Canter Bridge

An emeritus professor of homiletics introduces Job in this study guide, which belongs to a series that is intended to help the church’s laity read the Bible more clearly and intelligently. Wharton mentions issues that occupy academic scholars only where these are deemed to illuminate the reading of the book’s final form. The guide’s introduction treats the book’s function, structure, the names of God in Job, and the concept of Job as the Lord’s servant (Nebucha\drezzar appears for Cyrus in his mention of Isa 45). In his exposition, ‘hassatan’ of the prologue is not God’s archenemy of later theology, but his denial that disinterested piety exists may be ‘satanic’. It is hinted that the relationship between prologue, epilogue, and the poetic centre may be explained by a reworking of a pre-existing and simplistic Job tale, one which in its original form would have satisfied the certainties of Job’s counsellors. The poetic reworking forcefully rewrites the story as a challenge to religious truisms. Because the wisdom of Job’s friends has deep roots in Jewish and Christian piety, Wharton attempts a sympathetic hearing of Eliphaz by allowing him to develop his argument in chs 4-5, 15, and 22 without the interruption of Job’s responses and other interlocutions. The nine basic elements of Eliphaz’ case are at home in the piety of Judaism and Christianity. (more…)

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