It was originally written as didactic poetry intended for jewish followers. Compare job and gilgamesh as suffering heroes, as they search for understanding, and come to accept the limits of their human condition. 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. Godtalk and the suffering of the innocent by gustavo. 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. Read this essay on literary analysis on the book of job. Some jews speculate that the author was moses rabbeinu other speculate the prophet isaiah. More often than not, when the question of innocent suffering arises, the book of job enters the conversation. The book of job dramatically sets forth a colossal war between god and satan, and we are. 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. Reflections on suffering from the book of job 437 gested that theodicy is the theme of the book of job. 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. In this paper i examine the role of animals in the book of job, focusing on the wild and contradictory. I attempt to clear that up by offering a different perspective than most people know today.
Book of job biblical allegory jobs tale is one of the most accessible biblical allegories. Introduction the purpose of this paper is to do a short job analysis. This sample suffering research paper is published for educational and informational purposes only. This time, job is arguing that by the rules of that logic, god shouldnt be punishing him. Nabors english 4206 11 november 2010 the book of job. 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. Research essay sample on book of job custom essay writing.
Job showed us a great model of what we should all look like in the face of the storms and tragedies of this life. That pattern reflects certain assumptions with respect to the book of job job 1, not the least of which is the supposition that job. Job, according to biblical accounts, was the most righteous and perfect man, just as solomon was the wisest among men. Job was upright, pure, holy and he gets stricken with immense levels of suffering. 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. In answer to job, jung demonstrates his indepth knowledge of the bible. A critical analysis of suffering from the book of job the v.
Also discover topics, titles, outlines, thesis statements, and conclusions for your book of job essay. A reflection on the book of job and suffering catholicism. Analysis of the book job of the hebrew bible essay. Jul 22, 2011 in the bible, the bestknown wrestling with the problem of suffering comes to us in the book of job. Job explores the difficult question of gods relationship to human suffering, and invites us to trust gods wisdom and character. Suffering and the book of job essay 1690 words bartleby. One day, as the devil was moving around the world, he saw jobs wealthy lifestyle and the fear of god in him. 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.
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. Job was a godfearing man who was entirely and completely faithful to god. 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. In this essay ill flesh out my reading of this incredibly profound book. Job then questions gd regarding his suffering, finds him to be unjust. Job s problem is not so much financial or social or medical. Jobs life in suffering peruse an excellent analysis. 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. Through suffering, human beings can learn about the nature of reality and their place in it.
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. 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. Is god to be held to a strict set of regulations based on human interpretations of his relationship with mankind. 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. In this story the main character, job, was subjected to extreme suffering, loss of material possessions and, psychological anguish. And mitchell delivers a fascinating meditation on that great book of pain, suffering, and questioning. Study guide for job 1 by david guzik blue letter bible. 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. The goal is to demonstrate how tthe author of job utilized certain key themes in developing the purpose and message of the book. These characters are all about asking questions to get their listeners thinkingthey dont really want an answer.
A major difficulty in understanding the meaning of the book is, what insight leads job to submit so humbly to god at the end. Free book of job papers, essays, and research papers. Jung wrote answer to job in his old age when he was ailing and feverish. Job cursed the day of his birth and longs for death that does not come to relieve the suffering. List of books and articles about book of job online. We are given a unique behindthescenes look at the battle that goes on for our loyalty and souls. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of bible. The author of the book of job broke out of the tight, logical mold of the traditional orthodox theology of his day. Book of job paper the100c reflection on the book of job. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. 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. Reflections on the book of job by john telgren the book of job is typically oversimplified. 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. 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.
Literary structure the unity of the book of job will be assumed in the analysis of its literary structure. An analysis of the theme of suffering in the book of job in the bible. He was a faithful servant of god, he owned thousands of animals, and had many servants and friends. This passage highlights one of the book of job s best style choices. The book of job is not primarily about one mans suffering and pain. 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. The point of the book of job is to teach us that the mystery of evil is a mystery of a. Critics divide the book of job into three sections. What one learns from suffering is the central theme bruce wilkinson and. Job learned the value of gods presence in his life, but the hard way.
