Commentary on the Book of Job

Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 The third section of the Old Testament sacred books consists of “teaching” books in the Greek-Slavic Bible, of which five - Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs are recognized as canonical, and two - the Wisdom of Solomon and the Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach 1 - non-canonical. In contrast, in the Hebrew Bible the last two, like all non-canonical books in general, are not present at all, the first five do not bear the title of “educational”, do not form a special section, and together with the books: Ruth, Lamentations, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, first and second Chronicles, are ranked among the so-called “ketubim”, “hagiographs”, - “sacred writings”. The name “ketubim,” which became a technical designation for the third part of Scripture among the Talmudic rabbis, was replaced in ancient times by others indicating the teaching nature of the works included in it. Thus, in Josephus Flavius, modern teaching books, except Job, are known under the name of “other books containing hymns to God and rules of life for people” (Contra Apionem, 1:4); Philo calls them “hymns and other books by which knowledge and piety are organized and perfected” (On the contemplative life), and the author of the 2nd Maccabees book - “τὰ τοῦ Δαυὶδ καὶ ἐπιστολὰς βασιλέων περὶ ἀναθημάτων" - “the books of David and the letters of the kings about offerings" (2 Mac 2.13–15). The name “τὰ τοῦ Δαυὶδ” is identical with the Gospel name of the teaching books “psalms” (“it is fitting that all those who are written in the law of Moses and the prophets and psalms concerning me should die” Lk 24.44), and this latter, according to the testimony of Gephernik, also took place among the rabbis. Among the fathers and teachers of the church, who, according to the LXX translation, classify teaching books in a special section, they also do not bear a modern name, but are known under the name “poetic”. This is how they are called by Cyril of Jerusalem (4th catechetical word), Gregory the Theologian (Σύνταγμα. Ραλλη, IV, p. 363), Amphilochius of Iconium (ibid, p. 365), Bethany of Cyprus and John of Damascus (An exact exposition of the Orthodox faith, IV, 17). However, already Leontius of Byzantium (VI century) calls them “educational” - “παραινετικά” (De Sectis, actio II. Migne 86 vol., p. 1204). Given the didactic nature of the entire Holy Scripture, the assimilation of only some books with the title “educational” indicates that they were written with the special purpose of teaching, admonishing, showing how one should think about a known subject, how it should be understood. This goal, when applied to religious and moral truths, is indeed what educational books pursue. Their view, the basic point of view on the doctrine of faith and piety, is the same as in the law; its peculiarity lies in the desire to bring the revealed truth closer to the understanding of man, to bring him, with the help of various considerations, to the consciousness that it should be represented exactly this way and not otherwise. Thanks to this, proposed in the law in the form of a commandment and prohibition, it is in teaching books a living conviction of the one to whom it is given, who thought and reflected on it, is expressed as truth, not only because it is revealed in the law, as truth, but also because it completely agrees with the thought of a person, it has already become, as it were, his own property, his own thought. By bringing revealed truths closer to human understanding, educational books truly “improve consciousness and piety.” And as for examples of such illumination, they are primarily observed in the book. Job. Its main position, the question of the relationship of God's truth to human truth, is interpreted by the author from the point of view of its acceptability for human consciousness. Initially doubting Divine Justice, Job finds himself, as a result of conversations, believing in the inexorability of divine truth. Objective position: “God is just” is elevated to the level of personal subjective belief. The book is distinguished by a similar character. Ecclesiastes. Its goal is to instill in man the fear of God (Eccl. 12.13), to encourage him to keep the commandments of God. The means to this is, on the one hand, an explanation of the position that everything that distracts a person from God, leading to His oblivion - various worldly blessings do not constitute true happiness for a person, and therefore should not be indulged in them, and on the other - the disclosure of the truth that keeping the commandments gives him a real benefit, since it leads to the bliss granted for a good life after death - this eternally abiding good. Likewise, the book. The parable contains reflections on the principles of revealed religion, law and theocracy and their influence on the formation of the mental, moral and civil life of Israel. The result of this reflection is the position that only the fear of the Lord and the knowledge of the Holy One constitute true wisdom, calming the mind and heart. And since the expression of this kind of wisdom is various rules of religious and moral activity, they are based on the conviction that revealed truth agrees with the requirements of the human spirit. Revealing the revealed truth from the side of its agreement with human understanding, educational books are indicators of the spiritual development of the Jewish people under the guidance of the law. In the person of his best representatives, he was not only a passive being in relation to the revealed truths, but more or less thought about them, assimilated them, i.e. brought into agreement with his inner convictions and beliefs. Immersing his heart and mind in the realm of revelation, he either presented the objects of his contemplation for teaching, for the development of religious knowledge and the promotion of the purity of morality required by law, as we see in the