A "rhapsody of the sense of wonder": G. K. Chesterton's defense of mysticism in his reading of the Book of Job

This article focuses on G. K. Chesterton's reading of the Book of Job, a text he frequently commented on in his work, to understand the role mysticism plays in Chesterton's interpretation of and response to the question posed by Job about the nature of suffering of the innocent. Approaching Chesterton's interpretation of this Biblical story through the concept of mysticism allows for an understanding of the meaning and value Chesterton attributed to the phenomenon of mysticism as a lens through which to see the world. Building on Robert Wild's analysis that sees Chesterton's reading of the Book of Job as Christ-centric, this article maintains that Chesterton's analysis of the book is apologetic in nature and offers a defense of mysticism as a part of the Christian approach to life and reality. In Chesterton's interpretation, God's monologue in the Book of Job mirrors his own argument about mysticism, pointing to the everyday reality as mystical in nature. The Book of Job does not provide an answer to Job's question; instead, it calls for a renewed sense of reality and, importantly, points to the connection between the Old and New Testaments, the vision that upholds the tradition of reading of the Book of Job by early medieval Christian thinkers and affirms the Christian apologetic nature of Chesterton's interpretation of the text.