Defending God : biblical responses to the problem of evil / James L. Crenshaw.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Crenshaw, James L.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bible. Old Testament--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bible.

Theodicy--Biblical teaching.

Theodicy.

Good and evil--Biblical teaching.

Good and evil.

Physical Description:

x, 275 p.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2005.

Summary:

In the ancient Near East, when the gods detected gross impropriety in their ranks, they subjected their own to trial. When mortals suspect their gods of wrongdoing, do they have the right to put them on trial? What lies behind the human endeavor to impose moral standards of behavior on thegods? Is this effort an act of arrogance, as Kant suggested, or a means of keeping theological discourse honest? It is this question James Crenshaw seeks to address in this wide-ranging study of ancient theodicies. Crenshaw has been writing about and pondering the issue of theodicy - the humaneffort to justify the ways of the gods or God - for many years. In this volume he presents a synthesis of his ideas on this perennially thorny issue. The result sheds new light on the history of the human struggle with this intractable problem.

Contents:

Part I: Spreading the blame around

The atheistic answer : abandoning the quest

Alternative gods : falling back on a convenient worldview

A demon at work : letting benevolence slip

Part II: Redefining God

Limited power and knowledge : accentuating human freedom

Split personality : reconciling justice with mercy

A disciplinary procedure : stimulating growth in virtue

Punishment for sin : blaming the victim

Part III: Shifting to the human scene

Suffering as atonement : making the most of a bad thing

Justice deferred : banking on life beyond the grave

Mystery : appealing to human ignorance

Disinterested righteousness : questioning the problem.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [251]-264) and indexes.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0198032080

9780198032083

0-19-983560-8

1-4237-2002-4

0-19-988156-1

9786611196707

1-281-19670-3

0-19-803208-0

OCLC:

61329666