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النشر الإلكتروني

3. Solemn asseveration of his innocence in respect to all open and secret sins: Chap. xxxi. a. He has abandoned himself to no wicked lust; vers. 1-8.

b. He has acted uprightly in all the relations of his domestic life: vers. 9-15. c. He has constantly practiced neighborly kindness and justice in civil life: vers. 16-23.

d. He has moreover not violated his more secret obligations to God and his neighbor: vers. 24-32.

e. He has been guilty furthermore of no hypocrisy, nor mere semblance of holiness, of no secret violence, or avaricious oppression of his neighbor: vers. 33-40.

Second stage of the disentanglement: Chap. xxxii.-xxxvii.

Elihu's Discourses,

Devoted to proving that there can be really no undeserved suffering, that on the contrary the sufferings decreed for those who are apparently righteous are dispensations of divine love, designed to purify and sanctify them through chastisement. [The first half of the positive solution of the problem].

Introduction: Elihu's appearance, and the exordium of his discourse, giving the reasons for his speaking: Chap. xxxii. 1-xxxiii. 7.

1. Elihu's appearance (related in prose): Chap. xxxii. 1-6 a.

2. An explanation addressed to the previous speakers, showing why he takes part in this controversy: vers. 6-10.

3. Setting forth that he was justified in taking part, because the friends had shown, and still showed themselves unable to refute Job: vers. 11-22.

4. A special appeal to Job to listen calmly to him, as a mild judge of his guilt and weakness: Chap. xxxiii. 1-7.

First Discourse: Of man's guilt before God: Chap. xxxiii. 8-33.

a. Preparatory: Reproof of Job's confidence in his perfect innocence :

vers. 8-11.

b. Didactic discussion of the true relation of sinful men to God, who seeks to warn and to save them by various dispensations, and communications

from above: vers. 12-30.

a. By the voice of conscience in dreams: (vers. 15-18).

B. By sickness and other sufferings (vers. 19-22).

y. By sending a mediating angel to deliver in distress (vers. 23 seq.).

c. Calling upon Job to give an attentive hearing to the discourses by which

he would further instruct him: vers. 31-33.

Second Discourse: Proof that man is not right in doubting God's righteousness: Ch. xxxiv. a. Opening Censure of the doubt of God's righteousness expressed by

Job: vers. 1-9.

b. Proof that the divine righteousness is necessary, and that it really exists: a. From God's disinterested love of His creatures: vers. 10-15.

B. From the idea of God as ruler of the world: vers. 16-30.

c. Exhibition of Job's inconsistency and folly in reproaching God with injustice, and at the same time appealing to his decision: vers. 31-37.

Third Discourse: Refutation of the false position that piety is not productive of happiness to men: Chap. xxxv.

a. The folly of the erroneous notion that it is of small advantage to men whether they are pious or ungodly: vers. 1-8.

b. The real reason why the deliverance of the sufferer is often delayed, viz. : a. The lack of true godly fear: vers. 9-14.

B. Dogmatic and presumptuous speeches against God, which was the case especially with Job: vers. 15-16.

Fourth Discourse: A vivid exhibition of the activity of God, which is seen to be benevolent, as well as mighty and just, both in the destinies of men, and in the natural world outside of man: Chap. xxxvi.-xxxvii.

[Introduction-announcing that further important contributions are about to be made to the vindication of God: Chap. xxxvi. 1-4].

a. Vindication of the divine justice, manifesting itself in the destinies of men as a power benevolently chastening and purifying them: Chap. xxxvi. 5-21:

a. In general: vers. 5-15.

B. In Job's change of fortune in particular: vers. 16-21.

b. Vindication of the Divine Justice, revealing itself in nature as supreme power and wisdom: Chap. xxxvi. 22; xxxvii. 25.

a. Consideration of the wonders of nature as revelations of divine wisdom and power: ch. xxxvi. 22—xxxvii. 13.

(1) Rain, clouds and storms, lightning and thunder: ch. xxxvi. 22-xxxvii. 5.

(2) The agencies of winter-such as snow, rain, the north wind, frost, etc. Ch. xxxvii. 6-13.

B. Finally admonitory inferences from what precedes for Job: ch. xxxvii. 14-24. The third stage of the disentanglement: ch. xxxviii. 1-xlii. 6.

