ANALYSIS OF A SACRED TEXT: BOOK OF JOB OLD TESTAMENT HOLY BIBLE

"What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? Job 2:10 (Authorised King James Version)

"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."Forrest Gump

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46. (Perhaps Jesus was not familiar with the story of Job?)

“A man’s got to know his limitations.”Dirty Harry (Cint Eastwood) in film Magnum Force

Introduction

The Bible, from its inception, has been translated into many languages and has been interpreted many ways. Which method of interpretation is most appropriate is a hot debate in Christianity today.

This paper is an exegesis study of the Book of Job, which historical account, or perhaps moral folk tale, is set around the time of Abraham that makes it one of the oldest books of the Bible. In fact, it may predate Genesis. Job is one of the Bible’s wisdom books that address many major questions of Israelite life with the purpose of passing on common sense wisdom from one generation to the next.

The Book of Job is largely in dialogue form, which is unusual for biblical writing, and is a classic story of world literature. The book that is named after the main character, questions the justice of a God. It addresses the question, “Why do good people suffer?”

Selected Exegetical Methods

The two exegetical methods used in this analysis of the Book of Job are Feminist Interpretation and Catholic Exegesis. Selecting the feminist method seemed most appropriate given the story unfairly ignores Job’s wife who suffered with him throughout his troubles. However, the second method of exgesis came down to a choice between historical-critical, narrative criticism and the Catholic interpretation. I opted for the latter since it uses a variety of interpretative techniques and thus makes for a more comprehensive analysis.

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The feminist perspective on the Bible is important in terms of women's rights and equality of the sexes, whereby women should be treated as intellectual and social equals to men. But of course the concept of feminism was unheard of when the Bible was written and any passages about women were interpreted and written from the male perspective. Indeed, Jesus’s apostles were all men, consistent with the social customs of the day, which even today is sometimes cited as the rationale for excluding women from top leadership positions in the church. In Job’s day unmarried women could not leave their father’s home without his permission and married women could not leave their husband’s home without his permission, they were usually restricted to roles of little authority, they were not allowed to testify in court and could not visit public venues, were forbidden to talk to strangers, and had to wear a veil when they left their homes. Today’s feminist biblical interpretation asks questions such as: Does the text give women appropriate attention? Does the text show gender bias? Does the text portray women as equal to men? How is the meaning of the text affected if read from a feminist view?

Description of Feminist Exegesis Method

Feminist biblical criticism is now an established method of inquiry and had its origin in the United States toward the end of the 19th century. It challenges many of our assumptions about the Bible, which appears to relegate women to second-case status. In fact, the Bible is one of the primary ideological sources for discrimination against women. Feminine exegesis seeks to correct such commonly accepted interpretations, which are tendentious and sought to justify the male domination of women.

Episcopal bishop John Shelby Spong tell us, “There is no doubt the Bible is biased against women. The directives in the Bible were developed out of a patriarchal understanding of life. The interests of men were primary.” And Samantha Gerstein, author of “Feminist Biblical Interpretation” states in her publication, “For many years, the only voices describing the experiences of biblical personalities were those of men. When a biblical woman’s experience is deciphered by a male, the experiences can be wrongly interpreted. Moreover, a woman’s experience can be depicted to justify her subordination.” So are we meant to ignore half of the population that in the Bible are often abused and sidelined? I don’t think so. In particular, it is very hard to find feminist readings in the Book of Job, which is why this story should benefit from a feminist exegsis. However, it is acknowledged that some of the Bible, such as the Book of Ruth, a classic love story, is more positive with regard women, and of course, Mary, Mother of Jesus, holds special significance for Catholics.

Description of the Catholic Exegesis Method

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Catholic exegesis is a recent method of biblical analysis, which is “...characterised by openness to a variety of analytical methods and approaches, although the historical-critical method is prime. However, the value of these different insights will correspond to their fit with the fundamental principles that guide Catholic interpretation.” (Catholic Principles for Interpreting Scripture: ISBN 88-7653-617-5). Thus, no Catholic exegsis of the bible may contradict Catholic church teaching.

Evaluation of the Catholic exegesis method. Catholic exegesis makes free use of all approaches that enable a better understanding of biblical texts in their literary, social, cultural, religious and historical contexts. In addition to a broad interpretation, I favour Catholic exegesis as it is carried out in a manner that is as critical and objective as possible and also encourages the development of new methods of exegesis. Catholic exegesis requires that interpretation of a biblical text be consistent with the meaning intended by the authors, placing biblical texts in their ancient contexts, thus helping to clarify the meaning of the authors' message for their original readers and for us contemporary readers too.

