Job knew about Satan?

by todo 12 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • Narkissos
    Narkissos

    todo,

    I like the book of Job too but we don't read it quite the same way.

    What most readers actually retain from the book of Job is the prose prologue and epilogue, because it is easy to read, understand and remember. The 40 chapters of poetical dialogue in between (i.e. the whole body of the book) remain obscure to say the least. The dedicated reader painfully goes through them holding to the general idea (from the epilogue) that 'Job must be right and his friends wrong somehow' but their respective points and arguments are difficult to grasp. One thing I would suggest (for once) is reading them in a relatively "free," "reader-friendly" or "dynamic" translation in your native language to get what they are really about. And as you do so try to forget as much as possible what you think you "know" about the story, such as traditional assumptions on who wrote it and when, but more importantly concepts foreign to the text such as "Satan" in the sense of God's enemy, God's "sovereignty" and so on. As much as possible try to forget the prologue and epilogue as well and focus on what the characters are actually saying. You may be surprised.

    The central part of Job is a devastating critique of the theory of moral retribution which had become dominant in Jewish monotheism. Actually JWs may be right about one point: somebody does question something like the "moral fairness of God's sovereignty" -- only it's not (the) satan, it's Job. The prologue-epilogue "saved" this (potentially blasphemous) work at the cost of obscuring its meaning (which certainly also contributed to its textual deterioration, as the poetical dialogues of Job are among the worst-transmitted text in the Hebrew Bible, which in turn doesn't help the reader of a literal translation).

  • Leolaia
  • AllTimeJeff
    AllTimeJeff

    Narkissos

    I did read Job again. Gilead had a bunch of JW typology added, the oddest one being that Job is a type of Jesus in chapter 1, but represents the "1900 year old Faithful and Discreet Slave" in chap 2-42. Again, it switches meaning for the convenience of the Governing Body.

    On another thread, you mentioned that it is a good rule of thumb when reading the bible to assume that the writers wrote what they meant to say under the context and circumstances that surrounded them. I took that to mean that when it comes to the exegesis, there isn't necesarrily a whole lot "between the lines." (I will post this on the other Job thread so as not to hijack this one.) With that being said, it is clear to many, without the JW or apologist lens on, that Job is a spliced together book.

    Your point is well received about the prolugue and elpilogue, I have more to say in the other job thread.

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