Jehovah's Discourses:

the aim of which is to prove that the Almighty and only wise God, with whom no mortal should dispute, might also ordain suffering simply to prove and test the righteous. [The second half of the positive solution of the problem.]

First Discourse of Jehovah, together with Job's answer: With God, the Almighty and only wise, no man may dispute: ch. xxxviii. 1-xl. 5.

1. Introduction: The appearance of God; His demand that Job should answer him: ch. xxxviii. 1-3.

2. God's questions touching His power revealed in the wonders of creation: ch. xxxviii. 4-xxxix. 30.

a. Questions respecting the process of creation: vers. 4-15.

b. Respecting the inaccessible heights and depths above and below the earth, and the forces proceeding from them: vers. 16-27.

c. Respecting the phenomena of the atmosphere, and the wonders of the starry heavens: vers. 28-38.

d. Respecting the preservation and propagation of wild animals, especially of the lion, raven, wild goat, stag, wild ass, oryx, ostrich, war-horse,

hawk and eagle: ch. xxxviii. 39—xxxix. 30.

3. Conclusion of the discourse, together with Job's answer announcing his humble submission: ch. xl. 1-5.

Second Discourse of Jehovah, together with Job's answer: To doubt God's justice, which is most closely allied to His wonderful omnipotence, is a grievous wrong, which must be atoned for by sincere penitence: ch. xl. 6-xlii. 6.

1. Sharp rebuke of God's presumption which has been carried to the point of doubting God's justice: ch. xl. 7-14.

2. Humiliating demonstration of the weakness of Job in contrast with certain creatures of earth, not to say with God: shown by a description

a. Of the behemoth (hippopotamus): ch. xl. 15-24.

b. Of the leviathan (crocodile), as king of all beasts: ch. xl. 25-xli. 26.

3. Job's answer: Humble acknowledgment of the infinitude of the divine power, and penitent confession of his sin and folly: ch. xlii. 1-6.

Historical Conclusion (in prose): ch. xlii. 7-17.

1. Glorious vindication of Job before his friends: vers. 7-10.

2. The restoration of his former dignity and honor: vers. 11, 12 a.

3. The doubling of his former prosperity in respect to his earthly possessions and his offspring: vers. 12 b-17.

12. HISTORY AND LITERATURE OF THE EXPOSITION OF THE BOOK.

The history of the exposition of the book of Job, like that of the other Old Testament writings, embraces three principal epochs or stages of development: I. The Ancient Church and Medieval period, which was characterized by a one-sided Messianic allegorical interpretation of the book, and by the dependence of commentators (who were almost altogether ignorant of Hebrew) on the authority of the Septuagint and Vulgate.*-II. The age of the Reformation, and that immediately following (down to the middle of the 18th Cent.). The commentators of this period, particularly of the evangelical school, by virtue of their independent knowledge of Hebrew, and their more free apprehension of the book as an organic living whole, advanced beyond the stand-point of the former age. They did not really succeed, however, in releasing themselves from the fetters of an unhistorical dogmatism, and of a lifeless scholasticism, indulging in abstract summaries, but unable to rise to an independent view of the successive stages in the Old Testament history of redemption. III. The modern age of scientific criticism, beginning with the middle of the last century. During this period the knowledge of the languages and of the whole civilization of the East has been continually increasing in extent and exactness, and has been accompanied on the one side by a more rigid and pure historical perception, on the other by an appreciation, as complete and correct as possible, of the profound theological contents of our book, and thus by an apprehension of its divine-human contents and character as a whole.-The first of these periods, the principal achievements of which are represented by the names of the Church Fathers Origen and Gregory the Great, embraces also that group of Jewish Rabbinical commentators, who appear as the forerunners of the more advanced linguistic culture and exegesis of the Reformation, such as Rashi, Aben Ezra, Nachmanides, Levi ben Gerson, and the converted Nicolas de Lyra. During the second epoch, which has for its most meritorious representatives Joh. Brentius, Seb. Schmidt, Mercier and Cocceius, the standpoint of the modern period is heralded by Le Clerc and Alb. Schultens, in the case of the former by his free critical method, in the case of the latter by his application to the business of exposition of a comprehensive knowledge of the Shemitic languages.—In the last, or third epoch we distinguish a period of rationalistic shallowness of exegesis (joined to a defective estimate of the book in accordance with the standard of an exaggerated orientalism, or of a sentimental humanism), and a period during which exegesis has acquired greater depth in the direction of a scriptural theology, and greater critical purity. The former period, extending from 1750-1820, is characterized by such expositors as Moldenhauer, the younger Schultens, Stuhlmann, Schärer, Rosenmüller; the latter period, to which Umbreit, Koster and Ewald form the transition, has representatives of pre-eminent ability, and distinguished for solid achieve

