1 of 5—The Book of Job: an awkward combination of two separate tales?

A video response to ProfMTH's excellent series on The Book of Job: http://youtube.com/watch?v=3cpK1zcMXWw

By Todd Allen Gates, author of "Dialogue with a Christian Proselytizer."

This video will present my reasons for why I believe the Book of Job was composed by a minimum of two separate authors: authors who were telling two very different stories, and who had very different ideas about the nature of God.

AUTHOR 1's STORY (found in Chapter 1, most of Chapter 2, and the book's last few sentences): a short tale about Satan's bet with God that pain & suffering will make even the most righteous man abandon his faith and curse God. The experiment is carried out on a man named Job, and when Job doesn't curse God even after he's afflicted with great tragedies, the tale concludes with God rewarding Job by doubling his previous fortune.
AUTHOR 1's THEISTIC PERSPECTIVE: God cares for us and rewards us for good behavior--and even suffering can ultimately enrich our lives when we bear it with strength, patience, and trust in God.

AUTHOR 2's STORY (the last 40 chapters, excluding the last few "happily-ever-after" sentences): Job's complaints about life's injustices and God's indifference. The story concludes with God's overpowering speech from the whirlwind and Job's "no comment" reply.
AUTHOR 2's DEIST PERSPECTIVE: There may be a god, but this god apparently doesn't care about justice or suffering, and as a rule doesn't speak to us. And if He were to speak to us, it would only be to tell us that God is incomprehensible to humans, so we shouldn't even bother trying.

This video series is also posted on the Rational Response Squad site, where there's no word/character limitation on the Comments section: see http://www.rationalresponders.com/making_sense_of_the_book_of_job_two_separat...

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Book
• Job
• Bible
• apologetics
• atheist
• Deist
• Lord
• God
• evil
• justice
• pain
• suffering
• Satan
• Accuser
• Adversary
• Christian
• ToddAllenGates
• ToddGates
• ToddAllenGates2

[Mapnapkin]

STOP.. the Bible is the infallible word of God.. end of story.

No need to continue past 41 seconds

[ToddAllenGates]

@Mapnapkin

> STOP.. the Bible is the infallible word of God.. end of story.

Yes, that approach does make analysis so much simpler!

[danbit5]

i was just starting to enjoy that then you bible bashed at the end:) job is job,we all know a type of guy like that stubborn and beautiful,sure he was thinking his 1st set of kids you moron. theres story in the bibles take there own light on indivduals, i dont think anyone wants to be a job in this life but look around you?

[ToddAllenGates]

@danbit5

> job is job,we all know a type of guy like that stubborn and beautiful

I don't think of Job as "stubborn" as much as he is asking a question that's still with us today: if there's a god out there who is All-Powerful and All-Good, why does life include the suffering of innocent lives (e.g. toddlers with fatal brain cancer)?

> sure he was thinking his 1st set of kids ... . theres story in the bibles take there own light on indivduals

I don't know what point you're trying to make.

[danbit5]

@ToddAllenGates to me its one of the most touching and powerful stories in the old testament, its was included in the bible many centuries ago. job had a bit of a real rough ride in life,its when hes down in sackcloth and ashes not eating for many days,at the end he still believes in god.to us today like you we think who wrote or included it.must of been a zillion thoughts in his mind and also ready to go, how do this to a friend, or servant as was the words back , srry moron comment:)

[ToddAllenGates]

@danbit5

> at the end he still believes in god

I feel that "the existence of god" is never in question ... what IS in question is why the innocent suffer when the universe is supposedly under the control of an All-Powerful All-Good god.

"Author 1's" ending, where everything works out in the end, is unrealistic. "Author 2's" ending, with God speaking from the whirlwind--where He says God is unfathomable to humans--is the only coherent answer to the Problem of Suffering (then, and now).

[ToddAllenGates]

@ToddAllenGates

> is the only coherent answer to the Problem of Suffering (then, and now).

That is, the only coherent *theistic* explanation to the Problem of Suffering.

[ToddAllenGates]

@TheMathgeek37

> I like your style of critique. It's erudite and thoughtful.

Thank you!

[TheMathgeek37]

I like your style of critique. It's erudite and thoughtful. You are observing it as just a piece of literature and I like that. I have a question, and I will watch more of series to see if it is addressed. If not, I will ask it at the end of series.

[ToddAllenGates]

@Imaginefree69

> I've always thought they must have voted on that one on a drowsy summer day after drinking too much wine

Ha-ha, yes ... either that, or after the final draft was approved, some free-thinking rebel sneaked it in right before it went to the publisher.