III. CHARACTER OF THE COMPOSITION OF TIIE BOOK.—On this subject there are three different opinions Some contend that the book con tains an entirely true history. 2. Others assert that it is founded on a true history, which has been recast, modified, and enlarged by the author. 3. The third opinion is, that the book contains a narrative entirely imaginary, and constructed by the author to teach a great moral truth.
The first view, taken by numerous ancient in terpreters, is now abandoned by nearly all inter preters. It seems, however, to have been adopted by Josephus, for he places Job in the list of the his torical books ; and it was prevalent with all the fathers of the church. In its support four reasons are adduced, of which the third and fourth are quite untenable ; the first and second are out weighed by other considerations, which render it impossible to consider the book of Job as an en tirely true history, but which may be used in de fence of the second view alluded to. It is said, r. That Job is (Ezek. xiv. 14-20) mentioned as a public character, together with Noah and Daniel, and represented as an example of piety. 2. In the Epistle of James (v. 11), patience in sufferings is recommended by a reference to Job. 3. In the Greek translation of the Septuagint a notice is ap pended to Gen. xxxvi. 33, which states that Job was the King Jobab of Edom. This statement is too late to be relied on, and originates in an ctymolo gical combination ; and that it must be errOneous is to a certain extent evident from the contents of the book, in which Job is not represented as a king. 4. Job's tomb continues to be shewn to Oriental tourists. Now the fact of a Job having lived somewhere would not of itself prove that the hero of our narrative was that person, and that this book contained a purely historical account. More. over, his tomb is shown not in one place, but in six, and, along with it, the dunghill on which Job is reported to have sat ! Against this view it must be remarked generally, that the whole work is arranged on a well-consi dered plan, proving the author's power of inde pendent invention ; that the speeches are, in their general structure and in their details, so elaborate, that they could not have been brought out in the ordinary course of a conversation or disputation ; that it would be unnatural to suppose Job in his distressed state to have delivered such speeches, finished with the utmost care ; and that they exhibit uniformity in their design, fulness, propriety, and colouring, though the author, with considerable skill, represents each speaker whom he introduces arguing according to his character. Moreover, in the prologue and epilogue, as well as in the arrange ment of the speeches, the figures 3 and 7 constantly occur, with the decimal number formed by their addition. The transactions between God and Satan in the prologue absolutely require that we should distingtiish between the subject-matter forming the foundation of the work, and its enlargement ; which can only be done when a poetical principle is ac knowledged in its composition. God's speaking out of the clouds would be a miracle, without an object corresponding to its magnitude, and having a merely personal reference, while all the othcr miracles of the O. T. are in connection with the theocratical government, and occur in the midst and for the benefit of the people of God. This argu ment, which might be further extended without much difficulty, proves the first view above stated of the book of Job to be erroneous, and is meant to support the second ; but it does not bearon the third, which contends that the narrative is an entire fiction, without any admixture of real facts. The latter opinion is, indeed, already stated in the Talmud, which says that Job never existed ; and in modern times it has been defended chiefly by Bernstein ; but is contrary to the practice which anciently prevailed, when v,Titers rarely invented the subject of a nar rative, and rather took the materials furnished by tradition, digesting, enlarging, and modifying them, so as to make them harmonize with the leading theme. Taking the second view, we must still
abstain from undertaking to determine what the poet derived from tradition and what he added himself, since we know not how far tradition had already embellished the original fact. The separa tion of the historical groundwork from the poetical embellishments could only succeed, if the same history had been, although in a poetical dress, transmitted to us by several narrators. Would any person, if he was not assisted by other authorities, undertake to determine what is history, and what is fiction, in an historical romance of Walter Scott, or in an historical drama of Shakspeare or Schil ler ? Ewald, indeed, had the courage to undertake vindicating for history certain parts of our narrative, but his efforts were abortive, as we shall presently show. It will appear, indeed., that exactiv those particulars which Ewald considers historical may possibly have been invented, though we do not contend that they really were so, which would be equally presumptuous. He asserts, 1. That the name Job is not invented by the author of our book.' This would have some semblance of truth, if the name had no meaning 'connecting it with the contents of the narrative. But Job means in Hebrew the assailed,' and may be traced in the form of '•6N, born, 117r.), intoxkated, from Z,N, to attack ; whence also YIN, the enemy, and ant, enmity, are derived. Ewald observes, in deed, that the import of the word is not very apparent, and is not easily discoverable ; but when a strikes us at once, must it not have much more readily occurred to Hebrew readers ? The sense in which the hero of the book is called the assailed,' appears at once in the prologue, where Satan obtains leave to tempt him. 2. The names of the friends of Job are historical.' As to the name Eliphaz, it occurs in Gen. xxxvi. 4, IO, 12, and seems to be taken from thence. Adopting names in this manner amounts to inventing them. 3. It is a fact that Job lived in the land of Uz, which, in Hebrew history, is distinguished neither in itself nor its inhabitants ; and it is difficult to understand why the author selected this country, if he was not led to it by history.' We shall see below that the plan of the author required him to lay the scene without Palestine, but still in its im mediate neighbourhood ; which led him to Uz, a country already mentioned in Genesis. This ob servation applies also to the place of abode of Job's friends, which could not be Canaan, but must be in its vicinity ; wherefore the country namcd in the book is assigned to them. 4. The sickness of Job is an historical fact ; he was afflicted with elephantiasis, and it is inconceivable why the author chose this disease, which is of rare occur rence, if he had not drawn this particular fact from real history.' Now the reason of this selection was, that elephantiasis is a most awful disease, and that the author probably knew none more so ; and persons labouring under elephantiasis were gener ally considered as smitten by God (Deut. xxiv. 8, 9) EjOB'S DISEASE].
These are all the particulars which Ewald points out as historical, and from our examination of them, it will be clear that we must confine our selves to contending for an historical foundation of the book, but must not undertake to determine the exact nature of the groundwork : we infer the character of the composition from analogy, but cannot prove it from the book itself. That its historical framework was poetically enlarged by the author, has been already observed by Luther (see his 7'ischreden, or Table Talk, p. 318). As for the rest, the subtility displayed in explaining opposite views, the carefully drawn characters of the persons introduced, and their animated dis courses, lead us to suppose that the question at issue had peviously been the subject of various discussions in presence of the author, who, perhaps, took part in them. Thus there would be an histo rical foundation, not only for the facts related in the book, but to a certain extent also for the speeches.