And in the face of God, he began to assert that Job was righteous and God-fearing only because of his earthly happiness, with the loss of which all his piety would also disappear. To expose this lie, God allowed Job to experience all the disasters of earthly life.
Satan deprives him of all wealth, all servants and all children, and when even this did not shake Job, Satan struck his body with a terrible leprosy. The disease deprived him of the right to stay in the city: he had to retire outside of it and there, scraping the scabs on his body with a shard, he sat in the ashes and dung. Everyone turned away from him. Seeing his suffering, his wife said to him, “What are you waiting for? Renounce God and He will strike you with death!” But Job said to her, “You are talking like a fool. If we love to receive happiness from God, shouldn't we also endure misfortune with patience? Job was so patient. He lost everything and fell ill himself, endured insults and humiliations, but did not grumble, did not complain about God and did not say a single rude word against God. Job's friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar heard about Job's misfortune. For seven days they silently mourned his sufferings; Finally, they began to comfort him, assuring him that God is just, and if he suffers now, he suffers for some of his sins, which he must repent of. This statement came out of the general Old Testament notion that all suffering is the recompense for some unrighteousness. The friends who consoled him tried to find in Job any sins that would justify his unfortunate fate, as expedient and meaningful. But even in such suffering, Job did not sin against God with a single word of murmuring. After that, the Lord rewarded Job twice for his patience. He soon recovered from his illness and became twice as rich as before. He again had seven sons and three daughters. He lived after this in happiness for 140 years and died at a ripe old age, leaving everyone an example of patience.
see also
Links
- Article " Job» in the Electronic Jewish Encyclopedia
- Komarov S. G. On the Issue of Biblical Archetypes in the Drama of Edward Bond: Main Strategies for the Development of the Archetypal Image of Job // Electronic journal “Knowledge. Understanding. Skill ». - 2008. - No. 5 - Philology.
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See what "Job (in the Bible)" is in other dictionaries:
JOB, in the Bible a suffering righteous man; the main character of the book of Job (5-4 centuries BC?), the main theme of which is the test of Job's piety, overcoming suffering and misfortune, which are reported to him by the messengers of trouble ... Modern Encyclopedia
Job (Bib.)- JOB, in the Bible a suffering righteous man; the main character of the book of Job (5-4 centuries BC?), the main theme of which is the test of Job's piety, overcoming suffering and misfortune, which are reported to him by the messengers of trouble. … Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
And his friends. Artist I. Repin Book of Job part of the Bible, Old Testament, Tanakh. The story of Job is set out in a special biblical book, the Book of Job, which occupies a place in the Bible between the book of Esther, it is also the book of Esther and the Psalter, they are also Psalms, they are ... ... Wikipedia
Job is a remarkable hierarch of the time of Peter the Great. Origin, year and place of birth are unknown. In 1697, he was consecrated from the abbots of the Trinity Sergius Lavra to the metropolitans of Novgorod. Job was far ahead of his age and was one of the most zealous ... ... Biographical Dictionary
From the Bible. In the Old Testament, in the Book of Job, there is a story about a certain Job, who was distinguished by his virtuous life. This irritated Satan, and he decided to argue with God, arguing that if Job, who had a large, happy family and ... ... Dictionary of winged words and expressions
- (possibly, from Heb. hostile): 1) the son of Issachar (Genesis 46:13). Elsewhere in the Bible he is called Jashuv (Numbers 26:24; 1 Chronicles 7:1); 2) see the Book of Job... Brockhaus Bible Encyclopedia
I in the Bible is a righteous man (along with Daniel and Noah). II (in the world Ivan) (? 1607), the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1589 1605). A supporter of the election of Boris Godunov to the kingdom. He founded the Donskoy Monastery (1591). Refused to be king... encyclopedic Dictionary
JOB- [heb. , Arab. ; Greek ᾿Ιώβ], the Old Testament forefather, about whom the Old Testament canonical book, named after him (see the Book of Job), tells. The memory of I. in the Jerusalem Charter was celebrated on May 22, but the main day of his memory was May 6. AT… … Orthodox Encyclopedia
This page is proposed to be renamed. Explanation of reasons and discussion on the Wikipedia page: To rename / March 6, 2012. Perhaps its current name does not comply with the norms of the modern Russian language and / or the rules for naming articles ... ... Wikipedia
Job is a biblical character (Heb. "dejected, persecuted") - the name of a famous biblical historical figure. He was the greatest righteous man and an example of faith and patience, although he did not belong to the chosen family of Abraham. He lived in the land of Uz, in the sowing. part of Arabia, "was blameless, just and God-fearing and moved away from evil," and for his wealth "was more famous than all the sons of the East." He had seven sons and three daughters, who made up a happy family. This happiness was envied by Satan and in the face of God began to assert that Job was righteous and God-fearing only because of his earthly happiness, with the loss of which all his piety would disappear. In order to expose this lie and strengthen the faith and patience of his righteous man, God gave I. to experience all the disasters of earthly life. Satan deprives him of all wealth, all servants and all children, and when this did not shake J., Satan struck his body with a terrible leprosy. The disease deprived him of the right to stay in the city: he had to retire outside of it and there, scraping the scabs on his body with a shard, he sat in the ashes and dung. Everyone turned away from him; even his wife spoke contemptuously of the results of his piety. But I. did not show a single word of complaint about his position. His friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar heard about I.'s misfortune. For seven days they silently mourned his sufferings; Finally, they began to comfort him, assuring him that God is just, and if he suffers now, he suffers for some of his sins, which he must repent of. This statement, which came out of the general Old Testament idea that all suffering is retribution for some kind of untruth, upset I. even more, and in his speeches he expressed faith in the inscrutable fate of God, before which human logic must admit its complete impotence. Although the true cause of the disasters that befell I. remained incomprehensible to him, he believed in the truth of God and, feeling his own righteousness before God, he won precisely by his boundless faith. Satan has been defeated; God healed I. from leprosy and enriched him twice as much as before. He again had