Why Hidest Thy Face: Job in Traditions and Literature (BIBAL Monograph Series, 6)

No one can come away from a reading of the biblical book of Job without questions. Why did he suffer? Whose fault was it? Wasn’t it unfair to the children? In the end, the Bible’s only answers are that these are mysteries and one must live in faith. Throughout history, many have not been satisfied with these answers and have endeavored to amplify both the story and its interpretation. Christian, Jewish, and Islamic sages, along with philosophers and secular authors have all addressed this story, which strikes at the very foundations of human existence. To one extent or another, we all see ourselves as Job. When we ask, "Why Job?" we ask, "Why me?"

In this multidisciplinary work, which emerges as an exemplar of traditional liberal arts undertakings, Dr. Caspi, his colleague, Gerda Neu-Sokol, and former student, Sara Milstein, trace the persistent and enduring struggles of literary and theological masters to explore and understand Job, one of the fundamental stories nourishing the roots of modern western and middle eastern cultures.