book. Job, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs and some psalms (Ps 77; Ps 104; Ps 105, etc.), or noted, expressed the impression that this contemplation made on his heart, in the lyrical form of religious feelings and heartfelt reflections (Psalms). The fruit of divinely enlightened reflection on the Divine revelation given to the Jewish people in the law, educational books are predominantly subjective in nature, in contrast to the objective presentation of the truths of faith and piety in the law and the objective description of the life of the Jewish people in historical books. Another difference between teacher books is their poetic form with its characteristic feature - parallelism, defined by researchers of Jewish poetry as the relationship of one verse to another. This is a kind of rhyme of thought, a symmetry of an idea, usually expressed two or sometimes three times in different terms, sometimes synonymous, sometimes opposite. In accordance with the different relationships between verses, parallelism can be synonymous, antique, synthetic and rhymic. The first type of parallelism occurs when parallel terms correspond to each other, expressing the same meaning with equivalent terms. Examples of such parallelism are provided by Ps 113.1–4 - “when Israel came out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from (among) a foreign people, Judah became His shrine, Israel became His possession. The sea (it) saw and ran, the Jordan returned back, the mountains leaped like rams, and the hills like lambs.” Antique parallelism consists in the correspondence of two members to each other through the opposition of expressions or feelings. “The reproaches of a lover are sincere, and the kisses of a hater are deceitful. A well-fed soul tramples on a honeycomb, but to a hungry soul all bitter things are sweet” (Proverbs 27.6–7). “Some in chariots, others in horses, but we glory in the name of the Lord our God. They wavered and fell, but we rose and stand upright” (Ps 19.8–9). Parallelism is synthetic when it consists only in similarity of construction or measure: words do not correspond to words and members of a phrase to members of a phrase, as equivalent or opposite in meaning, but the phrase and form are identical; the subject matches the subject, the verb matches the verb, the adjective matches the adjective, and the meter is the same. “The law of the Lord is perfect, strengthening the soul; the revelation of the Lord is faithful, making wise the simple; the commandments of the Lord are righteous and gladden the heart; the fear of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes” (Ps 18.8–9). Parallelism is, finally, sometimes simply apparent and consists only in a certain analogy of construction or in the development of thought in two verses. In these cases it is purely rhymic and lends itself to endless combinations. Each term of parallelism constitutes a verse in Hebrew poetry, consisting of a combination of iambs and trochees, and the most common verse of the Jews is heptasyllabic, or seven syllables. Books were written in poems of this size. Job (Job 3.1 – Job 42.6), the entire book of Proverbs and most of the psalms. There are also verses of four, five, six and nine syllables, sometimes alternating with verses of various sizes. Each verse is, in turn, part of a stanza, the essential property of which is that it contains a single, or main, thought, the full disclosure of which is given in the totality of its constituent verses. However, in some cases, either two different thoughts are combined in one stanza, or the same thought develops and continues beyond this limit. Title of the book. Place and time of Job's life. The Book of Job (Heb. איוב Greek Ιώβ) received its name from the main character in it, the history of whose disasters served as a reason for the author to resolve the issue of the causes of the suffering of the righteous. In the book of his name, Job appears with all the signs of a historical person: it indicates his origin, time and place of life, its duration, gives characteristics of the sufferer’s family life, social status, etc. In contrast, Theodore of Mopsuetsky denied the existence of Job, considering the book named after him to be a collection of fables. Jewish rabbis Resh-Lakish and Samuel bar-Nachman expressed the same opinion with him. “Job,” notes the latter, “never existed; he was not a created man, but a parable similar to the one that Nathan proposed to David” (Talmud. Baba. Bathra, 15a). The extremeness of such a view, later repeated by Salmasius, Michaelis, Augusti and DeWette, was already recognized by the rabbis themselves, of whom Hay-Gaon (1000) changed the words of Samuel bar-Nachman as follows: “Job existed, but he was created to become a parable.” And indeed, the denial of the existence of Job is not reconciled with the testimony of St. Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments “Son of man,” says the Lord to the prophet Ezekiel, “if any land sinned against Me... and I sent famine to it and began to destroy people and cattle on it; and if these three men had been found in her: Noah, Daniel and Job, then by their righteousness they would have saved only their own souls... they would have saved neither sons nor daughters, but they, only they, would have been saved” (Ezek 14.13-16). The mention of Job along with the undoubtedly historical figures - Noah and Daniel - does not allow any doubt about the historical nature of his personality. The historical authenticity of Job’s suffering, and therefore of himself, is also recognized by the famous words of Ap. James: “Behold, we bring joy to those who have endured. You have heard about Job’s patience and seen the end of it from the Lord” (James 5.11). They also point out that the name Job is a symbolic name - “enmity”; it could have been given to him due to the writer’s idea that he was at enmity against God and friends, therefore, in accordance with his character depicted in the book, i.e. it is a fictitious name. If