job
the book of job ranks as "one of that group of five or six world poems that stand as universal expressions of the human spirit." for that reason it is considered the representative hebrew epic, and, as it depicts the conflicts of a human soul, it has also been termed the "epic of the inner life."
written after the exile,—probably in the latter part of the fourth century b.c.,—it incorporates various older poems, for the theme is thought to antedate the exodus. in the prologue we have a description of job, a model sheik of the land of uz, whose righteousness wins such complete approval from god that the almighty proudly quotes his servant before his assembled council as a perfect man. "the adversary," satan, now dramatically presents himself, and, when taunted by god with job's virtues, sarcastically retorts it is easy to be good when favored with continual prosperity.
thus challenged, and feeling sure of his subject, god allows satan to do his worst and thus test the real worth of job. in quick succession we now behold a once happy and prosperous man deprived of children, wealth, and health,—misfortunes so swift and dire that his friends in lengthy speeches insist he has offended god, for such trials as his can only be sent in punishment for grievous sins. the exhortations of job's three argumentative friends, as well as of a later-comer, and of his wife, extend over a period of seven days, and cover three whole cycles; but, in spite of all they say, job steadfastly refuses to curse god as they advise.
unaware of the heavenly council or of the fact that he is being tested, job, in spite of trials and friends, patiently reiterates "the lord gave and the lord hath taken away," and, when his wife bids him curse god and die, pathetically inquires, "what! shall we receive good at the hand of god, and shall we not receive evil?"
there are, besides, whole passages in this book where job gives way to his overwhelming grief, these laments being evidently either fragments from another, older version of the story, or tokens that even such fortitude as his gave way under pressure of disease and of his friends' injudicious attempts at consolation. these laments exceed in pathos any other hebrew poem, while job's descriptions of god's power and wisdom attain to a superbly exalted strain.
having silenced zopher, eliphaz, and bildad, by assuring them he will be vindicated in heaven,—if not sooner,—job watches them and his last friend depart, and is finally left alone. then only, and in an epilogue, we are informed that, having thus been tried in the furnace of affliction and proved true gold, job receives from god, as reward, a double measure of health, wealth, and descendants, so that all men may know he has not sinned and that his unshaken faith found favor in the eyes of god.
some jewish writers quote ecclesiastes as their best sample of didactic epic, and others would fain rank as epics the tales of naomi and ruth, of esther and ahasuerus, and even the idyllic song of songs by solomon. early christian writers also see in revelations, or the apocalypse, by st. john, the seer of patmos, a brilliant example of the mystical or prophetic epic.
