Voices from Beyond Recovering the Prophetic Voice for Today (Biblical Essays in Memory of Prof. Dr Rui de Menezes, SJ)

Are there prophets today? Well, no and yes. If we look for prophets like in the Old Testament, then no. But, if we look for people who speak prophetically like the Old Testament prophets, then yes. Rui de Menezes SJ was one among them. His prophetic voice was a radical voice, a liberal voice that called for a change in society and the Church.

VOICES FROM BEYOND is a token of our gratitude to Prof. Rui de Menezes SJ (24.12.1939 22.3.2014), who left behind us a legacy of a prophetic voice. His prophetic voice brought challenge and great hope for us, his students and colleagues. The title of this book, VOICES FROM BEYOND: RECOVERING THE PROPHETIC VOICE FOR TODAY, draws inspiration from his writings. He had written extensively on these themes and was convinced that living by prophetic voice would always nourish our faith, giving us freedom and liberation through our committed action and mission.

His prophetic voice was one that would never settle for the status quo, or security, or comfort, or tradition. He spoke for the weak, the oppressed, the disenfranchised, those who had little voice in shaping their own lives or their own future. He stood as a counter-voice to those who would allow the allure of power, ambition, and self-serving. He stood in solidarity with the poor, the powerless and the marginalized, becoming a voice for the voiceless. His linguistic mastery, scholarly excellence and academic achievement can never be overstated. However, what stands up is his love for people. He was a people- oriented person. There were no religion, caste, race or social discriminations in Rui's dealing with persons.

He envisioned a Church without walls. He often stood firm as the lone prophetic voice against all sorts of dictatorship, despotism, domination, injustice, clericalism, caste system, etc., that divided the Church. He was often in an encounter with the structural establishments of the institutionalized Church. He questioned the false piety and self-righteousness of the established, institutionalized Church and its ministers. He was not silent in the face of bigotry, prejudice, or false pride of the 'ministers of the Church."

In my own experience, his prophetic life was full of grace, grit, and growth. For him, living a prophetic life meant being willing to see what is right here, right now, and to see what is required to answer the needs of the present. His prophetic voice was lived and expressed with tenderness through action rather than words. When I think of him, the words of prophet Micah resound in my cars: "What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God" (Mic 6:8)? His was a prophetic voice always echoed justice, mercy, and righteousness by walking humbly with God.

His prophetic life had a profound impact on the Jnana Deepa campus and society. As one of the pillars of Jnana Deepa, he exercised an enormous influence on his students and colleagues, challenging them to interpret Bible in a way that would bring it alive in the Indian context. He tried to create a "counter-culture" in the Jnana Deepa campus, an ambience of freedom, integration and openness. He called us, the students, to live out a counter culture, not governed by the rules of power and success. He invited us to abandon the status quo shaped by those who benefited from it the most, to embrace a new future shaped, empowered, and energized by the teachings of the prophets in the Old Testament. He urged us to respond faithfully to the God who had revealed Himself in history and not in the cultic, ritualistic observances. He always tried to reveal the kind of God who hears the cries of the oppressed and responds with grace and deliverance, as revealed in the books of the Hebrew Bible..

He taught and preached the Word of God without compromising its accuracy, integrity, essence, and intention of the message. His textual interpretations were attempts to bring the textual significance closer to the reader's understanding, rather than treating it technically. His interpretations of the text originated from his outstanding scholarship and passions but gave assurance of hope and grace for a troubled society. His familiarity with the Ancient Near Eastern culture and history helped him explain that ancient Israel never lived in isolation but always interacted with the neighbouring nations and cultures. Thus, most of his books give a clear overview of the socio-cultural background against which various books of the OT are written. One of his essential concerns was to explore and highlight the global vision of the Hebrew Bible, such as a global vision of the one universe, one God and one humanity. He was convinced that the God of Israel is the God of all peoples and nations and not a tribal God of Israel. Prophetical Literature was his passion, and his teachings and writings on Prophetical Literature manifested how the prophets help us look at the world and other human beings with the eyes of God himself.

**Contents and Sample Pages**