Nabors english 4206 11 november 2010 the book of job. 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. Job contains both poetry and prose, and the bigwigs think that the different sections may have been. Wisdom means both a way of thinking and a body of knowledge gained through such thinking, as well as the ability to apply it to life. Jeremiah contains a considerable amount of material of a biographical and historical. The book of job in the bibles old testament is a long poem. Literary features of the book of job gordon college. At the close of the book, god restores job s fortunes and his health, showering him with blessings. Like the book of jonah, the book of ruth, a masterpiece of storytelling, has a moral lesson, but this lesson may not be the chief reason why the book was written. 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. God may not show up in the end, but the wisest man in the room sings the temptations. Lo and behold, satan comes out and challenges god on jobs goodness. Dive into our treasure trove of free student and teacher guides to every book imaginable, and then some.
The help looks at the importance of literature books, newspaper articles, laws, and bills in creating, challenging, and changing the racist systems that ruled jackson, mississippi in the early 1960s. We can all agree that job resonates far outside of its originally intended audience. Suffering is a warning against sinning, then repetition of the three friends. Most books of the bible take place on larger stages, but the book of job goes down at a very specific and narrow point in the human life cycle. The book of proverbs is exactly what the name implies, a collection of short sayings gathered from different places and produced over long periods of time. Parsons it is common knowledge that the book of job is universally admired as a literary masterpiece in world literature. The society members read books, argued about books, and indulged in good food. The work combines two literary forms, framing forty chapters of verse between two and a half chapters of prose at the beginning. It is a story about a hebrew woman named naomi who lives during the period of the judges, prior to the establishment of the monarchy.
She doesnt live in an isolated cell attached to a church, as an anchoress. Charlie, bless his heart, is actually interested in my story 25. The book of job has long been praised as a masterpiece of literature. Wisdom literature inserted separately to align the book with orthodox partyline thinking, but in conflict with the spirit of job which is a reaction against this kind of easy explanation. With the single exception of the book of isaiah, which contains the works of more than one prophet, the book of jeremiah is the longest of the prophetic books of the old testament. He is blameless and upright, always careful to avoid doing evil 1. Bring on the tough stuff theres not just one right answer. The book of job is considered being part of the poetic books job, psalms, proverbs, ecclesiastes, and song of songs in todays bible editions. In the book of job, the discussion is about how a person can be righteous before god job 9. A most useful and enjoyable addition to the joban literature. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Jobs story is part of a larger motif in ancient literature about the righteous man who is punished by god. The book of job is often referred to as one of the great classics of world literature. If we were to film this book, the whole movie would take place on a single set, probably in a single day.
The book of job 3 the book of job introduction to the book the book of job has long been praised as a masterpiece of literature. 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. Job, ecclesiastes and the book of proverbs belong to the genre of wisdom literature, sharing a perspective that they themselves call the way of wisdom. The book of job is dramathe greatest drama in the worldjudged simply as a piece of literature. Job pronounced jobe, was a rich farmer living in the land of uz, somewhere northeast of palestine.
Hes blameless and upright, and he has kids, a wife, land, and a bunch of sheep. And god will help them, although sometimes they must be patient. In general, these sayings represent wisdom derived from practical experience. Analysis of book of job themes by phd students from stanford, harvard, berkeley. Bruce zuckerman, author of job the silent as eloquent and engaging as it is carefully researched and richly insightful, larrimores biography of the book of job delves deeply into the staying power of this wonderfully disturbing story. In both cases of his storytelling within the book to rosemary and charlie, his audience is eager and excited to hear from him.
