Religion and Revelation after Auschwitz

‘Though Adorno thought poetry after Auschwitz impossible, Celan insisted language could still find a way through. Like Jonas’ ‘Concept of God after Auschwitz,’ Balasz Mezei has continued the immense task of excavating the foundations for a philosophy of religion and revelation. This is a unique and utterly original exploration of two of the most compelling questions of our time – the evil of Auschwitz and whether there’s a reality that can go beyond without abolishing the brute fact of that evil. A profoundly inclusive thinker drawing on the entire range of Western thought and spirituality, Mezei draws his reader deeper into themselves and toward unexplored horizons beyond. Brendan Purcell, Adjunct Professor of Philosophy, Notre Dame University Australia (Sydney Campus). Religion and Revelation after Auschwitz is a valuable work by an especially fertile thinker. Balazs Mezei, whose Jewish mother was forced into hiding during the War years, looks frankly and honestly at the challenge posed to contemporary thought by the grievous offenses against human dignity in the 20th Century, by the disasters represented by Auschwitz. Here the author addresses the contemporary challenges not only to philosophy, but to the university, art, and religion. Mezei brings to this project a broad and deep knowledge of modern Continental – especially Austrian and German – thought, as well as of its more distant Medieval roots.’ — Adrian J. Reimers, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Departments Of Philosophy And Theology, University Of Notre Dame, USA

‘Auschwitz has come to be considered by many as a stumbling block for continuing philosophy and theology as they have been practised until now. For Mezei, the Shoa is indeed a watershed but it also allows us to rethink the essential theme of divine revelation. Through a large spectrum of thinkers and systems from the late Antiquity up to the beginning of this third millenium, he attempts at working out a new, more radical understanding of what revelation really means. Readers may not agree with this or that position, but they will be deeply impressed by the width of its purpose and the creativity of its vision.’ —Miklos Veto, Professor Emeritus Of Philosophy, University Of Poitiers, France, And External Member Of The Hungarian Academy Of Sciences