Edith Stein: A Biography/the Untold Story of the Philosopher and Mystic Who Lost Her Life in the Death Camps of Auschwitz by Waltraud Herbstrith

by Waltraud Herbstrith

Waltraud Herbstrith A powerful and moving story of the remarkable Jewish woman who converted to Catholicism, became a nun, achieved remarkable success in the male-dominated world of German philosophy, and was sent to a Nazi death camp when she refused to deny her Jewish heritage. Edmund Husserl, the founder of phenomenology, declared Edith Stein the best doctoral student he ever had (even abler than Heidegger, who was also his pupil at the time). A prayerful woman of deep spirituality and authentic mystical experience, she remained an influential, active philosopher all her life. Though born and raised in a very religious Jewish family in Germany, she not only converted to Catholicism, but became a Carmelite nun and followed in the footsteps of Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. Edith Stein vigorously opposed Nazism from the outset and urged Pope Pius XI to put the church on record against Hitler. A model Catholic, a brilliant intellectual, yet a profoundly humble soul, she affirmed her solidarity with her suffering Jewish people no matter the cost. Edith Stein was arrested by the Nazis at a Carmelite convent at Echt in Holland and sent to her death at Auschwitz. Waltraud Herbstrith has fashioned a warm, memorable portrait of this woman who, as Jesuit philosopher Jan Nota points out in the introduction, "discovered in Christ the meaning of human existence and suffering ... Edith Stein was one of those Christians who lived out of a hope transcending optimism and pessimism." Hers is a voice that speaks powerfully to all of us today, and a life that stands as testimony to the profoundest values of human existence, the significance of the individual, and the truths of faith that can reconcile Christian and Jew, philosophy and religion, oppressor and oppressed to heal a troubled world.

Genres: Biography, Catholic, Religion, Philosophy, Biography Memoir, Nonfiction, Holocaust

Hardcover

First published July 19, 1971

Reviews

[Mary Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok. I just started reading this and I already know that I will be deeply moved by this woman's life. Incredible. What a woman. I got this book out of the library 'cuz I have no dinero to purchase a copy. But, dang, I will need to purchase it. I have no money but will have to find a way to get a cheap copy. Hope i can find it for a buck or two on half.com. I need to own it so I can mark it all up with notes and refer to it later when my soul needs to be fed and/or boosted. :) This book is just what I need right now. i have been disheartened lately and worn down by the devil's ability to make what seemed like the strongest turn weak and succomb. This woman's life lessons shall spur me on. Teresa of Avila is my favorite female saint and the one I relate to most. This Teresa will be right up there with her and my other favorite Christian woman, Mother Teresa. Interesting how all my favorites are named teresa...hmmmm. And they are all mystics. What does this say about me??? Recently, I had a conversation with a Mount DeSales nun. When I told her I related to Teresa of Avila she said, "Oh! Wow!You have an attraction to Teresa of Avila. You are in so much trouble!" Ha ha. I said, "I know! She was tough. I'm almost afraid to ask her for help." Ha

Here's a link to a biography of this incredible woman named Teresa Benedict of the Cross Edith Stein. It's from the Vatican library website. Any woman who stood so humbly entering the death camps in honor of her people is one admirable woman.

The full biography is at this link. http://www.vatican.va/news_services/l...

Teresa Benedict of the Cross Edith Stein (1891-1942)
nun, Discalced Carmelite, martyr

"We bow down before the testimony of the life and death of Edith Stein, an outstanding daughter of Israel and at the same time a daughter of the Carmelite Order, Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, a personality who united within her rich life a dramatic synthesis of our century. It was the synthesis of a history full of deep wounds that are still hurting ... and also the synthesis of the full truth about man. All this came together in a single heart that remained restless and unfulfilled until it finally found rest in God." These were the words of Pope John Paul II when he beatified Edith Stein in Cologne on 1 May 1987.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible biography of Edith Stein written by a fellow Carmelite before Edith Stein was even canonized. Considering Stein's work as a philosopher and her research interest in phenomenology and Thomistic philosophy, I expected her writings to be kind of dense. The author maintains a great balance for the "average" reader by keeping the chapters short and concrete. This is an intense and compelling portrait that is very engaging and readable at the same time.

