In this second class, we consider the book of Job. One of the most difficult books to interpret, Job also highlights certain characteristics of the Wisdom Literature.
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Wisdom Literature
Session 2, Books of Wisdom Literature, the Deuterocanon, and Job
The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom (Proverbs 9:10)
I. Course Outline
August 11th - Introduction, and the Life of King Solomon
August 18th - Books of Wisdom Literature, and the Deuterocanon, and Job
August 25th - Proverbs
September 1st - Ecclesiastes and Solomon’s final conversion
September 8th - Song of Songs, and prophetic foreshadowing
September 15th - NO CLASS
September 22nd - Book of Wisdom, and facing persecution
September 29th - Sirach, part 1
October 6th - Sirach, part 2
October 13th - Sirach, part 3 and Conclusions
II. Introduction to Wisdom Literature
These books include: Job, (Psalms), Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom, Sirach. (Only some of the Psalms are considered part of Wisdom Literature).
In the tradition of the Catholic Church, there has long been a recognition that most of these books go together as a group under the title of Wisdom (Liber Sapientiae) - excepting Job and Psalms. We will speak briefly of the book of Job in this session, since modern scholars consider it alongside the other books of Wisdom Literature.
In modern Biblical study, these books are also sometimes called the Poetical Books - since they are written almost entirely in Hebrew poetry. This poetic style does not rhyme, though sometimes it uses alliteration and also acrostic style - it is based on couplets, parallelism and imagery. Unlike English, which is developed from sound-based Roman and Greek poetry using rhyme and meter, Hebrew poetry is founded more on ideas and concepts expressed in couplets.
While the historical books and the prophetic books generally speak to the nation of Israel and the children of Abraham as well as the precepts of the Law, Wisdom literature is more universal in scope. Wisdom literature often invokes nature and all creation, the human experiences of joy and suffering, divine order in the world, moral living, and the pursuit of wisdom.
III. The Book of Job
From the mid 1800s, the book of Job has often been associated with the Wisdom Literature.
A. Question of Authorship, Who wrote Job? and, When did he write it? and, For whom was it written?
Job is the most difficult book of the Old Testament – Revelation is most difficult of New Testament.
Why difficult? Authorship is unknown: when it was written, who wrote it, when Job even lived or whether Job is even a real person is not clear from the book itself. Because of other passages from other books, we know that Job is a real person – but the great saints admit that the book itself could just as easily be a metaphor/parable except that other passages from other parts of the Bible indicate that Job really did exist (Ezekiel 14:14 and 14:20, names Job along with Noah and Daniel; James 5:11, “The patience of Job).
In fact, Job is honored as a saint – though, like other Old Testament figures, he does not have a Liturgical commemoration at Mass, his feast is May 10th – the same as the Feast of St Damien of Molokai, one of my personal patrons.
Tradition generally says Moses could be the author, and I think this is reasonable, but there really is no certainty. At this point, almost every scholar would reject the traditional view of Moses as the author. Another tradition connects Job with the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament, perhaps after the time of Solomon – and this is where it is placed in the Bible, alongside Psalms, Provers, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom, Sirach.
Traditional Catholic biblical scholars note that the musical instruments mentioned are only those that existed before the time of Moses. Also, the way that wealth is described is in reference to cattle and livestock, which corresponds to the time before Moses and before the common minting of coins. This could all indicate that Moses was the author, and that the book is much earlier than the Wisdom literature.
Job is also challenging because Job was not Jewish. Not exactly “pagan” because he didn’t worship false gods – he worshiped the true God, but was not a member of the Jewish people. Interestingly, the holy Name of YHWH which was revealed to Moses is hardly ever used in the book of Job (it does show up a couple times, but rarely) – and this indicates that Job was not a member of the Jewish people.
B. The challenge of interpreting the book of Job
The difficult question of the book of Job – Why do bad things happen to good people? If God is good, why does he allow evil? If Job is so good, why do so many terrible things happen to him?
