Man Is Not Alone: A Philosophy of Religion

by Abraham Joshua Heschel

Book Overview

Man Is Not Alone is a profound, beautifully written examination of the ingredients of piety: how man senses God's presence, explores it, accepts it, and builds life upon it. Abraham Joshua Heschel's philosophy of religion is not a philosophy of doctrine or the interpretation of a dogma. He erects his carefully built structure of thought upon foundations which are universally valid but almost generally ignored. It was Man Is Not Alone...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374513287
• ISBN13: 9780374513283
• Release Date: June 1976
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

It is good for Man not to be alone

This is a profound work. It is written by a Hasidic philosopher- poet. It is a work of reflections and these reflections require commentary. I would not say that I understand the work, but I do say that in the presence of this kind of writing one feels a certain holiness. I think the best way to demonstrate this is by citing one passage. It is from the section ' In the Presence of God'" The pious man is possessed by his awareness of the presence and nearness of God.Everywhere and at all times he lives in His sight, whether he remains always heedful of His proximity or not. He feels embraced by God's mercy as by a vast encircling space. Awareness of God is as close to him as the beating of his own heart, often deep and calm but at times, overwhelming, intoxicating, setting the soul afire" Clearly Heschel the grandson of the Atper Rav (The Lover of Israel) was such a soul on fire with the presence of God. " May that fire warm and light the way to those of us not as close, not as sure but still striving to come closer to G-d.

an explanation of religion

Heschel's book is a description of faith rather than an argument for faith: not an attempt to persuade the faithless, but an explanation of how the religious person thinks. I especially liked his discussion of prayer and ritual; Heschel explains, for example, that set written prayers exist to help us think about our faith as we read them. MUCH easier to read than his more famous book "God In Search Of Man"; I wish I had read this book first.

. . . the One who IS . . .

A thinking person who doesn't believe in God, someone who is searching for God, or a believer who wants to know God more deeply -- all will be touched by this profound portrayal of "the One who IS." It is a beautifully written treasure of wisdom.

Heschel -- Sustained Value In My Life

I first encountered Heschel as a college senior in 1971, when my teacher, Rabbi Morton Fierman of Santa Ana, CA, taught a course in Heschel. We students were Catholics, Baptists, Presbyterians, agnostics, and a few Jews, and Heschel transformed our lives. I have celebrated the Ineffable ever since, and viewed Yahweh with Radical Amazement. To climax the course, we met Heschel at Whittier College. I recommend his books to anyone interested in spirituality. We need him in the 21st Century.

The classic theological work of the 20th century

A profound work that reflects on how man can apprehend God and have an encounter with the ineffable, and the radical amazement that man experiences when experiencing the presence of the Divine. Heshcel's major themes include the problems of doubts and faith; What Judaism means by teaching that God is One; The essence of man and the problem of man's needs. He discusses the definition of religion in genral, and of Judaism in specific, man's yearning for spirituality; Judaism as a pattern for life, and a study of what piety really is. One of the few books to reecive accolades from Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews, as well as many Christians.