Beyond the Walls

"This work combines great originality with scholarly rigor. Through his engagement with the works of Heschel and Stein, Palmisano develops what he intriguingly calls 'an inter-religiously attuned phenomenology of empathy.' He draws on his impressive knowledge of Heschel and Stein to provide a reading that is lucid, perceptive and nuanced. Moreover, in forging a hermeneutics from empathy he makes a valuable theological contribution to inter-religious understanding."--Linda Hogan, Vice-Provost/Chief Academic Officer and Professor of Ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin "The dialogue set up by Palmisano with and between Edith Stein and Abraham Joshua Heschel establishes a new benchmark for our understanding of empathy in Jewish-Christian relations. Palmisano's wide reading, deep thinking, and spiritual sensitivity uncover hidden facets of the thought and experience of Stein and Heschel, and take the concept of empathy into entirely new territory. His phenomenological exploration is interwoven with the personal and spiritual journeys of Stein and Heschel through the darkest years of Nazi Germany.Their interventions on behalf of persecuted Jews come to be seen as instances of prophecy, a key notion he analyses in depth. The book is full of delights and surprises. It transposes the discourse of dialogue into a new key."--John D'Arcy May, author of Transcendence and Violence: The Encounter of Buddhist, Christian, and Primal Traditions "Beyond the Walls is an insightful meditation on empathy as a human and graced interreligious reality, made vivid and timely by two extraordinary figures, Edith Stein and Abraham Joshua Heschel. Immersed in their wisdom, Palmisano listens also to a broad range of philosophical and theological voices that highlight the depth of their border-crossing insights. The book reminds us how deeply intertwined are the Jewish and Christian faiths in practice and experience, helps chart the way forward in our dialogue, and shows us what is at stake in any dialogue today."--Francis X. Clooney, Director of the Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard University