ANALYSIS OF A SACRED TEXT: BOOK OF JOB
OLD TESTAMENT HOLY BIBLE
"What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?
Job 2:10 (Authorised King James Version)
"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."
Forrest Gump
“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
Matthew 27:46. (Perhaps Jesus was not familiar with the story of Job?)
“A man’s got to know his limitations.”
Dirty Harry (Cint Eastwood) in film Magnum Force
Introduction
The Bible, from its inception, has been translated into many languages and has been
interpreted many ways. Which method of interpretation is most appropriate is a hot
debate in Christianity today.
This paper is an exegesis study of the Book of Job, which historical account, or
perhaps moral folk tale, is set around the time of Abraham that makes it one of the
oldest books of the Bible. In fact, it may predate Genesis. Job is one of the Bible’s
wisdom books that address many major questions of Israelite life with the purpose
of passing on common sense wisdom from one generation to the next.
The Book of Job is largely in dialogue form, which is unusual for biblical writing, and
is a classic story of world literature. The book that is named after the main character,
questions the justice of a God. It addresses the question, “Why do good people
suffer?”
Selected Exegetical Methods
The two exegetical methods used in this analysis of the Book of Job are Feminist
Interpretation and Catholic Exegesis. Selecting the feminist method seemed most
appropriate given the story unfairly ignores Job’s wife who suffered with him
throughout his troubles. However, the second method of exgesis came down to a
choice between historical-critical, narrative criticism and the Catholic interpretation.
I opted for the latter since it uses a variety of interpretative techniques and thus
makes for a more comprehensive analysis.
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The feminist perspective on the Bible is important in terms of women's rights and
equality of the sexes, whereby women should be treated as intellectual and social
equals to men. But of course the concept of feminism was unheard of when the
Bible was written and any passages about women were interpreted and written
from the male perspective. Indeed, Jesus’s apostles were all men, consistent with
the social customs of the day, which even today is sometimes cited as the rationale
for excluding women from top leadership positions in the church. In Job’s day
unmarried women could not leave their father’s home without his permission and
married women could not leave their husband’s home without his permission, they
were usually restricted to roles of little authority, they were not allowed to testify in
court and could not visit public venues, were forbidden to talk to strangers, and had
to wear a veil when they left their homes. Today’s feminist biblical interpretation
asks questions such as:
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Does the text give women appropriate attention?
Does the text show gender bias?
Does the text portray women as equal to men?
How is the meaning of the text affected if read from a feminist view?
Description of Feminist Exegesis Method
Feminist biblical criticism is now an established method of inquiry and had its origin
in the United States toward the end of the 19th century. It challenges many of our
assumptions about the Bible, which appears to relegate women to second-case
status. In fact, the Bible is one of the primary ideological sources for discrimination
against women. Feminine exegesis seeks to correct such commonly accepted
interpretations, which are tendentious and sought to justify the male domination of
women.
Episcopal bishop John Shelby Spong tell us, “There is no doubt the Bible is biased
against women. The directives in the Bible were developed out of a patriarchal
understanding of life. The interests of men were primary.” And Samantha Gerstein,
author of “Feminist Biblical Interpretation” states in her publication, “For many
years, the only voices describing the experiences of biblical personalities were those
of men. When a biblical woman’s experience is deciphered by a male, the
experiences can be wrongly interpreted. Moreover, a woman’s experience can be
depicted to justify her subordination.” So are we meant to ignore half of the
population that in the Bible are often abused and sidelined? I don’t think so. In
particular, it is very hard to find feminist readings in the Book of Job, which is why
this story should benefit from a feminist exegsis. However, it is acknowledged that
some of the Bible, such as the Book of Ruth, a classic love story, is more positive with
regard women, and of course, Mary, Mother of Jesus, holds special significance for
Catholics.
Description of the Catholic Exegesis Method
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Catholic exegesis is a recent method of biblical analysis, which is “...characterised by
openness to a variety of analytical methods and approaches, although the historicalcritical method is prime. However, the value of these different insights will
correspond to their fit with the fundamental principles that guide Catholic
interpretation.” (Catholic Principles for Interpreting Scripture: ISBN 88-7653-617-5).
Thus, no Catholic exegsis of the bible may contradict Catholic church teaching.
Evaluation of the Catholic exegesis method. Catholic exegesis makes free use of all
approaches that enable a better understanding of biblical texts in their literary,
social, cultural, religious and historical contexts. In addition to a broad
interpretation, I favour Catholic exegesis as it is carried out in a manner that is as
critical and objective as possible and also encourages the development of new
methods of exegesis. Catholic exegesis requires that interpretation of a biblical text
be consistent with the meaning intended by the authors, placing biblical texts in
their ancient contexts, thus helping to clarify the meaning of the authors' message
for their original readers and for us contemporary readers too.
The Catholic exegesis walks a line between fundamentalism and modernism.
