iah 53. All its affinities,
therefore, confirm the conclusion that it comes from the middle of the
fifth century B.C. and is probably slightly older than Isaiah 49-55,
which presents a more fundamental treatment of the problem of human
suffering. The author still holds the old, prophetic conception of the
universe (38:4-6), and is unaffected by the priestly thought and
tendencies which became especially prominent during the closing years of
the Persian period.

The Elihu speeches and the supplemental poem in description of wisdom in
28, and of the behemoth and leviathan in 40:15-41:34, probably come from
the Greek period.

III. The Prose Story. In the prose story Job is pictured as a man of
superlative piety and prosperity. According to the popular standards of
the earlier day he lived a blameless life. His afflictions came simply as
a means of demonstrating the unselfish character of his piety. In rapid
succession he is stripped of all his possessions and afflicted by the
vilest of all diseases, apparently the loathsome tubercular leprosy. Even
his wife tempts him to curse God and die, but he fully meets the test,
and, according to the testimony of the concluding epilogue, receives
Jehovah's approval and is restored to the joys of family, reputation, and
riches. It is obvious that, as in the stories found in the opening
chapters of Genesis, this is a popular narrative freely adjusted to the
ends which the story-teller wished to attain. The incidents recorded are
not in keeping with the ordinary experiences of life, but belong rather to
the realm of popular fancy. As a reference in Ezekiel implies, it was
probably, like the similar stories regarding Noah and Daniel, a heritage
from the common Semitic lore. In fact, a recently discovered Babylonian
tablet tells of a famous king of Nippur, Tabi-utul-Bel by name, whose
experiences and spirit corresponds closely to those of the hero of this
prose story.

The message of the prose story of Job, as it was sent out to the Jewish
race, was that it was not always possible to understand the reason why
the righteous were afflicted, but that if they faithfully met the test
restoration to Jehovah's approval, with the honor and reputation that
necessarily follow, were assured. To the nation such a message was not
without its practical application and value, but it failed completely to
meet the individual problems that became pathetically insistent during the
middle of the fifth cen