The Hermeneutics of ברך: Septimal Structures, Alien Significations, and the Meaning of Creation in the Book of Job.
The Book of Job's sevenfold use of the term ברך ("to bless" or "to curse") in the prose sections has been observed but not sufficiently analyzed. As Job challenges the goodness and integrity of creation and as creation is understood to be the culmination in a septimal blessing in Genesis 1 (a source...
| Published in: | Catholic Biblical Quarterly Vol. 87; no. 2; pp. 265 - 289 |
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| Format: | Article |
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Catholic Biblical Association of America
Apr2025
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| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=185173844&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 185173844 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00087912 CBQ jtl: Catholic Biblical Quarterly issn: 00087912 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Apr2025 vid: 87 iid: 2 pid: 1118 pub: Catholic Biblical Association of America artinfo: ui: 185173844 10.1353/cbq.2025.a958259 ppf: 265 ppct: 24 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: P size: 4.5MB tig: atl: The Hermeneutics of ברך: Septimal Structures, Alien Significations, and the Meaning of Creation in the Book of Job. aug: au: MCGREW, ISRAEL su: Hermeneutics Semiotics Mythology Theodicy Blessing & cursing sug: subj: Hermeneutics Semiotics Mythology Theodicy Blessing & cursing keyword: ברך allusion blessing and cursing Book of Job creation literary structure mythology semiotics the sāṭān theodicy ab: The Book of Job's sevenfold use of the term ברך ("to bless" or "to curse") in the prose sections has been observed but not sufficiently analyzed. As Job challenges the goodness and integrity of creation and as creation is understood to be the culmination in a septimal blessing in Genesis 1 (a source for the poet), this structure merits serious study. After addressing issues of historical authorship, I argue that the structure helps us relate the prose and the poetry. Since the term occurs six times in Job's prologue (chaps. 1-2), the poetry prolongs the indetermination of the septimal cycle, structurally and dramatically underscoring the problem of evil's challenge to God's creative vision. Since the plot is driven by how Job will ברך God--literally as bless or euphemistically as curse--Job's performance in the poetry is portrayed as a necessary condition for fulfilling God's creative vision and vindicating it against the sāṭān's hermeneutic. However, since the septimal structure is concluded by God's final act of blessing Job (42:10), the structure implies that, given Job's qualified success in the story, creation must finally be restored and perfected through God's final redemption of his servant Job. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y custom: Copyright of Catholic Biblical Quarterly is the property of Catholic Biblical Association of America and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. item: Catholic Biblical Quarterly holder: Catholic Biblical Association of America dt: @attributes: year: 2025 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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