Religion 12 - Chapter 3: Justice in Sacred Scripture

Christ the Just Judge (Pantocrator) image

• half perfect (softer, cleaner) & half imperfect (darker) - shows one person, 2 natures

• Jesus holds large closed/locked book - The Book of Life

• icon writer’s goal = window into truth; shows everything builds to Jesus (2nd lens of Resurrection)

meaning of Jesus’s name

Jesus = Greek; Hebrew version is Joshua - “God saves”

Christ/Messiah

Christ (Greek) & Messiah (Hebrew) = “anointed one”

What are the Hebrew and Greek terms for “just” and “justice” sometimes translated into English as?

righteous & righteousness

What does the Bible contain on the subject of justice? Give an example.

wealth of imagery & insight on the subject of justice

• ex. Amos 5:24 describes justice as fast-moving mountain stream meant to eradicate all the injustice in its path - “Then let justice surge like water, and goodness like an unfailing stream.”

  • foods wipe everything clean - we need justice to reset us if we get too far from God

How does Scripture present justice?

as a burning concern of God

Justice is never described simply as a _______, but a _______.

Justice is never described simply as a “balancing of scales,” but a deep commitment by God to uphold his relationship with his people.

What does the biblical description of justice involve?

fidelity (faithfulness) to what relationships require (and God is always faithful)

• keeping covenants

Often justice is described as ____ or ________. What does this mean?

righteousness or “walking with God” - so someone who is just/righteous walks with God, upholding their end of the covenant

covenant

solemn agreement between God & humans or between humans; binds God to His people & us to each other in pursuit of the common good

What is the sign of the covenant with Noah?

rainbow

What is the sign of the covenant with creation?

Sabbath

What is the sign of the covenant with Abraham?

circumcision

What is the sign of the covenant with Moses?

stone tablets

What is the sign of the covenant with David?

nation/land

Where in the Bible does God speak of the New Covenant, and how?

in Jeremiah - it will be entered into by Jesus

How does Gensis/the story of Cain and Abel relate to the common good?

Cain asks, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” - answer should be yes b/c responsibility for common good of all

Common good

sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully & easily

3 elements to the common good, which overlap with universal human rights

1. Respect for everyone’s life & dignity - this meets our basic need

2. Commitment to social well-being & development of group, especially by ensuring an individual’s basic needs are met

3. Establishment of peaceful & just society

   • order of common good is “founded on truth, built up in justice, & animated by love”

Caritas in Veritate + what Pope Benedict XVI says in it

“charity (love) in truth”

• striving for common good = loving our neighbors & doing them justice

What does sharing blood with family indicate?

special relationship with them

It’s difficult, if not impossible, to love others without…

meeting their needs

T/F: Even if everyone in society wants something, it might not be for the common good.

True

What are God’s special interest groups?

orphan, widow, alien (immigrant, foreigner, stranger), hungry, poor

Preferential option for the poor

God performs justice to these groups first

Why are orphans a special interest group?

parents give you your earthly identity

widows as special interest group

• ancient world: woman = property; God’s teaching on widows was improvement

• if childless, widow can remarry

• are subject to legal protection & special concern by society, and especially protected by God

• maltreatment of widows provokes divine wrath

Why are aliens a special interest group, and how does this relate to all of us?

away from homeland - relates to all of us b/c our homeland is heaven

St. Augustine’s quote about the chief condition of man

“The chief condition of man in life is that of a beggar before God.”

Why does God have special care for His special interest groups?

• this is our position in relationship to God

• they’re outcasts - have nothing

• they’re vulnerable

• each is missing a basic need

• it’s our fault - disparities are our creation b/c we don’t care for them

What does Lv say about our fellow countrymen, and what does it show?

treat as alien or tenant so can continue to live with us when in poverty

• neighbor is our responsibility - don’t want them to have to leave

What does the book of Leviticus continue in?

legal tradition of Israelites

Decalogue

is justice; first 3 = justice to God (what we owe Him), last 7 = justice to neighbor

1. I am the Lord your God; you shall not have other gods before me.

2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

3. Keep holy the Sabbath day.

4. Honor your mother and your father.

5. You shall not kill.

6. You shall not commit adultery.

7. You shall not steal.

8. You shall not lie/bear false witness against your neighbor.

9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.

