Abstract
The year 2025 witnesses an intersection of two significant declarations; the first is a bold projection, and the other is a hopeful exhortation. On the one hand, Jeffrey Sachs, in the introduction to his book published in 2005, speaks about the eradication of poverty in our time. On the other hand, Pope Francis, who has proclaimed the year 2025 as a Jubilee Year, enumerates several means (signs of hope) albeit without declaring that poverty eradication is within sight soon. Reflected in these two declarations – prediction (Jeffrey Sachs) and exhortation (Pope Francis) – the persistently enigmatic contradiction that the Bible itself continues to be construed as saying, namely, that “there will be no needy person in the land” (cf. Deut 15:4), on the one hand, and that “the needy person will not cease in the land” (cf. Deut 15:11), on the other hand. This study seeks to clarify the contradictory statements by arguing that Deut 15:11 should be read not as a declaration of the needy person’s continuing existence in the land but as a command to act against his/her marginalization or extermination. A correct understanding of the meaning of Deut 15:11 should inform the reading of the entire pericope (Deut 15:1-11) as well as provide a clear lens through which to understand the meaning of Jesus’ words in the Gospels (cf. Mark 14:7, Matthew 26:11, and John 12:8).
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2025 Special Focus—Fragile Meanings: Vulnerability in the Study of Religions and Spirituality
KEYWORDS
Poverty, Marginalization, Appropriation, Catholic Social Teachings