The Catholic exegesis walks a line between fundamentalism and modernism. However, as a relative newcomer, Catholic exegesis is not immune to the “presuppositional problem” where in this instance presupposing means that the Christian faith is the only basis for biblical interpretation. The Catholic Catechism tells us that "The task of properly interpreting the Word of God has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him." Pope Benedict XVI’s principles (also endorsed by Pope Francis who is proving to be a refreshing and somewhat controversial figure in the Vatican) for such interpretation are summarised at Appendix A. I’m sure presupposition is a possible bias that the experts in exegesis I refer to in this paper, including Thomas Aquinas, would be well aware of.

Feminist Exegesis of Job

"Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse Godand die." (Job 2:9) – the only words spoken

by Job’s long-suffering wife throughout the entire book.

The following feminist exegesis of the Book of Job mostly paraphases the work of Roger Scholtz given at http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?pid=S1010-99192013 300016&script=sci_arttext. Roger Scholtz is a lecturer in Old Testament studies at the Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. The other main text used in this exegesis is “Job: Questioning the Book of the Righteous Sufferer” by Christl Maier and Silvia Schroer, which essay is contained in “Feminist Biblical Interpretation”, edited by Luise Schottroff and Marie-Theres, and published at https://books.google.co.nz/books. Christle Maier is the Professor of Old Testament at Yale Divinity School, and Professor Silvia Schroer’s is an editor and writer whose area of specialisation is The Old Testament, feminist exegesis and

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hermeneutics. She is the founder and editor of the first Internet journal for feminist exegesis in Europe, the "Lectio Difficilior".

The Job story gives little space to women. In fact, it silences Job's wife in the brief paragraph quoted above and devotes the remainder of the book to men. Women, their world and their experiences, appear in only patriarchal terms and in a most peripheral way. The story must considerably test the patience of female readers given the book’s preoccupation with men who speak and perform in all 42 chapters. Also, to add insult to injury, these are all rich and educated men, and of course God Himself is usually depicted as male. Incidentally, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that "God is neither man nor woman: he is God,” but the Bible in its original languages refers to God as male, and Jesus refers to God as Father.

The book contains controversial portrayals of Job's wife who is unnamed and the only female character. She is the typical woman of the time. She lives in a world dominated by men. The narrator even excludes Job's wife when he mentions her original seven sons and three daughters fathered by Job (1:2). She is also finally repressed by the narrator in the Epilogue. She is portrayed as a mere extra to Job - part of his considerable property. Alexander Goldberg in his essay on Job’s wife reminds us that she too suffered, having lost ten children, seen her family fortune disappear, and conscientiously nursed her husband who has a nasty skin disease and bad breath. She stands by him throughout his troubles.

While Job’s wife suffers the same loss of family as Job, we are not told about her feelings. While Job suffered from the loss of his family, his wealth, and even the deterioration of his health, his wife must also have suffered as a consequence of these losses. The book is preoccupied with Job’s suffering. There is no mention of the problems that women also faced at this time such as the frequent loss of their children in childbirth and their lowly social status, particularly if they were childlessness or had been raped. There was the consequential social ostracism of female victims of sexual assault, and the threat that a man may take their children in payment of debts (24:2-3). Yet, it seems that women’s suffering was not important enough for the author(s) of the Book of Job to acknowledge.

Job 19:17 tells us that Job’s wife is the womb that he owns, and thus reduces her status to a chattel for giving birth. Job’s wife plays no part as a person in her own right. In 31:10 Job suggests that if he has committed various offences, then his unnamed wife should “grind another man’s grain.” Presumably this means to serve another man, possibly also in a sexual sense, and be transferred as a possession. Thus, Job puts at stake the integrity of his wife. There seems to be no real loving relationship between Job and his wife who is relegated to be a nameless womb. Augustine labeled her "the devil's accomplice." Calvin called her "a diabolical fury." And the contemporary understanding of Job's wife hasn't improved much on this negative picture. It's difficult to find a book or sermon on the life of Job that doesn't include the condemnation of Job’s wife. It has become somewhat standard to pity Job, as if his wife was yet another cross God called on this unfortunate man to carry.

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Yet, Job's wife remains loyal to him and keeps on managing his household,although presumably she believes that their current situation is caused by herhusband. Also, she provides hospitality for his friends even though the income of her family has been reduced to zero. At the end, her suffering was ignored by Job and his friends according to 2:11-12 and she is no longer mentioned in the remainder of the book.

In the dialogue section of the book no woman speaks, and it is only Job, his three friends, and later Elihu as well as the male God of Israel, who speak. In fact, throughout the book the image of God is decidedly male and in the divine speeches male characteristics dominate with reference to “master of the animals” and “fighter against Behemoth and Leviathan.”

Also, his wife’s advice is not accepted by Job. She is referred to as a foolish woman and is depicted as one with no honour. Also, Job’s first three daughters die without mention of their names. However, probably as a result of his suffering and God’s interventions, Job realised that his name and memory would live on with his later daughters and most surprisingly for those times he provides each of them with an inheritance.

