The big picture of job is that there was a man who was, in one sense, blameless in gods sight. At the interface of prosody and structural analysis. This fourth and last volume completes the study that in vol. Our writer, too, has chosen the name of a legendary hero from prehistoric times. Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple. Fokkelman describes in stepbystep fashion how the poets produced their poetry. Major poems of the hebrew bible at the interface of. The book of job in form, a literary translation with commentary, 336 pp. The author of the book of job broke out of the tight, logical mold of the traditional orthodox theology of his day.
It could only deny the reality of the experienced anomaly and add to the pain and inner turmoil of the sufferer. This book of about 700 pages contains a prosodical and structural description of 83 psalms. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read.
The book places the concepts and nomenclature of narratology in the hands of the bible reader, whose subjectivity is not to be lamented. Addressing the problem of theodicy the vindication of the justice of god in the light of humanitys suffering it is a rich theological work setting out a variety of perspectives. Its bilingual centre offers the text in hebrew and english, and shows the forty poems in their original form, in 412 strophes and 165 stanzas. This makes it very suitable as a testing area for the rules of verse structure and all other aspects of prosody that were developed in major poems of the hebrew bible vol. It has been widely praised for its literary qualities, with alfred lord tennyson calling it the greatest poem of ancient and modern times. Catherine st paul, mn 55105 reading biblical poetry was written for those who read the bible in translation, and cannot read hebrew. A major difficulty in understanding the meaning of the book is, what insight leads job to submit so humbly to god at the end. I was born on march 23, 1940, in jakarta, indonesia then called batavia, the capital of the dutch east indies as the only child of a dutch couple. This is the message of the book of job that we must communicate effectively in the twentyfirst century. In a time when scholars tend to focus on one or two aspects of poetic analysis or devote energy on one or two poems, fokkelmans study is a delight to read. If our devotional experience has been deepened by the poems of the old testament, fokkelmans book will make that experience even more wonderful. It should be kept in mind that job is not the author.
Fokkelman is an international expert in semitic languages. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. The contents of the book, together with its artistic structure and elegant style, place it. Stephen mitchells superb translation of the book of job is moral in just this wayit puts us on the closest terms with the old testament book that many commentators regard as the crucial postholocaust parable. He has taught courses in classical hebrew literature at the university of leiden in the netherlands. There are two approaches which initially are kept apart on grounds of method. Ii and are now also available in reading biblical poetry. The book of job is an exceptional, eminently literary work. And there is a reality called satan who challenges god that his man is not as good as he thinks he is. It is the companion volume to fokkelmans reading biblical narrative, published in 2000.
Its author is unknown yet it is possible that job himself wrote it. Author of narrative art and poetry in the books of samuel, narrative art in genesis, reading biblical narrative, oog in oog met jakob, narrative art and poetry in the books of samuel. The book of job the cyclical progression of the aporia. In job 19, fokkelman identifies 28 verses in five stanzas at the center of which lies verse 16, the middle of the middle 242. Fokkelman believes that the distance separating us from the biblical stories is not to be feared, since a wellwritten story will come into its own when it meets an attentive reader. Bible studies and hebrew language, jerusalem 1983, pp. The inspiring ambiance of nias enabled me to write a major book and to prepare two existing ones for the press. The book of job is an exercise in thinking, an example, a case. A companion to reading biblical narrative, this volume provides an authoritative introduction and overview to biblical poetry. The book of job has been widely given the theme of patience and we see this mentioned in the new testament book of james. Vow and desire, major poems of the hebrew bible, narative art and poetry in the books of samuel, major poems of the hebrew bible at the interface of hermeneutics and structural analysis. Job 5 niv bible call if you will, but who will answer. A literary translation with commentary studia semitica neerlandica isbn 9789004231580 9789004231580. The book of job begins with a prologue job 12, which describes a wager between satan and god, in which satan the adversary bets god that joba particularly pious manwill abandon his piety and curse god if all his wealth and wellbeing are taken away.
Fokkelman is the author of reading biblical narrative 3. Its bilingual centre offers the text in hebrew and english, and shows the. I summon my servant but he does not answer, with my mouth i must implore him. His publications include the fourvolume work narrative art and poetry in the books of samuel and the trilogy major poems of the hebrew bible. Verses 2035 are a typical description of the fate of the wicked. Communicating the book of job in the twentyfirst century. P fokkelman and compare prices find signed collectible books by j. A literary translation with commentary fokkelman, jan p. J p fokkelman fokkelman presents the hebrew and the english text of job in its original contours and proportions 412 strophes, 165 stanzas, weighs the poets precision who counted his syllables on all text. The book of job contains the only sustained, throughcomposed work in verse in the hebrew bible. Discover book depositorys huge selection of jan p fokkelman books online.
Though this book is not the kind of easy read that its title might suggest, it is a worthwhile and occasionally unsettling book for the biblical critic. At the interface of prosody and structural analysis, volume ii. The book of job also functions to stir up the bible readers hunger and thirst for knowing christ as the centrality and universality of gods eternal economy and to urge them to get out of their contentment in their present attainment in knowing god. For job said, it may be that my children have sinned, and j cursed 1 god in their hearts. The theme of the book of job is nothing less than human suffering and the transcendence of it. J p fokkelman the book of job in form presents to the reader a platform for a personal and intensive encounter with a great work of art. No other book in the bible has made them question their faith and their belief in a loving, just god, than has the book of job. Such numerical perfection in the book of job, however, is evident only with the application of. This book disgusts me mainly because it values material possessions over sons and daughters. The name was appropriate both for his overall purpose and his manner of exposition. The book of job, named after its protagonist apparently not an israelite. I wrote volume ii of my series major poems of the hebrew bible.
For they will learn, as job did before them, and as gods people throughout history have learned, that the path from untested belief about god to genuine commitment to god passes through painful experience. The book of job is a book in the ketuvim section of the hebrew bible, and the first poetic book in the old testament of the christian bible. This book is the final volume in the series on the major poems of the hebrew bible and is the sequel to volume two, which deals with job 414. The hebrew psalter in its poetic shape tools for biblical study by fokkelman, jan p. Full of examples, reading biblical poetry makes available a holistic and integrative approach to understanding poetry found nowhere else.
While fokkelman sees other poems in the hebrew bible showing numerical consistency, he argues that the book of job exhibits a surprising, nearly extravagant commitment to numerical perfection 8. The book of job in form presents to the reader a platform for a personal and intensive encounter with a great work of art. The book of job in form a literary translation with. In the course of his descriptions, fokkelman treats us to various masterful readings for example, of the gideon story, pp. The book of job is a highly controversial book of mostly confusing information. It is possible that job is the oldest of any book of the bible written approximately 21001800 b. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them.
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