Faith enacted as history: Essays in Biblical theology

by Will Herberg

Description

This representative collection of writings, some never before published, illustrates the contributions of the noted author of Protestant-Catholic-Jew in the field of biblical theology. Herberg maintains that Judaism and Christianity, despite their differences, share a fundamental unity of religious perspective. "Both are historical religions in the profound sense that, for both, religion is faith enacted as history -- incapable of being expressed, understood, or communicated apart from the show more history in and through which it is enacted." The twenty essays, by the Jewish theologian and philosopher who has been acclaimed as "the Reinhold Niebuhr of Judaism," are presented in three interrelated parts. Essays in Part One, "The Posture of Faith," set forth Herberg's understanding of the biblical story which calls for participation in faith. Readers will be impressed with his profound and sympathetic insights into Christianity. Essays in Part Two, "The Understanding of Faith," deal with various issues that must be clarified if faith, in the spirit of Augustine, is to seek understanding. Here is Herberg, the philosopher, who sees problems of interpretation in the broad perspective of the history of human thought, who attempts to clarify the terms of theological debate, and who seeks to make room for faith by defining the limitations of science. Essays in Part Three, "The Witness of Faith in the World," disclose the political and social implications of faith in action. Will Herberg's influence stems from his theological affirmation of his Conservative Jewish identity. His profound understanding of biblical faith enables him both to relate to the Christian community and to explore the whole of human culture. This volume is an excellent introduction to one of today's great theological thinkers. - Jacket flap. Will Herberg, author of Judaism and Modern Man and Protestant-Catholic-Jew and recently retired professor of philosophy and culture at Drew, is a committed Jew who has taught Christians the import of their faith, a biblical theologian who has commented trenchantly on contemporary affairs, and a prophetic radical who has been a harbinger of neo-conservatism. Bernhard Anderson, with Herberg's cooperation, has collected essays, dating from 1943 to 1972, that exhibit the unique range of his thinking and concerns. Much influenced by Franz Rosenzweig and Reinhold Niebuhr, he is a champion of biblical faith, a faith rooted in historical events and to be enacted in the concrete historical present. From this solid vantage he can see the substantial unity of Judaism and Christianity and their linked but distinct vocations; he can discern the challenge posed by the secularization of Christian faith that American civil religion and Marxism represent; and he can affirm the radical relativity of all political programs and movements. Some pieces are quite academic, but most are very accessible and still intellectually fresh. - Kirkus Review show less