The wife of Job is blamed for being a bad spouse because she advises her husband to curse God and die, yet the word used was the same for both blessing and cursing, but is invariably translated as “to curse”. As commented on by Ellen van Wolde, what Job's wife says is therefore ambiguous and as a consequence she has suffered a long history of unjust treatment. The few words she utters in her brief appearance have been heard negatively by almost all commentators, who have either vilified her or ignored her. Accordingly, she is seen as a very minor character who is mostly irrelevant to the interpretation of the book as a whole. The only explicit reference to the presence of Job's wife in the book is found in 2:9-10, where her brief speech to Job and his response is recorded. To be fair, in this response, Job does not necessarily call his wife foolish, but rather means she speaks like a fool. She had lost home, children, security, and perhaps, even her husband. Thus, it is little wonder that she suggested a suicide pact. (The rather lengthy Book of Job might have been much shorter had her suggestion prevailed.)

Despite that she is also a sufferer, Job's wife is brave enough to encourage Job to confront God rather than remaining silent. She is his caretaker as well as a provider of loyal and spiritual company for Job, especially when they are receiving only bad stuff from God. A feminist reading shows that she is a sufferer herself. Hence, in the Testament of Job, Job's wife is portrayed as a sufferer and she cares about Job even during her own suffering. She is even willing to sell her hair in exchange for bread to feed Job. So she is also very much a victim. This view is quite different from the traditional non-feminist Christian view that perceives she acts to assist Satan. She is a character portrayed as a fool in contrast to the upright Job. Due to the strong influence of church fathers, this still remains the predominant view of christians.

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Job's wife is working unwillingly and without choice. This is similar to the portrayal in the Testament of Job in which book Job's wife Sitidos plays a more important role than she does in the biblical Book of Job. (As biblical stories were passed from one generation to another, they were often embellished. In Job’s case, an anonymous author wrote a Greek work called the “Testament of Job” sometime in the first century BC- first century AD.) Job’s wife was probably working as a servant in order to earn a living for both herself and Job. She and Job suffer considerably although differently, despite their common predicament. Yet it is Job's story that is told, and almost none of hers. Why is this? And railing against a male-dominated society that supposedly squashes feminine sensibility is beside the point. What is it about Job's suffering that is unique from that of his wife’s? The answer might help us understand the masculinity of the Book of Job.

We might argue that every hardship endured by Job was also endured by his wife. She watched her children die (Job 1:13-19). Ten times she endured the joy and pain of childbirth. Ten lives nurtured to love, honour, and respect Jehovah. Imagine the grief that overwhelmed her as she looked in disbelief at ten freshly dug graves. From the account in the first chapter of Job, this appears to be a fun-loving, God-fearing, tight-knit family. Who was the heartbeat of this home? Likely Job's wife played a big part in this. It's unlikely he could be such an important man in society (Job 1:1) if his wife was not a supportive and influential person in her own right.

She also experienced dramatic financial loss. The Bible describes Job as a wealthy man and possibly the richest in the world (Job 1:3). Undoubtedly his wife was accustomed to a most comfortable lifestyle. I imagine her home had the finest furnishings and her clothes were made from the most expensive materials. Her children too likely had everything they needed. Yet, in one really bad day, she lost it all. All their wealth, property, and way of life (Job 1:13-22) vanished. She was not only bankrupt, but homeless, and forced to beg outside the city dump.

She also became a caretaker for her disease-ravaged husband. Although Old Testament scholars don't agree on the nature of Job's illness, clearly his pain was so excruciating that he asked God to take his life (Job 3). The severe pain distorted Job's appearance so dramatically that his closest friends could barely recognise him. This temptation brought by Satan was so strong, it almost broke Job's soul. While we might sympathise with Job, we miss the faithful presence of his wife. She put aside her own grief to care for her him. Imagine the exhausting drain, caring for a suffering Job. Imagine too the howls of agony, day after day. And imagine the one you love suffering such pain.

Without relief Job's wife continued her mission of mercy and without the resources of a helpful support network. Nor did she have any financial resources. Their children were gone, their friends and family departed, and her God now seemingly absent. And we come back to those bitter words of resignation, the only recorded words of Job's wife in story - words shared at the lowest ebb of her life. "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die." (Job 2:9). See Figure 1. These are strong words that reflect anger toward God. This is where most commentators

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pounce, accusing Job's wife of collusion with the Satan to force her husband to do exactly what Satan predicted Job would do - give up on God. However, perhaps this advice to Job wasn't born out of her own misery, but perhaps out of compassion. She witnessed her husband in agony without any relief in sight. Maybe she was looking for the most compassionate escape for Job. Perhaps she longed to see an end to his suffering - the relief of heaven. This is certainly something Job desired. It's not uncommon to find honest, raw, expressions of grief in the Bible. Yet we celebrate Moses, Jeremiah, David and Job as being true and honest, but heap judgment on Job's wife for similar expressions.

