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Abstract
This study will demonstrate that the speech of Elihu in the Book of Job functions as a bridge between the theology of the three friends and the theology of Yahweh by exegetically examining Elihu’s theology of creation and how it compares with that of the other characters. The work will proceed with detailed exegesis of texts relating to creation in the speeches of Elihu, the three friends, and YHWH. The study will then make biblical theological conclusions regarding the doctrines of creation represented in the various speeches. The methodology is exegetical and biblical theological and the work proceeds through the lens of creation theology. Through this study, the Elihu pericope shows itself as a bridge between the speeches of the three friends and those of YHWH.
Chapter 1 begins with a brief statement on the problem facing interpreters of Job with respect to the Elihu speeches. The chapter then sets forth the study’s delimitations, research questions, and key terms. Following this discussion, the work gives a brief overview of its procedure as well as assumptions. Next, the study conducts a survey of scholarship with respect to both the Book of Job as a whole, as well as the Elihu pericope in particular. This section concludes with a discussion of the contribution the present study makes. Finally, chapter 1 sets forth a more detailed discussion of the research methodology of the dissertation.
The exegetical and biblical theological work begins in chapter 2. This chapter sets forth the doctrine of creation present in the Elihu speeches. The chapter discusses the following texts: 32:8, 22; 33:4–6, 13–20; 34:13–15, 19; 35:5–11; 36:3, and 36:22– 37:24. For each text, the work translates it, discusses text-critical issues, and presents its literary structure, exegesis, and conclusions regarding its contribution to understanding the speaker’s creation doctrine. The final part of the chapter presents overall conclusions regarding Elihu’s doctrine of creation.
Chapter 3 sets forth the creation doctrine(s) of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, the three friends of Job. The chapter discusses the following texts: 4:10–11, 18–21; 5:6–26; 8:8–22; 11:7–9; 15:7–16; 18:4, 18; 20:4–5, 16–17, 26– 27; 22:3, 12–14; and 25:1–6. For each text, the work translates it, discusses text-critical issues, and presents its literary structure, exegesis, and conclusions regarding its contribution to understanding the speaker’s creation doctrine. The final part of the chapter presents overall conclusions regarding the creation doctrine(s) of the three friends.
Chapter 4 examines nearly the entirety of the speeches of YHWH. 38:1–38; 38:39–39:30; 40:15–24; 40:25–41:26 (English 41:1–34). For each text, the work translates it, discusses text-critical issues, presents its literary structure, and exegetes it in detail. Because of the large amount of textual material covered in the chapter, the work presents the conclusions regarding the doctrine of creation in YHWH’s speeches at the end of the chapter.
Chapter 5 brings together the conclusions that the previous chapters discovered and fully sets forth the argument of this dissertation. The chapter begins by summarizing the findings of chapters 2–4. After this summary, the work compares and contrasts the creation doctrines of Elihu with those of the three friends. Following this discussion, the chapter examines the similarities and differences between the creation doctrines of Elihu and those of YHWH. After this section, the chapter presents the conclusions regarding the function of the Elihu pericope in the book of Job. The work demonstrates that when one examines the creation theology advocated by the various speakers, one can see that the Elihu speech is a bridge between the speeches of the three friends and those of YHWH. Finally, the chapter suggests potential avenues for further research.