seven sons and three daughters, and he again became the patriarch of a happy family. "And I. died in old age, full of days." - This story is set forth in a special biblical book - "Book I.", which occupies a place in the Russian Bible between the book of Esther and the Psalter. This is one of the most remarkable and at the same time difficult for exegesis books. There are many different opinions about the time of its origin and the author, as well as about the nature of the book itself. According to some, this is not a story at all, but a pious fiction, according to others, the book mixes historical reality with mythical decorations, and according to others, accepted by the church, this is a completely historical story about a real event. The same fluctuations are noticeable in opinions regarding the author of the book and the time of its origin. According to one, I. himself was its author, according to others - Solomon, according to others - an unknown person who lived no earlier than the Babylonian captivity. The general impression that comes from considering the internal and external features of the book is in favor of its antiquity, which, moreover, can be determined with sufficient probability. The history of I. dates back to the time before Moses, or at least to earlier than the widespread distribution of the Pentateuch of Moses. Silence in this story about the laws of Moses, patriarchal features in life, religion and customs - all this indicates that I. lived in the pre-Moses era of biblical history, probably at the end of it, since signs of higher development are already visible in his book public life. I. lives with considerable brilliance, often visits the city, where he is met with honor, as a prince, a judge and a noble warrior. He has indications of courts, written accusations and correct forms of legal proceedings. People of his time knew how to observe celestial phenomena and draw astronomical conclusions from them. There are also indications of mines, large buildings, the ruins of tombs, as well as major political upheavals, in which entire peoples, who hitherto enjoyed independence and prosperity, were plunged into slavery and distress. You can generally think that I. lived during the stay of the Jews in Egypt. I.'s book, with the exception of the prologue and epilogue, is written in highly poetic language and reads like a poem, which has been translated into verse more than once (we have translated by F. Glinka). Book I. had numerous interpreters, from ancient times to the latest. Of the ancients, it was interpreted by Ephraim the Syrian, Gregory the Great, blessed. Augustine and others. The first of the newest commentators was the Dutchman Scultens (1737); he was followed by L ee, Welte, Gerlach, Habn, Schlottman, Delich, Renan, and others. In Russian literature, a major study of arch. Filaret, "The Origin of the Book of I." (1872) and N. Troitsky, "Book I." (1880-87).
Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron. - St. Petersburg: Brockhaus-Efron. 1890-1907 .
See what "Job the biblical character" is in other dictionaries:
Job the Long-suffering. A miniature from the Kyiv Psalter Job (Hebrew אִיּוֹב, Job, lit. “Dejected, persecuted”) is a biblical character, the hero of the book of Job. The greatest righteous man and a model of faith and patience, although he did not belong to the chosen family of Abraham. ... ... Wikipedia
- (Heb. dejected, persecuted) the name of a famous biblical historical figure. He was the greatest righteous man and an example of faith and patience, although he did not belong to the chosen family of Abraham. He lived in the land of Uz, in the sowing. parts of Arabia, was blameless, ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron
Job is a male given name of Hebrew origin. Known Bearers: Job A long-suffering biblical character, the hero of the Book of Job, which, according to tradition, was written by Moses. Job (c. 1525 1607) the first Patriarch of Moscow and all ... ... Wikipedia
Job the Long-suffering. A miniature from the Kyiv Psalter Job (Hebrew אִיּוֹב, Job (Iyyov, ʾIyyôḇ), lit. “Dejected, persecuted”) is a biblical character, the hero of the book of Job. The greatest righteous man and a model of faith and patience, although he did not belong ... Wikipedia
JOB- [heb. , Arab. ; Greek ᾿Ιώβ], the Old Testament forefather, about whom the Old Testament canonical book, named after him (see the Book of Job), tells. The memory of I. in the Jerusalem Charter was celebrated on May 22, but the main day of his memory was May 6. AT… … Orthodox Encyclopedia
IMMUNODEFICIENCY- honey. Immunodeficiencies are independent diseases (nosological forms) and concomitant syndromes characterized by insufficiency of the immune system. The frequency of 1 in 500 babies is born with a defect in the immune system Significantly more ... ... Disease Handbook
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- (Hebrew מלכת שְׁבָא, Malkat Shva) “Holy Makeda, Queen of Sheba” modern icon Gender: Female ... Wikipedia
Queen of Sheba (Hebrew מלכת שְׁבָא, Malkat Shva) “Holy Makeda, Queen of Sheba” modern icon Gender: Female. Period of life: X century BC. e. Name in other languages ... Wikipedia
The name of a person, bestowed upon baptism and especially upon entering the path of serving God, connects his life with the life of those who also bear this name and are honored by the Church, sometimes determining its direction and serving as a beacon. And on the day of memory of St. Job of Moscow - April 5/18 - we decided to recall the story of the Old Testament Job the Long-suffering. His feat teaches not only steadfast patience of sorrows and torments. This book of the Old Testament is interpreted figuratively by the Fathers of the Church, and we Christians need to remember and know this. Job is one of the images that fuse the history of mankind into a single whole.
So why does the Lord test Job, what does he want to lead him to? What are the representative meanings of this Old Testament story? How are the contradictions explained? We talk about this with the theologian Peter Malkov.
The Holy Fathers wrote about the life of the long-suffering Job as an instructive example for all of us. But does the Old Testament Book of Job teach only the patient bearing of sorrows? Or is there another meaning to this story? St. Ambrose of Milan, for example, wrote: “No one loved God more than Job”…
Of course, it is also a school of piety for those who are in. But not only this is its significance for us Christians. And that quote that you remembered sounds a little different. St. Ambrose of Milan says: “No one loved Christ more than Job." This is the angle we need to take this story from.
Job, by his sufferings, represents Christ, His sacrifice on the cross. And let me remind you that he lived in the pre-Old Testament era - before Moses: Job was one of the descendants of Esau and lived several generations after Abraham. And the history of the pre-legal (that is, before the law that was received by Moses on Mount Sinai) Job's suffering prepares the ancient man for the coming meeting with Christ and for understanding the meaning of Christ's suffering, which will be revealed in the Incarnation.