Job's response is fascinating. He listens carefully and watches his wife shrink under the weight of their shared hardships. At first, his words read like a rebuke, "You speak as a foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" (Job 2:10). Yet, if you listen to Job, you may hear admiration. "You speak as a foolish women." He didn't actually say his wife was foolish and didn't say her words were foolish. He said, "She sounds like one of the foolish women." In other words, "You don't sound like yourself." We might read these words as: “Dear, that's not you talking. This doesn't sound like the woman of God I married. Let's remember God's promises. Let's remember his goodness”. This is not the condemnation she has received ever since.

Figure 1: "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die." (Job 2:9).

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Job knew his wife's suffering was just as acute as his own. In fact, seeing the pain in her eyes may have added to his suffering. It's probable that she was in a state of shock. Such occurrences often cloud our judgment and distort our view of reality. People living in tragedies can make contradictory statements about their faith and life. Today we might accept that Job's wife suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While we usually associate PTSD with military combat, any life-threatening event that overwhelms us with feelings of hopelessness and helplessness can trigger PTSD, especially if the event seems to be unpredictable and uncontrollable.

If God was unhappy with Job’s wife, He would have said so. He was quick to rebuke Job’s friends (Job 42:7-9). What we do know is He blessed her after the whole issue was over. She would have shared in the doubling of their wealth (Job 42:10). And she had the “privilege” of giving birth to more children, described in the Scriptures as very beautiful (Job 42:12-15). Although Job’s daughters and his wife have only very small parts, it is interesting that the three daughters born after his troubles are each named, are described as beautiful, and unaccustomarily are given an inheritance. And it's likely Job’s wife shared in the then remaining many good years of her husband's life. So what can we learn from Job's wife today? Perhaps her testimony is her simple presence during her husband's low moments. We read that his siblings and friends eventually returned and comforted him (Job 42:11). It's easy to show compassion after the event. During Job's lowest moments, they were elsewhere. Yet every day, there was his wife, enduring the trials that Satan had inflicted on them, and not knowing why.

The crises that would destroy most marriages did not split up Job and his wife. They stuck it out together. And at the end of the story, we read they had and raised another ten children (ie, the same number as previously), which in those days was regarded as wealth. Was her attitude fine throughout the problems that engulfed her family? No. Did she say things she would later regret? Yes. But during it all, she endured and her faith in God stayed intact. Perhaps her service to her husband should be held up as a model of biblical character?

Catholic Exegesis of Job

And now for a much different interpretation of the same Book. This Catholic exegesis is mainly based on the “Commentary on the Book of Job” by Thomas Aquinas (http://dhspriory.org/thomas/SSJob.htm), on “The Catholic Encyclopedia” (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08413a.htm), and “The Interpretation of the Bible in the Catholic Church” (http://www.bible-researcher.com/catholic-interpretation.html#Conclusion). Thomas Aquinas is considered the Catholic Church's greatest theologian and philosopher, and “The Catholic Encyclopedia”

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provides authoritative details on Catholic doctrine. Catholics believe that the authoritative interpretation of the Bible is the prerogative of the Catholic Church and needs to be understood within its historical and contextual framework and interpreted within the community to which it belongs.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops (http://www.usccb.org/ bible/job/0) tells us that, “The Book of Job provides a dramatic treatment of the problem of the suffering of the innocent.” The book tells the story of a devout man who lived thousands of years ago. But tragedy engulfs this righteous man. When the book opens, we notice Job is about to lose everything — children, property and wealth, good name and his health. Why must Job suffer such tragedies? Because God challenges Satan over Job’s faith. The Israelite simplistic belief was that evil was a punishment for sin.

Purpose. The Book of Job helps us to understand that Satan cannot bring destruction upon us unless it is with God's permission. God has power over what Satan can do. However, it is evidently beyond our ability to understand the "why's" behind the suffering in the world. A Catholic view is that suffering may sometimes be allowed to purify, test, teach or strengthen the soul. The Book of Job tells us to trust God in all circumstances. Job vindicated both himself and God by remaining faithful. He proved it is possible to love God unconditionally.

Historical accuracy. Some look upon the entire contents of the book as an invented parable that is neither historical nor intended to be considered historical. No such man as Job ever lived. Catholic commentators, however, almost without exception, hold Job to have existed and nothing in the text makes it necessary to doubt his existence. Job, therefore, has a basis of fact, with which have been added some imaginative extras. However, what is related by the poet in the prose prologue and epilogue is mostly historical. Although much has been written about the Book of Job, no consensus has been reached about the date and origins of the book. The Hebrew of the book of Job is arguably the most difficult to understand and interpret in the Bible.

Divine authority of the book. The Catholic Church teaches that the book was inspired by the Holy Spirit and belongs to the genre of wisdom literature.