* In respect to the low value of the Alexandrian version of the book of Job see Delitzsch (Commy. I., p. 35): “It is just the Greek translation of the book of Job which suffers most seriously from the flaws which in general affect the Sep- tuagint. Whole verses are omitted, others are removed from their original places, and the omissions are filled up by apocryphal additions." See more fully the work of G. Bickell: De indole ac ratione versionis Alexandrinæ in interpretando libre Jobi, Marburgi, 1863; also the Dissertations of Krause and Krehl, mentioned below in the "Monographic Literature,” a.— In respect to the Latin versions of Job current in the Ancient Church, viz. the Itala before Jerome, the Itala as revised by Jerome after the Hexaplar text of Origen, and Jerome's translation in the Vulgate, rendered independently from the original text-see D-litzsch, l. c., and my book on Jerome, p. 181 seq.-In respect to the Syrian translation of Job in the Peshito, made from the original text, and also in respect to the later version of the same after the Hexaplar text by Paul of Tela, about 620, comp. Delitzsch (I., p. 36), Middeldorpf: Curæ hexaplares in Jobum, 1817; also the last edition of the SyroHexaplar version, 1834-35.

ments, in Hirzel, Vaihinger, Hahn, Schlottmann, Delitzsch and Dillmann, as also in the English writers Lee, Carey and A. B. Davidson.

THE LITERATURE OF THE SUBJECT IN DETAIL.

I. PERIOD: ANCIENT AND MEDIÆVAL.

A. Christian Commentators.-Greek Fathers, including specially Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, Olympiodorus (deacon of Alexandria about A. D. 600), etc., in all 22, whose writings are collected together in Catena Græc. Patrum in l. Job, collectore Niceta, græce ed. et lat. vers. op. et stud. Patricii Junii, Lond. 1637, fol.-Syrian Fathers, especially Ephraem; comp. Froriep: Ephraemiana in libr. Jobi, 1769, 4.-Latin Fathers: Augustine: Annotationes in l. Job (Opp. ed. Bened. Par. 1679 seq. T. III.); Gregory the Great: Expositio in beat. Job, s. Moralium 1. 1. XXXV.; Pseudo-Jerome (Philippus?): Expositio Interlinearis libri Job, and Commentariolum in Job (the Expositio preserved in four different recensions, one of the latest of which was supervised probably by the venerable Bede, found in Val'arsi, Opp. B. Hieron. Ed. 2, T. III., Append. p. 895 seq.; the Commentariolum in the same work, T. V., App. p. 1013 seq.; (comp. Beda Opp. ed. Basil. 3, col. 602 s.); Albertus Magnus: Postillæ super Job (not printed as yet): Thomas Aquinas: Expositio aurea in l. Job, T. XV., Opp. (ed. Paris, 1660), Nicolas de Lyra (Lyranus) in the Postille in universa Biblia (written 1292-1330), first printed at Rome 1471, 5 voll. fol.; Gregory Barhebræus: Scholia in libr. Jobi (ed. G. H. Bernstein, Vratislav. 1858, fol.).

