Jože Krašovec. <i>God’s Righteousness and Justice in the Old Testament</i>

Any researcher of the Old Testament, whether Hebraist, theologian, or Bible scholar, would find Jože Krašovec’s recent book a welcome addition to his or her reading list. God’s Righteousness and Justice in the Old Testament is the culmination of thirty-six years of research on the righteousness and justice of God. This work is not limited to an analysis of the semantics of ṣdq. Conversely, Krašovec employs a variety of methods including, but not limited to, linguistic, semantic, literary, intertextual, and comparative investigations. All these ultimately contribute to a thorough canonical understanding of his subject. Via such an exhaustive approach, the author attempts to address some of the tough theological tensions that arise in the text related to righteousness and justice.God’s Righteousness and Justice is divided into two primary parts. The first half of the book is a semantic and literary analysis of ṣdq. Krašovec starts this study with an investigation into the concepts of justice in the cultures surrounding that of the biblical authors, noting that unlike that which is found in the Old Testament, the cosmology of these societies did not allow room for interpersonal relationships between the divine and the human. As such, justice was only understood in the framework of civil laws, not as a divinely bestowed, personal attribute. This interpersonal aspect of righteousness and justice is further developed in a semantic discussion of the Hebrew word ṣdq. Krašovec explains there that God’s righteousness cannot be understood absent his love for the individual, his covenant people, and, subsequently, all the world.A literary analysis comprises the rest of Part 1. Krašovec demonstrates that the use of words that connote God’s righteousness remains fairly constant throughout Isaiah (treating Deutero-Isaiah and Trito-Isaiah independently). That is, “God’s righteousness is the distinctive mark of the creator and redeemer” (p. 109). The Psalms, per the author, view God’s ṣdq from a different angle, incorporating themes of retribution and mercy; God’s righteousness is demonstrated in delivering the faithful from the hands of his enemies and in showing forgiveness for his iniquities. This trend continues as God’s righteousness is explored, in less detail, in the rest of the Old Testament. Krašovec concludes that the ṣdq of God has a wide range of meanings, and it cannot be fully conceptualized with any word found in European languages. As such, the nuance of any given instance of it must be considered in light of its respective literary context.The second half of Krašovec’s work recognizes that tension might be found between the different facets of God’s righteousness. He begins by exploring how God’s righteousness factors into the Old Testament understanding of punishment and forgiveness. After first establishing that, per the Hebrew authors, God prioritizes reconciliation above punishment, Krašovec outlines theories for the justification of punishment. Then, with the aim of easing the tension between reconciliation and punishment, he contends that one of the reasons for discipline is to bring about said restoration.Another problem remains, however. If punishment for the sake of reconciliation is a dimension of God’s righteousness, then is there any justification for shows of mercy? This question is taken up in the twelfth chapter. Krašovec asserts that flawed justice in humans is the reason for forgiveness. Humans recognize that they are incapable of executing justice perfectly; they, therefore, are bound to be merciful to each other. Similarly, God bestows his mercy on humans because he recognizes their imperfections.God’s Righteousness and Justice is unquestionably the result of much labor, and it is not possible to outline each of Krašovec’s helpful insights in a such concise review. However, that the Old Testament conceptualization of God’s righteousness and justice necessitates a monotheistic framework was established particularly well. Krašovec posits throughout his work that the Hebrew authors assumed their God was the creator of all things and, thus, the standard for all human righteousness (e.g., p. 225). This is further evinced by God’s direct discipline and mercy of the individual, contra the fatalistic perspective of the surrounding polytheistic cultures.In addition, readers of this work will undoubtedly find its treatment of corporate retribution helpful (pp. 245–48). The author roots his discussion in the clear distinction between the ṣdq of God and that of humans, both in terms of theology and application. Krašovec addresses here the perceived problem of God disciplining innocent individuals for the covenant infidelity of the collective. He argues that God does not punish them directly, though he permits them to experience the destructive consequences of said infidelity. In any case, it is “firmly forbidden” for humans to administer collective punishment—notwithstanding exactly how God acts in those situations (p. 305). Though readers may agree or disagree with his conclusions, Krašovec’s contribution to this discussion is timely, and he articulates his perspective well.A comprehensive work like this is praiseworthy, though it is not without its limitations. As noted, Krašovec employs many methods to provide the reader with a comprehensive assessment of God’s ṣdq. The content of each study is, as a result, inescapably brief. His comparative analysis, for example, is covered in under seventeen pages. The author contends that the corpus of ancient materials comparable to his topic is “very slim” (p. 28). Even so, that the ancient Semitic, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman conceptualizations of justice could be thoroughly expounded in such a tight space is hard to fathom. Thus, a reader interested in a comparative (or any other) study of ṣdq might have his or her appetite whetted, but not satisfied. Again, this is less a critique of Krašovec’s work and more an acknowledgment of the nature of such well-rounded research.Limitations notwithstanding, Old Testament researchers would benefit greatly from this treatment. Krašovec provides here an exhaustive work that includes many helpful considerations for the discussion of God’s righteousness and justice.