Job was a godfearing man who was entirely and completely faithful to god. The story of job is well written in the bible in the book of job. Personal piety becomes a powerful, poignant theme in the hebrew bible. The author of the book of job broke out of the tight, logical mold of the traditional orthodox theology of his day.
A reflection on the book of job and suffering catholicism. With its story of one mans life and suffering, the book of job raises universal questions. In this paper well look for a response from the christian and muslim scriptures to the question of human suffering through the story of job. Read this essay on literary analysis on the book of job.
That pattern reflects certain assumptions with respect to the book of job job 1, not the least of which is the supposition that job. Since god is allowing satan to bring suffering into jobs life and ultimately the world, god is ultimately. Also discover topics, titles, outlines, thesis statements, and conclusions for your book of job essay. Critics divide the book of job into three sections. An analysis of the book of job essaysthe book of job is found in the old testament and is an epic poem written by many anonymous authors about a man of god named job. The point of the book of job is to teach us that the mystery of evil is a mystery of a wartorn and unfathomably complex creation, not the mystery of gods allcontrolling will. Jung wrote answer to job in his old age when he was ailing and feverish.
Compare job and gilgamesh as suffering heroes, as they search for understanding, and come to accept the limits of their human condition. How the book of job confronts the problem of suffering. I, like many others was familiar with the prose sections of job the beginning and end, but very unfamiliar with the lengthy dialogues throughout the center of the book. Little wonder, then, that renowned novelist victor hugo once suggested that if all the worlds literary efforts were to be destroyed, and he could save but a solitary sample, it would be. The book of job opens with a conversation between god and satan, who together enter. On the seventh day, job speaks, beginning a conversation in which each of the four men shares his thoughts on job s afflictions in long, poetic statements. Suffering and the book of job the concepts of suffering. A critical analysis of suffering from the book of job the v. Jul 22, 2011 in the bible, the bestknown wrestling with the problem of suffering comes to us in the book of job. Waters ritten by an unknown author, possibly the most ancient literary account in the bible,1 the book of job is a mixture of divine and human wisdom that addresses a major life issue. The book is of unknown authorship and date, although many scholars assign it to a time between 600 bc and 400 bc a lament in narrative form, the subject is the problem of good and evil in the world. It will further look at the questions of suffering in the book. Job is a book from the bible i have always been oddly drawn to and stephen mitchell is an author i am even more strongly attached to, so the book of job by stephen mitchell is obviously too great a combination to pass up.
An analysis of the theme of suffering in the book of job. Free book of job papers, essays, and research papers. This essay certainly will not resolve or even address many of the problems of the. Centuries of analysis since it first appeared in the bible, the story of job a victim of suffering he cannot understand has been a defining myth of western civilization, according to susan schreiner, associate professor in the divinity school. Penetrating questions from the book of job by wayne jackson the book of job is one of the most profound pieces of literature ever to grace human existence. We read his complaint, but because the prologue reveals the heavenly court scene, the readers have insight unknown to job. 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 written in the old testament of the hebrew bible and the main theme that is seeks. The basic concept of wisdom has always been connected with skill and knowhow,15 for wisdom was the art of achieving, and the emphasis was on. Is god to be held to a strict set of regulations based on human interpretations of his relationship with mankind. We begin the task of assessing the message of the wisdom literature on this question of righteousness, suffering, and prosperity by distilling the message of the book of job on this issue. Some jews speculate that the author was moses rabbeinu other speculate the prophet isaiah. Job pronounced jobe, was a rich farmer living in the land of uz, somewhere northeast of palestine. However, it was later integrated into the christian bible so that christian believers could benefit from it as well.
Jobs burden, reconciling unimaginable suffering with the idea of a just god, is a task one that few preachers or academics are bold enough to tackle. An analysis of the theme of suffering in the book of job in the bible. Given how christians are yet inclined to look for a divine reason behind catastrophes and personal tragedies. In answer to job, jung demonstrates his indepth knowledge of the bible. Of course, he is human and he did realize his faults at the end of the book, but his reactions to the death and suffering around him just amaze me. The point of the book of job is to teach us that the mystery of evil is a mystery of a. Reflections on suffering from the book of job 3 undeserved suffering, therefore, serves as a dependable, useful model12 for the believer of any generation in dealing with the problem of theodicy. One day, as the devil was moving around the world, he saw jobs wealthy lifestyle and the fear of god in him. This passage highlights one of the book of job s best style choices. 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. Job s life prior to the suffering was spent doing what was righteous before god. We are given a unique behindthescenes look at the battle that goes on for our loyalty and souls. It could only deny the reality of the experienced anomaly and add to the pain and inner turmoil of the sufferer.
