Reverend Paul E Capetz

Christ Church by the Sea
Newport Beach, CA
A Methodist Perspective

How did you first encounter Abraham Joshua Heschel’s work?

I have known of Heschel for a long time but just finished reading his book God in Search of Man which deeply impressed me and touched my heart and soul. I intend to read his other books. I heard his daughter speak at a synagogue in Minneapolis a few years back and I read a book by her.

How did Heschel influence your life, thinking, and/or work? What of Heschel lives in you?
I have always felt a deep spiritual connection with Judaism. Heschel’s interpretation of Judaism helped me to understand why. Like Buber, there is an existentialist strand in Heschel's interpretation of religion that speaks to our common humanity and thereby invites non-Jews into dialogue with Jewish tradition.