the name itself is fictitious, then there is no obstacle to thinking that the face itself is fictitious. But, as can be seen from the Bible, among the Jews many names - Abraham, Israel - had a symbolic character, since they denoted known circumstances, and therefore one cannot conclude from the symbolism of the name that the person is unhistorical. In the mouths of the people, Job could receive this name after his misfortune, thanks to the character revealed in disasters. This may be indicated by the postscript of the LXX text, noting that he was previously called Joab. If Job is a completely historical person, then a natural question arises about the place and time of his life. According to the book itself, he lived in the land of Uz, “in the country of Ausitidia,” as the LXX interpreters call it (Job 1.1). But where exactly this area was located cannot be said with certainty. The remark of the postscript at the end of the book on reading LXX: “on the borders of Idumea and Arabia” (Job 42.17) is as general as the indication of Job 1.3 that Job was “more famous than all the sons of the East,” i.e. Arabs (see interpretation on this verse); and the mention of the land of Uz in the book. the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 25.20) and in the book. Lamentations (Lamentations 4.21) does not clarify her situation. True, the words of the book. The lament: “Rejoice and be glad, daughter of Edom, who dwells in the land of Uz,” apparently gives the right to think that Uz was in Idumea and constituted its region. But such an assumption is refuted by Articles 20 and 21. Chapter XXV book the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 25.20–21), from which it is clear that the land of Uz, mentioned separately from Idumea, was not included within its borders. If the prophet attributes it to the Edomites, then this is explained, according to Ewald, by the fact that the land of Uz was given to them by Nebuchadnezzar for the help they provided to the Chaldeans during the conquest of Judea. As for Jeremiah 25.20 et c., some see in these verses a listing of neighboring countries and, accordingly, the location of Uz is indicated between Egypt and Judea, southeast of the latter and east of Idumea. The validity of such considerations is weakened by Articles 21 and 22. of this chapter, indicating that when listing countries, the prophet was not guided by the beginning of contiguity. The lack of biblical indications about the location of the land of Uz prompts exegetes to resort to all sorts of guesswork. It is believed that the land of Uz received its name from the name Uz, assimilated in the Bible to three persons: the eldest son of Aram, the grandson of Shem (Gen. 10.23), the eldest son of Nahor, Abraham's brother (Gen. 22.21) and the firstborn of Dishan, the youngest son of Seir Horite (Gen. 36.28). Explaining the origin of the name Uz in a similar way, the location of this land is indicated either in Syria, the country of Aram, or in Mesopotamia, on the banks of the Euphrates, where Nahor lived, or, finally, in Idumea. As for the latter view, it cannot be considered fair for the above reasons. The opinion about the position of the land of Uz within Mesopotamia found its place in the Alexandrian edition of the Greek postscript to the book of Job. In it he is called living on the banks of the Euphrates, and his friend Baldad is called the son of Amnon of Chebar (Hobar is a tributary of the Euphrates). Despite its antiquity (the postscript was already known to Origen), this view can hardly be considered fair. He does not put up with the prince’s remark. Job Job 1.19 that the wind that destroyed the house of my eldest son came “from the wilderness,” more precisely, “from the countries that lie beyond the desert,” and with the words of Elihu, “a storm comes from the south” (Job 37.9). Taken together, these two expressions make it clear that the land of Uz was located near or in the northern reaches of the desert. Mesopotamia cannot be considered a desert. As for the assumption about the position of the land of Uz within Syria, it is confirmed by the testimony of ancient writers. Thus, Eusebius of Caesarea, repeating the words of Josephus that Uz, the son of Aram, was the founder of Trachonitida (the entire basaltic space on the eastern side of the Jordan, limited in the south by the Gilead mountains, and in the north adjacent to Damascus) and Damascus (Jude. Ancient. 1: 6, 4), adds: “from here came Job” (De originibus. XI, 2, 6). According to another of his works (Onomastionia), Job lived in Bethanea, ancient Bashan, in an area called “Astaroth Kamaim” under him. The blessed one holds the same view. Jerome (Liber de situ et nominis hebraeorum), noting that the Greek name of the country “Ausitida” - the same as “Usitida” - was given to it by the name of Utsa, the son of Aram, who settled Trachonitis with his offspring (interpretation on Chapter X, Article 23 of the book of Genesis). Arab writers also indicate the place of residence of Job in Vataneya - historians Mugir - ed din el Hambeli and Abulfeda and geographer Muhammed el Makdesï “To Job,” say the first two, “belonged to the Damascus province of Vatanea.” A clear expression of this legend was the monastery built in the Damascus region in honor of the long-suffering Job (Volck. Calendarium Syriacum, p. 29). Indicating in general terms the place of residence of Job, the postscript at the end of the book according to the text of LXX also determines the time of his life. According to her, he was the fifth from Abraham, that is, he lived in the patriarchal period, but later than Abraham. The validity of the last remark is confirmed by the fact that Job's two friends Eliphaz and Bildad descend from Abraham, the first through Teman, the grandson of Esau, the second through Shebhei, the son of Abraham from Keturah (see note to Job 2.11). The general definition of the time of Job’s life – during the patriarchal period – is recognized as no less reliable. At least, the features of his