Zitate von Edith Stein

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Edith Stein

Geburtstag: 12. Oktober 1891
Todesdatum: 9. August 1942
Andere Namen:Edith Steinová,Sv. Edith Steinová

Edith Stein, Ordensname Teresia Benedicta a Cruce OCD, oder Teresia Benedicta vom Kreuz , war eine deutsche Philosophin und Frauenrechtlerin jüdischer Herkunft, die 1922 durch die Taufe in die katholische Kirche aufgenommen und 1933 Unbeschuhte Karmelitin wurde. In der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus wurde sie „als Jüdin und Christin“ zum Opfer des Holocaust. Sie wird in der katholischen Kirche als Heilige und Märtyrin der Kirche verehrt. Teilen der evangelischen Kirche gilt sie als Glaubenszeugin. Papst Johannes Paul II. sprach Teresia Benedicta vom Kreuz am 1. Mai 1987 selig und am 11. Oktober 1998 heilig. Ihr römisch-katholischer und evangelischer Gedenktag ist der 9. August. Sie gilt als Brückenbauerin zwischen Christen und Juden.

Zitate Edith Stein

„Wie wir „ursprünglich verstehen “, was Wahrheit ist, wenn wir erkennen, und was Gutheit ist, wenn unser Streben Erfüllung findet, so verstehen wir, was Schönheit ist, wenn jener „Glanz “ uns an die Seele rührt. Er begegnet uns in der sinnlichen Welt als das Strahlen des körperlichen Lichtes selbst, ohne das uns alle sinnliche Schönheit verborgen bliebe, als Farbenglanz und als Liebreiz körperlicher Gestalten. Aber er ist nicht an die Sinnenwelt gebunden. Es gibt eine geistige Schönheit : die Schönheit der Menschenseele,...“

— Edith Stein
Finite and Eternal Being: An Attempt at an Ascent to the Meaning of Being

Über Wahrheit, über die welt, über schönheit

„As a child of the Jewish people who, by the grace of God, for the past eleven years has also been a child of the Catholic Church, I dare to speak to the Father of Christianity about that which oppresses millions of Germans.“

— Edith Stein
Context: As a child of the Jewish people who, by the grace of God, for the past eleven years has also been a child of the Catholic Church, I dare to speak to the Father of Christianity about that which oppresses millions of Germans. For weeks we have seen deeds perpetrated in Germany which mock any sense of justice and humanity, not to mention love of neighbor. For years the leaders of National Socialism have been preaching hatred of the Jews. But the responsibility must fall, after all, on those who brought them to this point and it also falls on those who keep silent in the face of such happenings. Everything that happened and continues to happen on a daily basis originates with a government that calls itself "Christian." For weeks not only Jews but also thousands of faithful Catholics in Germany, and, I believe, all over the world, have been waiting and hoping for the Church of Christ to raise its voice to put a stop to this abuse of Christ’s name. Letter to Pope Pius XI (1933) as translated in Inside the Vatican (2003), p. 27

„What is meant by "the Law of the Lord"?“

— Edith Stein
Context: What is meant by "the Law of the Lord"? Psalm 118 which we pray every Sunday and on solemnities at Prime, is entirely filled with the command to know the Law and to be led by it through life. The Psalmist was certainly thinking of the Law of the Old Covenant. Knowing it actually did require life-long study and fulfilling it, life-long exertion of the will. But the Lord has freed us from the yoke of this Law. We can consider the Savior's great commandment of love, which he says includes the whole Law and the Prophets, as the Law of the New Covenant. Perfect love of God and of neighbor can certainly be a subject worthy of an entire lifetime of meditation. But we understand the Law of the New Covenant, even better, to be the Lord himself, since he has in fact lived as an example for us of the life we should live. We thus fulfill our Rule when we hold the image of the Lord continually before our eyes in order to make ourselves like him. We can never finish studying the Gospels. Collected Works Vol. IV. Part 1 : Before the Face of God, Ch.1 : "On the History and Spirit of Carmel" http://www.karmel.at/ics/edith/stein_9.html

„The concept which assumes that everything in the Church is irrevocably set for all times appears to me to be a false one. It would be naive to disregard that the Church has a history; the Church is a human institution and like all things human, was destined to change and evolve; likewise, its development takes place often in the form of struggles.“

— Edith Stein
Context: The concept which assumes that everything in the Church is irrevocably set for all times appears to me to be a false one. It would be naive to disregard that the Church has a history; the Church is a human institution and like all things human, was destined to change and evolve; likewise, its development takes place often in the form of struggles. Most of the definitions of dogma are conclusive results of preceding intellectual conflicts lasting for decades and even centuries. The same is true of ecclesiastical law, liturgical forms — especially all objective forms reflecting our spiritual life.

„We can consider the Savior's great commandment of love, which he says includes the whole Law and the Prophets, as the Law of the New Covenant.“

„Everything that happened and continues to happen on a daily basis originates with a government that calls itself "Christian."“

„The true Christian is not obliged to renounce the things of this world or to lessen his natural abilities.“

— Edith Stein
Context: The true Christian is not obliged to renounce the things of this world or to lessen his natural abilities. On the contrary, inasmuch as he incorporates them into his normal life in a disciplined manner, he develops and perfects them; he thereby ennobles the natural life itself, supplying efficacious values to it not only of the spiritual and eternal world but also of the material and earthly world.

„Only the person blinded by the passion of controversy could deny that woman in soul and body is formed for a particular purpose.“

— Edith Stein
Context: Only the person blinded by the passion of controversy could deny that woman in soul and body is formed for a particular purpose. The clear and irrevocable world of Scripture declares what daily experience teaches from the beginning of the world: woman is destined to be wife and mother.

„We can do nothing ourselves; God must do it.“

— Edith Stein
Context: We can do nothing ourselves; God must do it. To speak to Him thus is easier by nature for woman than for man because a natural desire lives in her to give herself completely to someone.

„To be a mother is to nourish and protect true humanity and bring it to development.“

— Edith Stein
Context: To be a mother is to nourish and protect true humanity and bring it to development. But again, this necessitates that she possess true humanity herself, and that she is clear as to what it means; otherwise, she cannot lead others to it. One can become suitable for this double duty if one has the correct personal attitude.