Holocaust theology

Holocaust theology refers to a body of theological and philosophical debate, soul-searching, and analysis, with the subsequent related literature , that attempts to come to grips with various conflicting views about the role of God in this human world and the events of the European Holocaust that occurred during World War II (1939–1945) when around 11 million people, including 6 million Jews , were subjected to genocide by the Nazis and their cohorts. "Holocaust theology" is also referred to as " Theologie nach Auschwitz " (German for "Theology after Auschwitz"), due to the common practice of using "Auschwitz" as a shorthand for the Holocaust as a whole. Judaism , Christianity , and Islam traditionally have taught that God is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing) and omnibenevolent (all good). These claims seem to be in jarring contrast with the fact that there is much evil in the world. Perhaps the most difficult question that monotheists have confronted is how can we reconcile the existence of this view of God with the existence of evil? This is the problem of evil as described in the Book of Job . Within all the monotheistic faiths many answers ( theodicies ) have been proposed. However, in light of the magnitude of evil seen in the Holocaust, many people have re-examined classical views on this subject. Many people have asked, "How can people still have any kind of faith after the Holocaust?" Others Soviet POWs Soviet urban residents Civilians targeted during anti-partisan warfare People with disabilities Romani people Polish leaders and intellectuals Homosexuals Jehovah's Witnesses

( Learn how and when to remove this message ) Holocaust theology (from the Greek ὁλόκαυστος holókaustos : hólos , "whole" and kaustós , "burnt"), refers to a body of theological and philosophical debate concerning the role of God in the universe in light of the Holocaust of the late 1930s and 1940s. It is primarily found in Judaism ; Jews were drastically affected by the Holocaust, in which approximately 11 million people , including 6 million Jews, were murdered in a genocide by the Nazi regime and its allies. One third of the total worldwide Jewish population would be killed during the Holocaust. The Eastern European Jewish population was particularly hard hit being reduced by ninety percent. While a disproportionate number of Jewish religious scholars would be killed, more than eighty percent of the world’s total, the perpetrators of the Holocaust did not merely target religious Jews. A large percentage of the Jews killed both in Eastern and Western Europe were either nonobservant or had not received even an elementary level Jewish education. However, these views are in contrast with the fact that there is injustice and suffering in the world. Monotheists seek to reconcile this view of God with the existence of evil and suffering. In so doing, they are confronting what is known as the problem of evil . Within all of the monotheistic faiths many answers ( theodicies ) have been proposed. In light of the magnitude of depravity seen in the Holocaust, many people have also re-examined classical views on this subject. A common question raised in Holocaust theology is, "How can people still have any kind of faith after the Holocaust?" The word is only marginally found in Greek [Classical] literature referring in general to an offering . The adjective ὁλόκαυστος "holókaustos", "wholly burned", more common in the parallel form ὁλόκαυτος [holókautos], is in the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible used in Leviticus 6,21–22 in the following context: "[...] the baked pieces of the grain offering you shall offer for a sweet aroma to the Lord. / The priest [...] shall offer it. It is a statute for ever to the Lord. It shall be wholly burned )." Wrestling with God: Jewish Theological Responses during and after the Holocaust: The Third Era . Oxford University Press. 2006. : Unknown parameter |editors= ignored ( |editor= suggested) ( help ) Reeve Robert Brenner (2014). The Faith and Doubt of Holocaust Survivors .

