Knowing God in the Book of Job | Dr David Novak with Ralston College

The Ralston College Podcast

Ralston College Humanities MA

Dr David Novak is a distinguished professor at the University of Toronto, renowned theologian, and esteemed rabbi. He has authored numerous books, delivered the prestigious Gifford Lectures, and bridges ancient philosophical traditions with modern ethical issues.

Recorded live at Ralston College in Savannah, GA in November of 2022. Dr David Novak—Professor of Philosophy and Jewish Studies at the University of Toronto—offers a lecture on the Book of Job followed by an extended question and answer session with students enrolled in Ralston College’s Master’s in the Humanities Program. In his lecture, Dr Novak explores the complex position of Job in the canon of Jewish scriptures, surveys diverse scholarly accounts of the concluding passages of the book, and offers his own interpretation of Job’s “face-to-face” interaction with God, one that emphasizes direct knowledge over abstract understanding and finds in the book’s conclusion a vision of the resurrection of the body.

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00:00 Introduction

08:20 Dr. David Novak’s Lecture on the Book of Job

53:25:00 Question and Answer Session with Ralston College Students and Dr. Novak

54:45 Question: Does Job’s Vision Occur Before or After Death?

59:40 Question: Why are Job’s Friends Punished for Their Conceptual Understanding?

01:03:00 Question: How Does This Align With the Belief That No One Can See God and Live?

01:09:05 Question: What is the Purpose of the Dialogues Between Job and His Friends?

01:13:05 Question: Did Job’s Friends Hear God’s Voice During the Appearance?

01:14:55 Question: What is the Significance of God Doubling Job’s Possessions?

01:15:30 Question: Is There a Visual Aspect to God’s Response to Job, or Is It Only Auditory?

01:15:30 Question: What Does it Mean for God to Make a Bet with the Adversary?

01:19:10 Question: Is Job’s Refusal to Curse God a Prerequisite for His Later Vision?

01:25:15 Question: What Do You Make of the Relationship Between Satan and God?

01:29:05 Did God Use Job to Prove a Point to Satan, Knowing the Outcome?

01:31:20 Question: Can Man Question God and Express Grievances?

01:35:40 Question: Does Elihu Suggest People Perceive God Through Suffering and Visions?

1:41:30 Question: How Has Your Belief in Providence Impacted Your Life?

01:44:45 Closing Remarks

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Authors, Ideas, and Works Mentioned in this Episode:

The Book of Job

The Book of Ezekiel

The Book of Leviticus

The Book of Esther

The Book of Ecclesiastes

Robert Gordis, The Book of God and Man: A Study of Job

mashal (משל)—Hebrew, “parable”

Katagoros (Hebrew—קָטִיגור; Greek—κατήγορος)—”accuser”

Fredrich Nietzsche

Johann von Rist, “O Traurigkeit, o Herzeleid”

G.W.F. Hegel

Richard Rorty

Reinhold Niebuhr, The Nature and Destiny of Man

Leo Strauss

Plato, Republic

Yehuda Haleri

Aristotle

Thomas Aquinas

The Book of Isaiah

via negativa

John Rawls

Eric Gregory

Chaim ibn Attar

Tzimtzum (צמצום)

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Additional Resources

David Novak

Dr Stephen Blackwood

Ralston College (including newsletter)

Support a New Beginning

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Thank you for listening!