Analysis 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 written. Get the knowledge you need in order to pass your classes and more. 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. Job baker commentary on the old testament wisdom and psalms. Jan 27, 2017 job is the first of the books found in the poetry and wisdom section of the old testament, along with ecclesiastes, psalms, proverbs, and the song of solomon. The prologue of job is absolutely essential to the formation and success of the book.
The book of job a widely misunderstood book jeffrey. Godtalk and the suffering of the innocent by gustavo. Job is a combination of poetry and prose, and the bible never merges two styles lightly. Daniel webster what is it about the book that prompts such praise. Like the other wisdom books job is mainly created of verse and job 28 comprises of a hymn to wisdom. The book has consequently been misunderstood in innumerable details and in its main themes. While the work has been the subject of theological discussion and teaching since ancient times, it has also inspired extensive exegetical and philosophical commentary by modern secular critics. There was a man in the land of uz, whose name was job. As for the ten dead children, in this case job gets only ten back.
Perspectives on the book of job 3550 words 15 pages the book of job is one of the three books in the hebrew bible whose genre is described as wisdom literature. The prose narratives date to before the 6th century bce, and the poetry has been dated between the 6th and the 4th century bce. This appellation is valid, as he notes, not only for our literature but also for our criticism. Francis andersen calls the book of job one of the bests gifts of god to men. A literary critical analysis explains a work of fiction, poetry or drama by means of interpretations. Job is the central character of the book of job in the old testament. Quora keeps collapsing every explanation i offer with the poem. Longman presents job as a long work of poetry sandwiched between a prose prologue and a prose epilogue, while revealing how the book of job should be read in light of its literary features. Job with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The book of job discusses why god allows pain and suffering. Aug 04, 20 job is the first old testament book of poetry the others are psalms, proverbs, ecclesiastes, song of solomon, and lamentations. The book of job, book of hebrew scripture that is often counted among the masterpieces of world literature. Wisdom literature inserted separately to align the book with orthodox partyline thinking, but in conflict with the spirit of job which is a reaction against this kind of easy explanation. Job baker commentary on the old testament wisdom and.
It is demonstrated that these poems exhibit a consistent pattern of cantos and strophes. It is one of the oldest books of the old testament, although some have tried to place it as late as the period of the second temple. In fact, i wouldnt recommend several that you might find suggested, like brooks the wellwrought urn or empsons seven types of ambiguity, since the methodology of the new criticism which they advance has very serio. Guidelines for writing a literary critical analysis. Literary features of the book of job 215 his polyphonic workwisdom types, a genre from psalms, and a genre from the legal sphere. The place of job in the old testament job is the first of five books commonly referred to as the books of poetry. Suffering is a warning against sinning, then repetition of the three friends. 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.
The analysis of the poems relates their rhetorical framework to the device of. Jul 22, 2011 critical analysis the book of job is usually dated in the 5 th to 4 th centuries bce, but seems to be an adaptation of an earlier akkadian writing from around the year bce. Literary analysis on the book of job 3072 words pages. Like the other wisdom books job is primarily composed of poetry and job 28 consists of a hymn to wisdom.
The book of job is part of the old testament collection of wisdom literature, along with proverbs, ecclesiastes, and song of solomon. The poem is set within the framework of a short narrative in prose form. Thus gods response is also different towards the two jobs. Tennyson the book of job taken as a mere work of literary genius, is one of the most wonderful productions of any age or of any language. Rhetorical criticism and the poetry of the book of job. Book of job analysis of literary devices by phd students. This guide addresses the need for literary criticism for beginning literary critics. If we were to film this book, the whole movie would take place on a single set, probably in a single day. This introduction is lesson 1 in the voice bible studies on the book of job. Within a few strokes of the pen he sketches the heavenly council, the challenge from. The book of job aesthetics, ethics, hermeneutics oapen. The book of job is not only the finest expression of the hebrew poetic genius.
