Difference between revisions of "Justice"

<p> is in [[Scripture]] taken for that essential perfection in God, whereby he is infinitely righteous and just, both in himself and in all his proceedings with his creatures, &nbsp;Psalms 89:14 . That political virtue which renders to every man his due; and is first, distributive, which concerns princes, magistrates, &c, &nbsp;Job 29:14; secondly, communicative, which concerns all persons in their dealings one with another, &nbsp;Genesis 18:19 . </p> <p> [[Justice, Administration Of]] According to the [[Mosaic]] law, there were to be judges in all the cities, whose duty it was likewise to exercise judicial authority in the neighbouring villages; but weighty causes and appeals went up to the supreme judge or ruler of the commonwealth, and, in case of a failure here, to the high priest, &nbsp;Deuteronomy 17:8-9 . In the time of the monarchy, weighty causes and appeals went up, of course, to the king, who, in very difficult cases, seems to have consulted the high priest, as is customary at the present day among the [[Persians]] and Ottomans. The judicial establishment was reorganized after the captivity, and two classes of judges, the inferior and superior, were appointed, &nbsp;Ezra 7:25 . The more difficult cases, nevertheless, and appeals, were either brought before the ruler of the state, called פחה , or before the high priest; until, in the age of the Maccabees, a supreme, judicial tribunal was instituted, which is first mentioned under [[Hyrcanus]] II. This tribunal is not to be confounded with the seventy-two counsellors, who were appointed to assist Moses in the civil administration of the government, but who never filled the office of judges. See [[Sanhedrim]] . </p> <p> [[Josephus]] states, that in every city there was a tribunal of seven judges, with two [[Levites]] as apparitors, and that it was a Mosaic institution. That there existed such an institution in his time, there is no reason to doubt; but he probably erred in referring its origin to so early a period as the days of Moses. ( See [[Judges]] . ) This tribunal, which decided causes of less moment, is denominated in the New Testament, κρισις , or <em> the judgment, </em> &nbsp; Matthew 5:22 . The [[Talmudists]] mention a tribunal of twenty-three judges, and another of three judges; but Josephus is silent in respect to them. The courts of twenty-three judges were the same with the synagogue tribunals, mentioned in &nbsp;John 16:2; which merely tried questions of a religious nature, and sentenced to no other punishment than "forty stripes save one," &nbsp;2 Corinthians 11:24 . The court of three judges was merely a session of referees, which was allowed to the [[Jews]] by the Roman laws; for the Talmudists themselves, in describing this court, go on to observe, that one judge was chosen by the accuser, another by the accused, and a third by the two parties conjunctly; which shows at once the nature of the tribunal. </p> <p> The time at which courts were held, and causes were brought before them for trial, was in the morning, &nbsp;Jeremiah 21:12; &nbsp;Psalms 101:8 . According to the Talmudists, it was not lawful to try causes of a capital nature in the night; and it was equally unlawful to examine a cause, pass sentence, and put it in execution on the same day. The last particular was very strenuously insisted on. It is worthy of remark, that all of these practices, which were observed in other trials, were neglected in the tumultuous trial of Jesus, &nbsp;Matthew 26:57; &nbsp;John 18:13-18 . The places for judicial trials were in very ancient times the gates of cities, which were well adapted to this purpose. ( See [[Gates]] . ) Originally, trials were every where very summary, excepting in Egypt; where the accuser committed the charge to writing, the accused replied in writing, the accuser repeated the charge, and the accused answered again, &c, &nbsp;Job 14:17 . It was customary in Egypt for the judge to have the code of laws placed before him, a practice which still prevails in the east. Moses interdicted, in the most express and decided manner, gifts or bribes, which were intended to corrupt the