The story of Job is one of the Old Testament stories that taught the Old Testament man who he should expect, in whom he should hope - in God Who will become a Man and how a Man will suffer for the world and save the world through His suffering.
The Old Testament, according to the conviction of all the ancient holy fathers, is a book primarily about Christ
Generally speaking, the Old Testament, according to all the ancient holy fathers, is a book primarily about Christ. This is the story of the salvation of the human race and the path of mankind to meet God who became Man. And the Old Testament is seen as filled with types (in Greek - types) of the coming coming of Christ and the salvation He accomplished. St. John Chrysostom says that the Old Testament is a sketch, a charcoal sketch, which will then be painted with the colors of the New Testament reality of the coming of Christ into the world. Some ancient interpreters liken the New Testament to a shadow that is cast into the Old Testament past. This shadow comes from the Church of Christ. Just imagine the building of a church, a Christian temple on a bright sunny day. But we turn our backs to it and see only the shadow of this building, we do not see it ourselves. However, by its shadow, one can guess that this is a temple. We can even make out the outline of a cross on its dome. But we still don’t see the color of its walls, or the location of doors and window openings, we don’t know the exact proportions: only a gray shadow on the ground near us...
And in a similar way, the history of the Old Testament is perceived - as filled with prototypes of the New Testament. On the Old Testament, in the past, the shadow of the Church of Christ, as it were, falls, in which in the future the salvation desired by the people of the Old Testament will be realized. The sun, thanks to which this shadow appears, is a symbol of Christ Himself, Who is the “Sun of righteousness”, as the prophet Malachi prophesies about Him (Malach 4, 2). Similar shadows of various New Testament realities cast back into history were seen by the ancient saints, prophets, and forefathers. One of these testimonies, to which the Cross of Christ is especially vividly revealed - the shadow of this Cross cast into antiquity - is the story of Job. I repeat: Job foreshadows Christ's torments on the Cross with his sufferings.
After going through suffering, Job sees the Lord - the Lord reveals Himself to him as God incarnate
In addition, the thought of St. Ambrose that no one loved Christ more than Job actualizes the finale of this story: at the end of the path of Job’s suffering, the Lord reveals Himself to him precisely as the coming Savior. And the words of Job: “I heard about You with the ear of the ear; now my eyes see Thee,” according to the conviction of both St. Ambrose of Milan, and Blessed Jerome of Stridon, and Deacon Olympiodorus of Alexandria, they are explained precisely by the fact that the Lord reveals Himself to Job as the incarnate God. Of course, He does not yet come to Job as God already incarnated. The very fact of the Incarnation will come true many centuries later. But prophetically, Job sees and predicts the coming Christ. Sees the face of God become Man.
That is why the ancient commentators speak of the Christological meaning of this book. And they write that Job, as a result of his sufferings, was given a new, perfect knowledge about God - knowledge about Him as the Wisdom of God, about the Son of God, incarnating and becoming a Man.
In the words spoken by Job about God, there is also gratitude for the sorrows sent, but there is also a kind of “goal fighting”, reproaches and grumbling against God - after all, Job curses the day of his birth and even the day of his conception. How to understand such a contradiction?
This question has been raised by many commentators. In general, the Book of Job is one of the most difficult to understand. And many modern interpreters offer their own vision of the meaning of this book, which differs from the patristic. So, in modern Catholic exegesis, Job is sometimes even spoken of as a proud man (for example, Pierre Dumoulin writes about this). Job is allegedly sinfully proud of his righteousness, but reproaches God, because God unfairly sends grief to him, such a wonderful person. And from the point of view of some Catholic interpreters, the repentance that Job brings at the end of this story is repentance for pride.
Orthodox interpreters, of course, do not understand at all the meaning of Job's experiences and reproaches addressed to God. Let's not forget what we have already said: no one loved the Lord more than Job. His reproaches are the reproaches of someone who sincerely loves the Lord, but for some reason does not meet, does not see reciprocal love. Job burns with love for God - one can compare his feeling with the feeling of a man in love, but it seems to him that God does not respond to his love in any way. So these are not words of hatred, not malice, but unrequited love. As Alexander Matveyevich Bukharev, a Russian exegete of the 19th century, correctly wrote about this, “Love always spoke in Job’s speeches, but love not glorifying, but perplexed and complaining about the Beloved Himself.”
As for the curse of the birthday and conception ... Usually, the ancient church interpreters say that Job curses not his personal and specific day of conception and birthday, but the birthday and conception of every person living in a fallen sinful world. Job yearns for the fullness of communion with God, the presence of God, the fullness of union with God, and he sees and understands that in a fallen world this is impossible. Because the world lies in sin and people commit sins. And that state of heavenly bliss as perfect communion with God, in which Adam and Eve lived, no longer exists after the fall. This is what we call original sin, which dominates the entire human race. And original sin, according to the teachings of the Church, is precisely transmitted through a passionate physiological birth, through the conception of a person. Connected with conception and birth, the inheritance of fallenness, which separates man from God, which erects barriers between God and man, is what Job curses. Although, of course, Job first of all mourns that God deprives him personally of communion with Himself.
But Job also has a certain erroneous view about which the holy fathers speak. And for him, Job, indeed, then brings repentance to the Lord. The fact is that Job mistakenly believes that the cause of his suffering, the source of his suffering, is God. It seems to him that it is from God that all the misfortunes, all the torments that happen to him come from. Remember what Job answers to his wife when she invites him to blaspheme God. Job says: “Shall we not receive evil from God?” This is a big mistake, because nothing evil, bad, bad comes from God. God only allows evil, and evil, temptations come from Satan.
This is the most important topic, directly connected with the true causes of Job's suffering, and with the instrument of these sufferings, which - paradoxical as it may sound - Satan involuntarily becomes in the hands of God. If we carefully read the text of the 1st chapter of the Book of Job, we will notice a very strange thing: when Satan comes to God, God is the first to tell Satan about Job, that he is holy, blameless: “Have you paid attention to My servant? Job? God, as it were, is pushing Satan to what will happen next. What is happening can be called, pardon me for such an expression, “divine provocation”. Because God Himself pushes Satan to the idea that Job should be tempted, that we should try to destroy him. But these temptations themselves, of course, will no longer be carried out by God, but by the devil.