Patience in suffering 3 lessons by rob harbison and so then in this marvelous book we are privileged to gather the facts for a more complete cosmology. But ultimately like job at the end of the book and the man of affliction in lamentations 3, god wants us to submit silently before him and put our trust in him. Literary structure the unity of the book of job will be assumed in the analysis of its literary structure. These characters are all about asking questions to get their listeners thinkingthey dont really want an answer. The book of job is the first document in history to. Reflections on suffering from the book of job 437 gested that theodicy is the theme of the book of job. Addressing the problem of theodicy the vindication of the justice of god in the light of humanitys suffering it is a rich theological work setting out a variety of perspectives. You do not want to write what amounts to a summary of your activities and accomplishments which you will list in other parts of the application. Nabors english 4206 11 november 2010 the book of job. More often than not, when the question of innocent suffering arises, the book of job enters the conversation. Human suffering of gilgamesh and job essay 1693 words. But to say this is not to limit the relevance of the book, for joblike suffering is. Why suffering response free to suffer you will never learn that god is all you need until he is all you have adrian rogers.
What one learns from suffering is the central theme bruce wilkinson and. Job must deal with the fact that in his life, god does not act the way he always thought god would and should act. An analysis of the theme of suffering in the book of job in. Suffering and the book of job essay 1690 words bartleby. Jan 28, 20 yes, as many have pointed out, he allows us to rant and rail like job does and the lament psalms illustrate. Job and his suffering research paper example topics and. Analysis of the book job of the hebrew bible essay. Jobs life in suffering peruse an excellent analysis. A reflection on the book of job and suffering posted on march 3, 2014 by kathleen suffering love alone can bring us to our senses and the real meaning of. He was a faithful servant of god, he owned thousands of animals, and had many servants and friends. Some bible scholars debate whether he was an actual person or legend, but job is mentioned as a historical figure by the prophet ezekial ezekial 14. Research essay sample on book of job custom essay writing.
The goal is to demonstrate how tthe author of job utilized certain key themes in developing the purpose and message of the book. Introduction the purpose of this paper is to do a short job analysis. The book of job is one of the most misunderstood books in the bible. Why would god, in all of his omnipotence and righteousness, cast evil upon those who devote every aspect of their life to adhering to the word of the divine. Mar 03, 2014 giving the gift of self this involves suffering because one cannot love another except at ones own expense. 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.
The book of job in the bible does not have a specific author named, however it is believed that either job himself, elihu, moses or solomon wrote it. Set in uz, an obscure land far from israel, during an unknown time period, the book of job focuses on questions about gods justice and why good people suffer. A major difficulty in understanding the meaning of the book is, what insight leads job to submit so humbly to god at the end. A comparative and critical analysis of the story of job as found in. Of course, the book of job is not the final word about suffering. 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. Righteous suffering at first glance, it would appear that the book of job simply asks the question, why do bad things happen to good people. Job is a character who demonstrates the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and is provided with a variety of psychic outlets which function to alleviate the stress of the trauma. In this story the main character, job, was subjected to extreme suffering, loss of material possessions and, psychological anguish. This sample suffering research paper is published for educational and informational purposes only.
The book of job dramatically sets forth a colossal war between god and satan, and we are. Throughout his argument he justifies that gods way of doing things is outside the comprehension of the human mind. The book of job in the bible does not have a specific author named, however it is believed that either job. Job s problem is not so much financial or social or medical. Gatewoods definition of job analysis is a purposeful, systematic process for collecting information on the important work related aspects of a job 257. Book of job analysis analysis of the epic conventions in. Job, according to biblical accounts, was the most righteous and perfect man, just as solomon was the wisest among men. His friends deal with his suffering by trying to rationalise it, to explain it away, to find a reason for it, to blame it on him. List of books and articles about book of job online. Analysis of the epic conventions in the book of job the book of job is classified as a work of hebrew literature. Provided paper is only for guidance purpose and you need to create your own paper with the help of sample paper. Job s three friends had taken the position that the severity of job s suffering must be the sign of some grievous sin in his life. Job had a very large family with seven sons and three.
