Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
serve as a foil to that end
English answer:
help the author to achieve this by contrast
Added to glossary by
Ana Juliá
Aug 17, 2015 09:41
8 yrs ago
English term
serve as a foil to that end
English
Art/Literary
Religion
About the book of Job
The book of Job addresses a universal problem for all people of all faith perspectives, even for those who believe that the world is the result of impersonal forces operating in a predetermined manner. The author of Job specifically addresses those who believe in a personal Creator, known by the name Yahweh (the Lord), according to his self-revelation. His work is simply about God and man; it was written to those who struggle with the justice of a sovereign God in a world filled with suffering.
The author does not provide a theodicy in the sense of defending the justice of God. Job’s friends ***serve as a foil to that end***. Their wisdom is a human effort to resolve this dilemma, but as far as the author is concerned, these efforts fail. God also declares that the friends are in the wrong (42:8). Elihu’s intervention probes further, but neither is he the intermediary whom Job seeks. The author is concerned about the triumph of faith in a time of suffering. To this end his hero succeeds. Job can triumphantly declare, “I know that my Redeemer lives” (19:25). Job’s resolve to love and trust the one who seems to attack him as an enemy is evident throughout.
The author does not provide a theodicy in the sense of defending the justice of God. Job’s friends ***serve as a foil to that end***. Their wisdom is a human effort to resolve this dilemma, but as far as the author is concerned, these efforts fail. God also declares that the friends are in the wrong (42:8). Elihu’s intervention probes further, but neither is he the intermediary whom Job seeks. The author is concerned about the triumph of faith in a time of suffering. To this end his hero succeeds. Job can triumphantly declare, “I know that my Redeemer lives” (19:25). Job’s resolve to love and trust the one who seems to attack him as an enemy is evident throughout.
Responses
| 4 +5 | help the author to achieve this by contrast |
Charles Davis
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Responses
+5
48 mins
Selected
help the author to achieve this by contrast
This could be expanded as "serve as a foil that enables the author to achieve that end".
The idea of a foil is "A person or thing that contrasts with and so emphasizes and enhances the qualities of another".
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_eng...
So what this means is that Job's friends enable the author to achieve his purpose of defending the justice of God because their approach and attitude contrasts with, and thus emphasises and enhances, the approach that the author wishes to convey, embodied in Job. The human wisdom of these friends, in the face of the dilemma, is shown to be wrong, and therefore it emphasises that the contrasting alternative, Job's love of and trust in God, is right.
The idea of a foil is "A person or thing that contrasts with and so emphasizes and enhances the qualities of another".
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_eng...
So what this means is that Job's friends enable the author to achieve his purpose of defending the justice of God because their approach and attitude contrasts with, and thus emphasises and enhances, the approach that the author wishes to convey, embodied in Job. The human wisdom of these friends, in the face of the dilemma, is shown to be wrong, and therefore it emphasises that the contrasting alternative, Job's love of and trust in God, is right.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you!"
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