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Edition 32 (2020) Winner
David Novak
デイヴィッド・ノヴァク
Deividdo Novakku
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1941-08-19 （Chicago, Illinois）
- Died
- age 83
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English, Hebrew
- Religion
- Judaism
- Residence History
- Chicago, Illinois → Washington, D.C. → Virginia → Toronto, Ontario
Career
- Occupations
- Jewish theologian, Ethicist, Scholar of Jewish philosophy and law, Conservative rabbi, Professor
- Active Years
- 1961-2024
- Affiliations
- University of Toronto, University of Virginia
- Memberships
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC), Union for Traditional Judaism
- Influenced By
- Abraham Joshua Heschel
- Influenced
- Peter Ochs
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Chicago | — | Hebrew literature | Bachelor's degree | — | United States |
| Georgetown University | — | Philosophy | Ph.D. | — | United States |
| Jewish Theological Seminary of America | — | — | Rabbinical ordination | — | United States |
University of Chicago
Hebrew literature
Degree:
Bachelor's degree
Year of Graduation:
1961
Country:
United States
Georgetown University
Philosophy
Degree:
Ph.D.
Year of Graduation:
1971
Country:
United States
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Degree:
Rabbinical ordination
Year of Graduation:
1966
Country:
United States
Studied under Abraham Joshua Heschel
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | American Academy of Religion Award | Covenantal Rights: A Study in Jewish Political Theory | constructive religious thought | American Academy of Religion | winner |
American Academy of Religion Award
2000
Work:
Covenantal Rights: A Study in Jewish Political Theory
Category:
constructive religious thought
Organization:
American Academy of Religion
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Covenantal Rights: A Study in Jewish Political Theory
2000 Political theologyExplores covenantal rights in Jewish political theory.
CovenantPolitical theoryNatural law
Dabru Emet
2000 StatementA Jewish statement on Christians and Christianity.
Jewish-Christian relationsDialogue
Natural Law in Judaism
1998 EthicsDiscusses the role of natural law in Jewish tradition.
Natural lawHalakha
Bibliography
- Law and Theology in Judaism (Volumes I and II)
- Suicide and Morality: The theories of Plato, Aquinas, and Kant and their relevance for suicidology
- The Image of the Non-Jew in Judaism: A historical and constructive study of the Noahide Laws
- Halakhah in a Theological Dimension
- Jewish-Christian Dialogue: A Jewish justification
- The Theology of Nahmanides Systematically Presented
- Jewish Social Ethics
- The Election of Israel: The idea of the Chosen People
- Leo Strauss and Judaism: Jerusalem and Athens critically revisited
- Natural Law in Judaism
- Covenantal Rights: A study in Jewish political theory
- The Jewish Social Contract: An essay in political theology
- Talking With Christians: Musings of a Jewish theologian
- The Sanctity of Human Life
- Tradition in the Public Square: A David Novak Reader
- In Defense of Religious Liberty
- God-talk: the heart of Judaism
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- TheologicalPhilosophicalRabbinic logic
- Recurring Motifs
- Natural lawNoahide lawsJewish-Christian relationsSanctity of life
Legacy
Renowned for advocating natural law within Jewish thought, with major contributions to Jewish ethics, biomedical ethics, political theory, and Jewish-Christian relations. Author of 16 books and over 200 scholarly articles.