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Jewish religious thought since the eighteenth century is characterized by a grand paradox. Whereas the Jews' entry into the modern world has witnessed their increasing secularization, they have at the same time been preoccupied with theological questions. Indeed the preeminent task assumed by modern Jewish religious thought has been to re-articulate and even radically re-evaluate the theological presuppositions of Judaism in the light of the modern, secular experience. Beginning with the proud, defiant humanism of the Renaissance and gaining dramatic momentum wi…

The restoration of the Jews to their ancient patrimony in the land of Israel under Zionism raises a host of perhaps intractable theological questions. The foremost concerns the status and significance of a process initiated and carried out by humans that, throughout the ages, the custodians of Jewish faith taught would be realized only through the grace and direct action of God. In Jewish prayer and doctrine, the return of Israel's exiles to Zion was conceived to be a messianic event, providenti…