TESTAMENT OF JOB (First Century B.c.-First Century A . D . )

A NEW TRANSLATION AND INTRODUCTION BY R. P. SPITTLER

The Testament o f Job resembles the form and purpose of the better-known Testaments o f the T w e l v e Patriarchs. It is slightly shorter than Paul's Letter to the Romans , and c o m m e n d s the virtue of endurance (or patience: hypomone) based o n the biblical character, Job. It is not equal to the literary and phi losophic grandeur of the canonical book o f Job but is prosaic and at t imes humorous.

A Prologue (ch. 1) g ives the title and setting. A n Epi logue (chs . 5 1 - 5 3 ) describes Job's death, soul ascent, and burial. The main body o f the Testament (chs . 2 - 5 0 ) falls into four literary divis ions: Job relates in turn to a revealing angel (chs . 2 - 5 ) , to Satan (chs. 6 - 2 7 ) , to the three kings (chs . 2 8 - 4 5 ) , and to his three daughters (chs . 4 6 - 5 0 ) . The bulk of the testament ( 1 : 4 - 4 5 : 4 ) , embracing the first three of the four sect ions , is Job's first-person account of the cause and consequences o f his s ickness .

At the end o f his l i fe , the patriarch (identified as Jobab, a descendant o f Esau, before G o d named h im Job) gathers his children for last words o f counsel and for distribution of his estate (ch. 1). Job's perplexity over the idolatry he sees (chs . 2 f . ) occas ions the appearance of an angel , w h o promises catastrophe yet renown (ch. 4 ) should Job persist in his resolve to destroy the idol ' s shrine. H e does (ch. 5 ) .

Satan's consequent attack on Job (chs . 6 - 2 7 ) begins subtly with his disguise as a beggar (chs. 6 - 8 ) seeking to take advantage o f Job's generosity and piety, which Job recounts at length (chs . 9 - 1 5 ) . But the former charities are displaced by tragic losses (chs. 1 6 - 2 6 ) in property, fami ly , and health. Nevertheless , Job endures nobly and w h e n Satan finally confronts h im directly, it is to surrender before the athlete o f endurance (ch. 2 7 ) .

The three kings appear, astonished at the extent o f Job's calamities (chs . 2 8 - 3 0 ) : Eliphas laments Job's losses (chs . 3 1 - 3 4 ) . Baldad tests his sanity ( 3 5 : 1 - 3 8 : 5 ) . Sophar offers their royal physicians ( 3 8 : 6 - 8 ) . A s a final b l o w , Job's grieving wi fe , Sit is , d ies and is buried (chs. 3 9 f . ) . Final ly, Elihu speaks (ch. 4 1 ) . The kings are forgiven by Job's intercession (ch. 4 2 ) , whi le Elihu is cursed (ch. 4 3 ) . Job recovers (ch. 4 4 ) , g ives final counse l s , and div ides the inheritance among his seven sons (ch. 4 5 ) .

When the three daughters inquire about their share o f the inheritance, Job cal ls for the triple-stranded phylactery by which he was cured when at God ' s direction he girded himsel f (ch. 4 6 ) . A s one o f the magical cords is g iven to each o f the daughters in turn, they lose interest in earthly concerns and begin to speak ecstatically in the language o f angels (chs. 4 7 - 5 0 ) , y ie lding hymns said to have been preserved by Nereus , Job's brother (ch. 51) and blessing G o d in their distinctive dialects as the soul o f Job is carried off in a heavenly chariot (ch. 5 2 ) . Finally (ch. 5 3 ) , Job's body is buried with a proper lament.

Text The Testament o f Job survives in four Greek manuscripts, in an Old Church Slavonic

version, and in an incomplete Coptic version. N o Semit ic witnesses to the text exist. Modern

translations have appeared in French, 1 Serbo-Croatian (in part) , 2 E n g l i s h , 3 G e r m a n , 4 and modern H e b r e w . 5

P - Paris, Bibl iotheque Nationale , fonds grec 2 6 5 8 , complete; dated in the eleventh century. It was edited by M . R. J a m e s 6 and S. Brock . 7 A s a who le , P is the best manuscript, although traces o f Christian intrusions appear (Brock). A second man­uscript in the same library, fonds grec 9 3 8 , is a sixteenth-century copy of P.

S - Mess ina , S ic i ly , San Salvatore 2 9 , complete; dated A . D . 1307 /1308 . It was edited by A . Manc in i 8 and (with V) by R. Kraft . 9 S apparently represents (with V?) a separate textual tradition from P.

V - R o m e , Vatican, Greek 1238 , complete; a palimpsest manuscript dated A . D . 1195 , with earlier writing in the same century. This manuscript restyles textual difficulties into smooth paraphrases, s h o w s s o m e evidence of Christian terminology, harmonizes chronological references, and frequently abbreviates. V is accessible n o w in the edition o f Brock; it is the first manuscript published in modern t i m e s . 1 0

S l a v - An Old Church Slavonic version was published by G. Po l ivka 1 1 based on a manuscript known once to have been o w n e d by P. J. Safarik ( 1 7 9 5 - 1 8 6 1 ) and apparently located in Prague. T w o other manuscripts also were consulted by Polivka: Belgrade National Library, no . 149 ( incomplete) , and the M o s c o w Rumjancov M u s e u m , no. 1472.

Copt ic -Papyrus Co logne 3 2 2 1 , incomplete and unevenly preserved. It is now being edited by M. Weber o f the Institute for Antiquity at the University o f Co logne . Preliminary de ta i l s 1 2 show the Coptic text (Sahidic dialect, with Bohairic influence) differs from the Greek. This oldest ( A . D . 5th cent . ) of witnesses to the text o f the Testament of Job wil l aid the production of a critical text.

Original language Earlier modern scholars (Kohler, James , Riessler) held the work to have been written

originally in Hebrew, even though no manuscript ev idence o f a Semitic origin exists . Strongest considerations supporting the possibility o f a Hebrew original arise from hymnic portions of the text, where such phrases as " w h i l e crowns lead the way with praises" (43:14) may reflect Hebraisms.

An Aramaic origin was argued by C. C. T o r r e y , 1 3 on al leged linguistic grounds. But his arguments have convinced few modern s c h o l a r s . 1 4

Greek is most l ikely the language in which the Testament of Job was originally composed . N o Semitic versions or manuscripts are known. Moreover, the c lo se , though complicated, linguistic relation of the Testament to the Septuagint Book of Job provides the strongest argument in favor of original composi t ion in Greek.

1 J. Migne, Dictionnaire des apocryphes (Troisieme et derniere encyclopedic theologique, t. 24; Paris, 1858) vol. 2, cols. 401-20; M. Philonenko, "Le Testament de Job, Introduction, traduction et notes," Sem 18 (1968) 1-75.

2 S. Novakovid, "Apocrifna prica o Jovu," Starine 10 (1878) 157-70. This work translates into Serbo-Croatian about half of TJob from Migne's earlier French translation, making up what was lacking in the one Old Church Slavonic MS known to the author.

3 K. Kohler, "The Testament of Job," in G. Kohut, ed. , Semitic Studies in Memory of Rev. Dr. Alexander Kohut, pp. 264-338; R. Spittler, The Testament of Job: Introduction, Translation, and Notes, Harvard University Ph.D. (1971) pp. 75-130; R. Kraft et al., eds. , The Testament of Job According to the SV Text.

4 P. Riessler, Altjiidisches Schrifttum ausserhalb der Bibel iibersetzt und erklart (Augsburg, 1928) pp. 1104-34, 1333f.; B. Schaller, "Das Testament Hiobs," in W. Kummel et al., eds. , JSHRZ (Gutersloh, 1979) vol. 3 , pt. 3 , pp. 325-74 . [We are grateful to Schaller for sending us page proofs —J.H.C.]

5 A. Kahana, ha-Sefarim ha-Hitsonim (Tel Aviv, 1936/37', 1956 2) vol. 1, pp. 515-38; A. Hartom, ha-Sefarim ha-Hitsonim (Tel Aviv, 1965) vol. 6, pp. 1-42.

6 M. R. James, Apocrypha Anecdota, 2nd Series, pp. lxxii-cii, 104-37. 7 S. Brock, Testamentum Iobi. 8 A. Mancini, "Per la critica del Testamentum Job,' " Rendiconti della Reale Accademia dei Lincei, Classe di

Scienzi Morali, Storiche e Filologiche, Serie Quinta 20 (1911) 479-502. 9 Kraft et al., Testament of Job. 1 0 A. Mai, Scriptorum veterum nova collectio e Vaticanis codicibus, vol. 7, cols. 180-91. 1 1 G. Polivka, "Apokrifna prica o Jovu," Starine 24 (1891) 135-55. 1 2 Found in M. Philonenko, Sem 18 (1968) 9, 6 1 - 6 3 . 1 3 C. C. Torrey, The Apocryphal Literature (New Haven, 1945) p. 143. 1 4 Earlier, an Aram, origin was affirmed by R. Pfeiffer, History of New Testament Times (New York, 1941) p. 70.

Relation to the Septuagint

The Septuagint B o o k of Job is 2 0 percent shorter than the underlying Masoretic text; nevertheless , the Greek at points considerably expands the Hebrew version. Especial ly is this true o f the speech of Job's wife: T w o sentences appear in the Hebrew text ( " D o you hold fast your integrity? Curse G o d and d i e . " Job 2:9) . These b e c o m e a plaintive paragraph in the Septuagint, whi le the Testament o f Job (24f . ) g ives Job's wi fe a name (Sitis) and embel l i shes her speech e v e n more.

Similarly, the Septuagint differs from the Masoretic text at the end of the Book of Job: The Greek version c loses with a paragraph about Job's homeland and his ancestors (Job 4 2 : 1 7 b - e L X X ) . This longer Septuagint ending s h o w s correspondences with the Testament of Job. It also embodies marked parallels to an Aristeas fragment preserved by Alexander Polyhistor (in Eusebius , PrEv 9 . 2 5 . 1 - 4 ) .

The Testament of Job draws mainly from the narrative framework o f the Septuagint B o o k of Job, which appears at Job 1-2; 4 2 : 7 - 1 7 . But in addition, Job 2 9 - 3 1 ( L X X ) furnished Testament o f Job 9 - 1 6 with numerous concepts and phrases by which to amplify Job's wealth, piety, and generosity. At t imes , merely a phrase o f the Septuagint language is worked into the Testament ( seven thousand sheep: Job 1:3 L X X ; TJob 9:3) . In a f ew instances, more complete Septuagint quotations appear.

Rel iance o f the testament on the Septuagint is clear also from the testament's agreement with Septuagint passages where there is no Hebrew equivalent ( e . g . TJob 13:5). A s yet unresolved is the complicated problem o f the textual relations between the several Greek manuscripts o f the Testament of Job and the textual growth o f the Septuagint B o o k of Job.

The testament genre The mere phrase " M y s o n ( s ) , " found already in short units o f w i s d o m literature ( e .g .

Prov 5 :1 , 7 ) , implies the e s sence o f the testament (diatheke): A w i s e aged (and usually dying) father imparts final words o f ethical counsel to his attentive offspring. In the major biblical instance—the bless ing of Jacob on his twe lve sons (Gen 47:29-50:14)—spec i f i c e lements characteristic o f the later Jewish testaments already appear: (1) A n ill father (48:1) , (2) near death (47:29) , (3) and on his bed (47 :31) , (4) cal ls his sons (49:1) , (5) disposes of his goods (48:22) , and (6) issues a forecast o f events to c o m e ( 4 9 : 1 , et passim). The father (7) dies (49:33) and (8) a lamentation ensues ( 5 0 : 2 - 1 4 ) . Each o f these features appears in the Testament o f Job.

J. M u n c k 1 5 found a sufficient grouping o f these features in late Jewish ( e .g . Tob 14 :3 -11 ; l E n 9 1 : 1 - 1 9 ) as we l l as N e w Testament (Acts 2 0 : 1 7 - 3 8 ; IT im 4 : 1 - 1 6 ) literature to identify the "farewel l address" as a wide ly used literary technique in which features o f the testament genre show up in literature not in the testament form.

The notion of the term "tes tament" in the sense of a legal wi l l , not to mention the derived notion o f a spiritual l egacy , was only poss ible as a hellenistic development . For the Hebrew language apparently has no specific word for " te s tament ," e v e n though inheritance laws flourished in Israel. The Hebrew term bryt refers to a covenant or a contract, not a wil l .

The first century B . C . and the first century A . D . were eminently the centuries of the testament. S o m e products o f the genre o f that era were absorbed into other works: The Testament o f M o s e s , composed in the first century A . D . , w a s absorbed into the Assumption of M o s e s . The Testament o f Hezekiah, a Christian product, must have originated late in the first century A . D . ; but s ince the second to fourth centuries A . D . , it has been part of the Ascens ion of Isaiah ( 3 : 1 3 b - 4 : 1 8 ) . In its Greek form, the Testament o f A d a m probably goes back to the environs of the first century A . D .

The Testament o f Abraham is another first-century A . D . product. The fourth-century Christian document Constitutiones apostolorum ( 6 . 1 6 . 3 ) in its list o f apocryphal works cites t h e 4 * apocryphal books . . . o f the three patriarchs,'' which presumably refers to the testaments of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, w h o are e lsewhere wide ly remembered together.

In the Testament of Orpheus appears a Jewish-hellenistic text that cal led on the pagan mystagogue as a witness to monothe i sm.

1 5 "Discours d'adieu dans le Nouveau Testament et dans la literature biblique," in O. Cullmann and P. Menoud, eds. , Aux sources de la tradition chritienne (M. Goguel Festschrift) (Neuchatel/Paris, 1950) pp. 155-70.

Subsequent Christian testaments display tendencies: The third-century Testament o f Sol ­omon was a guide to magical exorcistic rites. The Testamentum Domini (extant only in Syr. ) reflects ecclesiastical interests o f the fourth and fifth centuries.

The strong ethical note o f the earlier Jewish testaments endured throughout the Middle A g e s , when Jewish scholars wrote (wonpseudepigraphic) moral wi l l s for their children. The earliest of these was the Orhot Hayyim ( " W a y s of L i f e " ) , written by Eliezer B e n Isaac Gershom around A . D . 1050. In his study Jewish Magic and Superstition, J. Trachtenberg 1 6

made use of very late representatives of this genre, including the Testament o f Judah the Pius and the Testament o f Shabbetae Horowitz , dated in the sixteenth century A . D .

