Beyond Theodicy

Sarah K. Pinnock

Description

Beyond Theodicy analyzes the rising tide of objections to explanations and justifications for why God permits evil and suffering in the world. In response to the Holocaust, striking parallels have emerged between major Jewish and Christian thinkers centering on practical faith approaches that offer meaning within suffering. Author Sarah K. Pinnock focuses on Jewish thinkers Martin Buber and Ernst Bloch and Christian thinkers Gabriel Marcel and Johann Baptist Metz to present two diverse rejections of theodicy, one existential, represented by Buber and Marcel, and one political, represented by Bloch and Metz. Pinnock interweaves the disciplines of philosophy of religion, post-Holocaust thought, and liberation theology to formulate a dynamic vision of religious hope and resistance.

Abbreviations

Preface

1. TYPES OF APPROACHES TO HOLOCAUST SUFFERING
Practical Responses as Alternatives to Theodicy

Theoretical Theodicy
Continental Alternatives to Theodicy
Kant's Practical Turn
From Theoretical Theodicy to Practical Faith
Hegel's Hubris: Theodicy Revived
Hegel as Prototypical Target of Critique

2. EXISTENTIAL ENCOUNTER WITH EVIL
Gabriel Marcels Response to Suffering as a Trial

Problem and Mystery in Philosophy
Marcel's Objections to the Theodicy Problem
Faith and Hope: The Discovery of Meaning in Suffering

Relation to the Thou: Availability and Fidelity
Suffering as a Trial
Hope, Transcendence, and Immortality
Acceptance of Suffering

The Limitations of Marcel's Approach after Auschwitz

3. DIALOGICAL FAITH
Martin Buber's I-Thou Response to Suffering and Its Meaning

The Dichotomy between I-It and I-Thou Attitudes
God-Language within the Limits of I-Thou Relation
A Narrative Faith Response to Suffering

Hasidic Narratives of Suffering and Redemption
The Book of Job
The Eclipse of God and the Holocaust

Post-Holocaust Faith in God

4. MARXIST THEORY AND PRACTICE
Scientific and Humanist Marxism

Marx's Materialist Method

Materialist Analysis of History
Social Class and Suffering
Ideology Critique

The Cold Stream: Scientific Marxism
The Warm Stream: Humanist Marxism

Modified Materialism
Hope: The Rejection of Determinist Teleology

5. FAITH AS HOPE IN HISTORY
Ernst Bloch and Political

Post-Holocaust Theology
Suffering in History: Against Teleological Theodicy
Hope as Political Vision and Real Possibility: Resistance to Suffering
Religious Faith as the Praxis of Hope

Apolitical Christianity and Political Faith
Moses and Job: Heroes of the Hebrew Bible
Jesus and the Immanence of God's Kingdom

Hope and Suffering in Jürgen Moltmann's Post-Holocaust Theology

Theology of Hope
Divine Suffering after Auschwitz
Marxian Hope as Eschatology

6. SOLIDARITY AND RESISTANCE
Johann Baptist Metz's Theodicy-Sensitive Response to Suffering

Metz's Critiques of Bourgeois Subjectivity and Existentialist Theology
Theodicy and the Effacement of Suffering in History

Theodicy and Bourgeois Apathy
Auschwitz and Anti-Theodicy
Objections to Divine Suffering

Metz's Political Faith: Dangerous Memory and Solidarity

Biblical Narrative as Memory
The Functions of Religious Memory

A Theodicy-Sensitive Response to Suffering after Auschwitz

7. PRAGMATICS, EXISTENTIAL AND POLITICAL
Comparison, Contrast, and Complementarity

Contrasting Personal and Political Approaches

Situating Suffering in "Existence" and "History"
The Religious Posture of Hope
The Religious Posture toward Other Persons: I-Thou
Relation or Solidarity

Complementarity between Political and Existentialist Approaches: The Practical Insights of Contextual Liberation and Post-Holocaust Responses to Suffering

Memory
Solidarity
Hope
Mystical Faith

8. BEYOND THEODICY
Evaluating Theodicy From a Practical Perspective

The Possibility and Appropriateness of Theodicy

Practical Faith in God
The Epistemic Im

Sujets

• Philosophie
• Philosophie de la religion
• Religion
• Christianisme
• Christianity
• Judaism
• Philosophy of religion
• Theology

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 01 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791487808
• Langue: English

Extrait

BEYOND THEODICY

SUNY series in Theology and Continental Thought —Douglas L. Donkel, editor

BEYOND THEODICY

Jewish and Christian Continental Thinkers Respond to the Holocaust

SARAH KATHERINE PINNOCK

S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y O F N E W Y O R K P R E S S

Published by State University of New York Press, Albany

© 2002 State University of New York

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Pinnock, Sarah Katherine. Beyond theodicy: Jewish and Christian continental thinkers respond to the Holocaust/ by Sarah Katherine Pinnock. p. cm.—(SUNY series in theology and continental thought) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0–7914–5523–8 (alk. paper)—ISBN 0–7914–5524–6 (pbk.: alk. paper) 1. Holocaust ( Jewish theology) 2. Holocaust (Christian theology) 3. Theodicy. 4. Political science—Philosophy. 5. Existentialism. I. Title. II. Series.