Book of job analysis of literary devices by phd students from stanford, harvard, berkeley. But, upon closer examination, from a literary point of view, the book of job dealing with an existential question of how to comfort job and help him learn to live with, or overcome, his pain and. The literary genre of the book of job researchgate. Godtalk and the suffering of the innocent by gustavo gutierrez and wow, was this one a doozy. Read this essay on literary analysis on the book of job. The book of job is usually dated in the 5 th to 4 th centuries bce. Unlike other books of the bible, the book of job details a conflict between man and god within a poetic structure, and is the only book in the bible to take on the. The importance of job analysis in human resources is to help the management to ascertain and endorse the use of certain activities which take place in employment such as employment procedures such as training, choice of the appropriate employees, reparation as well as evaluation and appraisal.
Literary composition does not resolve whether job is intended to convey history or not. The book of job is best known as one of the poetic book of. The book of job is considered being part of the poetic books job, psalms, proverbs, ecclesiastes, and song of songs in todays bible editions. We cannot assume that the author intended the book to.
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. A comparative and critical analysis of the story of job as found in the bible and the quran. Job is the first old testament book of poetry the others are psalms, proverbs, ecclesiastes, song of solomon, and lamentations. There are no references to the law of moses, the tabernacle, the priesthood, the judges or kings, etc. Edward greensteins new translation of job is the culmination of decades of intensive research and painstaking philological and literary analysis, offering a major reinterpretation of this canonical text. The structure of the book of job, and why it matters nov 30 by stephen cook i used to wonder why almost all commentaries on biblical books began with an analysis of the structure of the book, and not finding this particularly interesting i would immediately skip to the next chapter. The book of job is best known as one of the poetic book of the old testament of the bible. A form critical analysis english and german edition westermann, claus on. It is found in the third section of the biblical canon known as the ketuvim writings. The main thing that is going to resolve that in any. However, they tend to show up in literature, even dating back hundreds or thousands of years. Job accuses god of being unjust and not operating the world according to principles of justice, and his friends believe that job s sin caused his suffering.
It is the story of one mans agony reaching out to the mystery of god, beyond words and explanations. 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. Now, the book of job has been rendered into english by the eminent translator and scholar stephen mitchell, whose versions of rilke, israeli poetry, and the tao te ching have been widely praised. Job is the first of the books found in the poetry and wisdom section of the old testament, along with ecclesiastes, psalms. The bulk of the work is an extended dialogue between the hero and his friends and eventually yahweh himself in poetic form.
Literary features of the book of job gordon college. Rhetorical criticism and the poetry of the book of job deals with the structure and meaning of the poems we find in job 342, 6. It is believed that each component of the book has a necessary place in the overall design and argument of job. Literary structure chiasmus, chiasm of book of job chiasmus and concentric structure of whole text. We tend to be preoccupied with the density of a works aesthetic surface and are sensitized to how such things as wit, paradox. He discusses job s vast range of ideas, its broad coverage of human experience, the intensity of its passion and the immensity of its concept of god. The books theme is the eternal problem of unmerited suffering, and it is named after its central character, job. Jun 24, 2018 but, upon closer examination, from a literary point of view, the book of job dealing with an existential question of how to comfort job and help him learn to live with, or overcome, his pain and. Literary analysis paper on the book of job introduction the publication of job is part of the old testament assemblage of wisdom publications, along with proverbs, ecclesiastes, and song of solomon. The book of isaiah, which dates back to 8 th century bce, mentions the suffering righteous servant in chapter 53 ii.
What is the theme and critical analysis of the book of job in chapter. Most christians i know dont feel that way about the book of job. Aug 01, 2012 longman presents job as a long work of poetry sandwiched between a prose prologue and a prose epilogue, while revealing how the book of job should be read in light of its literary features. Literary genre does not resolve whether job is history or not. Or perhaps this is an at least partially an afterward because i write this after i have completed half of the melding together of roger hahns online crivoice bible study and the excerpts from john c. The book of job, in the old testament, opens with words both majestic and onceuponatimeish. The book of job consists of a prose prologue and epilogue narrative framing poetic dialogues and monologues. It is a series of poetic conversations between job and his friends, sandwiched between two shorter sections of prose, that describe the setting and the conclusion of the events contained.
