Though theology is a deviation from surgical texts/guides/memoirs by gifted physicians “God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism” is a fetching requisite for life. Readings from the book of Amos delineate an ardency for scripture, wisdom and tradition---which is the intrinsic philosophy of Abraham Joshua Heschel. “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, the two tablets in his hands, the whole people of Israel saw that his face sent forth beams; and they were afraid to come nigh unto him. Onl...

Beginning with the first page of this book, I was hooked on Heschel. In one paragraph, he summed up my thoughts on the religious experience and the problems with religion in modern society.“It is customary to blame secular science and anti-religious philosophy for the eclipse of religion in modern society. It would be more honest to blame religion for its own defeats. Religion declined not because it was refuted, but because it became irrelevant, dull, oppressive, insipid. When faith is complete...

It took me a couple days to write a review of this book, because I have had a hard time sorting out what I think about it. It's beautiful, intricate, winding, cohesive, dense... so many things. Heschel provides a rich Jewish mystical theology that explores God, God's revelation to man, and man's response to God. Every page contains something stirring and profound. A proper reading should take a while -- there is a lot to absorb and this book deserves full attention.I have only two caveats to my

It is not easy to write a review of God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism, by Abraham Joshua Heschel. This book was recommended to me 20 years ago by a fellow seeker, an intellectual, and it came up again recently by another fellow seeker, who is also a deep thinker. So I checked out a copy from the library. But because it was a library copy, I was not free to highlight the many outstanding quotes I encountered.Much of this book was over my head, but I persisted, and I’m glad I did. The

I see now why Heschel is a very well respected and popular author in the area of Judaism and religious philosophy. I had to focus carefully while reading, because his words seem to softly blow by you like a soft spring breeze, and you could easily miss important, yet subtle, points if you are not paying close attention. Perhaps because I am not really a religious person or scholar, I feel like I was often on the cusp of understanding something quite fundamental and profound, but couldn't quite g...

I liked this book though at times I had to plough through some sections; here is the opening paragraph;"Religion declined not because it was refuted, but because it became irrelevant, dull, oppressive, and insipid. When faith is completely replaced by creed, worship by discipline, love by habit; when the crisis of today is ignored because of the splendor of the past; when faith becomes an heirloom rather than a living fountain; when religion speaks only in the name of authority rather than with

Gobsmacked, best find of grad school year one fersher, fave thinker other than Kierkegaard maybe? I’m hooked

This book took me a while to read, not because it is obtuse, but because it is so rich. I had to take a while to digest each part and "chew the cud". I am not a Jew, but a Gentile believer in Hashem (Christian), so my perspective in reading is not one of self-definition but of relation. As we Gentile believers have been 'grafted into God's olive tree (Israel)'[Rom 11:24], we should be able to celebrate our root and profess our commonalities.All too often, we Christians have instead stumbled over...

I'd been warned that this book was hard sledding and that I'd almost surely never make it all the way through.I fought that warning. I denied it. But, finally, I've come to terms with the fact that it's true: I'm almost surely never going to pick this back up and I should stop pretending that I'm going to do so. It's just not going to happen.Rabbi Heschel was a giant. His thoughts are intriguing. His influence enormous. But this book wasn't exactly written by him -- it's a reconstruction by his

This book, I think, has helped me find my way as a person, as well as a Jew. Although Heschel focuses on Judaism and expects his readers to be observant Jews, I sense that his approach to spirit, action, and the purpose of life has a lot to say to sensitive non-Jews as well (although it’s hard for me to step outside of myself enough to be sure). The book is certainly a big commitment to the reader: long, repetitious, sometimes abstract. Although you can gain a lot by parsing and considering each...

"Faith in God is, we repeat, not easily attained. Had it been possible to prove His existence beyond dispute, atheism would have been refuted as an error long ago." Faith is not easy, and neither is this book, but that's a virtue. This isn't simple theology; it's a bit of a slog, though it's divided into short chunks. I don't think I can do justice to it without writing a college term paper, but even when I found myself disagreeing with it, I was forced to challenge my own conception of God and

This holy and sacred sefer (book) poetically and logically portrays the essence and raison d'etre for believing in G-d and the sacredness of being a practicing Jew. No other book that I have ever read elucidated for me the depth and sublime nature of our relationship with G-d, as this one has.Join us at http://philoofreligion.blogspot.com/ for extensive reviews and essays of Rav Heschel’s magnificent work – G-d in Search of Man.

This was a quick read for me. I read it during two overnight shifts. That is my biggest regret with this book. It deserves a slow, close reading and I did not do it justice. Herschel poetically extracts an inherent philosophy from within Judaism. Not only is it philosophically poignant, but it is a truly enjoyable read. I recommend this book for anyone interested in a Hebraic worldview.

I agree with the review from TIME: "subtitled 'A Philosophy of Judaism,' but it speaks to all those for whom the Bible is a holy book."And with The Boston Globe: "One of the most compelling books about being human that has been written in this century."

The depth of Dr. Heschel is overwhelming. He understands the spiritual journey and the Biblical story as no other.

