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10 "The Tremendum": Arthur Cohen s Understanding of Faith after the Holocaust Jlmong th e most sustained recen t Jewish theological discussions of th e #•% Sho'ah i s Arthur A. Cohen's The Tremendum: A Theological Interpretation of the Holocaust. 1 Thoug h a relatively shor t book , 11 0 page s in all , i t attack s thi s immens e conceptua l issu e wit h al l o f Cohen' s customary verv e an d intelligence . N o schoo l theologian , eithe r i n th e dogmatic o r systemati c sense , Cohe n her e make s a prodigiou s effor t t o strike ou t i n a new , mor e radica l metaphysica l directio n a s a necessar y response to the Event with which he deals. I Four highl y ramifie d these s li e a t th e roo t o f Cohen' s philosophica l reflections. The y are : (1 ) th e Holocaus t i s uniqu e an d thi s uniquenes s entails particula r theologica l concomitants ; (2 ) though t i s unabl e t o grasp th e realit y o f Auschwitz ; (3 ) n o "meaning " i s to b e foun d i n thi s genocidal carnage ; an d (4 ) evi l i s mor e real , mor e consequential , tha n Cohen ha d heretofor e allowed . Thes e fou r intellectuall y radica l pre suppositions lea d Cohe n t o recogniz e th e nee d t o return , wit h a ne w uncertainty, t o th e traditiona l question s o f theology . T o as k agai n con cerning "th e realit y o f evi l an d th e existenc e o f God , th e extremit y o f evil an d th e freedo m o f man , th e presentnes s o f evi l an d th e powe r o f God."2 To ask still more concretely if "like our ancestors we are obliged 251 2 5 2 "The Tremendum" to decid e whethe r (national ) catastrophie s ar e compatibl e wit h ou r tra ditional notion s o f a beneficen t an d providentia l God . Th e pas t genera tions o f Israe l decide d tha t the y were . Th e questio n toda y i s whether th e same conclusio n ma y b e wrung fro m th e dat a o f th e tremendum." 3 If thi s is , and I agree tha t i t is , the essentia l question , wha t i s Cohen' s answer? I f "ther e i s no en d unti l th e en d i s final. Unti l tha t moment , i t i s only caesur a an d ne w beginning," 4 wha t i s th e substanc e o f th e new , post-tremendum beginning ? Cohe n present s th e followin g schemati c for mulation o f it s definin g an d necessar y characteristics : "Any constructive theolog y afte r th e tremendum mus t be marked b y the follow ing characteristics: first, the God who is affirmed mus t abide in a universe whose human histor y i s scarre d b y genuin e evi l withou t makin g th e evi l empt y o r illusory no r disallowin g th e rea l presenc e o f Go d before , eve n i f no t within , history; second , th e relatio n o f Go d t o creatio n an d it s creatures , including , a s both no w include , demoni c structur e an d unredeemabl e events , mus t b e seen , nonetheless, a s meaningfu l an d valuabl e despit e th e fac t tha t th e justificatio n that God' s presenc e render s t o th e worthwhilenes s o f lif e an d struggl e i s no w intensified an d anguished by the contrast and opposition that evil supplies; third, the realit y o f Go d i n hi s selfhoo d an d perso n ca n n o longe r b e isolated , othe r than a s a strateg y o...

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