As we deal with book of Job we must deal with
whether or not he is a real person. Those that would doubt his existence as
real have several arguments that can draw one to believe that Job is fictional.
First and foremost, is that the book of Job has the appearance of being an
allegory. This is given strength by the fact that this type of story telling is
not uncommon in the Scripture. It is a form of story telling that was easy for
the reader to understand and also easy for the storyteller to tell. Those that
stand by this belief point to the fact that Job gives the appearance of being
design to illustrate important truths. It is not written in an abstract form
and it is graphic and interesting. One can look at books written outside of the
Scriptures to find other examples of this type of writing. Two types of
writings would be, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey.
Second in this argument is the belief that some of the transactions are thought
not even to have occurred. The strong opinion is that the interview between
Satan and Jehovah (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7) did not happen. It is used to set
the tone of what is to follow. Giving even more support to their side is that
this is a supposed case. One that is made up and did not take place but rather
a for instance.
Another point in the argument for this case is that the book appears to have an
artificial character when dealing with the possessions of Job. The numbers 7
and 3 appear often and are dwelt on as being significant. The fact that Job’s
possessions are exactly doubled at the end of the book supports this in their
eyes. How could Job have been compensated exactly by double? It seems to be
improbable.
Added to the above points they have pointed to the conduct of Job’s friends. It
is believed that his friends would not have sat silent for seven days and seven
nights. The fact that they were silent is in opposition to their stated purpose
of consolation. This is considered behavior out of character.
The last consideration for those that doubt the realness of the book of Job is
the manner or style in which the book was written. It was written in the
highest order of poetry of that day. This would have taken time to develop and
place on paper. The speeches of the book are most elaborate. They are well
thought out and well planned. There is no digressing in the arguments. It also
appears that the order of who speaks is arranged with great care. This order
makes great sense and therefore does not have a random structure, as would a
conversation that just happened. The speeches embody the results of long and
careful observation. This could very well mean that the friends came prepared
to speak on the topics that they spoke on in this meeting. The speeches do not
appear to be unpremeditated and extemporary.
These arguments form the basis for the belief that this is not a historical
book but rather an allegory to teach about God. It is believed that Job could
not have been real but rather a character in a well thought out story. Job does
not loose value in their thoughts but still contains facts that teach about
God.
On the other side of the argument of Job is the belief that Job is a real person and
the events of Job really did take place. Coming from this belief one then must
take all that is covered in the book to be God’s word for mankind. The truths
that are taught towards the end of the book are attributed to God Himself and
can be used to understand much about Him and His world.
The first point that is brought out by those that follow this line of thinking
is that the existence of Job is expressly declared in the book. As one looks at
the content of this book one finds that the narrative is of a simple actual
occurrence. They are stated as though the writer was there. The first and
second chapters along with a portion of the last chapter are written as a
historical record. They are presented to the reader as a recording of a meeting
or a court appearance such as a record would be kept today. The rest of the
book is poetic but does not have the characteristics of poetry. It is the
belief of this side that there is not a more simple statement of history found
anywhere else in the Bible. The form of this book lends itself to be that of
truth and reality. It does not lend itself towards a fictitious allegory.
The second point is that other writers of the Bible quote portions of the book.
The first example is found in Ezekiel 14:14,16,20. In this portion Job is named
with two other men that are believed to have existed. These men give the
impression that Job must also have been a live person. Secondly, mentioned in
Jeremiah 15:1 are Samuel and Moses just as Daniel, Noah and Job in the previous
reference. There is no doubt of these men’s existence so therefore it must be
assumed that Job also existed. The third portion of scripture under
consideration is found in James 5:11. Here Job is mentioned as an example of
the Lord’s great compassion and mercy. This portion of scripture supports the
reality of the book of Job.
The fact that location is mentioned is a strong point in the argument that Job
is a real person. Allegories do not use exact locations. They use fictitious
places. Location is not necessary to an allegory. The allegory rarely uses
minute specifications. This book is full of great detail. Examples of this are the
Prodigal son where there are no names given, the nobleman and his question of
Christ - no name is given, and the story of the unjust steward - again no name
is given. The countries of the speakers are identified along with the countries
of the enemies. The specific destruction of the animals and their keepers are
also mentioned. This is very detail oriented and not common in an allegory.
The objections to portions of the book do not destroy the truth of the book.
The first objection concerns the meeting of God and Satan. It is believed by
some that this is a highly unlikely meeting. There are those that do not
believe that God would ask the opinion of Satan. There are those that do not
believe in the existence of Satan. But that is not the general belief and Satan
is acknowledged to actually exist in the content of the rest of the Bible. The
account in the first two chapters is in accordance with the Scriptural
presentation in the rest of the Bible. To back this up the Bible is full of
examples of this sort. The second objection is the poetic character of the
book. It is obvious that the book took time to prepare. It is possible that the
book was written at a later date. Also the whole argument was not covered at
one sitting. Others do not interrupt the debate; each speaker starts and
finished their train of thought. The third objection relates to the numbers
when all that is lost to Job at the beginning is replaces at the end of the
book. The objection is that rounded numbers are used and not actual figures.
There are other places throughout the Bible where rounded numbers are used in a
historical statement. This is not only true of the Bible but also in historical
recording outside of the Bible. (i.e. totals of men lost in wars, totals of
money spent on large projects) The other objection is that the doubling is
unrealistic. This is possible because of the life span at the time that Job is
believed to have taken place. Under normal life the flocks of Job could have
double naturally. Children could have been born to Job and his wife again. If
the objections are not well founded, then the book should be considered
historically true.