This thesis is a theologico-exegetical study of the OT motif of the cry and
hope of the poor, designed to bear on the Latin American liberationist
theological context. It is divided into two parts. Part I stresses the cry as
presented in different OT literary genres, whereas Part II emphasizes the
related aspect of hope in the Psalms and Prophets chiefly as God's answer to
the historical cry of the poor. In each part two levels of analysis are employed.
A limited number of relevant key passages are subjected to a detailed
exegetical study which is either followed or preceded by a broader analysis of
their general context, involving the consideration of a larger number of related
passages from different sections of the OT. The cry is seen as always pointing
to a prevalent situation of injustice, which ultimately compels God to
intervene. Its connection with the future hope of Israel is also established.
Part I comprises three chapters. Ch. 1 deals with the theme of the cry of
the oppressed Hebrews in Egypt, with close attention to Ex 2:23-25; 3:7-10;
6:5-6, and ch. 1. A comparison is made between the exodian cry and the
Babylonian mythology, stressing both their similarities and differences. The
author presents a descriptive analysis of the oppressive situation that gives
rise to the cry, the words used to express it (vocabulary of lament), God's
answer to it, and how the memory of the exodian cry was preserved in
different literary records of the OT, serving as a permanent reminder of the
ancient belief that whenever the poor raise their cry God is bound to intervene
on their behalf. Ch. 2 is a study of the Book of Job from the perspective of
24:1-12, which is examined in detail. Here again the plight of the poor is fully
analysed, and emphasis is put on the innocence of the sufferer, his perplexity
and complaints against God, and the presence of hope amid confusion and
despair. Ch. 3 presents a study of the Psalms of Lament, taking Ps 17 as the
object of detailed analysis. Here and elsewhere particular attention is given to
the vocabulary of oppression, of salvation, of lament, of the poor, and of
supplication. The suppliant's character and status are examined and an
indication is made of the fact that the Hebrew words ordinarily translated by
"righteous", "poor", etc. should more often than not be taken in their concrete,
physical sense.
Part II comprises chs. 4-7. Ch. 4, dealing with the question of future hope
in the Psalms, and discussing its main sources, constitutes a general
introduction to Ch. 5, which presents a thorough exegetical analysis of Ps 72
in the light of the whole Psalter. It is observed how central is the question of
the liberation of the poor (which is basically tantamount to the practice of
justice) in ancient Israel and in their vision and hope of an ideal ;future. Like
Ch. 4, Ch. 6 is also in a sense introductory to the following chapter. It briefly
surveys the message of the eighth century prophets (especially Amos) as a
kind of hope for the poor and oppressed. It is Ch. 7, with a detailed analytical
study of Is 11:1-9, which, like Ch. 5, depicts the future era of justice and
universal peace under the rule of the Anointed One of Yahweh, stressing,
again, the restoration of the lost harmony between God, man, and the whole
of Creation.
Some of the conclusive ideas stressed throughout are: God's bias towards
the poor is an undeniable fact; he is always mindful of the cry of the poor and
may employ any means to attain their liberation; he demands the practice of
justice which is basically understood as the liberation of the poor; justice is a
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sine-qua-non condition of the achievement of real peace; worship is futile when
the cry of the poor is ignored; the kingdom of God is envisaged as primarily a
kingdom for the poor; it is on the effective practice of justice on behalf of the
poor that the legitimacy of all instituted governing power depends.
