General Introduction

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1. Who painted “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus”?
2. How does this painting demonstrate the actions of people in the face of another individual’s suffering?
3. How does Donne’s quote, “Ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee,” relate to The Book of Job and The Oresteia?

Thematic presentation questions

1. What are the names of Job’s friends? Where are they from?
2. Based on their questions for Job, what kind of view do you think they held of God?
3. What does Rabbi Appel say is the function of all the questions God gives to Job? Do you agree or disagree?
4. Which panel members support the practice of questioning God, and which panel members feel that it is inappropriate? Why?
5. What are some of the differences mentioned by Dr. Khalil between the story of Job from the Bible and from the Koran?
6. How can one incur more suffering?
7. How does Rev. Wortham compare the biblical and koranic versions of the story? What kind of parallel does he draw?
8. What are some of the ways humans interact with God, according to different panel members?
9. What are some of the barriers to that interaction?
10. What does Abraham argue with God about?
11. How does Job respond to his wife’s suggestion?
12. How does the Prophet Mohammed react to being chased from the city in Dr. Khalil’s example?

History (Job) presentation

1. What does the Talmudic reference say?
2. How does each panel member respond to Job’s historical existence or inexistence?
3. At which points in history does Rabbi Appel suggest The Book of Job may have occurred?
4. Explain theodicy and how it relates to Job.
5. What is the name of the character analogous to Job in the Koran?
6. Give a list of the six eras of the Hebrew state from approximately 2000 BCE until 538 BCE.
7. What group or groups did Job belong to?
8. Describe some scholar’s suggestions of the structure of The Book of Job.
9. At what point in history does Rev. Stodghill choose to place The Book of Job?  Why?
10. Briefly explain some of the ideas about the potential author(s) of The Book of Job.
11. From what perspectives does Rev. Wortham discuss authorship? How are they different?
12. Define redaction and relate it to The Book of Job.
13. What does Rabbi Appel suggest that the idea of multiple authors implies about The Book of Job?

Literary Characteristics

1. List and define the following: theodicy, rhetorical question, frame tale, omniscient narrator, irony, redaction, and theophany.
2. What are some of the aspects of The Book of Job that are related to fairy tales?
3. What number symbolizes perfection? How is this demonstrated in The Book of Job? What are some other symbolic numbers in literature?
4. What purpose do the rhetorical questions serve?
5. Does the theophany scene suggest a shift in perspective?
6. What are the two metaphors describing God in the Old Testament? How are they present in The Book of Job?

The Adversary

1. Compare the Christian and Ancient Hebrew views of Satan/Satàn.
2. What does Sullivan suggest is the main question posed by the Satan?
3. What does the Satan suggest is impossible for humans to achieve?
4. Name at least five trials or losses that Job was subjected to.
5. What was the Satan required to spare?
6. Is the tone of the entire text one of a fairy tale? Why or why not?
7. Describe the different interpretations and identifications of the Satan in The Book of Job in the Christian, Islamic, and Jewish traditions.
8. What literary purpose does Rev. Wortham suggest the Satan serves?
9. What analogy does Rabbi Appel present to describe the Satàn’s role?

Familial Web

1. Explain the significance of the phrase, “Many are envenomed before they are even grown.”
2. What do lines 750-762 of Agamemnon suggest about the fate of the House of Atreus?

Deep Background

1. How did Tantalos offend the gods initially?
2. What unexplainable and gruesome trick did Tantalos play on the gods?
3. Where did Pelops sit at the dinner?
4. Which god or goddess accidentally ate a piece of the gruesome dinner before she realized what it was? Which part of who?
5. From what was the replacement body part constructed?
6. Which god or goddess favored Pelops? How did he or she show that favor?
7. Why did Pelops leave the mountain?
8. How did Pelops get into the chariot race?
9. What happened to the suitors who lost the race?
10. Who would be rewarded if Pelops won the race?
11.  How did he win?
12. What problem did Myrtilus pose?
13. How was this problem resolved?
14. Describe the conflict between Atreus and Thyestes.
15. How was this conflict avenged?
16. Who is Aegisthus? What happened to his father and uncle?
17. Why is Artemis upset? How is she allayed?
18. How does Iphigeneia end up in Troy?
19. Who is she supposed to marry?
20. Why is Clytemnestra so angry?
21. Who is killed along with Agamemnon?
22. What issues of justice arise?
23. Why was Agamemnon’s death disgraceful? What could be worse?
24. How is Orestes expected to respond? What is troublesome about this expectation?

The Double Bind

1. Is Artemis’s demand normal or abnormal for the context?
2. Why must Agamemnon fulfill this demand?
3. Why did Artemis make this demand? Does it conflict with her other roles?
4. How is this represented through imagery in the first play?
5. How did Prince Paris of Troy offend Menelaus? Aside from the obvious reason, what other aspect of the situation makes it even more devious in relation to Greek tradition?
6. How do Agamemnon’s choices represent his priorities?
7. What crimes did Clytemnestra commit against Agamemnon, and what crimes did Agamemnon commit against Clytemnestra?
8. Describe the law of talio. Why is it problematic in this situation?
9. What god or goddess tells Orestes that he must fulfill the talio cycle, and what entities punish him for it?
10. In what context is this double bind to be resolved? Who eventually resolves it?
11. How does he or she decide and why?
12. Define matricide.
13. Whose specific mode of origin wagers heavily in the decision? What, therefore, is the relation of mother to child?
14. How does this affect views of matricide in relation to Greek law? Is Orestes in the clear?
15. Does this relay any information about the position of women in relation to men in Orestes’ society during this time period?

Greek Law

1. Describe briefly the difference in the function of myth to ancient Greeks and to people today.
2. What two phrases describe Herodotus’ role?
3. Name two systems that are said to emerge from The Oresteia.
4. Where and who is “true justice” attributed to?
5. To whose trial is the tradition of the Areopagus related?
6. What is the Areopagus?
7. Could the gods and goddesses be put on trial?
8. Which gods and/or goddesses participated in Orestes’ trial?
9. Why did Aristotle say that the Areopagus should be good enough for anyone’s trial?
10. When did the Athenian legal system begin to evolve?
11. What type of rule did the office of archon replace?
12. What would prevent archons from becoming life members of the Council that met on Ares’ Hill?
13. What replaced blood feud “justice?”
14. The Areopagus tried which kind of crime?
15. What significant contribution did Solon make?
16. What change in governance did Solon’s contribution make?
17. What social classes were involved? Was it exclusive? How was participation arranged?
18. What happened if the court could not agree on a defendant’s guilt or innocence?
19. To what does Aeschylus attribute suffering?

Just World Hypothesis

1. What significance does the fill-in-the-blank exercise hold?
2. Who created the exercise?
3. What do most people insert in the blanks?
4. Who coined the term theodicy, and from what Greek words?
5. How does your world view measure up to the Just World Hypothesis?
6. Who wrote what is considered the earliest Western account of this hypothesis?
7. Describe the Just World Hypothesis.
8. What kind of imagery appears often in both The Book of Job and The Oresteia?
9. Who bring about justice in each work?
10. What does Aeschylus write is a great teacher? What comes through suffering?
11. Do Job or Orestes gain any wisdom from their experiences?
12. What elements of culture or universal experience appear in the decisions?
13. Compare and contrast some of the differences between the lessons learned from the Hebrew and Greek perspectives in your own words.
14. Describe culture specific issues from the works related to theodicy, justice, and paradigm shifts.
15. What can people find in religion in the face of suffering?
16. What is a negative element associated with the Just World Hypothesis?