Job
and the Problem of Evil
Hebrew
Studies/Jewish Studies
371
Tuesdays and Thursdays,
6112
Contact
Information
Instructor: Charles Yu
Office: 1336 Van Hise
Office
Hours: TuTh
E-mail: cyu4@wisc.edu
Phone:
262-8240 (Office); 238-7457 (Home)
Class Website: https://uwmad.courses.wisconsin.edu/
Classlist: hebrst371-1-f05@lists.wisc.edu
Course
Description
Why does a benevolent,
all-powerful God
permit evil? Or as David Hume asks in Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion,
“Is [God] willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is impotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is
malevolent. Is he both able and willing?
Whence then is evil?” The series of
questions succinctly encapsulate the problem of evil, a problem that
continues
to bedevil thoughtful people all over the world, especially in the
aftermath of
9/11 and the devastating tsunami in the
The problem has been framed in
different
ways in various cultural and historical contexts, but its
crystallization into
the contemporary form stems from the Jews’ introduction to the world of
their
belief of ethical monotheism, an all-powerful God who deals with people
according to their behavior. Maintaining
this belief in the face of evil and suffering requires what is often
called a theodicy, an explanation for why God
would permit evil. A common and
traditional theodicy is that evil is God’s instrument for punishing the
wicked;
thus, suffering results from bad behavior.
But this explanation rings hollow to any careful observer of
human
history and society—we see that innocents suffer and die young while
the wicked
live long and prosper. Furthermore, such
an explanation ascribes guilt to those who are suffering, victimizing
again
those already victims.
As a thoroughgoing critique of
traditional theodicy, the Book of Job begins with the story of Job,
declared as
a righteous person by God himself, who loses his family, property, and
health. The subsequent conversation
between Job, his friends, and God challenges the traditional link
between
behavior and circumstance, proposes novel ideas on the divine-human
relationship, and expounds on the meaning and experience of suffering. As one of the foremost religious treatises on
the problem of evil, this work has been and remains a source of insight
and/or
authority to both sectarian and secular thinkers, exerting its
influence on
Jewish, Christian, and humanist writers from Hellenistic to modern
times, from
the Jewish-Hellenistic “Testament of Job,” to Maimonides, to Kafka, to
Martin
Buber, and beyond. It is a book that has inspired and comforted some
readers
and infuriated others.
This course has two components. The first, and the primary, component studies
the Book of Job as a response to the problem of evil; this comprises an
exploration of the problem of evil in both contemporary and ancient
Near
Eastern contexts, a close reading of the text of Job, and a study of
the
relationship between the book’s form and its ideas.
The second component examines the legacy of
the Book of Job (e.g., how has Job come into the popular imagination as
the
epitome of patience?), studying how the book has been appropriated,
adapted,
and reinterpreted by writers of various backgrounds and ideology as
they
wrestle with the problem of evil in their respective communities.
Required
Material
• A copy of a modern translation
of the
Bible (NRSV, RSV, NIV, etc.). Highly recommended: The
Harper Collins Study Bible and The
Oxford Annotated Bible. Both
provide excellent background material for students.
• Course Reader available at
Bob’s Copy
Shop
• Additional reading available
at the
course website and at Closed Reserve in Helen C. White
•
An active WiscWorld e-mail account
Course
Requirements and Grades
•
Reading Guide, Attendance, and
Participation 10%
This course is not designed as a
series of
lectures, but as a forum where you can wrestle, alongside other
students, with
the meaning of the Book of Job as it relates to the problem of evil. As such, reading the assigned material prior
to class, attendance, and participation constitute a vital portion of
this
course.
To help you understand the reading material, you will receive a reading
guide
with questions that will help to direct your thinking about the
material. You are to briefly answer the
questions in
the reading guide in one page or less, typed,
and turn
in your response in class. Since this
guide is designed to help you prepare for discussion, no late responses
will be
accepted.
•
Examinations 40%
There are two
exams in
this course, each worth 20% of the grade.
The midterm on Tuesday 10/25 during class covers material up to
that
point. The final exam on Thursday 12/22
at
•
Papers 50%
There are two required papers. The first (15%) is due on Tuesday,
10/18. The second (35%) is due on
Tuesday, 12/6. The papers are to be
turned in electronically, uploaded to the course website before
Course
Schedule
Module 1 (9/6,
9/8): Orientation to the
Course
• 9/6
Topics
Introduction to the Course
Introduction to the Book of Job
• 9/8
Readings
Lambert, “The Development of Thought and Literature in Ancient
Mesopotamia”
Scott, “Wisdom in the Bible”
Genesis 2-3; Psalm 82; Job 1-2, 42:7-17
Topic
The Concept of Wisdom
The Problem of Evil in the Ancient Near East
Discussion: Genesis 2-3; Psalm 82
Module 2 (9/13,
9/15, 9/20): Background
to the Book of Job
•
9/13
Clines, “Deconstructing the Book of Job” OR
“Why is there a Book of Job,…”
Scott, “The International Context”
1 Kings 3-4; Deuteronomy 4; 12; 26-27; Proverbs 8-9; 10:1-9
Topics
Wisdom in the Service of Social Order
Discussion: 1 Kings 3-4; Deuteronomy 4; 12; 26-27; Proverbs 8-9; 10:1-9
•
9/15
Williams,
“Theodicy in
the Ancient Near East”
“The Babylonian Theodicy”
“The Dialogue of Pessimism”
Topic
Wisdom in the Service of Social Order (Cont.)
