@article{Homolka2017, author = {Homolka, Walter}, title = {Truthfulness and the permissibility of falsehood in the Jewish tradition}, series = {Journal of beliefs and values : studies in religion \& education}, volume = {38}, journal = {Journal of beliefs and values : studies in religion \& education}, number = {2}, publisher = {Routledge, Taylor \& Francis Group}, address = {Abingdon}, issn = {1361-7672}, doi = {10.1080/13617672.2017.1291253}, pages = {180 -- 187}, year = {2017}, abstract = {In this article, I deal with the concept of truth and lie in Jewish traditional literature, examining its development in the Hebrew Bible and rabbinic literature. An essential aspect in understanding this concept is the dualism of 'good' and 'evil' impulses and the free will of human beings, who were created in the image of God and have the choice to decide between right and wrong.}, language = {en} } @misc{Homolka2018, author = {Homolka, Walter}, title = {Jewish theology and Jewish studies in Germany}, series = {Nordisk judaistik/Scandinavian Jewish Studies}, volume = {29}, journal = {Nordisk judaistik/Scandinavian Jewish Studies}, number = {2}, publisher = {Donner Institute}, address = {{\AA}bo}, issn = {0348-1646}, doi = {10.30752/nj.70966}, pages = {26 -- 35}, year = {2018}, abstract = {This article presents some insights into the German developments of studying Judaism and the Jewish tradition and relates them to the ongoing development of the subject at universities in the Nordic countries in general and Norway in particular. It also aims to present some conclusions concerning why it might be interesting for Norwegian society to intensify the study of Judaism at its universities.}, language = {en} } @article{Homolka2017, author = {Homolka, Walter}, title = {Jewish theology in Germany}, series = {Society}, volume = {54}, journal = {Society}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York}, issn = {0147-2011}, doi = {10.1007/s12115-017-0164-3}, pages = {426 -- 431}, year = {2017}, abstract = {How often do secular and religious discourses communicate and interrelate at points where they intersect in society? When the Science of Judaism (Wissenschaft des Judentums) evolved at the beginning of the nineteenth century, it intended, through both theological and secular studies, to demonstrate the general value of Jewish culture and civilization. Although denied a place in the public university system until after the Shoah, Jewish Studies departments have since been established at various German universities, and, in 2013, the School of Jewish Theology of the University of Potsdam was opened as the first Jewish divinity school in the history of the German university system. With this, what was once a utopian dream became a reality, and both branches of the Science of Judaism, religious and secular, became undisputed parts of the German academic scene, using similar tools for differing aims. Two prime examples of the intersection of the secular and religious in Germany today are the proliferation of divinity schools at state universities, on the one hand, and the development of military chaplaincy in the armed forces, on the other. Both of these, through contractual agreements, aim to regulate and facilitate religious pluralism within a secular state. While the one has already begun to take place, the other is currently under discussion.}, language = {en} } @article{HomolkaPryba2024, author = {Homolka, Walter and Pryba, Andrzej}, title = {Preparations for Marriage in the Jewish and Catholic Traditions}, series = {Religions}, volume = {15}, journal = {Religions}, number = {62}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2077-1444}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15010062}, pages = {1 -- 14}, year = {2024}, abstract = {In many churches nowadays, there has been a standardized approach to premarital counseling for couples involving social, pastoral, and psychological perspectives. In contrast, many rabbis and other Jewish officials still concentrate on legal aspects alone. The need for resolving important issues on the verge of wedlock is too often left to secular experts in law, psychology, or counseling. However, in recent years, this lack of formal training for marriage preparation has also been acknowledged by the Jewish clergy in order to incorporate it in the preparatory period before the bond is tied. This case study focuses on Jewish and Roman Catholic conceptions of marriage, past and present. We intend to do a comparative analysis of the prerequisites of religious marriage based on the assumption that both Judaism and the Roman Catholic Church have a distinct legal framework to assess marriage preparation.}, language = {en} } @book{KuengHomolka2009, author = {K{\"u}ng, Hans and Homolka, Walter}, title = {How to do good and avoid evil : a global ethic from the sources of judaism}, edition = {Hardcover ed., 1. print}, publisher = {SkyLight Paths Pub}, address = {Woodstock, Vt}, isbn = {978-1-59473-255-3}, pages = {X, 202 S.}, year = {2009}, abstract = {In 1993, the Parliament of the World's Religions endorsed the "Declaration toward a Global Ethic" composed by Hans K{\"u}ng. In it, representatives from all the world's religions agreed on principles for a global ethic and committed themselves to directives of nonviolence, respect for life, solidarity, a just economic order, tolerance, and equal rights and partnership between men and women. But the declaration was just the first step. In this impressive volume, Hans Kueng, probably the most famous living Roman Catholic theologian, and Rabbi Walter Homolka, head of Germany's Abraham Geiger rabbinical seminary and distinguished professor, draw on the Jewish tradition to show the riches that Judaism can offer people of all faiths and nonbelievers in achieving these directives. Presenting key sacred texts and theological writings, the authors make the case for binding values and basic moral attitudes that can be found in Judaism's universal message of a better world. Exploring Judaism's focus on ethical conduct over declarations of faith, the authors show that making ethical decisions is indispensable in an ever-changing world.}, language = {en} }