Hegel and the State (ePub)

Franz Rosenzweig (1886-1929) is one of the most original Jewish thinkers of the modern period. Following the First World War, he sought to bring about a novel synthesis of philosophy and theology he termed the "new thinking," shaping the course of early twentieth-century Jewish and Christian dialogue. His engagement with the theme of human finitude made a lasting impact on twentieth-century existentialism and he undertook two major works of translation, most notably the German translation of the Hebrew Bible in which he collaborated with Martin Buber. He founded a center for Jewish adult education in Frankfurt - the Lehrhaus - which attracted the most important young German Jewish intellectuals of its time and which is still held up today as a model for educational programs of its type. His life is marked by several extraordinary personal experiences, including a near-conversion to Christianity, an inspired return to Judaism, the composition of the beginning of his magnum opus on military postcards sent home from the Balkan front and the abandonment of a promising academic career in order to live and teach in the Frankfurt Jewish community. As well as Hegel and the State (1920), he is the author of what is arguably the greatest work of modern Jewish philosophy: The Star of Redemption (1921).