Since theodicy is a common human issue raised during atrocity, habakkuk s experience becomes a source of hope and resolute faith for the believing community in the midst of severe adversity. Apr 09, 2018 starting today i will be sharing a fivepart series through the book of habakkuk. The book of habakkuk is traditionally divided into five sections. Book of job in bible deals with the problem of evil.
When habakkuk laments over yahwehs silence over the unrighteous behavior of the wicked among him, he learns to his surprise that the lord is working by raising up the mighty, violent chaldeans to judge judah, that this is not a conflict with his uprightness as judahs god because those who are faithful will live through the ordeal and that the guilty babylonians will also be judged for their idolatrous evil 1. Since he prophesied the coming babylonian army and its destruction of judah, he prophesied some time before that invasion. Grace kos theodicy in habakkuk a reworking of her 2009 university of st. This dialogue and its subsequent psalm of praise also provide perhaps the clearest attempt of providing a theodicy4 in all the prophet writings. A dictionary of the bible contains accessibly written entries for topics covering the religious, historical, and social aspects of the bible. It probably comes from the verb qbj meaning to fold ones hands or to embrace.
Michaels college doctoral dissertation intends not only to deal with how the problem of gods apparent silence in the face of evil is addressed in habakkuk, but to compare and contrast habakkuk s treatment of theodicy. The book of habakkuk can be divided into three sections. Although habakkuk is initially overwhelmed by the circumstances all about him, by the end of the book, all has changed. Habakkuk is found in the latin vulgate, the syriac version and the targum jonathan on the prophets. This is an introduction to the book of habakkuk, and what you can expect from the miniseries. Each disciple represents some aspect of the quality of the spiritual life within us. Many commentators believe that habakkuks name was derived from the hebrew word habaq which means to fold ones hands or embrace. Now theres a good chance some of us have never turned to the book of habakkuk in our entire lives, maybe some of us have never even heard of the book of habakkuk, but let me. Introduction from the niv study bible go to micah author. Some ancient authors represent him as belonging to the tribe of levi.
The book of the twelve prophets in biblical scholarship. God, make what has been heard and told about your past deliverances into a present, lived reality in the midst of violent judgment of wickedness. Habakkuk, on the other hand, will enable you to introduce theodicy more concisely. A practical theodicy is a defense of gods righteousness which is faithful to the scripture, simple to understand, acknowledges the progression in the grief process, allows the sufferer to grieve and cry out to god. Rather it is a dialogue between the prophet and god. Study guide for habakkuk 1 by david guzik blue letter bible. Summary of the book of habakkuk the story of the bible. The contrast between habakkuk s initial and final states is extraordinary. Both times, he identified himself as habakkuk the prophet habakkuk 1. The book is thus a theodicy, a defense of gods goodness and power in view of the problem of evil. Every prophet is unique in his own right, habakkuk being no exception.
Book of habakkuk overview insight for living ministries. After the introductory title of the book, the second verse opens with a v. Habakkuk 1 is the first chapter of the book of habakkuk in the hebrew bible or the old testament of the christian bible. This book is the oracle which habakkuk the prophet. Pdf theodicy, wisdom, and prophecy in the book of habakkuk.
The book of habakkuk chabakkook introduction his name means to embrace. Reading the book as a literary whole, grace ko uses a holistic, synchronic approach to investigate how its writer presents his case, and how he reaches the final resolution of his problem. We dont know much about the prophet habakkuk from any other book in the bible. A theological reading of the book of habakkuk offers insight into the problem of suffering.
The title of this book comes from the name of the prophet whose prophecies make up the three short chapters within the book. A brief look at the problem of evil in the old testament. Study of the book of habakkuk has tended to emphasize its condemnation of judeans and its postexilic setting. When these opportunities arise i always try to do two things. In this paper i wish to examine the contents of the book from within its. Unlike the other prophets of god habakkuk did not speak to the people for. Glen taylor, wycliffe college, university of toronto, canada. Interestingly the book that bears his name begins with an extended description of the coming of the chaldeans. Hadjiev pays particular attention to important topics such as eschatology, prophecy and cult, intertextuality, theodicy and the genre of the prophetic book. Unlike the other prophets of god habakkuk did not speak to the people for god, but spoke to god concerning the people. First, i give a brief overview of intertextual links between the books of isaiah and. Historical, literary and canonical 4 the setting and genre of joel 5 locusts, armies and the day of the lord in the book of joel part two obadiah 6 the composition. Ko, grace, theodicy in habakkuk paternoster biblical monographs. Habakkuk 1 csu research output charles sturt university.
