Habakkuk and the problem of suffering: theodicy deferred

Whitehead, Philip

Abstract

A theological reading of the book of Habakkuk offers insight into the problem of suffering. Approaching the text canonically, this study aims to explore Habakkuk’s theological response to suffering, and the potential to relate this to Christian and classically theistic attempts to articulate a theodicy. Although Habakkuk puts forward no theological objection to the idea that the suffering experienced by God’s people is, in some sense, deserved, he nonetheless questions the extent of the suffering and the justice of the God who permits it from a perspective of faith and eschatological hope. The answers to the questions posed by evil and suffering are apparently deferred by Habakkuk, who persists in faith despite the present lack of resolution to these questions. Such a reading lends support to models of theodicy that prioritize the practical dimensions of suffering, and challenges accounts that would insist on satisfactory explanations for suffering as a condition for faith.

Citation

Whitehead, P. (2016). Habakkuk and the problem of suffering: theodicy deferred. Journal of Theological Interpretation, 10.2, 265-281

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 30, 2016
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Sep 28, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 2, 2019
• Journal: Journal of Theological Interpretation
• Print ISSN: 1936-0843
• Electronic ISSN: 1936-0843
• Publisher: Penn State University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 10.2
• Pages: 265-281
• Keywords: Habakkuk, suffering, evil, theodicy
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/974529
• Publisher URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/26373917
• Related Public URLs: https://www.eisenbrauns.com/ECOM/_4QO0KN5B8.HTM
• Contract Date: Sep 28, 2016