judges, &nbsp;Exodus 22:20-21; &nbsp;Exodus 23:1-9; &nbsp;Leviticus 19:15; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 24:14-15 . Moses also, by legal precautions, prevented capital punishments, and corporal punishments, which were not capital, from being extended, as was done in other nations, both to parents and their children, and thus involving the innocent and the guilty in that misery which was justly due only to the latter, &nbsp;Exodus 23:7; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 24:16; &nbsp;Daniel 6:24 . </p> <p> The ceremonies which were observed in conducting a judicial trial, were as follows: </p> <p> <strong> 1. </strong> The accuser and the accused both made their appearance before the judge or judges, Deuteronomy xxv, l, who sat with legs crossed upon the floor, which was furnished for their accommodation with carpet and cushions. A secretary was present, at least in more modern times, who wrote down the sentence, and, indeed, every thing in relation to the trial; for instance, the articles of agreement that might be entered into previous to the commencement of the judicial proceedings, &nbsp; Isaiah 10:1-2; &nbsp;Jeremiah 32:1-14 . The Jews assert that there were two secretaries, the one being seated to the right of the judge, who wrote the sentence of not guilty, the other to the left, who wrote the sentence of condemnation, &nbsp;Matthew 25:33-46 . That an apparitor or beadle was present, is apparent from other sources. </p> <p> <strong> 2. </strong> The accuser was denominated in [[Hebrew]] שתן , or <em> the adversary, </em> &nbsp; Zechariah 3:1-3; &nbsp;Psalms 109:6 . The judge or judges were seated, but both of the parties implicated stood up, the accuser standing to the right hand of the accused: the latter, at least after the captivity, when the cause was one of great consequence, appeared with hair dishevelled, and in a garment of mourning. </p> <p> <strong> 3. </strong> The witnesses were sworn, and, in capital cases, the parties concerned, &nbsp; 1 Samuel 14:37-40; &nbsp;Matthew 26:63 . In order to establish the charges alleged, two witnesses were necessary, and, including the accuser, three. The witnesses were examined separately, but the person accused had the liberty to be present when their testimony was given in, &nbsp;Numbers 35:30; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 17:1-15; &nbsp;Matthew 26:59 . Proofs might be brought from other sources; for instance, from written contracts, or from papers in evidence of any thing purchased or sold, of which there were commonly taken two copies, the one to be sealed, the other to be left open, as was customary in the time of Jerom, &nbsp;Jeremiah 32:10-13 . </p> <p> <strong> 4. </strong> The parties sometimes, as may be inferred from &nbsp; Proverbs 18:18 , made use of the lot in determining the points of difficulty between them, but not without a mutual agreement. The sacred lot of [[Urim]] and [[Thummim]] was anciently resorted to, in order to detect the guilty, &nbsp;Joshua 7:14-24; 1 Samuel 14; but the determination of a case of right or wrong in this way was not commanded by Moses. </p> <p> <strong> 5. </strong> The sentence, very soon after the completion of the examination, was pronounced; and the criminal, without any delay, even if the offence were a capital one, was hastened away to the place of punishment, &nbsp; Joshua 7:22 , &c; &nbsp;1 Samuel 22:18; &nbsp;1 Kings 2:23 . </p> <p> A few additional remarks will cast some light upon some passages of Scripture: the station of the accused was in an eminent place in the court, that the people might see them, and hear what was alleged against them, and the proofs of it, together with the defence made by the criminals. This explains the reason of the remark by the [[Evangelist]] Matthew, concerning the posture of our Lord at his trial: "Jesus stood before the governor;" and that, in a mock trial, many ages before the birth of Christ, in which some attention was also paid to public forms, [[Naboth]] was set on high among the people, &nbsp;1 Kings 21:9 . The accusers and the witnesses also stood, unless they were allowed to sit by the indulgence of the judges, when