10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

What do the 10 Commandments lead to in the Church, and what does this show?

the Precepts of the Church - shows doctrine develops, doesn’t change

What is Psalm 146:6-9 about? (justice for oppressed)

God “secures justice for the oppressed” - gives food to hungry, sight to blind, protects stranger, etc., but thwarts wicked

Proverbs 31:9 (open your mouth)

“Open your mouth, decree what is just, defend the needy and the poor!”

message of Sirach 4:1-9 (do not exasperate the downtrodden)

“do not exasperate [add to] the downtrodden . . . give no man reason to curse you; for if in the bitterness of his soul he curse you, his creator will hear his prayer.”

When/what was Moses’s revelation?

during theophany of burning bush - God says He’s heard the cry of the Israelites (connects to Sirach 4)

Isaiah 1:17 (justice your aim)

“make justice your aim; redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow”

• “your aim” b/c to sin = to miss mark in archery

Micah 6:8 (you’ve been told what is good)

“You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.”

• walk w/ God = be righteous

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

What is Luke 4:18-19 about? (God anointed Jesus)

Jesus saying God anointed Him to “bring glad tidings”/do good for poor/oppressed & “to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”

• Jubilee Year - when Jews forgave debts

What are the words of Isaiah fulfilled in?

Jesus’s public ministry

What from Luke 19:10 is crucial to our understanding of Catholic Social Teaching?

reality that Christ came to “seek & save the lost”

Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)

Jesus is new Moses, but now brings ppl up the mountain with Him (shows doctrine develops)

• beatitudes about the anawim

Why does Matthew have 5 parts?

to reflect 5 books of Pentateuch (b/c audience = Jews)

beatitude

blessed, happy

anawim

ppl without material possessions who kept a positive attitude, realized their helplessness, & sought out God for all their needs

What were the Pharisees most concerned with?

cultural obligations of the law

Sadducees

• responsibility was custody of the Temple

• didn’t believe in resurrection

When the Pharisees and Sadducees tested Jesus by asking which is the greatest of the commandments, what were they asking about? What did Jesus’s answer sum up/reflect?

• asking which is the greatest of the 637 cultural laws

• Jesus’s greatest commandment summed up commandments 1-3, second summed up 4-10

• reflected Dt 10:12 and following - you shall love the Lord

Deuteronomy

the book of the law

Dt 30 - “Shema”

Hebrew for hear, obey, listen

• “hear O Israel, love the Lord…”

In the story of the good Samaritan, where are the people coming from?

priest, Levite, & Samaritan are coming from Jerusalem - the Temple

Who does the story of the good Samaritan indicate your neighbor is?

anyone in need of mercy

explain the painting of the Last Judgement

• Jesus’s hands are in the sign of Jesus’s 2 natures and blessing of Aaron

• St. John of the Cross on the right

• angel holds scale - weighing people

• those going to hell (on the right) are terrified of Christ

• Cross, crown of thorns, etc. to left & right of Jesus

explain Matthew 25:31-46 - the Last Judgement

Christ’s foretelling of the Paraousia - Greek “para” = sound, “ousia” = being, presence

• must do righteous deeds

• expanded the special interest groups - “least of these brothers” (Jesus identifies Himself with them)

• both sides are shocked (ask when they did/didn’t do these things)

When does Jesus identify Himself with others in the Bible?