Main Characters. The main characters in the Book of Job are Job himself, and his three friends Eliphaz, Baidad and Sophar. The problem facing all of these God-fearing men was the intensity of what happened to Job. Remember that he had lost all his considerable possessions, and his ten grown-up children had been swept away in a hurricane. And then to cap it all off his health had gone - not just feeling a bit off, but his whole body was covered with painful sores, evidently like having shingles all over the body. See Figure 2. Job is righteous and feisty, and his “friends’ are predictable. These main characters are briefly described here:

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Job. He is called the "persecuted one" - the one tempted by suffering. Job evidently did not belong to the chosen people and lived outside of Palestine. He and the other characters have no knowledge of Israelitic institutions. Even the name of God peculiar to the chosen people, Yahweh, is avoided in the poetic part of the book. Job was one of the most important and wealthy farmers in the region and had many employees.

Eliphaz, Baidad and Sophar. The most important of Job's three friends was Eliphaz (the eloquent) of Theman who was an Edomite. Themanites were famous for their wisdom. He was older than the already elderly Job. He consoled Job when he learned how terribly he had been afflicted. The second of Job's friends was Baidad (the brutal), who seems to have belonged to Northern Arabia. He may have been about the same age as Job. The third friend, Sophar (the zealous), was probably also an Arabian. The Hebrew text calls him a Naamathite. Naama was a small town in the region belonging to Juda, although Sophar seldom lived there. He was the most impetuous and dogmatic of the these friends. His words were exaggerated and his responses to Job seemed unkind.

Elihu is a young man who has kept silent during the talk of the three friends, but then tries to assemble their arguments against Job in a more persuasive way. God neither affirms nor rebukes him.

Figure 2: With his body covered in painful sores Job discusses his plight with his three friends Eliphaz, Baidad and Sophar who believe God sends calamities upon wicked people only. (Have we too ever been guilty of ignorant judgments comments about our friends?)

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Contents. The Book of Job is one of the most celebrated pieces of biblical literature, because it explores some of the most profound questions we humans ask about our lives, and also because it is well written. Job divides readily into a prologue in prose, a poetic main division, and an epilogue also in prose:

The prologue or back story narrates, in a direct and likeable “once-upon-a-time” manner (“There was a man in the land of Uz…”), how, with the permission of God, Job is tried by Satan with severe afflictions, to test his virtue. Figure 3. In succession Job bears several temptations with great patience, and without negative comment about God or wavering in his loyalty to Him. Then Job's three friends, Eliphaz, Baldad, and Sophar, attempt to console him. Their visit is also a trial. A key question raised in the prologue was "Will the righteous Job, once deprived of the good things of life, abandon and curse God?"

The poetical part of the book is a succession of speeches during the course of the temptation and is filled with dialogue that gives us insight into a variety of perspectives. The poetry of Job contains some of the most epic lines in the Bible: "Your own lips testify against you" (15:6), and "Where were you when I

Figure 3. God and Satan “arm-wrestle” over Job’s devotion once he is without wealth, children, and health. The painting is also a good depiction of our own struggles with good and evil. (I see the artist has painted a steely-eyed look of confident determination in God/Jesus' eyes, and Satan has been given rather winning biceps.)

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laid the foundation of the earth?" (38:4). The three friends are convinced that trouble is always a result of wrong-doing. They consider Job, therefore, a sinner and see his assertions of innocence as hypocrisy. Job is hurt by the their suspicion and protests that he is no evil-doer, and that God punishes him unjustly. In answering his friends Job emphasises that God indeed is accustomed to reward virtue and to punish wickedness. He proves that in this world this rule has many exceptions. Job says that his words are not to be taken too lierally, but are the involuntary expression of his pain. Job bore all his tests triumphantly, including those caused by his friends. In the middle of his sufferings he lauds God's power and wisdom. Satan, who had boasted that he could lead Job into sin is discredited. After much discussion Job succeeds in silencing the three friends, although he is not able to convince them of his innocence. At this juncture Eliu, a youth who was one of the company of listeners, explains that suffering, whether extreme or moderate, is not always a result of sin, rather it is a means by which God promotes virtue, and is therefore proof of God's love for his friends.

In the epilogue God bears witness to the innocence of Job. The three friends are commanded to obtain Job's intercession, otherwise they will be punished for their unjustified complaints. God forgives the three at the wishes of Job, who is restored to double his former prosperity.

Book design, theme and truths. The dominant theme of Job is the difficulty of understanding why God allows good people to suffer. The Book of Job questions the idea evil is a punishment for bad behaviour. What it stresses is that God's wisdom guides all the world’s happenings. Job as a story is also consolation for sufferers, although suffering is not the central theme. The focus is on what Job learns from his suffering - the sovereignty of God. We learn that misfortune is not a sign of hatred, but often proof of divine love. Several truths can be found in the Book of Job, but here are three that Thomas Aquinas has identified:

1. Compassion, not condemnation, creates bonds among people. People need to be comforted in their time of loss and not blamed for being in difficult circumstances. If we take the stand of condemnation rather than compassion, we stop healthy relationships developing. (This is certainly Pope Francis’ philosophy).

