Job and the Disruption of Identity: Reading Beyond Barth

215 Pages·2005·21.723 MB·English

by  Susannah Ticciati

JOB AND THE DISRUPTION OF IDENTITY
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Job and the
Disruption of
Identity
Reading Beyond Barth
SUSANNAH TICCIATT
T&.T CLARK INTERNATIONAL
A Continuum imprint
LONDON • NEW YORK
T&T CLARK INTERNATIONAL
A. Continuum imprint
The Tower Building 15 East 26th Street
11 York Road Suite 1703
London SE1 7NX New York, NY 10010
O Susannah Ticciati 2005
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 0 567 04113 1
Library of Congress Catalogue-in-Publication Data
Ticciati, Susannah.
Job and the disruption of identity : reading beyond Barth / Susannah Ticciati. p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-567-04113-1
1. Bible. O.T. Job-Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Barth, Karl, 1886-1968. I. Title.
BS1415.52.T53 2005
233M06-dc22 2005041879
Typeset by Data Standards Ltd, Frome, Somerset, UK
Printed on acid-free paper in Great Britain by MPG Books Ltd, Cornwall.
Contents
Acknowledgments vi
Abbreviations viii
Introduction 1
Part I: The Problem of Obedience: Barth on Job 11
1 Earth's Job as both Right and Wrong 13
2 Obedience as Self-Examination:
Barth on the Story of the Rich Man 35
Part II: Does Job Fear God for Naught? A Rereading of Job 49
3 The Prose Narrative: Transforming Piety 53
4 The Poem 79
4.1 The Dialogue: Testing Integrity 80
4.2 The Whirlwind Speeches: Encountering Creation 101
Part III: God, Job and Justice 117
5 Calling God to Account 119
6 An Integrity Beyond the Law 139
Part IV: The Disruption and Transformation of the Self 159
7 The Problem of Obedience Revisited 161
8 Epilogue: Self, Society and World 183
Bibliography 191
Index of Subjects 197
Index of Biblical References 202
Acknowledgments
This book has emerged, not only from intensive engagement with Job and
Barth, but perhaps more importantly, from conversation with friends and
colleagues, to whose help, inspiration, patience and wisdom it is very much
indebted.
Thanks must go first of all to the two people who have had to bear with
the process of its development the longest: Ben Quash and David Ford, my
joint PhD supervisors. David has not only managed (by some dubious
means) to hijack the word 'wisdom', he has also passed much wisdom on,
something of which, I hope, has been embodied in this book. To Ben I
owe, as well as many wonderful conversations, great attentiveness, support
and patience.
Much of the theology reflected in this book has been developed in
conversation with Rachel Muers, whose encouragement and friendship has
accompanied me throughout its formation. Above all, I'd like to thank her
for being such a careful and perceptive listener, something from which I
hope I have not only benefited, but also learnt. Mike Higton has given
much time and energy to helping me with this book, not only in the proof-
reading stage (in which I have really appreciated his acuteness,
meticulousness and even pedantry), but also in important, earlier
conversations, which were crucial for my continuing in academic theology.
Denys Turner's rigorous and persuasive thinking has been an inspiration
from early on, and I am very grateful to him for all our conversations,
whether in person or over email. For the tide of this book I am indebted to
Chad Pecknold, whom I would like to thank, not only for this, but for the
way in which, in the course of our friendship, he has helped me to think
theologically. Thinking theologically is also something I have learnt in
exchanges with Nick Adams, whose influence can be seen, not only where
he is mentioned in Chapter 1, but more importantly in the introduction.
I would like, next, to thank Daniel Hardy and Walter Moberly, my PhD
examiners, both of whom engaged with my work closely and constructively.
Dan's comments showed that he had grasped what I was trying to say
almost better than I had! Walter's challenging and persuasive critique has
led to further discussion between us which has had a profound effect on
the shaping of Chapter 3. I am immensely grateful to him for the time and
attention he gave to this. Particular thanks must also go to Oliver Davies,
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Vll
Katharine Dell, Peta Dunstan, Diana Lipton, Andrew Macintosh and Peter
Ochs, each of whom has offered me help at different stages. It was Diana
who alerted me to the importance of the figure of the mokiach in the
Hebrew Bible, which plays a large role in Chapter 5.
I am extremely privileged to have had the opportunity of working with
Georg Plasger while at the University of Gottingen. It was in discussion —
and disagreement — with him that I was forced to a new level of insight and
clarity in my understanding of Earth's theology. I am very grateful to him
for all the time he generously gave to me, and delighted that our
conversations have continued beyond the finishing of my PhD. And on
