Available in English for the first time, this major contribution to the study of Hegel's political and social thought gives insight on the intellectual currents that shaped the German state in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Includes a Foreword by Myriam Bienenstock and an Afterword by Axel Honneth.

Franz Rosenzweig (1886-1929) is one of the most original Jewish thinkers of the modern period. Following the First World War, he sought to bring about a novel synthesis of philosophy and theology he termed the "new thinking," shaping the course of early twentieth-century Jewish and Christian dialogue. His engagement with the theme of human finitude made a lasting impact on twentieth-century existentialism and he undertook two major works of translation, most notably the German translation of the Hebrew Bible in which he collaborated with Martin Buber. He founded a center for Jewish adult education in Frankfurt - the Lehrhaus - which attracted the most important young German Jewish intellectuals of its time and which is still held up today as a model for educational programs of its type. His life is marked by several extraordinary personal experiences, including a near-conversion to Christianity, an inspired return to Judaism, the composition of the beginning of his magnum opus on military postcards sent home from the Balkan front and the abandonment of a promising academic career in order to live and teach in the Frankfurt Jewish community. As well as Hegel and the State (1920), he is the author of what is arguably the greatest work of modern Jewish philosophy: The Star of Redemption (1921).

Foreword Myriam Bienenstock Translators' Introduction Josiah Simon and Jules Simon Translators' Acknowledgments. Preface Volume 1: Stations of Life (1770 - 1806) 1. Preliminary Remarks 2. Stuttgart 3. Tübingen 4. Bern 5. Two Political Writings 6. Frankfurt 7. Jena (until 1803) 8. Jena (after 1804) Volume 2: Epochs of the World (1806-1831) 9. Napoleon 10. Restoration 11. Prussia 12. July Revolution 13. Concluding Remarks. Afterword Axel Honneth Translators' Note on Abbreviations and Secondary Sources Abbreviations Secondary Sources Translators' Bibliography. Index