life are quite reminiscent of patriarchal life. And above all, like the patriarchs, Job combines in his person the rights of the head of the family with the responsibilities of a priest. In the absence of a priestly class, he makes sacrifices himself (Job 1.5; cf. Gen. 8:20, 12:7, 22:2, 26:25, 28:18, 35:7). The character of the pre-Moisean patriarchal time is also fully consistent with the fact that the burnt offering sacrificed by Job is a cleansing sacrifice. Although, according to the Law of Moses, a similar meaning is assigned to every blood sacrifice, including burnt offerings (Lev. 1:4), but for cleansing from sin, two special sacrifices, unknown to the book of Job, were established - for sin (Lev. 4:29, 32–33) and trespass (Lev. 5:6, 7:1). The underdevelopment of the cult corresponds to the simplicity of social relations characteristic of antiquity. In the absence of a ruling authority in the form of kings or judges, judgment is carried out by the people's elders (Job 29.7–25; cf. Gen. 23.5–6). An indicator of extreme antiquity is further the method of writing, carving letters on stone (Job 19.24), the use of the “kesita” coin, which is attributed by the Pentateuch to patriarchal times (Job 42.11; Gen. 33.19), the same as the musical instruments used by the patriarchs (Job 21:12, 30:31; Gen. 4:21, 31:27), the longevity of Job and, finally, the suppression of facts after the time of Moses when acquainted with the events of early times - the destruction of Sodom (Job 18.15), the flood (Job 24.18). Time of writing the book. Job and its author. The usual data for resolving the question of the time of writing and the author of this or that sacred book are its own testimony and the testimony of other sacred writers. But the book of Job itself does not contain strictly defined instructions for the time of its composition, and from outside evidence only the testimony of the prophet Ezekiel about it is known. His words: “Noah, Daniel and Job... would not have saved either sons or daughters... from four severe plagues: sword, famine, fierce beasts and pestilence” (Eze 14.14–21) represent an almost literal repetition of the words of Eliphaz (Job 5.20, 22) and thereby indicate the existence of the book by his time. Job. Thanks to such conditions, the question of the time of its writing and the author evoked and continues to evoke a wide variety of answers in exegetical literature. In the space of time from Moses to the prophet Ezekiel and later, there is not a single period or era to which it would not be possible to date the writing of our book. And first of all, according to the opinion of the Talmud (Jar. Sola V, 8, 6. Bathra 15a), shared by Origen, blessed. Jerome, Polychronius and expressed in modern times by Karptsov, Eichhorn, Jan, Bertold and Ebrard, the book of Job was written in the age of Moses. In support of this view, they point not only to its unfamiliarity with the law, prophets, history and religious terminology of Israel, but also to its similarity in language to the Pentateuch. Some Hebrew words and entire phrases are used only in these two books and nowhere else. These are – “semez” - “rumour”, “hearing” (Job 4.12; Ex 32.25); “maschasch” – “to feel” (Job 5.14; Deut. 28.29), “Kesita” (Gen. 33.19; Job 42.11), “until... His breath is in me and the spirit of God is in my nostrils” (Job 27.3; Gen. 2.7), “Job died,... full of days” (Job 42.17; cf. Gen. 15:15, 25:8, 35:29). According to another view, the defenders of which include Rabbi Nathan, the church fathers - Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom and orthodox Protestant, as well as Catholic exegetes - Gefernik, Hahn, Keil, Delitzsch, Calmet, Corneli, Vigouroux, Knabenbauer and others, the book of Job was written during the heyday of Jewish literature and poetry - in the age of Solomon. It corresponds to him in character, content, form and language. Didactic in spirit, it is perfectly suited to the teaching direction that is expressed in the psalms, parables, Ecclesiastes, and will cope with them in individual points of doctrine. This is the teaching about divine wisdom, its transcendence, participation in the creation of the world (Job 28; Proverbs 1–9, especially Proverbs 8), and about the afterlife of man. On the issue of him, the book. Job expresses the same views as the psalms of the time of David and Solomon. In them, the author turns out to be the son of the era to which Heman, the compiler of Ps 87, belonged (Job 14.13; Ps 87.6; Job 14.12; Ps 87.11; Job 14.21; Ps 87.13, etc.) Coinciding with Ps 87 in the view of the afterlife, book. Job is similar to Ps 87 in calling the inhabitants of Sheol “Rephaim” (Job 26.5; Ps 87.11); the underworld - “Abaddon” (Job 26.6; Ps 87.12) and with Ps 88 in the name of angels “saints” (Job 5.1, 15.15; Ps 88.8). Common to all three are also individual thoughts and expressions (cf. Job 7.7; Ps 88:48; Job 14:14; Ps 88:49; Job 16:19; Ps 89:38; Job 19:8, 13-14, 17; Ps 88:9; Job 26:12; Ps 89:10). Likewise, when revealing similar teachings, the same phrases are used in Job 14.2 and in Ps 36.2; Job 15.35 and in Ps 7.15; Job 17.9 and in Ps 55.2–7; Ps 62.8–9; Ps 72.26–28; Ps 93.16–19; Job 15.25–26 and in Ps 72.3–9; Ps 74.5–6; Job 22.11 and in Ps 17.17; Job 22.13 and in Ps 72.11; Job 36.16 and in Ps 17.20; Job 5.3 and in Proverbs 24.30; Job 5.17 and in Proverbs 3.11; Job 18.5; Job 21.17 and Proverbs 13.9; Proverbs 20.20; Proverbs 24.29; Job 28.18 and in Proverbs 3.15, etc. Finally, some Hebrew expressions, such as. “alas” – “to have fun” (Job 20.18; Proverbs 12.18), “tahbulot” – “intentions” (Job 37.12; Proverbs 1.5), found only in the book. Job and the works of Solomon. As written in the age of Solomon, the book of Job was known, say the defenders of the view in question, to subsequent biblical writers who borrowed some expressions from it. Thus, the words of Amos (Am 5.8): “who created the seven stars and Orion” are taken from Job 9.9; the words of Isaiah (Isaiah 40.2): “the time of his struggle is over” in Job 7.1; Isa 44:24–25: “The Lord... alone spread out the heavens” in Job 9.8; Isaiah 19.5: “the waters of the sea will be exhausted, and the river will be exhausted and dried up” in Job 14.11; Isaiah 19.11: “the princes of Zoan have gone mad, the advice of Pharaoh’s wise advisers has become meaningless” in Job 12.24 (compare also Job 10.16 and Isaiah 38.13; Job 38.17 and Isaiah 38.10, etc.). If Amos and Isaiah are familiar with the book of Job, then it appeared no later than Solomon and his age, since from the death of Solomon until Jeroboam II, a contemporary of Amos, no Old Testament books appeared, and there was no one to write them. While the coincidences of the book. Job with psalms, parables, book. the prophets Amos, Isaiah and Jeremiah (Job 3.1, Jer 20.1) give the above-mentioned exegetes the right to consider it written in the age of Solomon; in the hands of other scientists, these data turn into evidence of its later origin. Not Amos, Isaiah and Jeremiah were familiar with the book. Job, and, on the contrary, the author of the latter - with their works. It is later than them, written after Hezekiah, as Rygm argues, or, at least, in the age of Isaiah, as Strack claims. Among other exegetes, Ewald and Renan include the composition of the book. Job to the time of Manasseh; Girtzel - to the time of the taking of Johaz into captivity, since its author discovers acquaintance with Egypt; Schrader, Noldeke, Reis - to the era of the Assyrian captivity, as indicated by Job 12.14–24 books. Job. The latest date for the composition of the book of Job is considered by negative scholars (Grotius, Cleric, Schrader, Dilman) to be the period after the Babylonian captivity. It supposedly belongs to this time because it has a strong Aramaic coloring in the language, characteristic only of post-exilic biblical writers; in grammatical forms and phrases it has a parallel in Ps 136, in Daniel and the Targums and, finally, in some points of doctrine (about Satan, guardian angels - Job 1–2; Job 5:1, 33:23) is similar to the book. Daniel (Dan 4.10, 14) and Zechariah (Zech 3.1–3). The just listed opinions of Western biblical scholars also found a place in the Russian one, dedicated to the book. Job, literature. Thus, Metropolitan Philaret (Prince Job in Russian translation with brief explanations), His Eminence Agathangel (St. Job the long-suffering) and Arch. F. Bukharev. (St. Job the long-suffering) classify it as one of the most ancient works of biblical writing. “By guess,” says the first, the book dates back to the time of the patriarchs. Job." “It,” the latter notes, “occurred before the Mosaic legislation” (p. 4). Bishop Irenaeus (Horde) considers the book of Job to have been written under Hezekiah (Guide to the sequential reading of the educational books of the Old Testament); Metropolitan of Kiev Arseny (Introduction to the Holy Books of the Old Testament. Works of Kyiv. D. Ak. 1873, II) and prof. Yungerov (General historical and critical introduction to the sacred books of the Old Testament, p. 25. The origin of the book of Job. Orthodox interlocutor 1906. March, p. 334) - before the Babylonian captivity; Mr. Pisarev (On the origin of Prince Job. Legal review. 1865. May) and Afanasyev (Teaching books of the Old Testament) - in the age of Solomon, and Rev. Filaret, Bishop Rizhsky (Origin of the book. Job), based on its similarity with all canonical books, passes it off as the most recent work of biblical writing. The Book of Job is one of the earliest and latest works of Old Testament canonical writing; these are the two extreme opinions about the time of its origin. But as for the first, it allows for the impossible and incredible fact of the appearance at the beginning of writing of such a work, which in content is the height of religious reflection, and in form - one of the greatest poetic works of the whole world - a poem most perfect in plan and majestic in execution. The period of legislation is not characterized by abstract theoretical reasoning, especially those that we encounter in the book. Job. In particular, the creations of Moses are imbued with faith in Divine Justice and the strict correspondence of piety to earthly well-being, and the book of Job not only expresses doubt about this, but also goes so far as to directly deny the truth in the matter of divine world rule (see chapter Job 9; Job 10; Job 12). According to the teachings of Moses, the happiness of the righteous, the reward for piety, lies in the use of earthly goods (Deut. 28.1). Job, just as he did not rejoice at his many wealth and the acquisition of his hand (Job 31.25), so certainly did not fall into despondency, having lost them (Job 1.21). For him, a pious man, earthly goods do not constitute the highest reward; God himself serves as such (Job 22.25), the highest good is the consciousness of devotion to Him (Job 6.10). In a word, in the development of religious and moral consciousness, Prince. Job represents an undoubted step forward in comparison with the Pentateuch. Their appearance in one century is impossible. A second opinion cannot be allowed. The above words of the prophet Ezekiel speak for the pre-excrimination origin of the book of Job. Repeating sts 20-22. Chapter V book Job, they assume its existence. As for the signs of its post-exilic origin noted by exegetes (the doctrine of Satan and guardian angels), they do not have the same meaning. The teaching about good spirits, in particular about guardian angels, is found already in the book. Genesis (Gen 28:12–22; Gen 32.1–2; Gen 48.16) and revealed in Ps 90.1, and bk. Kings speak of an evil, lying spirit (1 Kings 16:14–15, 23; 1 Kings 22.19–23). In view of this, there are no sufficient grounds to consider the exact teaching of the book. Job borrowed from the Persians in the post-exilic period. The Book of Job was compiled in the period of time between Moses and the captivity of Babylon, most likely in the age of Solomon. If the time of writing the book. Job can be determined more or less plausibly, the identity of its author remains