Deve lopment also characterized the testament genre; it obtained the sense o f a wi l l , which legally specified the testator's w i shes regarding the disposition o f his estate fo l lowing death. Testamentum Platonis (in D i o g e n e s Laertius 3 . 4 1 - 4 3 ) provides a first-century B . C . example . The same classical author preserves (among others) the will o f Theophrastus (Diogenes Laertius 5 . 5 1 - 5 7 ) . Wealthy persons could designate the establishment o f memorial cults or institutions, resulting in such epigraphic remains as the Testamentum Galli, the Testamentum Epicuri, and the Testamentum Epictetae. Showing the possibil it ies o f evo lv ing literary elaboration o f this form, the Testament o f D i o g e n e s (c . A . D . 200 ) is a summary o f the philosopher's parting words inscribed on a wall for travelers to see . Similarly, the third- or fourth-century A . D . Testamentum Porcelli was said by Jerome to amuse schoo lboys , s ince it was a "satiric parody" o f a wil l contrived by a pig named Grunnius Corocotta prior to his slaughter.

But it is above all the Testaments o f the T w e l v e Patriarchs with which the Testament o f Job most readily al igns. A s do these , the Testament o f Job (1) opens with a deathbed scene; (2) celebrates a virtue; (3) offers moral exhortations; and (4) c loses with the death, burial, and lamentation scene .

But the Testament o f Job embodies distinctive modifications o f the testament genre. It treats but one biblical character, w h o was not from the Torah but from the w i s d o m literature. Of the features identified as characteristic o f the testament genre, the Testament o f Job may , in comparison with the Testaments of the T w e l v e Patriarchs, be said to be more haggadic , considerably less hortatory, and almost entirely devoid o f any apocalyptic e lement .

It is fair to say that the biblical details have undergone considerably more haggadic embell ishment in the Testament o f Job than in the Testaments o f the T w e l v e Patriarchs, which nowhere equal the hagiographic fantasy apparent in the extens ive magnification o f Job's generosity (TJob 9 - 1 5 ) .

Exhortation in the Testament o f Job is almost limited to 4 5 : 1 - 3 , which may have been an original end to an earlier form o f the testament. T h e ' ' t w o - w a y s " — t h e way o f righteousness and the way o f ev i l—mot i f does not appear. Overall , the Testament o f Job is a far more artistic ta le—a " n o v e l i z e d " testament, one might say—than the Testaments o f the T w e l v e Patriarchs.

Traditional apocalyptic features in the Testament o f Job show through only sl ightly, such as in the description o f the splendorous sashes Job bequeathed his daughters (TJob 46:7f . ) or the appearance o f the angel (TJob 3 - 5 ) . There is no assumption to heaven (nor even seven or three heavens) , no tour o f celestial scenes with an angelic interpreter (the angel is not heard of again), and no foreboding promises o f cosmic d o o m . There i s , in the Testament of Job, no messianism (as in TLevi 18), no " B e l i a l " nor any named angels , no sense o f eschatological imminence , no concern for the end o f the age , and no discontent with the present world. T o the contrary, the praise o f Job's philanthropy amounts to praise of social institutions. The Testament o f Job does not indulge in portentous grotesque symbol i sm or in apocalyptic zoo logy .

Although it has been drawn up by one disinterested in the testament form, the Testament of Job more nearly retains testamentary e lements than does , for example , the Testament o f Abraham, the Testament o f Isaac, or the Testament o f Jacob. It clearly aligns more with the Testaments o f the T w e l v e Patriarchs than with the legal or literary pagan "tes taments" or the medieval Hebraic varieties.

1 6 Cleveland/New York, 1961.

Provenance, purpose, and date

The Testament o f Job w a s almost certainly written in Greek, probably during the first century B . C . or A . D . , and poss ibly among the Egyptian Jewish sect called the Therapeutae, described extens ive ly by Phi lo in his tract Vita contemplativa.

Although Christian editing is poss ib le , the work is essential ly Jewish in character. It draws heavily from the Septuagint B o o k o f Job, to which text the Testament of Job also may have contributed. Characteristic features o f the text include Job's affirmation of the "upper w o r l d " (hypercosmios), concerns for proper burial, and attention to w o m e n . S o m e aspects of the Testament o f Job resemble those found in the sectarian Qumran texts , but more singular interests appear in its use o f magic and "merkabah m y s t i c i s m " (Jewish mystical speculation focusing on G o d ' s chariot, mrkbh).

The earliest modern opinion on the Testament o f Job was that o f Cardinal M a i , 1 7 w h o concluded that the work w a s produced by a Christian. J a m e s , 1 8 although suggest ing that it may have had a Semit ic origin, c la imed that in its present form the work stems from a second-century A . D . Christian, born a Jew, w h o put the Hebrew original into Greek and added his o w n material (TJob 4 6 - 5 3 and the poetic p ieces at TJob 2 5 , 3 2 , 3 3 , 4 3 ) .

A decade after James, F. Sp i t ta 1 9 published an extensive study on the Testament o f Job. He concluded that the testament is a p iece o f pre-Christian folk piety not attributable to the Essenes . H e also argued that the tradition about Job lay behind the N e w Testament portrayal o f Jesus as sufferer.

Similarly, D . Rahnenfuhrer 2 0 v i e w s the Testament o f Job as a pre-Christian, non-Essene text the purpose o f which w a s to serve propagandistic missionary interests o f hellenistic Judaism.

M . D e l c o r 2 1 suggests that the invasion o f Palestine by the Persian general Pacorus in 4 0 B . C . may l ie behind the reference to Satan's disguise as the "k ing of the Pers ians" (TJob 17:2). But J. C o l l i n s 2 2 tempers this proposal , noting that Persian kings were traditional enemies o f Egyptian royalty. A s the testament suggests a t ime of persecution, when the "pat i ence" (or "endurance") it c o m m e n d s would be specially relevant, Coll ins proposes a first-century A . D . date as more l ikely. But the state o f the ev idence hardly permits any more precise dating than the first century B . C . or A . D .

About the same t ime as James , near the end of the last century, K. K o h l e r 2 3 described the Testament o f Job as an Essene Midrash on the biblical B o o k of Job, possibly traceable to the Therapeutae.

More recently, M . P h i l o n e n k o 2 4 re-evaluated Kohler's thesis in v i ew o f the Qumran finds. He concluded that the Egyptian Therapeutae are to be distinguished from the Qumran Essenes and that the former is a more l ikely source for the Testament of Job than the latter. Whi le the Essenes were misogynis t s , the Therapeutae a l lowed w o m e n a significant role. Prayer toward the east (TJob 40:3) also characterizes the Therapeutae (Vita cont 89 ) . Most impor­tantly, Philo recounts (80) h o w spontaneous hymnic composit ions sprang from sacred meetings o f the Therapeutae, in which both men and w o m e n were present.

Several internal features o f the testament appear to confirm an Egyptian origin. Job is called "the king o f all E g y p t " (TJob 28:7) . The reference to Job's "fifty bakeries" (TJob 10:7) finds no Septuagint source, as do many o f the quantities mentioned in the Testament. The Therapeutae held the number fifty in special reverence, perhaps as a reference to the Feast o f Pentecost . G e m col lect ing, attributed to Job (TJob 28:4f.; 32:5; cf. Job 31 :24 L X X ) , was an Egyptian royal pastime according to Theophrastus (De lapidibus 2 4 . 5 5 ) .

A f ew considerations warrant hesitancy in accepting an Egyptian provenance among the

1 7 Mai, Scriptorum veterum nova collectio, vol. 7, col. 191. 1 8 Apocrypha Anecdota, pp. xciii-xciv. 1 9 "Das Testament Hiobs und das Neue Testament," Zur Geschichte undLiteratur des Urchristentoms, vol. 3 , pt.

2, p. 165. 2 0 "Das Testament des Hiob und das Neue Testament," ZNW 62 (1971) 8 8 - 9 3 . 2 1 "Le Testament de Job, la priere de Nabonide et les traditions targoumiques," in S. Wagner, ed., Bibel und

Qumran, p. 72. 2 2 "Structure and Meaning in the Testament of Job," in G. MacRae, ed. , Society of Biblical Literature: 1974

Seminar Papers, vol. 1, p. 50. 2 3 Semitic Studies, p. 273. ™Sem 18 (1968) 21-24 .

Therapeutae. Phi lo made a special point ( 7 0 - 7 2 ) about the absence o f s laves in the community of the Therapeutae; yet they are assumed in the Testament of Job, and are both male (13:4) and female (14:4) . Philo does not mention any glossolal ic hymn s inging, as does the Testament o f Job (48:3; 50:1) . Nor does he include laments among the forms or purposes of the hymns o f the Therapeutae. Even s o , an origin of the Testament among the Egyptian Therapeutae s e e m s very possible .

But has there been any Christian editing? Job's first-person address ends at chapter 4 5 . Testament o f Job 4 6 - 5 3 supplements 1-45 in reporting Job's recovery. Apocalyptic language more conspicuously appears in chapters 4 6 - 5 3 , which contain no extended poetic piece to match those found in chapters 1 -45 . In the single reference to the devil found in 4 6 - 5 3 , he is called "the e n e m y " (TJob 47 :10 ) , whi le the terms " S a t a n , " the " d e v i l , " and the "ev i l o n e " appear in 1 -45 .

Spitt ler 2 5 suggested that the Testament may have been reworked in the second century by Montanists. Eusebius (HE 5 . 1 7 . 1 - 4 ) preserves the argument o f an unnamed anti-Montanist w h o demanded to know where in the range o f biblical history any precedent appeared for ecstatic prophecy. The descriptions o f Job's daughters speaking in ecstasy (TJob 4 8 - 5 0 ) may have been a Montanist m o v e to supply such a precedent. Furthermore, the d o c u m e n t — or at least the tradition it preserves, that o f Job's return of the escaping worm to his body (TJob 20:8 f . )—is reflected in one of Tertullian's books (De anima 1 4 . 2 - 7 ) written just before his Montanist period.

The fol lowing reconstruction o f the origin and development o f the Testament of Job mingles probabilities with possibi l i t ies . The result is a scenario for the emergence of the Testament o f Job that must be seen as conjectural; how in fact the Testament arose cannot be described with faultless historical accuracy.

Somewhere in the second half o f the first century B . C . , a member o f the Therapeutae near Alexandria produced a "tes tament" in praise o f patience, which is surely a "contemplat ive" virtue. Although he (or s o m e o n e before him) may have used a Semitic original, his o w n work bore unmistakable ev idences o f a lover of the Septuagint. Having himself spontaneously composed hymns at the Therapeutae v ig i l s , and with his poetic skills now refined by writing, he—or she—produced at least three (TJob 2 5 , 3 2 , 4 3 ; 33?) poetic p ieces in the work. A s the document left the Therapeutic community and found its way to the Phrygian regions, it was in Greek and consisted o f the Testament o f Job 1 - 4 5 , a true "tes tament" o f a tested servant (therapon) o f God .

The work was artful enough—at least so far as the speech o f Job's wi fe (TJob 24) is concerned—to have been interlaced with the developing text o f the Septuagint. If the Testament was influential enough to have affected the Septuagint text, or been affected by it, it may be no surprise to find it in Phrygian regions t w o centuries later.

When the new prophecy erupted, there was no contest over canon, scripture, or doctrine. When , however , the original Montanist trio passed and the foretold end had not yet c o m e , the movement organized and prophetic ecstasy spread. Prophetic virgins constituted them­selves into an institution. At one point—before A . D . 195—an anti-Montanist writer demanded of the Montanists where in scripture prophecy in ecstasy might be claimed. In an era of canonical flexibility, a Montanist apologist , probably o f Jewish background, made use of a "testament" known to him and in which he found ideas compatible with his o w n species of Judaistic practice. B y creating Testament o f Job 4 6 - 5 3 , possibly inserting chapter 3 3 , and certain other restyling, the apologist for the n e w prophecy produced a text wherein the daughters of Job were charismatically, or magical ly , lifted into prophetic ecstasy, enabling them to speak in the language o f angels .

The work remained in Montanist hands as a propaganda text, perhaps particularly useful for Jews . Tertullian, at any rate, came by the text even before he became a Montanist. H e used this Jewish testament in praise of patience in producing his o w n work De patientia. The work may even have played s o m e part in his attraction to the Montanist movement .

B y the sixth century, the work appeared on a list o f proscribed apocrypha, the Gelasian Decree . But even before then it had been translated into Coptic , showing its continued popularity in Egypt. By the tenth century, it had been translated into Slavonic . In spite o f four late medieval Greek manuscripts, the work remained virtually unknown in the West till modern t imes .

2 5 Spittler, Testament of Job, pp. 5 8 - 6 9 .

Theological importance

A s a w h o l e , the theological out look o f the Testament o f Job aligns with hellenistic Judaism. The l iving (37:2) and just (43:13) G o d is the one w h o created heaven, earth, the sea, and mankind (2:4) . G o d is cal led the "Master of v i r t u e s , , (despotes ton areton 50:2) as wel l as the " D e m i u r g e " (39:12) , but without subsequent gnost ic notions attached to that term. The title "Father" ( 3 3 : 3 , 9; 4 0 : 3 ; 4 7 : 1 1 ; cf. 50 :3 ; 52:6; see n. i to 52 ) need not be v i ewed as a Christian intrusion (see n. g to 33 ) . In the Testament, it is Job's zeal against an idol 's shrine ( 2 - 5 ) that is made the occas ion o f the calamities that befall h im. God is the receiver of praise (14:3) and present in praise (51:1) . H e is Job's source o f healing, the creator of physicians (38:8) , to the end that e v e n at death Job felt no pain (52: I f . ) .

Human nature in the Testament o f Job is subject to the deception o f the devil (3:3) , exemplif ied in the various disguises assumed by Satan in his opposit ion to Job (see n. c to 6 ) . Job's wi fe , his servants, and he h imsel f are the objects o f Satan's attacks. Indeed, a highly deve loped doctrine o f Satan marks the Testament. H e is variously identified as Satan (6:4) , the devi l (3:3) , the evi l one (7:1 V ) , the e n e m y (47:10) . H e is not human (23:2; cf. 42:2) nor o f flesh, as Job (27:2) , but is a spirit (27:2) w h o was responsible for the nefarious inspiration o f Elihu (41:5f.; cf. 17 : I f . ) . A s in the canonical account, Satan derives his l imited authority from G o d ( 8 : 1 - 3 ; cf. Job 1:12; 2:6) .