Job was upright, pure, holy and he gets stricken with immense levels of suffering. Book of job paper the100c reflection on the book of job. The suffering of job the book of job in the old testament is one such narrative that throws the conundrum of suffering open before us to study and ponder. In this paper i examine the role of animals in the book of job, focusing on the wild and contradictory. And there is a reality called satan who challenges god that his man is not as good as he thinks he is. Job s friends assumed wrongly that suffering was always and only the sign of gods retribution. I have searched a lot and now i am working with the best fit. Study guide for job 1 by david guzik blue letter bible. The prologue provides an idyllic picture of a seminomadic sheik named job who is virtuous, prosperous, and immensely happy. 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. Gilgamesh human suffering is a major theme in hebrew bible and in gilgamesh.
This time, job is arguing that by the rules of that logic, god shouldnt be punishing him. Through suffering, human beings can learn about the nature of reality and their place in it. I attempt to clear that up by offering a different perspective than most people know today. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Macleish finds that the meaning of suffering lies in the idea that god needs the love of. The book of job is often referred to as one of the great classics of world literature. But job silences these three by showing that is no correlation in this world between righteousness and prosperity or between wickedness and suffering. The book of job was written by an unknown author, it is possible that it is the most ancient literary account in the bible. Oct 12, 2015 despised and utterly forlorn, we see job suffering. Example research essay topic book of job essay chief. Job is an interesting book, which offers more questions than it does solutions. Reflections on the book of job by john telgren the book of job is typically oversimplified. The conversations between job and his friends were over the cause of and cure for suffering. It was originally written as didactic poetry intended for jewish followers.
Job explores the difficult question of gods relationship to human suffering, and invites us to trust gods wisdom and character. Godtalk and the suffering of the innocent by gustavo. Free research papers are not written by our writers, they are contributed by users, so we are not responsible for the content of this free sample paper. Job learned the value of gods presence in his life, but the hard way. He saw that it led to a dead end, that it had no way to cope with the suffering of godly people. The100c 10614 reflection on the book of job the book of job from the old testament is a reading ive found very interesting and truthful in the sense in which the power of god was emphasized and our roles as believers of god.
Job then questions gd regarding his suffering, finds him to be unjust. In this essay ill flesh out my reading of this incredibly profound book. This passage highlights one of the book of jobs best style choices. Prosperity, suffering, and righteousness in the wisdom. A comparative and critical analysis of the story of job as. It should be kept in mind that job is not the author. A critical analysis of suffering from the book of job. Analysis of the book job, the idea of sin and suffering. Three of job s friends, eliphaz, bildad, and zophar, come to visit him, sitting with job in silence for seven days out of respect for his mourning.
The book of job is not primarily about one mans suffering and pain. Job cursed the day of his birth and longs for death that does not come to relieve the suffering. God returns job s health, providing him with twice as much property as before, new children, and an extremely long life. And mitchell delivers a fascinating meditation on that great book of pain, suffering, and questioning. Book of job biblical allegory jobs tale is one of the most accessible biblical allegories. How adequately does the book of job deal with the problem of innocent suffering. In this paper well look for a response from the christian and muslim scriptures to the question of human suffering through the story of job, and examine it for validity and coherence. This analysis will take an indepth look and an exploration of the book of job in the bible. Godtalk and the suffering of the innocent by gustavo gutierrez and wow, was this one a doozy.
The big picture of job is that there was a man who was, in one sense, blameless in gods sight. The book of job can be explicated in many ways in a custom research paper from the theology writers at paper masters. Essay on the holy bible role of god in the book of job. In the bible, the bestknown wrestling with the problem of suffering comes to us in the book of job. Job had a very large family with seven sons and three daughters. Job showed us a great model of what we should all look like in the face of the storms and tragedies of this life. It is obvious from even a cursory reading of it that the book of job deals with the issue of righteousness, suffering and prosperity. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of bible.
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