The Calvary Chapel Bible College

The book of Job is unique in its rhetoric, style, and theology, making it arguably the most difficult biblical book to translate and, thereby, interpret. From antiquity, scholars and lay people alike have endeavored to make sense of Job and apply it to their (normally negative) circumstances. This has resulted in wide-ranging translations and interpretations of the biblical text throughout the centuries. Modern Bible students approach the biblical text in a similar manner, yet have the advantage of the recovery and decipherment of ancient Near Eastern materials, which shed considerable light on the language, structure, and content of Job. In this this course we will examine select texts from Job and examine the meaning of the book within the context of the ancient Israelite wisdom tradition. Together we will strive to grasp the major theological implications of Job and biblical wisdom literature with the goals of applying the wisdom therein to our personal lives and of best explicating the message(s) of these biblical texts.