The Agony of Job

Job’s response to his trials is that of manful acceptance of God’s will and fidelity to his beliefs. This is best described in his statement after he hears that his livestock, his house and his children have been destroyed; “Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb and naked I shall go back again. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.[1]” This theme of faith in the midst of suffering is common in the Old testament but even more prevalent in the New Testament. This paper begins by discussing the context and intended audience of the Book of Job based on the theories of authorship. Next, it analyzes the rhetorical arguments used in the text. Finally, it tries to fit the thesis statement within the entire book and relates it to other scriptures.

1. Author, Context and Audience

            There are four major theories with regard to the Author and Context of the Book of Job.  First, it was written sometime in the Seventh or fifth century BC. Second that is was written in the time of either King David or King Solomon. Third, Jewish scholars maintain that it was written by Moses himself. Fourth, Noah Kramer believes it was based on an as yet unknown Sumerian source.

            According to the New American Bible, the author of the book is unknown. The book of Job is said to have been composed some time between the Seventh or Fifth Century Before Christ. The purpose of the writing is didactic this is based on the literary form with its speeches, prologue and epilogue which are ordered as if they were part of a studied plan[2]. The story of Job was mentioned in Ezekiel Chapter 14, Verse 14[3]. In that verse, Job is compared to other righteous figures such as Noah. This would suggest that the book was already existent and commonly known at that time Ezekiel formed his book (c 500B.C.)  or around the time of the Babylonian Exile. If this theory is to be believed then the Book of Job was written for the comfort of the Hebrew Exiles in Babylon. The Hebrews, conquered by their enemies and enslaved in foreign land were in a miserable state they were in dire need of justification for their sufferings and were losing hope in the Kingdom of God.

However, based on internal evidence it is supposed that it was written in the time of King David or King Solomon or 1007 to 931 B.C[4]. The evidence for this is the similarity in language and sentiment with the Proverbs and the Psalms both of which were written during those times. Another support for this theory is that the concept of wisdom is prevalent within the book. Catholic investigators support this theory as the most valid[5]. Based on this theory, the main audience would be the Kingdom of Israel who while wealthy were beginning to suffer from Solomon’s greed and soon from the cruelty of Rehoboam his son.

            The Talmud, a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish Laws, Ethics, Customs and History, maintains, in Tractate Bava Basra 15a-b that the Book of Job was definitely written by Moses himself[6]. Although even the rabbinic scholars are uncertain if Job was a real historic person or if his story is similar in nature to a Parable. Other parts of the Talmud place the writing to around the period before the first temple or even the time of the Patriarch Jacob. If written during the time that the Israelites were wandering in the desert or during patriarchal times the audience would have been people who were suffering, lost and vagabonds in the desert. The book of Job would answer their questions as to why they must continue to remain faithful to God when they are wracked with hardship and homeless. It would serve to reinforce their faith, and their hope of reaching the land of milk and honey.

            Samuel Noah Kramer, a famed Assyriologist and Sumerologist, believes that the Book of Job was derived from a Sumerian source[7]. He believes that a Summerian text which he translated bares a stark resemblance with the Biblical Story of Job. Given that Sumeria was destroyed before the Book of Job was written, he postulated that the Hebrew version must be somehow gleaned from a Summerian original.

 The Book of Job originated in the Land of Edom, in present day Israel. An evidence of this is the use of the name Tetragrammaton, the quadrilateral name of God[8] to refer to God a name used by the Edomites. Fragment of Job can be gleaned from the Dead Sea Scroll known as the Targum of Job[9] and it is still prominent in the Haggadic legends[10]. The Apocrypha contains the Greek version called the Testament of Job. In the Christian bible it is found in the Wisdom Books while the Islamic Koran refers to Job as Ayyūb and he is mentioned often.

In the Prologue to Job in the New American Bible it is said that the main lesson the book wishes to impart is that if we who are just suffer here on earth this is merely a test of our fidelity. Those who are tested will be rewarded in the. Our finite intellect can not possibly probe the true depths of God’s divine omnipotence. He who governs the world can not be second-guessed. A deeper and broader awareness of God’s divine power and wisdom is the solution to the problems that plague us[11].