completely unknown. He was not, of course, Moses, and there are as many reasons to consider Solomon as the author, as Gregory the Theologian and partly John Chrysostom suggest, as there are to consider any sage of his time. Keil makes, for example, the assumption that the author was Heman. However, only the modern edition of the book belongs to an unknown Jewish author. Job; it is based, as they think, on a record not of Jewish, but of Arab-Idumean origin: “The origin of the book. in Arabia is confirmed,” says Prof. Yungerov, - the close acquaintance found in it with the life of the peoples, the inhabitants of Arabia; for example, a detailed description of the gold mining practiced in Arabia (Job 28.1–11); descriptions of Arabian horses (Job 39.19–25), ostrich, onager, unicorn, peacock (Job 39.1–18) that were understandable to the Lord’s listeners. Nothing like this is found among Jewish biblical writers, since these animals, loving the Arabian steppe desert expanse, could not be found in densely populated Palestine. Job's wealth consisted, among other things, of camels (Job 1.3), and they are recognized as the property of the inhabitants of the deserts (Isaiah 30.6), steppes, nomads and nomads (Judges 6.5; 1 Chronicles 5.21; Jer 49.29). None of the biblical books contains further descriptions of crocodiles, or leviathans, as in the speech of the Lord (Job 40.1 - Job 41.1). This can be explained from the assumption that the Jews, who had not seen anything similar in their Jordan, could not understand such a description, but the Arabs, who were in Egypt with their caravans (Gen. 37.25–28, 36) and saw these animals in the Nile waters, could understand it. In general, the foreign, non-Jewish origin of the book is evident from the silence of the writer and the persons he describes about the Jews, the Jewish Old Testament law, the events of Jewish history, etc.” (Orthodox interlocutor 1906. March, pp. 336–337). If, despite his non-Jewish origin, Prince. Job sets out a purely biblical teaching about God, the creation of the World, Sheol, good and evil spirits and coincides in language with other Old Testament books, this is explained by the fact that the original record of the history of Job’s sufferings and beliefs (Job 19.24–27) became known to some inspired Jewish writer familiar with the Arabic language. He translated it into Hebrew, made, perhaps, well-known alterations, brought it closer to the biblical Old Testament views and, with the participation of Divine inspiration, compiled a canonical book (Ibid, p. 339). Traces of such processing indicate, among other things, the symmetrical calculation of Job's children and property: 7 sons and three daughters, 7,000 sheep and 3,000 camels; 500 oxen and 500 donkeys; - in confining disasters to one day, as well as in a strictly executed plan, gradualism in the course of thoughts, constant parallelism of members, etc. The composition and main idea of ​​the book of Job. Consisting of 42 chapters. the book of Job is divided into five parts: prologue – Job 1.1 – Job 2.1; Job's conversations with friends - Job 3.1 - Job 31.1; Elihu's speeches - Job 32.1 - Job 37.1; speeches of the Lord - Job 38.1 - Job 42.6; epilogue – Job 42.7–36. Of these, the prologue contains, as in any drama, the beginning of the action - the thrice renewed dispute between Job and his friends. Having not led to a resolution of the question of the causes of his suffering, since the disputants remained unconvinced, it comes to an end, thanks to the speeches of Elihu’s younger friend: they caused the intervention of the Lord, accompanied by the denouement of the action in the epilogue. The contents of the book are inserted into such a framework. Job, revealing the main idea that the suffering of the righteous, constituting a manifestation of the struggle between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent (prologue), are at the same time indicators of its results - the final triumph of truth, the victory of good over evil. Struck by Satan’s slander with all sorts of disasters, Job remains faithful to God despite material deprivations (Job 1.21–22; Job 2.10), and does not betray Him even when he is subjected to temptations of a spiritual nature. They lie in the possibility of losing faith in God as a just being, in renouncing Him. Indeed, Job is close to a similar state. In moments of greatest excitement, the highest despair, he imagines God as an arbitrary being, destroying the just and the guilty alike (Job 9.22–24) and supporting the evildoers and the wicked (Job 12.6–10; Job 21.1–16). Almighty, not tolerating or recognizing objections, the Lord (Job 9.4–12) violates the truth both in relation to individuals and entire nations. The divine wisdom that controls their destinies is reflected and manifested in various kinds of catastrophes, leading to the death of entire nations (Job 12.16–25). For Job, such a view of the divine world order is tantamount to a rejection of the previous religious worldview, one of the main points of which was the idea of ​​God as a just being (Job 29.1–5). But it is impossible to abandon what the soul has become familiar with, what constituted its life, its cherished beliefs, without a struggle. The mind and heart of the sufferer cannot be reconciled with the new idea of ​​God, formed under the influence of suffering and especially conversations with friends. The latter longs to see in God a merciful, just Judge (Job 14.13–15; Job 23.3–7); his reason comes to his aid, coming up with a whole series of considerations with the help of which Job tries to justify God’s attitude towards himself, to present Him as a just being (Job 10.2–12). As a result of such a struggle, faith overcomes doubt (Job 16.19; Job 19.25–27). Job justifies his own words that, when struck by disasters, “the righteous will hold fast to his way, and he who is pure with hands will be strengthened more and more” (Job 17.9). Due to the age-old struggle between good and evil, the suffering of the righteous, the representatives of