Job is presented as a holy man, but in his suffering he cries out in agony to the Lord – “Why was I born? Why didn’t I just die as a child? Cursed be the day of my birth! Cursed be those who rejoiced when I was born!”
It is such a difficult book to interpret, only one theologian has ever been recognized as giving a successful commentary on the book of Job – St Thomas Aquinas. There is a spiritual commentary by St Gregory the Great, which is also very important, but it is expressly not meant as a “literal” commentary (keeping in mind the literal and spiritual senses of Scripture).
C. Overview of Job
The first two chapters are written as a prologue, in the style of an historical narrative. Some famous quotes: “Naked I came forth from the womb, and naked I shall return to the earth.” “God gave and God has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” “We accept good things from the Lord, and should we not accept evil?” We see Job as a righteous man, and Satan as the “accuser” – accusing not only Job but even making accusations against God himself. Satan says that Job only serves because God has blessed him – and that Job will reject the Lord if these blessings are taken away.
Then come 39 chapters of poetry – over 2,000 lines of poetic verse. This includes discussion with Job’s three friends, and then the young man Elihu speaks, and then finally the Lord himself speaks. God vindicates Job, and ultimately defends Job – even though Job was a bit too bold in declaring his innocence, it is made clear that Job truly is innocent. The very name “Job” means “persecuted one” – a reference to the persecution he suffers when his friends wrongly condemn him, and perhaps even a reference to the sufferings he endures as a type of persecution from God.
These chapters are an excellent reflection for us on the reality of suffering – and how suffering causes isolation, even from those who are our friends and family; and even from those who mean well, but simply cannot understand what we really are going through.
Then, in the last chapter, we have a short epilogue which tells how Job receives everything in return – he is rewarded for his faithfulness. Job lives another 140 years to enjoy all his restored prosperity.
I’d recommend, when reading Job, to read the first three chapters (the two introductory chapters and the first chapter of poetry when Job calls out in pain), and then skip ahead to read the last chapter. Then you can go back and read all the rest, knowing the context.
Job is difficult to read because that 39 chapters of poetry includes these long discourses from his friends, and these are eventually shown to be false. It’s a strange thing, and unique in the Scripture to have these long passages of theological exposition which are ultimately revealed to be wrong. And it is perhaps even more difficult to know whether the youth Elihu is supposed to be right or wrong.
Eliphaz the Temanite: Usually seen as the oldest. He spoke first and based his arguments on visions and life experience.
Bildad the Shuhite: Spoke second and focused heavily on tradition and the punishment of the wicked.
Zophar the Naamathite: Spoke third and was often the harshest, telling Job he deserved even more punishment. Seems to have been far younger than Job.
There was also a large crowd present, as an audience. (see chapter 34:2, 34)
Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite. He enters the narrative in Job chapter 32, after Job and his three friends finish their long debates and fall silent.
After Job has answered his friends, Eliu, a youth who was one of the company of listeners, is filled by God with the spirit of prophecy (32:18-22; 36:2-4). In a long discourse he solves the problem of suffering, which Job and his friends had failed to explain. 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 (36:1-21), and is thus a proof of God's love for his friends. The sufferings of Job are also such a testing (36:16-21). At the same time Eliu emphasizes the fact that the dispensations of God remain inexplicable and mysterious (36:22; 37:24). Yahweh speaks at the end (38:1 - 42:6). He confirms the statements of Eliu, carrying further Eliu's last thought of the inexplicability 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.
In the Catholic tradition, Elihu occupies a unique middle ground between Job’s flawed friends and the perfect wisdom of God. In his Literal Exposition on Job, St. Thomas Aquinas notes that Elihu “approaches nearer the truth” and uses far more penetrating arguments than the previous speakers, which is why Job ultimately remains silent and does not answer him. However, following the earlier commentary of Pope St. Gregory the Great, St Thomas and other Catholic scholars point out that while Elihu’s theological teachings are generally orthodox, his personal motivations are deeply flawed. They criticize Elihu for his “empty glory” and pride, noting that he fundamentally misinterprets Job’s character by incorrectly assuming Job’s suffering must be a punishment for some hidden sin. For Catholic theologians, Elihu serves as a critical bridge in the narrative: he rightly defends God’s supreme justice and providence, but his harsh, self-righteous attitude toward Job highlights how easily human pride can distort divine truth.
