To The Question Of Just Revenge: Reading Obadiah

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to consider the theology of the book of the prophet Obadiah, which reveals the perspective on which the desire for revenge for the wrong done and God’s justice converge. The second part of the purpose is to apply the research results in the context of the global war that has been going on in Ukraine for over a year. This can be achieved by depicting the historical picture, which became a prerequisite for the proclamation/fixation of the words of Obadiah, which can help interpret some ethical aspects of the theological message of the prophet. Accordingly, one of the research methods is the historical-critical study of the book of the prophet Obadiah, aiming to deduce the peculiarities of the prerequisites for its writing. Another methodology will attempt to analyze the researched data and emphasize their relevance to Ukrainian Christianity today. In the course of the work, certain principles from ancient Israeli beliefs in Yahweh outlining the understanding of justice and judgment were discovered. An attempt was made to apply those principles to the present. The valuable experience contained in the study can contribute to the preparation of Ukrainian Christians to accept the traumatized Other – the one who encountered and experienced the horrors of war and faced loss.