- Why should he be tempted?
The answer to the question: Why should Job be tempted? - is directly related to the answer to the question: Why does Job suffer? Job needs to suffer in order to achieve spiritual perfection. In order to personally be honored with a meeting with God. Previously, Job only heard about God, as he himself says, but, having endured suffering, he already sees God. He sees God coming into the world to incarnate. God needs Job to do more than just remain a godly, kind man who believes in the true Creator. God needs much more from Job... We know that before the beginning of his suffering, Job believed in the true God, he offered sacrifices for his sons, being a priest outside the priestly family, like Melchizedek from the Book of Genesis. He does not belong to the family of Aaron, he does not even belong to the Jewish people, and yet, living in a pagan environment, Job performs a true priestly service to God. He is a priest of the Most High God, the God of Heaven. But he is capable of more. And the Lord sees the potential of every person, the extent to which a person can achieve holiness. Job has such a huge measure. And the Lord allows him suffering and temptations, so that through these sufferings and temptations he reaches the ultimate perfection - the maximum ultimate perfection, which would open up for him the opportunity for a personal meeting with God, for reaching the pinnacle of holiness, prophecy, for understanding God-revealed truth. After all, through suffering a person improves ...
Job's suffering is a kind of hardening agent. And so God pushes Satan to temptation
Job's suffering is a kind of hardening agent. And so God pushes Satan to temptation. Satan involuntarily turns out to be an instrument in the hands of God in order for Job to achieve even greater perfection.
All this, by the way, is directly related to the question of the causes and circumstances of action in the world of evil. God often turns evil into good. And even the maximum moral evil, the ultimate evil, He makes serve as an instrument for the triumph of perfect truth, perfect holiness. Take, for example, the death on the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. It would seem that the ultimate triumph of evil: the world, at the instigation of Satan, kills its God. But through this the world is saved, and evil turns into the triumph of the salvation of the entire universe, the entire human race in Christ, who has risen and redeemed the entire human race with His blood. It is the same in the Book of Job. Unjust suffering, unjust torment, which, it would seem, has no basis, because Job is holy, righteous, he reaches the utmost perfection, as far as it is possible in the pre-Christian time for a person who has not yet been redeemed. And, being, having become ready for this through elevating suffering, he is rewarded with a direct meeting with his Creator. He communicates face to face with God. So the suffering of Job is the suffering of about chewing.
Many perceive suffering as a punishment, and from this point of view they ask the question: why do the righteous people suffer, while the ungodly live in contentment and joy?
There is, of course, some truth in the words of Job's friends, who say that God sends suffering to a person to correct some of his sins. There is a famous saying: "Until the thunder breaks out, the peasant will not cross himself." She's just about that. A person who does not want to be enlightened, who does not want to overcome his sin, who does not want to start living a moral life, is sometimes enlightened by God through suffering, through the misfortunes that occur in his life. Only when suffering, such a person can come to the temple, because he feels that he cannot cope with troubles on his own. And then he can change his life - become a Christian. And in this sense, suffering is a kind of divine punishment. But this is not a punishment that dooms a person to torment because of Divine hatred, but a punishment of love, in the biblical image: whom God loves, he punishes - for the sake of correction and repentance of the sinner. At the same time, the Lord does not send the cross to anyone beyond his strength. This is also an important topic. And if we talk about Job, then he, like any other person, probably also had a certain ultimate trait of stamina and patience, and if it had been crossed, he would not have endured suffering. And the Lord limits the hostile activity of Satan against Job by certain conditions. And the extreme condition here remains: “Only save his soul” - that is, do not deprive him of his life. And besides - do not take away his mind. Because if Job loses his mind, then in madness he can begin to grumble at God with hatred and enmity. This condition is also set here by God to Satan.
As you can see, God allows Satan to act against a person, but He limits this activity of his, so that the cross that we bear in our sufferings does not exceed our actual strength.
But back to the topic of suffering as punishment. Such a punishment for admonishment can be sent to some people. And we must speak honestly about this and understand it honestly. For many, sorrow is the answer to their sins, to their enmity against God.
However, for the righteous, as I said, suffering is an opportunity to ascend to a higher spiritual level. Just as metal on an anvil is tempered by hammer blows and becomes stronger, of better quality, so the righteous, who suffers and carries the cross with humility and love for God, ascends to new and new degrees of perfection. Job's suffering led to a personal meeting with God, to the dialogue that was between God and him.
This conversation between Job and God is bewildering: God does not answer Job's questions, but Himself asks them. Why? And why does He not reveal to Job the true cause of his suffering?
No, in fact, God directly and clearly reveals the true cause of Job's suffering. And here's what you need to keep in mind. Today we most often read the Book of Job according to the text of the Russian Synodal translation of the 19th century. But our ancestors also knew the Church Slavonic text, translated from the Greek original of the Septuagint. This is an ancient Old Testament translation, very authoritative for the Church, which was known as early as the 3rd century BC; it was they who used the Greek holy fathers - the interpreters of the Book of Job. The Russian translation was made from the Hebrew Masoretic text, in its final form much later, dating back to the 1st millennium after the Nativity of Christ. The two texts differ from each other in many details. When the ancient Byzantine holy fathers interpreted the Book of Job, they read the Greek text, which corresponds in meaning to our Church Slavonic. And if we translate from Greek into Russian what God says at the end of the conversation to Job (this thought is also in our Slavic Bible), then this one will sound like this: “Do not distort My definition. Do you think that I dealt with you for any other purpose than that you be revealed righteous? Here the meaning of Job’s suffering is directly explained: everything that happened to him was allowed by God to Job in order for him to be “revealed righteous” (in the Russian synodal translation, this verse sounds completely different in meaning).