returning to Gottingen after finishing my PhD, I was very pleased to be
able to participate in Christine Axt-Piscalar's So^iefdt. I am indebted not
only to their kind hospitality, but also to the energy and rigour of their
theological thought.
There are three further groups of people I would like to thank: first, the
Scriptural Reasoners with whom I have worked, whose reading practices
have informed and shaped this book considerably; second, my colleagues at
Selwyn College, Cambridge, whom I am looking forward to getting to know
better when this book is no longer my sole preoccupation! And third, my
future colleagues at King's College London, who were happy for me to
have a further year of research before taking up my lectureship.
Others who have had a part in the thinking that went into this book
include Emma Baldock, Jon Cooley, Ben Fulford, Christina Hoppe, Dan
Neale, Elizabeth Prest, Make Rosenau and Elsa Tschape, who, as well as
providing me with much-needed support and encouragement, have
challenged and disrupted me in fruitful and unexpected ways.
I am grateful, further, to the Arts and Humanities Research Board for
providing the funding for my PhD.
Some of the themes of this book have already been treated in an article
entitled 'Does Job Fear God for Naught?' appearing in Modern Theology^ July
2005.
Abbreviations
CD Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics (13 vols. and index vol.; eds.
G.W Bromiley and T.F. Torrance; Edinburgh: T&T Clark,
1956—77). [English translation of Die Kirchliche Dogmatik
(Zurich: Evangelischer Verlag, 1947—70).]
Commentaries
ANDERSON- Francis I. Anderson, and D.N. Freedman, Amos: A New
FREEDMAN Translation with Introduction and Commentary (eds. WE
Albright and D.N. Freedman; Anchor Bible, vol. 24A;
New York: Doubleday, 1989).
BLOCK Daniel I. Block, The Book of E^ekiel (2 vols.; eds. R.K.
Harrison, R.L. Hubbard, Jr.; The New International
Commentary on the Old Testament, Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 1997-1998).
BROWNLEE William H. Brownlee, E^ekiel 1-19 (OT ed. J.O.W Watts;
general eds. DA. Hubbard, G.W Barker; Word Biblical
Commentary, vol. 28; Texas: Word Books, 1986).
CLINES David J.A. Clines, Job 1-20 (OT ed. J.O.W Watts; general
eds. DA. Hubbard, G.W Barker; Word Biblical Commentary,
vol. 17; Dallas: Word Books, 1989).
DHORME E. Dhorme, A Commentary on the Book of Job (trans. H.
Knight; London: Nelson, 1967).
DRIVER S.R. Driver, The Books of Joel and Amos with Introduction and
Notes (4th repr.; ed. A.F. Kirkpatrick; Cambridge Bible for
Schools and Colleges; Cambridge: CUP, 1907).
DRIVER-GRA^ S.R. Driver and G.B. Gray, A Critical and Exegetical
Commentary on the Book of Job: Together with a New Translation
(eds. S.R. Driver, C.A. Briggs, A. Plummer; International
Critical Commentary; Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1921).
EICHRODT Walther Ekhrodt, E^ekiel: A Commentary (trans. C. Quin;
The Old Testament Ubrary\ London: SCM, 1970).
ABBREVIATIONS ix
GOOD Edwin M., Good, In Turns of Tempest: A reading of Job
(Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1990).
GORDIS Robert Gordis, The Book of job: Commentary, New
Translation, Special Study (New York: Jewish Theological
Seminary of America, 1978).
HABKL Norman Habel, The Book of Job: A Commentary (Old
Testament Library, London: SCM, 1985).
HARPER WR. Harper, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Amos
and Hosea (eds. S.R. Driver, C.A. Briggs, A. Plummer; The
International Critical Commentary, Edinburgh: T&T Clark,
1905).
POPE Marvin H. Pope, Job: Introduction, Translation and Notes (The
Anchor Bible-, New York: Doubleday, 1965).
ROWLEY H.H. Rowley, Job (2nd edn; New Century Bible Commentary,
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980).
STUART Douglas Stuart, Hosea-]onah (OT ed. J.O.W. Watts; general
eds. DA. Hubbard, G.W Barker; Word Biblical Commentary,
vol. 31; Texas: Word Books, 1987).
WILDBERGER Hans Wildberger, Jesaja 28—39: Das Buch, der Prophet und
seine Botschaft (eds. S. Hermann and H.W Wolff; Biblischer
Kommentar Altes Testament, 10.3; Neukirchen-Vluyn, 1982).
WOLFE H.W Wolff, Joel and Amos: A Commentary on the Books of the
Prophets Joel and Amos (trans. W Janzen et al\ ed. S.D.
McBride, Jr.; OT eds. EM. Cross, Jr., K. Baltzer et aL;
Hermeneia — A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible',
Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1977).
7IMMERL1 Walther Zimmerli, A. Commentary on the Book ofF^ekiel (2
vols.; trans. R.E. Clements and J.D. Martin; Philadelphia:
Fortress Press, 1979-83).
Dictionaries
BOTTERWECK G.J. Botterweck, and H. Ringgren (eds.), Theological
Dictionary of the Old Testament (14 vols.; trans. J.T. Willis;
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977-2004).
BDB E Brown, S. Driver and C. Briggs, The Brown-Driver-Briggs
Hebrew and English Lexicon (Massachusetts: Hendrickson
Publishers, 2000).