Re: [asa] On Job

I would follow some OT scholars who say that the Book of Jonah is constructed in the literary form of a "mashal," an extended parable with theological purposes. The purpose of the book is to teach that the justice, mercy and forgiveness of God is universal. There is another purpose: once God gives you a call, you can try to run away, but you cannot escape his call. Now if anyone wants to believe that it is literally and historically a fact that Jonah spent three days in the belly of a great fish (not a whale), they are welcome to do so. But the truth of this story for God's purposes is not dependent upon their doing so.

I suppose it is not easy always to discern what in the OT is to be taken as a bald historical account or as story teaching theology. It is best to keep an open mind. But there are elements of literary form and story construction that can help one to make one's own decisions about this. I don't doubt that God will forgive me if I err on any single interpretation.

Bob Schneider

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Don Winterstein
  To: asa@calvin.edu ; Carol or John Burgeson
  Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2006 4:32 PM
  Subject: Re: [asa] On Job

  Would you assign Jonah similar status? Then, how about Elijah calling down fire on the captains of fifty? Once we get started, how do we know where to stop?

  Don

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: Carol or John Burgeson
    To: asa@calvin.edu
    Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2006 6:37 AM
    Subject: [asa] On Job

    Vernon commented: "Can such passages as Job 1:6-12 =
    and 2:1-7 be 'interpreted' to mean something different from their =
    account of actual meetings, actual discussions and actual consequences?
    =
    And if, in your view they must be accepted as real events, what might we
    =
    usefully glean from them?"

    The most reasonable interpretation of Job is that it is a morality play.
    To consider it as sober factual history is ludicrous. Sort of like
    believing ALICE IN WONDERLAND.

    Burgy

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Received on Wed Oct 4 20:16:55 2006