"This is the most creative and insightful study of the Elihu speeches in the Book of Job that I have read. It combines careful and rigorous philological analysis, attention to the history of reception among Jewish and Christian interpreters, and literary theory to offer a fresh reading of the material. It is also beautifully written and truly engaging to read. A tour de force." -- Choon-Leong Seow, Vanderbilt, Buffington, Cupples Chair in Divinity and Distinguished Professor of Hebrew Bible, Vanderbilt University
"There are many faces to mediation between Job and the Deity in the book of Job. In this original and fascinating book, Ryan Armstrong examines them all, employing a rich array of philological and literary-rhetorical means to do so. Armstrong impresses us with the intermediary contributions of Elihu at the same time that he addresses the Deity's astonishingly unmediated response to Job. Armstrong makes profound use of interpretations of Job stretching from ancient to contemporary times, with extended and delightful comparisons drawn to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Engagingly written, this marvelously sophisticated and learned treatment of an endlessly engaging text is essential reading for every student of Job." -- Edward L. Greenstein, Author of
Job: A New Translation"Ryan Armstrong draws productively on the work of Lewis Carroll to offer a detailed, authoritative, and highly insightful exploration of the Book of Job. In so doing, he sheds fascinating light on topics ranging from social justice to language, wisdom and learning in the Carrollian oeuvre. Compellingly written - at times via some delicious neologisms of his own - this volume delivers on the promise of any comparative exercise which, in the words of George Steiner, is to 'see more'." -- Kiera Vaclavik, Author of
Fashioning Alice: The Career of Lewis Carroll's Icon, 1860-1901"
The Book of Job in Wonderland quickly captured my heart and attention. If you're a Bible teacher or preacher, you should snatch up a copy posthaste!" --
Deus Misereatur"This is an academic book, but a layperson couldskim over the technical parts and still glean a lot. The style is entertaining and accessible." -- Stephanie Lovett,
Knight Letter"This book is a guide for us, and it is a very fine book, being learned and, perhaps more importantly, extremely clever and a delight to read. Armstrong wears his scholarship lightly and wittily, drawing on the fields of philology, literature, theology, biblical studies and more, and capable of leaping from Abbott and Costello to word puns in ancient Hebrew on the same page with ease." -- David Jasper,
Theology