The notion o f angels in the testament corresponds to Jewish and Christian thought. A n interpreting angel , a lso cal led a " l i g h t " (4:1; cf. 3:1) , figures in Testament of Job 2 - 5 in a manner characteristic o f Jewish and Christian apocalyptic. Job's daughters speak in ecstasy the language o f the angels (48:3) , the archons (49:2) , and the cherubim (50:2) . Unidentified heavenly creatures (angels?) , functioning as the psychopomps of Greek mythology , carry off Job's soul at his death ( 5 2 : 6 - 1 0 ; cf. 47 :11 ) .

Dist inctive emphasis is g iven in the testament to a cosmolog ica l dualism that inculcates a certain otherworldliness. This moti f most clearly appears in Job's psalm of affirmation, in which he boldly asserts, " M y throne is in the upper w o r l d " (33:3) . B y contrast, this world and its k ingdoms pass away (33 :4 , 8 ) , a c la im that infuriates the friendly kings w h o came to help (34:4) . But the c o s m i c superiority o f the upper wor ld—which nowhere is elaborately described in the Testament of Job—also emerges in the effects o f the charismatic sashes once they are donned by Job's daughters. Their hearts were changed, they no longer cared for earthly things, they used the tongues of angels ( 4 8 - 5 0 ) . Even s o , the testament celebrates Job's exemplary care for the poor ( 9 - 1 3 ) , which is an earthbound enterprise to which he returns fo l lowing his recovery ( 4 4 : 2 - 5 ) .

Several eschatological ideas exist side by side in the testament. A m o n g the rewards promised Job by the angel is participation in the resurrection (4:9; cf. n. c to 4 ) . Job's children, w h o died when their house col lapsed (39:8) , however , need no burial; they were taken directly to heaven by their creator ( 3 9 : 8 - 4 0 : 3 ) . Yet the testament ends with a description of Job's soul being carried off in a chariot (52:10); his body is buried a few days later ( 5 3 : 5 - 7 ) .

In fact, burial concerns are a distinct interest o f the testament, reflecting its Jewish origin. Not only did Job's w i f e , Sit is , plead for the burial of her children ( 3 9 : 1 - 1 0 ) , her o w n burial is told in detail: the process ion, the p lace , the lament used, even animals mourning her death ( 4 0 : 6 - 1 4 ) . Similarly, Job's burial is described ( 5 3 : 5 - 7 ) . The poetic composi t ions at Testament of Job 25 and 3 2 s tem from the lament form, the life setting of which was the funeral.

A high interest in w o m e n marks the testament. This first appears in the names g iven to both Job's present wi fe (Dinah) and his earlier spouse (Sitis) . Sit is , unnamed at Job 2:9f. in the canonical account, b e c o m e s a leading figure in the testament, which extensively elaborates her speech (TJob 2 4 : 1 - 2 5 : 1 0 ) compared to the Septuagint adjustment of the Masoretic text (TJob 2 4 : 1 - 2 5 : 1 0 ; Job 2 :9a-d L X X ) . More than this , in Testament of Job 2 1 - 2 6 Sitis b e c o m e s something o f a figure of pity, driven to ens lavement and finally forced to sell her hair ignominious ly to Satan. Even s o , the Sitis cyc l e functions to accentuate Job's troubles. In the Testament of Job 3 9 - 4 0 , she reappears on behalf o f her deceased—but as yet unburied—children, three o f w h o m were w o m e n .

N o less than six words are used in the Testament of Job for female s l a v e . 2 6 W i d o w s , too ,

2 6 Pais (7:3); doule (7:7); therapaine (14:4); paidiske (21:2); doulis (21:3); latris (24:2); all are used with the feminine article.

make their appearance: Job is their champion. (His funeral dirge has the line " G o n e is the clothing of w i d o w s ! " 53:3 . ) And by his musical skills Job could quell their murmuring ( 1 4 : 1 - 5 ) . At Testament o f Job 13 :4 -6 (quoting Job 31:31 L X X ) complaints against Job are attributed specifically to his male servants, apparently exonerating the female servants mentioned at Job 31:31 ( L X X ) .

Aside from the w i v e s , the w i d o w s , and the s laves , there are the daughters o f Job already named in the canon and said to have had such beauty that "Throughout the land there were no w o m e n as beautiful as the daughters of J o b " (Job 42:15) . The fact that "their father gave them inheritance rights like their brothers" triggered a distinct section o f the testament ( 4 6 - 5 0 ) , where the earlier interest in patience has been displaced by a concern for ecstatic and perhaps magical participation in the upper world through glossolal ia.

Finally, the motif o f endurance, or patience (hypomone), receives high praise in the testament. The degree to which this theme is worked into the testament is clear ev idence o f its kinship with the testament genre. Job is the hero of patience; he is born to it (1:5) . If he is patient—the angel promises (4 :6 )—he will gain fame and be restored. On the dung heap, he invites his wife Sitis to endure with him (26:5) . Underwriting the charitable exploits o f others whose mismanagement led to bankruptcy, Job acceded to their pleas for patience (11:10) . He would undergo whatever Satan could bring; that adversary finally learned Job could not be enticed away from patience to contempt (20:1) . Job was like the underdog wrestler w h o nevertheless w o n the match "because he showed endurance and did not grow weary" (27:4) . It was their prior knowledge of Job and his former happy estate—and not their patience—that led to the speechlessness of the king-friends upon their discovery of Job (28:5) . Sitis bitterly condemns Job's dung heap motto: "Only a little longer!" (24:1) . N o more fitting summary o f the hortatory intent o f the testament could be quoted than 27:7: " N o w then, my children, you also must be patient in everything that happens to you. For patience is better than a n y t h i n g . " 2 7

Cultural importance Rejected by the rabbis and the Church, the Testament o f Job not surprisingly has been

virtually unnoticed till modern t imes and has had little detectable effect on the development of Western culture. Nothing in Archibald MacLeish's play J.B., for example , suggests any roots traceable to the testament.

Early Church Fathers deve loped parallels between Job and Jesus as sufferers, a theme at times expressed in early medieval Christian art. Tertullian may have used the testament in some form of its literary history (see n. f to 20 ) . According to K o h l e r 2 8 the Islamic tradition preserves features of the saga o f Job distinctive to the testament. A few plays and works on the biblical book o f Job from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century were cited over a century ago in a short preface to the first French translation of the tes tament . 2 9 Whether or not any of these reflects aspects o f the story o f Job distinctive to the testament remains to be investigated (as do possible relations between the text traditions of the testament and the Vulgate).

The chief contribution of the Testament o f Job lies in its witness to the sectarian diversity of hellenistic Judaism. Much of its vocabulary and concepts it shares with the N e w Testament, as well as with other contemporary literature in the testament genre. Here in a single document, however , typical hellenistic Jewish monotheist ic propaganda and moral exhortation mix with a primitive form of Merkabah myst ic i sm, with the sharply dualistic outlook at Qumran (especially TJob 4 3 ) , with the beginnings of Jewish magic ( 4 6 : 3 - 4 7 : 6 ) , and with a Montanist-like interest in angelic glossolal ia. The testament is in fact a valuable monument to the rich variety o f hellenistic Jewish piety.

2 7 Some of the T12P, rather than commending virtues, condemn vices, as TSim (envy), TJud (love of money, fornication). TJob incidentally depreciates arrogance (alazoneia, 15:8), exultation (gauriama, 33:6), boasting (kaukema, 33:8), scorn (Jkataphronesis, 15:6), contempt (oligoria, 20:1), pride (hyperephania, 15:8); all are inconsistent with enduring patience.

2 8 Semitic Studies, pp. 292-95 . 2 9 J. Migne, Dictionnaire des apocryphes, vol. 2 , col. 402.

About the translation

The text employed is eclect ic and has been critically rev iewed, but it largely fo l lows Brock and therefore reflects P. Whi le a generally conservative stance has been taken toward the text, a conjectured reading of " E l i p h a s " for " E l i h u " has been adopted at Testament o f Job 3 1 : 1 , 5; 32:1; 3 3 : 1 . This choice is not supported in the extant Greek witnesses , but it draws partial support from the Coptic version as wel l as from the order of appearance o f Job's friends in the Septuagint (see n. a to 31 ) .

Versification fo l lows that o f Brock. Marginal references focus on parallels internal to the testament itself, although frequent reference is provided to likely Septuagint sources for the language o f the Testament. All marginal references to Job are to the Septuagint version. A number standing by itself refers to the verse o f that number in the same chapter. Where chapter and verse are g iven with no preceding book cited, the reference is to the Testament of Job i t se l f . 3 0

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Charlesworth, PMR, pp. 1 3 4 - 3 6 . Del l ing , Bibliographic, p . 167. Deni s , Introduction, pp. 1 0 0 - 4 .

Brock, S. Testamentum Iobi. J. C . Picard, Apocalypsis Baruchi graece. P V T G 2; Leiden, 1967. (Re-edits M S P, noting all significant variations in S and V and selected variants in S lavonic . Useful introduction covering the characteristics and interrelations of the text wi tnesses . )

Col l ins , J. J. "Structure and Meaning in the Testament of Job,*' in G. MacRae , e d . , Society of Biblical Literature: 1974 Seminar Papers. Cambridge, M a s s . , 1974; vol . 1, pp. 3 5 - 5 2 . ( V i e w s TJob as a coherent lst-cent . A . D . product of Egyptian Judaism. Valuable suggest ions regarding opposit ion between Job and others [notably Satan, his friends, and his wi fe ] as a possible clue to the underlying structural unity o f the work. )

Delcor , M . " L e Testament de Job, la priere de Nabonide et les traditions targourniques," in S. Wagner , e d . , Bibel und Qumran. Beitrdge zur Erforschung der Beziehungen zwischen Bibel- und Qumranwissenschaft. Hans Bardtke zum 22.9.1966. Berlin, 1968; pp. 5 7 - 7 4 . (Concludes that the Gk. interpolation at Job 2:9 derives from TJob and that TJob 17:1 alludes to the invasion of Palestine by Pacorus in 4 0 B . C . , after which TJob was c o m p o s e d . )

Jacobs, I. "Literary Motifs in the Testament o f J o b , " JJS 21 (1970) 1 -10 . (Sees TJob as an early sample o f Jewish martyr literature, distinctively featuring a convert w h o suffers for his faith.)

James, M . R. Apocrypha Anecdota, 2nd Series. T & S , 5 . 1 , Cambridge, England, 1897; pp. lxx i i - c i i , 1 0 4 - 3 7 . (Standard text, with ch. divis ions , used until Brock. Helpful introductory material; biblical parallels cited.)

3 0 Aiming for readability without violating the sense of the underlying text, the translation does not hesitate to omit Gk. particles and conjunctions (where these would not affect the sense), to exchange a singular for a plural (where more natural in English), to reorder sentence components (always, however, with the resulting ET vs. corresponding to the Gk. vs. of the same number). The terms "endurance" and "patience" are used interchangeably to translate the Testament's celebrated virtue, hypomone.

The translation has had a circuitous history. At first part of my Harvard doctoral dissertation, it was placed at the disposal of R. Kraft to be revised as he and his staff were directed by their work in producing a preliminary text of the SV strand of the TJob text tradition. In the process, H. Attridge provided many helpful suggestions regarding both text and translation. Since I have had the benefit of their work, along with that of J. Timbie, I am expressly grateful not only for the distinct textual advances they have made but also for their concurrence in letting the translation once again be reworked for publication here. I have profited much from a critical reading of the work in the present form by B. Schaller of Gottingen. Inadequacies that remain are my own, of course.

K e e , H. C . "Satan , M a g i c , and Salvation in the Testament o f J o b , " in G. MacRae , e d . , Society of Biblical Literature: 1974 Seminar Papers. Cambridge, M a s s . , 1974; vo l . 1, pp. 5 3 - 7 6 . (TJob is a lst -cent . A . D . text, originally Gk . , most c lose ly al igned with magical and mystical features o f early merkabah myst ic i sm. Its eschatology is a temporal p r o c e s s — m o d e l e d by Job's endurance—and hence not gnost ic . )

Kohler, K. " T h e Testament o f Job: A n Essene Midrash on the B o o k o f Job Reedited and Translated with Introductory and Exegetical N o t e s , " in G. Kohut, e d . , Semitic Studies in Memory of Rev. Dr. Alexander Kohut. Berl in, 1897; pp. 2 6 4 - 3 3 8 . (Uses M a i ' s Gk. text [ = V ] , Kohler 's ch . and v s . divis ions differ from those o f James. Introduction focuses o n Semit ic , especial ly rabbinic and Mus l im, folklore about Job. Sees TJob as originating from Therapeutae " i n the outskirts o f Palestine in the land of Hauran, where the Nabatheans [sic] l ived, and the Essene brotherhoods spread it all over the Arabian l a n d s , " p . 2 9 5 . )

Kraft, R. A . ( e d . ) , with H. Attridge, R. Spittler, J. Timbie . The Testament of Job According to the SV Text. T & T 5; Pseudepigrapha series 4: Missoula , Mont . , 1974 . (Valuable nn. on the textual history o f the TJob and an extensive bibliography.)

Mai , A . Scriptorum veterum nova collectio e Vaticanis codicibus. R o m e , 1833 . (10 vo l s . ; TJob = vol . 7 , co l s . 1 8 0 - 9 1 ; editio princeps, using the V text.)

Mancini , A . "Per la critica del T e s t a m e n t u m Job , ' " Rendiconti della Reale Accademia dei Lincei, Classe di Scienze Morali, Storiche e Filologiche. Serie Quinta 2 0 (1911) 4 7 9 - 5 0 2 . (Collation o f S with P [James] and V [Mai ] , with s o m e philological and text-critical observations.)

Phi lonenko, M . " L e Testament de Job, Introduction, traduction et n o t e s , " Sem 18 (1968) 1 -75 . (French translation with brief nn. and introduction. Original language o f TJob not determined—at least parts c o m e from H e b . , e . g . ch. 4 3 . A n authentically Jewish writing o f Egyptian Therapeutic origin, from 1st cent. A . D . [pre 7 0 ] . A l s o announces ex is tence o f the Cop . version. S e e also " L e Testament de Job et les Therapeutes" Sem 8 [1958] 4 1 - 5 3 , which supports Kohler's thesis o f a Therapeutic origin by appealing to Qumran parallels.)

