The Jesus Seminar was a group of about 150 critical Biblical scholars founded in 1985 by Robert Funk (1926-2005). Although never formally disbanded, the seminar effectively ceased functioning in 2006. Their goal was to reconstruct the historical Jesus and find out what exactly Jesus said. The result was that they portrayed Jesus as an itinerant Hellenistic Jewish sage, a faith-healer, who preached a gospel of liberation from injustice. However, they believed that Jesus did not hold an apocalyptic worldview, as indicated in the canonical writings. The methods and conclusions of the Jesus Seminar came under very harsh criticism by some biblical scholars, historians, and clergy. However, this Jesus Seminar produced a significant number of publications for over 20 years, especially articles about the Gospel of Thomas.
injustice
The unjust ones (Am 5:7-5:7)
“O!
You turn justice
To wormwood!
You bring righteousness
To the ground!”
Amos said that justice was sweet, not like the bitterness of wormwood, a prominent tree in Israel. The wicked ones wanted to bring the righteous ones down to the ground. They wanted the bitterness of injustice rather than justice.
The unjust king and his house (Jer 22:13-22:14)
“Woe to him
Who builds his house
With unrighteousness!
Woe to him
Who builds his upper rooms
With injustice!
Woe to him
Who makes his neighbors
Work for nothing!
Woe to him
Who does not give them
Their wages!
Woe to him
Who says
‘I will build myself
A spacious house
With large upper rooms.’
He cuts out windows for it.
He panels it with cedar.
He paints it with vermilion.”
This seems to be a swipe at King Jehoiakim or King Eliakim (609-598 BCE) who was put in charge by the Egyptian king. Apparently, he decided to expand the palace using Egyptian styles, like large upper rooms, lots of windows, paneled cedar, and vermilion paint. Jeremiah seems to censure him for building this great palace with injustice and unrighteousness, since he did not correctly pay the people who did the work.
The importance of good relationships (Isa 58:6-58:9)
“Is not this the fast that I choose?
You must loose the bonds of injustice!
You must undo the thongs of the yoke!
Let the oppressed go free!
Break every yoke!
Is it not to share your bread
With the hungry?
Is it not to bring the homeless poor
Into your house?
When you see the naked,
Cover them!
Do not hide yourself
From your own relatives!
Then your light shall break forth
Like the dawn.
Your healing shall spring up quickly.
Your vindicator shall go before you.
The glory of Yahweh
Shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call.
Now Yahweh will answer.
You shall cry for help.
He will say.
‘Here I am.’”
Third Isaiah has Yahweh explain what kind of relationships that they should have while fasting. They should try to do away with injustice. They should try to lift the yoke of those who are oppressed. They should share their bread with the hungry. They should provide housing for the homeless. They should clothe the naked. In some sense, this sounds like the later Christian beatitudes in the gospel stories. They should take care of their relatives or next of kin. If they did all these things, then their light would be like the dawning of a new day. They would heal quickly. Their vindicator would lead them, while the glory of God would be behind them. If they called him, obviously the Lord, Yahweh, would answer their cry for help with a simple saying that he was here. How you treat others has an impact on how you treat God.
False justice (Isa 10:1-10:4)
“Woe to you
Who make iniquitous decrees!
Woe to you
Who write oppressive statutes!
You turn aside
The needy from justice!
You rob the poor of my people
Of their right!
Widows may be your spoil!
You make the orphans your prey!
What will you do
On the day of punishment?
What will you do
In the calamity
That will come from afar?
To whom will you flee for help?
Where will you leave your wealth?
Will you crouch among the prisoners?
Will you fall among the slain?
For all this
His anger has not turned away.
His hand is still stretched out.”
Isaiah then curses those who practice injustice, those who make evil decrees and oppressive statutes. He was against those who took away justice and robbed the poor people of their rights. These unjust people took stuff from the widows and the orphans as if they were taking spoil after a war or prey for an animal. What were they going to do on the punishment day? In troubles, who would help them? Where were they going to leave their wealth? They might end up as a prisoner or get killed. Once again, this little section ends with the refrain that the angry hand of Yahweh has not turned away, since it is still stretched out today.
