
Job
Volume 19
Kathleen M. O'Connor(Author)
Liturgical Press
Published on 1. December 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
112 pages
978-0-8146-2853-9 (ISBN)
Description
How can it be that good people suffer and yet God is just? For thousands of years, the profoundly moving story of Job has allowed people of faith to reflect on that question.
Among the books of the Old Testament classified as "wisdom" literature, the book of Job never loses its freshness and power. Job is a righteous man, stripped of all he holds dear, who engages in a powerful dialogue with three friends on the nature and cause of suffering. Job's friends struggle to justify Job's suffering and advise him on a course of action. Job counters their arguments and then turns his attention to God in a desperate plea for justice. When God's answer comes from the whirlwind it is not what we expect.
In this commentary, Kathleen O'Connor makes the characters in the book of Job and their speeches come alive. She explores and illuminates the beliefs that undergird their perspectives, helping the reader contextualize this powerful tale. Then, O'Connor invites readers to engage with Job's story personally and work to develop their own solution to the dilemmas faced by both Job and his friends. It is a unique approach that connects both head and heart with this powerful inquiry into suffering and God's justice.
Among the books of the Old Testament classified as "wisdom" literature, the book of Job never loses its freshness and power. Job is a righteous man, stripped of all he holds dear, who engages in a powerful dialogue with three friends on the nature and cause of suffering. Job's friends struggle to justify Job's suffering and advise him on a course of action. Job counters their arguments and then turns his attention to God in a desperate plea for justice. When God's answer comes from the whirlwind it is not what we expect.
In this commentary, Kathleen O'Connor makes the characters in the book of Job and their speeches come alive. She explores and illuminates the beliefs that undergird their perspectives, helping the reader contextualize this powerful tale. Then, O'Connor invites readers to engage with Job's story personally and work to develop their own solution to the dilemmas faced by both Job and his friends. It is a unique approach that connects both head and heart with this powerful inquiry into suffering and God's justice.
Reviews / Votes
Capturing the power and mystique of the book of Job, Kathleen O'Connor eloquently takes us into the world of pain, suffering, beauty, and wonder that human beings experience in the midst of the human condition. O'Connor unpacks the complicated lives of the text's characters, their relationships with each other and their theologies, while inviting her readers into the mystery of God. Through her study, O'Connor brilliantly shows us how pain, suffering, and struggle can transform us, opening us up to our oneness with all life and the creativity and fecundity of God.Carol J. Dempsey, OP, Professor of Theology (Biblical Studies), University of Portland O'Connor turns her deep spirituality and incisive language to the host of unsolvable but stimulating and absorbing issues of the Book of Job, deftly helping readers to engage the profound mystery of this biblical book.Barbara Greene, OP, Professor of Biblical Studies, Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley Job is among the most intriguing books of the Bible, dealing with issues that every believer faces. Kathleen O'Connor guides readers through Job with theological insight born of her faith and experience.Leslie J. Hoppe, OFM, Professor of Old Testament Studies, Catholic Theological Union Kathleen O'Connor has captured the pathos of Job's dilemma as she treats the passionate poetry of the book with insight and sensitivity. She carefully sketches Job's encounter with God which takes place at the intersection of Job's own experience of chaos and God's revelation of an ordered universe. Pointing out the depth of meaning found in this biblical book, she provides various ways it might be understood and appreciated by the reader.Dianne Bergant, CSA, Professor of Old Testament Studies, Catholic Theological Union In this volume the Old Testament biblical scholar Kathleen O'Connor synthesizes and condenses a plethora of scholarship, including her own former publications, on the biblical book of Job. She brings together insights that lay bare the richness and complexity of the book. She does not run away from Job's pain or the rigidity and insensitivity of his friends but neither does she let God off the hook. She allows a difficult Hebrew text to speak in its own time and also in our time. Readers will acquire a greater understanding of this biblical classic even as not all of their questions are answered.Alice L. Laffey, Professor of Old Testament, Department of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross Kathleen O'Connor has produced a beautiful guide to Job's pain and plea for justice. O'Connor gracefully leads readers through the book of Job's presentation of his suffering along with the various responses to his condition offered by the other characters. Even with the appearance of God in the whirlwind, the book's ending provides no easy answer; God is present yet in an unfamiliar way. O'Connor's moving presentation will draw readers into Job's experience and provide them with a deep, thoughtful resource for reflecting on their own questions of suffering and justice. Clear and accessible, O'Connor's work on Job is inspiring. A wonderful achievement.Mark S. Smith, Professor of Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, New York UniversityMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Collegeville, MN
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 6 mm
Weight
175 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8146-2853-9 (9780814628539)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
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E-Book
12/2016
1st Edition
Liturgical Press
from
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Available for download
Person
Kathleen M. O'Connor is the William Marcellus McPheeters Professor Emerita of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, and the author of several books including The Wisdom Literature (Liturgical Press, 1990) and Lamentations and the Tears of the World (Orbis, 2002). She is a past president of the Catholic Biblical Association. Previously, she taught at the Maryknoll School of Theology in New York, and has frequently given courses in Central America, Thailand, Japan, and Ireland.
Content
CONTENTS
Abbreviations 4
THE BOOK OF JOB
Introduction 5
Text and Commentary 9
Prologue (1:1-2:13) 9
First Round of Speeches (3:1-14:22) 15
Second Round of Speeches (15:1-21:34) 39
Third Round of Speeches (22:1-31:40) 54
Elihu Speaks (32:1-37:24) 74
The Speeches in the Storm (38:1-42:6) 83
Epilogue (42:7-17) 98
Conclusion 100
Review Aids and Discussion Topics 105
Index of Citations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church 108
Abbreviations 4
THE BOOK OF JOB
Introduction 5
Text and Commentary 9
Prologue (1:1-2:13) 9
First Round of Speeches (3:1-14:22) 15
Second Round of Speeches (15:1-21:34) 39
Third Round of Speeches (22:1-31:40) 54
Elihu Speaks (32:1-37:24) 74
The Speeches in the Storm (38:1-42:6) 83
Epilogue (42:7-17) 98
Conclusion 100
Review Aids and Discussion Topics 105
Index of Citations from the Catechism of the Catholic Church 108