Tarell El Masri
Dr. Greenberg
Religion 125
Theodicy and The Book of Job The book of Job is one of the most well-known and controversial of the books of wisdom in the Hebrew Bible, believed to be written between the 7th and 4th centuries BCE. The story not only questioned the conventional wisdom of the time, but provides the framework for addressing the issues of theodicy and man’s attempts to rectify the intrinsic good/omnipotent nature of god with their suffering. The story of Job shows that the scales of God’s justice are not necessarily balanced towards the righteous, with the wicked and evil being allowed to live prosperous lives. Given the covenant, there is no tangible reason given as to why this imbalance. If no definitive answer is given, then what is the purpose of the book? Given the lack of answers on the surface, the purpose of the book can be difficult to decipher. I would argue though, that the books purpose is not to answer why such suffering exists, but to facilitate …show more content…
The one I choose to subscribe to does not seek to absolve God of any responsibility in the suffering of mankind, nor does it seek to absolve mankind in his own suffering. The purpose of the book in my opinion is to subvert the commonly held belief of divine retribution, and to bring about a greater understanding in what we cannot understand. Job’s suffering is not meant to be taken as a literal event, but an exaggerated one used to prove a point. As such, the story works well on a religious level and a secular one. The Universe and God are forces outside of the realm of mortal comprehension, moral or otherwise, and are interchangeable in this context. To think differently is arrogance, albeit relatable arrogance. Perhaps this is why Job is such an empathetic figure, and perhaps why some do not look beyond their empathy for the greater meaning behind the
Dr. Greenberg
Religion 125
Theodicy and The Book of Job The book of Job is one of the most well-known and controversial of the books of wisdom in the Hebrew Bible, believed to be written between the 7th and 4th centuries BCE. The story not only questioned the conventional wisdom of the time, but provides the framework for addressing the issues of theodicy and man’s attempts to rectify the intrinsic good/omnipotent nature of god with their suffering. The story of Job shows that the scales of God’s justice are not necessarily balanced towards the righteous, with the wicked and evil being allowed to live prosperous lives. Given the covenant, there is no tangible reason given as to why this imbalance. If no definitive answer is given, then what is the purpose of the book? Given the lack of answers on the surface, the purpose of the book can be difficult to decipher. I would argue though, that the books purpose is not to answer why such suffering exists, but to facilitate …show more content…
The one I choose to subscribe to does not seek to absolve God of any responsibility in the suffering of mankind, nor does it seek to absolve mankind in his own suffering. The purpose of the book in my opinion is to subvert the commonly held belief of divine retribution, and to bring about a greater understanding in what we cannot understand. Job’s suffering is not meant to be taken as a literal event, but an exaggerated one used to prove a point. As such, the story works well on a religious level and a secular one. The Universe and God are forces outside of the realm of mortal comprehension, moral or otherwise, and are interchangeable in this context. To think differently is arrogance, albeit relatable arrogance. Perhaps this is why Job is such an empathetic figure, and perhaps why some do not look beyond their empathy for the greater meaning behind the