Some Thoughts from Heschel's The Prophets

"The principle to be kept in mind is to know what we see rather than to see what we know." (p. xi)

"It is not a world devoid of meaning that evokes the prophet's consternation, but a world deaf to meaning." (xiii)

"Prophecy, then, may be described as exegesis of existence from a divine perspective." (xiv)

"Instead of showing us a way through the elegant mansions of the mind, the prophets take us to the slums." (3)

"Of what paltry worth is human might - yet human compassion is divinely precious." (6)

"Instead of cursing the enemy, the prophets condemn their own nation." (12)


From The Prophets: An Introduction Vol. I by Abraham Heschel