The Mysticism of Paul the Apostle (The Albert Schweitzer Library)

Book Description

Immediately after the Gospels, the New Testament takes up the history of the early Christian Church, describing the works of the twelve disciples, and introducing Paul, the man whose influence on the history of Christianity is beyond calculation. Teacher, preacher, conciliator, diplomat, theologian, rule giver, consoler, and martyr, his life and writings became foundations for Christianity. Paul inspired a vast, serious, and intelligent literature that seeks to recapture his meaning, his thinking, and his purpose.

In his letters to early Christian communities, Paul gave much practical advice about organization and orthodoxy. These treated the early Christian communities as something more than a group of people who believed in the same faith: they were people bound together by a common spirit unknown before. The significance of that common spirit occupied the greatest of Christian theologians from Athanasius and Augustine through Luther and Calvin.

In The Mysticism of Paul the Apostle Albert Schweitzer goes against Luther and the Protestant tradition to look at what Paul actually writes in the Epistles to the Romans and Galatians: an emphasis upon the personal experience of the believer with the divine. Paul's mysticism was not like the mysticism elsewhere described as a soul being at one with God. In the mysticism he felt and encouraged, there is no loss of self but an enriching of it; no erasure of time or place but a comprehension of how time and place fit within the eternal. Schweitzer writes that Paul's mysticism is especially profound, liberating, and precise. Typical of Schweitzer, he introduces readers to his point of view at once, then describes in detail how he came to it, its scholarly antecedents, what its implications are, what objections have been raised, and why all of this matters. To students of the New Testament, this book opens up Paul by presenting him as offering an entirely new kind of mysticism, necessarily and exclusively Christian.

"There is at least one other point that Albert Schweitzer scores here... The hard-won recognition that divine authority and human freedom ultimately cannot be in conflict must never be taken for granted, and the irony that the thought of Paul has repeatedly been invoked to undo that recognition truly does make this insight one of 'the permanent elements.'"--from the Introduction

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Misunderstood classic
albert schweitzer is my hero.
Monumental
Classic
Albert, I hardly knew you!

The Quest of the Historical Jesus
Albert Schweitzer
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Mystery of the Kingdom of God: The Secret of Jesus' Messiahship and Passion
Out of My Life and Thought (The Albert Schweitzer Library)
The Mysticism of Paul the Apostle (The Albert Schweitzer Library)
The Historical Figure of Jesus
The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant

ASIN: 0486440273

Book Description

Groundbreaking study that established the reputation of the famed theologian traces the search for the historical person of Jesus. Schweitzer examines works of more than 50 18th- and 19th-century authors and scholars and concludes that many of the earlier historical reconstructions of Christ were largely fantasies. The criterion for all subsequent studies.

Customer Reviews:

Misunderstood classic.......2007-01-12

For over one hundred years people have been misinterpreting this book, or at least focusing on a secondary issue. Yes, Schweitzer does show how views of Jesus mirror the culture of the writers who write about him. But that is not as important as the fact that the Jesus who emerges from scholarship is probably not very appealing to modern people. He was not a loving Saviour giving his life for others. He was a Jewish apocalyptic prophet interested only in divine intervention to save Israel and destroy the Romans and other ungodly gentiles. He failed in that God did not intervene, neither to save Israel not to save Jesus from death. Thus Christianity as we know it is a hoax, a delusion, a fairy tale. This is the meaning of Schweitzer's great discovery.

albert schweitzer is my hero........2006-12-26

The Quest of the Historical Jesus made me question my faith. This is not a bad thing as per Milton:
...Then wherefore shunned or feared
By us who rather double honor gain
From his surmise proved false, find peace within,
Favor from Heav'n, our witness, from th' event?
And what is faith, love, virtue unassayed,
Alone, without exterior help sustained?
By the way, I first checked this book out from the library and read half of it before I bought this one. The one at the library had the blue cover with a drawn picture of Jesus on the front. i expected to get the brown one with Schweitzer on the cover but was pleased to receive the blue one instead. long story short, if you order this book you probably won't get the brown one but the blue one that is on the browse sample page front cover.

Monumental.......2006-02-12

THE QUEST OF THE HISTORICAL JESUS is Albert Schweitzer's monumental attempt to review and comment on the research done on the historical Jesus mostly in the nineteenth century. The book covers the work of Herman Samuel Reimarus, Paulus, David Friedrich Strauss, Bruno Bauer and many others.

