Elie Wiesel

Robert McAfee Brown (1920—2001) was professor of religious studies at Stanford University and a Protestant member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council.

"Brown, a Protestant theologian, ecumenical, versatile, and sympathetic, approaches his subject well aware of the paradoxes and impossibilities involved: the inadequacy of language to convey the experience and the impossibility of remaining silent about it; the persistence of hope and faith in defiance of reason and experience; the meaning of madness and laughter." —Choice"[A]n insightful and often impassioned account of Elie Wiesel's themes, preoccupations and development. . . .Traces his moral and spiritual journey as it is reflected through his work and his biography." —The New York Times"Brown's excellent concept of story… adds to his analytical understanding of what Wiesel means. His new book about Wiesel is a treasure." —National Catholic Reporter"Professor of Theoloy and Ethics at the Pacific School of Religion and Protestant member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, Robert McAfee Brown uses his excellent literary and theological skills to lead the reader on a series of challenging journeys through and beyond the complex world of Wiesel." —Theology Today"...Brown asserts the centrality of the Holocaust to any modern theology. No theology that ignores Auschwitz is relevant. What kind of God is it Who could allow such events to occur? How can we conceive of a God Who permits the burning of children? Especially in the second half of his book, we see that Brown and Wiesel are engaged in a similar struggle, to maintain belief while eschewing comfortable pieties and confronting the worst horrors of our time." —American Jewish History

• List of AbbreviationsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Becoming a Messenger: An Impossible Necessity (a journey of the self)2. Darkness That Eclipses Light (a moral journey - 1)3. Light That Penetrates Darkness (a moral journey - 2)4. From Auschwitz to Mount Moriah - And Return (an historical journey)5. The Silence of God, and the Necessity of Contention (a theological journey)6. Birkenau and Golgotha (challenges to a Christian journey)7. The Ongoing Struggle of Light Against Darkness; or, "What Is There Left For Us To Do?" (a human journey)8. "And Yet, And Yet ..." : A Small Measure of Victory (an unlikely journey)NotesBibliographyAppendix IAppendix IIIndex