The Babylonian Theodicy: The Book Of Job

The Book of Job is a potion of the Bible that is one of the most problematic and has many different interpretations. Little about the purpose and message of the book are agreed upon. One of the major difficulties in the understanding of the book is what causes Job to submit to God is such a humble manner at the end. The book is believed to be “based on an ancient folktale about the undeserved suffering and final restoration of the protagonist” The Book of Job was written by an anonymous author sometime between the fourth and seventh centuries BCE. It was written as a piece of scripture exploring the theme of theodicy, or the vindication or questioning of divine goodness. Like preceding writings of the Near East, the Book of Job explores …show more content…
The Book of Job draws on a varies of the genres and traditions of these writings. These included themes similar to that in the Book of Job, such as “The Babylonian Theodicy” and an Akkadian writing named Ludlum Bel Nemeqi. Ludlum Bel Nemeqi depicts a man praising the god Marduk, who healed him as a reward for his piety. “The Babylonian Theodicy” focuses on series of speeches between a sufferer and a comforter. In these speeches the sufferer protests his misery and the unfairness of the gods. Both of these the Book of Job, and “The Babylonian Theodicy” focus on a theme of questioning the goodness of a god or gods. The Book of Job speaks against the views of creation, stating that people cannot possibly understand God’s will. This question of of human suffering and the goodness of God has effected many theologians, like Martin Luther and Elie Wiesel. The Book of Job is similar to both of the Near Eastern texts in that it explores theodicy and God’s treatment of those who worship him. At the conclusion of the book, Job realizes how little he knows and God forgives his actions earlier in the

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