Book of Job
The Book of Job
The Book of Job has been praised but also neglected all at the same time. Its literary work is written in a poetry sense with a prose format and considered one of the greatest pieces of literature of all time. The Book of Job is one of first book of five generally called "The Books of Poetry", which contain Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. The Book of Job is written in the Old Testament of the Hebrew Bible and the main theme that is seeks out is "Why does God allow the righteous to suffer?" First of all I will be talking about the origins and history of the book, and then I will give a brief summary on the story and theme of what the Book of Job is addressing. I will then be breaking down, in detail, the book into five parts: the prologue, the symposium, the speeches of Elihu, the nature poems, and the epilogue. Furthermore, I will try to interpret the message that that author was trying to convey and with the issue of Eudemonism. I will also explain the critics' point of view on the book and why there is such ambiguity about the book.
The authorship of the Book of Job is oftentimes debated; the Jewish religion credits the book to Moses whereas other scholars suggest Job, Elihu, Solomon, Isaiah, Hezekiah, and Baruch. Since the author is unknown, the period that it was written in is also highly debated. Some say that it was written before Moses (1500 BC), others suggest a period around the time of Solomon (900 BC) and even as late as the Babylonian Exile (600 BC). There are many factors in proving that the events in this book are true such as the style of narrative which was written matches that of other biblical narratives of its kind. Job is also written about in Ezekiel 14:14 and mentioned as an example of perseverance in James 5:11. The events in the book give the impression that it occurred during the "Patriarchal" period, an era between Noah and Moses, although it does not mention the Law of Moses or the
The Book of Job has been praised but also neglected all at the same time. Its literary work is written in a poetry sense with a prose format and considered one of the greatest pieces of literature of all time. The Book of Job is one of first book of five generally called "The Books of Poetry", which contain Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. The Book of Job is written in the Old Testament of the Hebrew Bible and the main theme that is seeks out is "Why does God allow the righteous to suffer?" First of all I will be talking about the origins and history of the book, and then I will give a brief summary on the story and theme of what the Book of Job is addressing. I will then be breaking down, in detail, the book into five parts: the prologue, the symposium, the speeches of Elihu, the nature poems, and the epilogue. Furthermore, I will try to interpret the message that that author was trying to convey and with the issue of Eudemonism. I will also explain the critics' point of view on the book and why there is such ambiguity about the book.
The authorship of the Book of Job is oftentimes debated; the Jewish religion credits the book to Moses whereas other scholars suggest Job, Elihu, Solomon, Isaiah, Hezekiah, and Baruch. Since the author is unknown, the period that it was written in is also highly debated. Some say that it was written before Moses (1500 BC), others suggest a period around the time of Solomon (900 BC) and even as late as the Babylonian Exile (600 BC). There are many factors in proving that the events in this book are true such as the style of narrative which was written matches that of other biblical narratives of its kind. Job is also written about in Ezekiel 14:14 and mentioned as an example of perseverance in James 5:11. The events in the book give the impression that it occurred during the "Patriarchal" period, an era between Noah and Moses, although it does not mention the Law of Moses or the
Cited: Atkinson, David J. Message of Job: Suffering and Grace. London, GB: InterVarsity Press. 1991. Hamel, Christopher D. The Book: a History of the Bible. London: Phaidon Press, 2001. 206-209. Holy Bible: New International Edition. Job 1:8-42:6. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001. Hone, Ralph E. The Voice out of the Whirlwind: The Book of Job: Materials for Analysis. San Fransisco: Chandler Publishing Company, 1982. O 'Connor, Kathleen M. The Book of Job: A Contest of Moral Imaginations. Theology Today. Jul 2004.