ABOUT

What were Martin Buber’s views on religion, mysticism, and the meaning of human existence? His letters offer insight into his engagement with Jewish and non-Jewish religious and philosophical traditions, ranging from Hasidism to Chinese philosophy. They reveal how his own thought evolved over time. How did Buber connect mysticism with the modern search for meaning? And what did dialogue, redemption, and faith mean to him in this context?

Philosophical interpretations of religion and religiosity, as well as the scholarly study of religious phenomena and traditions, are central to Buber’s work. This focus is also reflected in his correspondence. The module begins with correspondence concerning ideas explored in Buber’s early writings on religion prior to World War I. These include the role of myth in religion and, above all, the renewed emphasis he placed on mysticism withinJudaism through his early engagement with Hasidism. The module also includes correspondence relating to his studies and collections on non-Jewish mystical traditions. Central to the module is Ecstatic Confessions (1909), which emerged within the context of a search for meaning shaped by Neo-Romanticism and the German philosophy of life in response to the crises of modernity, and brought together mystical texts from different periods, religions, and cultural spheres. This module’s correspondence also addresses Buber’s later theoretical writings on Hasidism. In the 1920s, he interpreted it through the lens of his philosophy of dialogue and later, in the 1940s and 1950s, he revisited it in the context of his philosophical anthropology. The correspondence also addresses his Hasidic novel Gog and Magog (1943), whose plot is shaped by differing conceptions of redemption and messianism. The module further includes letters concerning Buber’s interpretation of the »Oriental spirit« and his role as a translator and interpreter of Chinese literature and philosophy, particularly Taoist philosophy.

The module focuses, among others, on the correspondence with Alexander Altmann, Leo Baeck, Fritz J. Baer, Salo W. Baron, Schalom Ben-Chorin, Micha Josef Berdyczewsky, Eugen Diederichs, Ahron Eliasberg, Louis Finkelstein, Erich Gutkind, Stephen Hay, Isaak Heinemann, Samuel A. Horodetzky, Karl Kerényi, Joseph Klausner, Baruch Kurzweil, Alfred Mombert, Georg Müller, Rudolf Otto, Ernst Elijahu Rappeport, Gershom Scholem, Avraham Shapira, Moritz Spitzer, Jakob Taubes, and Kurt Wolff.

What does it mean to truly encounter another person? Martin Buber’s philosophy of dialogue shaped 20th-century thought far beyond Jewish debates. His letters reveal how the ideas expressed in »I and Thou« evolved into a comprehensive philosophical worldview and how Buber used it to respond to war, violence, and moral crises. How does dialogue transform our view of what it means to be human? And what can philosophy of religion offer in times of catastrophe?

Buber’s influence and prominent position,not only in Jewish cultural life during the Weimar Republic but also in German intellectual life more broadly, were closely linked to his role as one of the founders of the philosophy of dialogue. This philosophy provided significant impetus for a wide range of debates in theology, pedagogy, psychotherapy, social ethics, and politics. The module first focuses on Buber’s philosophical thought after he turned away from the mysticism and Neo-Romanticism that shaped his earlier work. Numerous correspondences concern the publication of his major work I and Thou (1923) and his further elaboration, in writings of the 1930s, of the implications of dialogical thought for hermeneutics, aesthetics, ethics, and pedagogy. The relevant correspondence extends from the 1920s through the postwar reception of his work. The second focus is on correspondence concerning Buber’s later engagement with philosophy of religion. Building on his philosophy of dialogue, he engaged with the consequences of the crises and catastrophes of the 20th century. Buber addressed these issues in works such as Images of Good and Evil (1952) and The Eclipse of God (1953).

Among the key exchanges in this module are those with Jochanan Bloch, Seymour Cain, Emil L. Fackenheim, Maurice Friedman, Hermann Levin Goldschmidt, Will Herberg, Walter A. Kaufmann, David Koigen, Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, Franz Rosenzweig, Nathan Rotenstreich, Leo Shestov, and Ewald Wasmuth.

How do language and translation shape our understanding of the world and faith? Martin Buber saw language as more than just a tool. For him, it was a space of encounter. His letters reveal his reflections on Bible translation, multilingualism, and biblical commentary. How can translation preserve meaning? And how can interpreting Scripture open paths to faith and mutual understanding?

Questions of language, multilingualism, translation, and commentary play a central role in Buber’s work from the very beginning and across numerous contexts of his intellectual activity. This module begins with Buber’s early reflections on the philosophy of language, which he developed in dialogue with figures such as Fritz Mauthner and Hugo von Hofmannsthal and, during the 1920s, with the Patmos Circle. The focus then shifts to the correspondences relating to the »German rendering« of Scripture, a project that Buber and Rosenzweig initiated in 1925 and that Buber continued alone after Rosenzweig’s death in 1929. It also considers correspondence concerning Buber’s work as an interpreter of the Hebrew Bible, particularly as the author of the biblical commentaries Kingship of God (1932), Moses (1948), and The Prophetic Faith (1950). These works implicitly engage with the contemporary historical challenges in Europe and Palestine. Buber’s philosophical reflections in his writings of the 1950s and 1960s on the restoration of language in the face of the linguistic crisis of modernity also play a significant role in the letters.