• “least of these brothers” in foretelling of Last Judgement

• apostles/bishops

• Eucharist (John 6, Last Supper)

“Jesus, in other words, is the _____ and _____ manifestation of how God acts towards men and women.”

tangible and definitive

Jesus becomes what for His disciples (in relation to good works/God’s love)?

becomes “the example and pattern of this for His disciples”

We can’t perform acts of ________ and _________ apart from Christ; we need His grace.

true justice and real charity

justice

the cardinal/moral/human virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give God and neighbor their due

cardinal virtues

justice, prudence, temperance, fortitude

• Latin “cardo” = hinge - so cardinal virtues are hinges upon when moral life open & closes, letting good things in & keeping bad things out

virtue

habitual & firm disposition of the will to do the good - “nothing other than perfect love of God… [as] four forms of love.” - St. Augustine

• “vir” = Latin for man or power

vice

habit of doing the bad

virtue that enables us to choose the right course of action inspired by the moral law

prudence

explain the painting of Lady Prudence

she’s looking into a mirror b/c “The prudent man looks where he’s going” - St. Augustine

virtue which enables us to control our passions in order to maintain a clear mind and strong will

temperance, aka “sobriety” or “moderation” in Sacred Scripture

virtue which enables us to perform good actions amid obstacles and difficulties

fortitude

explain the painting of Lady Fortitude

pets a lioness (courage), oak tree in background (stability)

virtue which enables us to render what is due to God and neighbor

justice

explain the painting of Lady Justice

holds sword of justice b/c to decide - Latin “de cidere” = “to cut”

Leviticus 19:15 (“partial to poor”)

“You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.”

Col 4:1 - treatment of slaves

“Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, for you alos have a master in heaven.”

Justice becomes a habit of…

thought, being, and the heart

Explain what justice is according to. (St. Thomas Aquinas + Luke 12:48)

“from each according to means… to each according to means”

• Luke 12:48 - “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will e required of the person entrusted with more.”

How does one act justly?

by always giving to God and neighbor what is due to them

According to St. Thomas Aquinas, justice is the steady and lasting willingness to give to others what belongs to them _____.

by right

charity

from Latin “caritas” - love; leads us to help others in their need by sharing what we have

How are charity and justice related? Justice helps others by giving them what is ________. Charity helps others by giving them what is _________.

rightfully theirs, rightfully ours

What does it mean to say that justice is personal?

social justice begins with the personal moral decisions of indviduals

Of the four cardinal virtues, only justice is…

necessarily social (directed toward others)

What is justice a meaure of?

how well we treat others

Most external acts have… (+ define external acts)

external/social consequences

• external acts = acts of virtue or vice

Every act of virtue or vice involves…

justice or injustice

What does justice always presume the existence of? Explain.

rights

• justice comes from Latin “ius” (or “jus”) - right/correct

natural rights definition

rights that intrinsically belong to us b/c we’re human; they ensure we have freedom to fulfill our natural & supernatural destiny

List our natural rights.

• right to life

• right to bodily integrity

• right to personal and vocational freedom

• right to hold property

universal destination of early goods

everyone has a right to possess the necessities in life

Are all natural rights absolute and inalienable? Give examples.

No - but they’re only rare exceptions

• ex. restrictions on ownership of property (to benefit society as whole)

• ex. limiting food/fuel to make available to more ppl

• ex. right to life is surrendered sometimes (self-defense, combatants in just war)

What does the state exist to do with regards to right?

to protect rights, not to take them away or to give them (God gives us our rights)

What are the four types of justice?

commutative, distributive, legal, & social

commutative justice

governs exchange between individuals and private groups

• justice in families, friendships, work relationships, contracts, paying back debts, property rights, etc.

• “com” = Latin for with, between

What does commutative justice prohibit?

homicide, theft, fraud, exploitation, gossip (right to good reputation)

What happens when commutative justice has been violated?

offending party has moral obligation to repair the wrong

T/F: Without commutative justice, no other forms of justice are possible.

True

legal justice

measures how individuals respond to obligations of living in society/under the state - governs what they owe country and society

What is legal justice the opposite of/what does it combat?

individualism - favoring freedom of action of individuals over good of society

What is our responsibility to the state?

things that fall under legal justice - paying taxes, following just laws, offering help when needed, etc.

distributive justice

measures ways and means by which authority distributes goods & obligations of social life among members of society

• this is the role of authority; it shouldn’t exclude/oppress people