What does it mean to be "revealed righteous"? First of all, as a warning to people. First, because the story of Job's suffering teaches us how to bear affliction. But she teaches us not only this. Job is a type of Christ. The righteousness of Job is a type of the righteousness of Christ. And the suffering of the holy, righteous and innocent Job is a type of the suffering of Christ. By the example of Job we learn the meaning of the Cross of Christ. And finally, this is an example of the fact that only those who will live a holy humble life and endure suffering and sorrow holy and pious, will be worthy of a meeting with God, tempered by these sufferings. So God here directly explains to Job what happened to him.
As for the questions that God asks Job... This is how God instructs Job. By His inquiries, God shows that He arranged the world mysteriously, wisely, beautifully, and that it is not possible for a person to penetrate into all these greatest mysteries of the Divine plan for the universe. All this directly brings Job (and us together with him) to the theme of the Wisdom of God, Whom and in accordance with Whom everything was created; and the Hypostatic Wisdom of God is Christ before His incarnation, as He Himself revealed to people in the Old Testament. “I, wisdom ... I have advice and truth; I am understanding, I have strength ”(Wisdom 8, 12, 14). And here - in this speech of the Lord addressed to Job - just, according to the ancient interpreters, there is a hint of the coming Christ, as Wisdom incarnate, Who arranged everything, prepared everything for the good of man in the world and Who herself will save man through the cross and resurrection. And here is also an indication of the Wise and eternal plan that has existed from time immemorial - the plan for the salvation of man. Because God, even before creating the world, by His absolute foreknowledge and omniscience knows that Adam will sin, and creates the world in such a way that in this world a person can be saved. He creates the world in such a way and the man himself in such a way as to unite with us in the Incarnation of God - for the sake of victory over sin.
And this is a hymn to the beauty of the world, which God sings on the pages of the Book of Job, this is a hymn to the most wise arrangement of the universe - there is a veiled promise to the righteous of the Lord Himself to come into this world and save it.
In addition, God tells Job about two terrible animals - Leviathan and a hippopotamus. Both of these animals are images of Satan. And the Lord shows Job that man is not able to cope with them on his own. It speaks of the impotence of man before sin, which rules over the human race after the fall. About the fact that a person cannot save himself, cannot achieve perfection on his own, but in God he can do it.
Only in God does man find perfection, salvation, victory over sin. And God says: I am ready to help, and I have prepared everything perfectly and wisely so that you can cope with sin in Me.
The Lord thus answers the question of Job - Himself asking him questions. And so he teaches him the mystery of Christ and the mystery of salvation through the Cross and victory over Satan, over hell.
- How does the patristic tradition explain the causes of Job's suffering?
The ancient holy fathers regard Job's suffering as a painful, but at the same time, wonderful gift sent down to him from God, elevating him to even greater spiritual perfection, to about zheniya. According to St. Gregory the Great, everything that happened to the sufferer, the Lord, as it were, says to him: “You were condemned to be crowned, you were condemned to become an object of wonder for all under heaven. Before suffering, you were known only in one corner [of the earth], but after suffering, the whole world will know about you. The dung-cart in which you sat will become more glorious than any royal crown. The crowned bearers will want to see you, your labors and deeds. I made your dunghill a paradise, I cultivated it for piety, I planted celestial trees on it ... For this, it was I who put you to the test, not in order to destroy you, but to crown, not in order to shame, but to glorify ... Although you do not have that sinful thing that should be corrected, you still have something that should be increased ”- that is, elevated to even greater spiritual greatness. And here is what St. John Chrysostom writes about the sufferings of Job: “The king sitting on the throne is not so brilliant, how glorious and resplendent was Job sitting on the dung: after the royal throne, death, and after this dung, the Kingdom of Heaven.”
- Why did Job's wife try to force him to blaspheme against God? And who is this woman, what is she like?
Many ancient fathers point out that the temptation of Job is on the rise. First he loses his property, then his children, one misfortune is replaced by another, less terrible more terrible. And the last temptation - from the closest and dearest person, from the person whom Job will listen to first of all - from his beloved wife. And this is Job's most subtle temptation. Satan, of course, works through the wife. St. John Chrysostom even admits the idea that it was Satan who could appear to Job in the form of a wife. Like some kind of ghost. But even if you don’t accept this assumption, you can’t get away from the obvious: Job’s wife, unlike Job himself, does not have a strong faith in God, she considers God to be the culprit of her husband’s suffering, she is convinced that God is evil and hates Job. And according to the Old Testament ideas, enemies are answered with enmity, hatred with hatred. The wife talks in a pre-Christian way.
The wife tempts Job as Eve tempted Adam. Job passes the test - and this is the first step to paradise
There is also a parallel with how Adam was tempted by Eve. Eve did not call on Adam to blaspheme God, but tempted him to break God's command - that is, to get out of obedience to God. Job endures the temptation that Adam once failed in Paradise. And this is a very important step for Job on the way to his meeting with God.
Adam and Eve in paradise, without repenting and not remaining faithful, lost God and were expelled from paradise. The temptation of Job, also through his wife, to which he does not give in, is the first step towards paradise.
- Why did the seemingly just words of Job's friends turn out to be distasteful to God?
There are several reasons and important semantic points. Job's friends are people, of course, pious in their own way: he would not be friends with sinful people. And much of what they say is considered by the Church as correct, as authoritative. Often the speeches of friends are even quoted in patristic writings and textbooks of dogmatics in support of certain doctrinal truths. And partly true are their words that the Lord punishes the sinner for sin. But applied to Job, these words turn out to be a slander against the righteous. Friends seem to be blind, considering Job a sinner. They are sure that sufferings are sent to him for sins, as well as to other sinners. But Job was righteous and holy! And God Himself testifies to this before Satan: “There is no one like him on earth: a man who is blameless, just, God-fearing and moving away from evil.” Job's friends do not understand or do not want to understand that through suffering a person can achieve a new spiritual perfection. That suffering is sent not only to sinners, but also to the righteous. In addition, they rationalize the doctrine of God and the understanding of God to the utmost. It seems to them that they know everything about God, because they are such wise, experienced, serious people.
