Before Forgiveness: The Origins of a Moral Idea

by David Konstan

In this book, David Konstan argues that the modern concept of interpersonal forgiveness, in the full sense of the term, did not exist in ancient Greece and Rome. Even more startlingly, it is not fully present in the Hebrew Bible, nor again in the New Testament, or in the early Jewish and Christian commentaries on the Holy Scriptures. It would still be centuries-- many centuries-- before the idea of interpersonal forgiveness, with its accompanying ideas of apology, remorse, and a change of heart on the part of the wrongdoer, would emerge. For all its vast importance today in religion, law, politics, and psychotherapy, interpersonal forgiveness is creation of the 18th and 19th centuries, when the Christian concept of divine forgiveness was finally secularized. Forgiveness was God’s province, and it took a revolution in thought to bring it to earth and make it a human trait.

Genres: Philosophy, History

206 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much a scholarly book--not one intended for a popular audience. I was alerted to it by a footnote in Martha Nussbaum's recent Anger and Forgiveness. I was interested in whether he is correct that the modern concept didn't exist in the classical world. He pretty much convinced me that, in the modern sense of interpersonal forgiveness (not God's forgiveness) he is right. He is talking about a situation in which a person has intentionally wronged another, regrets his action, expresses his regret to the victim, promises to reform, and asks to be forgiven. The victim then consciously rejects what would be the normal reaction (anger) and adopts a new attitude of forgiveness to the perpetrator. In the ancient world the situation seemed always to involve the perpetrator arguing extenuating circumstances (I was ignorant, I was temporarily crazy, I didn't really do it, I didn't mean it to have the bad effects) and the victim graciously agreeing to overlook the injury. Or not. Konstan disagrees with Hannah Arendt, who finds the beginnings of the modern view in the New Testament; he instead locates it much later in the 18th century. He further, in his last two pages, suggests that the modern idea is based on philosophically incoherent assumptions and worries that modern movements of restorative justice, truth and reconciliation commissions, various psychotherapies and religious counsels that promise peace with oneself are unhelpful and misguided. While I am convinced by his arguments about the ancient world, I am less convinced by these later claims.

[Alain Verheij · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soms lees je een wetenschappelijk boek dat heel veel interessant veldwerk heeft gedaan maar uitgaat van een foutieve basisveronderstelling. In dit geval zegt de auteur dat het moderne idee van vergeving een beweging van twee kanten bevat (dader en slachtoffer). Dat zou ikzelf eerder ‘verzoening’ noemen - vergeving komt wat mij betreft vooral van één kant. Wel veel interessante voorbeelden van Griekse tragedies tot en met kerkvaders. Het moderne gedeelte is nogal grote stappen, snel thuis.

[Jennifer Kanke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel as if Konstan and other contemporary writers on forgiveness have a different understanding of the concept since they seem to say the wrongdoer must ask for forgiveness and assert that there's been a personal transformation before forgiveness is granted. This seems limited in a way that doesn't square with what I've been taught about forgiveness. I think our usage of the word is a mixture of all the traditions he's discussing. But that would make for a very messy book I suppose. Well-written and the examples from literature are well-chosen and make me want to get into Greek drama more.

[Random Anonymous Pseudonym* · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Before Forgiveness" is an interesting and accessible scholarly book on the history of ethics in classical antiquity and the biblical texts. David Konstan makes several perceptive points on the absence of what we call forgiveness in Ancient thought and culture. The book opens with a readable and persuasive definition of the modern concept of forgiveness-the basic idea under discussion. The chapters that follow comment on a wide range of texts to show that the process of forgiveness (I forgive you, the wrongdoer, after your earnest admission of guilt and personal responsibility, so that this forgiveness I am granting you decisively changes your behavior) does not exist in Greek, Roman, and even some early biblical cultures. It is decidedly a modern moral idea that reflects a specific worldview. The book is quite engaging, though at times Konstan keeps restating his argument so often that it becomes repetitive. Some parts probably should have been more streamlined. The author keeps coming back to the essential components of forgiveness well into the book, even though he already laid it out quite clearly in the opening chapter. Readers already know what we are talking about. I wish Konstan just moved on and advanced his argument throughout the work rather than remind us of what we are discussing. Some readings could be more nuanced, and I can't help feeling that in some cases, especially towards the end of the book, Konstan overstates his case. The book is made up of six chapters, but their quality is a bit mixed. The first half of the book is substantially more stimulating and appealing than the second one. Konstan shines when discussing Greek and Roman texts but loses some of his power when dealing with Renaissance and Enlightenment philosophy. Consequently, an important issue is left underdeveloped: The subtitle of the book refers to the "Origins of a Moral Idea", but the questions of when, how, and why forgiveness as we know it came to be are loosely addressed in Chapter 6. All things considered, I think this is a useful study that could appeal to students and scholars of classical antiquity. The argument itself is not particularly original (other classicists have tackled similar topics in the past), but the evidence that Konstan presents is generally compelling and some of the texts he discusses are lesser-known works of classical antiquity--a welcome move!

[Jeroen van Deelen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly intriguing. Konstan builds a strong case arguing that our modern idea of forgiveness was essentially non-existent in Ancient Greek and Latin times. A very pleasant read.