Strauss was particularly important since his analysis of the Gospels' miraculous stories was that they were mythical. For this he was attacked by other scholars of his time although his basic idea about the mythical character of the biblical miracles has steadily gained popularity among academics. Schweitzer, on the other hand, saw Jesus as a prophet who had a strong apocalyptic message for the world. Everything Jesus said and did was influenced by his belief that the end was near, according to Schweitzer.

Schweitzer's work helped to lay the groundwork for future research on the historical Jesus. All subsequent research, including that of the Jesus Seminar, has owed a debt to Albert Schweitzer.

Classic.......2006-02-11

We know Dr. Schweitzer from the bushy white hair and mustache, lost somewhere in Africa, Nobel prize winning peace activist. But here we have the young spirited seminarian for whom the quest for Jesus was a great endeavor. And great indeed is this magnificent tome, which pulls together 200 years of scholarly endeavors and tries to reach a conclusion about who Jesus was and what the quest was all about. Here are a few quotes...

"This dogma [Jesus as God/Jesus as Man] had first to be shattered before men could once more go out in quest of the historical Jesus, before they could even grasp the thought of his existence..."

"There is no historical task which so reveals a man's true self as the writing of a Life of Jesus. No vital force comes into the figure unless a man breathes into it all the hate or all the love of which he is capable..."

"He [Jesus] is a figure designed by rationalism, endowed with life by liberalism, and clothed by modern theology in an historical garb..."

"He had been riveted for centuries to the stony rocks of ecclesiastical doctrine, and rejoiced to see life and movement coming into the figure once more, and the historical Jesus advancing, as it seemed, to meet it. But he does not stay; He passes by our time and returns to his own..."

Yes, of course it is dated. And yes, of course, it is written in that heavy Germanic style that demands more than you want to give. And yes, of course, you never heard of many of the people he talks about. etc.

And yet there is nothing in the past 100 years that really matches it, despite all the findings and all the methods and all the books since.

Albert, I hardly knew you!.......2005-07-28

This is a most erudite and methodical analysis of the lives of Jesus written in the 100 years or so before and during Schweitzer's life, many of them by German writers. It's a book for those interested in delving into the thinking of that time period about Jesus, and in understanding better how we arrived at our current view of Jesus.

Out of My Life and Thought (The Albert Schweitzer Library)

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Jewels of Wisdom and Perspective
A book that matters...
For students of this great mind, this is a must read.
Schweitzer's life and thought:
An inspiring journey with a true disciple of Christ

Out of My Life and Thought (The Albert Schweitzer Library)
Albert Schweitzer
Manufacturer: JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PRESS
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Binding: Paperback

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Albert Schweitzer: A Biography (The Albert Schweitzer Library)
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Reverance for Life: The Ethics of Albert Schweitzer for the Twenty-First Century
The Quest of the Historical Jesus
The Spiritual Life (Ecco Companions)

ASIN: 0801860970

Amazon.com

Out of My Life and Thought is the autobiography of Albert Schweitzer, the theologian, musician, scientist, and medical missionary who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952 (and donated his prize to build a leper colony). Schweitzer's autobiography is a masterful and motley blend of confession, narrative, adventure, and philosophy. The chapters about how he came to write The Quest for the Historical Jesus and The Mysticism of Paul the Apostle are indispensable summaries of and apologies for those books; the chapter called "I Resolve to Become a Jungle Doctor" is a model of Rilke-style life-changing decision; and the chapters on Bach and on organs are full of fascinating historical and mechanical detail. For contemporary readers, Out of My Life and Thought may be most compelling for its epilogue, which describes the ethical mysticism that Schweitzer called "Reverence for Life," which he achieved in his later years. The epilogue is full of stirringly Germanic passages such as the following: "Once man begins to think about the mystery of his life and the links connecting him with the life that fills the world, he cannot but accept, for his own life and all other life that surrounds him, the principle of Reverence for Life. He will act according to this principle of the ethical affirmation of life in everything he does. His life will become in every respect more difficult than if he lived for himself, but at the same time it will be richer, more beautiful, and happier. It will become, instead of mere living, a genuine experience of life." Because Schweitzer believed Christianity implied such world-encompassing reverence, he had the confidence and faith to "demand from Christianity that it reform itself in the spirit of sincerity and with thoughtfulness, so it may become conscious of its true nature." --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

" Out of My Life and Thought shatters the old myth and allows us to glimpse the real Albert Schweitzer, a man whose moral example is as relevant and compelling in the 1990s as it was in the 1930s on first publication. Eloquent and heartfelt."-- Los Angeles Times

