The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (447 page)

Brothers and Sisters of the Common Life
(Christian community)
:

see
GROOTE, G.

 
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(1889–1966).
Christian (Swiss Reformed) theologian, for most of his working life Professor of Theology at Zurich. He maintained a distinct position from Karl
Barth
, but endeavoured to retain a dialectical theology, with the utter distinctiveness of God nevertheless already ‘prepared for’, by way of recognition, in his creation. Thus in
The Mediator
(1927, 1934) he claimed that the command to love God wholly and solely is unrealistic apart from Christ's own fulfilment of it which opens the way to our own.

 
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Bsam. yas
(first monastery in Tibet)
:

see
SAMYÉ
;
TUCCI, G.

 
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Bstan-'dzin-rgya-mtsho
(current Dalai Lama)
:

see
DALAI LAMA
.

 
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(1878–1965).
Jewish philosopher and
Zionist
leader. As a Zionist, influenced by
Ah
d ha-‘Am
, Buber emphasized the importance of education. As a ‘Hebrew humanist’, he emphasized the rights of the Arabs, stating ‘the Jewish people proclaims its desire to live in peace and brotherhood with the Arab people and to develop the common homeland’. His
Ich und Du
(I and Thou) was published in 1923 (Eng. edn. 1937) and contains his famous philosophy of dialogue. He distinguished between ‘I-It’ relationships, which are impersonal interactions designed to achieve a particular end, and ‘I-thou’ relationships which are mutual, direct, and open. This leads to the characterization of God as the ‘eternal thou’—the one who is only known through direct personal relationship.

 
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(1491–1551).
Christian Reformer and theologian. A
Dominican
friar, he was attracted in 1518 to
Luther's
teaching. Released from his monastic vows in 1521, he led the
Reformation
in Strasbourg and was noted for his tolerance and diplomacy in theological debates. His
De Regno Christi
offers a stimulating interpretation of ideal Christian society.

 
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