[Esperanza Ariztia · Rating 4 out of 5]

No soy mucho de leer biografías, este me lo leí por el colegio, pero me gusta la Segunda Guerra Mundial

[Ian Clary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very compelling biography of Edith Stein. In large part, this is due to the quality of the book that I appreciated not only for its sensitivity to Stein's philosophy and spirituality, but also its sympathy towards her as a human. I came away from it moved by Stein's spirit that communicated a sense of her serenity and grace.
Stein is well-known as one of the important phenomenologists of the early 20th century. Phenomenology is a philosophical method developed by Edmund Husserl that wanted to help us understand the nature of consciousness. Stein was, like Husserl, a Jew and by the time she came to study under him and then become his assistant she was largely an atheist. In the early stages of their working relationship, however, she converted to Catholicism, much to the dismay of her very Jewish mother, whom she loved, and Husserl, who thought she was wasting her intellectual gifts. Eventually, Stein would join the Discalced Carmelites, though she never gave up her interest in philosophy. She wrote a number of important philosophical books including 'On the Problem of Empathy' (her dissertation under Husserl) as well as more explicitly Christian ones like Potency and Act or her magnum opus Finite and Eternal Being that attempt to synthesise phenomenology with the thought of Thomas Aquinas. In that light, she also published a fresh translation of Aquinas' 'Disputed Questions on Truth.' As a Carmelite, she also wrote penetrating works of spirituality including her justly famous 'The Science of the Cross.'
Her story is a tragic one, however, due to the rise of National Socialism in Germany and its hatred for the Jews. Though a 'baptised Jew,' Stein was nevertheless caught up in the pogrom against the her people. Initially she fled the convent in Cologne and went into hiding at a sister convent in Holland. But after the Nazi occupation of Holland she was eventually captured and sent to Auschwitz where she died with millions of others who had Jewish blood in their veigns. The stories of her days in the death camp are nothing but stunning. In spite of the terror that filled the hearts of those with her in the camp, she maintained a calm confidence and spent her time serving the other captives with a look of joy on her face.
What I found most compelling in the biography was that very kind of personality that Stein had. She was deeply humble, deeply spiritual, and cared immensely for others. One person who knew her in her younger life as a Christian said that she was someone that you wanted to be nice to. I think that's such a wonderful way to describe someone. I hope one day that I can be thought of that way too.

[Kevin W · Rating 5 out of 5]

A phenomenal account of the Jewish-born philosophy professor who was atheist for a time, then converted to Catholicism, then became a Carmelite nun, only to be put to death in Auschwitz.

[Mauro Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

La vida de una mente donada al Misterio del amor de Cristo. Toda su vida, su familia, su cultura, su filosofía, su docencia, tiene culmen en su martirio, como si se hubiera preparado toda su vida para esa entrega final. De Edith Stein a Santa Teresa Benedicta de la Cruz, con todo lo que ello significa. Volver a ella, su testimonio y pensamiento, puede darnos una muestra de como la fe católica se para frente al mundo que se cierne al abismo, que decir frente la guerra, sobre la mujer, sobre el pensar, y sobre la entrega al Señor, para llevar las cruces de todos.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edith Stein was born to a devoutly Jewish family in Germany on the Day of Atonement in 1891. "Mother and daughter both regarded this coincidence as a mark of election. Neither one realized the cost of the atoning sacrifice that then lay far in the future." (p. 22.)

Edith was a brilliant child and scholar, but during her childhood she lost all faith in a personal God. She directed her life to the study of psychology and then philosophy. Eventually she became renown in the field of phenomenology. (To be honest, I don't have a clue about what phenomenology is and reading through some of that made my brain hurt!) Ironically, it was while immersed in this objective worldview of phenomenology that she discovered God. Through her mentor Max Sheler she came to realize "that religion alone makes the human being human. He placed humility at the foundation of all moral endeavor and argued that the sole purpose of this endeavor was to lead the individual to the loss of self in God--and on to new resurrection." (p. 47) Edith was forced to acknowledge her own spiritual poverty. She then immersed herself particularly in the gospels and the writings of Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. It was not an easy conversion. Edith loved her Jewish identity and was very close to her family. Her conversion caused her family, particularly her mother, much pain. Her mother never got over it. Frau Stein especially never recovered from the pain when Edith eventually entered Carmel, taking the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.

Her story is the journey from atheist philosopher to Carmelite nun and then to Auschwitz and now she is Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. I sure hope they make a movie of this woman's life some day. I am eager to read some of her works and to learn more about her.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should know the story of this remarkable Jewish woman, Christian philosopher, Carmelite nun, and Holocaust martyr.

[Timothy Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edith Stein (St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross) was a Jewish philosopher, and a student of Husserl. Although an atheist for much of her life, she ultimately converted to Catholicism and became a cloistered carmelite sister. She was martyred in the concentration camps in retaliation for the Dutch Catholic bishops public opposition to the deportation of the Jews.

For those who have read her excellent phenomenological texts, the great intellectual’s spiritual life comes as somewhat of a surprise, despite being a natural outgrowth of her studied search for truth.

Recommended for: those interested in lives of the saints, students of philosophy, WWII history buffs.

[Photovy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fascinating read. A couple key points
1) St Edith Stein was a loyal friend. She always put her friends above her career. Always made time for people and was attentive to their needs.
2) She was a teacher for 8 years and took pains to get to know her students and spend time with them.
3) She loved reason but ultimately knew that faith is about relationship. As her Jewish mother lamented when Edith told her about her conversion: "Why did you have to meet Him [Jesus]?"