Of the many highly esteemed books Albert Schweitzer penned in his life, he valued his autobiography the most. He had become a legend and he wanted to remind readers that he was just a man, and a man who had learned from many others. He had been fortunate to be in the right places at the right times, to meet people of thought and sympathy. He wanted to report his debts to them. He wanted to clarify his reasons and methods for his undertakings and to respond to some of his critics. And, he wished to honor something greater than he was--reverence for life. Reverence for Life became his life's motto, and it brought him pain as well as joy as he sought to respect how precious and unique each life is. Schweitzer believed there was a way to live in the world, accept it, take joy from it--and who could know this better than a man who had placed himself so much in it, given so much for it, and had been ready to receive experience as a gift to be thankful for.

In addition to a preface by Rhena Schweitzer Miller and Antje Bultmann Lemke, this translation incorporates revisions and additions Schweitzer made for the French translation of 1960 and those he made for thirty years in his own copy of the original German edition.

"This fascinating volume is the autobiography of the world-famous missionary doctor, organist, philosopher, theologian, and Nobel Peace Prize-winner, newly translated, researched, and corrected on the basis of recently discovered material."-- Booklist

"An authentic twentieth-century classic. Few books in our time have had a greater impact on the life and values of untold numbers of people."--Norman Cousins

Customer Reviews:

Jewels of Wisdom and Perspective.......2007-08-22

This book is not an easy read, but it is an interesting and worthwhile read. The chapter on why Dr. Schweitzer chose to be a medical missionary to Africa is especially interesting and meaningful. His thoughts on "Reverence For Life" are interesting and worthwhile reading, most provacative. His wide array of talent, abiltiy and interests are amazing and especially interesting, almost beyond belief and comprehension. His experiences as prisoner of war are revealing and somewhat shocking. At times the book gets tedious, especially in his philosophical thought,but don't let that stop you for slow you down. This book is well worth the read.

Do men like Albert Schweitzer exist anymore? Could or would our culture let them exist?

A book that matters..........2003-12-09

This is an elegant though brief memoir written by the great man himself. One should not expect too much detail, however, as the text only gives us glimpses into the man's life and the singular events that shaped who he was and what he became and, more importantly, what he accomplished. Schweitzer focuses mainly on the development of his theological and philosophical thought, beginning with his early endeavours leading to his famous work, `The Quest for the Historical Jesus'. From this point, he continues on towards the shaping of his magnum opus, `Philosophy of Civilization'. It is in this section of the text that he discusses two worldviews of life-affirmation and life-denial and pessimism. This work evolves into his philosophical perspective of Reverence for Life.

The biography ends in the year 1931, well before the advent of the Second World War. Schweitzer was only fifty-six years of age when he penned this work, well before receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, living and working for another forty-four years. Curiously, when his publisher requested that he write an autobiography, he was hesitant, as he was more or less still in his prime. However, as he wrote to his publisher fourteen years later on his seventieth birthday, memory fades with age, and he believed that writing about himself at that stage of his life, he could put down those important memories that remained fresh in his mind.

Schweitzer is certainly an inspiration - a man of immense strength, physically, emotionally and spiritually, with an almost endless capacity for work. The man worked in the most difficult of circumstances. Practicing medicine in intense tropical heat, day after day, disease run rampant; constant worry over funds to purchase much needed medical supplies. Moreover, the terrible events of two world wars - the odds he worked against to maintain the Lambarene Hospital, to my mind, is simply unimaginable. But the man persisted, rising every morning to meet disease, suffering, violence, death and loneliness.

This is an inspiring little book, charming and entertaining.

For students of this great mind, this is a must read........2003-02-09

There is no better short book available on the mind and thoughts of Albert Schweitzer than this book. His theology on Jesus and Paul, his thoughts on Bach and organ building, his philosophy on Reverence for Life are all laid out here.

George Marshall (see my review of Marshall's excellent biography: Schweitzer) once asked Dr. Schweitzer what professors would best provide him an education on Schweitzer's thoughts. He replied that Marshall should not go to professors but "read my books! No one can express the ideas of a man as well as he has expressed them himself.... read my books".

Bob Frost of "Biography Magazine" once wrote, "Albert Schweitzer is not exactly forgotten today, but his name won't crop up in daily conversation. Fifty years ago, though, people talked about Schweitzer all the time. An American magazine selected him, ahead of Albert Einstein, as the "world's greatest living nonpolitical person." He was the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary, won the Nobel Peace Prize, and appeared on the cover of Time magazine. Fueled by idealism and burning spiritual passion, this medical missionary led one of the most intense lives of the 20th century."

