At the Scent of Water: The Ground of Hope in the Book of Job

In this remarkable rereading of the biblical book of Job ― often discussed as an attempt to “justify the ways of God to man” ― J. Gerald Janzen brings new light to Job’s story, showing how God invites Job to give up the traditional logic of reward-punish­ment for a life-affirming strategy of risk-reward. From this perspective, affirmation of life in the face of all its vulnerabilities is the path to true participation in the mystery of existence. / At the Scent of Water traces Job’s journey from prosperity, through calamity and bitter anguish, to an encounter with God’s presence in a rainstorm that renews the earth and his own appetite for life. / Janzen includes a candid epilogue on his own struggle with aggressive prostate cancer, which enabled him to connect personally with Job and to find a fresh and illuminating grace. At the Scent of Water will especially resonate with any readers who have experi­enced grief or suffering.

 

J. Gerald Janzen is professor of Old Testament at Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A. A priest of the Anglican Church of Canada, he has also written the Interpretation commentary on Job and Studies in the Text of Jeremiah."

Patrick D. Miller (1935–2020) was Charles T. Haley Professor of Old Testament Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary from 1984 to 2005. He was the author of sixteen books, served as the editor of Theology Today for twenty years, and served as the president of the Society of Biblical Literature in 1998.