However, as a relative newcomer, Catholic exegesis is not immune to the
“presuppositional problem” where in this instance presupposing means that the
Christian faith is the only basis for biblical interpretation. The Catholic Catechism
tells us that "The task of properly interpreting the Word of God has been entrusted
solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in
communion with him." Pope Benedict XVI’s principles (also endorsed by Pope
Francis who is proving to be a refreshing and somewhat controversial figure in the
Vatican) for such interpretation are summarised at Appendix A. I’m sure
presupposition is a possible bias that the experts in exegesis I refer to in this paper,
including Thomas Aquinas, would be well aware of.
Feminist Exegesis of Job
"Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God
and die." (Job 2:9) – the only words spoken
by Job’s long-suffering wife throughout the entire book.
The following feminist exegesis of the Book of Job mostly paraphases the work of
Roger Scholtz given at http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?pid=S1010-99192013
300016&script=sci_arttext. Roger Scholtz is a lecturer in Old Testament studies at
the Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. The other
main text used in this exegesis is “Job: Questioning the Book of the Righteous
Sufferer” by Christl Maier and Silvia Schroer, which essay is contained in “Feminist
Biblical Interpretation”, edited by Luise Schottroff and Marie-Theres, and published
at https://books.google.co.nz/books. Christle Maier is the Professor of Old
Testament at Yale Divinity School, and Professor Silvia Schroer’s is an editor and
writer whose area of specialisation is The Old Testament, feminist exegesis and
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hermeneutics. She is the founder and editor of the first Internet journal for feminist
exegesis in Europe, the "Lectio Difficilior".
The Job story gives little space to women. In fact, it silences Job's wife in the brief
paragraph quoted above and devotes the remainder of the book to men. Women,
their world and their experiences, appear in only patriarchal terms and in a most
peripheral way. The story must considerably test the patience of female readers
given the book’s preoccupation with men who speak and perform in all 42 chapters.
Also, to add insult to injury, these are all rich and educated men, and of course God
Himself is usually depicted as male. Incidentally, the Catechism of the Catholic
Church states that "God is neither man nor woman: he is God,” but the Bible in its
original languages refers to God as male, and Jesus refers to God as Father.
The book contains controversial portrayals of Job's wife who is unnamed and the
only female character. She is the typical woman of the time. She lives in a world
dominated by men. The narrator even excludes Job's wife when he mentions her
original seven sons and three daughters fathered by Job (1:2). She is also finally
repressed by the narrator in the Epilogue. She is portrayed as a mere extra to Job part of his considerable property. Alexander Goldberg in his essay on Job’s wife
reminds us that she too suffered, having lost ten children, seen her family fortune
disappear, and conscientiously nursed her husband who has a nasty skin disease and
bad breath. She stands by him throughout his troubles.
While Job’s wife suffers the same loss of family as Job, we are not told about her
feelings. While Job suffered from the loss of his family, his wealth, and even the
deterioration of his health, his wife must also have suffered as a consequence of
these losses. The book is preoccupied with Job’s suffering. There is no mention of
the problems that women also faced at this time such as the frequent loss of their
children in childbirth and their lowly social status, particularly if they were
childlessness or had been raped. There was the consequential social ostracism of
female victims of sexual assault, and the threat that a man may take their children in
payment of debts (24:2-3). Yet, it seems that women’s suffering was not important
enough for the author(s) of the Book of Job to acknowledge.
Job 19:17 tells us that Job’s wife is the womb that he owns, and thus reduces her
status to a chattel for giving birth. Job’s wife plays no part as a person in her own
right. In 31:10 Job suggests that if he has committed various offences, then his
unnamed wife should “grind another man’s grain.” Presumably this means to serve
another man, possibly also in a sexual sense, and be transferred as a possession.
Thus, Job puts at stake the integrity of his wife. There seems to be no real loving
relationship between Job and his wife who is relegated to be a nameless womb.
Augustine labeled her "the devil's accomplice." Calvin called her "a diabolical fury."
And the contemporary understanding of Job's wife hasn't improved much on this
negative picture. It's difficult to find a book or sermon on the life of Job that
doesn't include the condemnation of Job’s wife. It has become somewhat standard
to pity Job, as if his wife was yet another cross God called on this unfortunate man to
carry.
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Yet, Job's wife remains loyal to him and keeps on managing his household,
although presumably she believes that their current situation is caused by her
husband. Also, she provides hospitality for his friends even though the income of
her family has been reduced to zero. At the end, her suffering was ignored by Job
and his friends according to 2:11-12 and she is no longer mentioned in the
remainder of the book.
In the dialogue section of the book no woman speaks, and it is only Job, his three
friends, and later Elihu as well as the male God of Israel, who speak. In fact,
throughout the book the image of God is decidedly male and in the divine speeches
male characteristics dominate with reference to “master of the animals” and “fighter
against Behemoth and Leviathan.”
Also, his wife’s advice is not accepted by Job. She is referred to as a foolish woman
and is depicted as one with no honour. Also, Job’s first three daughters die without
mention of their names. However, probably as a result of his suffering and God’s
interventions, Job realised that his name and memory would live on with his later
daughters and most surprisingly for those times he provides each of them with an
inheritance.