The book of job is one of the most misunderstood books in the bible. With its story of one mans life and suffering, the book of job raises universal questions. A comparative and critical analysis of the story of job as found in. The book of job can be explicated in many ways in a custom research paper from the theology writers at paper masters. Oct 12, 2015 despised and utterly forlorn, we see job suffering. 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. 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. Prosperity, suffering, and righteousness in the wisdom. 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 to say this is not to limit the relevance of the book, for joblike suffering is. Mar 03, 2014 giving the gift of self this involves suffering because one cannot love another except at ones own expense. This analysis will take an indepth look and an exploration of the book of job in the bible. 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. Human suffering of gilgamesh and job essay 1693 words.
Job had a very large family with seven sons and three daughters. How the book of job confronts the problem of suffering. Suffering and the book of job the concepts of suffering. The prologue provides an idyllic picture of a seminomadic sheik named job who is virtuous, prosperous, and immensely happy. Reflections on suffering from the book of job 439 job is truly a wisdom book.
The book of job in the bible does not have a specific author named, however it is believed that either job. Since god is allowing satan to bring suffering into jobs life and ultimately the world, god is ultimately. In the bible, the bestknown wrestling with the problem of suffering comes to us in the book of job. Throughout his argument he justifies that gods way of doing things is outside the comprehension of the human mind. 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. 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. The book of job opens with a conversation between god and satan, who together enter. The book of job is written in the old testament of the hebrew bible and the main theme that is seeks. 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.
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. A critical analysis of suffering from the book of job. It will further look at the questions of suffering in the book. 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.
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. It is obvious from even a cursory reading of it that the book of job deals with the issue of righteousness, suffering and prosperity. 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. The big picture of job is that there was a man who was, in one sense, blameless in gods sight. The book of job is one of the most problematic portions of the bible and has called forth a variety of interpretations. 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. The book of job is the first document in history to. 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. An analysis of the theme of suffering in the book of job. Job and his suffering research paper example topics and. He saw that it led to a dead end, that it had no way to cope with the suffering of godly people.
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. Example research essay topic book of job essay chief. The book of job was written by an unknown author, it is possible that it is the most ancient literary account in the bible. Godtalk and the suffering of the innocent by gustavo gutierrez and wow, was this one a doozy. It could only deny the reality of the experienced anomaly and add to the pain and inner turmoil of the sufferer. However, it was later integrated into the christian bible so that christian believers could benefit from it as well. Of course, the book of job is not the final word about suffering. We read his complaint, but because the prologue reveals the heavenly court scene, the readers have insight unknown to job. Job must deal with the fact that in his life, god does not act the way he always thought god would and should act.
Job s life prior to the suffering was spent doing what was righteous before god. 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. Job s friends assumed wrongly that suffering was always and only the sign of gods retribution. The story of job is well written in the bible in the book of job.
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. I have searched a lot and now i am working with the best fit. 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. 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. Job pronounced jobe, was a rich farmer living in the land of uz, somewhere northeast of palestine. Jan 28, 20 yes, as many have pointed out, he allows us to rant and rail like job does and the lament psalms illustrate. Macleish finds that the meaning of suffering lies in the idea that god needs the love of.
Five truths for sufferers from the book of job themelios. Analysis of the epic conventions in the book of job the book of job is classified as a work of hebrew literature. 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. 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. Why suffering response free to suffer you will never learn that god is all you need until he is all you have adrian rogers. Gatewoods definition of job analysis is a purposeful, systematic process for collecting information on the important work related aspects of a job 257. Personal piety becomes a powerful, poignant theme in the hebrew bible. It should be kept in mind that job is not the author. But job silences these three by showing that is no correlation in this world between righteousness and prosperity or between wickedness and suffering. And there is a reality called satan who challenges god that his man is not as good as he thinks he is.
Gilgamesh human suffering is a major theme in hebrew bible and in gilgamesh. Analysis of the book job, the idea of sin and suffering. How adequately does the book of job deal with the problem of innocent suffering. Job had a very large family with seven sons and three. 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. Given how christians are yet inclined to look for a divine reason behind catastrophes and personal tragedies. This passage highlights one of the book of jobs best style choices. A comparative and critical analysis of the story of job as. The conversations between job and his friends were over the cause of and cure for suffering.
Essay on the holy bible role of god in the book of job. The book of job is often referred to as one of the great classics of world literature. This essay certainly will not resolve or even address many of the problems of the. Book of job analysis analysis of the epic conventions in. The book of job, one of the wisdom books of the bible, deals with two issues crucial to every person. Provided paper is only for guidance purpose and you need to create your own paper with the help of sample paper.
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