Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Justice

We generally think of theological translation issues as obscure questions, battled out in seminaries and divinity school ivory towers, with little relevance for the day-to-day lives of believers.  Thankfully, it appears that Christians can rely on most of most of the modern English translations of the Bible.   But the (mis-?) translation of one word in English versions of the Bible may have mis-directed generations of Christians about one of the most significant issues in the Christian life.   

I have been reading Nicholas Wolterstorff’s recent book: “Justice: Rights and Wrongs.”  (here)  It is a wide-ranging and informed analysis of ancient-Greek, Jewish, Christian, liberal, and post-modern accounts of justice.   In a chapter on “Justice in the New Testament Gospels,” Wolterstorff argues that almost all English translations of the Gospels may have missed the centrality that justice has in the teaching of Jesus (see pp. 110-113). 

“Dikaiosune,” translated “justice” in Plato’s Republic, is generally translated “righteousness” in English translations of the New Testament.  Note the possible difference in the meanings of two of Jesus’ beatitudes if “justice,” rather than “righteousness,” is used for dikaiosune: 

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [justice], for they will be filled.” 

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness [justice], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” 

According to Wolterstorff:  

“in the linguistic circles of the New Testament writers, dikaiosune did not refer definitively either to the character trait of righteousness (shorn of its negative connotations) or to the social condition of justice, but was ambiguous as between the two” (112). 

Either translation is possible and the proper translation should be determined based on context.  In the case of the two beatitudes quoted above, the context may suggest that “justice” would be the better translation. 

In the first, it strikes me that the word “righteousness” runs counter to the central thrust of the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, which is that the heart attitude is more important than personal moral rectitude. 

As for the second, Wolterstorff notes:

“Apparently, the translators were not struck by the oddity of someone being persecuted because he is righteous.  My own reading of human affairs is that righteous people are either admired or ignored, not persecuted; people who pursue justice are the ones who get in trouble.”  (111)

In my view, the significance of this translation issue cannot be overstated.  Millions of Christians have meditated on English translations of the beatitudes over the centuries.  As I meditate on “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” I reflect on my life and the places where I might have wronged other people.  I try and do a better job.  If I were to meditate on “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice,” it might lead me to work harder to change social institutions that treat others badly.  The English mis-translations of dikaiosune may be responsible for the individualistic nature of most of Protestant and much of Catholic Christianity.