Bible and Justice: Ancient Texts, Modern Challenges

by Coomber,Matthew J. M.

• ISBN13: 9781845535278
• ISBN10: 1845535278
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2014-08-21
• Publisher: Acumen Pub Ltd

Summary

The Bible contains a variety of passages that defend the poor and champion the cause of the oppressed, but are these ancient texts able to find a voice in confronting injustice in the modern world? Bible and Justice, a selection of papers compiled from the proceedings of the 2008 Conference on Bible and Justice at the University of Sheffield, addresses this question. The authors gathered within this volume explore the various ways in which the Bible might effectively confront an array of human rights, poverty and environmental concerns, while considering the difficulties that arise when ancient concepts of justice are applied to modern socio-political ideals. Written to be accessible to those outside the field of biblical studies, Bible and Justice will be a valuable resource for both academics and non-academics alike.

Author Biography

Matthew J.M. Coomber received his Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from the University of Sheffield in 2010 and is currently a visiting scholar at Concordia College-Moorhead. He is the author of Re-Reading the Prophets Through Corporate Globalization: A Cultural-Evolutionary Approach to Economic Injustice in the Hebrew Bible (2010) and has guest-edited a special edition of Political Theology (volume 11, number 3, 2010) that focuses on the 2008 Conference on Bible and Justice. In addition to this work on ancient-Near Eastern economics and the use and influence of the Bible in culture and society, Coomber serves as a priest in the Episcopal Church.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
Challenges and Understandings of Bible and Justice
On the Genesis of the Alliance Between the Bible and Rights	p. 13
Rough Justice?	p. 43
Is the Belief in Human Rights Either Biblical or Useful?	p. 57
Jesus: The Justice of God	p. 70
Uses and Approaches to Bible and Justice
Justice and Violence in the Priestly Utopia	p. 93
A Signs Source: Approaching Deaf Biblical Interpretation	p. 106
From a Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) of the Economy to the RDP of the Soul: Public Realm Biblical Appropriation in Postcolonial South Africa	p. 122
Prospects for Applications of Bible and Justice
The Old Testament and the Environment	p. 147
Ecojustice in the Bible? Pauline Contributions to an Ecological Theology	p. 158
Can the Book of Revelation Be a Gospel for the Environment?	p. 178
The Kindness of Strangers: Biblical Hospitality and the Politics of Intervention	p. 195
Prophets to Profits: Ancient Judah and Corporate Globalization	p. 212
Index of References	p. 238
Index of Names and Subjects	p. 242
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