Among the most important correspondences in this module are those with Rudolf Borchardt, Umberto Cassuto, Hans Ehrenberg, Rudolf Ehrenberg, Nahum N. Glatzer, Abraham J. Heschel, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Benno Jacob, Fritz Mauthner, Felix Perles, Gerhard von Rad, Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, Franz Rosenzweig, Eduard Strauss, and Ludwig Strauß.

What makes genuine dialogue between Judaism and Christianity possible? Martin Buber sought dialogue with leading Christian theologians of his time about the Bible, faith, and their shared responsibility for the world. His letters reveal closeness, disagreements, and a sustained effort to reach mutual understanding. What separates these two religions, and what unites them? And what role does dialogue play after the Shoah?

Few Jewish scholars of the early 20th century developed their interpretation of Judaism and their philosophical thought through such sustained critical engagement with Christianity as Buber did. His work challenged Christian theology’s understanding of the biblical foundations of its religion, both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. At the same time, he engaged in an intensive dialogue with numerous Protestant and Catholic theologians on Christian-Jewish relations, the conditions necessary for meaningful interreligious dialogue, and the shared responsibility of Jews and Christians in politics and society, a dialogue that is also reflected in a substantial body of correspondence. The module begins with Buber’s early contacts with Christian theologians in circles engaged in cultural criticism before and during World War I. It then places strong emphasis on Buber’s interreligious relationships during the Weimar period, his dialogue with representatives of religious socialism, and his reflections on interreligious dialogue in the context of the publication of the journal Die Kreatur (1926–1930). The focus is also on Christian-Jewish dialogues and confrontations around 1933, as well as on Buber’s interpretation of Christianity in his lectures on Judaism and Christianity that he delivered at Frankfurt’s Freies Jüdisches Lehrhaus in 1934. These lectures formed the basis of his widely discussed book Two Types of Faith (1950). After 1945, Jewish-Christian dialogues conducted through correspondence also offer insight into Buber’s complex relationship with Germany in the wake of the Shoah.

Key correspondences for this module include those with Hans Urs von Balthasar, Karl Barth, Arthur Bonus, Emil Brunner, Rudolf Bultmann, Friedrich Gogarten, Romano Guardini, Alfred Jeremias, Hans Kosmala, Otto Michel, Alfons Paquet, Leonhard Ragaz, Florens Christian Rang, Karl-Heinrich Rengstorf, Karl-Ludwig Schmidt, Karl Thieme, Paul Tillich, Viktor von Weizsäcker, Joseph Wittig, and Carly Witton Davies.

Was bedeutete für Martin Buber die Welt von Literatur und Kunst? Seine Briefe zeigen ihn als Teil eines weit verzweigten Netzwerks von Schriftsteller:innen, Künstler:innen und Intellektuellen in Europa und Palästina. Von Franz Kafka bis Else Lasker-Schüler spiegeln sie Austausch, Inspiration und Streit. Wie prägten diese Begegnungen Bubers Denken? Und wie wirkte er auf Schriftsteller:innen und Kunstschaffende?

The range of correspondence included in this module makes abundantly clear that Buber engaged in literary work and explored questions of artistic production throughout his life, particularly in his younger years. His acquaintances and friends included many of the leading intellectuals of his time and t writers from diverse cultural and political backgrounds were strongly drawn to him. The module reconstructs Buber’s extensive network of contacts with Jewish and non-Jewish artists and cultural figures and analyzes it from a cultural-historical perspective. It traces his network from his encounters before World War I with Viennese literary circles engaged in cultural criticism, writers associated with the Prague Circle and intellectuals of the Forte Circle, through his relationships with Jewish artists and writers in the context of Zionism and the »Jewish Renaissance«, to his correspondence with a multitude of European writers, actors, theater directors, and painters during the interwar period and after World War II.

Among the numerous significant correspondences that also concern Hebrew literature in pre-state Palestine and Israel, the most important are those with Joseph S. Agnon, Johannes Baader, Julius Bab, Hermann Bahr, Richard Beer-Hofmann, Walter Benjamin, Max Brod, Hans Carossa, Theodor Däubler, Richard Dehmel, Alfred Döblin, Louise Dumont, Berthold Feiwel, Yaakov Fichmann, Albrecht Goes, Hermann Hesse, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Franz Kafka, Jakob Klatzkin, Werner Kraft, Else Lasker-Schüler, Oskar Loerke, Thomas Mann, Arno Nadel, David Pinski, Romain Rolland, Hermann Struck, Margarete Susman, Jakob Wassermann, Franz Werfel, Karl Wolfskehl, Arnold Zweig, and Stefan Zweig.

