Scripture between Identity and Creativity Ars Disputandi Supplement Series Volume 1 edited by Ars Disputandi [http://www.ArsDisputandi.org] (2003) Scripture between Identity and Creativity A Hermeneutical Theory Building upon Four Interpretations of Job by University of Utrecht, The Netherlands Utrecht: Ars Disputandi, 2003 The research for this book was funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (). Copyright c 2003 by Ars Disputandi, version: 1st October 2003 Published by Ars Disputandi: The Online Journal for Philosophy of Religion, [http://www.ArsDisputandi.org], hosted by Utrecht University Library, The Netherlands. Typeset by Maarten Wisse in Palatino 10/12pt with the LATEX 2ε typesetting system. : 90–6701–009–x : 1566–5399 : 705 Reproduction of this (or parts of this) publication is permitted for non-commercial use, provided that appropriate reference is made to the author and the origin of the material. Commercial reproduction of (parts of) it is permitted only after prior permission by the publisher. To Deliana, Adinda and István “He said to them, Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” (Matthew 13:52, ) Contents Stating the Problem 1 Introduction 3 2 Methodological Considerations 11 2.1 Introduction . 11 2.2 Hermeneutics, Meaning, and Interpretation . 12 2.3 Religion as an Identity Constituting Phenomenon . 16 2.4 The Special Role of Ideology Critique in Hermeneutics . 22 2.5 Ideology Critique as a Hermeneutical Tool . 24 2.6 Following Chapters . 30 Perspectives on Job 3 The Testament of Job 35 3.1 Introduction . 35 3.2 Story . 35 3.3 Text, Composition, and Origin . 41 3.4 Message and Relation to the Book of Job . 43 3.5 Hermeneutical Reflection . 46 4 John Calvin 51 4.1 Introduction . 51 4.2 An Impression . 51 4.3 A Renaissance Perspective . 60 4.4 Calvin’s Relation to the Book of Job . 64 4.5 Hermeneutical Reflection . 73 5 Orlando di Lasso 77 5.1 Introduction . 77 5.2 An Impression . 78 5.3 Franco-Flemish Polyphony . 85 iii iv | 5.4 Life and Work . 89 5.5 Origin of the Lectiones . 92 5.6 Job according to Lasso: Musicological Aspects . 95 5.7 Job according to Lasso: Theological Implications . 101 5.8 Hermeneutical Reflection . 106 6 Gustavo Gutiérrez 111 6.1 Introduction . 111 6.2 An Impression . 111 6.3 The Man and His Country . 116 6.4 Liberation Theology . 118 6.5 Gutiérrez’s Engagement with Job . 122 6.6 Hermeneutical Reflection . 132 A Theory of Critical Engagement 7 From Case Study to Theory 139 7.1 Introduction . 139 7.2 Overview of Previous Chapters . 139 7.3 Complexity and Diversity . 141 7.4 The Riddle of Hermeneutical Realism . 146 7.5 An Ideological Contradiction . 157 8 From Descriptive to Normative Theory 165 8.1 Introduction . 165 8.2 Hermeneutics of Communicative Action . 166 8.3 Hermeneutics of Tradition . 175 8.4 Hermeneutics as Critical Engagement . 188 9 Historical Critical Engagement 197 9.1 Introduction . 197 9.2 What is Historical Criticism? . 198 9.3 History Matters . 202 9.4 The Historian as a Prosecuting Attorney . 215 9.5 A Critique of Methodological Atheism . 216 9.6 The Criterion of Dissimilarity . 225 9.7 Historical Criticism and Evidentialist Epistemology . 231 9.8 Conclusion . 235 Bibliography 237 Index 247 Samenvatting 257 Preface For the author of a book, that book is not just some book on some topic. It is the representation of his intellectual journey up to a certain point in time. On such an intellectual journey, other persons, family, friends, and colleagues – in that order – play a crucial role. The role of these ‘associates’ along the way is at least as important as one’s individual intellectual capabilities. Therefore, it is a very good tradition to express one’s gratitude to all those who have contributed in various ways to one’s intellectual development prior to presenting the content of the work. The usual restrictions of space of course apply, so that those not mentioned here should not think that they are devoid of my gratitude. When it comes to the particular form and presentation of the argument in this book, my primary expression of gratitude should go to my supervisor, Marcel Sarot. He was an excellent supervisor in every respect. He was always willing to discuss problems and, offer advices, often over lunch and mixed in with discus- sions about classic cars, computers, and family life. I do not exaggerate when I say that he taught me the art of writing. Unlike so many university professors, he was not a teacher in the sense of one who sets out to create dependents, pu- pils who explore