Be apprized that "Out of my Life and Thoughts" is not an easy read. Dr. Schweitzer's theology and philosophy, though dense, is not incomprehensible. And due to the translation from French to English, you many find yourself reading a passage multiple times to get the gist his thoughts.

That said, for students of this great mind, this is a must read. Strongly recommended. 4.5 stars.

Schweitzer's life and thought:.......2003-01-22

"Since my first years at the university I had grown increasingly to doubt the idea that mankind is steadily moving toward improvement. My impression was that the fire of its ideas was burning out without anyone noticing or worrying about it. ... What was just and equitable seemed to be pursued with only lukewarm zeal. I noticed a number of symptoms of intellectual and spiritual fatigue in this generation that is so proud of its achievements."
Albert Schweitzer was a man of action -- humanitarian, theologian, historian, musician, musical technologist, medical doctor, author, philosopher, missionary, professor, environmentalist, prisoner of war, recipient of the Nobel Prize. He writes an interesting autobiography, which is not surprising when one considers the breadth of his interests and of his achievements in science, the humanities and the arts. In his later years he was perhaps the most widely admired and respected person in the Western world.
Jimmy Carter offers a foreword in this volume; it is economical, a mere six sentences. Schweitzer's philosophical work may be well studied, but does not particularly distinguish itself in this volume (with some notable exceptions). His theological work (i.e., Christology) is generally questionable -- bound to Enlightenment fallacies of a "historical Jesus." I was happy to be concurrently reading the thoughts of a far better theologian, CS Lewis, on the idea of "discovering" a "historical" Jesus. While some of Schweitzer's ideas are [rightly] not highly regarded, his "life and thought" makes for unusually interesting biography. His "reverence for life" precept certainly has great value, but seems to be a less profoundly unique idea than he held it to be. Perhaps my view here is merely ignorant of the world in which Schweitzer lived.
He considered this book to be his best, or at least his preferred, writing, but if you are going to read only one book considering theological and historical exegetics, this is probably the wrong book. On the other hand, Schweitzer makes many observations cleanly and powerfully: "Our world rots in deceit. Our very attempt to manipulate truth itself brings us to ... [a truth] based on a skepticism that has become belief... It is superficial and inflexible." Kant had observed the intellectual paralysis of such "a skepticism that has become belief," but Schweitzer goes further, recognizing it as an even deeper spiritual paralysis.
While Schweitzer's Christology is, at the least, arguable, his firm commitment to Christ's commandment of love is a strong example of the Christian life led in the light of its Teacher's example. The author is [rightly] given to referring to Christianity as "the religion of love." In this aspect, Schweitzer at once offers the non-Christian a true image of Christianity and offers the Christian an important, if gentle, reminder. "[God] announces Himself in us as the will to love. The First Cause of Being, as He manifests Himself in nature, is to us always impersonal. To the First Cause of Being that is revealed to us in the will to love, however, we relate as to an ethical personality." And quoting Paul: "Love never faileth: but where there be knowledge it shall be done away."

An inspiring journey with a true disciple of Christ.......2002-09-18

Albert Schweitzer was an acclaimed organist, a world authority on Bach, a church pastor and principal of a theological seminary, a university professor with a doctorate in philosophy, and above all a humanitarian. This book gives a stunning account of how he grew into his ideals and I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in ethics or philosophy. I was left with an urge to read more about this true human, who believed and practiced the basic principle of goodness, as I finished reading the book. Schweitzer's faith in what he believes in and how he transforms it to the needy is absolutely inspiring. The epilogue of the book is very thought provoking as it gives a clear idea of his vision and the relevance of it in the world we live in.

Brothers in Spirit: The Correspondence of Albert Schweitzer and William Larimer Mellon, Jr

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Brothers in Spirit: The Correspondence of Albert Schweitzer and William Larimer Mellon, Jr
Albert Schweitzer , and William Larimer Mellon
Manufacturer: Syracuse University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0815603444

Albert Schweitzer: A Biography (The Albert Schweitzer Library)

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Thorough and inspiring
Thoroughly researched, fair, and readable
An engrossing and thorough biography.
A New Light Cast On Schweitzer
Revised edition due Fall, 2000

Albert Schweitzer: A Biography (The Albert Schweitzer Library)
James Brabazon
Manufacturer: Syracuse University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Social Scientists & Psychologists | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Out of My Life and Thought (The Albert Schweitzer Library)
Reverance for Life: The Ethics of Albert Schweitzer for the Twenty-First Century
Albert Schweitzer: Restored and Uncut
The Quest of the Historical Jesus
The Philosophy of Civilization: Part I, the Decay and the Restoration of Civilization : Part Ii, Civilization and Ethics

ASIN: 0815606753

Customer Reviews:

Thorough and inspiring.......2005-09-29

Brabazon thoroughly researched Dr. Schweitzer through reading his personal and professional writings as well as talking to a remarkable number of people who knew him. The result is a book that goes far in providing an understanding of a remarkable personality and a marvelous soul.

