A detailed study of the book of Job, introducing major themes in recent interpretation, intended to provide a solid foundation for graduate-level research into the Hebrew Bible.
About this paper
| Paper title | Special Topic: The Book of Job |
|---|---|
| Subject | Biblical Studies |
| EFTS | 0.1667 |
| Points | 20 points |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 2
(Distance learning)
Semester 2 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $1,315.10 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- One 300-level BIBS paper
- Limited to
- BTheol(Hons), BA(Hons), PGDipTheol, PGDipArts, MTheol, MMin, PGDipMin, DipGrad
- Notes
- May not be credited with BIBS315 when taken with the same content.
- Eligibility
Any student can study Theology whether they are of the Christian faith, another faith, or of no religious faith at all. Theology is an examination of the scriptures, history, content and relevance of the Christian faith, but it presupposes or requires no particular commitment from students. All it requires is an inquiring mind and an interest in those skills that can be gained through the study of any subject in the Humanities.
- Contact
- More information link
View more information on the Theology Programme's website
- Teaching staff
- Paper Structure
In this paper, we will cover all of the following topic and themes, which do not necessarily correspond to specific classes. There will also be an opportunity to study passages and themes that are of particular interest to you.
1. Introduction to the book of Job
- Date and setting
- Structure
- Literary genre(s) and forms
- History of composition
- Text
- Hebrew
- Greek
- Aramaic
2. Major themes in the book of Job
- Disinterested righteousness
- Innocent suffering and the law of retribution
- Sources of knowledge
- Honest speech before/about God
3. Prose and poetry in the book of Job
- Narrative (Job 1:1-2:13; 42:7-17)
- Poetry (Job 3:1-42:6)
- Parallelism
- Polysemy
- Paronomasia
4. Close reading of Job 3:1-26
5. Mythology and metaphor
- Mythological traditions and the book of Job
- Metaphors for God in the book of Job
6. Intertextuality and reading Job intertextually
- Job and Genesis
- Job and Deuteronomy
- Job and Jeremiah
- Job and Deutero-Isaiah
- Job and Psalms
7. Aspects of the literary character of the book of Job
- Ambiguity
- Irony
- Tragedy
- Comedy
8. The lawsuit motif in the book of Job
- The trial of Job
- The trial of God
- Job’s “redeemer”
9. Ethical aspects of the book of Job
10. Close reading of Job 42:1-6
11. Job and the Jewish tradition
- Second Temple Judaism
- Job and Tobit
- Job and the Jewish Apocalypses
- The Testament of Job
- Rabbinic Judaism
- Job after the Shoah
12. Job and early Christianity
- New Testament
- Apostolic Fathers
- Patristic exegesis of Job
- Teaching Arrangements
This paper is offered simultaneously on campus and by distance.
- Textbooks
There is no compulsory textbook for this paper, but the following are highly recommended:
Berlin, Adele, and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds. The Jewish Study Bible. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.
Dell, Katharine J. Job: Where Shall Wisdom Be Found? London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2017.
Dell, Katharine J., and Will Kynes. eds. Reading Job Intertextually. Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies 574. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2013.
Greenstein, Edward L. Job: A New Translation. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2019.
Larrimore, Mark. The Book of Job: A Biography. Lives of Great Religious Books. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2013.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
Scholarship, Lifelong learning, Critical thinking, Research, Communication, Ethics, Cultural understanding, Information literacy.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.- Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the paper will:
- Be familiar with recent scholarship on the date, genre, structure, composition, and literary character of the book of Job
- Be able to summarise the major themes of the book of Job, with detailed reference to the biblical text
- Have a good understanding of the poetic features of the book of Job
- Have a good sense of what constitutes sound method in biblical exegesis, honed through close readings of particular texts from the book of Job
- Have a good understanding of the way the book of Job alludes to other works in the Hebrew Bible and to other mythological traditions from the ancient world
- Be familiar with the way the book of Job was read, interpreted, and transformed in early Judaism and Christianity
- Have completed three internally assessed assignments, designed to develop advanced study skills for biblical exegesis
- Assessment details
Three essays (two worth 30% and one worth 40%)