Holokaust i teologija
Holocaust and Theology
Contributor(s): Vera Mevorah (Editor), Željko Šarić (Editor), Predrag Krstić (Editor)
Subject(s): History, Philosophy, Jewish studies, Theology and Religion, WW II and following years (1940 - 1949), History of the Holocaust
Published by: Institut za filozofiju i društvenu teoriju
Keywords: Holocaust; Theology
Summary/Abstract: The collected essays in Holocaust and Theology are the result of thorough research by researchers from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Whether the reader agrees with each individual standpoint, what is uncontestable is that the essays invite further thinking of existentially important themes issuing from the Holocaust. The mention of suffering is today, perhaps even more than previously the foundation of thought seeking to be more than a specific perspective and responsible action. To that end, this book respects the never fully determinable exceptionalism of the Shoah, the deaf darkness that swallows any attempt at its ultimate definition, yet filled with indomitable discursive efforts to illuminate it. In these endeavors, however, understanding the light that comes from above, which cannot be gazed at, God, passes through temptations. The texts in this volume testify to this and represent a survey of contemporary regional thought on the theological theory on the Holocaust.
- Print-ISBN-13: 978-86-82324-28-7
- Page Count: 233
- Publication Year: 2023
- Language: Serbian
Teološke perspektive i Holokaust
Teološke perspektive i Holokaust
(Theological perspectives and the Holocaust)
- Author(s):Dragana Stojanović, Danica Igrutinović
- Language:Serbian
- Subject(s):Theology and Religion, History of the Holocaust
- Page Range:21-43
- No. of Pages:23
- Keywords:Post-Holocaust Theology; trauma and memory; God and Auschwitz; religious responsibility
- Summary/Abstract:The text explores post-Holocaust theological and philosophical reflections, highlighting how the Holocaust resists linear narration due to its traumatic nature, instead demanding a fragmented, silence-infused approach to memory and testimony. Jewish and Christian thinkers grapple with the implications for faith, with some interpreting the Holocaust as a rupture in the divine-human covenant, while others call for a reconstruction or reimagining of theology in its wake. The role of Christian theology is critically examined, with debates on its complicity in historical antisemitism and calls for reform, humility, and solidarity with Judaism to prevent future atrocities.
Ordo pigdendi, ordo occidendi: ikonolomstvo, Hitler i revizija Holokausta
Ordo pigdendi, ordo occidendi: ikonolomstvo, Hitler i revizija Holokausta
(Ordo pigdendi, ordo occidenti: iconoclasm, Hitler and the revision of the Holocaust)
- Author(s):Oleg Soldat
- Language:Serbian
- Subject(s):Jewish studies, WW II and following years (1940 - 1949), Historical revisionism, History of the Holocaust
- Page Range:44-78
- No. of Pages:35
- Keywords:Iconoclasm; Holocaust revisionism; Catholic vs. Protestant imagery; visual theology; aesthetic sacrifice
- Summary/Abstract:The chapter explores a bold hypothesis: that the Holocaust might not have occurred had Germany fully embraced either Protestant or Catholic visual traditions, instead of remaining in a state of unresolved tension between them. It argues that the Holocaust was a form of "iconoclasm", a theological and aesthetic phenomenon rooted in centuries-old conflicts over religious imagery, with Hitler acting as a manipulator of both Protestant iconoclastic fervor and Catholic sacrificial imagery. Ultimately, it posits that Hitler’s true goal was not the destruction of the Jews per se, but the reformation of the German soul through the violent de-aestheticization of religious visual culture.
Teološki jezik i Holokaust
Teološki jezik i Holokaust
(Theological Language and the Holocaust)
- Author(s):Oliver Jurišić
- Language:Serbian
- Subject(s):Jewish studies, Theoretical Linguistics, Semantics, History of the Holocaust
- Page Range:79-91
- No. of Pages:13
- Keywords:Holocaust; Sematic language; Non-sematic language; Fluidity interpretation (of reality and history)
- Summary/Abstract:The text explores the distinction between sematic (sematski) and non-sematic (nonsematski) language in interpreting reality, particularly in theology and the context of the Holocaust. Non-sematic language is characterized by ideological fluidity and attempts to control interpretation, while sematic language seeks to remain grounded in factual reality and acknowledges the unchangeable nature of certain historical events. Applying this to theology, the author contrasts non-sematic theological approaches (such as denial, justification, or silence) with a sematic theological response to the Holocaust, one that recognizes its factual occurrence and responds with humility, repentance, and a refusal to ideologize the event.
