Skip to main content
Article
Reclaiming the Prophets: Cohen, Heschel, and Crossing the Theocentric/Neo-Humanist Divide
Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy (2009)
  • Robert Erlewine, Illinois Wesleyan University
Abstract
In this essay, I examine Hermann Cohen’s and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s respective accounts of the classical prophets of the Hebrew Bible, which contend with the Protestant biblical criticism of their day. Their accounts of the prophets are of central significance for their philosophies of Judaism, which mirror and oppose each other. This Auseinandersetzung addresses the often neglected topic of Jewish responses to German-Protestant biblical criticism and stresses the cogency of Heschel’s thought. Additionally, examining Cohen and Heschel together problematizes the polarization between theocentrism and neo-humanism currently dominating the landscape of modern Jewish thought.
Disciplines
Publication Date
Winter January 1, 2009
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1163/105369909X12506863090477
Publisher Statement
The Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy is published by Brill. For more information on this publication please visit Journal of Jewish Thought online.
Citation Information
Robert Erlewine. "Reclaiming the Prophets: Cohen, Heschel, and Crossing the Theocentric/Neo-Humanist Divide" Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy Vol. 17 Iss. 2 (2009) p. 177 - 206 ISSN: 1053-699X
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/robert_erlewine/5/