uncritically the implications of his own brilliant ideas. On the contrary, he was always concerned with improving the internal credibility and, in my case, comprehensibility, of the argument. I would like to thank him for his warm friendship and help, and for his patience in correcting the ever returning errors that inevitably accompany a labour of this kind. I would like to thank my promotor Dirk-Martin Grube for being willing to participate in the final stage of the project. My gratitude goes also to David Brown from Durham University for his willingness to act as my other promotor. Although he could only comment on the manuscript in its near finished form, I have benefited from the reading of his publications in many ways. I would like to thank my fellow PhD-students during the time of my research for this book – Gerrit Brand, Wilko van Holten, and especially my roommate Arjan Markus – for their friendship, the many interesting conversations we had during coffee and lunch breaks, and their patience in listening to – or should I say ‘attending’? – my expositions on computer technology and free software. My gratitude goes also to Gerrit and his wife Lucia for improving my English. I would like to thank the senior and junior members of the philosophy of religion section of for their helpful comments on various papers. Mention should also be v vi | made of the members of the systematic theology section of the PhD discussion forum of the ‘Gereformeerde Bond in de Nederlands Hervormde Kerk’, who commented on an earlier version of chapter two. In this book, expertise is borrowed from various academic disciplines— philosophy, theology and the arts. This could not have been done without the help of various scholars with an in-depth expertise in these fields. Piet van der Horst, one of the few real experts on the Testament of Job, offered valuable com- ments on the chapter dealing with that text. Willem J. van Asselt, a good friend and a renowned expert in the field of the history of the Reformation, put much of his scholarship into the chapter on John Calvin. Ignace Bossuyt and Eric Jas helped me in various stages of the research underlying the chapter on Orlando di Lasso. In writing this book, I benefited much from various software tools written by others, all of them provided free of charge. Some tools and developers should be mentioned, though. First of all, Jens Berger, the developer of the Jurabib BibTEX style set, who was willing to extend his package to include the Oxford style conventions used in Anglo-Saxon humanities publications. Although we never met and he himself never uses this style, he was willing to invest much of his time in this project, for which I would like thank him warmly. Furthermore, I would like to thank Han-Wen Nienhuys and Jan Nieuwenhuizen for developing LilyPond, the Music Typesetting system with whose aid the scores of Lasso’s music were prepared. I would like to thank the members of the mailinglist for many excellent and rapid responses to my questions. Special mention should be made of Siep Kroonenberg and Piet van Oostrum especially for their help with the development of the LATEX class file. Finally, I would like to thank those closest to me, my family. As associates on the journey, they have shared the hardships experienced along the way. My gratitude goes to my parents, brothers and sisters (in law) for their support. Most of all, I thank you, Deliana, for your endurance, unconditional love and support. Even when you don’t see why philosophy matters, you still see that it matters for me, and you are willing to pay the price of living with an academic career for that sake. Adinda and István, I thank you both for the joy you give us, and your patience when “papa writes his book”. I dedicate this book to the three of you. September 2003, Maarten Wisse Stating the Problem 1 Introduction George Frideric Handel’s aria ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth’ in the Messiah is probably the most well known artistic transformation of a text from the Old Testament book of Job.1 At the beginning of the third part of the Messiah, it marks the believer’s response to the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ, the theme of part two. The aria starts with a quotation of Job 19:25–26, which reads “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God” (). It links this Old Testament verse of hope with the New Testament faith in the resurrection: 1 Corinthians 15:20 “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept” ().