Knowledge and faith Book

[From the publisher]:This book contains five contributions on the title themes, including two of Stein's most famous essays: a comparison of Husserl and Aquinas, and an examination of the 'Ways to Know God' according to Pseudo-Dionysius.

The articles and notes in this new anthology come from the final twelve years of Edith Stein's life, and reveal her efforts to integrate the Christian faith she had embraced at the time of her baptism with her rigorous training as a phenomenologist. Included here for the first time are both versions of her famous comparison between the thought-systems of Edmund Husserl (her philosophical mentor) and Thomas Aquinas (representing the Catholic tradition), written first in dialogue form and then reworked as an essay in Husserl's honor. The final entry, 'Ways to Know God,' a study of the famed fifth or sixth century author who wrote under the name of Dionysius the Areopagite, was originally published in The Thomist and intended for an American audience. One of the last works that Edith Stein completed before her arrest and deportation to Auschwitz, it is presented here in a fresh new translation, amplified with previously deleted sections that deal with such important topics as atheism and the nature of symbols.

As the translator relates, Stein initially submitted her philosophical comparison of Husserl and Aquinas in the form of a dialogue between the two -- a contribution to a Festshrift for Husserl's seventieth birthday. Heidegger, as editor, "returned the dialogue to its author, asking for a more 'neutral' treatment of the subject matter." Stein then rewrote it as an essay. This compilation includes the dialogue and essay together, in such a manner as each section was presented in one format, then the other, with the unfortunate effect of making for some disjointed (or repetitive) reading. My own subjective impression as a reader is that Heidegger's decision to reject the Stein's initial submission was wise, insofar as the content matter is really just too dense to present effectively in dialogue format, with the bulk of the "dialogue" given to Aquinas himself. On the other hand and to Stein's credit, it does read remarkably well as an academic essay and makes for very interesting reading (I don't believe anybody else attempted a comparison of this nature?) -- though I would say it bringing the two figures/schools into confrontation, it is far more successful in its indication of where Husserl parts ways with Aquinas than elucidating what they have in common.

This is followed by some brief philosophical "fragments" defining knowledge, truth and being, largely grounded in Stein's readings of Scholastic philosophy. It's good for what it's worth, though not entirely unique if you already have a background in Aquinas.

On the other hand, the last and final part of the book -- "Ways to Know God: The Symbolic Theology of Dionysius the Areopagite and Its Objective Presuppositions" -- I found to be especially educational as well as most enjoyable for its clarity and explication of its subject. On the whole I'd give the book 3 stars, but it's my appreciation for this final section that pushes it to 4.

Historical note: the tragic story behind this piece is that it was originally composed prior to Stein's deportation to Auschwitz and was not deemed suitable for one publication; it eventually found its way overseas and was picked up by the American philosophical journal The Thomist -- however, I don't believe she ever had the pleasure of knowing its eventual publication.