Thoroughly researched, fair, and readable.......2005-07-18

Any biographer attempting to write a life of Albert Schweitzer is facing a herculean task. One must be knowledgeable in widely disparate areas of endeavor: medicine, theology, philosophy, and music. Moreoever, one has to wade through mountains of letter correspondence, books, and articles written by and about Albert Schweitzer, not to mention a willingness to research his family and geographical background. Finally, travel to the places Schweitzer lived and interviews with those who knew him take time and effort to properly digest. James Brabazon has done a magnificent job in combining all these variables into a first rate biography of an amazing man. Not only that, he has fairly evaluated the man and his ideas in light of both the praise and censure Schweitzer received. Moreover, except in a few places where technical writing was necessary, the book seldom drags and makes for good reading, the kind that keeps one interested and wanting more, even when it's time for bed.

Brabazon is clearly won over by Schweitzer's life and ideas, a true disciple. The positive side of this is that he is able to explain (and sometimes defend) Schweitzer's ideas and actions in a convincing fashion. Unlike many who criticized Schweitzer based on cursory observations, Brabazon's thoroughness and enthusiasm allow him to select various passages from letters or works to show Schweitzer's attitudes and philosophies with lucidity. The down side of this (and the reason this book gets four stars instead of five) is that Brabazon shares the same blind spots Schweitzer did, especially with respect to his dubious theology. Schweitzer simply assumed (without hard data or proof) many of his doubts about the veracity of the New Testament; from these assumptions, he built up a very elaborate system of belief that when it comes right down to it is not Christianity but rather ideas that decades later would come to be labeled as New Age. Brabazon seems to think that Schweitzer's work is "objective" and that the reason for much of its unpopularity had to do with its upsetting the status quo as well as local historical factors (such as suspicion of anything German with the advent of World War I). He never openly entertains the idea that many people just plain 'ole don't find Schweitzer's arguments convincing. Nor does he seem to see that if Schweitzer's hubristic assumptions turn out to be wrong - namely, that the New Testament IS historically reliable, that the miracles did occur, that the resurrection did occur, that Jesus did think he was the messiah, that Jesus did not die for an illusion, et. al. - his ENTIRE theological system collapses like a house of cards. (Reader's interested in an alternative to the "if miraculous, then unhistorical" bias against biblical passages may consult C.S. Lewis's essay "Modern Theology and Biblical Criticism" in the book "Christian Reflections".)

Brabazon manages to give a fairly even account of Schweitzer for almost the entire book. Unfortunately, in his epilogue, the hagiography he had been at some pains to avoid comes gushing in as he sums up Schweitzer's life with melodramatic hyperbole, e.g., "He was normal, in fact, to an abnormal degree. He was superhumanly human. He was excessively balanced." (Abnormally normal? Superhumanly human? Balanced..excessively??)

Still, taking it all in all, this was a very, very good biography, thoroughly researched, well written, and for the most part fair. He successfully tells the STORY of Schweitzer's life and gives a good idea of what life was like for him as a youth, student, pastor, musician, and physician working under physically demanding circumstances in Gabon, Africa. The second edition is valuable for the additional light thrown on Schweitzer's marriage with Hélène and his valuable role in helping to sway public opinion to bring to light the problems of nuclear testing, eventually resulting in the Test Ban Treaty in August of 1963. If one can manage to take the theology presented in it with a very large grain of salt, one can agree with what Conor Cruise O'Brien wrote: "This biography is, I think, unlikely to be superseded."

An engrossing and thorough biography........2004-08-22

This second edition of Brabazon's incredible biography contains new material regarding the relationship between Schweitzer and his wife, Helene, due to the discovery of numerous letters between them. The author also adds material in the later chapters, focusing on the antagonism that erupted between the United States government and the old doctor, as Schweitzer and other activists, such as Albert Einstein and philosopher, Bertrand Russell, exposed to the public at large the fall-out hazards of the hydrogen bomb testing that the government wanted to keep secret, as the Cold War was then in full swing. This new material is rich in insight, revealing that Albert Schweitzer the myth, the modern saint, "The Greatest Man in the World", was indeed human, and whose long and arduous work in West Africa, paved the way, or at least set an example for present day and future humanitarians.

What is most striking about this man was his incredible capacity for work. He held Doctorates in three major subjects - theology, philosophy and medicine and was an accomplished organist and world expert on Bach. Schweitzer's published works in theology, philosophy and music remain in circulation, which continue to shed light in these areas. His "Reverence for Life" philosophy on the surface, appears almost too simplistic, but on closer examination, is a worldview that encompasses an attitude of mind, that if practiced, could radically change the world for the better. Schweitzer was not a philosopher of the abstract variety, at home in an ivory tower creating complex theories that only a select few would understand. As the man said and wrote many times, "he lived his argument" and his accomplishments certainly prove this.

Brabazon's biography of this great man is thorough. He delightfully brings together Schweitzer's letters, books, articles, and interviews with friends, colleagues and family, including sermons from his early career as a young minister, that tells us that his love of Jesus and the foundations of his philosophy was already set in his mind and spirit, well before embarking into his long and productive life. Brabazon brings Schweitzer to life in these pages as only a great biographer wholly connected to their subject can do. It is extremely well written and engaging.

If you are only slightly interested in one of the great humanitarians of the twentieth century, an intellectual, a man of God, Samaritan, healer and example of goodness, read this engrossing biography - a labor of love and inspiring in every sense.

A New Light Cast On Schweitzer.......2001-09-03

Albert Schweitzer was at first ignored, then recognized and finally lionized by the world at large, though he preferred to remain at his clinic, or as he put it, "a prisoner of Lambarene." Those of us who have followed his life in serious fashion have often wondered about the exact role of his wife and soul mate, Helene, and now, thanks to James Brabazon, we know. This revised and newly edited biography is at once spell binding and searching as it delves into their relationship as well as Albert's battle with church doctrine and the powers that be. As a former seminarian, now preparing to take a one man AV show about Albert on the road ("Scenes from A Life,") I can assure prospective readers that the book will not disappoint them. If you want to meet the real Schweitzer, warts and all, this is the place to have such an encounter. It will both stun and shock, delight and dismay, but it casts a bright light upon the life of this remarkable man, arguably the quintessential heroic figure of the 20th century. Enjoy!

Revised edition due Fall, 2000.......2000-06-12

Syracuse University Press is publishing a revised edition of this book in the Fall of 2000. The new edition will be greatly expanded, making use of newly discovered correspondence covering the ten-year secret relationship between Albert Schweitzer and Helene Bresslau, the woman he was to marry. To Helene alone he revealed every corner of his mind, and heart, spilling the thoughts and feelings that he kept carefully hidden from everyone else who knew him. Here are the struggles of a genius in the making - and also an intensely passionate and quite extraordinary relationship, in which Helene emerges as a rare woman and a worthy partner.

These "love letters" (long thought to be lost but found in an old suitcase by Schweitzer's daughter) have been translated by Antje Lemke, Symposium Advisory Board member and Schweitzer scholar, and will be published in a complete book by Syracuse University Press. Brabazon said, "I have had the privilege of reading these letters and can assure you that they make fascinating reading."

Also new to the general public Brabazon's new edition will give the amazing account of the deep suspicion of the U.S. State Department towards Schweitzer, due to his strong opposition to the hydrogen bomb tests and his refusal to be silenced about the genetic hazards of nuclear explosions.

Lawrence Wittner, State University of New York, and Symposium Advisory Board Member, wrote an article, "Blacklisting Schweitzer," in the May-June,1995, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists where he told for the first time, thanks to the then-recent declassification of key government documents, the dimensions of a bitter conflict between Dr. Schweitzer and the U.S. Government. As Professor Wittner wrote, "To millions, Albert Schweitzer was a saint. But to the Eisenhower crew, he was a dangerous nuisance."

Brabazon will be a guest speaker and sign books on Friday, October 13, at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, Tennessee.

Reverance for Life: The Ethics of Albert Schweitzer for the Twenty-First Century
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With an eclectic variety of soul-searching commentaries

Reverance for Life: The Ethics of Albert Schweitzer for the Twenty-First Century

Manufacturer: Syracuse University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Out of My Life and Thought (The Albert Schweitzer Library)

Albert Schweitzer: A Biography (The Albert Schweitzer Library)

The Philosophy of Civilization: Part I, the Decay and the Restoration of Civilization : Part Ii, Civilization and Ethics

Albert Schweitzer: Restored and Uncut

The Spiritual Life (Ecco Companions)

ASIN: 081562977X

Book Description

This collection of essays builds on the contributions of Albert Schweitzer's philosophy of "Reverence for Life" as it pertains to our world today.