they stated the accusation, or gave their testimony. To this custom of the accusers rising from their seats, when called by the court to read the indictment, our Lord alludes in his answer to the scribes and Pharisees, who expressed a wish to see him perform some miracle: "The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it," </p> <p> &nbsp;Matthew 12:42 . According to this rule, which seems to have been invariably observed, the Jews who accused the [[Apostle]] Paul at the bar of [[Festus]] the Roman governor, "stood round about," while they stated the crimes which they had to lay to his charge, &nbsp;Acts 25:7 . They were compelled to stand as well as the prisoner, by the established usage of the courts of justice, in the east. The Romans often put criminals to the question, or endeavoured to extort a confession from them by torture. Agreeably to this cruel and unjust custom, "the chief captain commanded Paul to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging," &nbsp;Acts 22:24 . It was usual, especially among the Romans, when a man was charged with a capital crime, and during his arraignment, to let down his hair, suffer his beard to grow long, to wear filthy, ragged garments, and appear in a very dirty and sordid habit; on account of which they were called <em> sordidati. </em> When the person accused was brought into court to be tried, even his near relations, friends, and acquaintances, before the court voted, appeared with dishevelled hair, and clothed with garments foul and out of fashion, weeping, crying, and deprecating punishment. The accused sometimes appeared before the judges clothed in black, and his head covered with dust. In allusion to this ancient custom, the [[Prophet]] Zechariah represents Joshua, the high priest, when he appeared before the Lord, and Satan stood at his right hand to accuse him, as clothed with filthy garments, &nbsp; Zechariah 3:3 . After the cause was carefully examined, and all parties impartially heard, the public crier, by command of the presiding magistrate, ordered the judges to bring in their verdict. The most ancient way of giving sentence, was by white and black sea shells, or pebbles. This custom has been mentioned by [[Ovid]] in these lines:— </p> <p> <strong> <em> Mos erat antiquis, niveis atrisque lapillis, His damnare reos, illis absolvere culpa. </em> </strong> </p> <p> "It was a custom among the ancients, to give their votes by white or black stones; with these they condemned the guilty, with those acquitted the innocent." In allusion to this ancient custom, our Lord promises to give the spiritual conqueror "a white stone," &nbsp;Revelation 2:17; the white stone of absolution or approbation. When sentence of condemnation was pronounced, if the case was capital, the witnesses put their hands on the head of the criminal, and said, "Thy blood be upon thine own head." To this custom the Jews alluded, when they cried out at the trial of Christ, "His blood be on us and on our children." Then was the malefactor led to execution, and none were allowed openly to lament his misfortune. His hands were secured with cords, and his feet with fetters; a custom which furnished David with an affecting allusion, in his lamentation over the dust of Abner: "Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put in fetters," &nbsp;2 Samuel 3:34; that is, he was put treacherously to death, without form of justice. </p> <p> <strong> 2. </strong> Executions in the east are often very prompt and arbitrary, when resulting from royal authority. In many cases the suspicion is no sooner entertained, or the cause of offence given, than the fatal order is issued; the messenger of death hurries to the unsuspecting victim, shows his warrant, and executes his orders that instant in silence and solitude. Instances of this kind are continually occurring in the Turkish and [[Persian]] histories. When the enemies of a great man among the Turks have gained influence enough over the prince to procure a warrant for his death, a <em> capidgi, </em> the name of the officer who executes these orders, is sent to him, who shows him the order he has received to carry back his head; the