A reproach against bribery (Isa 5:23-5:24)
“Woe to you
Who acquit the guilty
For a bribe!
Woe to you
Who deprive the innocent
Of their rights!
Therefore,
As the tongue of fire
Devours the stubble,
So their roots will become rotten.
As dry grass sinks down
In the flame,
So their blossoms will go up
Like dust.
They have rejected
The instruction of Yahweh of hosts.
They have despised
The word of the Holy One of Israel.”
However, the real scolding comes when judges acquit a guilty person because of a bribe. They thus deprive the innocent ones of their rights. They are going to end up like stubble and dry grass devoured by a fire. Their roots will become rotten. Their blossoms will be blown off like dust. They have rejected Yahweh. They have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. Injustice is a real big deal.
Some proverbs (Sir 40:12-40:17)
“All bribery
Will be blotted out.
All injustice
Will be blotted out.
But good faith
Will last forever.
The wealth of the unjust
Will dry up like a river.
The wealth of the unjust
Will crash like a loud clap
Of thunder in a storm.
A generous person
Has cause to rejoice.
Lawbreakers
Will utterly fail.
The children of the ungodly
Put out few branches.
They are unhealthy roots
On sheer rock.
The reeds by any water
Or river bank
Are plucked up
Before any grass.
Kindness is
Like a garden of blessings.
Almsgiving endures forever.”
Sirach utters some proverbs or sayings about injustice and life. Bribery and injustice will be blotted out, but good faith will last forever. The wealth of the unjust will disappear like a dried up river or thunder in a storm, here today, but gone tomorrow. Generous people should rejoice, while the lawbreakers will fail. The children of the ungodly will have few branches because their unhealthy roots are on solid rocks so they will have no yield. They are like reeds near water that is plucked before the grass. Kindness, on the other hand, grows into a garden of blessings. Then too almsgiving endures forever.
Pride (Sir 10:6-10:13)
“Do not get angry
With your neighbor
For every injury!
Do not resort to acts of insolence!
Arrogance is hateful to the Lord.
Arrogance is hateful to mortals.
Injustice is outrageous to both also.
Sovereignty passes
From nation to nation.
This happens
On account of injustice,
On account of insolence,
On account of wealth.
How can dust be proud?
How can ashes be proud?
Even in life,
The human body decays.
A long illness baffles the physician.
The king of today
Will die tomorrow.
When one is dead,
He inherits
Maggots,
Vermin,
And worms.
The beginning of human pride
Is to forsake the Lord.
The heart has withdrawn
From its Maker.
The beginning of pride
Is sin.
The one who clings to it
Pours out abominations.”
You should not get mad with your neighbor over any perceived injuries. Do not become insolent! Arrogance is hateful to God and humans. Injustice is outrageous to the Lord and your neighbor. Sovereignty passes from one country to another because of injustice, insolence, and wealth. This is not a pretty picture. How can humans made of dust and ashes be proud? Their body will decay no matter what. Sometimes it is a baffling long illness that even physicians do not know how to cure. Even the king of today will be dead and gone tomorrow. When you die, the maggots, the vermin, and the worms will take over your body. Pride starts when you give up on the Lord and Creator. Sin is the beginning of pride. If you cling to it, there will be abominations all over the place.
Oppression (Eccl 5:8-5:9)
“If you see in a province
The oppression of the poor
If you see
The violation of justice,
The violation of rights,
Do not be amazed at the matter.
The high official
Is watched by a higher.
There are yet higher ones
Over them.
But all things considered,
There is an advantage
To a land
To have a king
For a plowed field.”
In a strange sort of remark, Qoheleth says to watch out for oppression. However, he does not seem to ask for any kind of action. If someone is oppressed and there is injustice, just don’t be amazed. Someone is in charge. They have to report to someone else even higher up. It is good to have a bureaucracy. They will take care of things like that. After all, there is an advantage in having a king to rule over cultivated or plowed fields. You can avoid the minor skirmishes that take place.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 