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“I Was Exhausted as a Woman”: The Slippage of Virtue and Gender in the Testament of Job

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Published/Copyright: April 9, 2015
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Abstract

The Testament of Job is a Hellenistic reception of the biblical Book of Job written sometime between the first century BCE and first century CE. This paper is attentive to Hellenistic notions of the masculine ideal as one fused with notions of virtue, where gender corresponds to virtue more than to anatomy. Masculinity is a continuum on which one’s masculinity and virtuousness is subject to slippage. It is this dynamic that energizes and dramatizes the narrative of the Testament of Job: Job is engaged in a wrestling match to demonstrate his virtue, and to prevail over weakness and traits associated with femininity.


Corresponding author: David Pettit, Iliff School of Theology and University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, e-mail:

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Article note

I would like to acknowledge the input of others towards development of this article. This article has benefited especially from the input of and dialogue with Pamela Eisenbaum, Daniel M. Yencich and Benjamin John Peters.


Published Online: 2015-4-9
Published in Print: 2015-4-1

©2015 by De Gruyter

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