Justice, Evil, and the Search for Meaning (BA9018Y)

Postgraduate, 24.0 points

Content

This unit reflects on the question of who is responsible for suffering on an individual or a collective level. This issue arises in multiple texts from the Hebrew Bible. It appears in the Pentateuch, the historical works, the prophets, Wisdom literature, and apocalyptic literature. At the heart of the matter is the relationship with God and the struggle to find meaning and justice.

Unit code: BA9018Y

Unit status: Approved (Major revision)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: Old Testament

Delivery Mode: Blended

Proposing College: Yarra Theological Union

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Learning outcomes

1.

Analyse the historical and literary issues associated with the relevant biblical works and their interpretation
2.

Analyse the theological understandings of the relevant biblical works
3.

Demonstrate a critical ability to engage with the scholarship
4.

Critically exegete key biblical texts
5.

Critically evaluate how to interpret biblical insights in the contexts of contemporary living

Unit sequence

1xBA unit

Pedagogy

Synchronous lectures and seminar discussion

Indicative Bibliography

  • Adams, S.L., M.J. Goff (eds.). Wiley Blackwell Companion to Wisdom Literature. Hooken, N.J.: Wiley, 2020.
  • Crenshaw, J.L. Defending God: Biblical Responses to the Problem of Evil. Oxford: OUP, 2005.
  • Dalit, Rom-Shiloni, Voices from the Ruins: Theodicy and the Fall of Jerusalem. Grand Rapids, MI.: Eerdmans, 2021.
  • Dell, K.J., S.R. Millar, A.J. Keefer (eds.). The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Wisdom Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022.
  • Habel, N.C., The Book of Job: A Commentary. London: SCM, 1985.
  • Keefer, A.J., Ecclesiastes and the Meaning of Life in the Ancient World. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2022.
  • O’Brien, M. Restoring the Right Relationship: The Bible on Divine Righteousness. Adelaide: ATF Press, 2014.
  • Segal, B.J. Kohelet’s Pursuit of Truth: A New Reading of Ecclesiastes. Jerusalem: Gefen, 2016.
  • Thompson, M.E.W. ‘Where is the God of Justice?’: The Old Testament and Suffering. Eugene, Or., Pickwick, 2011.
  • Wilson L. Job. Grand Rapids, MI.: Eerdmans, 2015.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Exegesis 2400 35.0
Essay 4600 65.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 29 Aug, 2025

Unit record last updated: 2025-08-29 11:24:37 +1000