This thesis examines the concept of justice as a fundamental principle of human coexistence, which has developed and shifted in meaning throughout history. To understand contemporary perspectives on justice, it is essential to review selected philosophical and theological thinkers who have shaped the social, political, and spiritual landscape of the Western tradition
Given the breadth of the concept, the analysis focuses on how justice has been understood by key authors from antiquity to the present day: from Mesopotamian legal texts and the Epic of Gilgamesh, through Plato and Aristotle, early Christian thinkers such as Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, to early modern philosophers like Kant, Hobbes, and Mill, and finally to contemporary theorists such as Rawls and Arendt. While this selection does not exhaust the full spectrum of relevant thinkers, it outlines the central developments in the understanding of justice.
A special emphasis is placed on Paul’s Letter to the Romans, examined within its historical and theological context. The thesis addresses two main questions: (1) how Paul’s conception of justice influenced later thinkers and the development of ethical thought in the Western tradition, and (2) what Paul’s message conveys to contemporary society.
In this way, the thesis demonstrates both the continuity and transformation of the concept of justice over time, highlighting the enduring relevance of Paul’s notion of justice as originating in God’s action, rather than human capacity, and showing its significance for understanding human dignity, relationality and communal life today.
In the analysis of Paul’s Letter to the Romans, certain methodological limitations must be acknowledged. Since the text is embedded in a particular historical, cultural, and rhetorical context, every interpretation is shaped by specific hermeneutical assumptions. The analysis is therefore based on selected theological and exegetical sources and does not encompass the full range of contemporary biblical scholarship. Furthermore, the selection of secondary literature was necessarily limited to authors who most clearly illustrate the development of the concept of justice, meaning that some relevant perspectives remain outside the scope of this study. These limitations do not diminish the validity of the research but rather reflect its focus and methodological awareness.
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