Woman, and Philosopher, May 9, 2010

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Mike Puccetti (Washington DC area) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Conversion of Edith Stein (Hardcover)

This book caught my eye because it was translated and has a preface by Ralph McInerny, the acclaimed Thomist philosopher who recently died. Edith Stein, raised in a devout Jewish family, decided to be an atheist at age 15. After serving as an assistant to Heidegger, she later became an accomplished philosopher in her own right and converted to Catholicism after reading the writing of the 16th century Spanish St. Teresa of Avila. She then entered a religious order. The Nazis put her to death at age 51. She was canonized (made a saint) in 1998 by Pope John Paul II. Gaboriau's chose to build his discussion of her life around her three major identities as she entered her vocation: Jewess, Woman, and Philosopher. He begins each chapter with a selection from her writings, all of which display brilliance and a profound faith. This construct works fairly well highlighting as it does her full confidence in her ability vis-a-vis male colleagues. Gaboriau's own writing provides valuable insights into her life, but stops short of providing enough information to be a well-rounded biography. I had the impression that Gaboriau assumes that the reader has a certain familiarity with the Saint's life. I did not. This is the first book I've read about Edith Stein, aka Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, so I felt a little on the outside, so to speak, at times. Nevertheless, I'm glad I read it. It will provide a firmer foundation should I read Stein's own works in the future.