The evening world., 1921-01-21
Poets of The Bible
BY Rev. Thomas b. Gregory
C,l,y rS.nt. isai. - Tue Pru-s TNabarhius O..
CINe NV Hogt BV0ing WUAD.
No. Job.

NO. - 700.
When confronted with FACT our
theories shrivel UP like dry leaves
thrown into a furnace.
We have our theory about tho
4 Good God and vCt here in the rood
Code world Is the fact OF EVIL
universal, persistent, etubbornly hold
ing its own in spite Of all that haa
been done through tho ages to Cast
II out!
It rs TINS astounding paradox thai
forms the subject matter OF the
greatest dramatic poem in tho world
, the Boon of Job.
When the book was written no one
knows, by whom it was written nO
one can tell; but we have Il and n
| speaks for itself. As Thucydides said
OF his history, 1t Is an eternal pos
/ session"
FOR eloqueuce, ror deep, thrilling
human interest, for pictures Of the
beauty and sublimity Of nature and
for the passionate appealings of poor
humanity for some explanation OF its
suferiugs, no other poem In world
literature Is worthy OF being men
toned in the same breath with IT,
Job, the character in whom thB
drama centres, afflicted to The verge
/ Of distraction. lis seated upon the ash
heap, and his three friends, EhphaT,
/ l3ildad and Zcphar, come TO explain
10 him the cause OF his affiictioE.
| They are the people," they know II
all" and with wondrous sequence
they strive to show JOB that his mis-
fortune is q judgment upon his sln-
funess.
: Job spurned the explanation He
would have none of il. Conscious Of
his integrity he told them that their
arguments were wind" and eUoisim
/ ing. THE words Of JOB are ended
with a wave OF his hand he dismissed
them.
Then appears the young man EIihu
/ Seating himself beside Job on the
/ ash-heap he finally sinks himself
down to the argument, the gist o.
which is that Jobs suffering 10 Il
/ Judgment warning him by repentance
/ to escape from heavier judgment
/ Appealing to JOB, he pauses for an
answer but Job refuses 70 reply and
| receives the new hight with silent in
( difference.
/ Turning 70 the three friends, Bfhu
/ tries TO get them TO Join him In the
attempt TO silence Jobs audacity IA
questioning the Weys OF God, and IN
the midst Of II ala Il tempest Of al.
the winds comes and out OF the tenn
pest Cod speai8 lin the wonderful
3Sth and 4lSt chapters, lnCiu5lve) anC
/ they are given 10 understand that the
whole universe Is an unhathoned
mystery and that the evil in 1t Is no
more mysterious than the good ana
the beautiful"
/ Here the drama proper ends, am
/ the narrative story is resumed to in
/ troduce the BRIEF epilogue. In the
| epilogue Gods anger Is shown against
! the three friends because in thei"
conversations with job they had not
said OF him the things that were
right, as Job had, and they are com
manded TO repent and offer sacrifice.
Thus, TO quote Prof. Moulton's
words, il appears that the bold faith
Of Job, which could appeal TO God
against the justice Of Gods own Yisi-
tation, was more acceptable to Him
than the serI-ile alteration OF this
friends, who had sought TO distort the
facts in order TO magnify God"
Such, in brief, Is the gist OF this
greatest of all poems. To know how
to read the Book OF Job and TO read
and reread il until 1t has become -
part Of ones intellectual life Is TO
know the Erandest poetry and tho
deepest, soundest philosophy to be
/ found in the libraries OF the world.