Compare Thomas More with Job in the Bible.
Why do the innocent suffer?
|
Characteristic |
Thomas More: firm believer and virtuous man suffers; exemplar of wisdom |
Job: a study in wisdom; virtuous man suffers; persists in trust in God |
|
genre |
A Man for All Seasons a play with a moral message |
The Book of Job a literary fiction with the same moral message; a public debate in poetic form; not a Jewish book. |
|
belief in God |
utter and serene belief in God; rejects pride; does not blame God either immediately or ultimately for his suffering |
tortured soul rails against God; rejects pride |
|
structure |
Chronology where various responses are explained: King, Meg, Cromwell, Chapuys, common man an attempt to extort a guilty plea from an innocent man |
dramatic dialogues: God with Job but his three friends offer only one message: calamities are proofs of guilt.a law of natural consequences as sparks; Eliphaz, Bildad the Shuhite, Zophar the Naamathit an attempt to extort a guilty plea from an innocent man |
|
theme/ inspiration |
God will not desert his beloved: Romans 8:18, Col 1:24 |
Yahweh will not desert the righteous: integrity, sincerity, and consistency |
|
costs of his stand |
loses all: favour, family, wealth, position, health |
loses all: family friends wealth health |
|
antagonist |
Cromwell: "Every man has his price!" |
Satan, Hebrew, "one who lies in wait"; an "adversary" in a court of justice. Satan told God "a man will do anything to save his life" |
|
geographical place of action |
London on the Thames;1536 Richmond Hampton Chelsea |
"Uz is the prevailing name of the country at the mouth of the Euphrates." Set in the the patriarchs period, previous to the Exodus. |
|
solution |
safety in silence More's Trial speech is a comprehensive and dramatic denouement overturning his self- imposed silence |
Does the real solution to suffering lies in silence Chs. 40, 42:10. Stoicism is not healthy: or is it is far greater piety to bear one's sufferings silently than to express emotion? God will hold a final judgment,. |
|
process |
interplay between naiveté and finesse |
interplay between naiveté and finesse "Subtle speeches in poetry of great delicacy and power." OCB 368 |
|
salvation |
moral quality of his life Jesus Christ does not "break the bruised reed" (Isa 42:3, 27:8). |
not in wealth but in the moral quality of his life' (Ps 8:4; 144:3). (Ps 4:8; Pr 3:24; Isa 14:30) |
|
today |
difficult to translate More's virtue to our lives |
Job a clear model for all sufferers |
|
message |
His death was an unequivocal message to the king, the nation and history; not an ambiguous symbol. |
Book of Job has an unequivocal message. "With the book of Job we can learn how the righteous should suffer, how careful we should be in comforting the suffering, and to accept the fact that we can never fully comprehend God's working in our lives and in the world." www.ccel.org/contrib/exec_outlines "God's appearance, in chapters 38-41 is crucial to understanding His message, for in some ways, His appearance is the message."RB |
|
author's purpose |
Bolt's view is proposed and molds our response but mystery still surrounds More's purposes |
"Narrator's perspective is uppermost but a clear view on the reason for suffering is left unclear." Coonan |
|
ending |
More beheaded but gained honour well after death: Saint Thomas More |
Job pious and prosperous is rewarded for his righteousness; lives with restored wealth and prosperity |
|
Characteristic |
Thomas More: firm believer and virtuous man suffers; exemplar of wisdom |
|
|
genre |
A Man for All Seasons a play with a moral message |
|
|
belief in God |
utter and serene belief in God; rejects pride; does not blame God either immediately or ultimately for his suffering |
theocracy (political and religious administration combined) = no room for protest, severe ultimate condemnations for dissent, ultimate legitimacy so ultimate punishments |
|
structure |
Chronology where various responses are explained: King, Meg, Cromwell, Chapuys, common man an attempt to extort a guilty plea from an innocent man |
|
|
theme/ inspiration |
God will not desert his beloved: Romans 8:18, Col 1:24 |
the right to be free; to dissent; to protest; to differ; to keep a secret; to assemble apart from the church;(me) how intolerance and hysteria can intersect and tear a community apart (Sparknotes) |
|
costs of his stand |
loses all: favour, family, wealth, position, health |
severe punishments |
|
protagonist/ antagonist |
More/ Cromwell: "Every man has his price!" |
John Proctor/ Reverend Parris , John Hale |
|
geographical place of action |
London on the Thames;1536 Richmond Hampton Chelsea |
1692, in the small Massachusetts village of Salem |
|
solution |
safety in silence More's Trial speech is a comprehensive and dramatic denouement overturning his self- imposed silence |
|
|
process |
interplay between naiveté and finesse |
|
|
salvation |
moral quality of his life Jesus Christ does not "break the bruised reed" (Isa 42:3, 27:8). |
|
|
today |
difficult to translate More's virtue to our lives |
stands as a significant work of political literature |
|
message |
His death was an unequivocal message to the king, the nation and history; not an ambiguous symbol. |
|
|
author's purpose |
Bolt's view is proposed and molds our response but mystery still surrounds More's purposes |
demonstrate fear is destructive; social life involves diversity of views |
|
ending |
More beheaded but gained honour well after death: Saint Thomas More |
Rebecca Nurse |
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