Book of Job: A Short Reading, The

The Book of Job: A Short Reading. By Roland E. Murphy. New York: Paulist, 1999, 137 pp., $14.95 paper.

Murphy suggests that this succinct commentary is particularly geared for those outside of academia hoping it will "prompt a more intense but leisurely reading" (p. 2). However, almost anyone interested in Job can profit from this readable work, regardless of expertise.

An introduction discusses authorship, historicity of the character Job, date of composition, wisdom as the prevailing genre for Job, and the surrounding ancient Near Eastern context. The commentary proper proceeds in five chapters and is then followed by two reflective chapters. Murphy wisely determines not to get bogged down in critical issues. Accepting the unity of the text based in part on irony woven throughout the book, Murphy does indeed address critical issues lucidly and efficiently, but at a manageable degree.

A particular strength of this book is the final two chapters. In his "After-Thoughts" Murphy discusses the history of interpretation from Gregory the Great to Calvin and reviews current works on Job by Gutierrez, Vogels, and Girard. A distillation of Murphy's conclusions on several important issues in Job is then rounded out by a brief review of critical issues pertaining to the final cycle of speeches. The final chapter ("Does the Book of Job Have a Theology?") treats God, creation, world-view, retribution, and spirituality as found in Job. A final postil leads Murphy humbly to question his own ability to interpret Job, wondering aloud if one must suffer as Job did in order to comprehend the book fully.

Somewhat disappointing was the treatment given to chap. 28. Given Murphy's place in wisdom research, one would hope (expect?) a chapter dedicated to this pivotal chapter. Instead it is somewhat awkwardly slipped into the "Third Cycle" without so much as a subheading. A strange question mark is inexplicably found near the chapter designation. The many references to apocryphal works and Murphy's insistence that Job is a fictional character may limit its readership within conservative circles. Further, in keeping with much of Johan scholarship, Murphy emphasizes Job's "combativeness" and "courage" before God over against his more traditionally accepted steadfastness.

However, Murphy's well-respected scholarship within diverse circles alone suggests that the book should serve as a fine introductory entree into Joban studies for years to come. It would greatly complement a fuller commentary on Job in a course devoted to Job, or alone as a brief survey in a broader course in wisdom literature. Those in ministry will particularly benefit from Murphy's compact but thoughtful and balanced perspectives on a difficult book.

Tim Johnson

Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI

Copyright Evangelical Theological Society Sep 2001
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