Back to Search Start Over

Did Job live 'happily ever after'? Suspicion and naïvety in Job 42:7-17

Did Job live 'happily ever after'? Suspicion and naïvety in Job 42:7-17

Authors :
Suzanna R. Millar
Source :
Millar, S R 2023, ' Did Job live “happily ever after”? Suspicion and naïvety in Job 42:7-17 ', Journal of Theological Interpretation, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 77-91 . https://doi.org/10.5325/jtheointe.17.1.0077
Publication Year :
2023

Abstract

The book of Job apparently ends happily ever after, with the restoration of the protagonist’s family and fortune (42:7–17). Juxtaposed with the rest of the book, however, this epilogue may appear incongruent and deeply problematic. In light of that, this article argues that a double reading is warranted. On the one hand, the epilogue may be read with a hermeneutic of suspicion, which resists superficial worldviews and protests against injustice. This reading will unmask troubling features in the representation of Job’s God, Job’s restoration, and Job’s speech. On the other hand, though—and drawing on Paul Ricœur—the text can be approached with “second naivety.” The audience is thereby welcomed to inhabit the symbolic wholeness of the textual world. The text invites both these readings and does not adjudicate between them. By holding them in dialectic tension, both hermeneutics and theology are enriched.

Details

Language :
English
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Millar, S R 2023, ' Did Job live “happily ever after”? Suspicion and naïvety in Job 42:7-17 ', Journal of Theological Interpretation, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 77-91 . https://doi.org/10.5325/jtheointe.17.1.0077
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....684b8ad8e528f6edca7598292cf97f4d
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.5325/jtheointe.17.1.0077