Bible Question:
In what time era was the book of Job written? Who wrote it? |
Bible Answer: AUTHOR:No one knows who wrote the Book of Job, when it was written, when its events occured, or where Job lived. Suggestions on who may have authored the book include Job himself, Elihu (the fourth friend, who spoke toward the end of the book, chaps.32-37), Moses, Solomon, Hezekiah, Isaiah, someone after the Babylonian Exile such as Ezra, and an anonymous author 200 years before Christ. Jewish tradition says that Moses wrote the book. Others argue for Solomon as the author because of his interest in poetic literature (Prov., Ecc., and Song of Solomon) and a few similarites between Job and Proverbs (e.g., Prov. 8 and Job 28) The details of the lengthy converstions recorded in the Book of Job give the impression that it was written by an eyewitness. In Old Testament times a person sometimes recorded events about himself in the third person. Some scholars suggest that the Book of Job was complied over many years by several authors and editors, each of whom added small portions to the inital work. However, numerous features point to a single author and many cross references within the book point to its unity. DATE:Views on the time when Job lived range all the way from the Patriarchal Age (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-approximately 2100 to 1900 B.C.) the the sixth century B.C. |