BM645.H6 P56 2002 296.3’118—dc21

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2002017611

CONTENTS

Abbreviations

Preface

1

2

3

TYPES OF APPROACHES TO HOLOCAUST SUFFERING Practical Responses as Alternatives to Theodicy Theoretical Theodicy Continental Alternatives to Theodicy Kant’s Practical Turn From Theoretical Theodicy to Practical Faith Hegel’s Hubris: Theodicy Revived Hegel as Prototypical Target of Critique

EXISTENTIAL ENCOUNTER WITH EVIL Gabriel Marcel’s Response to Suffering as a Trial Problem and Mystery in Philosophy Marcel’s Objections to the Theodicy Problem Faith and Hope: The Discovery of Meaning in Suffering Relation to the Thou: Availability and Fidelity Suffering as a Trial Hope, Transcendence, and Immortality Acceptance of Suffering The Limitations of Marcel’s Approach after Auschwitz

DIALOGICAL FAITH Martin Buber’s I-Thou Response to Suffering and Its Meaning The Dichotomy between I-It and I-Thou Attitudes God-Language within the Limits of I-Thou Relation

v

ix

xi

1 2 7 12 16 17 20

23 25 27 30 30 31 33 34 36

39 40 42

4

5

6

v i

C O N T E N T S

A Narrative Faith Response to Suffering Hasidic Narratives of Suffering and Redemption The Book of Job The Eclipse of God and the Holocaust Post-Holocaust Faith in God

MARXIST THEORY AND PRACTICE Scientific and Humanist Marxism Marx’s Materialist Method Materialist Analysis of History Social Class and Suffering Ideology Critique The Cold Stream: Scientific Marxism The Warm Stream: Humanist Marxism Modified Materialism Hope: The Rejection of Determinist Teleology

FAITH AS HOPE IN HISTORY Ernst Bloch and Political Post-Holocaust Theology Suffering in History: Against Teleological Theodicy Hope as Political Vision and Real Possibility: Resistance to Suffering Religious Faith as the Praxis of Hope Apolitical Christianity and Political Faith Moses and Job: Heroes of the Hebrew Bible Jesus and the Immanence of God’s Kingdom Hope and Suffering in Jürgen Moltmann’s Post-Holocaust Theology Theology of Hope Divine Suffering after Auschwitz Marxian Hope as Eschatology

SOLIDARITY AND RESISTANCE Johann Baptist Metz’s Theodicy-Sensitive Response to Suffering Metz’s Critiques of Bourgeois Subjectivity and Existentialist Theology Theodicy and the Effacement of Suffering in History Theodicy and Bourgeois Apathy Auschwitz and Anti-Theodicy Objections to Divine Suffering Metz’s Political Faith: Dangerous Memory and Solidarity Biblical Narrative as Memory The Functions of Religious Memory A Theodicy-Sensitive Response to Suffering after Auschwitz

46 47 49 51 53

55 56 56 58 58 59 60 61 63

65 65 67 70 70 71 74 75 76 77 79

81 83 86 87 87 88 90 90 91 93

7

8

C O N T E N T S

PRAGMATICS, EXISTENTIAL AND POLITICAL Comparison, Contrast, and Complementarity Contrasting Personal and Political Approaches Situating Suffering in “Existence” and “History” The Religious Posture of Hope The Religious Posture toward Other Persons: I-Thou Relation or Solidarity Complementarity between Political and Existentialist Approaches: The Practical Insights of Contextual Liberation and Post-Holocaust Responses to Suffering Memory Solidarity Hope Mystical Faith

BEYOND THEODICY Evaluating Theodicy From a Practical Perspective The Possibility and Appropriateness of Theodicy Practical Faith in God The Epistemic Impossibility of Theodicy The Moral Scandal of Theodicy Guidelines for Faith Responses to Evil and Suffering after Auschwitz Epistemic Humility Moral Sensitivity Religious Practice Narrative Memory

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Index

v i i

97 98 99 101

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107 109 113 117 122

129 130 130 132 135 138 139 140 141 141

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Abbreviations

Note: The date of initial publication is placed in parentheses after the title.

G A B R I E L M A R C E L

BH

CF DW EBHD

HV FHW MAH MJ MB I

MB II PE TWB

Being and Having: An Existentialist Diary (1926–1953) Creative Fidelity(1940) The Decline of Wisdom(1955) The Existential Background of Human Dignity, William James Lectures (1961–1962) Homo Viator(1941–1944) Fresh Hope for the World(1960) Men Against Humanity(1952) Metaphysical Journal(1914–1923) Mystery of Being, Volume I, Gifford Lectures (1949) Mystery of Being, Volume II (1950) Philosophy of Existentialism(1933–1947) Tragic Wisdom and Beyond(1973)

M A R T I N B U B E R

BHT BMM EG FSH GE HMM IT IW

A Believing Humanism: My Testament(1965) Between Man and Man(1965) Eclipse of God(1952) For the Sake of Heaven(1945) Good and Evil(1952) Hasidism and Modern Man(1958) I and Thou(1923) Israel and the World(1948)

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