Winter 2016/Pasadena
OT517
Melzian
OT517: OLD TESTAMENT BOOK STUDY: JOB (4 Units: 160 hours). Marilyn Lundberg Melzian.
DESCRIPTION: The course involves reading Job section by section and studying in more detail selected verses with the aid of commentaries. It considers major theological, philosophical and pastoral issues, and the nature of the book’s unity and purpose.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Having successfully completed this course, students will have demonstrated that they (1) have studied the text of Job (2) can interpret passages within it in their own right and in their socio-historical, literary, and canonical contexts; (3) have identified central issues in the critical study of it; (4) can articulate its primary theological and ethical concerns; (5) can use English-based tools for interpreting it; and (6) can interpret it faithfully and creatively in the context of their congregation, of the contemporary world and of their own lives.
COURSE FORMAT: The class meets twice weekly for two hour sessions for a total of 40 instructional hours in the classroom, for lecture and discussion.
REQUIRED READING:
Hartley, John E. The Book of Job. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (NICOT). Eerdmans, 1988. ISBN: 978-0802825285, Pub. Price $56.00 [319 pp. assigned].
Keck, Leander E., Robert Doran, Carol A. Newsom, J. Clinton McCann. New Interpreter’s Bible: 1&2 Maccabees, Introduction to Hebrew Poetry, Job, Psalms. Volume 4. Abingdon Press, 1996. ISBN: 978-0687278176, Pub. Price $75.99. [194 pp. assigned]. Available online via the library under “Ministry Matters.”
eReserves:
Alter, Robert. The Art of Biblical Poetry. 2nd ed. New York: Basic Books, 2011.
Ch. I: The Dynamics of Parallelism, 1-28
Ch. IV: Truth and Poetry in the Book of Job, 105-138
Crenshaw, James L. Old Testament Wisdom: An Introduction. Revised and enlarged. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1998.
On Defining Wisdom, 1-19
Ch. 1 The World of Wisdom, 20-34
Ch. 4 The Search for Divine Presence: Job, 89-115.
Gutiérrez, Gustavo. On Job: God-talk and the Suffering of the Innocent. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1987.
Ch. 6: God and the Poor, 39-49
Ch. 9: The Mysterious Meeting of Two Freedoms, 67-81
Hallo, William W., ed. The Context of Scripture. Vol. 1, Canonical Compositions from the Biblical World. Leiden: Brill, 1997.
The Eloquent Peasant (1.43) 98-104
Dialogue between a Man and his God (1.151) 485
The Poem of the Righteous Sufferer (1.153) 486-492
The Babylonian Theodicy (1.154) 492-495
“Man and his God” (1.179) 573-575
“Job.” English Translation of the Greek Septuagint Bible. 21 Oct. 2015 <http://www.ecmarsh.com/lxx/Job/index.htm>.
Lambert, David A. “The Book of Job in Ritual Perspective.” Journal of Biblical Literature 134.3 (Fall 2015): 557-575.
Lundberg, Marilyn J. “ ‘So That Hidden Things May Be Brought to Light’: A Concept Analysis of the Yahweh Speeches in the Book of Job.” (Ph.D. Diss., Claremont School of Theology, 1995).
Ch. 6: Conclusion: The Place of the Speeches in the Book of Job, 271-309 (Modified for English language course).
Scholnick, Sylvia Huberman. “The Meaning of Mišpāṭ (Justice) in the Book of Job.” In Zuck, Roy B. Sitting with Job: Selected Studies on the Book of Job. Grand Rapids: Baker Book, 1992. 349-358
Vicchio, Stephen J. Job in the Ancient World (The Image of the Biblical Job: A History, Vol. I). Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2006.
Ch. 5: Job in the Septuagint, 95-116
Ch. 7: Job in Early Christianity: The First Four Centuries, 139-157
RECOMMENDED READING:
Chase, Steven. Job: A Theological Commentary on the Bible. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2013.