Pol ivka, G. "Apokrifna prica o J o v u , " Starine: Jugoslavenska Akademija Znaosti i Umjetnosti ("Antiquit ies: for the Yugos lav A c a d e m y o f Sc iences and Humani t i e s ," Zagreb) 2 4 (1891) 1 3 5 - 5 5 . (Edition o f the three Slav. M S S . )

Rahnenfuhrer, D . " D a s Testament des Hiob und das N e u e Tes tament ," ZNW 6 2 (1971) 6 8 - 9 3 . (Summarizes his 1967 doctoral dissertation at Halle-Wittenberg. Pre-Christian, originally G k . , example o f hellenistic Jewish missionary literature. Useful data on the vocabulary o f TJob and its affinities with the N T . )

Schaller, B . " D a s Testament H i o b s , " in W . Kummel et al., e d s . , JSHRZ ( 1979) 3 0 3 - 7 4 (seen in page proofs) . (Highly useful introduction, translation with nn. TJob w a s c o m p o s e d in Gk. as a product o f hellenistic Judaism; but it is not specifically attributable to the Therapeutae. Dated probably early to middle 2nd cent . )

Spitta, F. " D a s Testament Hiobs und das N e u e Tes tament ," Zur Geschichte und Literatur des Urchristentums, vo l . 3 , pt. 2 . Gott ingen, 1907; pp. 1 3 9 - 2 0 6 . (TJob is a pre-Christian, but not Essene , product o f Jewish popular piety and furnished N T writers with a model for Jesus as sufferer. Includes s o m e nn. provided by James correcting Mai ' s text o f V . )

TESTAMENT OF JOB3

Prologue (1)

Title 1 The book o f the words o f Job, the one called J o b a b . b

Gen 36:33f.

Setting'

2 N o w on the day w h e n , having fallen i l l , d he began to settle his affairs, he called 3 his seven sons and his three daughters , e • w h o s e n a m e s f are Tersi , Choros, H y o n , j 0 b i :2

4 N ike , Phoros, Phiphe, Phrouon, Hemera* Kasia, and Amaltheiafs Horn.h *And j 0 b 4 2 : i 4

when he had called his children he said, 1 Gather round, m y children. Gather round m e so that I may show you the things which the Lord did with m e and all the things which have happened j to m e .

5 I am your father Job, fully engaged in endurance . k But you are a chosen and J a s 5 : i i

6 honored race from the seed o f Jacob, 1 the father of your mother. »For I am from j o b 4 2 : i 7 c

the sons of Esau, the brother of Jacob, o f w h o m is your mother Dinah," 1 from

1 a. So P (diatheke). "Testament (diataxis) of Job," S; "Testament (diatheke) of the Blameless, Sorely Tried, and Blessed Job, His Life and a Copy of His Testament," V; "Life and Conduct of the Holy and Righteous Job," Slav.

b. Reference is made probably to the Jobab of Gen 36:33f., who is described as the second king of Edom. This suggests a setting in the patriarchal era, confirmed by Job's genealogy "from the sons of Esau" (TJob 1:6). Similarly, Job 42:17c LXX describes Job as a descendant of Abraham and speaks (in reverse order from TJob) of "Jobab, the one called Job" (42:17d).

c. Following the testament form, 1:2-7 pictures Job at the end of his life (248 years old, according to 53:8 S V Slav), his children gathered around him, about to urge endurance (hypomone) by a recital of his own famed perseverance.

d. But, according to 52:1, he fell ill without pain or suffering, due to the miraculous effects of the splendorous girdle (46.7f.) by which he had re­covered from his earlier stroke (47:4-8). Among the T12P, TReu (1:2) and TSim (1:2) likewise describe their subjects as ill as part of the deathbed scene, while TLevi (1:2), TNaph (1:2), and TAsh (1:2) each expressly state the patriarch is in good health even though—in conjunction with the tes­tament form—about to die.

e. The second set of ten children: The first ten (also seven sons and three daughters according to Job 1:2, but not specifically so stated in TJob) were all lost in Job's tragedy (TJob 1:6; 18:1; cf. Job l:18f.). The total and the male-female ratio thus agree with Job 42:13. On seven sons, cf. Ruth 4:15; ISam 2:51; Tob 14:3A. Job's 7,000 sheep and 3,000 camels (Job 1:3; cf. TJob 9:2-4) appear in the same ratio.

f. V Slav omit all names. S omits the first five. The seven sons, listed first, play no further role in TJob (cf. 46: If.) , while the daughters figure prom­inently in 46 -53 .

g. The last three names correspond to those given

Job's daughters at Job 42:14 LXX (cf. MT). The sons are not named in canonical Job.

h. "Amaltheia's Horn" is the legendary horn of plenty (cornucopia) ascribed in Gk. mythology to the broken hom of the she-goat who nursed Zeus. Gk. myth likewise knows of Nereus, the name of Job's brother (see n. b to 51).

i. Job's own words begin here, and the first person is used throughout TJob l:4b-45:4. The quotation marks appropriate here, and after TJob 45:4, are omitted to ease reading; inclusion also would require initial quotation marks at every in­tervening paragraph and the introduction of need­lessly complicating quotations within quotations.

j . Cf. 1:7. Contrast the similar but future phrase characteristic of apocalypses (e.g. Rev 1:1; 22:6; Dan 2:28, 45; lEn 1:2). Testaments tend to look back, apocalypses ahead.

k. Or patience (hypomone), the virtue celebrated by TJob and that for which Job is remembered at the only place where he is mentioned in the NT, Jas 5:11: "You have heard of the patience of Job . . ."

1. Job is distinguished by patient endurance, his children by noble ancestry.

m. In canonical Job the first wife is unnamed and the second unmentioned. In TJob the wife of Job's trials is named Sitis (n. b to 25) , while the mother of the ten children just named and before whom Job declares this "testament" is Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah (Gen 20:31; 46:15). That makes Job an in-law to the twelve patriarchs and thereby further legitimates a testament from one outside the circle of patriarchal worthies, Abra­ham, Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve sons of Jacob. Dinah as Job's wife is known elsewhere in the Jewish tradition: Ps-Philo 8:7f.; Targum on Job 2:9; jBB 15b; GenR 57:4; cf. 73:9 and 80:4. While no more is heard of Dinah in TJob, Sitis plays a major role (21-26, 39f.) and is the subject of an extensive lament (25), which is one of several carefully wrought poetic pieces in TJob.

I. Job and the Revealing Angel (2-5) a

Job's perplexity over idolatry

i,2 2 N o w I used to be Jobab before the Lord named m e Job. • W h e n I was called

3 Jobab, I l ived quite near a venerated idol 's t e m p l e . b *As I constantly saw who le - 3:6; 4:i,4; 5:2;

burnt offerings being offered up there, I began reasoning within myse l f saying, 1 7 : 4

4 "Is this really the God w h o made heaven and earth, the sea t o o , c and our very

se lves? H o w shall I k n o w ? "

1 3 One night as I was in bed a loud vo ice came to m e in a very bright light saying, 4:i; 5:2; 18:5,8

2 "Jobab, Jobab!" # A n d I said, " Y e s ? Here I a m . " A n d he said, " A r i s e , and I wil l

3 show you w h o this is w h o m you wish to k n o w . • T h i s one w h o s e whole-burnt

offerings they bring and w h o s e drink offerings they pour is not God . Rather, his

is the power of the d e v i l , 3 by w h o m human nature 5 is d e c e i v e d . "

4,5 When I heard these things, I fell on m y bed worshiping and saying, « " M y Lord,

6 who came for the salvation o f m y soul , «I beg y o u — i f this is indeed the place of 47:ii; 52.5,6,10

Satan c by w h o m men are deceived—grant m e authority to g o and purge his place

7 so that I may put an end to the drink offerings being poured for h im. W h o is there

to forbid m e , s ince I rule this r e g i o n ? " d 28:7; 29:3

The angel's disclosure of impending calamities

1 4 The l ight 8 answered m e and said, " Y o u shall be able to purge this place. But 3:i

I am go ing to show you all the things which the Lord charged m e to tell y o u . "

2 a. TJob here (2-5) blends apocalyptic features into the testament form. A revealing angel responds in a night vision to Job's concern over a nearby idol's shrine. His destruction of it, authorized by the angel, becomes the cause of Satan's attack on Job. The nighttime sleep interrupted by a voice and a light, the perplexity motif, worship of the revealing angel, the call by name, all these are typical features of apocalypses roughly contem­porary with TJob; e.g. 2En 1:2-9A; 4Ezra 3:1-4; 4:lf.; 3Bar 1:2-8; Rev 1:9-19. Such features are not common in the T12P, but cf. TLevi 2:4-6 .

b. Elsewhere the pagan temples are called "the place of Satan" (3:6; 4:4), "the temple of the idol" (5:2), "the temple of the great god . . . the place of drink offerings . . . the house of god" (17:4). Opposition to idolatry in TJob 2-5 resembles the similar iconoclasm of Abraham (Jub 12:12).

c. Quite nearly a creedal formula at Ps 145 (146):6; Acts 4:24; 14:15; Rev 10:6; 14:7, probably arising from Ex 20:11; Neh 9:6 (2Ezra 19:6 LXX). Except for Rev 14:7 (which has "and every water-spring"), these all add "and all that is in them" (or similarly), for which TJob alone reads, "and our very se lves ." In all cases the order heaven, earth, and sea is retained. Cf. Jub 2:2 (where the addition is "all the spirits" [angels], which are then extensively enumerated); PrMan 2f.; Jdt 13:18.

3 a. Elsewhere "the devil" is called "Satan" (3:6), "the enemy" (47:10; cf. 7:11, Slav addition

to 53:8), and in V only "the evil one" (7:1; 20:2) and "wretched one" (27:1). Belial (or Beliar) does not appear. Satan as enemy: TDan 6:3f.; Mt 13:39; Lk 10:18f.

b. The phrase "human nature" occurs in the NT only at Jas 3:7, where various bestial natures are said to have been tamed by it. TJob elsewhere shows sensitivity to the distinction between human and beastly (39:10) or Satanic (7:5; 42:2) natures. Such deception by Satan later in TJob overtakes Job's doormaid (7:6), his wife (23:11), and threat­ens even Job himself (26:6).

c. The "place of Satan" is not as strongly po­lemic as the NT expression "synagogue of Satan" (Rev 2:9; 3:9) and "the place where Satan is en­throned" (Rev 2:13).

d. Where LXX had already called Job's friends "kings" (Job 2:11), TJob makes Job a king too, most strongly at 28:7, "Jobab, the king of all Egypt." The friends speak of him as their "fellow king" (29:3), and his throne—mentioned at 20:4— becomes the taunting refrain in the lament of Eliphas (32:2-12): "Where then is the splendor of your throne?" Perhaps the canonical Job 19:9 (cf. 31:36)—speaking already in the MT of Job's crown—implies he was there too considered a ruler (cf. 29:25, "like a king amid his armies . . . " ) .

4 a. I.e. the angel who appeared in "a very bright light" (3:1).

w h o m I begot y o u . ( M y former wife died with the other ten children in a bitter

death.)

7 So hear m e , children, and I wil l show y o u the things which have befallen m e . A

2 And I said, "Whatever he has charged m e , his servant, I wi l l hear and d o . "

3,4 Aga in he said, "Thus says the Lord: # I f y o u attempt to purge the place o f Satan, 2:2

he wil l rise up against y o u with wrath for battle. But he wil l be unable to bring i8:5; 27:I

5 death upon y o u . H e wil l bring o n you many plagues , •he wil l take away for himself 37:3f.

6 your g o o d s , he wil l carry off your children. •But if y o u are patient, I wil l make

your name renowned in all generations o f the earth till the consummation o f the 53:8

7 a g e . b # A n d I wil l return y o u again to your g o o d s . It wi l l be repaid to you doubly , 44:5

8 so y o u may k n o w that the Lord is impartial—rendering g o o d things to each one 43:13

9,10 w h o obeys . •And you shall be raised up in the resurrection.0 # F o r you wil l be like Job42:i7a

n a sparring athlete , d both enduring pains and winning the crown. • T h e n wil l you 27:3-5

know that the Lord is just , true, and strong, g iv ing strength to his e lect o n e s . "

Job's destruction of the idol's shrine

1 5 And I, m y little children, replied to h im, "Ti l l death I wil l endure: I wil l not i:4

2 step back at a l l . " 'After I had been sealed by the angel when he left m e , m y little 3:i i:4

children, then—having arisen the next night—I took fifty youths with m e , struck

3 off for the temple o f the idol , and leveled it to the ground. *And so I withdrew 2:2

into m y house , having ordered the doors to be secured. 3

//. Job and Satan (6-27)*

A. SATAN'S ATTACK AND JOB'S TRAGEDY (6-8) b

Satan disguised as a beggar

i,2 6 Listen, little children, and marvel . •For as soon as I entered into m y house and

3 secured m y doors , I charged m y doormen thus, •"I f anyone should seek m e today,

g ive no report; but say , 'He has no t ime, for he is inside concerned with an urgent

matter.' "

4 S o whi le I w a s inside Satan knocked at the door, having disguised himself as n :2 ,20:5; 23.1

b. Not in LXX, the expression "consummation of the age" occurs in the T12P and at Mt 13:39; Heb 9:26.

c. Both syntactically and doctrinally, this verse could qualify as a Christian interpolation: even more V's additional phrase "to eternal l i fe." But LXX Job already taught a future resurrection, even apart from the interesting statement in the appendix (42:17a) "And it is written that he will rise again with those whom the Lord will raise up" (". . . whom the Lord raised up" reads V distinctively at TJob 53:8). Resurrection in 4:9 as well as in 53:8V (and Job 42:17a LXX) seems limited to the right­eous, as in 2Mac 7:14. This contrasts with, e .g. , TBenj 10:8, where "All shall arise—some to glory, and others to dishonor."

d. This phrase artfully anticipates 27:3-5, where similar athletic imagery marks the end of the episode of Satan and Job.

5 a. According to 6:2 and 9:7f., the doors ordi­narily stood open for the benefit of the poor seeking food. The author has the habit of introducing a major section with a brief advance summary: 5:3 brings on 6 - 8 , while 8:3 announces 9-26 . Cf. 46:11 for 48 -50 .

6 a. Chiastic structure marks this section: 6-8 de­scribe Satan's attack issuing in Job's tragedy, while the closing ch. (27) reverses the matter with Job conquering Satan. Where at 6:1-6 Job secludes himself from Satan, by 27:lf. it is Satan who is hiding from Job. The remaining chs. (9-26) appear to be modeled after the temporal contrast charac­teristic of certain mocking laments: 9 -15 tells what Job once was (wealthy, philanthropic, hospitable, musically skilled, pious). Then 16-26 details what he later became (deprived of wealth, family, health).

b. Having just razed the idol's temple (5:2), Job conceals himself in his house shutting doors (5:3; 6:2f.) that usually stand open (9:7f.). Coming in disguise as a begger—many such beggers came to Job's house to share in his care for the poor (9:8)— Satan first asked an interview (6:5f.), then a loaf of bread (7:2). Denied both, with Job's assertion of his "estrangement" from him (7:4, 10), Satan negotiates authority over Job with God (8:lf.) and discomfits him (8:3). Throughout 6 - 8 , Job is thor­oughly insulated from Satan. Job is occupied within his house, all communication with Satan is relayed by the doormaid, who at first was unaware of Satan's true identity.

