No Religion is an Island: Abraham Joshua Heschel and Interreligious Dialogue (review)

Book Reviews 155 Weiss' interpretation, however, calls for a closer scrutiny of Maimonides ' views on knowledge. Weiss is right in disagreeing with the noncognitive .interpretation recently offered by Marvin Fox (Interpreting Maimonides). For Maimonides, the only justification for moral injunctions is not divine command reinforced by tradition. But neither are "commonly held opinions" that fall short of demonstrative certainty the only justification . The dichotomy between theoria and praxis and the accidental role that moral behavior has in the development of human perfection, in Weiss' interpretation, suggests the view that "practical wisdom" does not count as knowledge at all for Maimonides. But that view seems to overlook Maimonides' epistemic distinction between true beliefs and necessary beliefs and his hint that a necessary connection between means and end, in some cases at least, is a matter of demonstration (Guide III, ch. 28). The implication seems to be that practical wisdom does fall under knowledge and that laws are rational, at least in their generality if not in their particular application. The encounter between philosophy and religion remains an intriguing , yet troublesome, issue-in both the twelfth and the twentieth century. Weiss gives a clear account of that struggle in the moral thought of Maimonides. Joseph A. Buijs St. Joseph's College University of Alberta No Religion is an Island: Abraham Joshua Heschel and Interreligious Dialogue, edited by Harold Kasimow and Byron L. Sherwin. New York: Orbis Books, 1991. 205 pp. This is an important book, an introduction to the life and thought of Abraham Joshua Heschel and a practical resource for advanced readers. The editors have struck an appropriate balance between a reverential presentation of their teacher and scholarly documentation and analysis. The book itself is an act of interreligious dialogue. Johannes Cardinal Willebrands, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, the Polish Jewish novelistJerzy Kozinski, and the epigraph taken from the Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, present Heschel as "a wise, holy and good man," while the editors carefully explain their goals. 156 SHOFAR Summer 1993 Vol. 11, No.4 No Religion is an Island makes the challenge of Heschel's religious thought comprehensible to Jews and to people of other faiths. The volume takes its title from Heschel's remarkable inaugural lecture as Harry Emerson Fosdick Visiting Professor at Union Theological Seminary (1965), reprinted here in its entirety. It begins: "I speak as a member of a congregation whose founder was Abraham, and the name of my rabbi is Moses. / 1· speak as a person who was able to leave Warsaw, the city in which I was born, just six weeks before the disaster began ... I am a brand plucked from the fire, in which my people was burned to death." Heschel's paper, however, far surpasses the Holocaust as it defines ethical and theological criteria for genuine interfaith dialogue. Heschel had extraordinary impact on those who knew him or just viewed from a distance. Part One portrays the person. His daughter H. Susannah Heschel, who holds the Abba Hillel Silver Chair ofJudaic Studies at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, writes of Heschel's past in Europe, their family life, and her father's social action in the United States. Byron L. Sherwin provides fascinating insight into how his teacher inspired him, as does Jacob Y. Teshima, a Japanese Christian who studied with Heschel and knew him intimately during his last years. Daniel Berrigan, the Jesuit radical and peace activist, evokes his friendship with Heschel, including disagreements about Israel, amidst their common struggles during the Vietnam era. Part Two consists of nine essays responding to Heschel's rich statement, "No Religion is an Island," preparing future studies and conversations. The first four sensitively analyze the man and the issues, with notes that collect valuable documentation. Harold Kasimow, a Jewish expert, and John C. Merkle, a Roman Catholic specialist on Heschel, cite Heschel's assertions that religious pluralism may be God's will for our present age. Kasimow provides references-from Hindus, Christians, Japanese Christians, Muslims, Buddhists-and connects Heschel's "depth theology" with his social action, his "prophetic vision." Merkle lucidly defines Heschel's main theological principles and boldly applies Heschel's view to his own faith...