Crenshaw, James L. Urgent Advice and Probing Questions: Collected Writings on Old Testament Wisdom. Mercer, 1995.
Fox, Michael V. “Job the Pious.” ZAW 117 (2005): 351–366.
Gordis, Robert. The Book of God and Man: A Study of Job. Univ. of Chicago, 1965.
______. The Book of Job: Commentary, New Translation and Special Studies. Jewish Theological Seminary, 1978.
Gray, John. The Book of Job. The Text of the Hebrew Bible, 1; Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2010.
Habel, Norman C. The Book of Job: A Commentary. Old Testament Library. Westminster Press, 1985.
Janzen, J. Gerald. At the Scent of Water: The Ground of Hope in the Book of Job. Eerdmans, 2009.
______. Job. Interpretation. John Knox, 1985.
Low, Katherine. The Bible, Gender, and Reception History: The Case of Job’s Wife. Scriptural Traces: Critical Perspectives on the Reception and Influence of the Bible. Bloomsbury, 2013.
Murphy, Roland E.. The Tree of Life: An Exploration of Biblical Wisdom Literature. 2nd ed. Eerdmans, 1996.
Newsom, Carol A. The Book of Job: A Contest of Moral Imaginations. Oxford Univ., 2003.
Pope, Marvin H. Job: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. Anchor Bible. 3rd ed.: Doubleday, 1986.
Purdue, Leo G., and W. Clark Gilpin, eds. The Voice from the Whirlwind: Interpreting the Book of Job. Abingdon, 1992.
Reardon, Patrick Henry. The Trial of Job: Orthodox Christian Reflections on The Book of Job. Ben Lomond, Conciliar Press, 2005.
Rowley, H. H. Job. New Century Bible. Oliphants, 1976.
Roy, Arlin. “The Book of Job: A Grief and Human Development Interpretation.” Journal of Religion and Health 30.2 (1991): 149-159.
Scott, R. B. Y. The Way of Wisdom in the Old Testament. Collier Macmillan, 1971.
Thomason, Bill. God on Trial: The Book of Job and Human Suffering. Liturgical, 1997.
Vicchio, Stephen J. Job in the Ancient World (The Image of the Biblical Job: A History, Vol. I). Wipf & Stock, 2006.
Wilson, Lindsay. Job. Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary. Eerdmans, 2015.
Zuck, Roy B. Sitting with Job: Selected Studies on the Book of Job. Baker Book, 1992.
Zuckerman, Bruce. Job the Silent: A Study in Historical Counterpoint. Oxford Univ., 1991.
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
Interpretive Assignment: A 1,500- to 2000-word study of a text of about ten to thirty verses, chosen with the agreement of the professor (30%). [This is a signature assignment—that is, an assignment common to all iterations of OT517 so as to make it possible to compare student papers from different iterations; it relates to learning outcomes 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6]. [20 hours].
100 pp. of weekly assigned readings in the Old Testament and secondary literature (900 pages) for nine weeks, assessed in #3 (Pass-fail) [This assignment relates to learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, and 4]. [60 hours].
Weekly postings on Moodle with participation in online discussion in connection with the assigned reading (15%). [This assignment relates to learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, and 4]. [10 hours].
15-20 minute presentation to the class on a book about Job, or on an artistic work based on the book of Job (15%). [This assignment relates to learning outcomes 1, 2, 4, and 6]. [10 hours].
Weekly class (Pass-fail) [This assignment relates to learning outcomes 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6]. [40 hours].
2,500-3,000 word reflection on studying the book as a whole (40%). [This assignment relates to learning outcomes 1, 3, and 4]. [20 hours].
PREREQUISITES: BI500 or NE502; OT500 or OT501 or OT502.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Counts as a biblical elective for the 120 MDiv, 80 MAT, and 80 MATM Programs (Fall 2015). Meets the OTBK requirement for the MAT Program (Winter 2010).
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.