And these two points are that Job’s friends speak the truth in general, but at the same time only part of it, and the fact that they approach the knowledge of God with the utmost rationality brings them, according to St. Gregory the Dialogist, to the New Testament heretics, whom Job's friends here, as it were, represent. Because the heretics also do not speak the whole truth. They take one part of the truth and discard the other. A classic example is the heresies of Nestorianism and Monophysitism. The Nestorians assert that Christ is a true Man, and in this they are right, but it is only necessary to add to what has been said that Christ is also a true God. The Monophysites say that Christ is the true God, and this is true, but it only needs to be added that He is also a true Man, that he has the fullness of human nature. But heretics do not pronounce the truth in its entirety, they take only part of it into service, and discard the other part, and therefore turn out to be heretics. And the fullness of truth is that Christ is true God and true Man.
And another feature of heresies is their rationalism. So, for example, the ancient extreme Arians - Aetius and Eunomius - tried to rationally penetrate the mysteries of the Holy Trinity with the help of certain graphs and diagrams. It didn't end well for them...
And because Job's friends judge God rationalistically and not as correctly as Job, God does not accept their words. But let's not forget that Job will sacrifice to the Lord for them and that God will forgive them for the sake of Job's love, for the sake of his intercession for them before Him.
- Let's summarize our conversation. What does the example of the long-suffering Job teach us?
We must never forget that the Lord is always with us.
Persistent enduring of sorrows, love for Christ, fidelity to God and hope and faith that even in the most terrible circumstances of life - with seeming God-forsakenness sometimes felt by a person, in prison, in illness, at the death of our loved ones - the Lord loves us, the Lord is near with us, always ready to help us, console us and bestow upon us endless and never-ending blessings. For someone - and in this life, but most importantly - for everyone in the future life eternal. Job is the image of suffering and the image of hope that is born through suffering.
Introduction.
Job and the Problem of Suffering. One of the world's most famous examples of undeserved suffering is recorded in the book of Job. Her main character, Job, a very rich and God-fearing man, lost all his property in a few hours, lost his children and health. Even his wife did not support him in the troubles that befell him, and advised him to die, having uttered a blasphemy against God before that. And then, as if wanting to aggravate Job's suffering, his friends appeared, from whom, instead of words of consolation, the unfortunate man heard words of condemnation. But the worst thing was that God, as it were, turned away from Job and for a long time did not answer him and did not come to his aid.
Job suffered materially and mentally, physically and spiritually. Everyone and everything was against him, not excluding, it seemed, God Himself, whom Job faithfully served. But he was a man blameless (1:1,8; 2:3) in spiritual and moral respects. Can more undeserved suffering be imagined? Shouldn't God bless such a righteous man instead of tormenting him? The story of the unsurpassed suffering of Job, who, being a wonderful citizen and an honest, just man, had so much and lost so much, raises a question about the nature of suffering, to which mankind is powerless to answer.
There is no person for whom it would be easy to comprehend the meaning of suffering, but it is especially difficult for those whom it comprehends undeservedly. Unless the pain is perceived by the sufferer as a punishment for sin, then it discourages, confuses. And it is to this mystery, the mystery of undeserved suffering, that the book of Job addresses itself, opening its veil so much that a person can understand that by allowing misfortune, God can have other goals besides punishment for sin.
The book also addresses the topic of attitudes towards suffering. Job's experience shows that a believing person who is experiencing a tragedy should not leave God. To question Him - yes, one should, but not to leave Him. Like Job, he may yearn for an explanation of what is happening to him; but, being unable to understand the reason for this, he must not "blaspheme" God. At some point, Job came close to doing just that, but he didn't; contrary to Satan's prediction, he did not deny God.
The book of Job teaches that it is not sinful to go to God with your "what" and "why" as Job did (3:11-12,16,20). It is sinful, however, to address Him in a demanding tone, as Job did (13:22; 19:7; 31:15), in a tone of challenge, trying to stand on a par with the Creator, who has unlimited power over creation.
The book of Job is called unparalleled in world literature. In its content, it reaches the heights of religious thought, and in its form it belongs to the best examples of poetry ever created by man. The often quoted words of Thomas Carlyle about this book are known: "I think that neither on the pages of the Bible itself, nor outside it, is anything written that would sound with the same force and could be compared in its literary merit with the book of Job."
The structure of the book itself is unique: it is an amazing combination of prose and poetry, monologue and dialogue. The prologue (chapters 1-2) and the epilogue (42:7-17) make up its prose part. But everything "between them" (with the exception of the introductory verses, which in most chapters begin another monologue) is a poetic part (in the original Hebrew). In principle, this combination of prose and poetry is also found in other ancient literary monuments of the Middle East, but it is not inherent in any of the other books of the Bible.
The author often uses irony. The work he created is, as it were, a "montage" of passionate speeches in court, the so-called "legal dispute" (the corresponding terms are often used both by Job himself and his friends, and by God). Job complains about his fate, about his "enemies" and about God.
The uniqueness of the book of Job is due to the richness of its vocabulary. It contains many words that are not found anywhere else in the Old Testament. Thus, the author of lions in 4:10-11 refers to three different words. He uses five synonyms to designate a trap (18:8-10) and five to designate darkness, gloom (3:4-6; 10:21-22). The dictionary of the book reveals the impact on the author, who wrote in Hebrew, of several ancient languages, it contains words of Akkadian, Arabic, Aramaic, Sumerian and Ugaritic origin.
The book of Job is replete with similes and metaphors, many of which are taken from the natural world. It deals with many "subjects" or themes, including astronomy, geography, hunting, zoology, travel; the use of "legal terms" in it was discussed above.
Author.
One can only speculate about the author of the book of Job and when it was written. The estimated period of its creation covers a significant part of the Old Testament time: from the days of Moses to the last centuries before the Nativity of Christ. No one knows the exact time of its writing, as well as the time of the events described in it. However, the appeal and charm of the book is only increased by the shroud of mystery that envelops it.
