This volume in Biblical Theology for Life series dives deeply into the
topic of human violence. Before exploring what the Bible says about
violence, Old Testament scholar Helen Paynter sets out the contours for
the study ahead by addressing the various definitions of violence and
the theories of its origins, prevalence, and purpose. What is violence?
Is there such a thing as "natural violence"? Is violence a human or
social construct or can we describe natural phenomena as violent? How
does the concept of violence relate to the concept of evil? Violence
is everywhere; is it escapable? How do we resist violence?
Having queued up the questions, Helen takes us to the Bible for answers.
Starting with the creation narratives in Genesis considered in
comparison with the ancient Near Eastern myths and moving to the
conquest of Canaan--the most problematic of biblical narratives--she
investigates how these deep myths speak to the origins of human violence
and its consequences. The prevalence of violence through biblical
history is inescapable. Scripture reveals the hydra-like nature of human
violence, investigating types of violence including but not limited to:
structural violence, verbal violence, sexual violence, violence as
public /political act, racialised violence, including "othering."
Through the voices of the prophets and then in the teaching of Jesus,
the Bible reveals that the seeds of violence exist within every human
heart. Even though we see evidence of resistance movements in the Bible,
such as the responses to attempted genocide in Exodus and Esther, it is
only on the cross that an absorption of violence by God takes place: a
defeat of violence by self-sacrifice. Along the way, Helen considers
other relevant biblical themes, including the apocalypse, "crushing the
serpent's head," and the concept of divine vengeance, culminating in the
resurrected Christ's lack of vengeance against those who did him to
death. In light of the New Testament, we will consider how the first
Christians responded to the structural violence of slavery and
patriarchy and how they began to apply Jesus' redemptive, non-vengeful
theology to their own day.
The book concludes by discussing of what this means for Christians
today. For many of us who live without routine encounters with or
threats of violence, we must consider our responsibility in a world
where our experience is the exception. With attention to the
multi-headed hydra that is violence and the concealed structures of
violence in our own Western society, Helen challenges readers to
consider their own, perhaps inherited, privilege and complicity. The
question of how we regard "others," both as individuals and as
societies, is a deeply relevant and urgent one for the church: The
church can and should be a wholly non-othering body. So what
implications does this have for the church and, for example, Black Lives
Matter or the rampant xenophobia in our society or immigration and
global migration issues? How do we resist evil? What does it mean to
turn the other cheek when the cheek that has been slapped is not our
own? How do we resist the monster without becoming the monster?
