The Disappearance of God: A Divine Mystery

by Richard Elliott Friedman

Book Overview

Friedman probes a chain of mysteries that concern the presence or absence of God, including the connection between Nietzsche and Dostoevsky who each independently developed the idea of the death of God.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316294349
• ISBN13: 9780316294348
• Release Date: October 1995
• Publisher: Little Brown and Company
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

mel's review

Excellent book! It's the second time I read it. I checked it out at the library and liked it enough to buy it.

Refreshing religious reflection

In this absorbing work, Freedman investigates 3 mysteries concerning the presence/absence of God. The first part deals with the gradual disappearance of the visible presence of God throughout the Old Testament, part two considers Nietzsche and Dostoevsky's experience of this phenomenon and their premonitions of the future, whilst the last part examines correspondences between religion and science in view of the return or rediscovery of God. The author traces the diminishing presence of the deity through the course of the Hebrew Bible, showing how the nature of communication changes from visible to indirect whilst signs of the divine, like miracles, become rarer, finally ceasing altogether. A related development is a shift in the balance of control in human destiny - a transition from divine to human responsibility. This is observed in the actions of Adam & Eve, through Noah who builds the ark himself, Abraham who even challenges a decision of God, through Moses and down to the Book of Esther where the name of God is not even mentioned overtly. As the author notes, it is the apparent control that is shifting. The same phenomenon is evident in the non-historical books. The prophets encounter the divine through dreams and visions - not face to face like in earlier times - and their impressions are filtered through their own personalities. Some prophets like Isaiah are explicit about the absence of God, and the promise of reunion. This is also reflected in the Psalms. The word of God now takes the place of the acts of God. Scholars have not paid enough attention to the growing human role during the receding visibility of the deity. This is especially remarkable as the phenomenon appears with chronological consistency in a narrative composed by many authors over many centuries. Friedman considers the way religion, history, psychology and literary composition reflect it. He attempts to find the reason, pointing out that it is not only the result of human transgression but seems also to be the granting of a measure of independence to humanity. The closest description of the character of God is that in Exodus 34, where He is called "merciful and gracious, long-suffering, abundant in kindness and truth, bearing transgression ...", in other words a compassionate and forgiving Father. The last chapter of the first part deals with the legacy of the age. Both Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity developed with the awareness of divine absence. In Judaism, the response was the doctrine of the two Torahs with the development of the Oral Torah. In the context of the shift in the divine-human balance, the appearance of Christ is striking as it is claimed that God now appears in human form. Jesus most often refers to himself as "son of man" whatever the finer nuances of the meaning are. And again there are showers of miracles, but of the type associated with Elijah and Elisha, not of the Exodus type. Friedman speculates about three possible meanings for these wo

A good book, but a weak ending

This is an ambitious and insightful book. I had never thought that the Bible had a plot, and I learned from this book that it has one: the coupled and progressive weakening of god and strengthening of man. I don't know much about Nitzsche and Dovstoyevsky but I learned a lot about these incredible philosophers from the third part of the book. The last part of the book was weak. The tie of god and scientific cosmology never panned out, and the real question of the book " How do you inculcate a moral code in the absence of faith in a divinity?" is framed, discussed, but never really answered. Still, a remarkable and thought-provoking book.

An Outstanding Work

I just finished this book and intend to read it again right away. I found it to be a very powerful work and am disappointed that it does not seem to have a stronger following; this is a real gem that has apparently been lost in the shuffle. Written for both believers and non-believers, Friedman proposes a very interesting framework for understanding man's relationship with God and our place in the universe. It's not a comprehensive theology by any means nor is it an attempt to convert atheists. By the end of the book, however, I found my faith strengthened ("renewed" is actually a better word) in a God that bridges the apparent gaps between modern science, the Bible, and the oft-misunderstood philosophies of Friedrich Nietzsche (who gets soem very enlightening attention in this book, along with Dostoyevsky). Fundamentalists, on the other hand, may be disappointed (even though I think they shouldn't be). Highly recommended.

Interesting idea that could have been explored further

I was intrigued by author's idea to explore the disappearance of God in the Old Testament. He notes that at the beginning of creation God walked with man in the Garden of Eden, but as man developed, God spoke and interacted less and less directly with man. The author notes that God's face became 'hidden' - e.g., He appeared as a burning bush or in a column of 'glory' and could no longer be looked upon directly. Eventually he began to speak to man or demonstrate His power only in very private appearances or miracles, whereas He had previously done things that a whole people could witness. And the first part of the book takes this idea even farther.I liked the first part of the book the best. The author tries to link the disappearance of God to the writings of Nietschze and to the Qabalah (parts two and three of the book), but IMHO fails to do anything other than suggest a connection. The book was informative, as far as it went. I would've liked to see the author search ancient religions/beliefs systems/mystical writings for a reason WHY God disappeared, rather than merely speculating on it himself. Overall, I think it's an interesting read, especially if you like books like The Da Vinci Code.