5 a beggar . 0 • A n d he said to the doormaid, "Te l l Job I wi sh to meet with h i m . " 6 When the doormaid c a m e and told m e these things, she heard m e say to report that

I had no t ime just n o w .

1 7 W h e n he heard that, Satan departed and put a y o k e 3 on his shoulders. A n d 2 when he arrived, he spoke to the doormaid saying, • " S a y to Job, 'Give m e a loaf 3 of bread from your hands, so I may eat . ' " ' S o I gave a burnt loaf o f bread to the 4 girl to g ive to h im and said to h im, • "Expect to eat m y loaves no longer, for you

are estranged from m e . " 5 Then the doormaid, ashamed to g ive h im the burnt and ashen loaf o f bread 6 (for she did not k n o w he w a s Satan), took the g o o d loaf o f her o w n and gave it 23:2; 27:2; 42:2 7 to h im. •And w h e n he received it and knew what had occurred he said to the girl,

"Of f with y o u , evi l servant. Bring the loaf o f bread g iven you to be g iven to m e . " 8 The girl wept with deep grief, saying, "Truly , y o u wel l say I am an evi l servant. 9 For if I were not, I would have done just as it w a s assigned to m e by m y master ." 20:9

And w h e n she returned, she brought h im the burnt loaf o f bread, saying to h im, 10 "Thus says m y lord, 'You shall no longer eat from m y loaves at all , for I have 11 been estranged from you . • Yet I have g iven y o u this loaf o f bread in order that

I may not be accused of providing nothing to a begging e n e m y . ' " b 47:io ; cf. 12 When he heard these things, Satan sent the girl back to m e saying, " A s this loaf ^ 2 5 : 2 1

of bread is whol ly burnt, s o shall I d o to your body also . For within the hour, I 13 will depart and devastate y o u . " *And I replied to h im, " D o what you wi l l . For

if you intend to bring anything on m e , I a m prepared to undergo whatever you infl ict ."

Satan implores the Lord for power over Job i,2 8 After he withdrew from m e , w h e n he had gone out under the firmament, • h e

3 implored the Lord that he might receive authority over m y g o o d s . *And then, w h e n 41.3 he had received the authority, 3 he c a m e and took away all m y wealth. 16:2,4

B. JOB'S GENEROSITY AND PIETY (SM5)a

His philanthropy 1 9 S o listen, for I wil l s h o w you all the things which have befallen m e , m y losses . 1.4

2,3 For I used to have 1 3 0 , 0 0 0 sheep? *of them I designated 7,000 to be sheared for Job i:3;i6.-3; 32:2

the clothing o f orphans and w i d o w s , the poor, and the helpless . A n d I had a pack

c. Satan in disguise appears elsewhere in TJob; 17:2 (as "king of the Persians"); 23:1 (as "bread seller"). At 20:5 Satan also appeared as a "great whirlwind." The motif serves a literary, rather than a dogmatic, purpose: In each case what Satan becomes suits the requirements of the narrative context. Here, Satan appears as a beggar precisely because it is beggars who gained ready entrance to Job's house (9:8-10:4). TReu 5:6 refers to the fallen angels who were disguised as men. Paul's awareness that Satan disguises himself as an "angel of light" leads him to view his opponents as fake aposUes (2Cor 11:13-15). Satan's impersonations may have been among the designs of Satan known to Paul ( 2 C o r 2 : l l ) .

7 a. The meaning is unclear, since the word (as-salion) is not found elsewhere in the Gk. of any period. Since it goes on the shoulders, it must be something worn or borne. Possibilities: garment, shawl, wallet, basket, wineskin, water bag, shield.

That upon his return with the item Satan asks for bread may suggest it was suited to carrying the bread. Even that might be a garment with roomy folds.

b. The phrase possibly reflects Prov 25:21a, "If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat; if thirsty, something to drink" (behind Rom 12:20).

8 a. Job likewise had to obtain authority to raze the idol's shrine (3:6; 4:1).

9 a. Typical Midrashic embellishment character­izes this section magnifying the pious generosities of Job. Job 29 and 31 , both LXX (less so Job 30 LXX), clearly inform the author here, supplying numerous details and actual language and illumin­ing several textual problems in TJob 9 - 1 5 .

b. Cf. 10:5. Job 1:3 lists 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 she-asses, all doubled following his recovery (42:10, 12). TJob,

of 8 0 dogs guarding my flocks.0 I also had 2 0 0 other dogs guarding the house . Job30:i

4 And I used to have 9 , 0 0 0 camels; from them I chose 3,000 to work in every city. Jobi:3;i6:3;32:2

5 After I loaded them with g o o d things, I sent them away into the cities and vi l lages , charging them to g o and distribute to the helpless , to the destitute, and to all the

6 w i d o w s . # A n d I used to have 1 4 0 , 0 0 0 grazing she-asses. From these I marked off Job i:3

500 and gave a standing order for their offspring to be sold and g iven to the poor and needy.

7 From all regions people began coming to m e for a meet ing. The four doors6 of Job 3i:32

8 m y house stood open. •And I gave a standing order to m y house servants that these doors should stand open , having this in v iew: Poss ibly , some would c o m e asking alms and, because they might see m e sitting at the door, would turn back ashamed, getting nothing. Instead, whenever they would see m e sitting at one door, they could leave through another and take as much as they needed.

His hospitality I 10 And I established in m y house thirty 3 tables spread at all hours, for strangers 2 5 : 5 ; 3 2 : 7

2.3 only. • ! also used to maintain t w e l v e 6 other tables set for the w i d o w s . •When any 13 :4; 1*2 stranger approached to ask a lms , he was required to be fed at my table before he

4 would receive his need. • Neither did I a l low anyone to go out of my door with an 11:12; 12:4

empty pocket.0 Job 31:34

5 I used to have 3 , 5 0 0 yoke of oxen. And I chose from them 500 yoke and Job i :3 ; i&3;32:3

designated them for p lowing , which they could do in any field of those w h o would 6,7 use them. *And I marked off their produce for the poor, for their table. # I also used

to have fifty bakeries d from which I arranged for the ministry of the table for the poor.

His underwritten charities3

1 11 There were also certain strangers 6 w h o saw m y eagerness , and they too desired 2 to assist in this service. *And there were still others, at the time without resources

and unable to invest a thing, w h o came and entreated m e , saying, " W e beg y o u , 3 may w e also engage in this service. W e o w n nothing, however . ' S h o w mercy on

us and lend us money so w e may leave for distant cities on business and be able 9:4 4 to do the poor a service. # A n d afterward w e shall repay you what is y o u r s . " 5 When I heard these things, I would rejoice that they would take anything at all

in true Midrashic style, vastly expands the totals owned by Job, but the net of those specifically designated for the poor agrees exactly with the canonical totals. The figures in P S V all agree in the three places where they are given in TJob (9:2-6/10:5; 16:3; 32:2f.), except for V's two enlarge­ments at 16:3 ("the multitude" for "the seven thousand") and 32:3 (3,000 for 1,000). The details about the dogs is parenthetical; none of them is said to be marked off for the poor, they do not appear in the lists at 16:3 or 32:2f.

c. Retain here the reading of S V ("guarding my flocks . . . guarding the house."). P has likely dropped out the line by a characteristic error in copying, the close proximity of the two occurrences of "guarding" in vs. 3. On the dogs, cf. Tob 5:16, 11:4 and see the surprising number of references in L. Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews (Philadelphia, 1967) vol. 7, pp. 115f.

d. A reason for this many doors is offered in the talmudic text, ARN 7:1, "And why did Job make four doors to his house? So that the poor should not have the trouble of going round the entire house. He who came from the north entered straight ahead, and he who came from the south entered

straight ahead, and so on all sides. For this reason Job made four doors to his house." Job 31:17, 20—which inform TJob 9-10—are also quoted at ARN 7:1.

10 a. This figure is doubled to sixty at 32:7, except for Slav, which reads fifty. Slav also attributes fifty such tables to Sitis (25:5), where P S V read seven. The wife of Job thus shared in his continuous hospitality.

b. So 13:4; 14:2; 15:1. Probably from such LXX sources as Job 22:9; 29:13b; 31:16b. Cf. NT care (ITim 5:9-16) and feeding (Acts 6:1) of widows.

c. An LXX connection emerges in the similarity of this sentence to Job 31:34 LXX, which differs considerably from the MT.

d. As with the dogs of 9:3, these are added to the canonically listed property of Job.

11 a. Although parts of Job 29-31 appear in this section (e.g. l l : l l f . / J o b 31:35f.), the Midrashic connection of TJob 1 If. with Job 29-31 is not as evident as that of the other chs. in TJob 9-15 .

b. T h e 4 'strangers" are presumably among those whom he fed (10:1).

6 from m e for the care o f the poor. • A n d receiving their note eagerly , I would g i v e 7 them as much as they w i shed , •taking no security from them except a written note . 8 So they would g o out at m y expense .

9,io Somet imes they w o u l d succeed in business and g ive to the poor. »But at other t imes, they wou ld be robbed. And they would c o m e and entreat m e saying, " W e beg y o u , be patient with us . Let us find h o w w e might be able to repay y o u . "

11 Without delay, I w o u l d bring before them the note and read it granting cancellation Job 3i:36f.

as the crowning feature0 and saying, " S i n c e I trusted y o u for the benefit o f the 12 poor, / will take nothing back from you." # N o r would I take anything from m y io:412:4

debtor. d

1 12 On occas ion a man cheerful at heart 3 would c o m e to m e saying, " I am not wealthy enough to help the destitute. Yet I wi sh to serve the poor today at your

2 t ab le ." • W h e n it w a s agreed, he would serve and eat. At evening , as he was about to leave for h o m e , he would be compel l ed to take w a g e s from m e as I would say ,

3 " I k n o w y o u are a workingman counting o n and looking for your wages. Y o u Job 7:2 4 must a c c e p t . " »Nor did I a l low the w a g e earner's pay to remain at h o m e with m e io:411.12;

in m y h o u s e . b U v 1 9 : 1 3

His fabulous wealth in cattle: the buttered mountains8

1 13 Those w h o milked the c o w s grew weary , s ince milk flowed in the mountains. Job 29:6

2 Butter* spread over my roads, and from its abundance m y herds bedded d o w n 3 in the rocks and mountains because o f the births. »So the mountains were washed 4 over with milk and became as congealed butter. »And m y servants , 0 w h o prepared 5 the meals for the w i d o w s and the poor, grew tired and 'would curse m e in contempt, 10:2 6 saying, "Who will give us some of his meat cuts to be satisfied!" •Nevertheless, Job 31.31

/ was quite kind.

His musical prowess 1,2 14 And I used to have s ix p s a l m s 3 and a ten-stringed lyre. •! would rouse myse l f 52:3

daily after the feeding o f the w i d o w s , take the lyre, and play for them. A n d they 10:2 Job 21:12 3 would chant hymns . *And with the psaltery I would remind them o f G o d so that j o b 21:12 4 they might glorify the Lord. »If m y maidservants ever began murmuring, / would 5 take up the psaltery and strum as payment in return. b # A n d thus I would make

them stop murmuring in contempt.

c. "Granting . . . feature" tentatively translates the unclear adaptation of Job 31:36 LXX. V char­acteristically smooths the text: " . . . And tearing it up, I would free them of the debt," omitting the vexing LXX word "crown" (Stephanos) retained in P S .

d. The phrase again draws on the same LXX source, which radically differs from the MT at this point (Job 31:37).

12 a. The words are reminiscent of Paul's "cheer­ful giver" (hilaron . . . doten, 2Cor 9:7), using the language of Prov 22:8 LXX, which is a line absent from the Heb. text.

b. Basic law at Lev 19:13. (Cf. Deut 24:135; Tob 4:14; BMes 9:1 If.; Mai 3:5; Jas 5:4.) Job 7:2 may be in view: " . . . the workman with no thought but his wages" (cf. Job 31:39 LXX).

13 a. To portray Job's fabulous wealth in cattle, the author utilizes the LXX version of Job 29:6 (cf. TJob 13:2f.) and 31:31 (cf. 13:5f.) drawn

from Job's final speech in the dialogue (Job 20:1-31:40)—itself a wishful longing for prior days of affluence and status corresponding in mood to the plaintive tone of TJob 9 - 1 5 .

b. Bountiful milk led to lavish supplies of butter, which is invariably linked with milk (Gen 18:8; Judg 5:25) or honey (2Sam 17:29; Isa 7:15) or both (Deut 32:13f.; Job 17:20) as a token of affluence.

c. While Job 31:31 LXX reports Job never provoked his female servants to this complaint, TJob makes it the content of the male servants' exasperated curse. In the MT, males likewise are in view.

14 a. Perhaps a repertoire specifically used to quell murmuring among the widows, vs. 5. A Dead Sea Scroll text (1 lQPs 3 27:2-11) speaks of four psalms of David "for making music over the stricken" (trans, of J. A. Sanders, The Dead Sea Psalms Scroll [Ithaca, 1967] p. 137).

b. Lit. "the wages of repayment."

His familial piety3

1,2 15 After the ministry o f the service , m y children da i ly b took their supper. *They i * 3 went in to their older brother to dine with h im, •taking along with them their three Job i:i8; 1:4 4 sisters also. The urgent matters were left with the maidservants, • s ince m y sons

also sat at table with the male s laves w h o served . 0

/ therefore early would offer up sacrifices on their behalf according to their Job i:5 5 number, 3 0 0 d o v e s , 5 0 goat 's k ids , and 12 sheep . *I issued a standing order for

all that remained after the rites to be furnished to the p o o r . d A n d I would say to iBar 6:27 them, " T a k e these things remaining after the rites, so that y o u may pray on behalf 4

6 of m y children. • P o s s i b l y , m y sons may have sinned before the Lord through 7 boasting by saying with disdain, • ' W e are sons o f this rich man, and these goods 8 are ours. ' W h y then do w e also serve?' " For pride e is an abomination before

9 God . # A n d again, I offered up a select calf on the altar o f G o d , lest m y sons may have thought evi l things in their heart toward God .