In today’s Judeo-Christian context it is included in the Wisdom Books where it sits with the likes of the Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiates, The song of Songs, Wisdom and Sirach.  These are the books written by Sages. These men of letters, scribes and skilled in the affairs of government. They were highly philosophical in nature dealing with the nature of life and in Job’s case the suffering of man even when he is faithful. Job is widely quoted in religious writings to justify remaining true to the faith in the midst of harsh suffering. After all in the extreme case of Job he lost everything he owned and loved yet he refused to curse the name of God.

According to the renowned psychologist Carl Jung, The book of Job is a land mark in the long historical development of the Judeo-Christian divine Drama. At the time it was written, many testimonies already gave pictures of Yaweh which were actually contradictory. There was the image of a God who knew no moderation. He cause the suffering of man because of this lack of moderation. Job confessed that he was consumed rage and jealousy but knowing that he was created a sense of guilty pain within him[12]. If related to the modern context, the book of Job serves as a paradigm for certain experiences of God which has a special significance for us today[13]. It is useless to interpret these experiences rationalistically and weaken them by apotropaic means. Rather, it would be better to admit the effects and submit to tumults and trials than try to escape by means of intellectual tricks or feats of emotional value-judgments.

1. The Rhetoric

The Book of Job is an unmatched exploration of the toll that loss exacts on human life[14] A quick summary of the book of Job reads as follows, Job is a wealthy man with many riches, a wife and several children he is a man of means. He is also a righteous man to the point that when his sons feast he purifies them in hopes of removing any taints they suffered from their feasting.  The Satan requests permission from God to test Job. God grants this and he proceeds to destroy everything that Job loved. His property, his children and soon even his health are destroyed by the Satan[15]. Yet he refused to yield up his faith. Even when his wife asked him to curse God and die he refused. When his friends accused him of being sinful and thus punished by God he simply accepts that judgment despite its patent falsehood. Despite his great suffering he laments his pain but refuses to blame God. At length the devil relents and judges that his faith is unshakable, his goods are restored and he returns to his old status a paragon of faith in God. In sum, the themes of Job are faith in the midst of suffering and the futility of questioning God’s actions[16].

The rhetoric of Job’s encounters with his friends follows a relatively simple pattern. First, he laments his sorrows and sufferings he is practically raving in his misery. Second, his friends come to Job without exception they believe in the formula that the evils he suffers are in fact the result of his sins. Finally Job replies, he accepts the view that he is indeed sinful if for no other reason than that no one can indeed see the depths of God’s will. This pattern is continued several times as each friend comes to see him with eyes of judgment.

Job is a pious and faithful man. Yet, he is afflicted by the Lord without any cause other than the request of The Satan[17] he exposed to a terrible trial of his morals gratuitously and without visible purpose. After all, If God is already convinced of his faithfulness and constancy why then must he test Job? Incidentally, this sheds light into the parable-like nature of Job. In the face of the merciless assaults of the Devil, Job can do nothing but weep for his sufferings and weep he does. Nary a sentence passes in Job that he doesn’t complain of his terrible sufferings.

To make matters worse aggravated by his friends. Instead of giving him their warm-hearted-support they choose the path of being moralizing holier-than-thous. For example, Bildad says;

 Does God pervert judgment, and does the almighty distort justice? If your children have sinned against him and he has left them in the grip of their guilt, Still if you yourself have recourse to God and make supplication to the almighty, should you be blameless and upright surely now he will awake for you and restore your rightful domain; Your fomer state will be of little moment, for in time to come you will flourish indeed. (Job 8:1-7)”

            The obvious implication is that Job is a sinner like his children. If he were just and true there would be no reason for him to endure any suffering. Therefore, he must have done something wrong to deserve this punishment. Of course, as is already known Job’s torments are simply a test levied upon him by The Satan,  Job reply’s thus;

            I know well that it is so; but how can a man be justified before God? Should one wish to contend with him, he could not answer him once in a thousand times. God is wise in heart and mighty in strength; who has withstood him and remained unscathed?

