Content

This unit studies the various ways the Hebrew Bible explores the justice of God. The unit will examine the experience of suffering, and responses to this experience that explicitly and implicitly give rise to theodicy. Various theodicies will be studied in the context of different literary traditions, including the Pentateuch, narrative writings, the Psalms, Wisdom literature and Prophetic writings. Critical and exegetical tools will be used to study selected passages within these traditions. Through the lenses of pastoral and spiritual care these traditions will be contextualised in contemporary community settings, and address issues including end-of-life/palliative care, aging, mental health, and trauma. Systemic and institutional themes will also be explored.

Unit code: BA2008S

Unit status: Archived (New unit)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 2

Unit discipline: Old Testament

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: Stirling College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Demonstrate a familiarity with the ideology of theodicy in a range of Hebrew biblical traditions

2.

Discuss a variety of scholarly approaches to studying the texts of the Hebrew Bible in relation to theodicy

3.

Explain the relationship between theodicy and socio-political contexts in the world of the Hebrew Bible

4.

Articulate and critique theodicy in current church and world discourse.

Unit sequence

BA1001S Introducing the Hebrew Bible or equivalent

Pedagogy

Rotating lecture/discussion/group work

Indicative Bibliography

  • Brueggemann, W. Theology of the Old Testament. Minneapolis, Fortress, 1997, Part II: "Israel's Counter-Testimony" (pp. 317-406).
  • Crenshaw, J. Defending God. Oxford, OUP, 2005
  • Cheryl Exum, J. Tragedy and Biblical Narrative: Arrows of the Almighty. Cambridge, cUP, 1992.
  • Davidson, R. The Courage to Doubt. London, SCM, 1983.
  • Floysvik, I. When God becomes my enemy: the theology of the complaint Psalms. St Louis, Concordia Academic, 1997.
  • Fretheim, T. The Suffering of God. Philadelphia, Fortress, 1984.
  • Laato, A. & Johannes C. de Moor, Theodicy in the World of the Bible. Leiden: Brill, 2003
  • Levenson, J. *Creation and the Persistence of Evi*l. San Fransisco, Harper, 1988.
  • Linafelt, T. & Timothy K. Beal (eds), God in the Fray. Minneapolis, Fortress, 1998.
  • Long, Thomas. What then shall we say: Evil, Suffering and the Crisis of Faith. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011.
  • Scott, Mark. Pathways in Theodicy: An Introduction to the Problem of Evil. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2015.
  • Stump, E. Wandering in Darkness: Narrative and the Problem of Suffering. Oxford, Clarendon, 2010.
  • Thompson, M. “Where is the God of Justice?” The Old Testament and Suffering. Eugene, Pickwick Publications, 2011.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Essay

2,000 word essay

0 50.0
Critical Review

1,000 word critical reflection on set reading

0 25.0
Essay

1,000 word tutorial paper

0 25.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by John Capper on 1 Nov, 2016

Unit record last updated: 2022-10-04 13:28:31 +1100