C. JOB'S LOSSES (16-26)3

1. His cattle

1 16 A s I w a s doing these th ings b during the seven years c after the angel had made

2 the disclosure to m e , ' t h e n Satan—when he had received the authority—came 8:3 3 d o w n unmercifully «and torched 7 , 0 0 0 d sheep (which had been designated for the 9:3

clothing o f the w i d o w s ) , the 3 , 0 0 0 came l s , and the 5 0 0 she-asses , and the 5 0 0 9:4; 9:6; io:i

15 a. Dependence on Job 1:1-4 LXX is evident in 15:1-9: LXX adds the calf to MT, and to the calf TJob adds the list of sacrificial animals (15:4; cf. Job 42:8). Thus in TJob even the domestic piety of Job—resulting in a recurring supply of fresh meat—contributes to his care for the poor.

b. TJob follows Job 1:4 LXX in making defi­nitely daily banquets out of the probably annual celebrations mentioned in MT.

c. By slight emendation of the text (so Kraft), this sentence could read "and the sisters were attended by the maidservants, as my sons also were waited on by the male slaves who served them."

d. Contrasting with the stinginess of the Baby­lonian priests, LetJer 6:27, "Whatever is sacrificed to them [the idols], the priests re-sell and pocket the profit; while their wives salt down part of it, but give nothing to the poor or to the helpless."

e. While patience is the major virtue extolled in TJob, the leading vices it combats are pride (hy­pe rephania, 15:8), contempt (oligdria, 20:1), and arrogance (alazoneia, 21:3).

16 a. This reaction narrates the sequence of Job's losses: in turn, his cattle (16), his children (17-19) , his health (20), finally his wife (21-26) . The order follows that of the canonical story (Job 1:14-19). Literary exaggeration is used, but with restraint.

b. Doing what? Presumably Job is made to refer to the charitable practices just rehearsed in 9 - 1 5 .

c. Chronological details appear elsewhere in the TJob at 21:1; 26:1; 27:6; 28:1, 8; 41:2; 52:1; 53:7; 53:8 S V Slav. Cf. Job 42:16, where MT agrees with LXX (V and S) against LXX (A) and TJob 53:8 S V Slav. According to P, Job spent at least forty-eight years on the dung heap outside the city (21:1). After eleven years (22:1) his bread ration

was reduced, producing a famine crisis that would have lasted six years since it was in the seventeenth year (26:1) that Sitis invited Job to blaspheme God and die (26:1). Again according to P, the visiting kings came in the twentieth year (28:1,8) , reviewed Job's situation for twenty-seven days (41:2; On this figure P S V agree), after which Job recovered (42:1; 44:1; 47:5-7; but how long is unspecified). P lacks the longer ending of 53:8 found in S, V, or Slav so that this witness is not bound by any length of years for Job's total life span. As for S, it is only by the addition of this longer ending— which resembles Job 42:16—that S varies from P in its chronology. With V the matter is quite other­wise: By omission (28:1 V; cf. 27:6 V) and alter­ation (16:1 V, 22:1 V) a believable seven-year period of testing is ascribed to Job (21:1 V) and uniformly maintained. For V, the spreading of incense took—not three days (as 31:4 P S)—but three hours (31:4 V). V's artistry emerges again in its own version of the longer ending: Only V calculates how long Job lived before his plague (85 years, apparently derived by halving the 170 years that, according to the major LXX MSS, Job lived after his recovery). That V's total for the years Job lived is not the expected sum of 255 but 248 finds V haplessly recording the traditional figure for the length of Job's life. This feature alone should preclude a wrongheaded expectation of chronological perfection in an apocryphon where the interest lies quite beyond mathematical accu­racy. In summary, P's scheme is not really self-contradictory, although it is rather artless and certainly less believable than V's consistent seven-year scheme. S simply accords with P, except for its longer ending.

d. On this and the other figures in 16:3, see n. b t o 9 .

4 yoke o f o x e n . #A11 these he destroyed by himself , according to the authority he 8:3 had received against m e .

5,6 The rest o f m y herds were confiscated by m y fe l low countrymen, w h o - h a d been wel l treated by m e , but w h o n o w rose up against m e and took away the

7 remainder o f m y animals . •They reported to m e the destruction o f m y g o o d s , but I glorified G o d and did not blaspheme. cf. Job i:22;

2. His children 1 17 Then the dev i l , w h e n he had c o m e to know m y heart, laid a plot against m e . 20:1 2 Disguis ing h imse l f as the king o f the Pers ians , 8 he stood in m y city gathering 6:4 3 together all the rogues in it. • A n d with a boast he spoke to them saying, "Thi s 2Mac 1:20,33

man Jobab is the one w h o destroyed all the g o o d things o f the earth and left nothing—the one w h o distributed to the beggars , to the blind, and to the l a m e —

4 yet the one w h o destroyed the temple o f the great god and leve led the place o f 2:2 drink offerings. Therefore, I a lso shall repay h im according to what he did against the house of god . C o m e along then and gather spoils for yourselves o f all his 2:2 animals and whatever he has left o n the earth. ' '

5 They answered h im and said, " H e has seven sons and three daughters. Poss ibly 1:2

they might flee to other lands and plead against us as though w e were tyrants and J o b 1 : 2

in the end rise against us and kill u s . " 6 S o he said to t h e m , ' 'Have no fear at all . Mos t o f his possess ions I have already

destroyed by fire. The others I confiscated. A n d as for his children, I shall s lay t h e m . "

1 18 W h e n he said these things to them, he departed and smashed the house down Job 1:19

2 upon my children and kil led t h e m . 8 »My fe l low countrymen, when they saw that what was said truly happened, pursued and attacked m e and began to snatch up

3 everything in m y house . »My e y e s witnessed cheap and worthless men at m y tables and c o u c h e s . 6

4 I w a s unable to utter a thing; for I w a s exhausted—as a w o m a n numbed in her 5 pe lv ic region by the magnitude of birth pangs c —•remembering most o f all the

battle foretold by the Lord through his angel and the songs o f victory which had 4:4 3:i been told to m e .

6 d A n d I became as one wish ing to enter a certain city to discover its wealth and

17 a. This is the second disguise of Satan—here the "devil" (see n. c to 6) . Appropriately, only another king could rally opposition to Job "the king of all Egypt" (28:7; see n. d to 3). And what better "king" (conveniently here left nameless, however) than "the king of the Persians," who in the person of Cyrus (Ezra 1:2-7)—to name but one—had previously shown kindness to the Jews? Disguised thus as a royal benefactor, Satan could appeal to Job's countrymen the more convincingly. Choice of the phrase may reflect the author's conviction that Job lived in the Persian era. See the Introduction above for a possible clue to date of composition furnished by this reference to the king of the Persians.

18 a. Again (as 17:6) Satan is blamed for the tragedy attributed in Job l:18f. to a great wind.

b. S here has an unusual longer reading: "My eyes saw those who make lamps at my tables and couches: Cheap and worthless men they were."

c. The same simile at IThes 5:3 stresses sud­denness, rather than exhaustion as here.

d. The point of this striking parable of the be­leaguered mariner (18:6-8) lies in Job's expressed willingness to see his vast wealth plundered (18:2), buoyed as he is by the hope of eventual improved

survival as the angel promised (4:6-11). It is tempt­ing to wonder if the author of TJob may have intended a connection with the promise of 4:9, "You shall be raised up in the resurrection," in a mood similar to Heb 11:8-16 (cf. 12:21f.). Al­though the notion of a heavenly citizenship—with earthbound living thought of as a sojourn—emerges strongly in Christian circles (Phil 3:20; Eph 2:19; Rev 21:2; later Augustine, De civitate dei), Philo speaks similarly (Agr 65). In yet another Alexan­drian piece (4Mac 7:1-3), marine imagery very similar to TJob 18:6-8 occurs. It may be merely coincidental that the same three figures used in TJob 18:4-8 (parturient woman, valued city, beleaguered ship) likewise describe personal distress in one of the Qumran hymns: "And they made my soul like a ship on the depths of the sea, and like a fortified city before them that besiege it. And I was confined like the woman about to bring forth at the time of her first child-bearing" (1QH 3.6f.). The other-worldliness motif implied in the parable—relin­quish any worldly goods necessary to reach the destined port—also characterizes Job's psalm of affirmation (33:2-4) and the "changed hearts" of his daughters when they were in ecstasy (48:2; 49:1; 50:2).

7 gain a portion o f its splendor, -and as one embarked with cargo in a seagoing ship. 4Mac 7:1-3

See ing at mid-ocean the third w a v e c and the opposit ion o f the wind , he threw the

cargo into the sea , saying, "I am wil l ing to lose everything in order to enter this

8 city so that I might gain both the ship and things better than the pay load ." •Thus ,

I a lso considered m y g o o d s as nothing compared to the city about which the angel 3:i

spoke to m e .

1 19 W h e n the final messenger 3 c a m e and s h o w e d m e the loss o f m y children, I

2 was deeply disturbed. •And I tore m y garments , 5 saying to the one w h o brought

3 the report, " H o w were y o u spared?'' » A n d then w h e n I understood what had

4 happened I cried aloud, saying, •"The Lord gave, the Lord tookaway. As it seemed Job i:2ib

good to the Lord, so it has happened. Blessed be the name of the Lord\"

3. His health

1 20 S o w h e n all m y g o o d s were g o n e , Satan concluded that he w a s unable to

2 provoke m e to contempt . 3 • W h e n he left he asked m y body from the Lord s o he

3 might inflict the plague on m e . *Then the Lord gave m e over into his hands to be

used as he wished with respect to the body; but he did not g ive h im authority over

m y soul .

4 Then he c a m e to m e whi le I w a s sitting on m y throne mourning the loss o f m y

5 children. *And he became l ike a great whirlwind and overturned m y throne. For 6:4

6 three hours b I w a s beneath m y throne 0 unable to escape. # A n d he struck m e with

a severe plague from head to toe.d Job 2:7f.

7,8 In great trouble and distress / left the cityf and I sat on a dung heap •worm- Job7:5

ridden1 in body. Discharges from m y body wet the ground with moisture. Many

9 worms were in my body, »and if a w o r m ever sprang off, I would take it up and

e. Popularly (as sometimes the ninth, or tenth) held to be the most devastating one, as Plato, Republic 472a = 5:17.

19 a. The only messenger mentioned in TJob, while LXX describes four such envoys of disaster (1:14, 16, 17, 18).

b. As a sign of grief: See n. d to 28. The scene parallels Job 1:18-21 LXX, but there shaving of the head is included.

20 a. See n. e to 15. b. Similar three-hour periods at 30:2; 31:4 V;

cf. three days at 23:7; 24:9; 31:4 P S and three years at 27:6 P S.

c. P, followed by Slav, has Satan on the throne; V puts Job on the ground; S is followed in this translation as giving the necessary sense.

d. Lit. "From feet to head" P; "from pate to the toenails of my feet" S V Slav. Note reversal of order.

e. TJob follows LXX (Job 2:8) in locating Job outside the city; no such statement is made in the MT. The crucifixion of Jesus, in line with common practice, was effected outside the city (Jn 19:20). Cf. Heb 13:9-14.

f. Cf. 24:3. This detail of Job's illness seems to be worked into the narrative of TJob (perhaps from there to the LXX interpolation at Job 2:9) from the more poetic plaint of Job at Job 7:5. Worms, which were said to accompany certain cases of illness (Herodotus 4.205; 2Mac 9:9; Josephus, Ant 17.169 • 16.6.5; Acts 12:23; Eusebius, HE 2 .10.1; Lu-

cian, Alexander 59), became a Jewish, then Chris­tian, eschatological forecast for the ungodly (Isa 66:24; Jdt 16:17; Eccl 7:17; Mk 9:48). It is boils that afflict Job according to the LXX (helkos, Job 2:7) and the MT (S'hin). But TJob speaks of Job as worm-ridden (skolekobrdton to soma). A similar feature appears in Visio Pauli 49 (M. R. James, ed., Apocrypha Anecdota [T&S 2.3; Cambridge, 1893] p. xx). A similar reference appears in ARN, where the relevant passage may be translated,' 'And worms would crawl down him and worms would make holes, holes in his flesh, until one of the worms made a strife with its fellow. What did Job do? He took up one and laid it down upon its hole. And the other he laid down on its hole ." (S. Schech-ter, ed. , Aboth de Rabbi Nathan [New York, 1945] p. 164,11.26-28.) Even more significant, however, is the similar tradition in Tertullian, De patientia 14.2-7 (J. Borleffs, ed. , pp. 42f.) . In this w o r k -written before he became a Montanist—Tertullian clearly reflects TJob 20:8f. in a vivid, if vulgar, passage: "How God laughed! How what was al­ready lacerated was the more mangled when, with laughter, he would call the little beasts breaking forth back into the pits and pastures of his furrowed flesh!" {De patientia, 14.5). So much resembles the passage in ARN just listed; but De patientia shows other parallels to features of the Job story not found in LXX (De patientia 14.2/TJob 1:5; De patientia 14.4/TJob 24:4; 25:10c). It appears war­ranted to conclude Tertullian utilized a Jewish tes­tament praising patience as a source for his own treatment of the same theme.

return it to its original p lace , saying , "Stay in the same place where you were put until you are directed otherwise by your c o m m a n d e r . " 8 7:9

4. H i s w i f e 3

Sitis e n s l a v e d

1 21 I spent forty-eight b years on the dung heap outside the city under the plague Job 2:8 2 so that I saw *with m y o w n e y e s , m y chi ldren, 0 m y firstd wi fe carrying water into

the house of a certain nobleman as a maidservant so she might get bread e and bring 3 it to m e . • ! w a s stunned. And I said, " T h e gal l 1 of these city fathers! H o w can they 4 treat m y wi fe like a female s l a v e ? " 'After this I regained m y s e n s e s . 8 35:4-6

1 22 After e leven years they kept even bread itself from m e , barely al lowing her 21 :i 2 to have her o w n food. 9 And as she did get it, she would divide it between herself

and m e , saying with pain, " W o e is me! S o o n he wil l not e v e n get enough bread!" 3

Sitis sel ls h e r ha ir to S a t a n

3 She would not hesitate to g o out into the market to beg bread from the bread cf. 24:7-10 sellers so she might bring it to m e so I could eat.

