Karl Löwith’s Secularization Thesis and the Jewish Reception of Heidegger

This article argues that Karl Löwith’s thesis of secularization—in brief, while modern philosophical notions present themselves as secular, they are in fact secularized, is, preserve features the theological background repress and remain determined by it—can serve a productive hermeneutical key for framing understanding an important strand twentieth century Jewish response to Heidegger’s philosophy. It takes Ernst Cassirer, Leo Strauss, Martin Buber test-cases demonstrates these three thinkers interpreted various categories Being Time be not simply secular but secularized Christian continue bear mark their origin even now-secular application context. The concludes with number reflections observations on how secularization can shed light polemical political-theological edge this reception.