The Lurianic Background of the Concept of Divine Pathos in Abrahan Joshua Heschel’s The Prophets

Abstract

Abraham Joshua Heschel’s volume, The Prophets, is one of the seminal works of Jewish biblical scholarship that opened the way for the development of Jewish biblical theology, with his discussion of divine pathos as a key concept in biblical prophecy. It has had wide impact on biblical theology in general, but most scholars are not familiar with the importance of Heschel’s background as a Hasidic Rebbe and its impact on his work, particularly his understanding of divine pathos. This paper traces the background of the development of Heschel’s concept of divine pathos in The Prophets. It begins with a brief treatment of Heschel’s early life in Poland, where he was born into a Hasidic family, his early studies in Jewish Enlightenment literature, and his doctoral studies at the University of Berlin, from which he was forced to flee to the United States prior to World WarⅡ. It continues with a discussion of Heschel’s concept of divine pathos, i.e., the interplay between divine compassion and divine justice, which stands as the basis for his study, The Prophets, published in English in 1962. The paper then turns to a critical discussion of Heschel’s concept of divine pathos and its application to the prophetic writings in the Bible. It examines the major concepts of the Ten Sefirot in the Zohar, Lurianic Kabbalah, and their role in Hasidic thought. It then points to the expression of evil as an aspect of G-d's character in prophetic texts, such as Hosea 1-3; Isaiah 6; and Jeremiah 2:7-18, that is characteristic of Lurianic Kabbalah and stands as a key issue in Heschel’s understanding of divine pathos in the interpretation of the Bible and later Jewish tradition.