The lengthiest biblical treatise on suffering is the book of job. Johnson is able to identify the various stages of grief that job goes through and correlate each stage and the response from the friends in current psychological terms. Reflections on suffering from the book of job 439 job is truly a wisdom book. Job did not reject god, but job did challenge and accuse him. The debate is about god, his attributes and how he interacts with humankind. Zizek states that the book of job is perhaps the first example of a modern critique. However, they tend to show up in literature, even dating back hundreds or thousands of years. The only satisfaction we can have relating to suffering is the overcoming of it. Nabors english 4206 11 november 2010 the book of job. This was a comparisoncontrast literary analysis paper for my literature class.
The poetic section of the book of job, which makes up the majority of the text job 342, is much more theologically ambiguous. The book is of unknown authorship and date, although many scholars assign it to a time between 600 bc and 400 bc a lament in narrative form, the subject is the problem of good and evil in the world. The name job is the english translation of the hebrew name iyov which means persecuted, hated on the surface job is a long, boring, somewhat confusing book and one might question how it ever came to be grouped with the wisdom books as it is hard to ascertain any wisdom in this tale of woe. I was recently counseling a distressed individual and was reminded of a paper i wrote in 2007 and wanted to share it. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Literary features of the book of job 215 his polyphonic workwisdom types, a genre from psalms, and a genre from the legal sphere. The theme of the book of job is nothing less than human suffering and the transcendence of it. Explore our collection of motivational and famous quotes by authors you know and love. It teaches humility as god reminds job who is really in control, steadfastness as job refuses to curse god despite his circumstances, and joy and reward when the latter part of job s life is more blessed than the former.
In this months feature, wayne jackson explores some of these queries. The first two places his name is found aside from the book of job is in ezekiel 14, verses 14 and 20. Christ must respect the meaning of each text in its particular historical context. The ludlulbelnimeqi not merely a babylonian job ancient. Christ told his apostles that, if they loved him, they would keep his. Of course, he is human and he did realize his faults at the end of the book, but his reactions to the death and suffering around him just amaze me. We read his complaint, but because the prologue reveals the heavenly court scene, the readers have insight unknown to job. Job pronounced jobe, was a rich farmer living in the land of uz, somewhere northeast of palestine. The book of job and the paradox of suffering my jewish. However, it was later integrated into the christian bible so that christian believers could benefit from it as well. Posted by vivian ann villalobos on october 12, 2015 at 3.
No amount of justifying or explaining gives a person any real satisfaction where human suffering is concerned. Godtalk and the suffering of the innocent by gustavo. A major difficulty in understanding the meaning of the book is, what insight leads job to submit so humbly to god at the end. A critical analysis of suffering from the book of job the v. Job showed us a great model of what we should all look like in the face of the storms and tragedies of this life. The book of job is often referred to as one of the great classics of world literature. Not only are there several indicators within the book of job that the suffering. That does not mean that the book of job makes no contribution to our understanding of suffering, but it does so predominantly in a negative sense. The basic concept of wisdom has always been connected with skill and knowhow,15 for wisdom was the art of achieving, and the emphasis was on.
Job pronounced yobe means hate or persecution in hebrew. Oct 12, 2015 despised and utterly forlorn, we see job suffering. He was a faithful servant of god, he owned thousands of animals, and had many servants and friends. That does not mean that the book of job makes no contribution to our understanding of suffering, but it. The book of job found in the ketuvim, or writings, section of the bible begins and ends with the prose text.
It was originally written as didactic poetry intended for jewish followers. Although the book of job does not announce that there is no god, it does suggest that the artificer of this world is at best indifferent to human. In the meaning of the book of job and other biblical studies. It relates the story of job, who was not jewish, and in jewish tradition is the son of utz, who was the son of nahor, the brother of abraham. The contents of the book, together with its artistic structure and elegant style, place it among the literary masterpieces of all time. Analysis of the epic conventions in the book of job the book of job is classified as a work of hebrew literature. Even the best students in the world are concerned just before the announcement of exam results and college placements. It should be kept in mind that job is not the author. Job analysis and job description of the fortune 500 companies annotation of human resource management paradigmfour satisfaction guaranteed,or money back. He therein discovers love, because an essential aspect of love is obedience. In the bible, the bestknown wrestling with the problem of suffering comes to us in the book of job. May 15, 2014 while it is true that job does not offer an explanation of why suffering takes place, the book of job does help us understand suffering more.