            He removes mountains, before they know it; he overturns them in his anger. He shakes the earth out of its place and the pillars beneath it tremble. He commands the sun and it rises not; he seals up the stars (Job 9 1-7)

            Job’s reply accepts the charge of guilt before him even if he has done nothing to deserve it. He reasons that he can not dare guess the wisdom of God. Therefore, if God sees him fit for severe punishment he must have committed a grave sin before God. Of all the things Job wanted to communicate to the friends, God and his subsequent hearers, the most important is that he was a man of integrity[18]. Thus, he does not try to defend himself as just or good.

III. The thesis’ fit

The thesis is a near perfect fit with the book. He laments his truly doleful state having lost everything he valued. All the friends who speak with Job tell him that he is sinful and his suffering is the fruit of these sins. Even his wife famously tell him to “Curse God and Die[19]” Yet in the midst of all his suffering he remains true to his faith. He commits no sin and spawns no ill will towards God. That he is restored to status in the end is of no moment. His faith was unshakeable despite all the trials and without thought of reward.

Many other scriptures speak of this cycle righteous suffering which the person suffering is asked to relent, or has the choice to relent, in his faith. In all such passages the sufferer is rewarded in the end for his faith. Some examples include, the Joseph, book of Daniel, and  Temptation in the Desert and the Passion Death and Resurrection of Christ.

Joseph was the son of Israel, in Genesis[20] he is sold into Egypt as a slave because of the jealousy of his brothers. He refuses to have sexual relations with Potiphar, his master’s wife, when she asks him to. He honored his master by not despoiling his wife and held true to the laws of the God of his fathers.  For his efforts he is thrown in jail. But this is only part of God’s plan soon he is brought before Pharaoh and the by power of God he is elevated to a high rank in Egypt.

The book of Daniel[21] is set during the Babylonian exile when the Jews were deported to Babylon. The central figure Daniel is sorely tested for his religious fidelity. At one point he is even thrown into a pit with lions. However, he does not lose faith in God and in all his trials God sends his angels to save Daniel.

During the temptation in the Desert [22] Jesus is called upon to withdraw his fidelity to God and to perform blasphemous miracles for the Devil. He is tempted to turn rock into bread and then to have the angels lift him up. In exchange for these miracles he is offered riches and Kingship over many lands. Yet he holds to his true course. The devil comes away empty handed.

Finally, in the Passion of Christ[23][24] Jesus is already aware that he will be betrayed as early as the Last Supper. Yet he still stays in the Garden. Arrested and humiliated by before the Israeli elders he does not use his considerable divine powers to punish them or spare himself. He is forced to drag a heavy cross on the road to Calvary and his physical strength wavers. Despite all the terrible trials he will endure at no point in the passion does Jesus waver in his mission or tries to shy from his fate.  In the end he dies crucified. Three days later he is resurrected and fulfills his mission on earth. Unlike Joseph, Daniel and Job, Jesus the Son of God knew of the inevitable end of his labors, still the Passion narrative follows the pattern of suffering, fidelity and eventual reward.

As mentioned earlier, Job’s response to his trials is that of manful acceptance of God’s will and fidelity to his beliefs. This theme of faith in the midst of suffering is common in the Old testament but even more prevalent in the New Testament. This paper has discussed the context of the Book by narrating the various theories as to its authorship. It has also analyzed the rhetorical arguments used in the text. Finally, it has attempted to fit the thesis statement into the entirety of the Book.

Job is a shinning example to us all. He was tested by The Satan despite his faith in God. Despite, all the suffering he endured he refused to succumb and hate God. Even as he is called a sinner because of the punishment he endured he accepts the judgment as he does not question God. In the end his suffering is amended and his hurts are healed. If at times we feel our righteousness put to naught by all the evils that surround us. We look to Job and view our own lot. Then we realize that if he could remain faithful then why can’t we?

