From Job To The Shoah

In Job's final concession to God, he uses a phrase generally translated from the Hebrew as, "Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (afar va-eifer). A very small number of scholars see this translation as forced. While most translations have Job referring to himself with the words afar va-eifer, this small group of scholars does not believe the Hebrew to be so clear. They maintain that the phrase afar va-eifer could just as easily be translated as referring to God. In this translation of the text, Job is calling God "dust and ashes." Can Job truly be referring to God, not himself, as dust and ashes? How dare he? And if he did, what did this mean theologically? If this linguistic analysis is correct, how are we to understand not only the ending of the book, but also the entire story of Job? These are the questions From Job to the Shoah strives to answer. The conclusions it reaches have profound theological implications, especially in our modern era when the "dust and ashes" of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust still hang heavily above us.

Focusing on the novels and films of daughters and sons of Holocaust survivors, this book sheds light on the relationship between the Holocaust and contemporary Jewish identity. It is the first systematic analysis of a body of work that introduces a new generation of Jewish writers and filmmakers, as well as revealing how the survivors' legacy is shaping--and being shaped by--the second generation. Carefully studying the work of these contemporary children of Job, Berger demonstrates how the offspring, like the survivors themselves, represent a variety of orientations to Judaism, have significant theological differences, and share the legacy of the Shoah. Berger clearly shows that members of the second generation participate fully in both the American and Jewish dimensions of their identity and articulates distinctive second-generation theological and psychosocial themes.

This volume fills an important lacuna in the study of the Hebrew Bible by providing the first comprehensive treatment of intertextuality in Job, in which essays will address intertextual resonances between Job and texts in all three divisions of the Hebrew canon, along with non-canonical texts throughout history, from the ancient Near East to modern literature. Though comprehensive, this study will not be exhaustive, but will invite further study into connections between Job and these texts, few of which have previously been explored systematically. Thus, the volume's impact will reach beyond Job to each of the 'intertexts' the articles address. As a multi-authored volume that gathers together scholars with expertise on this diverse array of texts, the range of discussion is wide. The contributors have been encouraged to pursue the intertextual approach that best suits their topic, thereby offering readers a valuable collection of intertextual case studies addressing a single text. No study quite like this has yet been published, so it will also provide a framework for future intertextual studies of other biblical texts.

In this book Walter Brueggemann, America's premier biblical theologian, introduces the reader to the broad theological scope and chronological sweep of the Old Testament. He covers every book of the Old Testament in the order in which it appears in the Hebrew Bible and treats the most important issues and methods in contemporary interpretation of the Old Testament--literary, historical, and theological.

This book is a new and thoughtful examination of the experience of suffering.

The book of Job has captivated readers for centuries, yet its sprawling dialogues set beside its seemingly simple narrative have also puzzled those who have attempted to understand the ancient book. In this accessible companion, Approaching Job guides pastors, seminarians, and other students of Job through the characters, themes, critical issues, and key passages of one of the greatest pieces of ancient literature. Approaching Job concludes with theological and ethical implications of the biblical book of Job that should generate plenty of discussion in college courses, Bible studies, and even among laypersons attracted to a story of an innocent man who lost everything and struggled to understand why.

An ongoing issue for clergy as well as Christians in general is how to approach New Testament narratives about the crucifixion of Jesus in relation to Jews, Judaism, and the horrific events of the Holocaust. The events of Holy Week pose particular challenges for clergy and congregations. In this book Henry Knight helps us deal with Holy Week texts in light of our post-Holocaust world and provides practical examples of prayers, liturgies, and resource material to help pastors prepare for and lead worship and teach during this important time in the life of a congregation.

The story of Job's suffering has often been appealed to by those responding to the Holocaust. This book explores a rich variety of such receptions of the Book of Job, highlighting the need to appreciate the tensions present in both the biblical text of Job and in perceptions of the Holocaust's meaning. Attention is given to the often creative modes of reading used by those appealing to Job, and the presence of complex interactions between theology, textual interpretation, and historical analysis. Receptions of Job examined include those presented by key post-Holocaust thinkers such as Emil Fackenheim, Elie Wiesel and Richard Rubenstein. Bringing together elements of biblical studies and Holocaust studies, David Tollerton shows that Job has been harnessed for an array of purposes, from asserting the continuity of Jewish faith amid the traumas of twentieth-century history to resisting the idea that there can be any decisive religious 'answer' to the Holocaust. Despite the diversity of ways in which Job has been cited, it is shown that such reception is nonetheless controversial, doubts being repeatedly raised whether Job is appropriate to the Holocaust context. While ultimately proposing that Job does indeed have a valuable role to play, The Book of Job in Post-Holocaust Thought argues that in some cases such doubts are in order, and that some receptions should be queried on textual, historical or ethical grounds. This book will be of interest to readers concerned with the modern reception of wisdom literature, theological responses to the Holocaust, or simply the manner in which the Bible has been used by communities attempting to make sense of modernity's darkest aspects.