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Greatest of All the People in the East: Venturing East of Uz

This essay places the Book of Job among the most powerful yet mysterious moments in that “terrifying” collection we call the “Bible.” The Book of Job begins with an ironic wish-fulfillment allowing humans to overhear the conversations in heaven. These conversations reveal God as of two minds regarding human nature, just as the conversations of Job and his friends on earth reveal that humans are of two minds regarding the nature of the divine. The “God-Speeches” that finally respond to Job's questioning are then compared to Zen Buddhist “koan” strategies where questions are deflected by seemingly unrelated responses, often responses reflecting on nature. Special emphasis in the God-Speeches on birthing and parenting is noted, and related to the Buddhist sense of liberation through a realization of our shared community with all of nature. Both the revealing pattern of questions and responses, and the alternation of silence and speech, are viewed as shared strategies in the wisdom of Job and the Eastern Wisdom tradition located in Buddhist literature.