The wife of Job is blamed for being a bad spouse because she advises her husband to
curse God and die, yet the word used was the same for both blessing and cursing,
but is invariably translated as “to curse”. As commented on by Ellen van Wolde,
what Job's wife says is therefore ambiguous and as a consequence she has suffered a
long history of unjust treatment. The few words she utters in her brief appearance
have been heard negatively by almost all commentators, who have either vilified her
or ignored her. Accordingly, she is seen as a very minor character who is mostly
irrelevant to the interpretation of the book as a whole. The only explicit reference to
the presence of Job's wife in the book is found in 2:9-10, where her brief speech to
Job and his response is recorded. To be fair, in this response, Job does not
necessarily call his wife foolish, but rather means she speaks like a fool. She had lost
home, children, security, and perhaps, even her husband. Thus, it is little wonder
that she suggested a suicide pact. (The rather lengthy Book of Job might have been
much shorter had her suggestion prevailed.)
Despite that she is also a sufferer, Job's wife is brave enough to encourage Job to
confront God rather than remaining silent. She is his caretaker as well as a provider
of loyal and spiritual company for Job, especially when they are receiving only bad
stuff from God. A feminist reading shows that she is a sufferer herself. Hence, in the
Testament of Job, Job's wife is portrayed as a sufferer and she cares about Job even
during her own suffering. She is even willing to sell her hair in exchange for bread to
feed Job. So she is also very much a victim. This view is quite different from the
traditional non-feminist Christian view that perceives she acts to assist Satan. She is
a character portrayed as a fool in contrast to the upright Job. Due to the strong
influence of church fathers, this still remains the predominant view of christians.
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Job's wife is working unwillingly and without choice. This is similar to the portrayal in
the Testament of Job in which book Job's wife Sitidos plays a more important role
than she does in the biblical Book of Job. (As biblical stories were passed from one
generation to another, they were often embellished. In Job’s case, an anonymous
author wrote a Greek work called the “Testament of Job” sometime in the first
century BC- first century AD.) Job’s wife was probably working as a servant in order
to earn a living for both herself and Job. She and Job suffer considerably although
differently, despite their common predicament. Yet it is Job's story that is told, and
almost none of hers. Why is this? And railing against a male-dominated society that
supposedly squashes feminine sensibility is beside the point. What is it about Job's
suffering that is unique from that of his wife’s? The answer might help us understand
the masculinity of the Book of Job.
We might argue that every hardship endured by Job was also endured by his wife.
She watched her children die (Job 1:13-19). Ten times she endured the joy and pain
of childbirth. Ten lives nurtured to love, honour, and respect Jehovah. Imagine the
grief that overwhelmed her as she looked in disbelief at ten freshly dug graves. From
the account in the first chapter of Job, this appears to be a fun-loving, God-fearing,
tight-knit family. Who was the heartbeat of this home? Likely Job's wife played a big
part in this. It's unlikely he could be such an important man in society (Job 1:1) if his
wife was not a supportive and influential person in her own right.
She also experienced dramatic financial loss. The Bible describes Job as a wealthy
man and possibly the richest in the world (Job 1:3). Undoubtedly his wife was
accustomed to a most comfortable lifestyle. I imagine her home had the finest
furnishings and her clothes were made from the most expensive materials. Her
children too likely had everything they needed. Yet, in one really bad day, she lost it
all. All their wealth, property, and way of life (Job 1:13-22) vanished. She was not
only bankrupt, but homeless, and forced to beg outside the city dump.
She also became a caretaker for her disease-ravaged husband. Although Old
Testament scholars don't agree on the nature of Job's illness, clearly his pain was so
excruciating that he asked God to take his life (Job 3). The severe pain distorted
Job's appearance so dramatically that his closest friends could barely recognise him.
This temptation brought by Satan was so strong, it almost broke Job's soul. While we
might sympathise with Job, we miss the faithful presence of his wife. She put aside
her own grief to care for her him. Imagine the exhausting drain, caring for a suffering
Job. Imagine too the howls of agony, day after day. And imagine the one you love
suffering such pain.
Without relief Job's wife continued her mission of mercy and without the resources
of a helpful support network. Nor did she have any financial resources. Their
children were gone, their friends and family departed, and her God now seemingly
absent. And we come back to those bitter words of resignation, the only recorded
words of Job's wife in story - words shared at the lowest ebb of her life. "Do you still
hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die." (Job 2:9). See Figure 1. These are
strong words that reflect anger toward God. This is where most commentators
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pounce, accusing Job's wife of collusion with the Satan to force her husband to do
exactly what Satan predicted Job would do - give up on God. However, perhaps this
advice to Job wasn't born out of her own misery, but perhaps out of compassion.
She witnessed her husband in agony without any relief in sight. Maybe she was
looking for the most compassionate escape for Job. Perhaps she longed to see an
end to his suffering - the relief of heaven. This is certainly something Job desired. It's
not uncommon to find honest, raw, expressions of grief in the Bible. Yet we
celebrate Moses, Jeremiah, David and Job as being true and honest, but heap
judgment on Job's wife for similar expressions.
