To The Question Of Just Revenge: Reading Obadiah

Authors

  • Eduard Denysiuk Christian institute in Transcarpathia, Ukraine

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29357/2789-1577.2023.21.1.4

Keywords:

Obadiah, prophetic genre, righteous revenge, judgment of God, Other

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to consider the theology of the book of the prophet Obadiah, which reveals the perspective on which the desire for revenge for the wrong done and God’s justice converge. The second part of the purpose is to apply the research results in the context of the global war that has been going on in Ukraine for over a year. This can be achieved by depicting the historical picture, which became a prerequisite for the proclamation/fixation of the words of Obadiah, which can help interpret some ethical aspects of the theological message of the prophet. Accordingly, one of the research methods is the historical-critical study of the book of the prophet Obadiah, aiming to deduce the peculiarities of the prerequisites for its writing. Another methodology will attempt to analyze the researched data and emphasize their relevance to Ukrainian Christianity today. In the course of the work, certain principles from ancient Israeli beliefs in Yahweh outlining the understanding of justice and judgment were discovered. An attempt was made to apply those principles to the present. The valuable experience contained in the study can contribute to the preparation of Ukrainian Christians to accept the traumatized Other – the one who encountered and experienced the horrors of war and faced loss.

References

  1. Оей, Амос Вінарто. "Поганий, гірший, найгірший. Роздум про християнське прощення тих, хто нас травмує". В Подолання травми: глобальні, біблійні та пасторські перспективи, ПП "Формат"., 163–72. Рівне, 2023.
  2. Baker, David W. Joel, Obadiah, Malachi: The NIV Application Commentary from Biblical Text-to Contemporary Life. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2006.
  3. Baker, David W., T. Desmond Alexander, and Bruce K. Waltke. Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah: an introduction and commentary. Tyndale Old Testament commentaries, v. 26. Nottingham, England: Downers Grove, Ill: Inter-Varsity Press; Intervarsity Press, 2009.
  4. Ben Zvi, Ehud. A historical-critical study of the book of Obadiah. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 242. Berlin ; New York: Walter de Gruyter, 1996.
  5. Brueggemann, Walter. An Introduction to the Old Testament: The Canon and Christian Imagination. First edition. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003.
  6. Butler, Trent C., and Max E. Anders. Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah. Holman Old Testament Commentary, v. 19. Nashville, Tenn: Holman Reference, 2005.
  7. Calvin, Jean, and John King. John Calvin’s Commentaries On Joel, Amos, Obadiah. Extended Annotated Edition. Altenmünster: Jazzybee Verlag, 2012.
  8. Cowles, C. S. Show them no mercy: four views on God and Canaanite genocide. Counterpoints. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2003.
  9. Feinberg, Charles Lee. The Minor Prophets. Moody Press paperback ed. Chicago: Moody Press, 1990.
  10. Hassler, Mark A. "The setting of Obadiah: when does the oracle concerning Edom transpire?" Journal Of The Evangelical Theological Society, вип. 59/2 (2016): 241–54.
  11. Jenson, Philip Peter. Obadiah, Jonah, Micah: a theological commentary. Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament studies 496. New York: T&T Clark, 2008.
  12. Lind, Millard. Yahweh is a warrior: the theology of warfare in ancient Israel. A Christian peace shelf selection. Scottdale, Pa: Herald Press, 1980.
  13. Mason, Rex. Micah, Nahum, Obadiah. T&T Clark study guides. London; New York: T & T Clark International, 1991.
  14. McComiskey, Thomas Edward, ред. The Minor Prophets: an exegetical and expository commentary. Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Book House, 1992.
  15. O’Brien, Julia M. The Oxford Handbook of the Minor Prophets. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2021.
  16. Patterson, Richard Duane, Eugene H. Merrill, і Carl Edwin Armerding. Joel, Obadiah, Malachi. The Expositor`s Bible Commentary. Revised Edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008.
  17. Peels, H. G. L., and Fanie Snyman. The lion has roared: theological themes in the prophetic literature of the Old Testament. Eugene, Or: Pickwick Publications, 2012.
  18. Rad, Gerhard von, and Marva J. Dawn. Holy War in Ancient Israel. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 1991.
  19. Watts, John D. W. Obadiah: A Critical Exegetical Commentary. Alpha Publications. Winona Lake, 1981.

Downloads

Published

2023-08-16

How to Cite

Denysiuk, Eduard. 2023. “To The Question Of Just Revenge: Reading Obadiah”. Theological Reflections: Eastern European Journal of Theology 21 (1):75-89. https://doi.org/10.29357/2789-1577.2023.21.1.4.

Issue

Vol. 21 No. 1 (2023): Theological Reflections: Eastern European Journal of Theology

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Eduard Denysiuk

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

All articles published in the Journal are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

By submitting an article for publication in Theological Reflections: Eastern European Journal of Theology the author grants the editors the right to publish the article and distribute it in electronic and print form.

The author reserves all copyrights and the right to use the materials of the article in whole or in part for educational purposes, to write his own dissertations, to prepare abstracts, conference reports, oral presentations, etc., as well as post electronic copies of articles (including the final electronic version downloaded from the journal’s official website) on non-commercial web-resources without the consent of the editorial board and founders.