2. Forgiveness and prayer help build community. After exonerating him, God asks Job to pray for his friends. God’s desire is that Job forgives those who tried to correct him. Job readily complies with this request. Understanding our role among our friends from God’s perspective helps us to build a healthy Christian community.

3. Relationships among friends and community members can be restored. The message is that what has been lost can regained. In this case, Job receives a new family (sadly, not the same one but he does seem to

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appreciate his new family immensely) plus double his former wealth. And his friendships are also restored.

Book Integrity. The prologue and epilogue are regarded by some as separate from the original work. However, the prologue is essential. Without it the story would not be intelligible. Otherwise on reading the rebukes of Eliu and Yahweh, we might side against Job. And without the epilogue the close of the story would be unsatisfactory - a defeat of the righteous. The Catholic view is that there is no reason for considering any part of the book does not belong to the original text. Also baseless is the suggestion that important parts of the story have been lost.

Condition of the Text. The most useful means for assessing the text are the translations from the Hebrew translation. The original of all these translations was essentially identical with the Massoretic Text and only unimportant differences are evident. Taken altogether, the Massoretic has preserved the original form of the text well, and needs only a small amount of correction. Punctuation does need some correction, for the punctuators did not always understand the often difficult text.

Time of Composition. The author of the book is unknown and the period when it was written cannot be exactly determined. Many considered the book to be the work of Job himself or Moses. It is now universally held that the book is not earlier than the reign of Solomon. On the other hand it is earlier than Ezechiel. It is natural supposition that the latter gained his knowledge of Job from the Book of Job, and not from any other sources. It is claimed that references to Job have also been found in Isaias, Amos, Lamentations, some of the Psalms, and Jeremiah. Many Catholic investigators assign the book to the reign of Solomon. Others, including Protestant investigators, assign the work to the post-Solomon perod.

Lessons. The book provides an answer to the challenge made by Satan, that is there are people who will serve God even in adversity, for God is worthy of our praise in addition to the blessings He provides. Job’s journey shows that we can have hope even if everything we love is gone because as long as we believe in God there is hope. The Book does not present definitive answers to why innocent people suffer, but does makes these points:

1. God’s workings are beyond our ability to understand.2. We must trust God no matter the circumstances. 3. Suffering is not necessarily the result of our sin. 4. Suffering may compliment one’s spirituality.

God does finally appear out of an whirlwind, stonewalling Job with rhetorical questions, saying, “Who do you think you are for daring to try to make sense of why I do things?” Important to Catholic spirituality is the emphasis on surrender to God. Therefore, should we suffer loss, fall ill or encounter pain, we should surrender ourselves to the will of God. While the Book of Job contains some incorrect advice from Job's well-meaning friends, the “Catholic Answers Forum”

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(http://forums.catholic. com/showthread.php?t=112580), suggests that Job also provides us with the following lessons for christian life:

1. “Avoid falsehood and deceit (Job 31:5).2. Do not let the ends justify the means) (Job 31:7).3. Practise generosity (Job 31:16-23).4. Do not become complacent in times of prosperity (Job 31:24-28).5. Do not make our success depend on the failure of others (Job 31:29).6. Admit our mistakes (Job 31:33).7. Do not try to get something for nothing (Job 31:38-40).”

Some Concluding Thoughts

Job is an ancient attempt to grapple with the problem of good and evil. Remarkably, it does not suggest that Job brought about his own suffering. True, it depicts Job's friends as saying exactly that, but the book does not convey that message. For the time when it was written, this is surely an astounding insight. While the book does not solve the problem, this is hardly surprising - the problem remains unsolved today (perhaps the message is that there is no answer).

Job is certainly a thought-provoking book. Some would say it is a theodicy - an attempt to justify God’s ways. It challenges the prevailing religious ideology of a retribution, and attempts to explain why bad things happen to good people. However, in attempting to do so the book is preoccupied with the male situation, whereas Job’s wife is unnamed and hardly mentioned, yet she fully suffers along with her husband for the duration of the story. For example, apart from her concerns about her husband’s situation and her material and status losses, imagine her distress as a mother who delivered and brought up 10 children, to then suffer the grief of their deaths. (She produced another ten later on!) In these circumstances a feminist interpretation of the book seems entirely appropriate. (And I wonder if we can expect in the future biblical criticisms from other points of view? For example, the Bible has many references to cripples and beggars. Perhaps the Bible could also be interpreted from their perspective?) An important purpose of Job is to show us that the proper relationship between God and man is based on man's submissive trust. God is always in control even if it appears that evil is. Satan is only allowed to operate within boundaries set by God. For example, Satan was not allowed to take Job's life. Job is unaware of the reason why he is suffering and the Bible does not give a simple answer. One might conclude that there is no close relationship between suffering and sin. Importantly, just because Christians suffer does not mean God is punishing us for some sin. Such suffering may occur for reasons that we don’t understand. (Incidentally, I equate this mystery, irreverently perhaps, to me insisting on periodically washing my dog, Robbie, and clipping his toenails, and then after the stressful ordeal I reward him with a treat. Robbie does not understand the greater need for such torture, but tolerates the experience and seems to continuing loving me regardless.)

