This remarkable work offers a brilliantly original reading of the book of Job, one of the great classics of biblical literature, and in the process develops a new formula for understanding how biblical texts evolve in the process of transmission. Zuckerman presents the thesis that the book of Job was intended as a parody the stereotypical righteous sufferer. In his most extended analogy, Zuckerman compares the book of Job and its fate to that of a famous Yiddish short story, `Bontshe Shvayg', another covert parody whose protagonist has come to be revered as a paradigm of innocent Jewish suffering. The history of this story is used to show how a literary text becomes separated from the intention of its author, and comes to have a quite different meaning for a specific community of readers.
Reviews
'This is one of the most fascinating and perceptive studies of the book of Job that I have read.' * Journal of Theological Studies *
'[A] scintillating study...a magnificent counterpoint to the traditional interpretation of the book of Job' * Hebrew Studies *



Book Information
ISBN 9780195121278
Author Bruce Zuckerman
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 476g
Dimensions(mm) 231mm * 152mm * 23mm