Job the Silent: A Study in Historical Counterpoint

by Bruce Zuckerman

Book Overview

Offering an original reading of the book of Job, one of the great literary classics of biblical literature, this book develops a new analogical method for understanding how biblical texts evolve in the process of transmission. Zuckerman argues that the book of Job was intended as a parody protesting the stereotype of the traditional righteous sufferer as patient and silent. He compares the book of Job and its fate to that of a famous Yiddish short...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195058968
• ISBN13: 9780195058963
• Release Date: May 1991
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A Must Read for All Contemporary Commentators

I recommend this book after taking two of Dr. Zuckerman's courses at USC and after reading his book for a term paper. He presents a powerful analysis of the Book of Job that counters the traditional view of Job as a patient, righteous sufferer. Instead, he uses historical literary evidence and comparisons with other Ancient Near Eastern texts, along with analogy, to argue that the Job of the Bible is actually an Anti-Job--the original Job tradition probably depicted a suffering Job more along the lines of the description of Job in James 5:11. While this is a secular book commenting on the development of Job as a book of the Bible, I would also argue that, if Zuckerman's thesis holds true, there are some very profound theological implications, as the intention of the author is taken into account. Job the Silent is a very provocative reading that I highly recommend.