Ethical God-Talk in the Book of Job: Speaking to the Almighty
(Paperback)
Available Formats
Publishing Details
Ethical God-Talk in the Book of Job: Speaking to the Almighty
By (Author) Adjunct Professor William C. Pohl IV
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
T.& T.Clark Ltd
21st October 2021
United Kingdom
Classifications
Tertiary Education
Non Fiction
Criticism and exegesis of sacred texts
223.106
Physical Properties
Paperback
304
Width 156mm, Height 234mm
431g
Description
William C. Pohl IV investigates ethical God-talk in the book of Job, by exploring the prominence of such theology, showing how each major section of the book highlights the theme of proper speech, and demonstrating that Jobs internal rhetoric is the foundation for the books external rhetoric. Pohl analyses each of Jobs speeches for literary rhetorical situation, forms (i.e., genres), its rhetorical strategies; the rhetorical goals of each speech are identified in light of Jobs exigency (or exigencies) and his use of strategies is explored in light of these goals. Pohl argues that Job faces two main exigencies: his suffering and the necessity of defending his protest prayer vis--vis his friends. Job seeks to alleviate his suffering with protest prayer, and to defend his prayers to the friends through argumentation. Following the internal rhetorical analysis, this study proceeds to examine the external rhetorical effect of the Elihu and Yahweh speeches vis--vis ethical God-talk. Pohl concludes that the book of Job shapes its readers to see protest prayer as an ethical, even encouraged, form of discourse in the midst of innocent suffering. Brief implications of this conclusion are outlined, identifying the books rhetorical situation through the entextualized problem in the book. Pohl proposes a new exigency for the book of Job in which protest prayer was eschewed, and a tentative proposal for the book of Jobs historical provenance is outlined.
Reviews
[M]akes a valuable contribution to the study of the book of Job. * The Bible Today *
This is a significance addition to writing on Job, and a thoroughly scholarly underpinning for some of Gutirrez initial insights. * Journal for the Study of the Old Testament *
Author Bio
William C. Pohl IV is a faculty member at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, USA, and is also an Adjunct Professor for Knox Theological Seminary, USA.
