Units timetabled for 2013 and 2014 are provisional only, and details of semester and time will change. The official timetable for each year is released on 1 September of the prior year.

Archived unit descriptions for 2011 are available here.

Suffering, Life, and the Book of Job

Unit Code: 
BV348
RTI: 
United Faculty of Theology
Unit Value: 
15 points

 This unit is a thematic study of the book of Job that concentrates on understanding the text in relation to the central issues of the whole book. General questions will concern date, problems of unity and composition, the meaning of the book, and its place in the biblical tradition and the wisdom literature of the ancient Near East, both biblical and non-biblical. In the passages from Job to be studied for exegesis, an understanding of the meaning of the passage will be required, its situation in the context of the book, and its contribution to the discussion of the central issues. It is expected that students will be familiar with the book as a whole. The prose sections (chaps. 1–2; 42:7-17) will be required for understanding the setting of the book, and for their contribution to its structure, the expression of the central issues and their solution. For the purpose of exegesis, particular attention will be given to the following passages from the poetic section: Job 3–10; selections from chapters. 11–19; 38–41; 42:1-6.

Learning Outcomes: 

Upon successful completion of this unit, it is expected that students will be able to:

  1. show familiarity with the context and content of the book of Job, the issues of both prologue/epilogue and the body of the book, as well as the issues of meaning raised and responded to.
  2. read the text of Job with an understanding of its meaning.
  3. criticise traditional translations with regard to Job’s final words (42:5–6).
  4. discuss the issue of human suffering and relationship with God and the approaches to this issue in the book of Job.
  5. display awareness of the values and limits of any personal solution to this issue.
  6. comprehend the strengths and weaknesses of diachronic and synchronic approaches to the book of Job.     

 

Lecturer/s: 
Antony Campbell
Timetabling
Semester: 
Semester 1
Day: 
Wednesday
Time: 
2:15 - 5:15
Location: 
Centre for Theology and Ministry
Unit Frequency: 
Biennial
Years Offered: 
2010
Years Offered: 
2012
Years Offered: 
2014
Unit Fields
Courses: 
Graduate Diploma in Theology
Courses: 
Master of Divinity
Courses: 
Master of Theological Studies
Field: 
Field B Biblical Studies
Disciplines: 
Biblical Studies
Disciplines: 
Old Testament
MDiv Field: 
Biblical Studies
Department Name: 
Department of Biblical Studies
Unit Level
GradDip Field: 
Elective
MDiv Type of Study: 
Specialised
Prerequisites: 

30 points of Foundational units in Biblical Studies

Mode of Teaching: 
Semester
Teaching Methods: 

 3 hours of lectures and seminars per week for 12 weeks

Workload
Number of timetabled hours per week: 
3
Expected personal study hours per week: 
9
Total workload hours per week: 
12
Total workload hours for unit: 
144
Assessment
Assessment TypeWeightingLearning Outcomes Assessed
Assessment Type: 

1 3000 word essay

Weighting: 
50%
Assessment Type: 

1 3000 word essay

Weighting: 
50%
Recommended reading: 

* = set texts recommended for purchase

  • Clines, D. J. A. Job 1-20. Dallas: Word, 1989.
  • Clines, D. J. A. Job 21-37. Nashville: Nelson, 2006.
  • Gordis R. The Book of God and Man. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1965.
  • *Good, E. M. In Turns of Tempest. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1990.
  • Greenberg, M. “Job.” In The Literary Guide to the Bible. edited by R. Alter and F. Kermode, 283-304. London: Collins, 1987.
  • *Habel, N. C. The Book of Job: A Commentary. Old Testament Library. London: SCM, 1985.
  • *Janzen, J. G. Job. Atlanta: Knox, 1985.
  • Newsom, Carol A. The Book of Job. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.
  • Pope, M. H. Job. 3rd ed. New York: Doubleday, 1973.
  • Miles, J. God: A Biography. New York: Knopf, 1995. (308-28 and notes.)
  • Rowley, H. H. Job. The Century Bible New Series. London: Nelson, 1970.
  • Westermann, C. The Structure of the Book of Job. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1981.

© United Faculty of Theology, 2008-2012.