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Essay on The Life of Job
In the Old Testament of the Bible, The Book of Job is the first of five books commonly called "The Books of Poetry. Estimates of its origin range from 1500 B.C. to 600 B.C., and the author is unknown,but it is assumed that the story of Job takes place sometime between Noah and Moses, and it is considered one of the earliest books of the Old Testament. The Book of Job is not simply a story, but a fable, rich with meaning and lessons to be learned. The book attempts to rationalize the ways of God and human suffering.
Most Bible scholars believe that there was a historical person named Job who is reflected in the prologue and perhaps epilogue. This man must have had some spiritual reputation for righteousness and perhaps patience as reflected in Ezekiel and James. However, most scholars believe that the author of Job composed the dialogues to show the different theological positions used in Israel to explain suffering. The final dialogue between God and Job then reflects the way the author believes a personal encounter with God will move one past logical explanations of suffering.
In fact, the message of Job is not dependent on which position a person takes regarding whether Job was a historical person or not. The book is not about Job’s history but about Job’s life and the way we relate to God as a result.The themes of the story are faith in God, fate of the wicked human being and wisdom. These elements are developed dramatically in the story. Among these elements the theme and quest for wisdom is more visible than others.In the story, challenges God, saying that the loyal and righteous Job would abandon his faith if he were the victim of a series of terrible trials. God takes the bet and Job is subjected to a slew of raw deals.......
