Did Schleiermacher Go Overboard? Reading <i>The Star of Redemption</i> and <i>The Christian Faith</i> Together

Abstract

Rosenzweig’s principal interlocutors are commonly taken to be idealist and existentialist philosophers. Rosenzweig’s disparaging remarks at the beginning of Part Two of The Star of Redemption regarding modern theology and its progenitor, Friedrich Schleiermacher, strengthen the view that the Star is best understood in a philosophical context. However, a close reading of the Star alongside Schleiermacher’s main doctrinal work, The Christian Faith, reveals surprising points of similarity on a wide range of topics. Furthermore, the points of contradiction between the two works can illuminate Rosenzweig’s contributions to modern theology.

Keywords

• Franz Rosenzweig
• Friedrich Schleiermacher
• theology
• Jewish theology
• Jewish philosophy