The Book of Job

Why does God allow human suffering? For thousands of years, the profoundly moving story of Job has allowed people of faith to reflect on that question. Job is a righteous man, stripped of all he holds dear, who engages in a powerful dialogue with his friends on the nature and cause of suffering. Job’s friends struggle to justify Job’s suffering, determined to find fault with Job rather than God. Job counters their arguments and then turns his attention to God in a desperate plea for justice. When God’s answer comes from the whirlwind, it is not what we expect. Biblical scholar Kathleen O’Connor serves as an insightful guide in this exploration of innocent suffering, divine silence, and the human quest for understanding. 6 lessons.

Kathleen M. O'Connor is the William Marcellus McPheeters professor emerita of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, and the author of several books including The Wisdom Literature (Liturgical Press, 1990) and Lamentations and the Tears of the World (Orbis, 2002). She is a past president of the Catholic Biblical Association. Previously, she taught at the Maryknoll School of Theology in New York, and has frequently given courses in Central America, Thailand, Japan, and Ireland.

Each lesson includes a video lecture (15-20 min). Videos can be viewed online (link provided on Table of Contents page of each book) or on DVD (available for purchase). Speakers for this study are Clifford M. Yeary, Catherine Upchurch, Thomas Jakobs, Linda Webster, and David LeSieur.