In terms of author speculation, they include Job himself as well as Elihu (Job's fourth friend who spoke at the end of the book; chapters 32-37). Jewish tradition attributes this book to Moses. The authorship of Solomon is assumed on the grounds that this king not only loved poetry, but was himself a poet (in particular, the author of Proverbs and the book of the Song of Songs of Solomon), and also because of some similarities between the book of Job and the book of Proverbs (for example, Job 28 and Prov. 8).
Some of the details of the lengthy conversations recorded in the book of Job may suggest that the initial notes of his experiences were made and perhaps put into a well-known literary form by Job himself. The 140 years that he lived after God returned to him everything that was taken from him is a sufficient period to re-think and write down the past.
Apparently, Job lived in the age of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that is, from about 2100 to 1900 BC). Let us dwell on the arguments in favor of this point of view.
1. After the disasters that befell him, Job lived, as is known, for another 140 years (42:16), so that in general he could live 200-210 years. And this, in general, corresponds to the length of the life of the patriarchs. Recall that Terah, Abraham's father, died at the age of 205; Abraham himself lived 175 years, Isaac 180, and Jacob died when he was 147 years old.
2. Job's wealth was measured by the abundance of his flocks (1:3; 42:12); we see the same with Abraham (Gen. 12:16; 13:2) and Jacob (Gen. 30:43; 32:5).
3. The Sabeans and Chaldeans (Job 1:15,17) were pastoral tribes in the days of Abraham, but later pastoralism ceased to be their main occupation.
4. The Hebrew word kesita (42:11), being translated into Russian as "one hundred coins", occurs twice more in the Old Testament: in Gen. 33:19 and in Jos. N. 24:32; both times it is used in relation to the patriarch Jacob.
5. Job's daughters inherited his "estate" along with their brothers (Job 42:15), which would have been impossible after the adoption of the Mosaic law, according to which a daughter could become an heiress only after the death of all her brothers (Num. 27:8) .
6. Literary works are known that are similar in one sense or another to the book of Job, which were written in Egypt and Mesopotamia during the lifetime of the patriarchs, or in the "patriarchal age".
7. In the book of Job we do not find any mention of the features or elements of life, everyday life that appear after the adoption of the Mosaic law by the Jews, as well as references to the provisions of this law (in particular, there is nothing about the priesthood, the tabernacle, religious rules and holidays ).
8. The name "Shaddai" (God Almighty) God is called in the book of Job 31 times (and, apart from that, only 17 times in the entire Old Testament). But that is what the patriarchs called God (commentary on Gen. 17:1; also Ex. 6:3).
9. In the book of Job, several proper names and geographical names that are associated with the patriarchal age attract attention. Here are a few examples: a) Sheba, the grandson of Abraham (Gen. 25:3) and "Sabeans", "Sabeans", derived from this name (Job 1:15; 6:19); b) Thema, another grandson of Abraham (Gen. 25:15) and the "roads of Thema" (from Thema) in Arabia (Job 6:19); c) Eliphaz, the son of Esau (Genesis 36:4) and Eliphaz, one of Job's "comforters" (Job 2:11; these two Eliphaz, however, were not necessarily the same person); d) Uz, Abraham's nephew (Gen. 22:21) and Uz, the place where Job lived (Job 1:1).
So, although it cannot be said for certain, Job may have lived in Jacob's day or some time later.
The name "Job" was a very common Western Semitic name in the 2nd millennium BC. It occurs in one of the Egyptian texts of the 19th century BC as the name of a certain prince. It is repeatedly found in the so-called Tel el-Amari lists (records), dating back to about 1400 BC, and in Ugaritic texts.
Book plan:
I. Prologue (chapters 1-2)
A. The character of Job (1:1-5)
1. Where Job lived and his piety (1:1)
2. About the wealth of Job and his prosperity (1:2-3)
3. About Job's offspring (1:4-5)
B. Job's tribulations (1:6 - 2:10)
1. First test (1:6-22)
2. Second test (2:1-10)
C. Job's Comforters (2:11-13)
II. Dialogues (3:1 - 42:6)
A. Job's desire to die (chapter 3)
1. Job's bitter regret at his birth (3:1-10)
2. Job's lamentations about not dying when he was born (3:11-26)
B. Exchange of speeches; first "round" (chapters 4-14)
1. First speech of Eliphaz (chapters 4-5)
2. Job's first answer to Elephaz (chapters 6-7)
3. Bildad's First Speech (Chapter 8)
4. Job's first answer to Bildad (chapters 9-10)
5. The first speech of Zophar (chapter 11)
6. Job's first answer to Zophar (chapters 12-14)
B. Exchange of speeches; second "round" (chapters 15-21)
1. Second speech of Eliphaz (chapter 15)
2. Job's second answer to Eliphaz (chapters 16-17)
3. Bildad's second speech (chapter 18)
4. Job's second answer to Bildad (chapter 19)
5. The Second Speech of Zophar (Chapter 2)
6. Job's second answer to Zophar (chapter 21)
D. Exchange of speeches; third "round" (chapters 22-31)
1. The third speech of Eliphaz (chapter 22)
2. Job's third answer to Eliphaz (chapters 23-24)
3. The third speech of Bildad (chapter 25)
4. Job's third answer to Bildad (chapters 26-31)
E. Elihu's four speeches (chapters 32-37)
1. Elihu's first speech (chapters 32-33)
2. Elihu's Second Speech (chapter 34)
3. The third speech of Elihu (chapter 35)
4. Fourth speech of Elihu (chapters 36-37)
F. Twice God spoke and Job answered Him (38:1 - 42:6)
1. God speaks for the first time (38:1 - 39:32)
2. Job's first response to God (39:33-35)
3. God speaks a second time (40:1 - 41:26)
4. Job's second answer to God (42:1-6)
III. Epilogue (42:7-17)
A. God condemns Job's friends (42:7-9)
B. God makes Job a rich man and a happy family man again (42:10-17)
The book of Job, a profound work of Jewish thought, one of the greatest creations in all the poetry of all peoples and times, occupies an absolutely lonely position in Jewish literature in its content. In form, it combines all types of poetry: its beginning and end have an epic character; its main middle part is written in the dramatic form of a conversation, which rises to lyricism in the descriptions of nature, and on the whole, the Book of Job has a didactic direction.
