The book of Job is well-known for its internal tensions. The major challenge of interpreting this work is to provide a coherent reading of the whole narrative while giving the conflicting elements their due. The purpose of this dissertation is thus twofold. First, this study seeks to defend the intrinsic cohesiveness of the book of Job. Second, it attempts to demonstrate that a reading guided by these internal verbal and thematic connections is able to produce a coherent meaning of this literary masterpiece. This dissertation offers a section-by-section reading of the book of Job. In each section, I conduct a two-phase analysis. In the first phase, I identify the literary connections between the passage under study and those which come before it, and reflect on the way the antecedent texts are being reused. In the second phase, I discern the impact that the insights from the first phase of analysis make upon the reading process of the passage under study and examine how the resulting interpretation contributes to the development of the story up to that point. In order to facilitate the discussion, I borrow some insights from literary critic James Phelan, who views narrative as rhetoric. Phelan argues that the author of a narrative cultivates the interests of the reader by means of two types of unstable relations. The first, called instabilities, are those occurring within the story, conflicts between characters, created by situations, and complicated and resolved through actions. The second, called tensions, are conflicts ofvalue, belief, opinion, knowledge, expectation between the author and the reader. The development oftensions and instabilities in tum guide the reader to establish a coherent configuration ofthe narrative. This dissertation demonstrates that a satisfactory reading experience of the book of Job can be attained at both the narrative and the rhetorical levels. The analysis reveals that the central problem ofthe book is appropriate religious expressions in the context of suffering. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The evident existence of evil does not appear to be compatible with the traditional theistic view of Divine Justice. On the one hand, in the course of our daily lives we observe that the innocent suffer undeservedly and the wicked prosper abundantly / and on the other we have the religious principle assuring us that God is just. This contradiction which is known as the problem of evil constitutes one of the greatest challenges to theistic religions. Moses Maimonides, the foremost Jewish philosopher of the Middle Ages offers a solution to this problem through his theory of providence. In this thesis, I argue that for Maimonides providence comes in stages and his theodicy is formed by the first two stages of his theory of providence that I take to be comprising of essentially three stages. Given the two seemingly antagonistic positions that comprise the problem of evil, how he reconciles them through the first two stages of his theory of providence by synthesizing creatively the religious and philosophical principles is the subject of this thesis. In this context, I will also consider how he further strengthens his philosophical position through the analysis of a biblical parable, i.e. the Book of Job.

Summaries in English and Afrikaans / Text in Afrikaans / Die boek Job verwerp vergelding as enigste verklaringsbeginsel van goed en kwaad, maar sluit vergelding en beloning nie heeltemal uit nie: Onmiddellike straf op sonde is onversoenbaar met God se genade, maar indien daar volhard word in kwaad, sal God dit uiteindelik straf net soos Hy uiteindelik die goeie beloon. Die klem op 'n histories-kritiese uitleg van die boek Job, het in die verlede daartoe gelei dat die moontlike literere eenheid van die boek dikwels uit die oog verloor is. Hoewel die boek sander enige twyfel saamgestel is uit verskillende bronne, impliseer dit nie noodwendig dat die auteur nie sy bronne tot 'n sinvolle geheel gei'ntegreer het nie. Die boek Job toon tekens dat dit hoofsaaklik die werk van een auteur was wat sy. bron(ne) net as 'n vertrekpunt gebruik het, maar nogtans 'n heeltemal nuwe werk gekomponeer het met 'n basiese eenheid in struktuur en inhoud. Histories-kritiese eksegete beskou gewoonlik die redevoerings met die drie vriende en die Godsrede as 'n eenheid, maar beskou die raamvertelling en die Elihu-rede as afsonderlike bronne met 'n eie siening van die teodisee-probleem. Die boek Job moet egter as 'n literere-eenheid verstaan word, met 'n enkele geintegreerde standpunt oor die teodisee-probleem. Die raamvertelling kan in sy huidige vorm slegs in samehang met die poetiese deel verstaan word en hied nie 'n afsonderlike siening oor die teodisee-probleem nie. Die Elihu-karakter vervul 'n antler funksie in die boek as Job se drie vriende. Die Elihu-rede vorm 'n hegte eenheid met die res van die boek en hied 'n inleiding tot die Godsrede. Die Godsrede kan gebruik word as 'n samevatting van die Job-auteur se standpunt oor die teodisee-probleem. / The book Job rejects retribution and reward as the only principle for explaining good and evil, but acknowledges it's existence: Immediate punishment for sinning can not be reconciled with the love of God, but repeated wrongdoing will ultimately be punished by God, just as the good will be rewarded. In the past the emphasis on a historical critical explanation of the book Job, possibly caused that the literary entity of the book was overlooked. Even though the book is definitely compounded from different sources, it doesn't necessarily mean that the author did not integrate these sources to a meaningful entity. There are certain aspects in the book that indicate that the book was written by one author who used his source(s) as a basis, from which he created a new narrative. In this new creation, the contents and structure of all parts form a basic entity. Historical critical exegetes usually see the speeches of Job's three friends and the Lords' Speeches as an entity. The framework and the Elihu speeches though, are seen as coming from different sources with it's own view on the problem of theodicy. The book Job must, however, be seen as a litermy entity with one integral viewpoint on the problem of theodicy. Although Elihu plays a different role from that of the three friends of Job, his speeches are tightly interwoven with the rest of this book and he can be seen as the forerunner of the Speeches of the Lord. The Speeches of the Lord can be used as a summary of the author's viewpoint on the problem of theodicy. / Th.D.(Old Testament)

