justification

(jŭs'tə-fĭ-kā'shən)
n.

1. 1. The act of justifying.
   2. The condition or fact of being justified.
2. Something, such as a fact or circumstance, that justifies: considered misgovernment to be a justification for revolution. See synonyms at apology.

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In typography, the alignment of text evenly between left and right margins. Contrast with ragged right.

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Text alignment in which both left and right edges are smooth, achieved by varying the space between words (and sometimes between characters) to make the lines of equal length.

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noun

1. A statement that justifies or defends something, such as a past action or policy: apologetic, apologia, apology, defense, vindication. See attack/defend.
2. A statement of causes or motives: account, explanation, rationale, rationalization, reason. See explain/baffle.
3. A justifying fact or consideration: basis, foundation, reason, warrant. See true/false.
4. That which provides a reason or justification: call, cause, ground (often used in plural), necessity, occasion, reason, wherefore, why. Idioms: why and wherefore. See start/end.

To be justified, means to be made righteous, and just actions towards other human beings must flow from those who have been made right. In the NT the verb "to justify'' appears much more frequently than the nouns "justification'' or "justice''. It is most often used in Paul's letters to the Romans and Galatians. Fundamentally, the concern is with justice and being in a relationship with God. The just person is one who has been justified, is accepted by God, and lives in harmony with God's will.

For classical Judaism the ways and means by which one is justified are not simplified. Bildad the Shuhite cynically asks, "How then can man be justified before God?" (Job 25:4) to which Job replies that he will not give up his integrity (Job chap. 27), even in his darkest hours, but will build his case on the mystery and revelation of God and his own record (Job 26:14; 27:6). The Psalmist in a note of despair, hardly normative for Judaism, concludes: "in your sight no one living is justified'' (Ps 143:2) and yet the whole Psalm is a cry to have an answer based on God's righteousness (Ps 143:1, 11) and is a clear affirmation "in you do I trust� for I lift up my soul to you'' (Ps 143:8).

Early Christians accepted this, but, in the Pauline discussions in Romans and Galatians, there was a change of focus. Paul in these letters is engaged in a polemic with those who insist that male Gentile converts must be circumcised. Paul asserts that faith in the saving work of Christ on the cross and in the resurrection suffices to enter the covenant of salvation (Rom 4:24-5:1). Often Paul links this way of salvation with baptism (Rom 6:3-8; I Cor 6:11; Col 2:11-14). Paul uses other terms for salvation besides justification, e.g., redemption, reconciliation, adoptive sonship (see SALVATION).

Paul describes the person who has been "justified freely by his grace'' (Rom 3:24) and who has accepted God's way of righting wrong, as one who also embodies in life the justice of God for God is "both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (Rom 3:26). The early Christians spoke of the harvest of justification or righteousness (Phil 1:11) and saw the relationship as that between seed and fruit; at times justice was the fruit and peace the seed and at times their relationship was reversed (James 3:18). In this manner they affirmed that justification which brings peace (Rom 5:1), and justice, are intimately related (Rom 14:17).

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A central concept both in ethics and epistemology. An action or a belief is justified if it stands up to some kind of critical reflection or scrutiny; a person is then exempt from criticism on account of it. The philosophical question is one of the standards that have to be met and the source of their authority. A surprisingly popular line of thought in epistemology is that ‘only a belief can justify another belief’ (Davidson). The implication that neither experience nor the world plays a role in justifying beliefs leads quickly to coherentism.

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

A sufficient or acceptable excuse or explanation made in court for an act that is otherwise unlawful; the showing of an adequate reason, in court, why a defendant committed the offense for which he or she is accused that would serve to relieve the defendant of liability.

A legal excuse for the performance or nonperformance of a particular act that is the basis for exemption from guilt. A classic example is the excuse of self-defense offered as justification for the commission of a murder.

For a list of words related to justification, see:

• Graphic Design - justification: spacing of letters and words within text lines so that all full lines in type column have even margins on both right and left sides

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - retfærdiggørelse, begrundelse, motivering, undskyldning

Nederlands (Dutch)
rechtvaardiging, uitvulling (tekst)

Français (French)
n. - (gén, Relig) justification (de, à, pour), à juste titre, (Typ, Comput) justification, cadrage

Deutsch (German)
n. - Rechtfertigung, Randausgleich

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - δικαίωση, καταξίωση, δικαιολογία, αιτιολόγηση, δικαιολόγηση

Italiano (Italian)
giustificazione

Português (Portuguese)
n. - justificativa (f)

Русский (Russian)
оправдание, оправдывающие обстоятельства, правомерность

Español (Spanish)
n. - justificación

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - berättigande, rättfärdigande, försvar

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
辩护, 释罪, 证明正当

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 辯護, 釋罪, 證明正當

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 정당화, 변명, 정돈

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 正当化, 弁明

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) تبرير, تسويغ, مبرر, مسوغ‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮הצדקה‬

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