Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 8.djvu/481

 JOB

4i;

JOB

tion is possible, but positive proof is lacking. Some seek the home of Job in Idumea, others in the land of the AuffiTtti, who, according to Ptolemy (Geogr., V, xix, par. IS, 2), lived in Northern Arabia near the Euphrates and Babylon. The land of IIus is also mentioned in Jer., xxv, 20, and Lam., iv, 21. In the first reference it is used in a general sense for the whole East; in the latter it is said that the Edomites live there.

(e) The Standing of Job. — Job was one of the most important men of the land (i, 3; xxix, 25) and had many liundsmen (xxxi, 39). The same is true of the friends who visited him; in the Book of Tobias these are called "kings" (Tob., ii, 15, in Vulgate). In the Book of Job also Job seems to be described as a king with many vassals under him (xxix). That he had brothers and relations is seen in xix and in the epilogue.

(f) Job and Jobab. — An appendix to the Book of Job in the Septuagint identifies Job with King Jobab of Edom (Gen., xxxvi, 33). Nothing in the book shows that Job was ruler of Edom; in Hebrew the names 3VX antl 33V have nothing in common.

(2) Eliphaz, Baldad, and Sophar. — The most im- portant of Job's three friends was Eliphaz of Theman. The name shows him to be an Edomite (Gen., xxxvi, 11, 15). The Themanites of Edom were famous for their wisdom (Jer., xlix, 7; Abd., 8; Bar., iii, 22 sq.). Eliphaz was one of these sages (xv, 9). He was far advanced in years (xv, 10), and much older than the already elderly Job (xxx, 1). The second of Job's friends was Baldad the Suhite, who seems to have belonged to Northern Arabia, for Sue was a son of Abraham by Cetura (Gen., xxv, 2, 6). He may have been of the same age as Job. The third friend, Sophar, was probably also an Arabian. The Hebrew text calls him a Naamathite. Naama was a small town in the territory belonging to Juda (Jos., xv, 41), but Sophar hardly lived there. Perhaps the preferaljle reading is that of the Septuagint ('J'VD for TlDyj), which calls Sophar always a Minsean; the Minieans were an Arabian tribe. Sophar was far younger than Job (cf. Job's reply to Sophar, xii, 11-12; xiii, 1-2).

(3) Eliu. — Like Job, Eliu the Buzite was an Ara- msean; at least this is indicated by his native country. Buz, for Buz is closely connected (Gen., xxii, 21) with Hus. Eliu was much younger than Sophar (xxxii, 6).

(4) Besides the speakers a large number of listeners were present at the discussion (xxxiv, 2, 34) ; some maintained a neutral position, as did Eliu at first.

IV. Contents. — The Book of Job consists of (1) a prologue in prose (i-ii), (2) a poetic, main division (iii-xiii, 6), and (3) an epilogue also in prose (xlii, 7-17).

(1) The prologue narrates how, with the permission of God, a holy man Job is tried by Satan with severe afflictions, in order to test his virtue. In succession Joli bears six great temptations with heroic patience, and without the slightest murmuring against God or wavering in loyalty to Him. Then Job's three friends, Eliphaz, Baldad, and Sophar, come to console him. Their visit is to become the seventh and greatest trial.

(2) The poetical, main division of the book presents in a succession of speeches the course of this tempta- tion. The three friends are fully convinced that trouble is always a result of wrongdoing. They con- sider Job, therefore, a great sinner and stigmatize his assertions of innocence as hypocrisy. Job is hurt by the suspicion of his friends. He protests that he is no evil-doer, that God punishes him against his deserts. In the course of his speech he fails in reverence towards God, Who appears to him not unrighteous, but more as a severe, hard, and somewhat inconsiderate ruler than as a kind Father. Taking into consitleration that the language is poetic, it is true that his expres- sions cannot be pushed too far, but the sharp reproofs of Eliu (xx.xiv, 7-9, 36-37; xxxv, 16) and of Yahweli (xxxviii, 2; xl, 3-9) leave no doubt of his sin. In answering his friends Job emphasizes that God indeed