The work is grouped with proverbs and ecclesiastes as a product of the wisdom movement, even though it contains what might be called an antiwisdom strain in that the hero protests. Because the book of job is so often neglected, yet presents a valuable lesson and is so highly praised by even people of the world, christians should certainly take the time to study this portion of gods word. Job is an unlikely candidate because the book s message rests on job s ignorance of the events that occurred in heaven as they were related to his ordeal. The design of the book of job the literary background of the book of job the literary character of the book of job the poetry of the book of job the composition of the book of job the text and language of the book of job the date and authorship of the book of job the problems of suffering in the book of job analysis commentary. One talmudic tradition suggests moses as author since the land of uz 1. Although the book of job is best known for its story, only three of the 42 chapters are narrative. Nabors english 4206 11 november 2010 the book of job. First the author presents the various hypotheses about the literary genre of the book of job.
Like the other wisdom books job is primarily composed of poetry and job 28 consists of a. The commentary is also enlightening on how job explores the topic of wisdom. See the verses and verse art for all the other books of the bible job s role in the bible. The literary genre of the book has defied classification events. The book of job may be divided into two sections of prose narrative, consisting of a prologue chapters 12 and an epilogue chapter 42. Literary structure the unity of the book of job will be assumed in the analysis of its literary structure. Writing an analysis of a poem, story, or play if you are taking a literature course, it is important that you know how to write an analysis sometimes called an interpretation or a literary analysis or a critical reading or a critical analysis of a story, a poem, and a play. Literary analysis paper on the book of job researchomatic. Literary features of the book of job gordon college faculty. The only problem is that much of it was penned in ancient hebrew, a language that few people can read and even fewer are fluent enough in to appreciate the power of the verse.
If everything was taken away from job, the problem is settled by gods giving it all back, mostly twofoldfourteen thousand sheep for his seven thousand, etc. Jesus is conveyed by scripture as considering satan a reality, doing things that the book of job conveyed as possible history. Essays and criticism on the book of job critical essays. The book of job is the first poetic book in the old testament that addresses the problem of gods justice through the suffering of job who goes from having a life filled with joy, happiness, and blessings to having a life filled with pain, sorrow, and suffering. A comparative and critical analysis of the story of job as found in. Come browse our large digital warehouse of free sample essays. A detailed analysis of job discusses its structure, imagery, concepts, motifs, themes, and language.
This was a comparisoncontrast literary analysis paper for my literature class. Consequently it can be concluded that the book of job is a mixed genre in which its author expertly blended a variety of literary types in order to serve the function of the book. The bible contains some of the most beautiful poetry ever written. It is common to view the narrative frame as the original core of the book, enlarged later by the poetic dialogues and discourses, and sections of the book such as the elihu speeches and the wisdom poem of chapter 28 as late insertions, but recent trends have tended to concentrate on the. The goal of a literary analysis as with any other analysis is to broaden and deepen your understanding of a work of literature. Before looking extensively look into job 3, we need to establish some literary context. On the contrary, god speaks directly to job, just as he does in the patriarchal. Guidelines for writing a literary critical analysis what is a literary critical analysis. It should therefore be regarded as a unique piece of didactic poetry based on historical events. Literary analysis on the book of job 3072 words bartleby. Throughout the book, job, his wife, and his friends speculate on why he, an upright man, suffers. Literary analysis on the book of job essay 3073 words cram. Faq top literary structure of the bible book of job 1 literary structure chiasmus, chiasm of book of job chiasmus and concentric structure of whole text. The structure of the book of job, and why it matters.
The theme of the book of job is nothing less than human suffering and the transcendence of it. The recurring structures often place the various thematic aspects of the texts in a different light. A comparative and critical analysis of the story of job as. A literary study david robertson frye suggests in the anatomy of criticism that ours is the ironic age. Literary criticism of poetry subject and course guides. Job spends his entire book in a position of sadness and loss. God returns job s health, providing him with twice as much property as before, new children, and an extremely long life. Most books of the bible take place on larger stages, but the book of job goes down at a very specific and narrow point in the human life cycle. Furthermore, the book of job seems to claim that all wrongs can be righted by property.
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