“Transforming the Human Sphere”: Edmund Husserl’s Phenomenology of Time and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Conception of Sabbath
Miriam Feldmann-Kaye
The Journal of Jewish thought & philosophy March 24, 2026 DOI: 10.1163/1477285x-12341379 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key points | Argues that Heschel's philosophy of time, interpreted through Husserl's phenomenology, reveals a distinctive conception of revelation that has been overlooked by prior scholarship focused solely on religious experience. |
Abstract
This article analyzes the influence of phenomenological schools of thought on the Jewish philosophy of Abraham Joshua Heschel, focusing on the twentieth-century phenomenology of Edmund Husserl and its manifestations in Heschel’s writings on the idea of time. Discussions of phenomenological influences upon Heschel have tended to focus on the idea of “religious experience” in his writings on prophecy. This study probes the idea of time in Heschel’s philosophy and its relation to three main Husserlian ideas: the transcendental Ego, time-consciousness, and intentionality. The implications of this study for a consideration of the concept of revelation are discussed.
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