Job Rhetorical Reading of Book

Job

Rhetorical reading of Book of Job 29-31: Social Justice at the centre of the Moral concerns of Job

The questions surrounding the meaning of the Book of Job have been a central focus of debate among scholars, theologians and critics for decades. The literature on the subject points out that there is a strong relationship between social views and perceptions and the canonized perceptions of the society of the time that influences the way that this Biblical text is analyzed and understood. As one scholar writes, "For most of the history of interpretation, the answers have been predetermined by the book's canonicity -- in other words, by the presupposition that an inspired scriptural writing must convey a coherent and authoritative religious teaching."

In terms of this view any interpretation of this work must be consistent with the norms and values with the scholarly community and society of the time. "…it must be compatible with the doctrines of the Scripture-based community that is doing the reading and interpreting. It must, in the words of Brevard Childs, "function as a normative guide within a continuing community of faith."

However, in the contemporary age if which we live academic interrogation has become largely freed from the social and theological preconceptions that adhere to the interpretation and analysis of any text. In the age of deconstruction and phenomenological analysis there is a greater freedom to explore and interrogate the fundamental morals and values as well as the more liminal aspects of any text. Therefore, we can question the premises and the views that play a role in any canonical text or reading of that text and explore avenues that may or may not coincide with established Christian or Jewish doctrine or theory. It is this spirit of open-ended and sincere questioning that constitutes ethos and trajectory of this proposed thesis.

Within the ambit of the above statement of intent we should take into account views of the book of Job which has been to a great extent associated with the orthodox interpretation of this book. This refers with the question of theodicy or the relationship between God man and the reality of evil.

However, also central to the Biblical story of Job is the social context and the way that society measures justice in terms of good and evil. This can be seen in the friends and characters who surround Job in the narrative and who represent the society and its normative structures and perceptions.

These characters represent as well a clear and somewhat one dimensional view of God and Justice: God punishes those who sin or who are involved in bad or nefarious actions and rewards those who do good deeds. Justice is therefore understandable and rational in the social and secular world in terms of balance and retribution for actions that are clearly good or bad in terms of the norms and mores of the society.

However this clear and unequivocal logic and rhetoric is deeply problematized and placed into question by the experience that Job undergoes. As one commentary on the Boo of Job States,

Where Job differs from his companions is on the question of God's absolute goodness and justice. His friends claim that God always rewards the good and punishes the evil, but Job knows from his own experience that it is not that simple. "He destroys both the blameless and the wicked," Job insists. "When a scourge brings sudden death, he mocks the despair of the innocent. When a land falls into the hands of the wicked, he blindfolds its judges. If it is not he, then who is it?" (9:22-24)

The above statement clearly places the issue of justice in a more complex and problematic arena of discourse. In other words, it appears that there are two forms of justice that take place in the Book of Job: justice according to the social norms and conventions of society and a more ambiguous and ambivalent from of Justice dispensed by God. This thesis will attempt to explore this apparent contradiction and go some way to resolving this seeming ambiguity in terms of a reassessment of the meaning of the social dimension of justice.

The discussion in this thesis will focus on the selected chapters; namely, Job 29-31. The analysis of this text will refer to other chapters and verses in the text but the focus will be on the rhetorical structure of the chapters 29 to 31in relation to the larger themes and arguments in the book. This aspect will be further elucidated on in the following sections of this proposal

2. Thesis statement

The central thesis that will be explored in this study is that the book of Job is a commentary on society as much as it is a moral and existential exploration of the relationship between man and God. This will also include the view that in close rhetorical analyses the text the Biblical text has both a social as well as a spiritual message to convey. However this double-sided nature of the text requires detailed explanation. This will take the form of a close rhetorical exposition of the passages in question.

An analysis of the text reveals the normative structure of society and perceptions of social, as well as divine justice. This is conveyed through the beliefs surrounding the concept of good as opposed to evil. However these normative views of social justice, as the entire Book of Job indicates, are not necessarily the route to enlightenment and salvation. Therefore, central to the intention of this proposed thesis is the assertion that it can be argued from an analysis of the rhetorical structure and intended meaning of the text that spiritual enlightenment and the development of a true relationship with God is established in isolation and in separation from common society. This can also be interpreted in terms of discourse that takes as its starting point the difference between the secular and the spiritual. .

The proposed thesis however is not intended to be a simplistic or dualistic analysis of the rhetoric in the text. Cognizance is taken of the fact that an analysis of this complex book must take into account the underlying and less overt interconnections between the secular and the spiritual. It should also be acknowledged that this is a complex process that is in effect both a deconstruction and re-construction of the theme of justice. These aspects will be explicated in a close analysis of the often convoluted arguments that flows throughout the text.

The above point is clarified to some extent by Alan Cooper in The Sense of the Book of Job. He states that central to the book is "… the relationship between divine providence and the suffering of the innocent…The crux of the matter is the affliction of the innocent Job…"

This can for example be seen in the first few verses of Chapter 29 of the text.

How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone on my head and by his light I walked through darkness!

Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God's intimate friendship blessed my house, when the Almighty was still with me. (29: lines 2-5)

This nostalgia for a time when there was a positive relationship with God is a central part of the moral and spiritual confusion that is further exacerbated by the negative reaction of society and friends.

While the existential and spiritual conflict and relationship between the character of Job and the figure of God is the focus of attention, there is also debate between Job and his 'friends'; which refers to the views of society and its ideals of social justice and which is also reflected in the way that this society perceives and Judges Job. Furthermore, it will also be suggested in the thesis that social and divine justice is not a distinct separation as a superficial reading of the text might suggest.