Slave narratives influenced nineteenth-century American religious culture and history; through the slave narrative, modern readers experience the African-American struggle for freedom and personhood in the antebellum South. While the slave narrative stimulated identity- formation, once identity was formed a narrator fought for authority and control of that identity throughout their narrative. This struggle for control is present in the narratives of Frederick Douglass and Nat Turner. Due to each slave’s religious allusions, African-American literary scholars repeatedly link Douglass and Turner to biblical books such as Jonah and Ezekiel. However, this thesis will examine Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave, Written by Himself, and Thomas R. Gray’s The Confessions of Nat Turner through the lens of the Book of Job. By examining Douglass’s and Turner’s pursuit of knowledge through correlations within the Book of Job, both scriptural authority and authenticity emerges within each narrative.

Summaries in English and Afrikaans / Text in Afrikaans / Die boek Job verwerp vergelding as enigste verklaringsbeginsel van goed en kwaad, maar sluit vergelding en beloning nie heeltemal uit nie: Onmiddellike straf op sonde is onversoenbaar met God se genade, maar indien daar volhard word in kwaad, sal God dit uiteindelik straf net soos Hy uiteindelik die goeie beloon. Die klem op 'n histories-kritiese uitleg van die boek Job, het in die verlede daartoe gelei dat die moontlike literere eenheid van die boek dikwels uit die oog verloor is. Hoewel die boek sander enige twyfel saamgestel is uit verskillende bronne, impliseer dit nie noodwendig dat die auteur nie sy bronne tot 'n sinvolle geheel gei'ntegreer het nie. Die boek Job toon tekens dat dit hoofsaaklik die werk van een auteur was wat sy. bron(ne) net as 'n vertrekpunt gebruik het, maar nogtans 'n heeltemal nuwe werk gekomponeer het met 'n basiese eenheid in struktuur en inhoud. Histories-kritiese eksegete beskou gewoonlik die redevoerings met die drie vriende en die Godsrede as 'n eenheid, maar beskou die raamvertelling en die Elihu-rede as afsonderlike bronne met 'n eie siening van die teodisee-probleem. Die boek Job moet egter as 'n literere-eenheid verstaan word, met 'n enkele geintegreerde standpunt oor die teodisee-probleem. Die raamvertelling kan in sy huidige vorm slegs in samehang met die poetiese deel verstaan word en hied nie 'n afsonderlike siening oor die teodisee-probleem nie. Die Elihu-karakter vervul 'n antler funksie in die boek as Job se drie vriende. Die Elihu-rede vorm 'n hegte eenheid met die res van die boek en hied 'n inleiding tot die Godsrede. Die Godsrede kan gebruik word as 'n samevatting van die Job-auteur se standpunt oor die teodisee-probleem. / The book Job rejects retribution and reward as the only principle for explaining good and evil, but acknowledges it's existence: Immediate punishment for sinning can not be reconciled with the love of God, but repeated wrongdoing will ultimately be punished by God, just as the good will be rewarded. In the past the emphasis on a historical critical explanation of the book Job, possibly caused that the literary entity of the book was overlooked. Even though the book is definitely compounded from different sources, it doesn't necessarily mean that the author did not integrate these sources to a meaningful entity. There are certain aspects in the book that indicate that the book was written by one author who used his source(s) as a basis, from which he created a new narrative. In this new creation, the contents and structure of all parts form a basic entity. Historical critical exegetes usually see the speeches of Job's three friends and the Lords' Speeches as an entity. The framework and the Elihu speeches though, are seen as coming from different sources with it's own view on the problem of theodicy. The book Job must, however, be seen as a litermy entity with one integral viewpoint on the problem of theodicy. Although Elihu plays a different role from that of the three friends of Job, his speeches are tightly interwoven with the rest of this book and he can be seen as the forerunner of the Speeches of the Lord. The Speeches of the Lord can be used as a summary of the author's viewpoint on the problem of theodicy. / Th.D.(Old Testament)