An absolutely beautiful book on Jewish doctrine. Goodreads recommended this book to me; as I wanted to better live Stendahl's approach to interacting with other religions (1. when learning about other religions, ask them, not their enemies, 2. Don't compare your best with their worst, 3. Leave room for "holy envy."), and I am nearly illiterate when it comes to Judaism, I thought this would be a good introduction.As an LDS reader, I was surprised but not surprised at some of our common understand...

I had pretty high hopes coming in to G-d in Search of Man, since I had heard a lot about it before I read it. However, my reaction to the majority of the book can pretty much be summed up in the following image: I should have known that I wasn't going to like the rest of the book when Heschel started talking about the arrogance of science in thinking it can know everything, and then when he continued in talking about how science cannot be used to understand the ineffable and is therefore inappro...

So far, this is a most enjoyable meditation on the right relationship between philosophy and theology. At times in his oeuvre, at least for me, Heschel is most insightful and at times most infuriating. Thankfully, he is the former here and this book is filled with firecrackers. God in Search of Man is 'philosophy of religion' done right, like Dr Richard Creel's work, and a worthwhile read for the Christian as well as Jews and other scholars in the field. Actually, it would be good if the wider p...

A must read for any studious Christian.

When reading this in the 1990s, having not heard before of Heschel, I found each sentence quotable. The book is like an opus of quotations you could ruminate on, one-by-one, the rest of your life.

Wow, what a fantastic read. It is hard to summarize Heschel. His works are part poetry, part prose, part philosophy, part devotional, and part muse. His books are a flowing thought-stream filled with wisdom. This is the follow-up companion book to "Man Is Not Alone" although it is bigger and goes much deeper. Sometimes repetitive, sometimes work, but no doubt impactful."God in Search of Man" is a philosophy on Judaism...but it's also more. As I've said in other reviews of his works, I'm a Christ...

Really fascinating look at what it is to be a Jew. Would be a great book for Christians to see where some Christian philosophy originated from, and where it needs to go back to, in some cases. I thought it was very interesting that, where the Christian always goes back to the cross as the pivotal moment in history, the Jew goes back to Sinai. Not just because of the Torah being given, but because God himself came down and met the newly freed Israelites there. If you think Judaism is merely a leg...

After years of pretending I was reading this book - a chapter a year on Yom Kippur, if that, and gathering dust on my bedside table the rest of the time - lockdown finally prompted me to sit down and read a chapter a day. I’m glad I did. This is an inspiring, moving, magisterial exploration of what Judaism means and why it matters, dense but clearly and beautifully written, working through metaphor and simile and quotation and the author’s own clear, penetrating insights. It’s even occasionally

Having been totally impressed with Heschel’s other book Man Is Not Alone , I made it a point to eventually read him again and was not disappointed with this equally profound work. Personal Awareness Transcends TheologyHeschel is quick to point out that a major problem with theology is that it purports to have all the answers in advance, which deemphasizes the necessity for personal effort in scrutinizing the authenticity of one’s spiritual position. Much religious dogma has been expressed in an

I started reading this book as part of an effort to get a better understanding of Jewish intellectual history. Heschel is routinely mentioned as one of the great Jewish philosophers of the 20th century and so I was excited to delve into this, one of his "greatest works". I could hardly have been more disappointed. Heschel is a mystic and as such, eschews rationalist approaches to religion. Ok, sure. I'm willing to suspend my rationalism in that area for long enough to get through the book. The d...

A great take on what Judaism is and endlessly quotable, in a way much like one would expect from a Jedi Master. I must admit I am jealous of Judaism's (In Heschel's understanding) ability to sidestep the problem of faith vs works or intention vs action, while always appreciating that humans cannot become the ideals they strive for. The rest I'm gonna leave is just quotes:"The mystic experience is man's turning toward God; the prophetic act is God's turning toward man." (198)"To believe is to rem...

I tried reading this book and then put it down. On my second attempt I had to jump to the later sections of the book. It felt like the beginning of the book was so esoteric it made little sense to me. But starting with the final section was much more concrete. I then proceeded to work my way backward to section 2 then section 1 and the book was much easier for me to digest. I think the book is difficult at parts to grasp especially for one coming out of a Christian background. But I feel that it...

Like so many pure philosophical/theological texts, this one takes awhile to chew through. Some of it just has to deal with subject matter and writing style that makes it difficult to read in great volume, but much of it is intentional. The chapters themselves are broken down frequently into shorter sections resembling restricted content essays, that eventually build on themselves as the book progresses. Its the first book that I have read that approaches the Jewish faith from a philosophical vie...

"Religion consists of Gods question and mans answer. The way to faith is the way of faith. The way to God is a way of God. Unless God asks the question, all our inquiries are in vain"I have to give this a 4 star rating because at first it felt disjointed. The chapters and paragraphs didn't seem to flow the same way Heschel's usual writing does. But this is a minor thing and easily overlooked once you get into the bulk of the book.In this work, Heschel places an emphasis on "two sources of religi...

I was already sold on AJH before I started this book, but my love for his writing has only continued to grow. Such a rich discussion of what Judaism means as a religion and of the relationship of God and humankind. I actually brought three of the earlier chapters of this book to a philosophy of religion reading group and I think that this book is excellent in its discussion of some primary philosophical issues pertaining to monotheism (obviously Judaism is Heschel's subject matter, but some of t...