Dalla pro-testa all’at-testazione. Paul Ricoeur e la preghiera tra Giobbe e Taizé

Starting from the philosopher Paul Ricoeur, in this study we will dwell (1) on the reading that he proposes of the theme of the trial in the book of Job; we will then move on (2) to his reading of prayer in times of trial through psalm 22, and we will come (3) to shed light on the meaning of prayer in his philosophy, finally concluding with (4) some general considerations on how to think about prayer. As we will see, according to Ricoeur prayer arises above all from the experience of trial but, from protest, as in Job, it leads to a path of evolution and reconciliation that leads to attestation, that is, to the confident certainty of the primacy of good and of meaning on evil and nonsense. Prayer is characterized as a personal action in dialectical tension with the thought that aims at universal wisdom.