B. Jewish Commentators.-R. Saadia Gaon (about 920), an Arabic translation with comments, contained in Isr. Schwarz: Tikwath Enosh, i. e., Liber Jobi, Tom. II. (Berol., 1868); Rashi (R. Solomon Isaaki of Troyes, † 1105), who left behind him an unfinished Comment. on Job, which his grandson, R. Samuel ben Meir (Nashbam, † 1160) finished; Aben Ezra, of Toledo († about 1170) wrote in Rome towards the end of his life a Commy, on Job, which may be found in the larger Rabbinical commentaries; where may also be found the commentaries of Moses ben Nachman, or Nachmanides (Ramban, born at Gerona, 1194); of Levi b. Gerson, or Gersonides (Ralbag, born at Bagnols, 1288), and of Abraham Farisol of Avignon, which, particularly the first two, follow a strongly indicated philosophical bias. Compilations in the nature of catena have proceeded from R. Shimeon ha Darshan (the Yalkut Shimeoni, including all the books of the Old Testament), R. Machir b. Todros (Yalkut Mechiri, embracing the three poetic books Tehillim, Mishle, and Job), R. Menahem b. Chelbo, R. Joseph Kara, and R. Parchon. The catena of the last-named three have not as yet been published. Much pertaining to the subject is contained in the work of Israël Schwarz, already mentioned, Tikwath Enosh, the first part of which contains, besides a critical revision of the Masoretic text, with a new German metrical translation, two further divisions, to wit: (1) Mekor Israel, i. e., omnes de Ijobi explicationes et deductiones quæ in utroque Talmude Midraschiisque libris et Soharo inveniuntur; (2) Commentarios a R. Jesaia de Trani, R. Moses, et R. Joseph Kimchi, et R. Serachia ben Isaac Barceloniensis. The second part contains the Arabic translations of the book of Job by R. Saadia Gaon Alfajumi and R. Moses Gekatilia in a Hebrew version, along with a Hebr. Commentary. Comp. also the work which has just appeared: Translationes antiquæ Arabicæ Libri Jobi quæ supersunt, ex apographo codicis musei Britannici nunc primum edidit atque illustravit Wolf Guil. Frid. Comes de Baudissin, Lips., 1870.

II. PERIOD:

THE REFORMATION AND THE AGE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING (1517—1750). A. Protestant Commentators.-1. Lutheran: Joh. Brentius: Annotationes in Job. Halæ Suevor., 1546, and Opp. omn. Tübing., 1578, T. III., p. 1 seq. (the best and fullest of these older Lutheran commentaries; comp. Hartmann, Brenz, p. 129, 284);-Hieronymus Weller: Auslegung des Büchlein Hiob, T. II., Opp. Lips., 1703 (embracing only the first twelve chapters, but thoroughly learned and edifying-comp. Nobbe: D. Hieron. Weller von Molsdorf, der Freund und Schüler Luther's, Leipzig, 1870);—Victorin Strigel, Liber Jobi ad Ebraicam veritatem recognitus et argumentis atque scholiis illustratus, Lips. 1566, 1571;-Abrah. Calov.: Biblia V. et N. Testamenti illustrata, Francof. 1672 seq., Tom. II.; -Sebast. Schmid: Com

mentar in Job, Argentor, 1670, 1705, 2 vols.;-Joh, Heinr. Michaelis: Uberiores annotationes in Hagiographos V. T. libros, Hal. 1720, T. I.-Kortüm: Das Buch Hiob ubers. mit Anmerk., Leipzig, 1708.

2. Reformed: Joh. Ecolampadius: Exegemata in Job et Danielem, Basil. 1532, and often ;-Mart. Bucer: Commentar, in libr. Job, Argentor. 1528, fol.;-Huldrich Zwingli̟: Rand glossen zu Job (in the Greek Aldine of 1518, annotated throughout by him, edited by Andr. v. Asola);-Joh. Calvin: Conciones super l. Job, Genev. 1569, fol.; also in Opp. Calvini, Amst. 1671 seq.; Joh. le Mercier (Mercerus): Comment. in Job, Proverb, Eccles., Cantic., 1573, fol.;-Jo. Drusius: Scholia in l. Job, Amst. 1636;-Jo. Piscator: Commentar. in univ. Biblia, 4 Voll. f., Herborn, 1643 seq.;-Hugo Grotius: Annotationes in V. T., Par. 1644, fol.;Jo. Cocceius: Camment. in l. Job, in Opp. Vol. I., Amst. 1675;-Jo. Clericus [Le Clerc]: Comm. in Hagiographos V. T. libros, Amst. 1731, fol.;-Alb. Schultens: Animadversiones philologicæ in Job, etc., Traj. ad Rhen. 1708 (also in Opp. min. Ludg. Bat. 1769); by the same author: Liber Jobi c. nova vers, et comm. perpetuo, Lugd. Bat. 1737, 2 Voll. 4to (comp. the abridgment of it-A. Schultens' Comm. in Job in compend. redeg., etc., G. J. L. Vogel, T. I., II., Hal. 1773, '74);—Dav. Renat. Bouillier: Observationes miscellaneœ in libr. Job, quibus versionibus et interpretibus passim epicrisis instituitur, etc., Amst. 1758.

