Self-Deception and Cosmic Disorder in the Book of Job

Abstract

The book of Job fundamentally involves the confrontation (or lack thereof) with the apparent upending of the universe's entire moral order. This paper will employ the concept of self-deception as put forth in twentieth-century existential philosophy to explain the behavior of Job's three ‘friends' - Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar - in the face of this apparent moral chaos. I shall also access a number of "trauma studies" based Biblical interpretations to expand our understanding of this theme.