Review Reports

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The author rightly claims that the subject matter of Suffering and Grief has become very prominent in the last few decades. He offers a very coherent discussion that relates to some key psychological analyses and promptly connects them to theology, shedding light on the relevance of the theological debate to the psychological realm. There is no doubt that such a connection is highly relevant and deserves publication.

This reader found it odd that there are no references to the rich philosophical discourse on Grief, suffering, and the limits of language, from Herder until recent discussions. Illi Ferber's recent publications can give a good overview of such speculations.

 

 

 

 

Author Response

Comment 1: This reader found it odd that there are no references to the rich philosophical discourse on Grief, suffering, and the limits of language, from Herder until recent discussions. Illi Ferber's recent publications can give a good overview of such speculations.

Response 1: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree, in part, with this comment. There is minimal engagement with the philosophy of grief in this paper and, due to the constraints of space, we had removed the earlier inclusion of an analytic philosopher/theologian. We have included some of the more recent reflections on philosophical and phenomenological reflections on the nature of grief from figures such as Derek Parfitt, Ilit Ferber, Martha Nussbaumm, Michael Cholbi, and others. These insights are included on pages 2,  5, 9, 10, 11, and 13.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

See attached.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Comment 1: First, one stylistic issue: the author italicizes too many words (e.g., something, social, grieving, bereavement). Is it necessary to italicize them?

Response 1: We have de-italicized words throughout the document. The only italics that remain are those from primary sources and the articulation of the final section’s thesis.

Comment 2: Second, at times, the author lists several biblical passages to investigate human life and grief. A bit more exegetical works on these passages would be helpful rather than merely listing them as proof texts.

Response 2: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree, in part, with this comment. We have tried to refrain from extensive exegesis of passages, as the primary contribution is intended to be on the issue of whether or not psychology might lend insights into theological science which could then be brought to bear on how we read and interpret these biblical texts. We have added more engagement with biblical studies with respect to Lamentations and the use of the Psalms in section 1, as noted on pages 5, 9, and 14.