[Hannah Garstecki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this biography of her more than I initially thought I would - once I started, I really didn't want to put it down! I loved getting to know more of her personality - calm and collected, yet jubilant. Journeying through her philosophical studies, family life, and conversation was beautiful. I hope the story of her life is shared with more people, as she is often forgotten in both her philosophical realm and as a saint of the Holocaust. She is only beginning to be rediscovered.

[Simone Gherbe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una breve biografia di Edith Stein con alcune testimonianze di coloro che l'hanno conosciuta.
Atea fino ai 21 anni, Edith Stein si convertì al Cattolicesimo dopo aver letto in una notte Santa Teresa d'Avila, arrivando alla conclusione che quella fosse la verità. Interessante il rapporto con la madre che era rimasta sconvolta dalla sua conversione, o con quello della sorella che a sua volta si convertirà al Cattolicesimo e con cui condividerà il destino ad Auschwitz.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This biography focused heavily on her academic work and writings....which are very dense and hard to understand if you aren’t a philosopher. I haven’t read any other biographies on her...but I am going to look for a better one that focuses more on her personal and spiritual life rather than her intellectual/academic life.

[Barb Ruess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this all I really knew about Edith Stein was that she was a Catholic Jew who died at Auschwitz. Learning about her life before that, her level of education, her intelligence and then the way her choices truly formed her for those last days of her life was inspiring. I’m honestly very surprised that she is not one of the women doctors of the Catholic Church.

[Meaghan Delaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars
I enjoyed this biography a bit less than others I've read, but only because it felt more impersonal and difficult to get into. It made a point of emphasizing her academic work which was good and I loved how by the end of it, I was feeling so inspired to re-consider the contemplative life.
Feeling cute, might go on a retreat later ;)

[Kaylena Radcliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a helpful, concise, and interesting history of Edith Stein. It did, however, focus almost entirely on her philosophical and theological development, and I would have like more details about her life.

[Gina Pizzonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her life was interesting to learn about, but the book was a little borning. I was hoping for the story to be more about her spirituality and her time at Auschwitz.

[Mick Maurer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because only 12 of the 23 Edith Stein works have been translated from German into English, this work is a must for access to those still untranslated documents.

[Mike Kilcoyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

An alright book, but relied way too heavily on quotes.

[Joanna Mellon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I looked at this book on the bookshelf for a long time. After reading Joan of Arc by Mark Twain, I was excited by another biography of a saint. I hesitated because of the WWII connection and the graphic nature that it might entail. There was a lot of reference to the changing political climate in Germany, but the details of Edith Stein death in Auschwitz is extremely limited. What the book does consist of is a compelling and inspiring detail of her live before entering the Carmel and being consecrated to Jesus in that way. Her journey in philosophical studies, her lectures on the role women and early feminism, and her important contributions on the idea of empathy and soul is what makes up the bulk of the book. Really, it is not as "dull" as the previous sentence makes the book out to be. Herbstrith (author) uses numerous original sources and thus makes Edith Stein so accessible. You will read, in part, not just Stein's scholarly works, but many personal letters.

Don't let this book sit on the shelf like I did. Pick it up and enjoy the journey with St. Edith Stein.

[Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raised in a Jewish family, part of the intellectual elite of her time and rejection of religion roots and stated atheism, conversion to Christianity, sought after to speak on women's issues, life as a Carmelite nun and finally death in a Nazi death camp because of her Jewish roots. What a journey this woman had. Not an easy read but I found such inspiration from her story and her writings to be as relevant today as they were in the 1930's. Highly recommend getting to know this woman.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written introduction to the life of Edith Stein. When I picked up the book, I knew nothing about this saint. Now that I am finished, I believe I have at least an elementary grasp on this philosopher/Carmelite nun/Saint.

The biography is accessible, not too dense, and yet delves deep enough into Stein's life to provide a genuine sense of the woman Stein was. Up next, one of Stein's own works.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edith Stein was a fascinating woman for her time. I have never read a book like this before and it isn't an easy read.
She was a philosopher, intellectual, lecturer, Jewish, and Catholic nun in her lifetime. After being in Germany I've had a great interest in reading about the people who died there during the war.

[cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strangely comforting (despite a human need to be unique in the world of perceived clones) to know someone's trudged along a path so similar. But incredibly humbling to know how far she went with her convictions, and the standard to which she lived her life, gives me a push to express a part of her spirit in mine.

[Leslie Andersen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping this book would be all about her conversion and her time in Auschwitz; unfortunately, it is 95% about her life as a student and then teacher of philosophy--which is not that interesting to me. Her baptism was barely mentioned, and very little is known about her time as a prisoner, so that part of her life (and her death) is mostly speculation.

[Charles Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiring story of a true saint who lived out what she believed-that love wins out over cruelty and hatred.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very inspiring!

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Now we must run and do the things that will profit us forever" Saint Benedict.

[Zoquera · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dry. Factual. Like reading a research paper. All quotes, no narrative.