Browsing by Author "Musa, Hassan"
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- ItemIronic depiction of being wise in search of Wisdom : a socio-rhetorical study of the Elihu speeches in Job 32-37(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Musa, Hassan; Bosman, Hendrik; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation is an investigation of the socio-rhetorical function of the Elihu speeches in the book of Job. We have also discussed how many scholars in the historical interpretation of the book of Job identified crucial areas of serious concern that still relate to the authorial, literary and theological problems of the book of Job. These areas include the poem on wisdom (Job 28), the speeches of Elihu (32-37) and the speeches of Yahweh (38-42:6). But our focus has been on the Elihu speeches which help us to see the irony of the depiction of being wise in search of wisdom within the interactions of Elihu and Job primarily. We have indicated in our statement of the problem that there has not been much interest in the study of the book of Job especially in African contexts and by African scholars, thus we thought it wise to pick up the challenge of attempting to contribute to filling that vacuum. Our hypotheses point to the expectations on the role of irony as a new cutting edge to the understanding of the meanings of wisdom, suffering and justice. That irony plays a vital role in our understanding of the role of God in human suffering and the question of justice in the book of Job. In order to provide an adequate study that would be satisfactory to our investigation of the Elihu speeches, we found Robbins’ (1996) guide to socio-rhetorical interpretation useful in leading us into the multidimensional aspects of the Elihu speeches. Thus we used it as a guide (not a strict manual to be slavish about) in our study as evident within our various chapters. Chapter 1 provides the background to the study in relation to the writer’s home (traditional) background which in a sense mirror’s the patriarchal context which highly values social and religious orders. It further provides information as to the problem, methodology, hypotheses and conceptualizations for the study. Chapter 2 provides a survey of the book of Job in relation to its history of interpretation. Chapter 3 is an intertexture of Job 32-37 towards the literary study of the inner texture and patterns of the Elihu speeches. Chapter 4 is the intertexture of Job 32-37 which shows how the Elihu speeches interacted within other texts in the world that form their contextual rhetoric. Chapter 5 is the sociocultural texture of Job 32-37 which provides information about the social and cultural texture of the Elihu speeches and represents the formative (composition/ compilation) context of the Elihu speeches. Chapter 6 is the ideological-theological texture of Job 32-37 which presents the function of the Elihu speeches toward an interpretation in service to power as well as its sense of spirituality (consciousness of the divine and the sacred). Chapter 7 provides the summary/conclusion and recommendations for further studies. The contributions that this dissertation has made to Old Testament scholarship especially in African contexts in regards to Job scholarship is on the fact that we have demonstrated how socio-rhetoric can be utilized as a useful method in Old Testament biblical and theological studies. Furthermore, we show the dual function of the Elihu speeches in the book of Job both as a response and as a preparation. We have also demonstrated the role of irony in the depiction of being wise in search of wisdom especially about Elihu as a main case in point in his conversation with Job and other friends about Job’s experience of suffering and his quest for justice and dignity. It is a cohesive attempt that bridged the gap between the sections of the book of Job and its essential characters. It also represents how traditions (in Postexilic contexts) emerged at a critical point in a given context and opened especially the reader to further understanding of the progressive nature of traditions in the Old Testament.
- ItemJob the Pious? : the theological-ethical potential of Job 31 in contemporary Africa(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014-12) Musa, Hassan; Bosman, Hendrik; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis concerns itself with the discussion of the piety of Job in the biblical book that bears his name in order to closely examine the motivation and potential of his piety in light of his oath of innocence in Job 31, so that we might respond to some crucial issues of life, primarily in African contexts. The background to this study in chapter one takes into consideration the lack of interest in studying Wisdom Literature in Africa, especially the Book of Job, except on an occasional basis that calls for discussions on suffering. We discovered that only a few African scholars have tried to explore some aspects of wisdom literature, which poses the challenge of providing other materials from the area of study to further enrich Old Testament biblical studies in Africa and beyond. Moreover, we also observed the separation of faith and ethics in African contexts, which further invites us to examine the life of Job in terms of what he believed and how that constituted his piety and related to his ethical life. This attempt also has as a point of interest the on-going quest of scholarship in the contemporary contexts in which theological-ethical questions with regard to wisdom theology, human dignity, gender equality, and prosperity theology, amongst other concerns seek decisive responses. Thus, the second chapter of this thesis explores some contributions in wisdom literature in order to see how scholars have contributed to the study of the wisdom concerns, especially regarding the theological-ethical possibilities. In doing this we also highlighted some ancient texts that carry the theme of ‘the innocent sufferer’ like the Book of Job. Accordingly, we also note how the question of Job’s piety in his declaration of innocence has almost been neglected by different scholars, which poses us the challenge of considering it as the golden thread of this thesis. In chapter three we provide a close reading of Job 31 in order to closely examine its textual details and interpretation that set the stage for the theological-ethical study of the same passage in chapter four, in which Job’s piety is used to respond to the issues we raised in chapter one and also pose some challenges that call for a reconsideration of faith and ethics in terms of practical reality and profitability which if done well, as reflected on in chapter five, would greatly improve our lives from personal to external and social dimensions.