Epistemological Transcendence (the Sublime) as a Rhetorical Device in the Second Divine Speech

Countering the popular notion that the divine speeches do not clash much with Job's accusations against God as unjust, this paper uses the notion of epistemological transcendence or the sublime to demonstrate how the deity attempts to address Job's concerns in an indirect but powerful way. With the rhetorical usage of the sublime, the author seeks a fourth way to convince Job that his accusations are wrong that goes beyond tradition, experience, and revelation. Job and the reader are literally transported to a transcendent realm; they touch the face of God, so to speak. As a result, Job is therapeutically »healed« and emboldened to lift up his head and face a world that contains chaotic, even evil elements.