Figure 1: "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die." (Job 2:9).
Job's response is fascinating. He listens carefully and watches his wife shrink under
the weight of their shared hardships. At first, his words read like a rebuke, "You
speak as a foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall
we not receive evil?" (Job 2:10). Yet, if you listen to Job, you may hear admiration.
"You speak as a foolish women." He didn't actually say his wife was foolish and didn't
say her words were foolish. He said, "She sounds like one of the foolish women." In
other words, "You don't sound like yourself." We might read these words as: “Dear,
that's not you talking. This doesn't sound like the woman of God I married. Let's
remember God's promises. Let's remember his goodness”. This is not the
condemnation she has received ever since.
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Job knew his wife's suffering was just as acute as his own. In fact, seeing the pain in
her eyes may have added to his suffering. It's probable that she was in a state of
shock. Such occurrences often cloud our judgment and distort our view of reality.
People living in tragedies can make contradictory statements about their faith and
life. Today we might accept that Job's wife suffered from post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD). While we usually associate PTSD with military combat, any lifethreatening event that overwhelms us with feelings of hopelessness and
helplessness can trigger PTSD, especially if the event seems to be unpredictable and
uncontrollable.
If God was unhappy with Job’s wife, He would have said so. He was quick to rebuke
Job’s friends (Job 42:7-9). What we do know is He blessed her after the whole issue
was over. She would have shared in the doubling of their wealth (Job 42:10). And
she had the “privilege” of giving birth to more children, described in the Scriptures as
very beautiful (Job 42:12-15). Although Job’s daughters and his wife have only very
small parts, it is interesting that the three daughters born after his troubles are each
named, are described as beautiful, and unaccustomarily are given an inheritance.
And it's likely Job’s wife shared in the then remaining many good years of her
husband's life.
So what can we learn from Job's wife today? Perhaps her testimony is her simple
presence during her husband's low moments. We read that his siblings and friends
eventually returned and comforted him (Job 42:11). It's easy to show
compassion after the event. During Job's lowest moments, they were elsewhere.
Yet every day, there was his wife, enduring the trials that Satan had inflicted on
them, and not knowing why.
The crises that would destroy most marriages did not split up Job and his wife. They
stuck it out together. And at the end of the story, we read they had and raised
another ten children (ie, the same number as previously), which in those days was
regarded as wealth. Was her attitude fine throughout the problems that engulfed
her family? No. Did she say things she would later regret? Yes. But during it all, she
endured and her faith in God stayed intact. Perhaps her service to her husband
should be held up as a model of biblical character?
Catholic Exegesis of Job
And now for a much different interpretation of the same Book. This Catholic exegesis
is mainly based on the “Commentary on the Book of Job” by Thomas Aquinas
(http://dhspriory.org/thomas/SSJob.htm), on “The Catholic Encyclopedia”
(http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08413a.htm), and “The Interpretation of the
Bible in the Catholic Church” (http://www.bible-researcher.com/catholicinterpretation.html#Conclusion). Thomas Aquinas is considered the Catholic
Church's greatest theologian and philosopher, and “The Catholic Encyclopedia”
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provides authoritative details on Catholic doctrine. Catholics believe that the
authoritative interpretation of the Bible is the prerogative of the Catholic Church and
needs to be understood within its historical and contextual framework and
interpreted within the community to which it belongs.
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops (http://www.usccb.org/ bible/job/0) tells us
that, “The Book of Job provides a dramatic treatment of the problem of the suffering
of the innocent.” The book tells the story of a devout man who lived thousands of
years ago. But tragedy engulfs this righteous man. When the book opens, we notice
Job is about to lose everything — children, property and wealth, good name and his
health. Why must Job suffer such tragedies? Because God challenges Satan over
Job’s faith. The Israelite simplistic belief was that evil was a punishment for sin.
Purpose. The Book of Job helps us to understand that Satan cannot bring destruction
upon us unless it is with God's permission. God has power over what Satan can do.
However, it is evidently beyond our ability to understand the "why's" behind the
suffering in the world. A Catholic view is that suffering may sometimes be allowed
to purify, test, teach or strengthen the soul. The Book of Job tells us to trust God in
all circumstances. Job vindicated both himself and God by remaining faithful. He
proved it is possible to love God unconditionally.
Historical accuracy. Some look upon the entire contents of the book as an
invented parable that is neither historical nor intended to be considered historical.
No such man as Job ever lived. Catholic commentators, however, almost without
exception, hold Job to have existed and nothing in the text makes it necessary to
doubt his existence. Job, therefore, has a basis of fact, with which have been added
some imaginative extras. However, what is related by the poet in the prose prologue
and epilogue is mostly historical. Although much has been written about the Book of
Job, no consensus has been reached about the date and origins of the book. The
Hebrew of the book of Job is arguably the most difficult to understand and interpret
in the Bible.
Divine authority of the book. The Catholic Church teaches that the book
was inspired by the Holy Spirit and belongs to the genre of wisdom literature.
