JOB AND THE DISRUPTION OF IDENTITY This page intentionally left blank 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).