In Search of Heschel

This overview of commentary and scholarship on the life and thought of Abraham Joshua Heschel presents different aspects of Heschel reflected in the rapidly burgeoning literature on his work and personality. Eight dimensions of Heschel, prisms through which he may be perceived, are presented: Heschel as philosopher, as theologian of the deed, as mystic and Ḥasid, as scholar, as prophet of pathos, as poet and stylist, as twentieth-century symbol, and finally in terms of the influence exerted upon and by him. The question of Heschel’s attitude towards symbolism is cited as an example of how he may be perceived through a variety of prisms. It may be that rather than seeking the unifying principle by which the enigma of Heschel may be solved, an appreciation of the multi-faceted nature of his thought and action may provide the most helpful way of conducting this search.