New Publication by Dr. James Crooks

Dr. James Crooks of the Department of Philosophy has just published a new monograph entitled We Find Ourselves Put to the Test: A Reading of the Book of Job (McGill-Queen’s University Press). This book proposes a philosophical exploration of the Book of Job, one of the most enigmatic books in the Bible. Dr. Crooks’ work goes beyond critical interpretation and suggests a way of reading the Book of Job that is animated by a consideration of the reader’s narratives and communities, and the limits of his or her understanding.

Dr. Crooks makes a very compelling argument for a study of the book of Job in 2018: “Every life has in it at least the possibility of undeserved suffering, misfortune and/or personal loss. The Book of Job is the ultimate treatment of this universal condition. It looks suffering square in the face, recognizes the real limits of our attempt to rationalize it and proposes, beyond those limits, an explicit connection between suffering and honouring the wonder of life itself.”

This study therefore offers us a very valuable guide in our reflections on the obstacles and hardships that we face in our everyday lives. More information about this new publication is available online.