The Problem of Evil and its Symbols in Jewish and Christian Tradition

by Graf Reventlow, Henning; Hoffman, Yair

• ISBN13: 9780826462220
• ISBN10: 0826462227
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780826400857
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-12-30
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

The existence of evil in the world represents one of the most complex problems for those who believe in God. Here, a range of Jewish and Christian contributors examine the issue of evil in the Bible and its impact on Judaism and Christianity from a variety of perspectives. For example, how has Jewish mysticism explained evil, and what were Luther's thoughts on the topic? The dialogue between specialists from different fields allows a broad overview of this problematic issue.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Abbreviations	viii
List of Contributors	xi
Part I The Bible
`Evil' in the Books of Kings	2	(12)
Winfried Thiel
Jeremiah 50-51 and the Concept of Evil in the Hebrew Bible	14	(15)
Yair Hoffman
The Wrath at God in the Book of Lamentations	29	(14)
Edward L. Greenstein
Evil and its Symbols in Psalms 14; 53; 36; 12	43	(15)
Osnat Singer
The Evil Ones and the Godless: A Problem of Identity in Biblical Wisdom	58	(10)
Henning Graf Reventlow
The Devil in the Revelation of St John	68	(8)
Klaus Wengst
Part II Religious History and Judaism
Evil in the World of Religions	76	(7)
Hans-Peter Hasenfratz
Evil and its Symbols in the Qumran Scrolls	83	(14)
Bilha Nitzan
The Concept of Evil and its Sanctification in Kabbalistic Thought	97	(27)
Yoram Jacobson
Part III Systematic Questions
Augustine and Luther on Evil	124	(23)
Dietmar Wyrwa
Good and Evil in Ethics	147	(10)
Christofer Frey
The Riddle of Evil -- The Auschwitz-Question	157	(11)
Christian Link
Evil: A Topic for Religious Education?	168	(10)
Franz-Heinrich Beyer
Part IV Modern Literature
The Question of Evil in Israeli Holocaust Fiction	178	(15)
Yochai Oppenheimer
Bibliography	193	(16)
Index of References	209	(8)
Index of Authors	217