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Yet the Book of Job does seems to contradict some of my beliefs. Although as a Catholic I should probably not put my own interpretation on the Bible (unless it agrees with the tradition of the Catholic Church), I nevertheless find it peculiar that God made a bet with Satan and it seems unlikely that God would say, “ Go mess up Job, his family and take away his possessions.” Nor would I expect God to reward or compensate people with material riches. According to the Bible, a rich man cannot enter Heaven, yet God eventually rewarded Job by making him super rich. Further, the Book of Job suggests that a family is expendable and replaceable, and wrongs can be righted with a gift of property. This ending does not seem entirely appropriate given that Christians would seek the love of family and God more so than material riches. And as the metaphor in Matthew 19:24 tells us, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (Albeit that the “Eye of a Needle” may have been a narrow gate in Jerusalem’s wall.)

The story of Job sustained my interest even when I still struggle to properly understand a world where innocent people are unjustly punished. Some readers might conclude that we human beings are simply pawns in a cosmic chess game as in Greek mythology, and should we pray, are we committing the same mistake as Job given that God knows best regardless of what we pray? Anyway, no matter what one’s opinion is or what one’s religion is, Job deals with the question that we all ask: “Why do innocent people suffer?” Job is a book, one might say, the book, to answer this this question. While God never really answers this question, this story often serves to comfort people experiencing difficulties. The conclusion is “because God is God.” His reasons transcend our comprehension. But, reader, would we stay staunch knowing that the goodness of God will eventually win out? Thus, perhaps an equally important question is, "Why does Job remain faithful to God?"

The following two statistics, which I found curious, invite some comment, although I don’t think they are very important and they certainly don’t distract us from the story and the main messages (which I suggest are - not all suffering is merited, and overall, God is in control):

1. The Scriptures say that Job lived to see four generations of his offspring (Job 42:16), but 140 years (or even longer if he lived for 140 years after his trials) is a stretch, although Methuselah lived for an amazing 969 years. One explanation is that the biblical calendar of the time was different from today’s calendar. Possibly some ages were based on Lunar cycles each of which is about 28 days. (And Robbie, my dog, thinks they may have been “dog years” were 140 years = 573 dog years, and he even suggests an Animal Exegesis is needed, but I dismissed this foolishness.)

2. And giving birth to 20 children is considerable and doubtlessly exhausting (but certainly possible, even without multiple births), assuming too that the biblical interpretation is correct, and there was no new Mrs Job. (It took four women to present Jacob with 13 children, 12 sons and one daughter.)

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Given my Filipino ties, the story of Job came to mind when I heard the sad news this week of Typhoon Koppu in the Philippines where live some 76 million Catholics. Typhoon Koppu’s current toll is at least 23 people dead, some 16,000 villagers displaced and their homes trashed. A Filipino priest at the scene told the Press, “The faith of our people is undeterred; we take strength from the suffering. Our faith is not threatened or destroyed by such events.” Asked why would God allow a storm to claim the lives of innocents and cause immense suffering and material losses, the priest explained: “We are being tested by God, to see how strong our faith is; to see if our faith is true. He wants to know that we have faith in Him in bad times, as well as in good times.” Indeed, Filipino faith in God remains strong despite several of his congregation having lost all their possessions, and watched family members get drowned. Amid the wreckage, water, mud and emotional pain, one woman said, “God for us is something positive and beautiful. Material things are secondary. We are strong and resilient and will prevail through faith and unity.” The photos at Figure 4 capture the anguish.

And today I read of a massive earthquake in northern Afghanistan and Pakistan, killing some 300 people. According to Islamic scholars, such “natural disasters are a warning from God and how Allah Almighty tests His slaves.” Recall too the many deaths caused during the recent Hajj. Thus, the story of Job is ageless – as relevant now as when it was first written, regardless of our religious believes. Incidentally, a feminist exegesis of the highly misogynistic Koran would be a fertile field.

Finally, we might ask God why He allows poverty, suffering, and injustice when He could do something about it, but I’m afraid He would ask us the same question - since we are the culprits.

Appendix A. Principles for Catholic Exegesis

Figure 4: Photo on the left shows a distraught child and the other photo a father carrying the lifeless body of his daughter. Their faith in God makes their suffering tolerable. Perhaps such suffering makes for more-compassionate and humane people, more sympathetic to others’ misfortunes.

