Holocaust Theology

Holocaust theology (from the Greek ὁλόκαυστος holókaustos: hólos, "whole" and kaustós, "burnt"), refers to a body of theological and philosophical debate and reflection, and related literature, primarily within Judaism, that attempts to come to grips with various conflicting views about the role of God in the universe and the human world in light of the Holocaust of the late 1930s and 1940s when approximately 11 million people, including 6 million Jews, were subjected to genocide by the Nazi regime and its allies. "Holocaust theology" is also referred to as "Theologie nach Auschwitz" (German: "Theology after Auschwitz" or "Post-Auschwitz Theology"), due to the common practice of using Auschwitz to represent the Holocaust as a whole.

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have traditionally taught that God is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), and omnibenevolent (all-good) in nature. However, these claims seem to be in jarring contrast with the fact that there is much evil and suffering in the world. Perhaps the most difficult question that monotheists have confronted is how one can reconcile this view of God with the existence of evil and suffering. This fundamental inquiry is known as the problem of evil.

Within all of the monotheistic faiths many answers (theodicies) have been proposed. Although in light of the magnitude of depravity seen in the Holocaust, many people have re-examined classical views on this subject. A common question is, "How can people still have any kind of faith after the Holocaust?"