( Learn how and when to remove this message ) Holocaust theology is a body of theological and philosophical debate concerning the role of God in the universe in light of the Holocaust of the late 1930s and 1940s. It is primarily found in Judaism . Jews were killed in higher proportions than other groups; some scholars limit the definition of the Holocaust to the Jewish victims of the Nazis as Jews alone were targeted for the Final Solution . Others include the additional five million non-Jewish victims, bringing the total to about 11 million. One third of the total worldwide Jewish population were killed during the Holocaust. The Eastern European Jewish population was particularly hard hit, being reduced by ninety percent. While a disproportionate number of Jewish religious scholars were killed, more than eighty percent of the world's total, the perpetrators of the Holocaust did not merely target religious Jews. A large percentage of the Jews killed both in Eastern and Western Europe were either nonobservant or had not received even an elementary level of Jewish education. However, these views are in apparent contrast with the injustice and suffering in the world. Monotheists seek to reconcile this view of God with the existence of evil and suffering. In so doing, they are confronting what is known as the problem of evil . An elegant solution to the problem of evil is Dualism , which envisions a second God with evil characteristics. A less elegant solution is to propose that God is actually an evil entity with the goal of increasing suffering in the world. Within all of the monotheistic faiths many answers ( theodicies ) have been proposed. In light of the magnitude of depravity seen in the Holocaust, many people have also re-examined classical views on this subject. A common question raised in Holocaust theology is "How can people still have any kind of faith after the Holocaust?" A scholarly literature, including a variety of anthologies and commentaries, has developed that reflects upon Holocaust theology as a religio-cultural phenomenon. The Columbia Guide to the Holocaust . Wrestling with God: Jewish Theological Responses during and after the Holocaust: The Third Era . The Faith and Doubt of Holocaust Survivors .

Theological and philosophical debate ( Learn how and when to remove this message ) Holocaust theology is a body of theological and philosophical debate concerning the role of God in the universe in light of the Holocaust of the late 1930s and early 1940s. It is primarily found in Judaism . Jews were killed in higher proportions than other groups; some scholars limit the definition of the Holocaust to the Jewish victims of the Nazis as Jews alone were targeted for the Final Solution . Others include the additional five million non-Jewish victims, bringing the total to about 11 million. One third of the total worldwide Jewish population were killed during the Holocaust. The Eastern European Jewish population was particularly hard hit, being reduced by ninety percent. While a disproportionate number of Jewish religious scholars were killed, more than eighty percent of the world's total, the perpetrators of the Holocaust did not merely target religious Jews. A large percentage of the Jews killed both in Eastern and Western Europe were either nonobservant or had not received even an elementary level of Jewish education. However, according to many believers and unbelievers, these views are in apparent contrast with the injustice and suffering in the world. Monotheists seek to reconcile this view of God with the existence of evil and suffering. In so doing, they are confronting what is known as the problem of evil . One solution to the problem of evil is dualism , which envisions a second God with evil characteristics. Another solution is to propose that God is actually an evil entity with the goal of increasing suffering in the world. Within all of the monotheistic faiths many answers ( theodicies ) have been proposed. In light of the magnitude of depravity seen in the Holocaust, many people have also re-examined classical views on this subject. A common question raised in Holocaust theology is "How can people still have any kind of faith after the Holocaust?" A scholarly literature, including a variety of anthologies and commentaries, has developed that reflects upon Holocaust theology as a religio-cultural phenomenon. The Columbia Guide to the Holocaust . Wrestling with God: Jewish Theological Responses during and after the Holocaust: The Third Era . The Faith and Doubt of Holocaust Survivors .

Theological and philosophical debate ( Learn how and when to remove this message ) Holocaust theology is a body of theological and philosophical debate concerning the role of God in the universe in light of the Holocaust of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Exploration of Holocaust theology is found primarily within Judaism. This focus reflects the cataclysmic devastation wreaked on the European Jewish population as the primary targets of the Holocaust. However, according to many believers and unbelievers, these views are in apparent contrast with the injustice and suffering in the world. Monotheists seek to reconcile this view of God with the existence of evil and suffering. In so doing, they are confronting what is known as the problem of evil . One solution to the problem of evil is dualism , which envisions a second God with evil characteristics. Another solution is to propose that God is actually an evil entity with the goal of increasing suffering in the world. Within all of the monotheistic faiths many answers ( theodicies ) have been proposed. In light of the magnitude of depravity seen in the Holocaust, many people have also reexamined classical views on this subject. A common question raised in Holocaust theology is "How can people still have any kind of faith after the Holocaust?" A scholarly literature, including a variety of anthologies and commentaries, has developed that reflects upon Holocaust theology as a religio-cultural phenomenon.