The book of job teaches us to trust god under all circumstances. In fact, job is mentioned in three different verses in scripture outside the book of job, none of which lead one to believe that job is a fictional character. Job and three of his friends debate the cause of jobs tremendous loss and illnesses. A critical reading of the book of job must confront the issue of innocent suffering in a world allegedly created by a benevolent god. Consequently it can be concluded that the book of job is a mixed genre in which its author expertly blended a variety of literary types in order to serve the function of the book. The book of job is one of the most magnificent documents of literary history. Job cursed the day of his birth and longs for death that does not come to relieve the suffering. Reflections on suffering from the book of job 437 gested that theodicy is the theme of the book of job.
There, god shows an almost shocking lack of sympathy for jobs questions and sets a lengthy foundation for the conclusion that the mind of man is simply incapable of seeing into the depths of this problem. The book of job kindle edition by mitchell, stephen. The ludlulbelnimeqi could as easily be compared to other books in the bible such as ecclesiastes or the third chapter of the lamentations of. This treatise may be studied from several vantage points. Though the book of job is not an epic, the author utilizes these conventions to provide a reason for the suffering of the righteous and to teach moral lessons. Waters ritten by an unknown author, possibly the most ancient literary account in the bible,1 the book of job is a mixture of divine and human wisdom that addresses a major life issue. Suffering and the book of job essay 1690 words bartleby. Job simply does not accept that his suffering has any meaning.
It can be easy to think of job as a book you turn to if some unexpected tragedy happens, but can otherwise be safely ignored. But ultimately like job at the end of the book and the man of affliction in lamentations 3, god wants us to submit silently before him and put our trust in him. These characters are all about asking questions to get their listeners thinkingthey dont really want an answer. Of course, the book of job is not the final word about suffering. The big picture of job is that there was a man who was, in one sense, blameless in gods sight. On close reading, job is almost two books in one one written in prose, and the other in poetic verse. The answer given to job may or may not satisfy the reader. List of books and articles about book of job online. Literary features of the book of job gordon college. Job does not believe he has sinned and doesnt understand why he is suffering.
Psycinfo database record c 2012 apa, all rights reserved. The contents of the book, together with its artistic structure and elegant style, place it. A critical analysis of suffering from the book of job. The book of job raises stark questions about the nature and meaning of innocent suffering and the relationship of the human to the divine, yet it is also one of the bibles most obscure and paradoxical books, one that defies interpretation even today. Why was job chosen to suffer and receive punishment at the hands of the lord one may ask. Jobs burden, reconciling unimaginable suffering with the idea of a just god, is a task one that few preachers or academics are bold enough to tackle. Job lived one hundred and forty years, seeing four generations of children and grandchildren. Consequently it can be concluded that the book of job is a mixed genre in which its author expertly blended a variety of literary types in. The book of job does not specifically name its author. Book of job no subject encyclopedia of psychoanalysis. Sandwiched between these bookends, the middle chapters are entirely written in poetry. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of bible.
The book of job is a book in the ketuvim writings section of the hebrew bible tanakh, and. Centuries of analysis since it first appeared in the bible, the story of job a victim of suffering he cannot understand has been a defining myth of western civilization, according to susan schreiner, associate professor in the divinity school. Job had a very large family with seven sons and three daughters. A reader of the book of job understands that jobs suffering is the direct result of a wager god has made with satan regarding jobs faithfulness.
This passage highlights one of the book of job s best style choices. Often we wonder why god allows something, and we question or doubt gods goodness, without seeing the full picture. It is one of the most celebrated of the whole bible and one of the least known terrien. Jul 22, 2011 in the bible, the bestknown wrestling with the problem of suffering comes to us in the book of job. How the book of job confronts the problem of suffering. The book of job and the paradox of suffering my jewish learning. And there is a reality called satan who challenges god that his man is not as good as he thinks he is. Does the book of job offer an explanation for why people suffer. Reflections on suffering from the book of job 3 undeserved suffering, therefore, serves as a dependable, useful model12 for the believer of any generation in dealing with the problem of theodicy.
Waters is professor of bible, international school of theologyasia, quezon. The book of job reminds us that there is a cosmic conflict going on the behind the scenes that we usually know nothing about. One of these is to examine some of the penetrating questions that are posed in the book. Study these 16 quotes from the book of job famous bible scriptures to learn more about the nature of god and how.
