David Novak
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David Novak (born 1941) is a scholar of Jewish philosophy, law (Halakha) and ethics. He has Conservative rabbinical ordination and has trained with Catholic moral theologians. Trained at Georgetown University, Novak has taught at the University of Virginia and currently teaches at the University of Toronto.
Novak has contributed to Jewish ethics by advocating a Jewish social ethics drawn from both the natural law tradition and Halakha. To this end, he interprets the rabbinic approach to Noahide laws as a useful grounding for cross-cultural moral reasoning. He also writes extensively on Jewish-Christian relations. His expertise includes Maimonides, John Courtney Murray, and Paul Tillich.
His specific normative claims in Jewish ethics include a mix of liberal and right-wing positions. An ordained rabbi, Novak had been affiliated with the Conservative movement in Judaism and then shifted to the Union for Traditional Judaism.
Selected works
- Law and Theology in Judaism (volumes I and II) Vol. 1 Foreword by Louis Finkelstein.) New York : Ktav Pub. House, [1974]
- Suicide and Morality: The theories of Plato, Aquinas, and Kant and their relevance for suicidology. New York : Scholars Studies Press, c1975
- The image of the non-Jew in Judaism: An historical and constructive study of the Noahide Laws. New York : E. Mellen Press, c1983.
- Halakhah in a theological dimension. Chico, Calif. : Scholars Press, c1985.
- Jewish-Christian Dialogue: a Jewish justification. New York ; Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1989.
- The theology of Nahmanides systematically presented. Atlanta, Ga. : Scholars Press, c1992.
- Jewish social ethics. New York : Oxford University Press, 1992.
- The Election of Israel: The idea of the chosen people. Cambridge [England] ; New York, NY, USA : Cambridge University Press, 1995.
- Natural law in Judaism. Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1998.
- Covenantal Rights: A study in Jewish political theory. Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, c2000.
Articles
- Leo Strauss and Judaism : Jerusalem and Athens critically revisited / edited by David Novak, Lanham, MD : Rowman & Littlefield, 1996.
- Philosophy and the Possibility of Revelation: A Theological Response to the Challenge of Leo Strauss by David Novak.
External links
- Dabru Emet: A Jewish statement on Christians and Christianity. A statement by four authors. [1].
- University of Toronto, Department and Centre for the Study of Religion staff page
- University of Toronto, Graduate Faculty page of the Philosophy Department
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