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REFERENCES:

The Holy Bible, Authorised King James Version, World Bible Publishers, Iowa, 1986

Rev James A Black, The Old Testament: God’s Word to His People, Ave Maria Press, Indiana, 1982

Lawrence Boadt, Reading the Old Testament – An Introduction, Paulist Press, New York, 1984

Hugh Hill, The Heart of the Bible, Monarch Books, 2013

Robert Sutherland, Putting God on Trial: The Biblical Book of Job, 2006

http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2009/08/a-catholic-reflection-on-the-meaning-of-suffering/

http://www.bible-researcher.com/catholic-interpretation.html#Conclusion

Abigail Pelham, Contested Creations in the Book of Job, Library of Congress

http://dhspriory.org/thomas/SSJob.htm

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08413a.htm

http://www.enotes.com/topics/book-job#critical-essays-book-job-further-reading

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/blogging_the_bible/features/2007/the_complete_book_of_job/the_book_of_jobs_enthralling_baffling_conclusion.html

http://agapegeek.com/2010/09/07/understanding-the-book-of-job-an-overview-of-what-it-is-and-what-it-is-not-part-1/

https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=hylRZWDiKMEC&pg=PA221&lpg=PA221&dq=feminist+biblical+exegesis+book+of+job&source=bl&ots=3JawnzP9DC&sig=ryNtAbSKQwrNq-_4JHDHVHgJiHA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCIQ6AEwAWoVChMIibaQ3IiryAIV5mKmCh2PcAW6#v=onepage&q=feminist%20biblical%20exegesis%20book%20of%20job&f=false

https://www.google.co.nz/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=feminist+biblical+exegesis+book+of+job

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/jul/26/judaism-job-philosophy

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http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?pid=S1010-99192013000300016&script=sci_arttext

http://www.rbsp.info/rbs/JOB/j2a.html

http://www.todayschristianwoman.com/articles/2011/may/mostmisunderstood.html?start=4http://www.biblicalresearch.info/page801.html

http://www.enotes.com/topics/book-job

http://executableoutlines.com/job/job_sg.pdf

https://bible.org/seriespage/6-job-32-%E2%80%93-42-job%E2%80%99s-conclusions

http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/922129/12866460/1308852658537/Sermons+from+the+Book+of+Job.pdf?token=P4MzaaRPVDlekJVwn5h3sSxtZmQ%3D

http://www.usccb.org/bible/job/0

http://www.catholic.org/bible/book.php?id=22

http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/index.cfm

http://www.bookofjob.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZKuixGmiMw

http://www.drbo.org/chapter/20042.htm

http://www.triumphpro.com/job-1.htm

http://soniclight.com/constable/notes/pdf/job.pdf

http://www.thesacredpage.com/2013/12/pope-francis-and-biblical-interpretation.html

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Appendix A. Principles for Catholic Exegesis

The following ten theses elaborated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011 for intertpreting the Bible (http://www.hprweb.com/2011/09/pope-benedict-xvi-theologian-of-the-bible/) help to ensure that our interpretation is in harmony with the faith of the Catholic Church and are not locked in history:

1. “The word of God must be approached with sympathetic understanding, a readiness to experience something new, and a readiness to be taken along a new path (cf. God’s Word, 116).

2. A true understanding of the Bible calls for a philosophy that is open to analogy and participation, and not based on the dogmatism of a worldview derived from natural science (cf. God’s Word, 118).

3. The exegete may not exclude, a priori, the possibility that God could speak in human words in this world, or that God could act in history and enter into it (cf. God’s Word, 116).

4. Faith is a component of biblical interpretation, and God is a factor in historical events (cf. God’s Word, 126).

5. Besides being seen in their historical setting and interpreted in their historical contexts, the texts of Scripture must be seen from the perspective of the movement of history as a whole and of Christ as the central event.

6. Because the biblical word bears witness to revelation, a biblical passage can signify more than its author was able to conceive in composing it (cf.God’s Word, 123).

7. The exegetical question cannot be solved by simply retreating into the Middle Ages or the Fathers, nor can it renounce the insights of the great believers of all ages, as if the history of thought began seriously only with Kant (cf. God’s Word, 114 and 125).

8. Dei Verbum envisioned a synthesis of historical method and theological hermeneutics, but did not elaborate it. The theological part of its statements needs to be attended to (cf. God’s Word, 98-99).

9. Exegesis is theological, as Dei Verbum taught, particularly on these points: (1) Sacred Scripture is a unity, and individual texts are understood in light of the whole. (2) The one historical subject that traverses all of Scripture is the people of God. (3) Scripture must be read from the Church as its true hermeneutical key. Thus, Tradition does not obstruct access to Scripture but

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opens it; and, conversely, the Church has a decisive say in the interpretation of Scripture (cf. God’s Word, 97).

10. Theology may not be detached from its foundation in the Bible or be independent of exegesis (cf. God’s Word, 93).”

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