Martin Buber - Makers of the Modern Theological Mind

The writings of the Jewish religious thinker, Martin Buber (1878–1965), have had a significant influence on a number of Christian theologians. In this overview, Stephen Panko provides a penetrating insight into the many facets of Buber and his work.

Buber’s idea of true life as relation was expressed in his famous book I and Thou, in which he asserted that we can only become a personal “I” when we treat others, nature, and God as a “Thou” rather than an impersonal “it.” Buber’s work became widely known in Christian circles and his concept of “I-Thou” relationships was adopted by Christian theologians Karl Barth, Emil Brunner, Rudolf Bultmann, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Friedrich Gogarten among others.