The Prophet and the Sage: Intertextual Connections between Habakkuk and Job
Ebook
Job and Habakkuk represent the Bible's most focused interlocutors on the concepts of justice and theodicy. Both works center upon men chosen by God who see and suffer evil (Job 1:8, cf. Hab 1:1). Both books record the cries of these men as they wrestled to make sense of the world in which they lived (Job 3, cf. Hab 1:2-4). While they have a passing similarity, what if there is something more fundamental to their connection? What if these books are not merely two unconnected discourses on suffering, but linked in a significant way? By examining the texts themselves, this study explores the possibility that a textual relationship exists between portions of Habakkuk and Job and how the underlying transformation of Job's theodicy shapes Habakkuk's dialogue with God.
“Despite longtime acknowledgment of the overlapping theological interests of Job and Habakkuk, detailed textual study has been lacking. Brian Koning identifies a convincing exegetical intervention involving Habakkuk 1 and Job 19. Koning’s evaluation of this interpretive allusion is valuable irrespective of one’s view of the dating of Job. Many thanks to Koning for helping us consider an exegetical relationship between Job and Habakkuk that illumines their theological outlooks.”
—Gary Edward Schnittjer, professor of Old Testament, Cairn University
“Brian Koning fills a scholarly gap in his fascinating analysis of the delicate interplay between two books—Habakkuk and Job—both of which view human suffering and the justice of God through the lens of experience. Using careful definitions of modern methodologies such as intertextuality, inner-biblical exegesis, and synchronic and diachronic method, Koning argues that the prophet Habakkuk ultimately transformed sapiential Job in a fresh aggadic context to shape his own very personal message to Israel.”
—Katharine Dell, professor of Old Testament literature and theology, University of Cambridge
“In The Prophet and the Sage, Brian Koning facilitates a deep conversation long overdue. Separated by canonical boundaries for millennia, Job and Habakkuk have striking connections that are highlighted within this volume, providing insights for reading both texts. The result is a richer understanding of Scripture, especially the voice of suffering and protest and the theological implications for life in all eras both ancient and modern.”
—Mark J. Boda, professor of Old Testament, McMaster Divinity College
“One of the greatest benefits of the last fifty years of exploration in intertextuality is the growing impulse to read the Bible in light of itself. The Prophet and the Sage continues this important scholarly exercise by calling us to read Habakkuk and Job alongside one another. Evaluating, critiquing, and building upon the methodological work of others, this volume lucidly argues that the theodicy tradition found in Job shapes the wrestling captured so profoundly in the book of Habakkuk.”
—William R. Osborne, associate professor of biblical and theological studies, College of the Ozarks
- Title: The Prophet and the Sage: Intertextual Connections between Habakkuk and Job
- Author: Brian M. Koning
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666765830, 9781666765816, 1666765813, 9781666765823, 1666765821, 166676583X
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666765830
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-05-21T10:06:38Z
Brian M. Koning is instructor of theology at Grand Canyon University.