The Martin Buber Reader [Paperback]

Asher Biemann (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312292902 | ISBN-13: 978-0312292904 | Publication Date: September 21, 2002 | Edition: 1

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Martin Buber, one of the greatest Jewish thinkers of the 20th century, had a career that spanned more than six decades. How, then, to gather the most representative pieces of his work into a collection that is still accessible? In The Martin Buber Reader: Essential Writings, Asher Biemann collects 32 essays and excerpts from all periods of Buber's career, from his 1903 article "On the Jewish Renaissance" to a 1956 treatise on "Hasidism and Modern Man." Biemann organizes Buber's writings topically, including sections on the Bible, Jewish religiosity, Hasidism, dialogue, philosophy, community and Zionism. This is just a small portion of Buber's corpus, since he also dabbled in fiction, poetry, playwriting and aesthetic criticism. However, it is a fine tribute to Buber as we are most likely to remember him today: as a major Jewish philosopher. Biemann's introduction is a rather dense intellectual history, but helpfully places the various works in context.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Selections from I and Thou occupy only eight pages of thistimely anthology, the balance of the book offering the general readera refreshingly broad perspective on a powerful thinker oftenremembered only for that famous book. To be sure, the elliptic andepigrammatic passages selected from Buber's acclaimed masterpiecestill speak with their original moral force. And in the I and Thouphilosophy of relationships, readers will perceive a central principleinforming many of the other selections included here, especially thosein which Buber is groping toward a humanism strong enough to bridgethe chasms separating Jews from Christians and Arabs. But still, inthat groping, Buber explored a range of topics not reducible to mereappendages to I and Thou. This topically organized collection laysbefore readers his impressively diverse forays into pedagogical theoryand socialist practice, into Nietzsche's iconoclasm and Kierkegaard'sfaith, and--most passionately--into Judaism's scriptural past and itscultural and political future. Biemann also provides a concisebiographical introduction, together with helpful explanatory notes anda bibliographical guide. Bryce Christensen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; 1 edition (September 21, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312292902
• ISBN-13: 978-0312292904
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,027,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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