1.2 23 When Satan knew this, he disguised h imse l f 3 as a bread se l l er . b *It happened 6:4 by chance that m y wife went to h im and begged bread, thinking he was a m a n . c 7:6

3,4 And Satan said to her, "Pay the price and take what you l i k e . " # B u t she answered 24:8 him and said, "Where would I get m o n e y ? Are you unaware of the ev i l s that have

5 befallen us? # I f you have any pity on m e , show mercy; but if not, you shall s e e ! " 6 And he answered her, saying, " U n l e s s you deserved the ev i l s , you would not 7 have received them in return. d «Now then if you have no money at hand, offer me

g. The worm's forced compliance with its or­dained role shows a touch of humor on the part of the author, who elsewhere associates animals and humans by having the cattle mourn over the death of Sitis (20:11; cf. Mk 1:13b). Acquiescence in one's fate has links with a well-known Stoic prin­ciple, "Fate (heimarmene) is said to be the cause of all that is, the rational principle by which the world is managed (Diogenes Laertius 7.149). The incident of the replaced worms functions as but one more way to extol the virtue of patience. Curiously, while the "commander" is in the author's mind assuredly God (cf. 26:4; Job 2:10), it is nevertheless Satan to whom Job's plague was just attributed (20:6; cf. n. a to 18).

21 a. According to the storytelling artistry of the author, Job loses his first wife, Sitis, in three stages. She is first driven to impoverished slavery in order to support Job (21:1—22:2). When her owners re­strict her food supply, she sells her hair to Satan (22:3-23:11). Finally, in a passage closely resem­bling the LXX addition to Job 2:9, she makes a prolonged and embittered speech inviting Job to curse God and die (24; 25:9f.). Her speech is in­terrupted by a poetic lament for Sitis (25:1-8) and followed by Job's "patient" response (26). The account of Sitis is resumed and completed in 39f.

b. So P S, but seven years in V Slav. See n. c to 16.

c. Such direct address is characteristic of the testament form. V reads "my beloved children."

d. S V Slav read "my humiliated wife ." e. Frequently mentioned in TJob, including Sa­

tan's disguise as a bread seller (22:3-23:2). The LXX Job makes no mention of bread in connection with Job's diet.

f. Lit. "pretentious boastfulness." See n. e to 15.

g. Lit. "I regained my patient capacity to rea­son"; this is another reference to the patience motif. At 35:4-6 Baldad undertakes an assessment of Job's mental balance.

22 a. Unlike the speech of Sitis (24f.), these words have no counterpart in the text of the LXX.

23 a. This is the third (or fourth? See n. c to 6) disguise of Satan, who first (6:4) became a beggar, a role now assumed by Job's wife. As in the first disguise, Satan appears to a woman in Job's circle (6:4, to his female servant; 23:2, to his wife). In none of the disguised appearances (6:4; 17:2; 23:2) does Satan encounter Job directly, which leads to Job's challenge for confrontation at 27:1.

b. P has simply "merchant." c. Cf. 7:6; 27:2; 42:2. NT also knows of the

confusion of angels with men: Acts 12:15; Heb 13:2; Rev 19:9f.

d. Similar ideas abound in the biblical Job (e.g. 4:7f.; 11:6c; cf. Jn 9:2).

the hair o f your head e and take three loaves o f bread. Perhaps you will be able to 8 l ive for three more d a y s . " - T h e n she said to herself, "What good is the hair o f 9 m y head compared to m y hungry husband?" »And s o , showing disdain for her

hair, she said to h im, " G o ahead, take i t . " 10 Then he took sc issors , sheared off the hair o f her head, and gave her three 11 loaves , whi le all were looking on . 'When she got the loaves , she came and brought

them to m e . Satan fo l lowed her along the road, walking stealthily, and leading her 25:io ; 27:i ;

heart astray. 4 8 * 4 * 1 ; so

The speech of Sitis: begun

1 24 At once my wife drew near. Crying out with tears 3 she said to m e , "Job , J o b ! b Job 2:8b-9d

How long wil l y o u sit on the dung heap outside the city thinking, 'Only a little 20:7

2 longerV and awaiting the hope of your salvation? *As for me, I am a vagabond and a maidservant going round from place to place. Your memorial has been wiped 39:8; 40:4;

away from the earth—my sons and the daughters of my womb for whom I toiled 43:5,17

3 with hardships in vain.c *And here you sit in worm-infested d rottenness, passing 20:8

4 the night in the open air. •And I for m y part am a wretch immersed in labor by day and in pain by night, just so I might provide a loaf o f bread and bring it to

5 you . *Any more I barely receive m y o w n food, and I divide that between you and 6 m e — • wondering in m y heart that it is not bad enough for you to be il l , but neither

do y o u get your fill o f bread. 7,8 e " S o I ventured unashamedly to g o into the market, # f e v e n if I was pierced in cf. 22:3-23:11

m y heart to do so . A n d the bread seller said, 'Give m o n e y , and you shall rece ive . ' 9 But I also showed him our straits and then heard from him, 'If you have no money ,

w o m a n , pay with the hair o f your head and take three loaves . Perhaps you will 10 l ive for three more d a y s . ' • B e i n g remiss , I saifj to h im, 'Go ahead, cut my hair.'

S o he arose and cut m y hair disgracefully in the market, whi le the crowd stood by and m a r v e l e d . "

e. No mention was made at TJob 19:2 of Job's own head-shaving, listed among the grief reactions at Job 1:20. Shaving of the head in TJob is not a sign of grief but of disgrace (23:10; 24:10), as it is also at ICor 11:6: "In fact, a woman who will not wear a veil ought to have her hair cut off. If a woman is ashamed to have her hair cut off or shaved, she ought to wear a vei l ." The disgrace might arise from cropped hair as (1) a mode of humiliating punishment (Aristophanes, Thesmo-phoreazusae 838: for rearing a cowardly son; or, Tacitus, Germania 19: for adultery) or (2) the practice of female homosexuals (Lucian, Dialogi meretricii 290 = 5.3).

24 a. A sample of the high interest of TJob in lamentation.

b. The double vocative is repeated near the end of Sitis' speech (25:9) but appears in neither the LXX nor the MT.

c. The very close agreement between TJob 24:1-3 and the longer LXX form of Job 2:9 (cf. Job 2:8b-9e LXX) does not clearly settle the un­certain textual relation between the two.

d. See n. f to 20. e. This paragraph repeats information in

23:2-10. f. TJob 24:8 is textually unclear. V smooths the

text, "And the bread seller said to me . . . " Translation is conjectural.

A lament for Sitis3

1 25 W h o is not amazed that this is S i t i s , b the wi fe o f Job? 40.13

2 W h o used to have fourteen draperies sheltering her chamber and a door

within doors , so that one w a s considered quite worthy merely to gain

admiss ion to her presence:

3 N o w she e x c h a n g e s 0 her hair for loaves!

4 W h o s e c a m e l s , loaded with g o o d things, used to g o off into the regions o f 9:4 the poor:

N o w she g ives her hair in return for loaves!

5 Look at her w h o used to keep seven tables reserved at her house , at which 10=1 the poor and alien used too eat:

N o w she sel ls outright her hair for loaves!

6 S e e one w h o used to have a foot basin o f go ld and si lver, and now she g o e s

along by foot:

Even her hair she g ives in exchange for loaves!

7 Observe, this is she w h o used to have clothing w o v e n from linen with gold: 39:i,4 But n o w she bears rags and g ives her hair in exchange for loaves!

8 See her w h o used to o w n couches of go ld and silver: 32:4 But n o w she se l ls her hair for loaves !

The speech of Sitis: concluded

9 "Job , Job! Although many things have been said in general, I speak to you in

10 brief: «In the weakness o f m y heart, m y bones are crushed . d R i se , take the loaves , 23:11 be satisfied. A n d then speak some word against the Lord and die.e

Then I too shall Job 2-.9e be freed from weariness that i ssues from the pain o f your b o d y . "

25 a. Possibly an interpolation, inserted at a log­ical point, just following the report of the reaction of the crowd to the cutting of her hair (24:10). Omission of the lament for Sitis (25:1-8) leaves undisturbed the continuity of the narrative. Inclu­sion of poetic pieces appropriate to narrative context but abruptly inserted without introduction is par­alleled at IMac 1:24-28; 3 :3-9 , 45; 14:4-15; and Lk 1:14-17, 32f. This lament for Sitis contrasts her former wealth and charity with her present state in a way very similar to the description of Job's pious generosity (TJob 9 -15) , followed by the recital of his losses (TJob 16-26) , and correspond­ing exacUy in form to the lament for Job (TJob 32:2-12). As Job commissioned charitable missions to the poor (9:4f.) and set up free food centers in his own home (10:1-4), Sitis did likewise (25:4f.). While Job's wealth is described in terms of cattle (9:1-6; 10:5; 13:1-3), bakeries (10:7), and jewels (28:5f.), more feminine objects figure in the wealth of Sitis: draperies (25:2), a gold and silver foot basin (25:6), expensive clothing and furniture (25:7f.). Such connections between the descriptions of Sitis and Job argue against viewing 25:1-8 as an interpolation, a point strengthened by the fact that the similar lament for Job (32:2-12) is carefully worked into the prose context (see especially 31:5-32:1; 33:1). The abcb'db"e . . . pattern, which also characterizes the lament for Job, appears elsewhere in Jewish poetry: most clearly, Ps 136. While the repetition of a line is found in the pure lament form (e.g. 2Sam 1:19, 25 , 27; cf. IMac 9:21), the taunting quality of the refrain in the lament for Sitis (25:3-8) more closely parallels the prophetic mocking songs sampled in Rev 18, with its thrice-

repeated (18:10, 16-17a, 19) refrain of doom for Babylon. The form of the lament for Sitis thus represents none of the earlier, purer forms of funeral dirges. In fact, the lament is occasioned not by death but by disgrace (as that for Job was occasioned by privation). Since laments were recorded and passed on traditionally (TJob 40:14; 2Sam 1:18; Jer 9:19 [20]; 2Chr 35:35), the appearance of the lament for Sitis at this point in the TJob is not surprising. TJob's own term is a "royal lament" (basilikos threnos, 31:7), in which the refrain served for antiphonal response (31:8; 33:1; 43:3). The sharp temporal contrast between what one was and what one has become (in a tragic direction) is used at Ezek 27:32-36. What amounts to an inverse lament—contrasting a former disparaged with a present blessed state—appears in Christian litera­ture (ICor 6:9-11; Tit 3:3-7) .

b. Variously spelled in P S V and everywhere omitted by Slav. Apparently derived from Ausitis, the LXX translation (Job 1:1; 42:17b, e LXX [A]) for Job's home city, called Uz (cus) in the MT. LXX, but not MT, links Elihu with the same region (Job 32:2 LXX).

c. Reflecting TJob's characteristic interest in lex­ical variety, a different word for "exchange" is used in the six references (25:3, 4 , 5, 6, 8); vs. 7 uses the same term as vs. 6. V assures variety by omitting the refrain ("Even . . . loaves") from vs. 6.

d. Or read, with S V, " . . . in brief: The weakness of my heart crushed my bones."

e. "Speak . . . and die ," Job 2:9e LXX (A). The wording is a Heb. euphemism, actually inviting Job to curse God.

Job's response

1 26 So I answered her, "Look, I have lived seventeen8 years in these plagues 2 submitting to the worms in my body, #and my soul has never been depressed by 20:8

my pains so much as by your statement, 'Speak some word against the Lord and Job 2-.9e 3 die.' •! do indeed suffer these things, and you suffer them too: the loss both of 2 5 : 1 0

our children and our goods.b Do you suggest that we should say something against 4 the Lord, and thus be alienated from the truly great wealth?0 "Why have you not 33:2-9

remembered those many good things we used to have? If we have received good Job 2:10 5 things from the hand of the Lord, should we not in turn endure evil things? •Rather

let us be patient till the Lord, in pity, shows us mercy. 6 "Do you not see the devil standing behind youd and unsettling your reasoning

so that he might deceive me too? For he seeks to make an exhibit of you as one job 2:10 of the senseless women who misguide their husbands' sincerity. , , e

D. JOB'S TRIUMPH AND SATAN'S DEFEAT (27)

1 27 Again turning to Satan, who was behind my wife, I said, "Come up front! 23:11 Stop hiding yourself!8 Does a lion show his strength in a cage? Does a fledgling take flight when it is in a basket?5 Come out and fight!" 4:4

2 Then he came out from behind my wife. And as he stood, he wept, saying, "Look, Job, I am weary and I withdraw from you, even though you are flesh and

3 I a spirit. You suffer a plague, but I am in deep distress. # P became like one 7:6 athlete wrestling another, and one pinned the other. The upper one silenced the 4.10

4 lower one, by filling his mouth with sandd *and bruising his limbs. But because he showed endurance and did not grow weary, at the end the upper one cried out

5 in defeat. 'So you also, Job, were the one below and in a plague, but you conquered my wrestling tactics which I brought on you."

6,7 Then Satan, ashamed, left me for three years. *Now then, my children, you also 27:7 must be patient in everything that happens to you. For patience is better than anything.*5

26 a. V Slav have "seven years." On chronology, see n. c to 16.

b. The text is corrupt at this point, the translation tentative.

c. Doubtless to be identified with Job's eternal and supercosmic splendor and majesty celebrated in Job's psalm of affirmation at 33:2-9.

d. The phrase with a similar ring at Mk 8:33 (cf. Mt 4:10; 16:23; Lk 4:8) wishes the devil out of sight. Here, inspiration for the speech of Sitis is attributed to Satan (going beyond LXX), who by his location behind Sitis continues to be hidden from Job. See n. a to 23.

e. Developed from a line in Job 2:10 LXX, the same source as that used for the quotation at TJob 26:4.

27 a. Only here does Job meet Satan directly.

Hitherto, Satan appeared, largely in disguise, to members of Job's circle: Now he is climactically challenged by Job (cf. n. a to 23).

b. Neither the caged lion (as Ezek 19:9 LXX) nor the boxed fledgling (cf. Eccl 11:30) can show its full capabilities; likewise Satan cannot perform his best in hiding.

c. Following S V: P has "You became . . . " d. The wrestling was often done in sand pits

(e.g. Lucian, Anacharsis 2). e. This paragraph concludes the first major sec­

tion of the TJob, in which Job successfully with­stood the indirect attacks of Satan, finally chal­lenging him directly and conquering (27:5) the one whom the angel promised would wage war against Job (4:3). The concluding aphorism in praise of patience is typical of the testament genre.

