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“Today’s political discourse artificially and problematically separates dis-
cussion of the dignity of the human person into ‘social justice’and ‘pro-
life’approaches.But in this fantastic book David Gushee articulates how
sacred Scripture and tradition offer a coherent and timely defense of the
sacredness of life that refuses to accept this simplistic and polarizing bi-
nary. A dynamic, readable, and historically aware account of issues like
war,abortion/infanticide,racism,biotechnology,and women’s rights.”
— Charles Camosy
Fordham University
“This magisterial volume draws upon biblical studies, philosophy, theol-
ogy,history,andlawinordertoillustratethebreadthandrichnessof the
concept of the sanctity of human life. Gushee shows us that the ideal of
life’ssacrednessmustnotbeconfinedtothenarrowquartersof theabor-
tion debate.”
— M. Cathleen Kaveny
University of Notre Dame
“In the face of today’s heated debates over ethical issues, Gushee does a
finejoboflayingoutso-calledprogressive,conservative,andotherChris-
tianperspectives.Thisbookisavaluableresourceforallthosewhowantto
understand and thoughtfully engage perspectives other than their own.”
— John F. Kilner
Trinity International University
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“Iwelcomethisnewstudyonthesacrednessof humanlifeincluding,but
notlimitedto,thosemembersofthehumanfamilystillwaitingtobeborn.
Drawing on both biblical wisdom and the witness of Christian tradition,
DavidGusheemakeshereanimpressivecasethatthewholechurchneeds
to hear — and heed.”
— Timothy George
Beeson Divinity School
“This book’s subtitle perfectly conveys the way scholarship of classical
textscanspeaktocontemporaryculturewars.DavidGusheehasidentified
a crucial debate over the relationship between the modern Western value
ofhumandignityandclassicalChristianitythatseemstobedrivinganill-
consideredpolemicalpoliticalwedgebetween‘liberals’and‘conservatives.’
...MayGushee’ssophisticatedcontributionenhancethereligiousaxiom
of the sacredness of human life.”
— Noam Zion
Shalom Hartman Institute,
Jerusalem
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The Sacredness of Human Life
Why an Ancient Biblical Vision
Is Key to the World’s Future
David P. Gushee
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Grand Rapids, Michigan / Cambridge, U.K.
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©2013DavidP.Gushee
Allrightsreserved
Published2013by
Wm.B.EerdmansPublishingCo.
2140OakIndustrialDriveN.E.,GrandRapids,Michigan49505/
P.O.Box163,CambridgeCB39PUU.K.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
19 18 17 16 15 14 13 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Gushee,DavidP.,1962-
Thesacrednessofhumanlife:whyanancientBiblicalvision
iskeytotheworld'sfuture/DavidP.Gushee.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferences.
ISBN978-0-8028-4420-0(cloth:alk.paper)
1.Theologicalanthropology—Christianity
2.Dignity—Religiousaspects—Christianity.
3.Life—Religiousaspects—Christianity.
4.Apologetics. 5.Christianityandculture. I.Title.
BT701.3.G87 2013
241¢.697—dc23
2012028392
www.eerdmans.com
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In honor of my beloved parents,
David and Janice Gushee
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Contents
Prelude xii
Acknowledgments xiv
Introduction 1
0.1. Why a Book about the Sacredness of Human Life? 1
0.2. How This Book Came to Be 2
0.3. Joining the Archaeologists 4
0.4. Plan of the Book 5
0.5. Notes about My Approach 6
0.6. Two Scenes from Europe 11
0.7. Sacredness as Moral Reality and Moral Task 13
1. WhatItMeanstoSayThatHumanLifeIsSacred 16
1.1. Definitions and Etymologies 17
1.2. A Sacredness Paradigm 20
1.3. Sacred Human Beings 22
1.4. Does Sacredness Require God? 24
1.5. Humanity as Sacred:Ancient Christian Doctrine
or Recent Innovation? 26
1.6. Current Christian Definitions
of the Sacredness of Life 29
vii
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Contents
1.7. My Christian Definition of Life’s Sacredness —
and Puzzles That Remain 33
2. TheOldTestamentandtheSacrednessof HumanLife 37
2.1. Creation,Humanity,and the Image of God 39
2.2. God’s Compassionate Care and
Liberating Deliverance 54
2.3. Biblical Law and Life’s Sacredness 61
2.4. The Decalogue 66
2.5. The Prophetic Demand and Yearning for Shalom 77
2.6. Toward Jesus Christ 83
3. JesusChrist,theNewTestament,andthe
Sacrednessof HumanLife 85
3.1. The Ministry of Jesus Christ 85
3.2. The Incarnation of Jesus Christ 94
3.3. The Image of Jesus Christ 105
3.4. The Expansive Reach of the Body of Christ 110
3.5. The New Testament and the Sacredness of Life:
A Dialogue with Richard Hays 114
4. TheSacrednessof LifeinEarlyChristianity 116
4.1. The Christendom Question 116
4.2. The Church against War 122
4.3. The Church against Abortion and Infanticide 124
4.4. The Church against Judicial Torment and Killing 126
4.5. The Church against the Mayhem of the Arenas 127
4.6. “Regard People as Truly Sacred” 128
4.7. An Army of Peace and Piety 129
4.8. Love without Partiality 130
4.9. Sojourners of Christ 132
4.10. Christians as the Romans Saw Them 134
4.11. How the Early Church Retained Its Moral Vision 136
viii
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Contents
5. TheFatefulTransitiontoChristendom 146
5.1. The Constantinian Transition 147
5.2. Theodosius Mandates Orthodox Christianity 153
5.3. Moral Damage at the Foundations 156
5.4. Advances and Regressions for the
Sacredness of Life 163
6. ChristendomDividedagainstItself:ThreeCaseStudies 164
6.1. The Crusades,Francis,and the Sacred
Lives of Enemies 164
6.2. Colonialism,Las Casas,and the Sacred
Lives of Indians 178
6.3. Anti-Semitism,Overton,and the Sacred
Lives of Jews 197
6.4. A Tragically Mixed Legacy 212
7. EnlightenmentTransitions:NaturalRights,
Ruleof Law,andHumanDignity 214
7.1. Enlightenment Transitions and the
Sacredness of Human Life 214
7.2. Natural Right/s:Bridge Concepts between
the Medieval and Modern Worlds 216
7.3. John Locke:Equality,Rule of Law,
and Resistance to Tyranny 226
7.4. Immanuel Kant:Dignity,Autonomy,
and the Moral Law 242
7.5. Trial Balance:The Journey So Far 256
8. NietzscheRejectstheChristianGodand
ChristianMorality 260
8.1. New Challenges to Belief in the Sacredness
of Human Life 260
8.2. Reading Nietzsche 262
8.3. Biographical Basics 263
ix
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