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A review by gellok
The Book of Job by Stephen Mitchell
5.0
Perhaps one of the most beautiful translations of the Book of Job. The Elihu Interlude is intentionally left out (Mitchell addresses why in the introduction), and the result is a significantly more structured antagonism between Job, his interlocutors, and the Voice. While some of the more traditional Jewish tones of the book are present Mitchell's translation draws out some interesting Taoist and Hindu oriented elements to Job's situation - certainly in the midst of Job coming to terms with the futility of station and life. Think "Bhagavad Gita" style lesson-learning.
While not explicitly stated - the book might not be exactly what the modern Christian tradition would expect from the story of Job; in fact, this rendition might seem altogether problematic in some regard. Job is not a story of God's love, and Mitchell's translation (certainly sans Elihu) does little to underscore God as a merciful deity or Job understanding any sort of nature to God or the Christian idea of His "love". This translation, more appropriately, places God in the realm of the infinite - and Job as little more than dust in the eyes of the cosmos. Any supposed knowledge about God, any claims regarding the nature of the divine are painted as simply beyond the realm of humanity. Like many of the classic Jewish texts, the emphasis of this translation is to draw attention to the awesome and unintelligible juxtaposition of our finitude with respect to the infinite. A truly brilliant text - one possibly more suited to theologians, those interested in Eastern philosophy, or those interested in hermeneutics.
While not explicitly stated - the book might not be exactly what the modern Christian tradition would expect from the story of Job; in fact, this rendition might seem altogether problematic in some regard. Job is not a story of God's love, and Mitchell's translation (certainly sans Elihu) does little to underscore God as a merciful deity or Job understanding any sort of nature to God or the Christian idea of His "love". This translation, more appropriately, places God in the realm of the infinite - and Job as little more than dust in the eyes of the cosmos. Any supposed knowledge about God, any claims regarding the nature of the divine are painted as simply beyond the realm of humanity. Like many of the classic Jewish texts, the emphasis of this translation is to draw attention to the awesome and unintelligible juxtaposition of our finitude with respect to the infinite. A truly brilliant text - one possibly more suited to theologians, those interested in Eastern philosophy, or those interested in hermeneutics.