Speech and Response

by John E. Course

This book in a careful examination of the introductions to the speeches in the Book of Job (chapters 4-24) based on rhetorical criticism. The primary interest of this work is in "inter-unit words" which connect various texts in the Book of Job in such a way that they form the basis of a response. The argument of this study (in distinction to a fairly widespread scholarly consensus to the contrary) is that the speeches do in some way respond to one another. Passages of interest are delimited; the form and structure of the passages are discussed; the rhetorical analysis for each passage will include evidence of a response to the arguments uttered by one or more of the opponents and an overview if given from the perspective as a response to previous texts.