In this study the author compares the broad outlines of Blake's and Dickinson's thought, pointing out evidence of decisive Biblical influence not only on the content of their thought but on their attitude toward language as well. the author argues that both poets assumed the philosophical position of Job as they interpreted the Bible independently and as they explored many dimensions of experience in the fallen world. The author represents their thought not as a fixed system but as a faith-based pattern of Christian/Platonic questing for truth.

This study in Old Testament exegesis is focused on two interpretations of three central passages in the book of Job, by C.G. Jung in Answer to Job (1952) and Leo Perdue in Wisdom in Revolt – Metaphorical Theology in the Book of Job (1991). The study examines the questions addressed to the book of Job by Jung and Perdue respectively, and the expectations that are imbedded in their readings. The concepts of "horizon of expectation" and "gaps" from Reception theory are central to the interpretation.  More particularly, the study examines the interpretations by Jung and Perdue of two passages in the book of Job where there is a verbal confrontation between Job and God, and the very last sequence of the book, the epilogue. These scenes also represent what W. Iser calls "gaps" (Leerstellen) in the narration, ambiguous passages, designed to activate the reader’s participation in the interpretation of a text. In the study, the horizon of expectations of Jung and Perdue respectively, is outlined and compared. The results show that, while the theologian Perdue is interested in the psychological aspects of Job’s process in relation to God, Jung, the psychologist, paradoxically is focused on the theological question of God’s character and being.  The study’s point of outlook is that in each interpretation of a text, the reader’s horizon of expectation is embedded. When it comes to Bible commentary, layers of historical contexts and theological tradition shape the interpretative work. Nevertheless, each reader also confronts the text anew while reading, within the frames of his own experiences and expectations.

Part I of this thesis has been written with a view to exploring the relevance a text over 2500 years old has for contemporary ars poetica. From a detailed study of ‘The Book of Job’ I highlight three main tropes, ‘cognitive dissonance’, ‘tĕšuvah’, and ‘dark saying’, and demonstrate how these might inform the working methods of the contemporary poet. In the introduction I define these tropes in their theological and historical context. Chapter one provides a detailed examination of ‘Job’, its antecedents and its influence on literature. In chapters two and three I examine in detail techniques of Classical Hebrew poetry employed in ‘Job’ and argue for a confluence between literary technique and Jobian cosmology. Stylistically, the rest of the thesis is a critical meditation on how the main tropes of ‘Job’ can be mapped onto contemporary ars poetica. In chapter four I initiate an exploration into varying responses to cognitive dissonance, suggesting how the false comforters and Job represent different approaches to, and stages of, poetic composition. A critique of an essay by David Daiches is followed by a detailed study of Seamus Heaney. In chapter five I map the trope of tĕšuvah onto contemporary ars poetica with reference to the poetry of Pilinszky, Popa, and to the poems and critical work of Ted Hughes. The chapter concludes with a brief exploration into the common ground shared between the terms tĕšuvah and versus as a means of highlighting the importance of proper maturation of the work. Chapter six consists of a discussion of how the kind of ‘dark saying’ found in ‘Job’ 38-41 impacts on an understanding of poetic language and its capacity to accelerate our comprehension of reality. I support this notion with excerpts from Joseph Brodsky and a close reading of Montale’s ‘L’anguilla’. Chapter seven further develops the notion of poetry as a means of propulsion beyond the familiar, the predictable or the clichéd, by examining the function of metaphor and what I term ‘quick thinking’, and by referring to two recently published poems by John Burnside and Don Paterson. In chapter eight I draw out the overall motif implied by a close reading of ‘Job’, that of the weathering of an ordeal, and map this onto ars poetica, looking at two aspects of labour, which I identify as ‘endurance’ and ‘letting go’, crucial for the proper maturation of a poem or body of poems. The concluding chapter develops the theme of the temple first discussed in chapter one. I argue for a connection between Job as a temple initiate, who has the capacity to atone for the false comforters, and poetry as a form of ‘at-one-ment’. This notion is supported by reference to Geoffrey Hill and Rilke. Part II of the thesis consists of a selection of my own poems, titled ‘Bedrock’.

