GETTING DUSTY WITH THE DIVINE: LESSONS LEARNED FROM JACOB'S DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL

Abstract

This thesis project will answer the question: In what ways does Jacob’s experience at the Jabbok in Gen 32 demonstrate a dark night of the soul? This question will be further developed into these three subquestions: (1) How does a reception history of the Christian mystical tradition read the Jacob narratives in a way that sets the stage for a dark night of the soul as described by St. John of the Cross? (2) How does a literary/rhetorical reading of Gen 32 open up possibilities for a mystical interpretation of this story? And, lastly (3) How do St. John’s writings and Jacob’s story interweave together to determine precisely how Jacob received the wound that resulted in his blessing? The primary methodology for answering these questions will be reception history and reader response criticism. Additionally, findings from disability and queer commentaries of this text assist in drawing the conclusion that Jacob’s nighttime encounter was a dark night of the soul, making it a valuable text for Christians leaving evangelicalism.