Nov 17, 2015 i believe it was job who actually wrote it and if you were to place the book of job in chronological order, youd have to place it in the first 5th of the book of genesis because the book of job. Its subject matter is the allimportant question, why, in a world over which yahweh has jurisdiction, should innocent persons have to suffer when at the same time the wicked escape suffering and are permitted to have comfort and security. The most likely candidates are job, elihu, moses and solomon. Metaphysically, the outcome of the book of job seems to underline this basic teaching. Addressing the problem of theodicy the vindication of the justice of god in the light of humanitys suffering it is a rich theological work setting out a variety of perspectives. Godtalk and the suffering of the innocent by gustavo gutierrez and wow, was this one a doozy. Job recognizes his mistake of falling into distress because of his suffering. The devil tempts his own children, and draws them to sin, and afterwards torments, when he has brought them to ruin. Job, international standard bible encyclopaedia electronic database biblesoft. In this paper well look for a response from the christian and muslim scriptures to the question of human suffering through the story of job, and examine it for validity and coherence. Retired new york university liberal studies program in preparing to write my book, wrestling with god. Ship out in 2 business day, and fast shipping, free tracking number will be provided after the shipment.
It will be up to us to carve out a habitable space in this dangerous world and administer justice the best we know how. Book of job overview insight for living ministries. Rather, he is considered an actual, historical figure. An epic convention in the book of job is jobs actions of great valor. God and job are treated as literary characters and the job poet as a consummate artist. No reasonable reader or listener would draw much comfort from the idea that they had lost those whom they loved, as well as their health and. This summary of the book of job provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the. This current article a phonological existential analysis to the book of job explores the various ways that jobs friends attempted to help him deal with his grief. Book of job read, study bible verses online bible study tools. The book of job, named after its protagonist apparently not an israelite. Book of job analysis analysis of the epic conventions in. I believe it was job who actually wrote it and if you were to place the book of job in chronological order, youd have to place it in the first 5th of the book of.
Job defends his integrity available at, i was both frustrated and encouraged by my studies. Yes, as many have pointed out, he allows us to rant and rail like job does and the lament psalms illustrate. The date of the authorship of the book of job would be determined by the author of the book of job. This passage highlights one of the book of jobs best style choices. The book of job consists of a prose prologue and epilogue narrative framing poetic dialogues and monologues. The article presents a literary and theological analysis of job 42. In the plot of the book of job, job clearly understands that his suffering is not an aspect of cause and effect. God allows pain for good reason, but he may never reveal those reasons. A comparative and critical analysis of the story of job as. Job continues to remain faithful even when his wife tells him to kill himselfshe wants him to escape his suffering job says that we should accept both evil and good things. In this paper well look for a response from the christian and muslim scriptures to the question of human suffering through the story of. June 27, 2014 james is an intensely practical book, filled with exhortations to christians about the way they should live their lives now that they have been given new life in jesus. A phonological existential analysis to the book of job.
Job then confesses his lack of wisdom, meaning his lack of understanding of the workings of the cosmos and of the ability to maintain it. Analysis of jobs and odysseus 822 words essay example. The book of job, one of the wisdom books of the bible, deals with two issues crucial to every person. An examination of all of the stories, fables, proverbs, and histories of the bible, the book of job is one of the most compelling due to its unique literary style and the complex treatment of the issue of suffering.
Jobs plight of undeserved suffering compels us to ask the ageold question, why do bad things happen to good people. Such a meaning fits perfectly with the book of job, considering 1 no father or. This is why the book of job is considered the most theological book of the old testament. The book of job is classified as a work of hebrew literature, but some scholars have pointed to evidence of arabic influences within the hebrew text. It is common to view the narrative frame as the original core of the book, enlarged later by the poetic dialogues and discourses, and sections of the book such as the elihu speeches and the wisdom poem of chapter 28 as late insertions, but recent trends have tended to concentrate on the. Is god to be held to a strict set of regulations based on human interpretations of his relationship with mankind. This time, job is arguing that by the rules of that logic, god shouldnt be punishing him. Background of the story the story is derived from one of the books of hebrew bible, the book of job. The book of job is one of the most problematic portions of the bible and has called forth a variety of interpretations. If you order argumentative essay from us, you ensure that you will be closer to your academic goals without the pain and suffering normally connected to research paper writing. Now, the book of job has been rendered into english by the eminent translator and scholar stephen mitchell, whose versions of rilke, israeli poetry, and the tao te ching have been widely praised. The title of this book is one of the very few cases where the bible just says what it meansno deceptive advertising here. Further, the book never resolves jobs suffering by pointing to some.
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