How did Martin Buber connect politics, ethics, and responsibility? His letters reveal his exchanges with socialists, pacifists, conservatives, and thinkers from around the world. They reflect his struggle for justice, community, and peace in a divided world. What role should religion play in politics? And how can we conceive of human responsibility?

Throughout his life, Buber engaged with political issues and questions of social-philosophy beyond his involvement in Zionist activism and maintained wide-ranging contacts with intellectuals from across the political spectrum. The module examines the diverse roots of Buber’s political thought, in the youth movement, neo-Romantic ideas, and in the communal socialist ideas associated with the »Neue Gemeinschaft« during the first decade of the 20th century. It also considers his critical friendship with Gustav Landauer and his changing political stance during World War I. Its principal focus, however, is on the themes that shaped his thinking after 1918: the emphasis on social responsibility associated with his philosophy of dialogue and debates over the relationship between religion and politics. These concerns found expression in numerous essays on the universal significance of biblical prophecy (e.g., The Holy Way, 1919), as well as in his exchanges with religious socialists, many representatives of the Jewish women’s movement, and conservative and right-wing political opponents,including supporters of National Socialism. Buber’s socio-political writings from 1938 to 1965, in particular Paths in Utopia (1950), his major work on the history and practice of socialist thought and the practice of communitarianism. It likewise reflects his view on the Cold War, international understanding, and the death penalty, including in the context of the Eichmann trial.

Central to this module are, among others, the correspondences with Eduard Bernstein, Nathan Chofshi, Dora Edinger, Shmuel N. Eisenstadt, Mahatma Gandhi, Victor Gollancz, Dag Hammarskjöld, Erich Kahler, Hanna Karminski, Gustav Landauer, Bertha Pappenheim, E. Pinchas Rosenblüth, Bertrand Russell, Albert Schweitzer, Georg Simmel, and Ferdinand Tönnies.

Welche Rollen spielen Beziehung und Begegnung für Bildungsprozesse? Bubers Briefe zeigen sein Engagement für Bildung, Pädagogik und die Psychologie des Menschen. Sie spiegeln seine Ideen vom Dialog, von Heilung und menschlicher Entwicklung in Schulen, Lehrhäusern und akademischen Kontexten. Welche pädagogisch-anthropologischen Fragen spiegeln sich in Bubers Briefwechseln? Und wie kann Pädagogik Gesellschaft gestalten?

A final set of topics central to Buber’s intellectual network concerns questions of education and pedagogy, as well as anthropology and psychology. This module focuses on the debates of Buber’s time in educational theory and progressive education. From World War I through the 1950s, he contributed to these discourses through writings on youth, education and educational practice. A particular focus is given to the educational work of Frankfurt’s Freies Jüdisches Lehrhaus from 1921 to 1938, adult education in the State of Israel, as well as on Buber’s academic work in Frankfurt and Jerusalem. Furthermore, the module highlights the extent to which Buber’s writings on philosophical anthropology, psychology and psychotherapy resonated with his contemporaries, as reflected in their letters. This resonance is already evident in Buber’s work as editor of the socio-psychologically oriented series Die Gesellschaft (1906–1912), which is considered as part of the foundational literature of German sociology.Particularly important in this regard are later works such as Die Frage an den Einzelnen (1936) or Das Problem des Menschen (1948), which, in their engagement with psychoanalysis, emphasized the healing potential of dialogical relationships. The module also gives particular attention to Buber’s engagement with the thought of Sigmund Freud and C.G. Jung.

Key correspondence in this field of discourse includes exchanges with Lou Andreas-Salomé, Ludwig Binswanger, Wolf Dohrn, Leslie H. Farber, Abraham Halevy Fraenkel, Viktor E. Frankl, Sigmund Freud, Paul Geheeb, Hermann M. Gerson, Otto Hirsch, Ernst Joel, Ellen Key, Siegfried Lehmann, Rudolf Pannwitz, Carl Rogers, Elisabeth Rotten, Ernst Simon, Kurt Singer, Ronald Gregor Smith, and Hans Trüb.

Some correspondences cannot be clearly assigned to any of the eight thematic modules. This includes, for example, purely congratulatory letters or letters dealing l exclusively with private or family matters.

A large portion of the so-called »General Correspondence« (including ›fan mail‹) and the »Correspondence with Publishers« also remains unassigned to any module. The later encompasses exchanges not only with major publishers such as Lambert Schneider, Hegner, and Schocken Verlag, but also with numerous smaller publishers in Europe, Israel, and the United States. Buber corresponded with them about matters such as translations of his works, reprints and new editions.