other takes the warrant of the grand seignior, kisses it, puts it on his head in token of respect, and then, having performed his ablutions and said his prayers, freely resigns his life. The <em> capidgi, </em> having strangled him, cuts off his head, and brings it to Constantinople. The grand seignior's order is implicitly obeyed; the servants of the victim never attempt to hinder the executioner, although these <em> capidgis </em> come very often with few or no attendants. It appears from the writings of Chardin, that the nobility and grandees of [[Persia]] are put to death in a manner equally silent, hasty, and unobstructed. Such executions were not uncommon among the Jews under the government of their kings. [[Solomon]] sent [[Benaiah]] as his <em> capidgi, </em> or executioner, to put Adonijah, a prince of his own family, to death; and Joab, the commander-in-chief of the forces in the reign of his father. A <em> capidgi </em> likewise beheaded John the [[Baptist]] in prison, and carried his head to the court of Herod. To such silent and hasty executioners the royal preacher seems to refer in that proverb, "The wrath of a king is as messengers of death; but a wise man will pacify it," &nbsp; Proverbs 16:14 : his displeasure exposes the unhappy offender to immediate death, and may fill the unsuspecting bosom with terror and dismay, like the appearance of a <em> capidgi; </em> but by wise and prudent conduct a man may sometimes escape the danger. From the dreadful promptitude with which Benaiah executed the commands of Solomon on [[Adonijah]] and Joab, it may be concluded that the executioner of the court was as little ceremonious, and the ancient Jews, under their kings, nearly as passive, as the Turks or Persians. The Prophet [[Elisha]] is the only person on the inspired record who ventured to resist the bloody mandate of the sovereign; the incident is recorded in these terms: "But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him; but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? [[Look]] ye, when the messenger cometh, shut the door and hold him fast at the door; is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?" &nbsp; 2 Kings 6:32 . But if such mandates had not been too common among the Jews, and in general submitted to without resistance, [[Jehoram]] had scarcely ventured to despatch a single messenger to take away the life of so eminent a person as Elisha. </p> <p> Criminals were at other times executed in public; and then commonly without the city. To such executions without the gate, the [[Psalmist]] undoubtedly refers in this complaint: "The dead bodies of thy saints have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven; the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth; their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem, and there was none to bury them," &nbsp;Psalms 79:2-3 . The last clause admits of two senses: </p> <p> <strong> 1. </strong> There was no friend or relation left to bury them. </p> <p> <strong> 2. </strong> None were allowed to perform this last office. </p> <p> The despotism of eastern princes often proceeds to a degree of extravagance which is apt to fill the mind with astonishment and horror. It has been thought, from time immemorial, highly criminal to bury those who had lost their lives by the hand of an executioner, without permission. In Morocco, no person dares to bury the body of a malefactor without an order from the emperor; and Windus, who visited that country, speaking of a man who was sawn in two, informs us, that his body must have remained to be eaten by the dogs if the emperor had not pardoned him; an extravagant custom to pardon a man after he is dead; but unless he does so, no person dares bury the body. To such a degree of savage barbarity it is probable the enemies of God's people carried their opposition, that no person dared to bury the dead bodies of their innocent victims. </p> <p> In ancient times, persons of the highest rank and station were employed to execute the sentence of the law. They had not then, as we have at present, public executioners; but the prince laid his commands on any of his courtiers whom he chose, and