FRANZ ROSENZWEIG (1886-1929) was a German Jewish philosopher and translator who, through his fresh handling of traditional religious themes, became one of the most influential modern Jewish theologians.

He grew up in an environment in which religious beliefs and observance were no longer evident, beyond perfunctory participation on some occasions.  In 1913, under the influence of his close friend Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, he considered converting to Christianity.  However, after attending Yom Kippur services at a small synagogue in Berlin, he underwent a mystical experience that caused him to devote the remainder of his life to the study, teaching, and practice of Judaism.  His exchange of letters with Rosenstock-Huessy on core theological problems in Judaism and Christianity was later published as JUDAISM DESPITE CHRISTIANITY.

Rosenzweig's magnum opus, THE STAR OF REDEMPTION (1921), outlines a powerful existentialist religious philosophy demonstrating the mutual relationships between God, man, and the world.  The central point of this architectonically arranged work is the act of "revelation" in which God in his love turns to man and awakens within him the consciousness of an "I."  He is critical of any attempt to replace actual human existence with an ideal.  Although the book was ignored by the various trends in academic philosophy, it was highly regarded by Existentialist and, especially, younger Jewish theologians.  Two English translations -- by William W. Hallo (1971) and Barbara E. Galli (2004) -- are included here.

UNDERSTANDING THE SICK AND THE HEALTHY (1921) was written for a lay audience and takes the form of an ironic narrative about convalescence.  With superb simplicity and beauty, it puts forth an important critique of the nineteenth-century German Idealist philosophical tradition and expresses a powerful vision of the Jewish faith.


The following books are in PDF format unless otherwise noted:

* Judaism Despite Christianity (Alabama, 1969).  Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, ed.
* Ninety-Two Poems and Hymns of Yehuda Halevi (SUNY, 2000).  R. Cohen, ed.
* Star of Redemption (HRW, 1971 / Notre Dame, 1985).  Wm. Hallo, trans. -- PDF + ePUB
* Star of Redemption (Wisconsin, 2004).  Barbara E. Galli, trans.
* Understanding the Sick and the Healthy (Harvard, 1999).  Nahum Glatzer, trans.

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