Customer Reviews:

With an eclectic variety of soul-searching commentaries.......2002-11-05

Collaboratively and expertly edited by Marvin Meyer (Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies, Chapman University, Orange, California) and Kurt Bergel (Professor Emeritus, Chapman University and founder/co-director of the Chapman University Albert Schweitzer Institute), Reverence for Life: The Ethics Of Albert Schweitzer For The Twenty-First Century is an inherently impressive selection of profound essays by humanitarian Albert Schweitzer, enhanced with an eclectic variety of soul-searching commentaries on his thoughts and recommendations. Among Schweitzer's presented and scrutinized works are sermons, letters, as well as tidbits of his personal autobiography and deep philosophy. Reverence For Life is highly recommended as life-affirming, fundamental and thoughtfully constructed reading.

Albert Schweitzer: Essential Writings (Modern Spiritual Masters)

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Albert Schweitzer: Essential Writings (Modern Spiritual Masters)
James Brabazon
Manufacturer: Orbis Books
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Binding: Paperback

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Albert Schweitzer: A Biography (The Albert Schweitzer Library)
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ASIN: 1570756023

The Value of Dedication: The Story of Albert Schweitzer (Valuetales Series)

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The Value of Dedication: The Story of Albert Schweitzer (Valuetales Series)
Spencer Johnson , and Steve Pileggi
Manufacturer: Value Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0916392449

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Sensitive, moving and inspiring...
'My Life Is My Argument' Albert Schweitzer

Schweitzer: A Biography
George Marshall , and David Poling
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
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Out of My Life and Thought (The Albert Schweitzer Library)
Albert Schweitzer: A Biography (The Albert Schweitzer Library)

ASIN: 0801864550

Book Description

He was an accomplished organist and interpreter of Bach, a crusader for world peace, and a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. He made his philosophy of "reverence for life" an ethic for the world. The hospital he founded in LambarÃ©nÃ© (still in operation in present-day Gabon) is a model of what Europeans might have given to Africans throughout colonial history. But above all, Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) was a talented and compassionate human being. This biography probes beyond the timeworn image of Schweitzer as "the old man in the pith helmet" to reveal the philosopher, scholar, husband, father, humanitarian, and liberal rebel in a conservative church.

Customer Reviews:

Sensitive, moving and inspiring..........2003-11-24

This is a fine biography of one of the greatest humanitarians of the twentieth century. During his lifetime, (ninety years) Schweitzer the great man transformed into Schweitzer the great myth; the great white hope, saving the bodies and souls of the primitive black man of Africa. In our post colonial age, with its post modern, abstract cultural theories of the `other', Schweitzer became an easy target for cultural critics, using the man and his work as representative of everything evil about the self-perceived superiority of Western man over `primitive cultures'. It is without question, that, for the most part, European imperialism justified their greedy exploitation of developing countries as efforts to `civilize' them. Our culture, knowledge and religion were superior to these `savages', and while we stole their natural resources, we gave them enlightenment. Further to this, however, as we stole and enlightened, we also gave them our diseases, which, in some cases, virtually wiped out entire peoples. From the very beginning, Albert Schweitzer was aware of the European's injustices to these people, and deeply felt some kind of atonement or restitution had to be made. Schweitzer's intention was to essentially help; his inspiring example paved the way for present humanitarian organizations to make a difference or at least become more effective in their aid. This biography successfully dismantles the `great white hope' myth, and presents the man as an insightful critic of Western values and traditional theology, a man who lived his philosophy - or as Schweitzer said, "Live his argument". One can never truly understand or judge someone based on what they say or what they write; only through the results of a person's actions can we really know them. Marshall and Poling's biography of Schweitzer includes his writing and many quotes from conversations and interviews, but argue his greatness from the stand point of his actions. In other words, his fifty years of service and the establishment of the Lambarene hospital, speaks for itself.

