Of fire and water: Holocaust testimony, biblical texts, and German "After Auschwitz" theology

It is here argued that, in the light of the Shoah, certain biblical texts - e.g. Isaiah 43:1-3 - have lost their innocence and acquired entirely new meanings. The question is posed whether Jewish and Christian believers can return to these texts as if nothing had happened. The Shoah has assumed an aura of authority that calls into question the universe which the biblical texts affirm. As well, German "after Auschwitz" theology remains disingenuous and incomplete, turning Auschwitz into a "Christian Golgotha."