Key personalities of this book include job, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite, zophar the naamathite, and. The book of job, one of the wisdom books of the bible, deals with two issues crucial to every person. As you can imagine, this is a popular aspect of the book of job in christian. Up in the heavens, god brags to the divine assembly about job. Jonah, ruth, and esther cliffsnotes study guides book. Some wisdom literature of the ancient near east dealt with the same philosophical questions as job. Introduction the book of proverbs, together with job and ecclesiastes fall under the broad category of wisdom literature, a genre common in the ancient near east. Tomorrow, if all literature was to be destroyed and it was left to me to retain one work only, i should save job. To make things a little easier, well take a look at him in two sections. Job spends his entire book in a position of sadness and loss. Bible as literature uniqueness of bible acknowledged as the worlds greatest collections of literature king james bible is the finest pieces of english prose bible ta biblia greek meaning little books.
They are the books of proverbs, psalms, ecclesiastes, song of solomon, and job. Furthermore, as his heavenly friend, god hears jobs intercessions for his associates 42. The doubt surrounding the date of the book should not obscure its message, which is certainly applicable to any age. The book of job as sceptical literature beiheft zur. Except for theodore of mopsuestia of the antiochian school a. And when he speaks, it is to the godly job that he speaks, bringing the silence of regret for hasty words in days of suffering and the silence of repose in the ways of the almighty see 38. It is found in the third section of the biblical canon known as the ketuvim writings. Victor hugo the greatest poem, whether of ancient or modern literature. It is possible that job is the oldest of any book of the bible written approximately 21001800 b. The background to the book of job whenever it is possible, a person should seek to get the background of any portion of the word of god in order that he might understand what.
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 book of job is a master piece of literature explaining the problem of human suffering, the battle between good and evil. In a world where god is allpowerful, knows everything. It also looks at oral and written storytelling and even written prayers, in the case of aibileen as ways to build positive energy and selfesteem while creating a more just society. Remember, god doesnt inflict anything nasty on job with his own divine power. Shmoop bible guide analysis of how book of job is used in practice. One day, satan the adversary appears before god in heaven. Of these five books, one stands out in bold relief, manifesting significant differences from the other four. On the other hand, there was a notable flowering of wisdom literature during the reign of solomon, and the book of job may well have been part of those achievements, especially if its events may be dated later in a foreign locale. An outstanding book from a gifted scholar and teacher.
Satan tells god that, sure, job loves god now, but take away his earthly possessions and his children, and he will dump god in a new york. The book of margery kempe introduction an unexpected life. The book of job the book of job, book of hebrew scripture that is often counted among the masterpieces of world literature. Job 3841, god demonstrates that job s complaints arise from limited understanding, but he exonerates job and is angry with his accusing friends. Job is a wealthy man living in a land called uz with his large family and extensive flocks. The wisdom that is found in the book of job is not communicated in the form of proverb. The book of job is one of the most celebrated pieces of biblical literature, not only because it explores some of the most profound questions humans ask about their lives, but also because it is extremely well written. Although they contain no profound contributions to theological ideas, they constitute wholesome advice about the.
Book of job analysis of literary devices by phd students from stanford, harvard, berkeley. Its author is unknown yet it is possible that job himself wrote it. Shes not a nobly born, educated young woman who brings a large dowry to the convent she enters as a nun. They miss out, because job is full of wonderful insights as to who god is, the battle between god and satan, and the effort it takes to keep our hearts and minds focused properly on god. The book of psalms, which is generally believed to be the most widely read and the most highly treasured of all the books in the old testament, is a collection of poems, hymns, and prayers that express the religious feelings of jews throughout the various periods of their national history. Although most of the superlatives have been exhausted to describe its literary excellence, it seems to defy more than a superficial analysis. They were able to forget, if only for a brief period, the darkness of war. 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. Literary analysis on the book of job essay 3073 words cram.
The book of job discusses why innocent people suffer. Having satan do the dirty work is a very greekmythology thing to doyou know, let a demigod do the dirty work, then assert your dominance anyway. This lady isnt your standardissue christian mystic. Unfortunately, many miss out on the rich literature found in the book of job, because many find the effort of reading and understanding this genre too daunting. The book of job introduction the book of job has long been praised as a masterpiece of literature. Job with book summary versebyverse bible commentary.
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