Main Characters. The main characters in the Book of Job are Job himself, and his
three friends Eliphaz, Baidad and Sophar. The problem facing all of these Godfearing men was the intensity of what happened to Job. Remember that he had lost
all his considerable possessions, and his ten grown-up children had been swept away
in a hurricane. And then to cap it all off his health had gone - not just feeling a bit
off, but his whole body was covered with painful sores, evidently like having shingles
all over the body. See Figure 2. Job is righteous and feisty, and his “friends’ are
predictable. These main characters are briefly described here:
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Figure 2: With his body covered in painful sores Job discusses his plight with
his three friends Eliphaz, Baidad and Sophar who believe God sends
calamities upon wicked people only. (Have we too ever been guilty of
ignorant judgments comments about our friends?)
Job. He is called the "persecuted one" - the one tempted by suffering. Job
evidently did not belong to the chosen people and lived outside of Palestine.
He and the other characters have no knowledge of Israelitic institutions. Even
the name of God peculiar to the chosen people, Yahweh, is avoided in the
poetic part of the book. Job was one of the most important and
wealthy farmers in the region and had many employees.
Eliphaz, Baidad and Sophar. The most important of Job's three friends was
Eliphaz (the eloquent) of Theman who was an Edomite. Themanites were
famous for their wisdom. He was older than the already elderly Job. He
consoled Job when he learned how terribly he had been afflicted. The second
of Job's friends was Baidad (the brutal), who seems to have belonged to
Northern Arabia. He may have been about the same age as Job. The third
friend, Sophar (the zealous), was probably also an Arabian. The Hebrew text
calls him a Naamathite. Naama was a small town in the region belonging
to Juda, although Sophar seldom lived there. He was the most impetuous
and dogmatic of the these friends. His words were exaggerated and his
responses to Job seemed unkind.
Elihu is a young man who has kept silent during the talk of the three friends,
but then tries to assemble their arguments against Job in a more persuasive
way. God neither affirms nor rebukes him.
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Contents. The Book of Job is one of the most celebrated pieces of biblical literature,
because it explores some of the most profound questions we humans ask about our
lives, and also because it is well written. Job divides readily into a prologue in prose,
a poetic main division, and an epilogue also in prose:
The prologue or back story narrates, in a direct and likeable “once-upon-atime” manner (“There was a man in the land of Uz…”), how, with the
permission of God, Job is tried by Satan with severe afflictions, to test
his virtue. Figure 3. In succession Job bears several temptations with great
patience, and without negative comment about God or wavering in his
loyalty to Him. Then Job's three friends, Eliphaz, Baldad, and Sophar, attempt
to console him. Their visit is also a trial. A key question raised in the prologue
was "Will the righteous Job, once deprived of the good things of life, abandon
and curse God?"
Figure 3. God and Satan “arm-wrestle” over Job’s devotion
once he is without wealth, children, and health. The
painting is also a good depiction of our own struggles with
good and evil. (I see the artist has painted a steely-eyed
look of confident determination in God/Jesus' eyes, and
Satan has been given rather winning biceps.)
The poetical part of the book is a succession of speeches during the course of
the temptation and is filled with dialogue that gives us insight into a variety
of perspectives. The poetry of Job contains some of the most epic lines in the
Bible: "Your own lips testify against you" (15:6), and "Where were you when I
laid the foundation of the earth?" (38:4). The three friends are convinced
that trouble is always a result of wrong-doing. They consider Job, therefore, a
sinner and see his assertions of innocence as hypocrisy. Job is hurt by the
their suspicion and protests that he is no evil-doer, and that God punishes
him unjustly. In answering his friends Job emphasises that God indeed is
accustomed to reward virtue and to punish wickedness. He proves that in
this world this rule has many exceptions. Job says that his words are not to
be taken too lierally, but are the involuntary expression of his pain. Job bore
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all his tests triumphantly, including those caused by his friends. In the middle
of his sufferings he lauds God's power and wisdom. Satan, who had boasted
that he could lead Job into sin is discredited. After much discussion Job
succeeds in silencing the three friends, although he is not able to convince
them of his innocence. At this juncture Eliu, a youth who was one of the
company of listeners, explains that suffering, whether extreme or moderate,
is not always a result of sin, rather it is a means by which God promotes
virtue, and is therefore proof of God's love for his friends.
In the epilogue God bears witness to the innocence of Job. The three friends
are commanded to obtain Job's intercession, otherwise they will be punished
for their unjustified complaints. God forgives the three at the wishes of Job,
who is restored to double his former prosperity.
Book design, theme and truths. The dominant theme of Job is the difficulty of
understanding why God allows good people to suffer. The Book of Job questions the
idea evil is a punishment for bad behaviour. What it stresses is that God's wisdom
guides all the world’s happenings. Job as a story is also consolation for sufferers,
although suffering is not the central theme. The focus is on what Job learns from his
suffering - the sovereignty of God. We learn that misfortune is not a sign of hatred,
but often proof of divine love. Several truths can be found in the Book of Job, but
here are three that Thomas Aquinas has identified:
1. Compassion, not condemnation, creates bonds among people. People need
to be comforted in their time of loss and not blamed for being in difficult
circumstances. If we take the stand of condemnation rather than
compassion, we stop healthy relationships developing. (This is certainly Pope
Francis’ philosophy).