Schweitzer became aware of his mission to serve his fellow travellers on this planet somewhat late in life. An established philosopher and theologian at age thirty, a principal of a respected seminary, he awoke one morning to realize everything life had given him, and it was time to give back. After reading an article calling for trained medical staff to work in West Africa, he knew what he needed to do. Against heavy opposition from family and friends, he returned to university as a mature-aged student to study medicine, attaining his degree. The public know much about his early life but as his daughter, Rhena Schweitzer, writes in the Forward, "It is the first biography that gives an account of the last years of my fathers live. It helps explain and dissipates some of the false ideas about his relationship to the Africans." This book dispels these falsehoods and myths, and is also a sensitive and objective appraisal of a man and his life.

An inspiring read.

'My Life Is My Argument' Albert Schweitzer.......2003-02-04

A brilliant bravo to a task well done. G. Marshall & D. Poling have captured succinctly the life of the last of the 'Enlightenment' minds. Albert Schweitzer was true to the principles of reason, naturalism and thought. He took these principles and undauntedly applied them to his religion and his culture. Albert Schweitzer was a critic of Christianity and modern civilization and this book captures Albert Schweitzer, "the critic".

In the world and church around him he saw conformity and the lack of individual reflection. This is a book about a nonconformism, a brilliant theologian/philosopher and a humanitarian genius.

Unlike other biographies of Schweitzer I have read, these authors write with a fluid, engaging style, pulling you closer to the man that they knew and profiled. Albert Schweitzer lived 90 years and the length of his life is a challenge that biographers must face. They must capture the individualistic spirit of Albert Schweitzer youth, the brilliance of his middle years and the tenacity of his old age.

Albert Schweitzer's Nobel Peace Prize in 1953 spoke of his sacrificial work in Africa, his vital practical philosophy of life, his call to clear comprehension of the historic Jesus that Christianity needs to embrace, his musical brilliance, his compassion for the animal kingdom and his love of healing. Yet, to brush stroke with ink a portrait of this unbelievable figure is a demanding undertaking and Marshall and Poling have done it right, and they did right to one of the greatest personalities of the twentieth century. Strongly recommended. 4.5 Stars.

Animals, Nature, and Albert Schweitzer
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I wish Schweitzer were here now.

A "must have" for humane educators

An excellent introduction to the compassion of Schweitzer.

Animals, Nature, and Albert Schweitzer

Manufacturer: Flying Fox Press, the
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Albert Schweitzer: A Biography (The Albert Schweitzer Library)

ASIN: 0961722517

Book Description

This unique and highly-acclaimed small volume shows - primarily through Dr. Schweitzer's own words - how his philosophy of "reverence for life" developed, from childhood, as his long life unfolded.

It demonstrates how the philosopher-physician-musician carried out his philosophy at his African hospital, in Europe and the U.S.A and how he inspired the animal protection and environmental awakening.

It describes his bond with individual animals and how he coped with the paradox of the "will-to-live" vs. "the will-to-live."

His memorable words, the sensitive commentary and the appealing photographs combine to present forcefully and gracefully Dr. Schweitzer's guidance to all persons troubled by disrespect of the natural word and all that dwell therein.

This book, which was originally published in 1982, has gone into eight printings.

Customer Reviews:

I wish Schweitzer were here now........2002-12-22

This small volume exposes a compassionate, caring and thoughtful man. At the time Schweitzer was living, speaking out for animals - and all living things - wasn't a popular thing to do. He wasn't shy about voicing his feelings, though, and he spoke about animals and their value with great eloquence. This book contains many wonderful quotations, gives a brief but interesting introduction to Schweitzer's life. I've had this book for many years and still find myself enjoying it, learning from it, and valuing it.

A "must have" for humane educators.......2002-02-25

There are many books about Albert Schweitzer, and I have a lot of them. If the reader is specifically interested in the "Reverence for Life" aspect of Dr. Schweitzer's life, definitely check out this book. He was such a multi-faceted man but this book is specifically about how his "Reverence for Life" philosophy related to the animal world, indeed all the natural world. In small written tidbits this book takes the reader on the whole journey from his questions about animal life as a child through to his philosophy of respect for animal life as an adult. I would still encourage any Schweitzer afficianado (sp?) to check out biography-type books of his life to get the whole picture but for those interested specifically in his views on animals and "Reverence for Life", this is the book for you!

An excellent introduction to the compassion of Schweitzer........2000-07-28

Albert Schweitzer (along with Joseph Campbell) should be required reading for all. No one says it better than Schweitzer and there are so many gems in this book. It is a small book which you can open to any page and read a paragraph or two. It is broken into small segments with wonderful pictures. Schweitzer lived his message. "We must realize that all life is valuable and that we are united to all life. From this knowledge comes our spiritual relationship with the universe" - Albert Schweitzer. Buy ten and pass them on!

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