The Writings: Job–Sirach

Abstract

The WritingsJob–Sirach John Thomas Willis, Christopher T. Begg, and William J. Urbrock 1246. [Job] Jan Fokkelman, "Salient Features in the Book," Present State of Old Testament Studies, 47-63 [see #1527]. F. discusses six issues in Job: (1) Job was not an Israelite, but a celebrity from prehistoric times living in the southeast of Transjordan. The author of Job was inspired by Ezekiel for the keywords nḥm, "to console," and ḥnm, "for naught." (2) The crucial keyword in Job is tmm, "integrity," which is itself closely connected to ṣdqh, "righteousness." (3) The genre of the Book of Job is a thought experiment carried out with the tools of poetic art as a variant on the genre of Wisdom. (4) In Job 28, Job uses harsh negations to win the argument: there is no wisdom in the land of the living. (5) Job 29, 30, and 31 are the core of the entire Book of Job, poetically, rhetorically, emotionally, and spiritually. Job's three goals in chap. 31 are to demonstrate his perfect innocence, that his moral and religious principles have not changed, and to challenge God's treatment of himself; and finally (6) Job 42:7-9 states that Yhwh praised Job for speaking to Yhwh plainly and directly, unlike his friends in their words to Job.—J.W. 1247. [Job] Annette Schellenberg, "Warum Hiob trotz Krankheit getrötst kann sein. Beobachtungen zum Thema Ehre und Würde im Hiobbuch," TZ 74 (2018) 48-68. Taking as her starting point the thesis that at the end of the Book of Job the protagonist while not healed of his disease is nonetheless "comforted" (see 42:11), S. argues that the emotional stabilization of Job (his "comforting") spoken of at the end of the book has to do with the fact that in the preceding divine speeches questions of honor and worth are also addressed. More concretely, the divine speeches are of relevance first of all for the honor/worth theme in that they restore Job's feelings of honor and dignity even as they also make clear that Job's previous conceptions of honor were inadequate and that honor is not everything, since alongside this is also dignity, which is grounded in the state of creature-hood as such, apart from the strength and splendor the given creature may (not) possess. Accordingly, the Book of Job is to be seen as a biblical text that deserves a hearing just as much as Genesis 1 in contemporary discussions concerning human (or creaturely) dignity. [Translated from published abstract—C.T.B.] 1248. [Job] Markus Witte, "Hiob als jüdisches, christliches, und paganes Werk. Überlegungen zur Hermeneutik heiliger Schriften," Congress Volume Stellenbosch 2016, 329-53 [see #1517]. W. presents the Book of Job as a document of "Sacred Scripture," which already in its original Hebrew form reflects the interplay of Jewish and "pagan" (ANE) elements. This feature is likewise evident in the book's subsequent redactions (e.g., the Elihu speeches of chaps. 32–37, translations (LXX and Targum Job), retellings (the Testament of Job), and citations in the NT and subsequent Christian literature, in which the book takes on ever-new features that serve to make it accessible to Jewish, Christian, and "pagan" readers. As such, the book constitutes an ongoing invitation to interreligious dialogue about the fundamental questions of the meaning of life, suffering, and God, in which all may join and will find both suggestions about how such a dialogue might be conducted as well as challenges to expand and enrich their own presuppositions and views on the questions at issue.—C.T.B. [End Page 426] 1249. [Job 37:11] Aron Pinker, "Lightening a Cloudy Job 37:11," JNSL 43 (2, 2017) 27-51. P. suggests that the difficulties associated with the interpretation of Job 37:11 can be resolved if one supposes that Elihu in this verse is capitalizing on the puzzling behavior of clouds, such as their constant moving from place to place, production of rain, and seemingly causing the jagged appearance of lightning in his accusing Job of hubris. In making his case, P. proposes to...