Name. Job, from its chief character, or hero, and mean "Persecuted."

Date. Neither the date nor the author can be determined with
certainty. I incline to the theory of the Job authorship.

Connection with Other Books. It stands alone, being one of the so-
called wisdom books of the Bible. It nowhere alludes to the Mosaic law
or the history of Israel.

Literary Characteristics. Chapters one and two and parts of chapter
forty-two are prose. All the rest is poetry. The different speakers
may have been real speakers, or characters created by one writer to
make the story. There is, however, little doubt that the story is
founded on historical facts.

The Problems of the Book. This book raises several great questions,
that are common to the race, and directly or indirectly discusses
them. Among those questions the following are the most important. (1)
Is there any goodness without reward? "Doth Job serve God or naught"?
(2) Why do the righteous suffer and why does sin go unpunished? (3)
Does God really care for and protect his people who fear him? (4) Is
adversity and affliction a sign that the sufferer is wicked? (5) Is
God a God of pity and mercy!

The Argument. The argument proceeds as follows: (1) There is a
conference between God and Satan and the consequent affliction of Job.
(2) The first cycle of discussion with his three friends in which they
charge Job with sin and he denies the charge. (3) The second cycle of
discussion. In this Job's friends argue that his claim of innocence is
a further evidence of his guilt and impending danger. (4) The third