Wisdom as Challenge to Social Order
Discussion: “The Babylonian Theodicy”, “The Dialogue of Pessimism”
•
9/20
Van Der Toorn,
“The
Ancient Near Eastern Literary Dialogue”
Jacobsen, “Personal Religion”
“The Poem of the Righteous Sufferer”
Topics
Wisdom as Challenge to Social Order (Cont.)
Discussion: “The Poem of the Righteous Sufferer”
Module 3 (9/22,
9/27): The Prose
Framework of Job
• 9/22
Hoffman, “Ancient Near Eastern Literary Conventions”
Job 1-2; 42:7-17
Topic
Genre and Structure of the Prose Framework
Discussion: Job 1-2; 42:7-17
• 9/27
Brenner, “Job the Pious?”
Vogels, “Job’s Empty Pious Slogans”
Fleming, “Job: The Tale of Patient Faith”
Topic
Interpretation of the Prose Framework
Discussion: Job 1-2; 42:7-17
Module 4 (9/29,
10/4, 10/6, 10/11, 10/13,
10/18): The First Cycle of Dialogue
9/29
Kugel, “The
Parallelistic
Line”
Job 3-11
Topics
Parallelism and Biblical Poetry
Discussion: Job 3—Job’s Lament
10/4
(Rosh Hashanah)
Bechtel, “Shame as a Sanction of Social Control”
Topics
Honor and Shame: The Social Dimension of ANE
Discussion: Job 4-5—Eliphaz’s Speech
10/6
Clines,
“Loingirding”
Topics
Rhetorical Strategies in the Book of Job
Discussion: Job 6-7—Job’s Second Speech
10/11
Fishbane, “The
Book of
Job and Inner-Biblical Discourse”
Topics
Discussion: Job 8—Bildad’s Speech
10/13
(Yom Kippur)
Gray, “The
Book of Job
in the Context of Near Eastern Literature”
Topics
Discussion: Job 9-10—Job’s Third Speech
10/18
Good, “Problem
of Evil”
Topics
Character and Dramatic Development in the First Cycle
Discussion: Job 11—Zophar’s Speech
* First Paper Due
Module 5
(10/20, 10/25): The Second Cycle
of Dialogue
10/20
Holbert, “’The Skies Will Uncover His Iniquity’: Satire in the Second
Speech of
Zophar”
Job 12-20
Topics
The Friends’ Speeches in the Second Cycle
Discussion: Job 12-20
10/25
M. Tsevat,
“The Meaning
of the Book of Job”
Topics
Job’s Speeches in the Second Cycle
Discussion: Job 12-20
Midterm (10/27)
Module 6 (11/1,
11/3, 11/8): The Third
Cycle of Dialogue
11/1
Stephen
Geller, “Where
is Wisdom?”
Job 21-31
Topics
The Structural Problems of the Third
Cycle
Discussion: Job 21-27
11/3
Fox, “The
Dimensions of
Job”
Job 28-31
Topics
Inaccessibility of Wisdom
Discussion: Job 28
11/8
Girard, “Job
as Failed
Scapegoat”
Job 32-41
Topics
Job’s Final Speech
Discussion: Job 29-31
Module 7
(11/10): The Elihu Monologue
11/10
Mettinger,
“The God of
Job: Avenger, Tyrant, or Victor?”
Job 32-37
Topics
The Problem of Elihu
Discussion: Job 32-37
Module 8
(11/15, 11/17): God’s Speeches
11/15
Fox, “Job 38
and God’s
Rhetoric.”
Brenner, “God’s Answer to Job”
Greenstein, “A Forensic Understanding of the Speech from the Whirlwind”
Job 28-41
Topics
The Meaning(s) of God’s Speeches
Discussion: Job 28-41
11/17
Muenchow,
“Dust and Dirt
in Job 42:6”
Topics
The Meaning(s) of God’s Speeches (Cont.)
The Conundrum of Job’s Response to God
Discussion: Job 28-41
Module 9
(11/22, 11/24, 11/29): Reading
the Book of Job
11/22
Newsom,
“Considering
Job”
Topics
Issues in Interpreting the Book of Job
11/24
(Thanksgiving Recess)
11/29
Glatzer,
“Introduction:
A Study of Job.”
Topics
Issues in Interpreting the Book of Job (Cont.)
Questions about the Course Paper
Module 10
(12/1, 12/6, 12/8, 12/13,
12/15): Job’s Legacy
12/1
“Testament
of Job”
James 5
Topics
Job in Jewish-Hellenistic Literature
Discussion: “Testament of Job”
12/6
Schreiner,
“Exulting of
the Wicked”
Maimonides, “Story of Job”
Topics
Job and Maimonides
Discussion: “Story of Job”
*Second Paper Due
12/8
Susan
Schreiner, “Why Do
the Wicked Live?”
Calvin’s Sermon
Topics
Job and Calvin
Discussion: Calvin’s Sermon
12/18
Levenson, “Job
and the Death of God,” “Job and the Trial by Existence,” and “Epilogue.”
MacLeish, J.B.
Topics
Job in 20th Century Drama
Discussion: J.B.
12/15
Frost, “A
Masque of
Reason”
Topics
Job in 20th Century Drama (Cont.)
Discussion: “A Masque of Reason”
Final Exam
(12/22,
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Latest revision date: 8/26/2005 (cad)