2. Forgiveness and prayer help build community. After exonerating him, God
asks Job to pray for his friends. God’s desire is that Job forgives those who
tried to correct him. Job readily complies with this request. Understanding
our role among our friends from God’s perspective helps us to build a healthy
Christian community.
3. Relationships among friends and community members can be restored.
The message is that what has been lost can regained. In this case, Job
receives a new family (sadly, not the same one but he does seem to
appreciate his new family immensely) plus double his former wealth. And his
friendships are also restored.
Book Integrity. The prologue and epilogue are regarded by some as separate from
the original work. However, the prologue is essential. Without it the story would not
be intelligible. Otherwise on reading the rebukes of Eliu and Yahweh, we might side
against Job. And without the epilogue the close of the story would be unsatisfactory
- a defeat of the righteous. The Catholic view is that there is no reason for
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considering any part of the book does not belong to the original text. Also baseless
is the suggestion that important parts of the story have been lost.
Condition of the Text. The most useful means for assessing the text are the
translations from the Hebrew translation. The original of all these translations
was essentially identical with the Massoretic Text and only unimportant differences
are evident. Taken altogether, the Massoretic has preserved the original form of the
text well, and needs only a small amount of correction. Punctuation does need
some correction, for the punctuators did not always understand the often difficult
text.
Time of Composition. The author of the book is unknown and the period when it
was written cannot be exactly determined. Many considered the book to be the
work of Job himself or Moses. It is now universally held that the book is not earlier
than the reign of Solomon. On the other hand it is earlier than Ezechiel. It is
natural supposition that the latter gained his knowledge of Job from the Book of Job,
and not from any other sources. It is claimed that references to Job have also been
found in Isaias, Amos, Lamentations, some of the Psalms, and Jeremiah.
Many Catholic investigators assign the book to the reign of Solomon. Others,
including Protestant investigators, assign the work to the post-Solomon perod.
Lessons. The book provides an answer to the challenge made by Satan, that is there
are people who will serve God even in adversity, for God is worthy of our praise in
addition to the blessings He provides. Job’s journey shows that we can have hope
even if everything we love is gone because as long as we believe in God there is
hope. The Book does not present definitive answers to why innocent people suffer,
but does makes these points:
1.
2.
3.
4.
God’s workings are beyond our ability to understand.
We must trust God no matter the circumstances.
Suffering is not necessarily the result of our sin.
Suffering may compliment one’s spirituality.
God does finally appear out of an whirlwind, stonewalling Job with rhetorical
questions, saying, “Who do you think you are for daring to try to make sense of why
I do things?” Important to Catholic spirituality is the emphasis on surrender to God.
Therefore, should we suffer loss, fall ill or encounter pain, we should surrender
ourselves to the will of God. While the Book of Job contains some incorrect advice
from Job's well-meaning friends, the “Catholic Answers Forum”
(http://forums.catholic. com/showthread.php?t=112580), suggests that Job also
provides us with the following lessons for christian life:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
“Avoid falsehood and deceit (Job 31:5).
Do not let the ends justify the means) (Job 31:7).
Practise generosity (Job 31:16-23).
Do not become complacent in times of prosperity (Job 31:24-28).
Do not make our success depend on the failure of others (Job 31:29).
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6. Admit our mistakes (Job 31:33).
7. Do not try to get something for nothing (Job 31:38-40).”
Some Concluding Thoughts
Job is an ancient attempt to grapple with the problem of good and evil. Remarkably,
it does not suggest that Job brought about his own suffering. True, it depicts Job's
friends as saying exactly that, but the book does not convey that message. For the
time when it was written, this is surely an astounding insight. While the book does
not solve the problem, this is hardly surprising - the problem remains unsolved today
(perhaps the message is that there is no answer).
Job is certainly a thought-provoking book. Some would say it is a theodicy - an
attempt to justify God’s ways. It challenges the prevailing religious ideology of a
retribution, and attempts to explain why bad things happen to good people.
However, in attempting to do so the book is preoccupied with the male situation,
whereas Job’s wife is unnamed and hardly mentioned, yet she fully suffers along
with her husband for the duration of the story. For example, apart from her
concerns about her husband’s situation and her material and status losses, imagine
her distress as a mother who delivered and brought up 10 children, to then suffer
the grief of their deaths. (She produced another ten later on!) In these
circumstances a feminist interpretation of the book seems entirely appropriate.
(And I wonder if we can expect in the future biblical criticisms from other points of
view? For example, the Bible has many references to cripples and beggars. Perhaps
the Bible could also be interpreted from their perspective?)
An important purpose of Job is to show us that the proper relationship between God
and man is based on man's submissive trust. God is always in control even if it
appears that evil is. Satan is only allowed to operate within boundaries set by God.
