Divine Evil?

The Moral Character of the God of Abraham
1. Auflage 2011
ISBN: 978-0-19-957673-9
Verlag: OUP Oxford

Buch, Englisch, 352 Seiten, Format (B × H): 161 mm x 240 mm, Gewicht: 690 g

A panel of high profile authors from divergent disciplinary backgrounds in the fields of philosophy, biblical studies, and theology, representing different positions on the spectrum of religious belief (atheist, theist, Christian, Jewish, Protestant, Catholic).
Essays represent both critical and defensive approaches to the question of the moral character of the God of the Hebrew Bible.
Each piece is followed by critical commentary by another author who defends an opposing approach to the topic, thereby generating a lively style of original debate.
A helpful introduction characterizes the debate and points in directions of future research.

Adherents of the Abrahamic religions have traditionally held that God is morally perfect and unconditionally deserving of devotion, obedience, love, and worship. The Jewish, Christian, and Islamic scriptures tell us that God is compassionate, merciful, and just. As is well-known, however, these same scriptures contain passages that portray God as wrathful, severely punitive, and jealous. Critics furthermore argue that the God of these scriptures commends bigotry, misogyny, and homophobia, condones slavery, and demands the adoption of unjust laws-for example, laws that mandate the death penalty for adultery and rebellion against parents, and laws institutionalizing in various ways the diverse kinds of bigotry and oppression just mentioned. In recent days, these sorts of criticisms of the Hebrew Bible have been raised in new and forceful ways by philosophers, scientists, social commentators, and others.

This volume brings together eleven original essays representing the views of both critics and defenders of the character of God as portrayed in these texts. Authors represent the disciplines of philosophy, religion, and Biblical studies. Each essay is accompanied by comments from another author who takes a critical approach to the thesis defended in that essay, along with replies by the essay's author.

Zielgruppe

Students and scholars of the philosophy of religion; of philosophical theology; of biblical studies; of theology

Autoren/Hrsg.

Bergmann, Michael

Murray, Michael J.

Rea, Michael C.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Vergleichende Religionswissenschaft
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Religionsphilosophie, Philosophische Theologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Islam & Islamische Studien Islam: Theologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religionsphilosophie, Philosophische Theologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Systematische Theologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Jüdische Studien Jüdische Studien Jüdische Studien: Theologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Michael Bergmann, Michael J. Murray, and Michael C. Rea: Introduction
Philosophical Perspectives
I: Problems Presented
1: Louise Antony: Does God Love Us?
Eleonore Stump: Comments on 'Does God Love Us?'
Louise Antony: Reply to Stump
2: Edward Curley: The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
Peter van Inwagen: Comments on 'The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob'
Edward Curley: Reply to van Inwagen
3: Evan Fales: Satanic Verses: Moral Chaos in Holy Writ
Alvin Plantinga: Comments on 'Satanic Verses: Moral Chaos in Holy Writ.'
Evan Fales: Reply to Plantinga
II: Solutions Proposed
4: John Hare: Animal Sacrifices
James Crenshaw: Comments on Animal Sacrifices
John Hare: Reply to Crenshaw
5: Mark C. Murphy: God Beyond Justice
Wes Morriston: Comments on 'God Beyond Justice'
Mark C. Murphy: Reply to Morriston
6: Eleonore Stump: The Problem of Evil and the History of Peoples: Think Amalek
Paul Draper: Comments on 'The Problem of Evil and the History of Peoples: Think Amalek'
Eleonore Stump: Reply to Draper
7: Richard Swinburne: What does the Old Testament Mean?
Wes Morriston: Comments on 'What does the Old Testament Mean?'
Richard Swinburne: Reply to Morriston
8: Nicholas Wolterstorff: Reading Joshua
Louise Antony: Comments on 'Reading Joshua'
Nicholas Wolterstorff: Reply to Antony
Theological Perspectives
9: Gary A. Anderson: What About the Canaanites?
Nicholas Wolterstorff: Comments on 'What About the Canaanites'
Gary A. Anderson: Reply to Wolterstorff
10: Christopher Seitz: Canon and Conquest: The Character of the God of the Hebrew Bible
Evan Fales: Comments on 'Canon and Conquest: The Character of the God of the Hebrew Bible'
Christopher Seitz: Reply to Fales
Concluding Remarks
11: Howard Wettstein: God's Struggles
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Edited by Michael Bergmann, Professor of Philosophy, Purdue University, Michael J. Murray, Arthur and Katherine Shadek Professor in the Humanities and Philosophy, Franklin and Marshall College, and Michael C. Rea, Professor of Philosophy, University of Notre Dame

Contributors:
Gary A. Anderson, Professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, Department of Theology, University of Notre Dame.
Louise Antony, Professor of Philosophy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Michael Bergmann, Professor of Philosophy, Purdue University.
James Crenshaw, Robert L. Flowers Professor of Old Testament, Emeritus, Duke University.
Edwin Curley, James B. and Grace J. Nelson Professor, University of Michigan.
Paul Draper, Professor of Philosophy, Purdue University.
Evan Fales, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Iowa.
John Hare, Noah Porter Professor of Philosophical Theology, Yale University.
Wes Morriston, Professor of Philosophy, University of Colorado, Boulder.
Mark C. Murphy, Fr. Joseph T. Durkin, S.J. Professor of Philosophy, Georgetown University.
Michael J. Murray, Arthur and Katherine Shadek Professor in the Humanities and Philosophy, Franklin and Marshall College.
Michael C. Rea, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame.
Alvin Plantinga, John A. O'Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame.
Christopher Seitz, Professor of Biblical Interpretation, Toronto School of Theology, University of Toronto.
Eleonore Stump, Robert J. Henle Professor of Philosophy, St. Louis University.
Richard Swinburne, Nolloth Professor of the Philosophy of the Christian Religion, Emeritus, Oxford University.
Peter van Inwagen, John Cardinal O'Hara Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame.
Howard Wettstein, Professor of Philosophy, University of California, Riverside.
Nicholas Wolterstorff, Noah Porter Professor of Philosophical Theology, Emeritus, Yale University.