BIBILIOGRAPHY

The New American Bible (Catholic Bible Press [1987])

Campbell, Joseph Answer to Job in The Portable Jung” (Penguin 1971)

Jung, C.G. Answer to Job in Psychology and Religion, v.11, Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Princeton University Press (1973)

Heinlein, Robert A. Job a Comedy of Justice. Toronto Ballantine Books. 1984

Kramer, N.K. History Begins at Sumer: Thirty-Nine Firsts in Recorded History,  Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press 1981

Lewis, C.S. The problem of Pain. Harper Collins (2001)

Roberts, J.M. The New History of the World, New York: Oxford University Press.,

2002

Wright, Lawrence. God’s Favorite: A Novel. Simon and Schuster 2000

NISHMA Articles available at http://www.nishma.org/articlesbytalmud.html (Last Accessed 21 Nov 2007)

Catholic Encyclopedia available at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08413a.htm (Last accessed 20 Nov 2007)

Honsey, Rudolph E. Exegetical Paper on Job 19:23-27 available at http://www.wlsessays.net/authors/H/HonseyJob/HonseyJob.pdf (last accessed 21 Nov 2007)

Jewish Encyclopedia available at http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=165&letter=T (last accessed 20 Nov 2007)

Long, Bill. The book of Job available at http://www.drbilllong.com/BookJob.html (last accessed 21 Nov 07)

Long, Bill. Job’s Integrity available at http://www.drbilllong.com/BookJob.html

Passion Death and Ressurection available at ttp://home.att.net/~faithleap/passion_death_and_resurrection.htm (last accessed 21 Nov 07)

Targum of Job available at  http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/%7Ehumm/Resources/StudTxts/11Q10%21.html

The Book of Matthew  available at http://www.biblebb.com/brefindex/mat.htm (last accessed 21 Nov 07)

[1] The New American Bible (Catholic Bible Press [1987]) 526

[2] The New American Bible (Catholic Bible Press [1987]) 525

[3] The New American Bible (Catholic Bible Press [1987]) 626

[4] Roberts, J.M. The New History of the World, New York: Oxford University Press., (2002) 122

[5] See Catholic Encyclopedia available at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08413a.htm (Last accessed 20 Nov 2007)

[6] NISHMA Articles available at http://www.nishma.org/articlesbytalmud.html (Last Accessed 21 Nov 2007)

[7] Kramer, N.K. History Begins at Sumer: Thirty-Nine Firsts in Recorded History,  Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press 1981 105-112

[8] Tetragrammaton  available at http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com (last accessed 20 Nov 2007)

[9] Targum of Job available at  http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/%7Ehumm/Resources/StudTxts/11Q10%21.html (last accessed 21 Nov 2007)

[10] Book of Job available at http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com (last accessed 20 Nov 2007)

[11] The New American Bible (Catholic Bible Press [1987]) 525

[12] Campbell, Joseph Answer to Job in The Portable Jung” (Penguin 1971) 526

[13] Campbell, Joseph Answer to Job in The Portable Jung” (Penguin 1971) 537

[14] Long, Bill. The book of Job available at http://www.drbilllong.com/BookJob.html (last accessed 21 Nov 07)

[15] See Lewis, C.S. The problem of Pain. Harper Collins (2001)  87 -88

[16] See Heinlein, Robert A. Job a Comedy of Justice. 1

[17] Campbell, Joseph Answer to Job in The Portable Jung” 537

[18] Long, Bill. Job’s Integrity available at http://www.drbilllong.com/BookJob.html

[19] The New American Bible (Catholic Bible Press [1987]) 527

[20] The New American Bible (Catholic Bible Press [1987]) 37-52

[21] The New American Bible (Catholic Bible Press [1987]) 966-984

[22] Matthew 4:1-17 available at http://www.biblebb.com/brefindex/mat.htm (last accessed 21 Nov 07)

[23] The New American Bible (Catholic Bible Press [1987]) 1180-1186

[24] Passion Death and Ressurection available at ttp://home.att.net/~faithleap/passion_death_and_resurrection.htm (last accessed 21 Nov 07)