Leo Strauss on Religion

Svetozar Y. Minkov is Professor of Philosophy at Roosevelt University and president of the Leo Strauss Foundation. He is author of Leo Strauss on Science: Thoughts on the Relation between Natural Science and Political Philosophy, also published by SUNY Press. Rasoul Namazi is Assistant Professor of Political Theory at Duke Kunshan University. He is author of Leo Strauss and Islamic Political Thought.

"Besides the section on the Symposium … notes on Pascal are the most thought-provoking part of the book." — Claremont Review of Books"This magisterial volume, combining long-awaited manuscripts by Strauss himself with commentary by a diverse and international group of scholars, represents a dramatic contribution to Strauss studies." — Jeffrey A. Bernstein, coeditor of Leo Strauss and Contemporary Thought: Reading Strauss Outside the Lines"This volume adds a whole new dimension to our understanding of a theme central to Leo Strauss's philosophizing—the relation between religion and political philosophy. Combining unpublished writings by Strauss and interpretations of those writings, Leo Strauss on Religion constitutes a singular contribution to the study of one of the greatest philosophers of the modern era." — Peter J. Ahrensdorf, author of Homer and the Tradition of Political Philosophy: Encounters with Plato, Machiavelli, and Nietzsche

• AcknowledgmentsSeries Editor's IntroductionKenneth Hart GreenEditors' IntroductionSvetozar Y. Minkov and Rasoul NamaziPart OneTranscript 1: Leo Strauss, Notes on Lessing's Nathan the Wise (1940 and 1942)Reflections on Leo Strauss, His Notes on Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, and "Nathan der Weise"Till KinzelLeo Strauss on the Philosophical Character of Lessing's Nathan The WiseMartin D. YaffePart TwoTranscript 2.1: Leo Strauss, On the Plan of the Kuzari (c. 1941‒1942)Transcript 2.2: Leo Strauss, On the Kuzari (c. 1941‒1942)On Yehuda Halevi's "Spiritual Hell"Ralph LernerProclaiming Dangerous Teachings to the World: Why Would Strauss Reveal the Religious Heterodoxy of the Falāsifa?Alexander OrwinPart ThreeTranscript 3: Leo Strauss, "Abraham and Maimonides" (1953)Dichotomies of Understanding Religious Law in Leo Strauss's Lecture "Abraham and Maimonides"Yehuda HalperReason and LawJoshua ParensPart FourTranscript 4: Leo Strauss, On Spinoza (c. 1959)Strauss's "Fresh Study" ManuscriptSteven FrankelThe Charity of Spinoza's DemocracyAndrea E. RayPart FiveTranscript 5.1: Leo Strauss, Notes on Plato's Symposium (c. 1959)Transcript 5.2: Leo Strauss, Notes on Agathon's Speech in Plato's Symposium (c. 1959)Transcript 5.3: Leo Strauss, Two Letters on Plato's Symposium (1959)Leo Strauss on Agathon's Theology in Plato's SymposiumSvetozar Y. MinkovLeo Strauss's Intention with Plato's SymposiumAlex PriouPart SixTranscript 6: Leo Strauss, Selections from "Seminar in Political Philosophy: Rousseau" (1962)Leo Strauss and Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Ancients and Moderns, Esotericism, and the Challenge of ReligionRasoul Namazi"Truly a Civil Religion": Leo Strauss Teaches the Profession of FaithJohn RayPart SevenTranscript 7.1: "Religion and the Commonweal in the Tradition of Political Philosophy": The Lecture (1963)Transcript 7.2: Leo Strauss, "Religion and the Commonweal": The Manuscript (1963)Leo Strauss on Religion and the CommonwealNathan TarcovLeo Strauss on Civil ReligionPhilipp von WussowAppendix: Strauss's Confrontation with PascalSvetozar Y. MinkovNotes on ContributorsIndex