Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendence

I have been waiting so long for someone to write this book. Not only am I perpetually INSPIRED spiritually and poetically by Abraham Joshua Heschel, I now have Held's intoxicating book to UNDERSTAND him as an intellectually and theologically consistent (somewhat) thinker. Held has achieved no small feat. Heschel's writing is labyrinthine, majestic, and recursive. Often contradictory too. Held does a PHENOMENAL job threading together statements from Heschel's oeuvre into a cogent philosophical, spiritual, and theological tapestry. This would have been laudatory enough given the complicated task; but the beauty of Held's book is that it maintains the poetry of Heschel's writing and thought---Held analyzes without violence, he demystifies without disillusioning. This is both a testament to the texture of Held's writing and his generous use of direct quotation from Heschel. I recommend this strongly to anyone interested in Heschel or to students of modern Jewish philosophers like David Hartman, Yeshayahu Leibowitz, and Eliezer Berkovits.

Rabbi Shai Held's essay on Heschel is amazing in the way frosting makes a cake amazing. Heschel's own writings are easier to read but harder to place into a comprehensive view. Rabbi Held bundles Rabbi Heshel's ideas in a way that is useful both to logic and faith.

Shai Held offers a lucid introduction and analysis of Abraham Heschel's work. Comparing and contrasting Heschel with leading theologians in Christian traditions, Held presents a winsome vision for Jewish theology in the lineage of Heschel. As an open and relational theologian myself, I found numerous points of contact between Heschel and some of the best thinking in open and relational theologies today. I highly recommend this book!

Clear and beautifully written. A welcome addition for all of us who have struggled to understand Heschel and his place in religious thought. Professor Held has a commanding knowledge of a broad range of theological, philosophical, rabbinic and biblical material and is able to digest and transmit all of this for the serious reader through clear and artful prose - a joy to read.

Given as a birthday gift to a former student of Heschel. I was told ot is a y important contribution toward understanding Heschel's way of thinking.

Beautifully written and so helpful to really understand Heschel. So glad I own this book and can read it at my own pace.

Rabbi Held does an unbelievable job in unraveling one of the most complicated thinkers of our time.It's not such an easy read but profoundly enlightening.

Reading the works of A. Y. Heschel is not easy. This book is a wonderful explanation to this great theologian's books. And the writing is superb.