Prophets in a Secular Age: Nietzsche’s Also sprach Zarathustra and Buber’s Legende des Baalschem

Abstract

This essay compares Martin Buber’s “Legende des Baalschem,” a modern retelling of tales about the founder of Hasidism, with Nietzsche’s philosophical novel “Also sprach Zarathustra.” While scholarship to date has focused on Nietzsche’s ideas in Buber’s essays, this analysis examines both texts as literary expressions. I argue that the narratives seek to replace conventional morality with new ethical imperatives, imperatives written in the literary guise of religious prophets, but paradoxically with a predominantly secular orientation. In “Also sprach Zarathustra,” Nietzsche posits a radical form of immanence that seeks to strengthen individuality, while Buber constructs a form of Jewish identity that not only affirms immanence and individual autonomy but also integrates these values into an idealized community. In terms of character, both Zarathustra and the Baalschem are similarly constructed as sovereign, creative leaders with disciples but differ in that Zarathustra becomes increasingly inner focused while the Baalschem uses mystical interiority as a tool for active participation in the Hasidic community. Thematically, both texts operate with a similar psychology of revenge as a central motive for human behavior but also confront the problem of affirming existence in immanent reality. Zarathustra affirms immanence through an ecstatic process of reconciliation with self and life, but only at the price of alienation from society. Buber’s “Legende” also upholds an autonomous self who finds joy in life, but the Hasidic mystic furthermore creates bonds with a transcendent power and within his faith community.