Ancient Christian writers, Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, drawing on Plato and other Greek classical philosophers, distinguished four Cardinal Virtues, two of which were prudence (phrónēsis) and justice (dikaiosýnē). Prudence, they said, is the knowledge of "the good.” Justice is the "doing of it.”
Justice (dikaiosýnē) appears in the language of Jesus and his Apostles, but it's almost always translated in the New Testament as “righteousness.” Justice and righteousness are interchangeable terms in almost every context in the New Testament.
This principle of easy transference is also true of the Old Testament. The Hebrew word for "justice” and "righteousness” is the same (ts’daqa.) You can substitute one word for the other in any context. It was the translator’s personal preference that made the call.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia makes this observation: "ts'daqa; dikaiosyne: The original Hebrew and Greek words (for justice) are the same as those rendered ‘righteousness.' This is the common rendering, and in about half the cases where we have ‘just’ and ‘justice' in AV, (Authorized Version), the ARV Authorized (Revised Version) has changed to ‘righteous' and 'righteousness.' It must be constantly borne in mind that the two ideas are essentially the same."
When we think of justice, thus, we should think of personal righteousness—doing the right thing.
The biblical concept of justice, thus, is much broader than the way we use the term these days and one that, at least for most of us, is more doable. It may encompass some aspects of social justice, and God in his sovereign will has called some—MLK, William Wilberforce and a host of others—to give their lives to that cause[1]. But in the main, justice in the Bible refers to the good that I do to the individual standing in front of me. I must do the right thing for this brother or sister before I look abroad.
To put a new point on an old saw: Justice begins at home.
David Roper
6.24.21
[1] It’s worth emphasizing that not all are called to engage in social justice as we define it today, Paul insists that there are “differences of gifts...differences of ministries…and differences of activities” (1 Corinthians 12:1-11). James puts his own imprimatur on “visiting widows and orphans,” and personal holiness (James 1:27).
