ABSTRACT
Unlike Zeitlin, Franz Rosenzweig (1886–1929) received an academic education in Germany, however, like Zeitlin, he too struggled with his faith, and he too was initially enthusiastic about Nietzsche. Where faith is concerned, the nihilistic philosopher of Thus Spoke Zarathustra and the writer of The Star of Redemption seem to be on opposite sides. One denied the value of all values and revealed God’s ashes to modern man, and the other discovered at the end of the day that “God is light”.
Rosenzweig had great respect for Nietzsche and saw him as the greatest philosopher of modern times, but what did he think of the content of Nietzsche’s philosophy? He was chiefly concerned with Nietzsche’s approach, which was highly critical, his genealogy, which was revelatory to the point of nihilism, his call for a transvaluation of values, and his repudiation of Christianity. In short, he was concerned with the form, the approach, rather than the content. Only when he began to analyze the positive philosophy of Zarathustra was he aware of the depth of his critical relationship to Nietzscheanism.
