Description
Book SynopsisThe widespread view is that prayer is the center of religious existence and that understanding the meaning of prayer requires that we assume God is its sole destination. This book challenges this assumption and, through a phenomenological analysis of the meaning of prayer in modern Hebrew literature, shows that prayer does not depend at all on the addressee humans are praying beings. Prayer is, above all, the recognition that we are free to transcend the facts of our life and an expression of the hope that we can override the weight of our past and present circumstances.
Trade Review"For Avi Sagi, professor of philosophy at Israel's Bar-Ilan University, the death of God is far more complex than has been previously imagined, especially when viewed in light of the tenacity of prayer in human existence. ... The heart of the book, however, is its exploration and affirmation of prayer without divine matrix, object, or addressee. Sagi is most original as he contends with more traditional explanations of the source and meaning of prayer ... His entire study is informed by a rare and promising dialogue between continental philosophy and critical appreciation for the relevance of Talmudic wisdom. Originally published in Hebrew, Sagi's study represents a unique contribution to the historiography of the death of God and a welcome alternative to the all-too-predictable literature on prayer." -- Peter A. Huff, Spring 2017, Reading Religion.
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Chapter 1: Prayer and Hebrew Literature
Chapter 2: “The Death of God” and the Possibility of Prayer
Chapter 3: Prayer as a Primary Datum
Chapter 4: Between Self-Reflection and Ontological Event
Chapter 5: Grappling with the Addressee Problem
Chapter 6: Reconstructing the “Death of God” Moment
Chapter 7: Humans as Praying Beings: A Phenomenological Profile Bibliography
Index