probably selected the person for whom he had the greatest favour. [[Gideon]] commanded Jether, his eldest son, to execute his sentence on the kings of Midian; the king of [[Israel]] ordered the foot-men who stood around him, and who were probably a chosen body of soldiers for the defence of his person, to put to death the priests of the Lord; and when they refused, Doeg, an Edomite, one of his principal officers. Long after the days of Saul, the reigning monarch commanded Benaiah, the chief captain of his armies, to perform that duty. Sometimes the chief magistrate executed the sentence of the law with his own hands; for when [[Jether]] shrunk from the duty which his father required, Gideon, at that time the supreme magistrate in Israel, did not hesitate to do it himself. In these times such a command would be reckoned equally barbarous and unbecoming; but the ideas which were entertained in those primitive ages of honour and propriety, were in many respects extremely different from ours. In Homer, the exasperated [[Ulysses]] commanded his son [[Telemachus]] to put to death the suitors of Penelope, which was immediately done. The custom of employing persons of high rank to execute the sentence of the law, is still retained in the principality of Senaar, where the public executioner is one of the principal nobility; and, by virtue of his office, resides in the royal palace. </p>

<p> A principle of righteousness and equity, controlling our conduct, and securing a due regard to all the rights of others-their persons, property, character, and interests. It has to do, not with pecuniary transactions alone, but with all our intercourse with society. It forms a chief element of the character approved in God's word; and a truly just man has but to "love mercy, and walk humbly with God," to fulfil all righteousness. Justice in magistrates, rulers, and judges, must be fearless and impartial, and all its decisions such as will bear revision before the court of heaven, &nbsp;Deuteronomy 1:16,17 &nbsp; 2 Samuel 23:3 &nbsp; 2 Chronicles 19:6-10 . [[Judgement]] is peculiarly the prerogative of God, and every earthly tribunal lies under the shadow of the "great white throne." A just judgment is the voice of God; and hence an unjust one is doubly hateful in his sight. </p> <p> THE [[Justice Of God]]  is that essential and infinite attribute which makes his nature and his ways the perfect embodiment of equity, and constitutes him the model and the guardian of equity throughout the universe, &nbsp;Deuteronomy 32:4 &nbsp; Psalm 89:14 . The justice of God could not leave the world without laws, and cannot fail to vindicate them by executing their penalties; and as all mankind perpetually break them, every human soul is under condemnation, and must perish, unless spared through the accepted ransom, the blood of Christ. </p> <p> THE [[Adminsitration Of Justice]]  among the Hebrews, was characterized by simplicity and promptitude. In early times the patriarch of each family was its judge, &nbsp;Genesis 38:24 . Afterwards, in the absence of more formal courts, the elders of a household, tribe, or city, were its judges by natural right. In the wilderness, Moses organized for the Jews a regular system of judges, some having jurisdiction over ten families, others over fifty, one hundred, or one thousand. The difficult cases were referred to Moses, and he often sought divine direction concerning them, &nbsp;Exodus 18:21-26 &nbsp; Leviticus 24:12 . These judges were perhaps the "princes of the congregation," and the chiefs of the families and tribes of whom we afterwards read, &nbsp;Numbers 27:3 . In the land of Canaan, local magistrates were appointed for every city and village; and these were instructed to cooperate with the priests, as being all together under the theocracy, the actual government of Jehovah, the supreme Judge of Israel, &nbsp;Deuteronomy 16:18 &nbsp; 17:8-10 &nbsp; 19:17 &nbsp; 21:16 . Their informal courts were held in the gate of the city, as the most public and convenient place, &nbsp;Deuteronomy 21:9 &nbsp; 22:15 &nbsp; 25:7; and in the same place contracts were ratified, &nbsp;Ruth 4:1,9 &nbsp; Jeremiah 32:7-15 . [[Deborah]] the prophetess judged Israel beneath a palm-tree, &nbsp;Judges 4:5 . Samuel established virtually a circuit court, &nbsp;1 Samuel 7:16 &nbsp; 8:1; and among the kings, [[Jehoshaphat]] made special provision for the faithful administration of justice, &nbsp;2 Chronicles 19:1-11 . The kings themselves were supreme judges, with almost unlimited powers, &nbsp;1 Samuel 22:16 &nbsp; 2 Samuel 4:9,10 &nbsp; 1 Kings 22:26 . They were expected, however, to see that justice was everywhere done, and seem to have been accessible to all who were wronged. Frequent complaints are on record in the sacred books of the maladministration of judges, of bribery and perjury, &nbsp;1 Samuel 8:3 &nbsp; 1 Kings 21:8-14 &nbsp; Isaiah 1:23 &nbsp; 10:1 &nbsp; Micah 3:11 &nbsp; 7:3 . </p> <p> There was no class among the Jews exactly corresponding to our lawyers. The accuser and the accused stood side by side before the judge, with their witnesses, and pleaded their own cause. The accuser is named in several places, Satan, that is, the adversary, &nbsp;Psalm 109:6 &nbsp; Zechariah 3:1-3 . No one could be condemned without the concurring testimony of at least two witnesses, &nbsp;Numbers 35:30; and these failing, he was obliged to make oath of his innocence, &nbsp;Exodus 22:11 &nbsp; Hebrews 6:16 . The sentence of the judge was instantly executed; and in certain cases the witnesses cast the first stone, &nbsp;Deuteronomy 17:5,7 &nbsp; 25:2 &nbsp; Joshua 7:24 &nbsp; 1 Samuel 22:18 &nbsp; 1 Kings 2:24 &nbsp; Proverbs 16:14 . The same frightful celerity still marks the administration of justice in the East. The application of torture to extract evidence is only once mentioned, and that under the authority of Rome, &nbsp;Acts 22:24 . See SANHEDRIM and [[Synagogue]] . </p>

<div> '''1: '''''Δίκη''''' ''' (Strong'S #1349 — Noun [[Feminine]] — dike — dee'-kay ) </div> <p> primarily "custom, usage," came to denote "what is right;" then, "a judicial hearing;" hence, "the execution of a sentence," "punishment," &nbsp;2 Thessalonians 1:9 , RV; &nbsp;Jude 1:7 , "punishment," RV (AV, "vengeance"). In &nbsp;Acts 28:4 (AV, "vengeance") it is personified and denotes the goddess Justice or [[Nemesis]] (Lat., Justitia), who the [[Melita]] folk supposed was about to inflict the punishment of death upon Paul by means of the viper. See Punishment , Vengeance. </p>

<p> ''''' jus´tis ''''' ( צדקה , <i> ''''' cedhāḳāh ''''' </i> ; צדק , <i> ''''' cedheḳ ''''' </i> ; διακιοσύνη , <i> ''''' dikaiosúnē ''''' </i> ): The original Hebrew and Greek words 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 the King James Version, the American Standard Revised Version has changed to "righteous" and "righteousness." It must be constantly borne in mind that the two ideas are essentially the same. See Righteousness . </p> 1. Human Justice: <p> Justice had primarily to do with conduct in relation to others, especially with regard to the rights of others. It is applied to business, where just weights and measures are demanded (&nbsp;Leviticus 19:35 , &nbsp;Leviticus 19:36; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 25:13-16; &nbsp;Amos 8:5; &nbsp;Proverbs 11:1; &nbsp;Proverbs 16:11; &nbsp;Ezekiel 45:9 , &nbsp;Ezekiel 45:10 ). It is demanded in courts, where the rights of rich and poor, [[Israelite]] and sojourner, are equally to be regarded. Neither station nor bribe nor popular clamor shall influence judge or witness. "Justice, justice shalt thou follow" (&nbsp;Deuteronomy 16:20 m; compare &nbsp; Deuteronomy 16:18-20; &nbsp;Exodus 23:1-3 , &nbsp;Exodus 23:6-9 ). In general this justice is contrasted with that wickedness which "feared not God, and regarded not man" (&nbsp;Luke 18:2 ). </p> <p> In a larger sense justice is not only giving to others their rights, but involves the active duty of establishing their rights. So Israel waits upon God's justice or cries out: "The justice due to me (literally, "my justice") is passed away from my God" (&nbsp;Isaiah 40:27 ). [[Yahweh]] is to show her to be in the right as over against the nations. Justice here becomes mercy. To "seek justice" means to "relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow" (&nbsp;Isaiah 