Seek Justice That You May Live: Reflections and Resources on the Bible and Social Justice by John R. Donahue

Abstract

Reviewed by: Seek Justice That You May Live: Reflections and Resources on the Bible and Social Justice by John R. Donahue Alisha Pomazon john r. donahue, Seek Justice That You May Live: Reflections and Resources on the Bible and Social Justice (New York: Paulist, 2014). Pp. 310 + xvii. $29.95. In Seek Justice That You May Live, John R. Donahue presents readers with his collective findings of nearly forty years of study on social justice and the biblical text. D. highlights Catholic social teaching, Vatican II’s mandate for a more biblically and theologically based social ethic (p. 2), and the idea that the “biblical material does not give direct precepts, but is necessary to inform the Christian imagination and moral dispositions” (p. 3). This combination of social ethics, moral imagination, and textual studies allows D. to offer his own reflections on the connections between social justice and the biblical text. More specifically, throughout the chapters, D. shows the process by which the concept of social justice is established in the biblical text and then later informs Catholic social teaching and action in the world. As he states, his hope is to help those who are concerned with social justice issues, and he hopes that his book will help them to “find material in the biblical texts and bibliographies to appropriate and integrate the Scripture into their own vital commitments” (p. 9). There are two types of chapters in the book. The first type looks at the broader themes of justice, covenant and law, creation and exodus. The second type examines these broader themes in specific biblical books, including the prophetic books, wisdom literature, the Gospels, as well as Pauline and Johannine writings. The final chapter “From Text to Life” offers methods of reading the biblical text. Each chapter contains a comprehensive section on further resources for use. Throughout, D. examines the themes of relationship, poverty, and the structures of power as a way of further investigating the establishment of social justice in the biblical text. Since D. is a NT specialist, it is no surprise that the chapter on social justice in Luke-Acts is the best of the book. Here, D.’s arguments concerning the various types of relationships in the biblical text (human–divine, human–human, human–world), poverty, and the structures of power coalesce into a gripping analysis of how Luke-Acts breaks down barriers that obstruct justice in the early church and in the world today. Specifically, the section on the barriers of religious hatred and division, which delves into the Samaritan stories, not only speaks to current social justice concerns and the need for memory and alternative stories but also provides concrete suggestions for how to enact social justice values in the political, social, and religious spheres. [End Page 709] Clearly D. is passionate about his subject matter, and his knowledge is apparent on every page. As a result, readers of this book are able to follow his lines of reasoning and will be engaged by his writing style. Often, books on social justice and biblical hermeneutics are overwhelming in scope. Although combining the two topics would seem to make the work even more overwhelming, D. deftly navigates between the two topics and illustrates how connecting social justice and biblical hermeneutics helps us to understand both topics separately and together. Moreover, D. avoids the pitfalls of “proof-texting” that are normal in treatments of social justice in the biblical narratives. That is, instead of trying to find a biblical verse that fits a social justice cause, D. shows how the biblical text itself generates, understands, and tries to both mitigate and eliminate that concern. There are, however, a few confusing features in the book. While D. is aware of the limitations in scope, as he chooses to reference some methodologies instead of others, he often uses texts that could be enhanced by the methodologies that are left out. For instance, he chooses to concentrate on liberation theology and leaves out feminist methodologies even when discussing women in the texts. Further, there is a shift in tone and style in the discussion of the OT texts vs. the NT texts. Whereas the tone and style...