Holokaust, srpsko bogoslovlje i istorijski revizionizam
Holokaust, srpsko bogoslovlje i istorijski revizionizam
(The Holocaust, Serbian theology and historical revisionism)
- Author(s):Vladimir Lj. Cvetković
- Language:Serbian
- Subject(s):Jewish studies, Theology and Religion, Historical revisionism, History of the Holocaust, Eastern Orthodoxy
- Page Range:92-126
- No. of Pages:35
- Keywords:Holocaust; Serbian Theology; Historical revisionism; Reductio ad Hitlerum
- Summary/Abstract:The article explores how the Western media and scholarship have applied the “reductio ad Hitlerum” framework, originally developed for figures like Putin and Milošević, to Serbian Orthodox theologians Nikolaj Velimirović and Justin Popović, equating them with fascist ideology and antisemitism despite their lack of direct ties to the Nazi regime. It traces this interpretative model back to Judeo-Christian narratives of moral fall and its secular evolution into a modern framing of evil centered around the Holocaust as an absolute moral reference point. The text argues that German historiography has increasingly portrayed Serbian Orthodoxy, and especially Velimirović and Popović, as ideological forerunners of 1990s Balkan nationalism and violence, though this interpretation remains controversial and heavily debated.
Budućnost religije sa Holokaustom u zaleđu – lekcije koje ne smiju biti zaboravljene
Budućnost religije sa Holokaustom u zaleđu – lekcije koje ne smiju biti zaboravljene
(The future of religion with the Holocaust in the background - lessons that must not be forgotten)
- Author(s):Muhamed Velagić
- Language:Serbian
- Subject(s):Jewish studies, Theology and Religion, History of the Holocaust
- Page Range:127-150
- No. of Pages:34
- Keywords:holocaust; organized religion; moral responsibility; interreligious dialogue; future of religion
- Summary/Abstract:The Holocaust critically shook the foundations of monotheistic religion, revealing its failure to prevent mass atrocities and highlighting the urgent need for organized religion to become a voice of ethical responsibility and a safeguard of human dignity. The text emphasizes the role of hate speech as a precursor to violence and stresses that religion must actively engage in public discourse, confront cultural isolationism, and promote interreligious dialogue as a universal ethical mission. A holistic, empathetic approach to religious identity and communication is advocated as essential to resisting the misuse of religious language for ideological exclusion.
Teologija netolerancije i Holokaust – od izabranog pojedinca do izabranog naroda
Teologija netolerancije i Holokaust – od izabranog pojedinca do izabranog naroda
(Theology of intolerance and the Holocaust - from the chosen individual to the chosen people)
- Author(s):Zorica S. Kuburić
- Language:Serbian
- Subject(s):Jewish studies, Theology and Religion, History of the Holocaust
- Page Range:151-178
- No. of Pages:28
- Keywords:Holocaust; ethics; religious identity; intolerance
- Summary/Abstract:The author reflects on their encounter with the Holocaust in the U.S. through visits to the Holocaust Museum in Washington and a Holocaust seminar in Serbia, highlighting the profound emotional impact of witnessing the horrors of genocide. They explore the theological implications of the Holocaust, emphasizing the tension between faith, suffering, and the role of God in such atrocities, while examining the psychological and religious consequences of trauma. The text also addresses the ethical and theological questions raised by such a tragedy, focusing on the importance of life, forgiveness, and the need to confront manipulation through fear and guilt in religious teachings.
Holokaust i teološke dimenzije psihedeličkog iskustva
Holokaust i teološke dimenzije psihedeličkog iskustva
(The Holocaust and theological dimensions of the psychedelic experience)
- Author(s):Mark Losoncz
- Language:Serbian
- Subject(s):Jewish studies, Psychoanalysis, History of the Holocaust
- Page Range:180-203
- No. of Pages:24
- Keywords:Holocaust; psychedelic experience;
- Summary/Abstract:The article explores the intersection of psychedelic experiences and theological dimensions, focusing on a cancer patient who underwent a psilocybin-assisted therapy to address death anxiety and existential concerns. Despite identifying as an atheist, the patient described her experience in deeply spiritual terms, feeling immersed in "universal love," which raises questions about the theological implications of such experiences. The text highlights the complexity of linking psychedelic experiences with religious or mystical dimensions, and how these experiences, whether therapeutic or spiritual, challenge conventional interpretations of the divine and human suffering, particularly in the context of the Holocaust.
Ka materijalističkoj teologiji?
Ka materijalističkoj teologiji?
(Toward a materialistic theology?)
- Author(s):Predrag Krstić
- Language:Serbian
- Subject(s):Philosophy, Theology and Religion, Philosophy of Religion
- Page Range:204-226
- No. of Pages:23
- Keywords:Theodor W. Adorno; materialism; idealism; negative dialectics; suffering; human condition
- Summary/Abstract:The materialism in Theodor Adorno's philosophy is a critical response to idealism, positioning materialism not as a strict opposition but as a corrective to idealism's abstraction, especially its detachment from the realities of suffering and the human condition. Adorno critiques the philosophical tradition that ignores the embodied experiences of pain and pleasure, insisting that materialism acknowledges these physical and existential realities, positioning the material world as fundamental to understanding the human subject. In his view, materialism, particularly in its negative dialectical form, disrupts the idealist framework and highlights the critical role of suffering in philosophical inquiry, rejecting the illusion of spiritual transcendence in favor of a philosophy grounded in lived experience.