1:17; compare &nbsp;Isaiah 11:4; &nbsp;Jeremiah 22:15 , &nbsp;Jeremiah 22:16; &nbsp;Psalm 82:2-4 ). The same idea appears in &nbsp;Deuteronomy 24:12 , &nbsp;Deuteronomy 24:13; &nbsp;Psalm 37:21 , &nbsp;Psalm 37:26; &nbsp;Psalm 112:4-6 , where the translation is "righteous" instead of "just." </p> <p> In this conception of justice the full meaning of the New Testament is not yet reached. It does not mean sinlessness or moral perfection. Job knows the sin in his heart (&nbsp;Job 13:23 , &nbsp;Job 13:26; &nbsp;Job 7:21 ), and yet speaks of himself as a just or righteous man (&nbsp;Job 12:4; &nbsp;Job 13:18 ). The Psalmist confidently depends upon the righteousness of God though he knows that no man is righteous in God's sight (&nbsp;Psalm 143:1 , &nbsp;Psalm 143:2; compare &nbsp;Psalm 7:8; &nbsp;Psalm 18:20-24 ). It is not a lack of humility or dependence upon God when the Psalmist asks to be judged according to his righteousness. In relation to God, the just, or righteous, man is the one who holds to God and trusts in Him (&nbsp;Psalm 33:18-22 ). This is not the later Judaistic legalism with its merit and reward, where God's justice is simply a matter of giving each man what he has earned. </p> <p> The word "justice" does not occur in the New Testament, and in most cases where we find "just" in the King James Version it is changed to "righteous" in the American Standard Revised Version. The idea of justice or righteousness (remembering that these are essentially the same) becomes more spiritual and ethical in the New Testament. It is a matter of character, and God's own spirit is the standard (&nbsp;1 John 3:7; &nbsp;Matthew 5:48 ). The mere give-and-take justice is not enough. We are to be merciful, and that to all. The ideal is righteousness, not rights. As Holtzmann says, "The keynote of the [[Sermon]] on the Mount is <i> ''''' justitia ''''' </i> and not <i> ''''' jus ''''' </i> ." </p> 2. Justice of God: <p> God's justice, or righteousness, is founded in His essential nature. But, just as with man, it is not something abstract, but is seen in His relation to the world. It is His kingship establishing and maintaining the right. It appears as retributive justice, "that reaction of His holy will, as grounded in His eternal being, against evil wherever found." He cannot be indifferent to good and evil (&nbsp;Habakkuk 1:13 ). The great prophets, Isaiah, Micah, Amos, Hosea, all insist upon Yahweh's demand for righteousness. </p> <p> But this is not the main aspect of God's justice. [[Theology]] has been wont to set forth God's justice as the fundamental fact in His nature with which we must reconcile His mercy as best we may, the two being conceived as in conflict. As a matter of fact, the [[Scriptures]] most often conceive God's justice, or righteousness, as the action of His mercy. Just as with man justice means the relief of the oppressed and needy, so God's justice is His kingly power engaged on behalf of men, and justice and mercy are constantly joined together. He is "a just God and a Saviour" (&nbsp;Isaiah 45:21 ). "I bring near my righteousness (or "justice")...and my salvation shall not tarry" (&nbsp;Isaiah 46:13; compare &nbsp;Psalm 51:14; &nbsp;Psalm 103:17; &nbsp;Psalm 71:15; &nbsp;Psalm 116:5; &nbsp;Isaiah 51:5 , &nbsp;Isaiah 51:6 ). The "righteous acts of Yahweh" mean His deeds of deliverance (&nbsp;Judges 5:11 ). And so Israel sings of the justice, or judgments, or righteousness of Yahweh (they are the same), and proclaims her trust in these (&nbsp;Psalm 7:17; &nbsp;Psalm 35:23 , &nbsp;Psalm 35:24 , &nbsp;Psalm 35:28; &nbsp;Psalm 36:6; &nbsp;Psalm 140:12 , &nbsp;Psalm 140:13; &nbsp;Psalm 50:5 , &nbsp;Psalm 50:6; &nbsp;Psalm 94:14 , &nbsp;Psalm 94:15; &nbsp;Psalm 103:6; &nbsp;Psalm 143:1 ). </p> <p> The New Testament, too, does not lack the idea of retributive justice. The Son of Man "shall render unto every man according to his deeds" (&nbsp;Matthew 16:27; compare 25:14-46; &nbsp;Luke 12:45-48; &nbsp;Romans 2:2-16; &nbsp;Romans 6:23; &nbsp;2 Corinthians 5:10; &nbsp;Colossians 3:24 , &nbsp;Colossians 3:25; &nbsp;2 Thessalonians 1:8 , &nbsp;2 Thessalonians 1:9; &nbsp;Hebrews 2:2 , &nbsp;Hebrews 