Job is a foreshadowing of the suffering of Christ and of his Resurrection.
Job 19, Job describes how he is suffering, how he as been abandoned by his friends; and then he suddenly receives a revelation, a vision:
“Who will grant me that my words may be written? Who will grant me that they may be marked down in a book? With an iron pen and in a plate of lead, or else be graven with an instrument in flint stone?” Give me a stylus so that I can mark it down in stone. “For I know that my redeemer lives, and that on the last day in my own flesh I shall see God!”
This and other portions of the book of Job are used in the Office for the Dead as well as in the Funeral Liturgy.
The full answer to the problem of evil, why bad things happen to good people, is not given in the book of Job. We see a hint and a promise – for Job remains faithful in suffering, and keeps his innocence, and eventually is exonerated and receives blessings. Not that we will receive material blessings, but these are a promise of the eternal life that awaits us.
But the ultimate answer to Job is only given in the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. God does not take away our suffering, but he joins us and he redeems suffering.
In the midst of our suffering, we continue to bless the Lord and to worship him. We remain faithful. We can still speak to the Lord and express to him the pain that we feel – and we have faith that Jesus is with us in that suffering.
IV. Parallels between Job and Psalms
|
Thematic Category |
Book of Job Parallel |
Book of Psalms Parallel |
Core Shared Concept |
|
"What is Man?" |
Job 7:17 "What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him..." |
Psalm 8:4 "What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" |
Job parodies this psalm, viewing God's constant attention as suffocating rather than loving. |
|
Fleeting Life |
Job 14:2 "He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not." |
Psalm 103:15 "As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field;" |
Both use the exact fragile imagery of wild flowers and passing shadows to define human mortality. |
|
God's Path in the Sea |
Job 9:8 "...who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea;" |
Psalm 77:19 "Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen." |
Both books declare God's absolute sovereignty and visual mastery over primeval waters. |
|
Darkness of Death |
Job 10:21 "...before I go to the place from which I shall not return, to the land of darkness and deep shadow," |
Psalm 88:12 "Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?" |
Both writers describe Sheol (the realm of the dead) as a bleak land of total darkness and isolation. |
|
Crushing the Wicked |
Job 34:24 "He shatters the mighty without inquiry and sets others in their place." |
Psalm 2:9 "You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." |
|
|
Psalms |
Job |
|
Psalm 8:4 “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” |
Job 7:17 “What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?” |
|
Psalm 8:5 “For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.” |
Job 19:9 “He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head.” |
|
Psalm 74:13 “Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.” |
Job 26:12 “He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.” |
|
Psalm 88:8 “Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.” |
Job 19:13 “He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me.” |
|
Psalm 88:14 “LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?” |
Job 13:24 “Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thine enemy?” |
|
Psalm 94:12 “Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law;” |
Job 5:17 “Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:” |
|
Psalm 104:29 “Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.” |
Job 34:14 “If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;” |
|
Psalm 107:40 “He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way.” |
Job 12:21 “He poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty.” |
|
Psalm 119:50 “This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.” |
Job 6:10 “Then should I yet have comfort; yea, I would harden myself in sorrow: let him not spare; for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.” |
|
Psalm 119:69 “The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.” |
Job 13:4 “But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.” |
|
Psalm 131:1 “LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.” |
Job 42:3 “Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.” |
|
Psalm 139:15 “My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.” |
Job 10:11 “Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews.” |
|
Psalm 144:3 “LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!” |
Job 7:17 “What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?” |
Job 31 and Psalm 7 and Psalm 17.
Job 38-41 and Psalm 104.
Bonus extra: Mission Impossible and Job 3:14, indicating the Jon Voight is bitter about being set aside in the CIA after the Cold War.