is accustomed to reward virtue and to punish wicked- ness (xxvii, 7-23; xx.xi). He even threatens his friends with the judgment of God on account of their unfriendly suspicion (vi, 14; xiii, 7-12; xvii, 4; xix, 29). He rightly proves, however violently, that in this world the rule has many exceptions. Almost uni- versally, he says, the wicked triumph and the innocent suffer (ix, 22-24 ; xxi, xxiv). Yet for all this Job, like his friends, regards all suffering as a punishment for personal sins, although he does not, as his friends, consider it a punishment of gross sin. Job looks upon the sufferings of the righteous as an almost unjust severity of God, which he inflicts for the slightest mis- takes, and which the most virtuous man cannot escape (vii, 21; ix, 30-31; x, 6, 13-14). The expressions of depression and irreverence uttered by Job are, besides, only venial sins, which human beings can never fully avoid. Job himself says that his words are not to be taken too exactly, they are almost the involuntary expression of his pain (vi, 2-10, 26-27). Many of his utterances have the character of temptations in thought which force themselves out almost against the will, rather than of voluntary irreverence towards God, although Job's error was greater than he was willing to acknowledge. Thus Job bore all the tests trium- phantly, even those caused by his friends. No matter how terrible the persecutions of God might be. Job held fast to Him (vi, S-10) and drew ever closer to Him (xvii, 9). In the midst of his sufferings he lauds God's power (xxvi, 5-14) and wisdom (xx viii). Satan, who had boasted that he could lead Job into sin against God (i, 11 ; ii, 5), is discredited. The epilogue testifies expressly to Job's faithfulness (xlii, 7-9).

After much discourse (iii-xxii) Job finally succeeds in sUencing the three friends, although he is not able to convince them of his innocence. In a series of monologues (xxiii-xxxi), interrupted only by a short speech by Baldad (xxv), he once more renews his com- plaints (xxiii-xxiv), extols the greatness of God (xxvi- xxviii), and closes with a forcible appeal to the Al- mighty to examine his case and to recognize his innocence (xxix-xxxi). At this juncture Eliu, a youth who was one of the company of listeners, is filled by God with the spirit of prophecy (xxxii, 18-22; xxxvi, 2-4). In a long discourse he solves the problem of suffering, which Job and his friends had failed to ex- plain. He says that suffering, whether severe or light, is not always a result of sin ; it is a means by which God tries and promotes virtue (xxxvi, 1-21), and is thus a proof of God's love for his friends. The suffer- ings of Job are also such a testing (xxxvi, 16-21). At the same time Eliu emphasizes the fact that the dis- pensations of God remain inexplicable and mysterious (xxxvi, 22; xxxvii, 24). Yahweh speaks at the end (xxxviii-xlii, 6). He confirms the statements of Eliu, carrying further Eliu's last thought of the inexplic- ability of the Divine decrees and works by a reference to the wonder of animate and inanimate nature. Job is severely rebuked on account of his irreverence; he confesses briefly his guilt and promises amendment in the future.

(3) In the epilogue Yahweh bears witness in a strik- ing manner to the innocence of His servant, that is to Job's freedom from gross transgression. The three friends are commanded to obtain Job's intercession, otherwise they will be severely punished for their un- charitable complaints against the pious sufferer. Yah- weh forgives the three at the entreaty of Job, who is restoreil to double his former jirosperity.

In his lectures on " Baliel und Hil )cl " Delitzsch says that the Book of Job expresses doulit, in language that borders on Ijlasphemy, of even the existence of a just the God. These attacks arise from an extreme view of expressions of tlespondency. Further, the assertions often heard of late that the book contains many mythological ideas prove to be mere imagination.

V. Aehangement of the Main, Poetic Portion