truth, is inevitable. As a fact of personal, subjective life, they find justification, compensation in their results - in strengthening the righteous in goodness - “I would be strengthened in my merciless illness, for I did not reject the sayings of the Holy One” (Job 6.10). The Authenticity of the Book of Job. Biblical isagogical literature does not know an example of denying the authenticity of the entire book of Job. Only certain parts are questioned: the prologue (Job 1; Job 2), the epilogue (Job 42.7–17), Job’s speech about divine wisdom with a preceding discussion about the punishment of the wicked (Job 27.7 and etc. Job 28), the description of the hippopotamus and leviathan (Job 40.10 – Job 41.1) and, finally, the speeches of Elihu (Job 32.1 – Job 37.1). The authenticity of the prologue and epilogue is rejected primarily on the main grounds that, in contrast to the rest of the book, they are written in prose. But if, according to Keil’s fair remark, the middle of the book without a historical introduction and conclusion would be a torso without a head and legs, then, on the other hand, the prologue and epilogue written in prose are of an undoubted poetic nature. This is vouched for by the proportionality in the number of animals (Job 1.3), the description of the heavenly council (Job 1.6), and the poetic parallelism in Job’s speech (Job 1.21). Another given for the negation of the prologue and epilogue is their supposed contradiction with the idea of ​​the book. While she expresses her special, profound view of suffering, the author of the introduction, especially the conclusion, adheres to the usual Old Testament (Mosaic) theory of retribution. But as for the prologue, the teaching it contains about the mystery of Job's sufferings (the heavenly council is unknown to him and his friends) constitutes an undoubted indication that in its composition the author took into account the views of the book on the subject. The epilogue, indeed, takes the Mosaic theory of retribution and applies it to Job. But this is explained by the fact that one verbal justification of Job without the return of earthly well-being is not able to satisfy the Old Testament man. As signs of the inauthenticity of the prologue and epilogue, they point, finally, to the use of the divine name Jehovah in them - in the poetic part it is not found, but is replaced by the names Elohim, Shaddai, to the contradiction between Job 1.18-19, and Job 19.17 and the doctrine of Satan, a product of Persian influence. The first objection is based on a simple misunderstanding. The name Jehovah appears twice in poetry (Job 12:9, 28.28) and at least five times in the speeches of the Lord (Job 38.1; Job 40:1, 3, 6; Job 42.1). The more frequent use in the speeches of Job and his friends of the names Elohim and Shaddai is explained by the author’s desire to impart to the entire action the flavor of the patriarchal, pre-Moisean period, which is why he avoids the name of the God of the covenant - Jehovah (cf. Exodus 6.3. Commentary. Bibl. I vol., p. 291). For the second objection, see explanation of Job 19.17 and the third - the end of the “Introduction” section “about the time of writing the book. Job." The basis for denying the authenticity of Job 27.7 et c. and Job 28.1 is the obvious contradiction of the teaching they contain with the basic views of Job. In Job 27.7 et cetera, the sufferer himself expounds the very theory of retribution, the punishment of sinners, which he strenuously and persistently refutes in many speeches (see, for example, Job 21.7 et c.; Job 24.1). Ch. Job 28.1, with the image of divine wisdom, incomprehensible to man, seeks to arouse a feeling of humility before God, which does not correspond to Job’s proud confidence in his own rightness and the resulting reluctance to repent (see, for example, Job 9.21). But recognizing in Job 27.7 et c. the fact of divine punishment of sinners, Job wants to correct his previous one-sided view, which amounts to a denial of Divine Justice (see also the interpretation of these verses). It cannot be completely rejected, and at the same time it is impossible to deny cases of impunity for sinners (Job 21.7 etc.). To highlight this idea, Job describes in Job 28.1 a divine wisdom incomprehensible to man: its activity in distributing happiness and misfortune in people’s lives is much mysterious. As interpolations Ch. Job 40.10 et c. and Job 41 constitute, in the opinion of Ewald, Meyer, Dielman and Fürst, the work of some Jew of the 6th century who visited Egypt and described two Nile animals. The following considerations serve as the basis for considering them a later insertion. 1) The meaning and purpose of Jehovah’s speeches do not allow the description of animals in this place. The visual through his depiction of divine omnipotence is appropriate in the first speech, but not in the second, which reveals the idea of ​​​​Divine Justice. 2) The very method of proving divine omnipotence does not achieve the goal. If all animals, not excluding the hippopotamus and the crocodile, are subordinate to man (Gen. 1.26), then is it surprising that they obey God? Secondly, the hippopotamus and crocodile are Egyptian animals, unknown to the inhabitants of Palestine, and therefore the description of their strength cannot produce the special impression necessary in this case. 3) A lengthy description of animals is completely unnecessary for the purposes of the second speech, which is completely completed in Job 40.1–9. And vice versa, Job 41.26 does not constitute a conclusion, does not contain an indication of what Job should now answer (Job 42.1 et d). As for the first objection, it overlooks the fact that the author is alien to the separation of divine omnipotence from justice. Already from the first speech it is clear that the Almighty, who by His power brings order and harmony into visible nature, the Lord is at the same time just. Likewise, the description of two gigantic animals, symbols of the evil force rebelling against God, makes it