Theodicy in Habakkuk by Ko Grace;

Author:Ko, Grace;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Authentic Media

CHAPTER 3

Habakkuk and Theodicy

The enigma of human suffering, especially when suffering of the innocent is caused by the prevalence of evil in human society, sometimes makes the belief in a just God who oversees human affairs difficult. The questions raised by Habakkuk indeed give voice to the honest doubters who earnestly seek to reconcile the hard reality of life with belief in a benevolent God. In this chapter I will focus on the issue of theodicy and its resolution in the book of Habakkuk. To meet this end, literary elements such as plot and characterization of the book will be analyzed to find out how the author1 presents his material and his viewpoint, and the themes of the book will be explored by examining the interaction of various literary devices. By these investigations, I hope to identify Habakkuk’s questions and his resolution of the issue.

Since the issue of theodicy is also raised in other biblical passages, such as Job (in Job, I will focus on Yahweh’s speech in chapters 38-41), Psalms 73 and 77, as well as Jeremiah’s confessions,2 it is pertinent to investigate how the writers of these passages wrestle with the issue. In order to do that, I will give a brief description of the above passages. Then I will examine the questions raised by these passages, the solutions the biblical writers offer to these problems, and the similarities of these passages to Habakkuk.

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