3. Literature Review

There are a plethora of articles, books and commentaries on this biblical text. While background and broad overviews of the various theoretical interpretations of the text are obviously important, it was felt that the literature review for this thesis should focus more an analyses of the rhetorical arguments as well as the social aspects of these arguments; while at the same time not forgetting the central theological debate on the subject of both social and divine justice. To this end the research focused in literature that pertained to a more in-depth analysis and which attempted to question accepted convention and interpretations. .

A number of intriguing perceptions and interpretations of the text are to be found in The Sense of the Book of Job by Alan Cooper, (1997). For example, this study refers to the writings Maimonides who presents the view of Job from the perspective of amphibolous theological language.

The notion of [God's] providence is not the same as the notion of our providence; nor is the notion of His governance of the things created by Him the same as the notion of our governance of that which we govern. The two notions are not comprised in one definition, contrary to what is thought by all those who are confused, and there is nothing in common between the two except the name alone.

The author relates this view to the realization that the goal of human existence is the attainment of the knowledge of God. It is through this knowledge that the secular and social world becomes to a great extent 'insignificant', which also refers to the suffering of the secular as an illusion.

When Job comes to know God "by the way of [philosophical] speculation" (that is, through the divine speeches), he ceases to be troubled by the loss of his health, wealth, and children -things that he had only "imagined" to be sources of happiness -- and experiences "true happiness, which is knowledge of the deity."

There are of course strong objections to this type of interpretation of the text -- a fact that will be taken into account in the analysis of the social context of the Book of Job. This brings to light the more conventional ideal of social justice. "Does a heightened awareness of God's presence really suffice to compensate Job for the death of his children?

This is turn is related to literature that questions the portrayal of God in this text; for example, the view of Martin Buber who states that the "…portrayal of the deity there is incongruous and unreal, manifesting an erroneous theology that will be corrected later on."

There are also references to interpretations of the character of Job as "a sexist, paranoid plutocrat…"

Another work that was particularly useful in understanding the rhetorical structure of the Book of Job was Habel's work The Book of Job: A Commentary (1985). In this work he refers to the three movement plot structure. This is an aspect that will be explored at length as it provides insight into both the socials and spiritual dimensions of the text.

The argument put forward by Lamb (1995) was also taken into account in the initial research for this proposal. In this insightful work Lamb noted that Job is seen as a figure associated with "…a recurrent cultural antinomy that emerges in fields as diverse as monumental sculpture and voyages of discovery, as well as in politics and literature, whenever the interpretation and the point of first-person testimonies are at stake." More importantly Lamb states that "This antinomy is always recognizable in its basic form as a conflict between the law & #8230; and those elements of a personal history, usually painful, for which there is no prescription or parallel." In other words, this antimony in the Book of Job is one that can be expressed in terms of the (apparent) incompatibly of the social and the spiritual forms of justice.

These were many of the sources that provide valuable insight into the issues at stake in a rhetorical interpretation of Job's moral dilemma. Among these is an article entitled The Book of Job - Suffering and God's Sovereignty. This study refers to the historical background to the text and Judaic theological preconceptions. "In studying this story, you must understand that the original writer and original readers, monotheistic Hebrews, viewed God as unquestionably righteous."

This is a perspective that is borne in mind in the textual analysis. Central to this discussion will be the focus on chapters 29-31, with an emphasis on the rhetoric that flows through these chapters and how they relate to the larger issues and themes.

4. Brief Preliminary Discussion

A central theme that dominates this work is described as "… the eternal problem of unmerited suffering and it is named after its central character, Job, who attempts to understand the sufferings that engulf him."

The book of Job is divided into a number of sections. These include a prologue and an epilogue and the section that will most concern this thesis, the poetic disputation.

In essence Job is an innocent man who becomes repudiated and scorned by his society. At the same time the text it is about God's revelation to Job. Job laments the time when his contact with his God was positive and when he was in Gods factor.

"…when my path was drenched with cream and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil. (29: Line 6)

The proposed analysis of the rhetoric in the text reveals a subtle depth to the book. This refers in the first instance to the exploration of man's relationship to God. It is also a commentary on the social dimensions of existence. One could argue that the moral dilemma that Job finds himself in is a result of the social and secular world's failure to understand the complexity of God's sense of justice.

This can be seen for example in the loss of social prestige and standing in society that Job experiences.

When I went to the gate of the city and took my seat in the public square, the young men saw me and stepped aside and the old men rose to their feet;

the chief men refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands;

( 29: Lines 7-9)

As the analysis of these chapters progress we become aware of the social injustice that has been done to Job. He is also confused to a great extent by this reaction from the society as he has been a model citizen and has also received a positive and even admiring response from the society because of his kindness and care for others.

Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist them. ( 29: Lines 11- 12)

This is contrasted in the rhetoric with the present situation in which he finds himself. For example, we read at the start of chapter 30;

But now they mock me, men younger than I,

whose fathers I would have disdained to put with my sheep dogs. (30: line 1)

From one point-of-view the knowledge of divine law and justice circumscribes and overcomes the vicissitudes of all earthly existence. Contrary to this stance is the view that critiques the actions of God and the harsh way that Job is treated, which leads to questions about divine justice. While divine justice may be critiqued there is also injustice on a social level. Job's friends condemn him instead of supporting him in his dilemma. As noted above, those who were beneath him socially, treat him with disdain and disrespect, "Now that God has unstrung my bow and afflicted me," ( 30: lines 11). As one commentator notes:

As the afflictions haunt our hero, everybody, from the highest rank to the lowest cast, begins to avoid and shun him. Plagued by a horrible disease and bad breath, his wife also finds him repulsive. Even his servants treat him as a stranger. & #8230;God's favorite servant has become a pariah rejected by the whole community.

Some critics have noted that the people that surround Job represent or symbolize the order and structure of society. They represent a perception of justice as a secular phenomenon as opposed to the mysterious and ineffable divine order of Justice.