For example, Satan was not allowed to take Job's life. Job is unaware of the reason
why he is suffering and the Bible does not give a simple answer. One might conclude
that there is no close relationship between suffering and sin. Importantly, just
because Christians suffer does not mean God is punishing us for some sin. Such
suffering may occur for reasons that we don’t understand. (Incidentally, I equate this
mystery, irreverently perhaps, to me insisting on periodically washing my dog,
Robbie, and clipping his toenails, and then after the stressful ordeal I reward him
with a treat. Robbie does not understand the greater need for such torture, but
tolerates the experience and seems to continuing loving me regardless.)
Yet the Book of Job does seems to contradict some of my beliefs. Although as a
Catholic I should probably not put my own interpretation on the Bible (unless it
agrees with the tradition of the Catholic Church), I nevertheless find it peculiar that
God made a bet with Satan and it seems unlikely that God would say, “ Go mess up
Job, his family and take away his possessions.” Nor would I expect God to reward or
compensate people with material riches. According to the Bible, a rich man cannot
enter Heaven, yet God eventually rewarded Job by making him super rich. Further,
the Book of Job suggests that a family is expendable and replaceable, and wrongs
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can be righted with a gift of property. This ending does not seem entirely
appropriate given that Christians would seek the love of family and God more so
than material riches. And as the metaphor in Matthew 19:24 tells us, “It is easier for
a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the
kingdom of God.” (Albeit that the “Eye of a Needle” may have been a narrow gate in
Jerusalem’s wall.)
The story of Job sustained my interest even when I still struggle to properly
understand a world where innocent people are unjustly punished. Some readers
might conclude that we human beings are simply pawns in a cosmic chess game as in
Greek mythology, and should we pray, are we committing the same mistake as Job
given that God knows best regardless of what we pray? Anyway, no matter what
one’s opinion is or what one’s religion is, Job deals with the question that we all ask:
“Why do innocent people suffer?” Job is a book, one might say, the book, to answer
this this question. While God never really answers this question, this story often
serves to comfort people experiencing difficulties. The conclusion is “because God is
God.” His reasons transcend our comprehension. But, reader, would we stay
staunch knowing that the goodness of God will eventually win out? Thus, perhaps
an equally important question is, "Why does Job remain faithful to God?"
The following two statistics, which I found curious, invite some comment, although I
don’t think they are very important and they certainly don’t distract us from the
story and the main messages (which I suggest are - not all suffering is merited, and
overall, God is in control):
1. The Scriptures say that Job lived to see four generations of his offspring (Job
42:16), but 140 years (or even longer if he lived for 140 years after his trials)
is a stretch, although Methuselah lived for an amazing 969 years. One
explanation is that the biblical calendar of the time was different from
today’s calendar. Possibly some ages were based on Lunar cycles each of
which is about 28 days. (And Robbie, my dog, thinks they may have been
“dog years” were 140 years = 573 dog years, and he even suggests an Animal
Exegesis is needed, but I dismissed this foolishness.)
2. And giving birth to 20 children is considerable and doubtlessly exhausting
(but certainly possible, even without multiple births), assuming too that the
biblical interpretation is correct, and there was no new Mrs Job. (It took four
women to present Jacob with 13 children, 12 sons and one daughter.)
Given my Filipino ties, the story of Job came to mind when I heard the sad news this
week of Typhoon Koppu in the Philippines where live some 76 million Catholics.
Typhoon Koppu’s current toll is at least 23 people dead, some 16,000 villagers
displaced and their homes trashed. A Filipino priest at the scene told the Press, “The
faith of our people is undeterred; we take strength from the suffering. Our faith is
not threatened or destroyed by such events.” Asked why would God allow a storm
to claim the lives of innocents and cause immense suffering and material losses, the
priest explained: “We are being tested by God, to see how strong our faith is; to see
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if our faith is true. He wants to know that we have faith in Him in bad times, as well
as in good times.” Indeed, Filipino faith in God remains strong despite several of his
congregation having lost all their possessions, and watched family members get
drowned. Amid the wreckage, water, mud and emotional pain, one woman said,
“God for us is something positive and beautiful. Material things are secondary. We
are strong and resilient and will prevail through faith and unity.” The photos at
Figure 4 capture the anguish.
Figure 4: Photo on the left shows a distraught child and the other photo a father
carrying the lifeless body of his daughter. Their faith in God makes their suffering
tolerable. Perhaps such suffering makes for more-compassionate and humane
people, more sympathetic to others’ misfortunes.
And today I read of a massive earthquake in northern Afghanistan and Pakistan,
killing some 300 people. According to Islamic scholars, such “natural disasters are a
warning from God and how Allah Almighty tests His slaves.” Recall too the many
deaths caused during the recent Hajj. Thus, the story of Job is ageless – as relevant
now as when it was first written, regardless of our religious believes. Incidentally, a
feminist exegesis of the highly misogynistic Koran would be a fertile field.
Finally, we might ask God why He allows poverty, suffering, and injustice when He
could do something about it, but I’m afraid He would ask us the same question since we are the culprits.
