Abstract
In this 50th year of publication, the Biblical Theology Bulletin editors are planning a year of reflection on the meaning and purpose of the biblical Jubilee year. While society and economics in biblical times differ notably from economic and social systems today, we invite biblical scholars today to reflect on the meaning of a jubilee year in which the normal course of the economy, indeed of society itself, is held up to examination. By so doing, we propose to take stock of where we are as humans living together in an ecological reality that somehow manages to sustain itself, adapt to changing circumstances, and move forward into an uncertain yet mutable future.
We can find guidance for Jubilee year reflections in Pope Francis’ writing, Laudato Si (May 24, 2015). Francis underscores the challenges people today face to live responsibly in the eco-system that gives us life and sustains us, and for which humans bear the responsibility for meaningful stewardship.
Whether believers or not, we are agreed today that the earth is essentially a shared inheritance, whose fruits are meant to benefit everyone. For believers, this becomes a question of fidelity to the Creator, since God created the world for everyone. Hence every ecological approach needs to incorporate a social perspective which takes into account the fundamental rights of the poor and the underprivileged. The principle of the subordination of private property to the universal destination of goods, and thus the right of everyone to their use, is a golden rule of social conduct and the first principle of the whole ethical and social order [93].
Francis suggests as a frame of reference what he describes as “an integral ecology, one which clearly respects its human and social dimensions” (137). He goes on to argue that integral ecology is “inseparable from the notion of the common good, a central and unifying principle of social ethics. The common good is the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfilment” (156).
Falling short of integral ecological awareness has dire consequences. Integral ecological awareness should be an underlying rational for a year of Jubilee study.
In the present condition of global society, where injustices abound and growing numbers of people are deprived of basic human rights and considered expendable, the principle of the common good immediately becomes, logically and inevitably, a summons to solidarity and a preferential option for the poorest of our brothers and sisters. This option entails recognizing the implications of the universal destination of the world’s goods…. [It] demands before all else an appreciation of the immense dignity of the poor in the light of our deepest convictions as believers. We need only look around us to see that, today, this option is in fact an ethical imperative essential for effectively attaining the common good [168].
A future dimension places a further imperative on present-day planners:
The notion of the common good also extends to future generations. The global economic crises have made painfully obvious the detrimental effects of disregarding our common destiny, which cannot exclude those who come after us. We can no longer speak of sustainable development apart from intergenerational solidarity. Once we start to think about the kind of world we are leaving to future generations, we look at things differently; we realize that the world is a gift which we have freely received and must share with others [159]…. Given the real potential for a misuse of human abilities, individual states can no longer ignore their responsibility for planning, coordination, oversight and enforcement within their respective borders. How can a society plan and protect its future amid constantly developing technological innovations? [177]
The political dimension of economic equity plays a commanding role in activating remedies for the dire consequences of poverty and deprivation of resources.
Politics must not be subject to the economy, nor should the economy be subject to the dictates of an efficiency-driven paradigm of technocracy. Today, in view of the common good, there is urgent need for politics and economics to enter into a frank dialogue in the service of life, especially human life. Saving banks at any cost, making the public pay the price, foregoing a firm commitment to reviewing and reforming the entire system, only reaffirms the absolute power of a financial system, a power which has no future and will only give rise to new crises after a slow, costly and only apparent recovery. The financial crisis of 2007-08 provided an opportunity to develop a new economy, more attentive to ethical principles, and new ways of regulating speculative financial practices and virtual wealth. But the response to the crisis did not include rethinking the outdated criteria which continue to rule the world [189].
Financial crises in recent years call for immediate political response and action:
What is needed is a politics which is far-sighted and capable of a new, integral and interdisciplinary approach to handling the different aspects of the crisis. Often, politics itself is responsible for the disrepute in which it is held, on account of corruption and the failure to enact sound public policies. If in a given region the state does not carry out its responsibilities, some business groups can come forward in the guise of benefactors, wield real power, and consider themselves exempt from certain rules, to the point of tolerating different forms of organized crime, human trafficking, the drug trade and violence, all of which become very difficult to eradicate. If politics shows itself incapable of breaking such a perverse logic, and remains caught up in inconsequential discussions, we will continue to avoid facing the major problems of humanity. [197].
Education plays a fundamental role as well, an education aimed at creating an “ecological citizenship.”
An education, aimed at creating an “ecological citizenship,” is at times limited to providing information, and fails to instill good habits. The existence of laws and regulations is insufficient in the long run to curb bad conduct, even when effective means of enforcement are present. If the laws are to bring about signifi-cant, long-lasting effects, the majority of the members of society must be adequately motivated to accept them, and personally transformed to respond. Only by cultivating sound virtues will people be able to make a selfless ecological commitment [211].
We can now turn to the biblical mandate for a Jubilee year as the theme for BTB’s four publications in 2020.
The current issue of BTB begins with