Habakkuk poses a series of questions to god about the injustice that he observes and gods seeming failure to respond, and god provides an unexpected answer, im sending a people who will perpetrate the injustice and destruction. The prophet habakkuk was probably a contemporary of zephaniah and jeremiah, and possibly even of ezekiel and daniel. Habakkuk also shares the theodicy theme with the psalms, job and qohelet. Date the prediction of the coming babylonian invasion 1. Little is known about the prophet micah beyond what can be learned from the book itself and fromjer 26. There is absolutely no information about the background or person of habakkuk recorded. Overview of habakkuk in light of gods providence and the problem of evil. Introduction habakkuk, from a hebrew root meaning to embrace, denoting a favorite namely, of god and a struggler for his countrys good. We know little of habakkuk beyond the two mentions of his name in this book of prophecy. Is taking us to a place in the scripture that most of us dont naturally go. The first real introduction to the prophetic books that i had was a onesemester.
Only good is eternally real, evil is present reality within created universe. May 27, 2018 development of a practical theodicy through a biblical theology of habakkuk by d. Thus the question of theodicy is posed even more acutely, because now yahweh is obviously responsible for the wrongdoing of the chaldeans. Key words habakkuk, suffering, evil, theodicy decontextualization and the book of habakkuk the book of habakkuk is at once concise and one of the most startling in the ot for a reader committed to faith in a benevolent god. The issue of theodicy never ceases to be hotly disputed across the range of theological disciplines. Many think that habakkuk ministered sometime during the reign of king johoiakim, perhaps around the year 607 b. Theodicy in habakkuk ebook by grace ko 9781780783314. Habakkuk s dialog with yhwh is designed to demonstrate that yhwh. Habakkuk introductiontext, literary genre and style. God, make what has been heard and told about your past deliverances into a present, lived reality in.
Habakkuk overview and outline reasons for hope jesus. Secondly, the book contains wisdom literature which addresses the deep questions of life, such as the question of theodicy, which is the attempt to understand the nature and actions of god in the. Aug 19, 2019 the old testament book of habakkuk, written 2,600 years ago, is yet another ancient bible text that has startling relevance for people today. Please take your bibles and turn with me to the book of habakkuk. He sought to understand the existence and continuation of evil in light of gods righteousness. One is why as habakkuk struggled with the issues here and the other is faith as declared in 2. Aug 18, 2020 the book of ecclesiastes is not centered on the question of theodicy as clearly as job and habakkuk.
A literary analysis of the structure of the book and its contents, however, indicates that it addresses the problem of theodicy in the aftermath of josiahs death, insofar as it identifies the wicked as the babylonians. The structure and unity of the book 3 the contexts of joel. After the introductory title of the book, the second verse opens with a very personal. Like jeremiah and joseph smith, habakkuk asked god sincere and bold questions that reflected concern for his people and for the lords plans for them. Some of the ancient rabbis, connecting the name with 2kgs 4. In the book of habakkuk, god provided a paradigm for a practical theodicy. Intro to micah biblica the international bible society.
The book of habakkuk is the eighth book of the 12 minor prophets of the bible. It appears in its entirety in all complete lxx manuscripts baker, nahum, habakkuk and zephaniah, 45. Outline of the book of habakkuk the prophet and date of letter the name habakkuk means embrace or embracer isbe v. The opening verse of the book attributes the book to habakkuk, a prophet. The contrast between habakkuks initial and final states is extraordinary. Their complex seeks to reach out and touch us at some level of our spiritual development.
Yahweh summons habakkuk to publish a vision chazon that will sooner or later come true 23. A theodicy is an attempt to establish that god is righteous despite allowing evil, pain, and suffering to exist in the world. Habakkuk s prophecy is dated to around 605 bc, the time of king jehoiakim and before nebuchadnezzar first invaded judah and took daniel and others as captives to babylon. Habakkuk is one of the few literary prophets who is actually introduced as nabi. Although much of the content of habakkuk is not unique, the means that the prophet uses to communicate the content is unique. Approaching the text canonically, this study aims to explore habakkuk s theological response to. We are told that habakkuk was a prophet, and that the words recorded in this book were a burden for the prophet, the burden which the prophet habakkuk saw 1. The book ends with a revelation of the coming of the awesome god 3. Ko seeks to explain the resolution of the issue of theodicy in the book of habakkuk, and she investigates this by means of a literary reading of.
No longer is habakkuk anxious, fretful, and bitter. Habakkuk questions god repeatedly concerning the suffering of the righteous, and although the book ends, tentatively, on a note of hope, it is unsettling and. The book of habakkuk describes the prophets maturation from protester chapter 1 to pupil chapter 2 to praiser chapter 3. Since theodicy is a common human issue raised during atrocity, habakkuk s experience becomes a source of hope and resolute faith for the believing community. Why begin this introduction to the book of habakkuk with these quotes about the representation of the disciples. Ryrie describes habakkuk as a theodicy, a defense of gods. However, the book does provide insight into the failure of the retribution principle eccl 7.