Job and his friends. Painting by Ilya Repin, 1869
Contents of a book.“There was a man in the land of Uz; his name is Job; and this man was blameless, just, and God-fearing, and shunned evil,” thus begins the epic introduction of the Book of Job. The land of Uz is part of southeastern Palestine. Job was the prince of a nomadic tribe. For his justice and fear of God, God rewarded him with all the blessings. Satan told the Lord that Job's piety is not disinterested: Job loves the Lord only because the Lord gives him wealth and happiness; if the Lord takes away his rewards for piety, he will cease to bless the Lord. The Lord gave Satan permission to test whether this was so, to expose Job to disasters.
One after another, severe disasters began to fall on Job. His flocks and servants perished. The house in which his sons and daughters were feasting fell and crushed them with its ruins. But the impoverished, childless Job remained firm in his devotion to the Lord. Satan asked for permission to subject Job's own body to suffering, and "struck Job with a fierce leprosy from the sole of his foot to the very top of his head." But even in this suffering, Job retained his devotion to the Lord. He said to his wife, who stirred him to murmuring: “Shall we accept good things from God, and shall we not receive evil?” And "Job did not sin with his mouth."
Book of Job. audiobook
Word of Job's misfortunes spread far and wide, and three of his friends from different places "came together to go together to mourn with him and console him. And when they lifted up their eyes from afar, they did not recognize him," so he changed from illness; - “and wept, and sat with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights,” finding no words of consolation. Finally, Job broke the heavy silence, and his grief poured out with complaints, curses of a painful life. His bitter words seemed impious to his friends; they began to prove to Job that God justly rewards and punishes people according to their deserts. One after another, they tried to prove to Job that if he was subjected to disasters, he should consider himself worthy of punishment from God by some sins. Job argues against them, says he feels innocent. He reproaches them for their ruthlessness towards him, and in his grief he sharply says that the wicked remain happy, while the righteous live in misery. His friends, all three, are indignant at such thoughts, call them impious, refute them with examples. Thus, a series of speeches goes on: Job's friends, in accordance with the concepts prevailing in the country, prove that God always treats people as people deserve, and that consequently Job's calamities are punishment for him for some sins; Job continues to claim that he suffers innocently and continues to give examples of the wicked going unpunished and the righteous suffering. He says that if not during his lifetime, then after his death, God will show people his innocence. He ends his objections to his friends with touching reminiscences of his former happiness, of his immaculate life, and invokes God as evidence of his innocence.
But before the moment comes for the decision of the question by the voice of the Lord himself, the listener Elihu enters into an argument with Job, who was silent while Job’s three friends had objections to him: “When those three men stopped answering Job, Elihu’s anger was kindled against Job because he He justified himself more than God, and his anger was kindled against those three friends because they did not find what to answer. Elihu was silent while they spoke, "because they were older than him in years"; - when they are silent, he takes upon himself the defense of the thoughts expressed by them. Elihu reproaches Job for not seeing the justice of the Lord in managing the destinies of people: “It is not true that God does not hear” the complaints sent to him by the righteous: “Judgement is before him, and wait for him. He does not support the wicked, and renders justice to the oppressed" (XXXV, 13, 14; XXXVI, 6).
After Elihu's speech, which remains unanswered by Job, the Lord responds to Job's call to bear witness to his innocence. “And the Lord answered Job out of the storm, and said: Gird up your loins like a man: I will ask you, and you will answer me.” The Lord asks Job if he can comprehend the ways of the Lord? The Lord says that Job and his friends too presumptuously considered themselves comprehending the omnipotence and wisdom of the Lord; Job's friends were too narrow in their judgment of the Lord's justice when they accused Job. Job says that neither he nor any other person can comprehend the ways of the Lord.
The Lord rewards Job for his suffering and loss. He healed him of his sickness, and "blessed the last days of Job more than the former," doubled his wealth, and gave him as many children as he had before. “And there were no such beautiful women in all the earth as the daughters of Job. After that Job lived a hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, to the fourth generation. And Job died in old age, filled with days. Thus ends the Book of Job.
Scholars' opinion of when the Book of Job was written. Obviously, the Book of Job was written at a time when the Jewish people had already reached a high degree of education. In all likelihood, the opinion of those researchers who believe that it arose after the fall of the kingdom of Judah is correct. We do not have any actual data to determine the time of its origin; the conclusion which we take to be just is based only on considerations of probability. But it is clear that the Book of Job belongs to such a period when the Jewish people became acquainted with teachings that contradicted their usual concepts. In the Book of Job, there are signs of Jewish familiarity with Persian creed. There is no longer any struggle against Canaanite paganism; the Jewish people no longer fall into idolatry. From all this it seems to follow that the Book of Job was not written before the Babylonian captivity. Was it written during the captivity, or after the return of the Jews from captivity is hardly possible to solve.
Descriptions of nature. The descriptions of nature in the Book of Job are excellent. Alexander Humboldt in the second volume of Cosmos he says: “The Book of Job is justly regarded as an excellent work of Hebrew poetry. The pictures of natural phenomena in it are very picturesque, and their distribution in it is done with the artistic skill of didactics. In all the new languages into which the Book of Job has been translated, its descriptions of oriental nature make a deep impression. "The Lord walks on the backs of the storm-tossed waves of the sea." "The dawn covers the edges of the earth, and the earth becomes like a multi-colored garment." The Book of Job describes the customs of animals: a wild donkey, a horse, a buffalo, a hippopotamus, a crocodile, an eagle, and an ostrich. We see how pure ether spreads like a mirror-like garment over the thirsty earth in the sultry south wind. Where nature sparingly gives its gifts, man's senses are refined, he carefully follows every change in the atmosphere, on the surface of a lifeless desert, on a surging sea; he vigilantly sees the signs of approaching change. In the dry, rocky part of Palestine, the transparency of the air is very favorable for keen observations.