HOW TO READ THE BOOK OF JOB (?) (OT-4622)
(09/05/2023-12/15/2023)
Course Memo
The biblical scholar David Noel Freedman once published an article whose title posed a genuine question: “Is it Possible to Understand the Book of Job?” From the book’s opaque language to its purported layers of composition to its slippery rhetorical questions, Job is difficult to pin down. This course constitutes an attempt to understand Job by reading through the book from beginning to end over the course of the semester in conversation with a range of contemporary voices. The course is designed for advanced Masters and doctoral students, and it is run as a seminar. Assignments include 1) reading reflections; 2) Acting as discussion leader in two class sessions; 3) A "mini-conference" presentation; 4) A final paper that attempts to understand part of the book of Job. [Foundational course in OT; Faculty Consent required; 15 max enrollment]