B. Catholic Commentators.—Joh. Maldonatus, S. J. († 1583): Commentarii in præcipuos S. Scripturæ libros Vet. Testamenti, Paris, 1643 fol.;-Casp. Sanctius, S. J. († 1626): In l. Job Commentarii c. paraphr. Lugd. Bat. 1625, fol.;-Joach. de Pineda (S. J., † 1637): Commentariorum in l. Job libri XIII., 2 Voll., Madr. 1597, 1601, f.;-Balthas. Corderius, S. J. († 1650): Jobus elucidatus, Antverp. 1646, '56, f.;—Antonio de Escobar, S. J. († 1669): Commentarius in Biblia, Tom. IV.;-Bolducius (Bolduc. Capuchin); Commentar in Job., 2 Voll., Paris, 1631, 1638;-Fr. Vavassor, S. J. († 1681): Jobus commentario et metaphrasi illustratus, Paris, 1679;— Augustin Calmet: Commentaire littéral sur tous les livres de l'ancien et nouveau Testament, Paris, 1707 sqq., 22 Voll., 4to. (Lat. Ed. by Dom. Mansi, Lucca, 1730 seq.).

III. THE MODERN PERIOD SINCE 1750.

1. The period during which rationalism prevailed (1750-1820).*—Goële: Observationes miscellanea in lib. Job, Amstel. 1758;—Joh. Fr. Bardt: Paraphrast Erklärung des B. Hiob., 2 Parts, Leipzig, 1764;-J. J. Baur: Animadversiones ad quædam loca Jobi, Tubing. 1781;-Eckermann: Versuch einer neuen poetischen Uebersetzung des B. Hiob, etc., Lübeck, 1778;-Sander: Das Buch Hiob Erklärt, Leipzig, 1780;-Moldenhauer: D. B. Hiob übersetzt und erklärt, 2 Parts, Leipzig, 1780, 1781;—J. D. Dathe: Job, Proverb, Salom, Eccl., Cantic. Cant. lat. versi notisque philol. et criticis illustr., Hal. Sax. 1789; -J. Chr. F. Schulz: Scholia in V. Test., (Tom. VI., ed. G. Lor. Bauer), Norimb. 1796;-H. A. Schultens and H. Muntinghe: Das Buch Hiob übersetzt und erklärt. Aus den Holländischen mit Zusätzen und Anmerkungen J. P. Berg's von K. F. Weidenbach, Leipzig, 1797; C. Rosenmüller: Scholia in Vet. Test., Tom. V., Jobus, lat. vert. et perpet. annotat. instr., Lips. 1806; ed. 2, 1824;-† Theod. Dereser in Dom. v. Brentano's Bibelwerk: Die heilige Schrift des Alten Testaments, Frankfurt a. M. 1797 seq.;-Stuhlmann: Hiob, Hamb. 1804; J. R. Schärer: Das B. Hiob übersetzt und erklärt, 2 Thle. Bern, 1818;-W. Mössler: Das Buch Hiob erklärt, Neustadt, 1823 ;-E. G. A. Bockel: Das B. Hiob, für gebildete Leser bearbeitet, Berl. 1821; 2 umgearb. Auflage 1830 ;-L. F. Melsheimer: Das B. Hiob aus dem Hebr. metrisch übersetzt und durch kurze, philologische Anmerk. erläutert, Mannheim, 1823.

2. The period of a more profound perception of the history of redemption and of theological truth (1820-1870).

K. Umbreit: Das Buch Hiob: Uebersetzung und Auslegung, nebst Einleitung über Geist, Form, und Verfasser des Buchs. Heidelb. 1824, 2d ed., 1832;-F. B. Kōster: Das Buch Hiob und der Prediger Salomonis nach ihrer strophischen Anordnung übersetzt, Schleswig, 1831;H. Ewald: Die poetischen Bücher des Alten Bundes, 3 Theil. 1836; 2d Ed. (Die Dichter des Alten Bundes) 1854;-L. Hirzel: Hiob in the Kurzgefasstes exeget. Hanb. zum Alten Test., The works indicated by a † proceed from Catholic, those by a from Jewish, all the rest from evangelical commentators.

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