Appendix A. Principles for Catholic Exegesis
REFERENCES:
The Holy Bible, Authorised King James Version, World Bible Publishers, Iowa, 1986
Rev James A Black, The Old Testament: God’s Word to His People, Ave Maria Press,
Indiana, 1982
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Lawrence Boadt, Reading the Old Testament – An Introduction, Paulist Press, New
York, 1984
Hugh Hill, The Heart of the Bible, Monarch Books, 2013
Robert Sutherland, Putting God on Trial: The Biblical Book of Job, 2006
http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2009/08/a-catholic-reflection-on-themeaning-of-suffering/
http://www.bible-researcher.com/catholic-interpretation.html#Conclusion
Abigail Pelham, Contested Creations in the Book of Job, Library of Congress
http://dhspriory.org/thomas/SSJob.htm
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08413a.htm
http://www.enotes.com/topics/book-job#critical-essays-book-job-further-reading
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/blogging_the_bible/features/200
7/the_complete_book_of_job/the_book_of_jobs_enthralling_baffling_conclusion.ht
ml
http://agapegeek.com/2010/09/07/understanding-the-book-of-job-an-overview-ofwhat-it-is-and-what-it-is-not-part-1/
https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=hylRZWDiKMEC&pg=PA221&lpg=PA221&dq=f
eminist+biblical+exegesis+book+of+job&source=bl&ots=3JawnzP9DC&sig=ryNtAbSK
QwrNq_4JHDHVHgJiHA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCIQ6AEwAWoVChMIibaQ3IiryAIV5mKmCh2Pc
AW6#v=onepage&q=feminist%20biblical%20exegesis%20book%20of%20job&f=false
https://www.google.co.nz/webhp?sourceid=chromeinstant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=feminist+biblical+exegesis+book+of+job
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/jul/26/judaism-jobphilosophy
http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?pid=S101099192013000300016&script=sci_arttext
http://www.rbsp.info/rbs/JOB/j2a.html
http://www.todayschristianwoman.com/articles/2011/may/mostmisunderstood.ht
ml?start=4
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http://www.biblicalresearch.info/page801.html
http://www.enotes.com/topics/book-job
http://executableoutlines.com/job/job_sg.pdf
https://bible.org/seriespage/6-job-32-%E2%80%93-42-job%E2%80%99s-conclusions
http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/922129/12866460/1308852658537/Sermons+
from+the+Book+of+Job.pdf?token=P4MzaaRPVDlekJVwn5h3sSxtZmQ%3D
http://www.usccb.org/bible/job/0
http://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=22
http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/index.cfm
http://www.bookofjob.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZKuixGmiMw
http://www.drbo.org/chapter/20042.htm
http://www.triumphpro.com/job-1.htm
http://soniclight.com/constable/notes/pdf/job.pdf
http://www.thesacredpage.com/2013/12/pope-francis-and-biblicalinterpretation.html
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Appendix A. Principles for Catholic Exegesis
The following ten theses elaborated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011 for intertpreting
the Bible (http://www.hprweb.com/2011/09/pope-benedict-xvi-theologian-of-thebible/) help to ensure that our interpretation is in harmony with the faith of the
Catholic Church and are not locked in history:
1. “The word of God must be approached with sympathetic understanding, a
readiness to experience something new, and a readiness to be taken along a
new path (cf. God’s Word, 116).
2. A true understanding of the Bible calls for a philosophy that is open to
analogy and participation, and not based on the dogmatism of a worldview
derived from natural science (cf. God’s Word, 118).
3. The exegete may not exclude, a priori, the possibility that God could speak in
human words in this world, or that God could act in history and enter into it
(cf. God’s Word, 116).
4. Faith is a component of biblical interpretation, and God is a factor in
historical events (cf. God’s Word, 126).
5. Besides being seen in their historical setting and interpreted in their historical
contexts, the texts of Scripture must be seen from the perspective of the
movement of history as a whole and of Christ as the central event.
6. Because the biblical word bears witness to revelation, a biblical passage can
signify more than its author was able to conceive in composing it (cf.God’s
Word, 123).
7. The exegetical question cannot be solved by simply retreating into the
Middle Ages or the Fathers, nor can it renounce the insights of the great
believers of all ages, as if the history of thought began seriously only with
Kant (cf. God’s Word, 114 and 125).
8. Dei Verbum envisioned a synthesis of historical method and theological
hermeneutics, but did not elaborate it. The theological part of its statements
needs to be attended to (cf. God’s Word, 98-99).
9. Exegesis is theological, as Dei Verbum taught, particularly on these points: (1)
Sacred Scripture is a unity, and individual texts are understood in light of the
whole. (2) The one historical subject that traverses all of Scripture is the
people of God. (3) Scripture must be read from the Church as its true
hermeneutical key. Thus, Tradition does not obstruct access to Scripture but
opens it; and, conversely, the Church has a decisive say in the interpretation
of Scripture (cf. God’s Word, 97).
10. Theology may not be detached from its foundation in the Bible or be
independent of exegesis (cf. God’s Word, 93).”
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