David Hollenbach

David Hollenbach, S.J.
Fields	Human Rights and International Justice
Institutions	Georgetown University, Weston School of Theology, Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Boston College
Alma mater	St. Joseph's University
Known for	His work on Economic Justice for All, The Common Good and Christian Ethics"
Influences	Aristotle, Aquinas, Jacques Maritain
Notable awards	1996 Fulbright Fellowship (for research & teaching in Kenya), 2009 Marianist Award (University of Dayton) John Courtney Murray Award for Distinguished Achievement in Theology (Catholic Theological Society of America)

David Hollenbach, S.J. (born October 6, 1942 in Philadelphia, PA.) is both the current University Chair in Human Rights and International Justice and Director of the Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Boston College. Aside from being a full-time professor of Theology at Boston College, Hollenbach has taught at Hekima College of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, The Jesuit Philosophy Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and the East Asian Pastoral Institute in Manila, Philippines.^[1] He is also a consultant to the Jesuit Refugee Service.^[2]

Education, Career, and Influences

Hollenbach first received his B.S. in physics from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, PA, followed by his Ph.L. from the College of Philosophy and Letters and his M.A. from the Department of Philosophy at the same institution in 1968. He went on to receive his M.Div. from Woodstock College in 1971 and his Ph.D. in Religious Ethics from Yale University in 1975.

After receiving his B.S. in 1968, he went on to teach at Georgetown University until 1969. From 1976-1991, Hollenbach was the Professor of Moral Theology at the Weston School of Theology in Cambridge, MA. Until November 2009, Hollenbach held several positions in the Catholic University of Eastern Africa's Hekima College in Nairobi, Kenya. From there, he went on to assume his current positions of University Chair in Human Rights and International Justice and Director of the Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Boston College.

Regarding his membership in the Society of Jesus, he joined September 7, 1964. Hollenbach was ordained into priesthood on June 5, 1971. He acts as the Higher Education Secretary within the society, he is also the advisor on global collaboration of Jesuit universities on human rights.^[3]

Hollenbach draws from many theologians, including Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Jacques Maritain.^[4]

Hollenbach is considered by many experts in Christian ethics to be the principal contributor to Economic Justice for All: Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy.^[5]

Works

The Common Good and Christian Ethics

Written in 2002, this book has become one of Hollenbach's most famous works as an author. While in this book Hollenbach does look to his major influences such as Aquinas for inspiration, it mainly focuses on Hollenbach's attempt to define the "common good" and find what contrasts this good. Building on his earlier writings, Hollenbach emphasizes relationships as being the source of the common good. There are certain goods that Hollenbach states are essential for modern day democracies to be successful. These goods include mutual respect, self-determination, and individual agency. Hollenbach points out that these essential goods are completely social and depend solely on human interaction. Ultimately this book is a study on how we as humans relate with one another and what we need to do to better our relationships with one another. Some points of interest that Hollenbach discusses are racism and marginalization.^[4]

Partial Bibliography

• Claims in Conflict: Retrieving and Renewing the Catholic Human Rights Tradition. (1979)
• Nuclear Ethics: A Christian Moral Argument" (1983)
• Justice, Peace, and Human Rights: American Catholic Social Ethics in a Pluralistic World (1990)
• Catholicism and Liberalism: Contributions to American Public Philosophy (With R. Bruce Douglass)(1994)
• The Common Good and Christian Ethics (2002)
• The Global Face of Public Faith: Politics, Human Rights, and Christian Ethics (2003)
• Modern Catholic Social Teaching: Commentaries and Interpretations (2005)
• Refugee Rights: Ethics Advocacy, and Africa (2008)
• Driven from Home: Protecting the Rights of Forced Migrants (2010)

See also

• Gary Chartier
• John Courtney Murray Award
• Society of Jesus

References

1. "David Hollenbach, S.J. - Theology Department -". Boston College. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
2. Boston College Theology Department. "David Hollenbach". Boston College. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
3. "DAVID HOLLENBACH, S.J.". Boston College Personal Web Server (sites created by faculty, staff, and students). Retrieved 2011-04-12.
4. Craig, Daniel M (1 January 2004). "Book Review". The Journal of Religion. doi:10.1086/382324. JSTOR 10.
5. Egan, Keith J (2002). "David Hollenbach,The Common Good and Christian Ethics". St. Mary's College. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 17 April 2011.

External links

• Ever Ancient, Ever New: Ruminations on the City, the Soul, and the Church Review of David Hollenbach's Justice, Peace and Human Rights American Catholic Social Ethics in a Pluralistic World by Ernest L. Fortin
• Center for Human Rights and International Justice CHRIJ official website