Tradition in the Public Square: A David Novak Reader

Tradition in the Public Square collects key essays by David Novak, one of the world’s leading contemporary Jewish thinkers. Novak’s insightful writings in this reader address the inextricable relationship between philosophical and theological matters and present the implications of his philosophical theology for social ethics and theo-politics.

“One of the marks — perhaps the most important mark — of a great thinker is the ability to respond to the conditions and problems of one's time by changing the terms of the conversation. By this standard, David Novak ranks as one of the great American theologians of our time. His work, a response to the primary issue confronting modern Judaism — namely, what it means to be a part of Western culture yet separate from its secularized form of life — has helped to make Jewish theology and philosophy thriving fields in North American university life.”

— from the introduction

Tradition in the Public Square collects key essays by David Novak, one of the world’s leading contemporary Jewish thinkers. Novak’s insightful writings in this reader address the inextricable relationship between philosophical and theological matters and present the implications of his philosophical theology for social ethics and theo-politics.

“One of the marks — perhaps the most important mark — of a great thinker is the ability to respond to the conditions and problems of one's time by changing the terms of the conversation. By this standard, David Novak ranks as one of the great American theologians of our time. His work, a response to the primary issue confronting modern Judaism — namely, what it means to be a part of Western culture yet separate from its secularized form of life — has helped to make Jewish theology and philosophy thriving fields in North American university life.”

— from the introduction

Randi L. Rashkover is assistant professor of religious studies at George Mason University. She is the author of Revelation and Theopolitics: Barth, Rosenzweig, and the Politics of Praise.

Martin Kavka is associate professor of religious studies at Florida State University. He is the author of Jewish Messianism and the History of Philosophy.