Biblical interpretation in the contemporary context of globalisation faces a variety of challenges. This thesis addresses the challenges presented to the discipline by the incorporation of poststructuralism, postcolonialism, and liberation theologies, particularly the problem of interpretive ghettoisation and the ethics of contemporary biblical interpretation. It proposes one possible answer to the question of how the field of biblical hermeneutics can move beyond the segregation passively encouraged by subjectivity and self-determination toward the integration of academic and vernacular hermeneutics in the interests of justice for the dominated and the reconstitution of the dominant. This thesis first presents the interpretive theories of Edward W. Said, addresses the major criticisms of his work, and proceeds to discuss the adaptation of his concept of contrapuntal reading to the interpretation of biblical texts. Second, it presents a survey of current work in the field which attempts to overcome the gap between academic and vernacular hermeneutics and critiques these approaches in light of Said’s concepts. Third, it presents the book of Job as an appropriate context in which to explore the possibilities of contrapuntal hermeneutics. This section analyses various academic and vernacular interpretations of the book of Job and places these interpretations in contrapuntal dialogue over the course of three chapters. The first of these chapters explores the possibilities for dialogue between those interpretations that view suffering as a key theme in the book and those that do not; the second chapter explores interpretations of the book of Job and the issue of suffering in various Euro-North American psychological contexts and in various African contexts of HIV/AIDS; and the third chapter juxtaposes academic and vernacular interpretations of the book of Job in various Asian contexts. Finally, the study closes with an argument for pedagogical reform based upon the ethical and interpretive insights of contrapuntal hermeneutics.

This synoptic analysis of verses from Job chapters 37-39 in 11Q10, the Peshitta version (PJob) and the rabbinic targum (RJob) aims to identify the translators’ methods for handling the Hebrew text (HT) and to assess the apparent skills and knowledge brought by them to their task. Additionally, the study engages with recent discussion which challenges the nature of 11Q10 as targum. To this end, PJob and RJob provide accepted models of ‘translation’ and ‘targum’ alongside which to assess 11Q10. The following translation methods are identified, described, compared and contrasted in the three versions: selection,extension, alternative translation, expansion, substitution, adjustment of the consonantal HT, adjustment of the Hebrew word order or division, omission, and conjecture. PJob is confirmed as an attempt to transpose the difficult Hebrew of Job into Syriac. RJob is confirmed as a conservative translation with clear underpinnings in allusion to scripture and to rabbinic traditions attested elsewhere. Significant observations are made regarding an interpretative quality in 11Q10, and new light is cast on its richness and subtlety as an allusive translation. It is proposed that the translation displays deep knowledge of scripture and skill in applying this knowledge. It is further proposed that careful comparison with methods which have been identified in Onqelos is warranted. 11Q10 is identified as an important early witness to scripturally-based motifs which are also found in other intertestamental and rabbinic sources. It is argued that 11Q10’s nature suggests that its purpose was not simply to translate but to understand and subtly explicate the HT, and that it was intended for use alongside it, not as a replacement. The study refutes the categorization of 11Q10 as ‘translation’ rather than ‘targum’, and agrees with its orginal editors that its value lies in its unique witness to the early nature of targum.