Power and Responsibility in Biblical Interpretation: Reading the Book of Job with Edward Said

Power and Responsibility in Biblical Interpretation addresses the challenges now facing much biblical interpretation. Incorporating the methodologies of poststructuralism, postcolonialism, and liberation theology, the study presents an approach to interpretation which integrates academic and vernacular hermeneutics. This approach is based on the theories of Edward Said, adapting his concept of contrapuntal reading to the interpretation of Job. The book sets this study in the broader context of a survey of current work in the field. The analysis of Job examines the possibilities for dialogue between those interpretations that view suffering as a key theme in the book and those that do not. Interpretations of the Book of Job are then compared to the psychology of suffering as experienced in various contexts today. The conclusion argues for pedagogical reform based upon the ethical and interpretive insights of contrapuntal hermeneutics.