htp://www.hts.org.za Open Access HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies ISSN: (Online) 2072-8050, (Print) 0259-9422 Page 1 of 10 Original Research Read online: Scan this QR code with your smart phone or mobile device to read online. Author: Alphonso Groenewald 1 Afliaton: 1 Department of Old Testament Studies, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa Research Project Registraton: Project Leader: A. Groenewald Project Number: 02428024 Descripton: This research is part of the project ‘Prophetc literature through the lens of Trauma and Disaster studies’, directed by Prof. Dr Alphonso Groenewald, Department of Old Testament Studies, Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria. Corresponding author: Alphonso Groenewald, alphonso.groenewald@up. ac.za Dates: Received: 26 June 2019 Accepted: 22 July 2019 Published: 19 Nov. 2019 How to cite this artcle: Groenewald, A., 2019, ‘ ‘‘But let justce roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-fowing stream” (Am 5:24). Social justce versus cult critcism in Amos (5:21–24) and Isaiah (1:10–20): A trauma perspectve’, HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 75(3), a5629. htps://doi.org/ 10.4102/hts.v75i3.5629 Copyright: © 2019. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS. This work is licensed under the Creatve Commons Atributon License. Introducton Since the beginning of his academic career, Eben Scheffler 1 has reflected on the question of justice versus injustice from the perspective of different biblical texts. In a number of publications focussing on texts from both the Hebrew Bible (HB) and the New Testament, he highlights the need for justice and righteousness. 2 He infers that the biblical text(s) has a clear position regarding the socially weak in society, and he links this to the concept of ‘justice’. Scheffler infers (2013b): [T]he demand for even-handed justice for the rich (Ex 23:2–3) and the poor (Ex 23:6) is probably rendered in Deuteronomy 24:17, focusing on the stranger, widow (whose garment may not be taken as a pledge) and orphan. The emphasis is here on these well-known categories of poor people and the measure is once again motivated by reference to the Israelite’s slavery in Egypt and their liberation by Yahweh their God (Dt 24:17). (p. 8) With regard to historical Jesus scholarly studies, Scheffler (2015c) mentions that a certain consensus exists regarding, inter alia, the following notion: [T]hirdly justice for all (not in the sense of quid pro quo but in the contemporary Jewish sense of acceptance and caring for all that suffer in society). These three aspects can be condensed even more, as Jesus himself did, in the Golden Rule (Matt 7:12; Luke 6:31) and the command to love God and the fellow human being (Mark 12:29–31; Matt 22:37–40; Luke 10:27–371). (pp. 265–266) 3 The following quotation from Scheffler (2015b) links to the topic being addressed in this contribution: However, as far as reconciliation is concerned it should to my mind be noted that a reconciliatory process is most often the logical consequence after forgiveness has occurred. Interestingly, in the Louw and Nida New Testament Dictionary, reconciliation and forgiveness are discussed as part and parcel of the same semantic field (1988:502–503). This corroborates with Jesus’ view that one should leave one’s sacrifice at 1.This contributon is dedicated to his friend and colleague Prof. Dr. E.H. Schefer, whom he appreciates as a scholar and exegete of both Old and New Testament Studies. Eben Schefer wrote his dissertaton in New Testament Studies (University of Pretoria 1988), and it was published in 1993 with the ttle ‘Sufering in Luke’s Gospel’. 2.See, for example, a number of his publicatons: 1990:252–267; 2005:97–115; 2009:1–17; 2011a:192–207; 2011b:115–135; 2012:480– 496; 2013a:129–153; 2013b:1–14; 2014:579–596; 2015a:1–9; 2015b:1–10; 2015c:261–296; 2016a:91–115; 2016b:189–217; 2017:160–174; 2018:501–517. 3.With regard to the Belhar Confession, Schefer (2015c:273) makes the following important statement, in which he emphasises the need for social justce towards the socially weak in society: ‘The Belhar Confession (which originated in the context of the protest against apartheid) is the only church confession being adopted by some churches that contains elements of the historical Jesus’ own religion or teaching. Amongst others, it emphasises justce, peace, God’s love for the poor, prisoners, the blind, strangers, orphans, widows, the downtrodden and all suferers (see www.rca.org/resources/confession-belhar for the full text). Ironically, this confession originates from the heart of the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa, the very same church that stll struggles to get it adopted as a confession of its own’. The focus of this article is on the cult-critical statement(s) in Amos (5:21–24) and Isaiah (1.10–20). The title of this article inevitably leads us to the question of the relationship between the practice of the cult on the one hand and ethics on the other hand, namely the ‘either–or’ dilemma which exegetes face in the interpretation of these texts. This article should therefore be seen as part of the on-going debate of the significance of the prophetic understanding of the role of the cult versus Israel’s ethical considerations. Furthermore, an overview of important insights from trauma studies, which are applied to the cult-critical statements in the books of Amos and Isaiah, is given. Keywords: cult-criticism; Isaiah; Amos; cult; ethics; trauma lens. ‘But let justce roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-fowing stream’ (Am 5:24). Social justce versus cult critcism in Amos (5:21–24) and Isaiah (1:10–20): A trauma perspectve Read online: Scan this QR code with your smart phone or mobile device to read online. Note: The collecton enttled ‘Eben Schefer Festschrif’, sub-edited by Jurie H. le Roux (University of Pretoria) and Christo Lombaard (University of South Africa).