Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-12-2015
Publication Title
Interpretation (United Kingdom)
Abstract
Recent scholarship has tended to see the book of Job as sweeping away an earlier, mechanistic theology of divine recompense. This essay argues that the widespread biblical notion that God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked is more complex than generally recognized and that recovering its nuances not only helps one better understand the theological outlook of books like Deuteronomy, Proverbs, and Psalms, but also helps one better grasp the debates within Job. The essay is framed by some reflections on why our contemporary culture regularly misreads the Bible's language of divine retribution in spite of the fact that many contemporary readers affirm analogous ideas of reward and punishment.
Keywords
Deuteronomy, Divine justice, Divine recompense, Job, Psalms, Religious language, Reward and punishment, Theology of retribution
Volume
69
Issue
3
First Page
299
Last Page
310
DOI
10.1177/0020964315578207
ISSN
00209643
Rights
© The Author 2015
Recommended Citation
Kaminsky, Joel, "Would you Impugn My Justice? A Nuanced Approach to the Hebrew Bible's Theology of Divine Recompense" (2015). Religion: Faculty Publications, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/rel_facpubs/28
Comments
Archived as published.