clear that the almighty and all-righteous Lord humbles the manifestations of evil. The inappropriateness and weakness of the second objection is evident from the fact that for the same reasons we should suspect the authenticity of the description of earthquakes, eclipses of the sun (Job 9.5–6), remarks about Orion (Job 38.31), etc.: not all the inhabitants of Palestine witnessed the first phenomena, not everyone knows the location of the stars in the constellation Orion (see interpretation). The third objection is also invalid. If the second speech of the Lord had covered the initial nine verses of Chapter XL, then it would have been too short compared to the first and could not have aroused in Job the consciousness of his insignificance and divine omnipotence (Job 42.2). Conversely, given the modern composition of the book, it is perfectly prepared both by the remark of Job 40.2–3 and by the final touches in the description of the crocodile (Job 41.26). The reasons on which scientists - Eichhorn, De-Wette, Schrader, Meyer, Ewald, Dilman, Davidson, Renan and others, from the newest Ley - suspect the authenticity of Elihu's speeches are as follows. 1) Not a word is said about Elihu either in the prologue or in the epilogue, and only three friends are mentioned here and there. He comes out completely unexpectedly. In fact, the silence about Elihu in the prologue and epilogue does not constitute evidence that he was not with his friends, as if this person was invented later and inserted into the book by another writer. Elihu was young compared to his three friends and came, in his own words, not to speak, but to listen to the speeches of his elders (Job 32.3–7). In view of this, the writer is silent about him until the need arose to include him in the circle of actions. It is unnecessary to mention Elihu in the epilogue: he was not guilty for his speeches before God and Job. Divine wrath extends only to the three elder friends (Job 42.7). 2) Elihu’s speeches seem to forcibly break the connection between Job’s last speech and the speeches of Jehovah. The introduction to these latter necessarily presupposes that Job spoke directly before the Lord, and the fragmentary end of his last speech (Job 31.33–40) is explained only by the fact that he was suddenly interrupted by Jehovah. But if the Lord’s speech is directly related to the last speech of Job, and not to the speeches of Elihu, then this does not mean that the latter were inserted after. God enters into a conversation with Job at his own request (Job 31.35), and therefore His words must directly relate to the last speech of the sufferer. Moreover, Job remained silent during Elihu’s speeches, which is why they stand completely separately, unlike the speeches of the first three friends, of which Job gave an answer to each. God calls Job, who fell silent, to answer (Job 38.1). Having not given an answer to a being equal to himself (Job 33.4–7), can he object to the Lord? The transition from the speeches of Elihu to the speeches of Jehovah is quite natural and clear. From the outside, it is prepared by the fact that Elihu’s last speech is pronounced before the onset of a thunderstorm (Job 37.2–4), and after this the Lord appears in the storm. Finally, it is in vain to declare that Job’s speeches are not finished, so the Lord interrupts them. On the contrary, his last defensive speech refers to everything he had previously said about his innocence, like a sealing signature certifying the letter; - it is the same as “tav”, the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, used to testify to something (see interpretation Job 31.35). 3) There is a sharp contrast between the lengthy introduction in Elihu's speeches (Job 32.2–6) and the brief note about the arrival of friends. An introduction to Elihu's speeches is necessary to determine the personality of the new interlocutor and clarify his relationship to previous speakers. In them he acts as an arbitrator between the disputants. Elihu tries to clarify the mistakes that Job made in his speeches, and does not touch on the question of his sinfulness. And from this side he prepares the speeches of the Lord, pointing out to the sufferer new, unnoted by Elihu, mistakes in his judgments. That is why in the introduction to Elihu’s speeches his wisdom is noted. 4) In accordance with Job’s response to the speeches of his friends, it is natural to expect that he will not leave Elihu’s speech without objection, which, however, is not noticed. Job's silence does not represent anything special, if we take into account the contrast that is observed between the friends arguing with Job and Elihu, who stands above party accounts. His reasoning prepares the denouement of the action - in exposing Job’s wrong judgments, they indicate the path by which his faith can be supported. And if the author’s goal is to indicate how Job’s doubts are resolved, how faith in God triumphs in him over doubt, and Elihu’s speeches are directed towards this, then it is strange to demand that he involve Job in a dispute with a new friend. This would mean delaying the resolution of the issue. 5) The inauthenticity of Elihu’s speeches is finally proven by their Aramaic coloring and peculiarities in syllable - the use of words and phrases unknown to the speeches of other friends. But the Aramaicisms in Elihu's speeches are explained by his Aramaic origins from the generation of Buz (Job 32:2). A representative of a tribe other than his friends, Elihu speaks differently. That the author intentionally gave Elihu's speeches an Aramaic flavor is evident from the fact that it is noticeable only in two cases (Job 32.6 et c.; Job 36.2 et c.). The modern order of teaching books in the Greco-Slavic Bible is somewhat different from the ancient one. It is in the Codex Sinaiticus that they are arranged in this form: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Job; in the Vatican list for the book. Song of Songs follows Job and then Wisdom of Solomon and Sirach You might be interested in: