"Readers will discover a new appreciation for Schweitzer in each of the domains he helped pioneer, and his timeless and, indeed, prescient thought will resonate across multiple ethical, theological, and political domains. This volume has the potential to be-come a landmark in the study of Schweitzer."—David K. Goodin, associate researcher at the McGill Centre for Research on Religion, McGill University
"This fascinating multi-authored volume offers a timely analysis of the variegated nature of the thought and practice of Albert Schweitzer, one of the most remarkable figures of his age. In so doing it offers a fitting tribute. Schweitzer spoke of being ‘full of contradictions’. We are helped to understand these better and as a result begin to comprehend why it is that he remains such a compelling presence in the intellectual and ethical life of modernity."—Christopher Rowland, retired Dean Ireland’s Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture Emeritus, University of Oxford
"In this comprehensive and highly recommendable book every aspect of Albert Schweitzer’s life and work is covered by the best international experts, such as Harald Schützeichel, Robert Morgan, Ulrich Körtner, Claus Günzler, Michael J. Thate and Nils Ole Oermann. The book will be an indispensable tool for all future research on Schweitzer and provide basic information about this inspiring and yet ambiguous icon of the twentieth century."—Ulrich Luz, professor emeritus, University of Bern, Switzerland
"A fine, vigorous and valuable volume which repays serious reading and thought."—Contemporary Church History Quarterly
"The volume reflects well its subtitle, ‘a life in parts’, by seeking to bring together the many dimensions of Albert Schweitzer’s intellectual trajectory and humanitarian activity."—The Journal of Ecclesiastical History
Description
In the 1940s and 1950s, Albert Schweitzer was one of the best-known figures on the world stage. Courted by monarchs, world statesmen, and distinguished figures from the literary, musical, and scientific fields, Schweitzer was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952, cementing his place as one of the great intellectual leaders of his time. Schweitzer is less well known now but nonetheless a man of perennial fascination, and this volume seeks to bring his achievements across a variety of areas—philosophy, theology, and medicine—into sharper focus. To that end, international scholars from diverse disciplines offer a wide-ranging examination of Schweitzer’s life and thought over the course of forty years. Albert Schweitzer in Thought and Action gives readers a fuller, richer, and more nuanced picture of this controversial but monumental figure of twentieth-century life—and, in some measure, of that complex century itself.
About the Author
James Carleton Paget is senior lecturer of New Testament studies at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of Jews, Christians, and Jewish Christians in Antiquity.
Michael J. Thate is a postdoctoral research associate at Princeton University. He is the author of Remembrance of Things Past? Albert Schweitzer, the Anxiety of Influence, and the Untidy Jesus of Markan Memory.
December 2016