Justice, Mercy and Theodicy in the Old Testament (BA2018Y)

Content

This unit will examine how the Old Testament portrays God as just and merciful and the criteria whereby Israel is called to be the just and merciful society. It will consist of an analysis of the terms Justice and Mercy and associated terminology within their literary, historical and theological contexts. It will consider how these terms and the contexts in which they are used contribute to Theodicy—the notion of the just God.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

BA1020 and BN1020 or the equivalent

Pedagogy

Lectures, seminars, discussions

Indicative Bibliography

• Birch, B. C. Let justice roll down: The Old Testament, ethics, and Christian life. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1991.
• Boda, Mark J. A Severe Mercy: Sin and Its Remedy in the Old Testament. Siphrut; Literature and Theology of the Old Testament Scriptures. Winona Lakes IN.: Eisenbrauns, 2009.
• Boecker, H. J. Law and the administration of justice in the Old Testament and Ancient East. Augsburg, MN: Fortress Press, 1980.
• Crenshaw, J. L. Theodicy in the Old Testament. London: SPCK, 1983.
• ––––––––– . Defending God: Biblical Responses to the Problem of Evil. Oxford: OUP, 2005.
• Heagle, John. Justice Rising: The emerging biblical vision. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2010.
• Houston, Walter J. Contending for justice: Ideologies and theologies of social justice in the Old Testament. London: T & T Clark, 2006.
• O’Brien, Mark A. Restoring the Right Relationship: The Bible on Divine Righteousness. Adelaide: ATF Press, 2014. (Set text)
• Perdue, Leo. The Collapse of History: Reconstructing Old Testament Theology. OBT. Augsburg, MN: Fortress Press, 1994.
• –––––––––––. Reconstructing Old Testament Theology: After the Collapse of History. OBT. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2005.
• Weinfeld, Moshe. Social Justice in Ancient Israel and in the Ancient Near East. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1995.

Assessment