DESCRIPTION:

The book of Job will be examined critically from the twin perspectives of its meaning in its ancient context and its continuing significance for the modern community of faith. Lectures will alternate between close exegetical treatment of selected passages of Job and surveys of larger thematic and structural issues, including the place of Job within the contexts of Israelite and ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature. Time will be given to discussion of examples of the heritage of Job in Western culture and in the theological reflection and praxis of the church.

Students completing this course will have demonstrated: (1) a sound grasp of the book of Job and a consistent, exegetically sound interpretation of its message; (2) an ability to relate Job to the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, and to appreciate the distinctive contributions of this literature to biblical theology; and (3) an ability to articulate responses to the theological challenges posed by suffering, and to reflect on the lessons that Job affords for ministry to a suffering world.

This course will meet twice weekly, two hours per session.

English text of Job.

Gutiérrez, Gustavo. On Job: God-Talk and the Suffering of the Innocent. Maryknoll: Orbis, 1987.

Hartley, J. E. The Book of Job. NICOT. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988.

Kidner, Derek. The Wisdom of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1985.

MacLeish, A. J.B. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1958.

Assorted materials from the library reserve shelf.

Gordis, R. The Book of God and Man: A Study of Job. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1965.

Habel, N. C. The Book of Job. OTL. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1985.

The requirements will fall into three areas:

1. Weekly preparation for exegetical and theological discussions.

2. The writing of a paper (12-15 pages) relating the interpretation of Job to some facet of human suffering.

3. The use of lecture notes and syllabus readings to develop answers to study questions from which the final examination will be drawn.

None. PLEASE NOTE: OT 570 (English elective) and OT 528 (Hebrew exegesis, M.Div. core) are different versions of the same course, meeting together one day and separately the other days. Only one of the two classes may be taken.

Elective.

Yes.