Exploring Dalit Liberative Hermeneutics in India & the World (Based on an Ancient Hebrew Prophet, Jeremiah of Anathoth)

Jeremiah was one of the ancient Hebrew prophets who spoke daringly about the injustices and anomalies of his day in such a straightforward manner that he had to pay a heavy price of risking his own life unto death. In many ways, he represented a suffering prophet with full of pathos in his life situation because of his uncompromising words towards justice and peace for his nation. As a Yahwistic prophet, Jeremiah didn't spare anyone who violated the rights of the poor and oppressed.

The case of Jeremiah fits well with the Dalits liberation struggle in India, as the latter ventures into a dialogue with the biblical text in a manner that will release sufficient potential for their liberation. The pathos of Jeremiah also goes with the pathos of Dalits as they face different challenges to thwart the wicked schemes of their oppressors. Just like Jeremiah, Dalits are fighting against the institutional anomalies of injustice and corruption that works against the covenantal demands of the God of justice and equality. In this light, Jeremiah's concerns are very appropriate for Dalits to dialogue with the biblical text so that there will be a mutual benefit for both the dialogue partners.

Therefore, the book present messages of Jeremiah, relevant for Dalits in their present predicament. They can look into the inner dynamism with which Jeremiah preached the message of God to the rebellious society then in a very crucial and critical context. This eye opener is also meant for Christian Laity, Church Clergies, Students and Researchers, alike.

Rev. Dr. Kondasingu Jesurathnam is an ordained minister of Telugu Baptist Church. He earned his PhD in the field of Old Testament from the University of Edinburgh in the year 2006. In the recent past, he was the Dean of Postgraduate studies at the United Theological College and Secretary of the Society for Biblical Studies in India (SBSI). In the year 2014, he spent one year sabbatical as visiting Professor at Columbia Theological Seminary and Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, USA. Currently, he is the Professor of Old Testament at the United Theological College, Bangalore teaching in the Department of Biblical Studies.

Among many of his past and present publications include a book titled Dalit Liberative Hermeneutics: Indian Christian Dalit Interpretation of Psalm 22 (ISPCK, 2010). He has also contributed several scholarly articles to various academic journals and books. He cherishes life with his wife Beatrice Veena who is a school teacher and his son David Sunil Wesley Raju, an undergraduate student of commerce in Bangalore.

Jeremiah of Anathoth was the prophet of ancient Israel, very vibrant and dynamic all though his prophetic ministry. At the same time he was a man of conflict and strife with whom he came in contact. His daring and glaring message of judgment and hope can be estimated as of high quality in terms of stirring up the consciousness of the people of Judah starting from the ruling class until the ordinary folk who were robbed and oppressed by the ruling elite. Jeremiah even goes one step ahead to pick up his disagreements with God by expressing his anger and frustration while at the same time presenting the pathos of God on account of the proclamation of God's judgment against the nation. The prophet not only becomes champion of justice and righteousness of God but an advocate of rights and privileges of the oppressed community who all along face discrimination in his time. Jeremiah was honest in confronting God at certain points in his life for God's anger towards God's people and also not fulfilling the words that the prophet spoke on the insistence of God. Jeremiah charges God as because of God's choice and persuasion, he chose his prophetic vocation and now God can't disappoint him without proper results on account of his proclamation. Jeremiah's confrontation with the rulers of the nation: the king, royal administration and the optimistic prophets who obviously supported the ruling party was much more severe than any other prophet before or after him. This path of confrontation even placed the prophet closer to death and many risks of threat to his survival.

Dalit situation in many ways resemble the struggles of Jeremiah. Dalit do confront with the caste and related discriminations all through their life situations in India and other parts of the world. Their lives have been stigmatized and ostracized at all levels in the church and society on a daily basis. Whenever they confront with reality the caste community intensifies their onslaught and further intimidate Dalits. Their fundamental human rights have been consistently denied thus leading them to death and life threatening situations. But, the critical voice of Jeremiah challenges and encourages them to fight their cause toward their liberation and emancipation. With this focus the present commentary on the book of Jeremiah is put in a Dalit perspective written for those who are concerned toward the liberation of twenty five million or more Dalits in the India and world today.

The chapters are divided on the basis of larger passages in the book of Jeremiah. After introducing the methodology and plan of the book a brief socio-historical background of the prophet is explained in chapter 2. From chapters 3 to 15 brief commentary is written highlighting the issues and concerns of the prophet based on the words of the biblical text. The commentary is then followed by an appropriation of each passage or section to the Dalit liberative hermeneutics. In this section examples are drawn from the current situation existing in India today. Dialogue between the biblical text and Dalit situation is the major focus of this commentary. On the basis of our discussion in all the chapters final general conclusion is drawn summarizing the outcome of the work as a whole. Enough care is taken to demonstrate the relevance of Jeremianic text and the message of the prophet to the struggles of Dalits in general and Dalit Christians in particular.

It is with a great sense of joy that I commend the solid, significant, and substantial commentary on Jeremiah, written from a Dalit perspective, by my friend and colleague, Dr. K. Jesurathnam. 1 have known him as someone deeply and passionately committed to interrogate, question, and dismantle dominant, racist, and casteist attitudes to Dalit communities, as well as researching and unveiling the rich, sensitive, and creative responses of Dalit Christians to a range of Biblical material, not least Psalm 22, a pioneering task that has been published as K. Jesurathnam, Dalit Liberative Hermeneutics: Indian Christian Dalit Interpretation of Psalm 22 (Delhi: ISPCK, 2010). His work on Jeremiah is a further step on this journey of liberation and celebration, where he has brought the situatedness of his Dalit identity and the fruits of his erudition to bear on the text and theology of Jeremiah and engage with the question as to how texts are understood and interacted with in the life of the community. Interpretations and readings of texts are never "neutral" - texts can be used and misused, especially by those in positions of power and authority to justify stratification, hierarchy, and to "put people in their place." A Dalit reading of the text is crucial because of the way in which this process probes deep not only into the text, but into the history of interpretation, and exposes and discloses deliberate biases and ingrained prejudices and attitudes, that prevent one from getting to the core liberative potential that Biblical texts, including prophetic texts, embody and exemplify.

Dr. Jesurathnam does not shy away from acknowledging the messy realities with which the prophet deals. Jeremiah, through all the complex reasoning, frustration, disappointment, and discontent with the people to whom he was trying to mediate the word of the Lord, cannot but reassure these people, whose attitudes and actions had filled God with disgust and indignation at their deceit, about the abiding faithfulness of their God, the God of deliverance and the God of redemption. Jeremiah haggles with God, trying to strike a bargain so that the people whom he seeks to present and represent to God are saved from violent retribution. Is there no possibility that the promise could be fulfilled, and that in and through these folk? Jeremiah tries to open a window of communication into the very being of God, the heart of God, so that one recognizes that, for example, what he sees as the "deceitful brook" and "failing water" can also be recognized as the healing and cleansing waters of deliverance. It was not because of what the people did, but in spite of that, that God was willing, and is willing, to forgive and guarantee the certainty of God's ongoing forgiving, redeeming, and delivering presence.

**Contents and Sample Pages**