Friday, May 31, 2013

The commentary on Job, part 2

The summer is here and so there's more time to work on the projects that give us delight. Here is the next segment of the medieval Armenian commentary on Job by Stepanos of Siunik:


That suffices concerning the numbering of generations and of times. Now concerning the composition of the account of his suffering, some say that the prophet Moses wrote the history of Job, and others that Solomon wrote it, and others say it is by Ezra, who transmitted to the people all of the Old Testament after the captivity, including Job. But it seems to me that it was Solomon, since the text is proverbial, like all of the compositions of Solomon. Others say that is was Jeremiah perhaps who wrote it, but I do not find that Moses or Jeremiah or Ezra employ this style. But it is really not important whether any of them wrote it or someone else, for divinely inspired men wrote these narratives. For if not, why did the Apostle mention his suffering when he says, “You have heard of the endurance of Job and you have seen the purpose of the Lord”? (James 5:11) And Ezekiel, in prophesying, mentioned him with Noah and Daniel: “When I inflict such evils upon a nation, even if Job and Noah and Daniel were in its midst, they would save only their own lives.” (Ezekiel 14:14) But they claim that Job’s tomb is now in Arabia, and the place where he lies suffers from tribulations.