2:3; &nbsp;Hebrews 10:26-31 ). But God's justice is far more than this. The idea of merit and reward is really superseded by a higher viewpoint in the teaching of Jesus. He speaks, indeed, of recompense, but it is the Father and not the judge that gives this (&nbsp;Matthew 6:1 , &nbsp;Matthew 6:4 , &nbsp;Matthew 6:6 , &nbsp;Matthew 6:18 ). And it is no mere justice of earth, because the reward transcends all merit (&nbsp;Matthew 24:46 , &nbsp;Matthew 24:47; &nbsp;Mark 10:30; &nbsp;Luke 12:37 ). This is grace not desert (&nbsp;Luke 17:10 ). And the parable of &nbsp;Matthew 20:1-15 gives at length the deathblow to the whole Judaistic scheme of merit and reward. </p> <p> And God's justice is not merely gracious, but redemptive. It not simply apportions rights, it establishes righteousness. Thus, just as in the Old Testament, the judge is the Saviour. The difference is simply here: in the Old Testament the salvation was more national and temporal, here it is personal and spiritual. But mercy is opposed to justice no more here than in the Old Testament. It is by the forgiveness of sins that God establishes righteousness, and this is the supreme task of justice. Thus it is that God is at the same time "just, and the justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus" (&nbsp;Romans 3:26 ). "He is faithful and righteous (or "just"; see the King James Version) to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (&nbsp;1 John 1:9 ). </p> Literature. <p> See <i> Comm </i> ., and <i> Biblical Theologies </i> under "Justice" and "Righteousness," and especially Cremer, <i> Biblical-Theol. Lex. of New Testament Greek. </i> </p>

<p> ( '''''צֶדֶק''''' , ''Righteousness,'' as an internal trait of character; '''''מַשְׁפָּט''''' , ''Judgment,'' as a judicial act), as applied to men, is one of the four cardinal virtues. It consists, according to Cicero ( ''De Finibus,'' lib. 5, cap. 23), ''In Suo Cuique Tribuendo,'' in according to every one his right. By the Pythagoreans, and also by Plato, it was regarded as including all human virtue or duty. The word [[Righteousness]] is used in our translation of the Scriptures in a like extensive signification. As opposed to equity justice ( '''''Τὁ''''' '''''Νομικόν''''' ) means doing merely what positive law requires, while equity ( '''''Τὸ''''' '''''Ἴσον''''' ) means doing what is, fair and right in the circumstances of every particular case. Justice is not founded in law, as Hobbes and others hold, but in our idea of what is right. Laws are just or unjust in so far as they do or do not conform to that idea. Justice may be distinguished as ethical, economical, and political. The first consists in doing justice between man and man as men; the second, in doing justice between the members of a family or household; and the third, in doing justice between the members of a community or commonwealth (More, ''Enchiridion Ethicum;'' Grove, [[Moral Philosophy]] ) ''.'' Dr. Watts gives the following rules respecting justice </p> <p> " '''1.''' It is just that we honor, reverence, and respect those who are superiors in any kind (&nbsp;Ephesians 6:1; &nbsp;Ephesians 6:3; &nbsp;1 Peter 2:17; &nbsp;1 Timothy 5:17). </p> <p> '''2.''' That we show particular kindness to near relations (&nbsp;Proverbs 16:17). </p> <p> '''3.''' That we love those who love us, and show gratitude to those who have done us good (&nbsp;Galatians 4:15). </p> <p> '''4.''' That we pay the full due to those whom we bargain or deal with (Romans 13; &nbsp;Deuteronomy 24:14). </p> <p> '''5.''' That we help our fellow creatures in cases of great necessity (&nbsp;Exodus 22:4). '''6.''' Reparation to those whom we have willfully injured" (Watts, Sermons, serm. 24, 26, vol. 2). See Wollaston, [[Religion]] of Nature, p. 137, 141; Jay, Sermons, 2, 131. </p>

<p> 1, </p> <p> ne of the two great sections of the English [[Supreme]] Courts; 2, </p> <p> he chief judge of the Queen's [[Bench]] division of it; 3, </p> <p> upreme judge in Scotland, the Lord [[President]] of the Court of Session; 4, </p> <p> he title of a petty county or borough magistrate of multifarious duties and jurisdiction; 5, </p> <p> udges of the English Court of Appeal. </p>