JOB, BOOK OF

JOB, BOOK OF
   pronounced by Carlyle "one of the grandest things ever written with pen; grand in its sincerity, in its simplicity, in its epic melody and repose of reconcilement"; one perceives in it "the seeing eye, the mildly understanding heart, true eyesight and vision for all things; sublime sorrow and sublime reconciliation; oldest choral melody as of the heart of mankind; so soft and great as the summer midnight, as the world with its seas and stars"; the whole giving evidence "of a literary merit unsurpassed by anything written in Bible or out of it; not a Jew's book merely, but all men's book." It is partly didactic and partly biographic; that is to say, the object of the author is to solve a problem in part speculatively, or in the intelligence, and in part spiritually, or in the life; the speculative solution being, that sufferings are to prove and purify the righteous; and the spiritual, consisting in accepting them not as of merely Divine appointment, but manifestations of God Himself, which is accomplished in the experience of Job when he exclaims at last, "Now mine eye seeth Thee." It is very idle to ask if the story is a real one, since its interest and value do not depend on its historic, but its universal and eternal truth; nor is the question of the authorship of any more consequence, even if there were any clue to it, which there is not, as the book offers no difficulty to the interpreter which any knowledge of the author would the least contribute to remove. In such a case the challenge of Goethe is apropos, "What have I to do with names when it is a work of the spirit I am considering?" The book of Job was for long believed to be one of the oldest books in the world, and to have had its origin among a patriarchal people, such as the Arabs, but is now pretty confidently referred to a period between that of David and the return from the captivity, the character of it bespeaking a knowledge and experience peculiarly Jewish.

The Nuttall Encyclopaedia. . 1907.

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  • JOB, BOOK OF — (named for its hero (Heb. אִיּוֹב), ancient South Arabian and Thamudic yʾb; Old Babylonian Ayyābum, Tell el Amarna tablet, no. 256, line 6, A ia ab; either from yʾb, to bear ill will or compounded of ay where? and ʾab (divine) father ), one of… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Job, book of — A major book of the wisdom literature of the OT, of unknown authorship, probably written during or soon after the Exile (6th cent. BCE). The book questions the justice of a God who was expected to offer protection and prosperity in return for… …   Dictionary of the Bible

  • Job, Book of —    A great diversity of opinion exists as to the authorship of this book. From internal evidence, such as the similarity of sentiment and language to those in the Psalms and Proverbs (see Ps. 88 and 89), the prevalence of the idea of wisdom, and… …   Easton's Bible Dictionary

  • Book of Job — The Book of Job (, various interpolations have been claimed to have been made in the text of the central poem. The most common such claims are of two kinds: the parallel texts , which are parallel developments of the corresponding passages in the …   Wikipedia

  • Job — • One of the books of the Old Testament, and the chief personage in it Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Job     Job     † …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • JOB, TESTAMENT OF — (Gr. Διαθήκη τοῦ Ιωβ), Greek pseudepigraphon purporting to reveal the secrets and last wishes of job . In its present form the Testament of Job is closely linked with the Greco Jewish historian aristeas , who flourished about 100 B.C.E., and with …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Job order contracting — (JOC) is a way for organizations to get numerous, commonly encountered construction projects done quickly and easily through multi year contracts. JOC reduces unnecessary levels of engineering, design, and contract procurement time along with… …   Wikipedia

  • Job satisfaction — describes how content an individual is with his or her job. The happier people are within their job, the more satisfied they are said to be. Job satisfaction is not the same as motivation, although it is clearly linked. Job design aims to enhance …   Wikipedia

  • Job — may refer to:* a joe (role) served by a person or thing: ** Employment, where a person is in a long term relationship performing a service for an employer ** Occupation (economic), where a person performs a certain role over a long period ***… …   Wikipedia

  • Job: A Comedy of Justice —   …   Wikipedia

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