In one way, the book of habakkuk parallels the book of jobboth. Intro to habakkuk biblica the international bible society. Sweeney miami i in his introduction to the old testament as scripture london and philadelphia, 1979, p. Historical background of the minor prophetsnorthern kingdom consisted of ten tribes called israel. A general date may be determined by readings such as habakkuk 1. Sep 01, 2014 reading the book as a literary whole, grace ko uses a holistic, synchronic approach to investigate how its writer presents his case, and how he reaches the final resolution of his problem. One is why as habakkuk struggled with the issues here and the. The position of the book immediately after nahum is appropriate. The majority of the book consists of a dialogue between habakkuk and yahweh. A brief introduction to the book of habakkuk youtube. Habakkuk questions god repeatedly concerning the suffering of the righteous, and although the book ends, tentatively. Jul 26, 20 the prophet habakkuk 1 name habakkuk means embrace, or ardent embrace. The prophecy attests to micahs deep sensitivity to the social ills of his day, especially as they affected the small towns and villages of his.
Perhaps the significance is that habakkuk embraced god and his people. Christian worldview christian worldview says that god is good and all powerful. Habakkuk, part 2, presentation vanderbilt university. The structure and unity of the book3 the contexts of joel. Structure, genre, and intent in the book of habakkuk. Before we open up the book itself and pinpoint the perplexity and the praise, cindy barnes, bible study writer and leader shares with us the results of her investigative digging into the who, when, and where of the book of habakkuk. Very few external sources have been found that can either confirm or disprove the identity of the prophet and people. One of the books of the minor prophets, habakkuk records a dialogue between the prophet and god. Theodicy in habakkuk is a paperback book by grace ko about habakkuk, appearing in the biblical studies section at. Jun 22, 2004 a dialogue between habakkuk and yahwehgods justice revealed. The book of habakkuk introduction to the book of habakkuk in the bible. Overview of the book of habakkuk zionlutheranchurch. The old testament book of habakkuk, written 2,600 years ago, is yet another ancient bible text that has startling relevance for people today.
Structure, genre, and intent in the book of habakkuk by marvin a. Michaels college doctoral dissertation intends not only to deal with how the problem of gods apparent silence in the face of evil is addressed in habakkuk, but to compare and contrast habakkuk s treatment of theodicy with other passages discussing this topic in the hebrew bible in order to bring this book s unique contribution into sharper focus. Commendation theodicy in habakkuk is a welcome addition to the interpretation of the prophetic message of habakkuk. The vision in habakkuk university of gloucestershire. First, the book contains prophetic literature in that habakkuk is a prophet who communicates gods message to the citizens of judah and jerusalem. Understanding habakkuk by understanding his context read.
The prophetic book of habakkuk in the hebrew bible is extremely brief when compared. The book of habakkuk describes a spiritual journey from doubt to faith, from complaint to worship, from despair to joy. Theodicy, wisdom, and prophecy in the book of habakkuk. Two words are key not because of their repetition but because of the content of the book. Approaching the text canonically, this study aims to explore habakkuks. Theodicy in habakkuk is a welcome addition to the interpretation of the prophetic message of habakkuk. Historical, literary and canonical4 the setting and genre of joel5 locusts, armies and the day of the lord in the book of joel part two obadiah 6 the composition and unity of the book. These questions led me to the book of habakkuk, which tells a story that is. In hebrew the book is titled qyqbj after the name of the prophet.
The septuagint form of the name, hambakoum, presupposes the hebrew, habaq embrace. Jul 14, 2017 many interpret the book of habakkuk as a theodicy, a defense of gods goodness and power given the existence of evil. The form of the book is much like psalms and proverbs as a collection of literary types. John hick, in his theodicy, popularized the concept of the present world as a vale of soul. Testament book of habakkuk, the eighth in the line of minor prophets, is one of the more mysterious biblical texts in terms of its placement within history. It begins with a series of difficult questions expressing habakkuks deep doubts and concerns over the unchecked evil in his society. Little is known about habakkuk except that he was a contemporary of jeremiah and a man of vigorous faith rooted deeply in the religious traditions of israel. Faith in god is essential because gods sovereignty is not always readily apparent. Micah was from the town of moresheth, probably moresheth gath in southern judah. This sensible, clearly written book deserves the attention of all serious old testament scholars and students. Book of habakkuk also deals with questioning god about the ever increasing evil. Theodicy and habakkuk biblical brethren fellowship. Other prophetic books consist mainly of a record of the prophets.
That is, habakkuk is struggling to understand how it is that gods justice is to be see. Habakkuk introduction commentary commentary critical. Development of a practical theodicy through a biblical. Habakkuk introduction commentary commentary critical and. The book of habakkuk is most similar to which of the following old testament books.
The prophet habakkuk questions god in a form of literature known as which of the following. Hadjiev introduces students to the books of joel, obadiah, habakkuk, and zephaniah the minor prophets in their original historical contexts and to the issues surrounding their composition and interpretation. Of the three chapters in the book, the first two are a dialog between yahweh and the prophet. Now theres a good chance some of us have never turned to the book of habakkuk in our entire lives, maybe some of us have never even heard of the book of habakkuk, but let me assure you, it is right there in your.
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