French Literature Reviews - 2026
A. Kleinberg, Le Dieu sensible
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas
Bibliographic reference: Aviad Kleinberg, Le Dieu sensible, transl. from English (Israel) by Jacques Dalarun, Paris: Gallimard, 2018, coll. Bibliothèque des Idées
256 pages
ISBN: 9782072690525
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Aviad Kleinberg tackles an unexpected problem, which might be called the paradox of the idea of God: how can we speak of a God who, in His infinity, transcends the limits of human understanding, and in His invisibility, remains inaccessible to our senses? The author examines with keen curiosity Jewish and Christian texts that have attempted to meet this challenge—including the Scriptures, the Talmud, the Church Fathers, theologians, and mystics. He highlights their striking peculiarity by showing how their authors struggle to resolve the inherent contradiction of speaking about a God who lies beyond the senses, yet can only be discussed using the language derived from those very senses. From this perspective, he analyzes the tangible signs through which God's presence is believed to manifest and become perceptible in the world, ranging from miracles and the Eucharist to the stigmata of the saints.
At a time when many people in the West have simply ceased to understand religion and its language, Aviad Kleinberg's book is remarkably timely in its effort to make intelligible a domain of discourse and reflection that is rapidly becoming hermetic to our part of humanity, even as it retains its full vitality for most of the rest of the world, beginning with the Islamic sphere. It is a new imperative for our culture to learn to accommodate that which is no longer spontaneously accessible to us. This concise book makes a valuable contribution to this endeavor through the engaging clarity with which it brings a difficult problem within the reader's reach.
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An article on this work can be read on en-attendant-nadeau.fr:
Aviad Kleinberg contributes to the broad field of religious studies and intellectual history by examining how theological discourse bridges the gap between human sensory experience and divine infinity. Drawing on foundational texts such as the Scriptures, the Talmud, and the writings of Church Fathers and mystics, the author situates his inquiry within the long tradition of Western religious thought. By focusing on tangible manifestations like miracles, the Eucharist, and stigmata, the work engages with central questions of faith, representation, and the inherent limits of theological language.
This accessible volume will particularly interest scholars, students, and general readers seeking to better understand the complexities of religious discourse in a secularized Western society. As contemporary culture increasingly struggles to interpret traditional religious terminology, Kleinberg offers a clarifying framework that renders these historical texts intelligible. It serves as a valuable resource for anyone wishing to explore how ancient and medieval thinkers grappled with the paradox of the divine, bridging the gap between past traditions and modern cultural inquiry.