28 a. This second major section of the TJob retains the order of the canonical Job in bringing on the three friends only after the incident with Job's wife. The "friends" of MT (Job 2:11) in LXX already became kings (see n. d to 3) , a shift shared by TJob. A bit of suspense characterizes this as the preceding and following sections: Only after a series of disguises does Satan meet Job head on (27:If.); only after seven days of silence (28:4), extensive fumigation (31:2-4) , and interrogation (31:1; 38:6) are the fellow kings convinced that the tragic figure before them is indeed Job in his right mind; only after donning the charismatic sashes do the daughters—and they alone—get to witness Job's ascent to heaven (47:11; 52:9). The sequence of the appearance of the kings follows that of the discourses in the biblical Job: Eliphas, Baldad, Sophar, Elihu.

b. See nn. d to 3 and a to 28. c. See n. a to 29. d. A customary symbol of grief, here done by

the three friends, later by Job himself (29:4). The language in both places parallels Job 2:13 LXX, where, however, LXX omitted "toward heaven" of MT (cf. Acts 22:23). The custom of throwing the earth "toward heaven" or on one's head (TJob 29:4;cf. 2Mac 10:25; Jdt9:1; Rev 18:19)may have originated with the conveyance in baskets carried on the head of earth used by grieving relatives to bury a deceased member of the family.

e. V adds here the names of the four kings, which contrasts with its omission of the names of the ten children at 1:3f., but agrees in both instances with LXX.

f. Job's patience is contrasted with the absence of that virtue in his friends.

g. Such as characterized Job's throne (32:5); cf. the disclaimer that he put his trust in them (Job 31:24 LXX). Josephus (War 2.8.136 = 7.137)

reports that the Essenes cherished among their esoteric interests "the works of the ancients" wherein "they study the healing of diseases, the roots offering protection, and the properties of stones." BB 16b preserves a tradition that "Abra­ham had a precious stone hung about his neck which brought immediate healing to any sick person who looked on i t ." But it is not such medicinal values of stones but their proof of wealth which is in view here. Collections of gems (daktuliotheke) existed after Alexander, and the elder Pliny (His-toria naturalis 37.5.11) names the first Roman gem collector (Scaurus). Is Job here portrayed as such a gem collector? Theophrastus (De lapidibus 24.55) refers, with some hesitation, to unspecified records that mention unusually large gems sent to Egyptian kings as gifts from Babylonian kings (24) and that describe royal Egyptian synthetic gem manufacture (55). If gemology was a feature of hellenistic Egyptian royalty, the argument for an Alexandrian provenance for TJob may thereby be strengthened.

h. "You are more noble" S V. i. This phase may suggest an Egyptian origin for

TJob. V's longer reading adds to Job's Egyptian kingdom "all this territory," suggesting V may have known that Ausitis was not to be located in Egypt. The reference to Egypt might also have arisen from the frequent appearance of the word in the T12P, probably well known to the author of TJob.

29 a. Only for Eliphas is the homeland of any of the kings identified in TJob. The ethnic references for the other kings given at Job 2:11 LXX may have been omitted in TJob because Teman was much better known than the other sites (Ezek 25:13; Amos 1:12) and was renowned for its wisdom (Jer 49:7; Obad 8, 9; IBar 3:22f.).

III. Job and the Three Kings (28-45)*

A. JOB RECOGNIZED AND THE KINGS ASTONISHED (28-30)

i,2 28 After I had spent twenty years under the plague, # t h e k i n g s b a lso heard about 21 : i

what happened to me. They arose and came to me, each from his own country0 j o b 2 : i i - i 3

3 so that they might encourage m e by a visit. «But as they approached from a distance, they did not recognize me. And they cried out and wept, tearing their

4 garments and throwing dust.d *They sat beside me for seven days and nights. And 29:4; 30:4; 3 i : i 5 not one of them spoke to me.c # I t was not due to their pat ience f that they were 35:4

silent, but because they knew m e before these evi ls when I l ived in lavish wealth. . For when I used to bring out for them the precious stones* they would marvel , j o b 3 i : 2 4

clapping their hands, and say, "I f the g o o d s o f our three k ingdoms were gathered 3 2 : 5

into one at the same place , they would be no equal to the glorious stones o f your

6 k i n g d o m . " •For / was more nobleh than those from the east. 7 But when they came to Ausit is asking in the city, "Where is Jobab, the king ift 1 *? s of all Egypt?" 1 they said to them about m e , ' " H e sits on a dung heap outside the 20:7

9 city. For twenty years he has not returned to the c i t y . " •Then they asked about 21:1 my goods and the things which had befallen m e were shown to them.

1 29 When they heard that, they left the city together with the cit izens. And m y 2o:7

2 fel low citizens showed m e to them, «but they remonstrated, saying I was not Jobab. 3 Since they were still quite in doubt, Eliphas—the king of the Temanites*—turned * * 2 : i i

4 to m e and said, " A r e y o u Jobab, our fe l low k i n g ? " - A n d I wept , shaking m y 36:i ; 3:7 h e a d b and throwing dust o n it. A n d I said to them, " I am i n d e e d . " 0 28:3 3i:6;36:i

1 30 W h e n they saw m e shaking m y head, they dropped to the ground in a faint. 2 A n d their troops were disturbed at see ing their three kings col lapsed on the ground 3i:8; 34:5 3 as if dead, for three hours. • T h e n they arose and began saying to one another, 4 2 : 3

4 " W e d o not be l ieve that this is h e ! " ' T h e n they sat for s even days reviewing m y 28:4 5 affairs, recalling m y herds and g o o d s and saying , # " H a v e w e not known about the

many g o o d things sent out by h im into the cit ies and the surrounding v i l lages 3 to 9:4 be distributed to the poor, bes ides those established at his house? H o w then has he n o w fallen into such a deathly s tate?"

B. ELIPHAS: LAMENTS JOB'S LOSSES (31-34)

Eliphas confirms Job's identity

1 31 A n d after seven days o f such considerations, El iphas 3 spoke up and said to 28:4 his fe l low k ings , "Let us approach h im and question him carefully to see if it is 35:6 really he himsel f or n o t . "

2 But s ince they were about a half s tadion b distant from m e because of the s tench 0 o f m y body , they arose and approached m e with perfumes in their hands, 32.8; 34:4

3 whi le their soldiers accompanied them scattering incense d around m e so they would 39:8 4 be able to approach m e . *And they spent three d a y s e furnishing the incense. 5 A n d w h e n they had c o m e near m e , Eliphas spoke up and said to m e ,

" A r e y o u Jobab, our fe l low k i n g ? f 29:3 Are y o u the one w h o o n c e had vast splendor? Are y o u the one w h o w a s l ike the sun by day in all the land? Are y o u the one w h o w a s l ike the m o o n and the stars that shine at midnight?' '

6 A n d I said to h im, "I a m i n d e e d . " 29:4

A lament of Eliphas for Job

7 A n d s o , after he had wept with a loud wai l ing, he called out a royal lament 40:14 8 whi le both the other kings and their troops sang in response.^ 30:2 33:i;*43:3; 4*1

b. In both LXX (Job 16:14; Lam 2:15) and NT (Mt 27:39) references to shaking the head refer to scornful derision mounted by others; Job here in pained grief heaps scorn on himself.

c. Same language (ego eimi) as used of Jesus in the Gospels.

30 a. P reads "villages and the surrounding cit­i e s ." The translation follows S V.

31 a. Confusion exists in the textual witnesses between the names of Elihu and Eliphas. P S V here all read Elious. At 29:3 Eliphas appears as the first of the royal interviewers, corresponding with the biblical order. Eliphas should dominate through TJob 34, after which Baldad appears. Indeed Eliphas is named at 34:2, 5 by P S V. Yet the same witnesses all read Elious at 31:1, 5; 32:1 (also 33:1 P S). Possibly, Elious (Elihu probably is intended) is a sort of pseudo-Satan figure standing behind and inspiring Eliphas (cf. 41:5; 42:2) so that either may be said to be the originator of the insulting words. This translation adopts the con­jecture of Riessler (p. 1334) reading Eliphas for

Elihu at 31:1, 5; 32:1; 33:1, thereby unifying 2 9 -34 as an Eliphas section. Eliphas at 31:1, at least, appears in the recently discovered 5th cent. A.D. Cop. translation of the TJob, Papyrus Colon 3221.

b. About 304 feet. c. 2Mac 9:9-12 says the terminal illness of

Antiochus IV was accompanied by worms and by an odor so revulsive to his troops that he could not be carried.

d. But without magical connotations of fumi­gation such as appear with the apotropaic effects of a smoke contrived from the heart and liver of a fish; cf. Tob 6:8.

e. V has "three hours." f. The questions anticipate the poetic lament in

ch. 32. g. Antiphonal singing also at TJob 43:3; 44:1,

but the references are absent in V at 31:8; 44:1. The refrains of the hymns at TJob 25, 3 2 , 3 3 , 4 3 : 4 , 17 suit remarkably Philo's remark that the Thera­peutae use traditional as well as newly composed hymns, at times joining in on "the last lines or the refrains" (Vita com 80).

32 a. Possibly a development of a line at Job 29:20 LXX, "My splendor was newly upon m e . "

b. "For the children" in P, a change calling only for an additional iota (paisin for pasiri).

c. S here adds "Where then is the splendor of his throne?" Use of the third person pronoun, in contrast to the second person refrain throughout the lament itself, may suggest S used the phrase as a title for the lament.

d. The question that introduces the refrain may be translated, with equal grammatical warrant, as an assertion tinged with sarcasm: "You are the one who appointed 7,000 sheep for the clothing of the poor: Where then is the splendor of your throne?" and similarly throughout 32:2-12.

e. Equivalent to the "500 yoke" mentioned at 10:5; 16:4; Job 1:3.

f. Sitis also was said to have had couches of gold and silver; cf. 25:8. Cf. Job's golden lamps on silver stands (32:9) and Sitis' clothing of gold-woven linen (25:7).

g. S. P reads "sits on the road." h. This verse closely parallels in thought, if not

in language. Job 29:5 LXX (lines reversed), a favorite source for the author: "When I was very fruitful and my children surrounded me . . . "

i. The Qumran hymns speak often (1QH 6:15; 7:19; 8:6, 8, 10) of the "sprout" (neser), but apparently as a self-designation for their own community drawn from Isa 11:1; 60:21. Some of these passages have been taken to refer to the

Teacher of Righteousness and thus to a revered individual, as here (TJob 32:6) to Job.

j . S omits vs. 6. The obvious difference in style suggests these lines may have been added later.

k. But thirty according to 10:1—with twelve more for widows (10:2)—while Sitis is credited with seven (25:5). Slav evens the count, reading "fifty" for both Job (32:7) and Sitis (25:5).

1. The text is uncertain. References to Job's use of censers, lamps (32:9), and frankincense (32:10) appear to ascribe to him prerogatives held only by priests (cf. 2Chr 26:16-21). Use here of "assem­bly" (ekklesia) may derive from Job 30:28 ("I stand up in the assembly" RSV), where Job contrasts his present cry for help with his former honored status in the city gate (Job 29:7-25, especially 29:7). It is difficult to say whether the assembly in view is cultic, juridical (as would suit Job 29:7-25), or even military (as TJob 31:2-4) .

m. The parallelism here, which continues that in the two preceding verses, shows that the frank­incense (libanos) is here a token of costliness, as it was in the two NT occurrences (Mt 2:11; Rev 18:13). See G. Van Beek, "Frankincense and Myrrh," BA 23 (1960) 7 0 - 9 5 .

n. The word joke (chleue) appears nowhere in LXX, but possibly stems from Job 12:4 LXX, "For a just and blameless man has become the object of mockery (chleuasma).,t The idea, how­ever, appears in the favored LXX source at Job 30:9; 31:30; cf. 30:1; 17:6.

1 32 Hear then the lament 3 o f Eliphas as he celebrates for a l l b the wealth of Job: c

2 "Are you the one w h o appointed 7 , 0 0 0 sheep for the clothing o f the poor?*1 9:3 Where then is the splendor of your throne?

Are you the one w h o appointed 3 , 0 0 0 camels for the transport of goods to 9:4

the needy? Where then is the splendor of your throne?

3 Are you the one w h o appointed the thousand*5 cattle for the needy to use iu:5 when p lowing?

Where then is the splendor of your throne?

4 Are y o u the one w h o had golden c o u c h e s f but now sits on a dung heap? 25:8 N o w where is the splendor of your throne?

5 Are y o u the one w h o had a throne o f precious stones , but now sits in 28:5 ashes?«

N o w where is the splendor o f your throne? 6 h W h o opposed you when you were in the midst o f your children? For you cf. Job 29:5

were blooming as a sprout 1 o f a fragrant fruit tree! N o w where is the splendor of your throne?

7 Are you the one w h o established the s ix ty k tables set for the poor? io:i N o w where is the splendor o f your throne?

8 Are you the one w h o had the censers o f the fragrant assembly , 1 now you 52:4

l ive amid a foul stench? 3i:2 9 Are you the one w h o had go lden lamps on silver stands, but now you await

the light o f the moon? Where then is the splendor o f your throne?

10 Are you the one w h o had the ointment o f frankincense , m but n o w you are in straits?

Where then is the splendor o f your throne?

11 Are you the one who jeered at the unjust and the sinners, but now you too Job 5:22 have become a jokeT Job 12:4

N o w where is the splendor of your throne?

12 Are you Job, the one who had vast splendor? 29.3 Now where is the splendor of your throne?"0

Job's psalm of affirmation3

1 33 After Eliphasb finished wailing while his fellow kings responded to him all 31:8 2 in a great commotion, *when the uproar died down, I saidc to them, "Quiet! Now

I will show you my throne with the splendor of its majesty, which is among the 43:6 holy ones.d 43:10

3 e"My throne is in the upper world/ and its splendor and majesty come from the right hand of the Father.8

4 'The whole world shall pass awayh 33:4 and its splendor shall fade. And those who heed it shall share in its overthrow.

5 But my throne is in the holy land,1 and its splendor is in the world of the 7 changeless oneJ 36:5

o. This vs. is found only in P, which—though it uses "Job" here—employs the name Jobab at 31:5 (and Job again at 33:2). At 25:1, the very similar taunting lament uses the name of Job's wife; cf. "Elihu" at 43:5, 17. Thus of the four poetic pieces in TJob, three are directed against named individuals.

3 3 a. Directly responding to the reproachful re­frain in Eliphas' mocking lament, Job asserts in this psalm of affirmation (TJob 33:3-9) his alle­giance to the supramundane (hyperkosmios, 33:3), heavenly realm where—contrary to transient earthly reigns (33:8)—he has an eternal kingdom (33:9). In form, the seven-part poem alternates between four assertions of the supercosmic permanence of his "throne" (33:3, 5, 7, 9) and three evenly interspersed derogations of mundane transience (33 :4 ,6 ,8 ) . Each of the positive statements contains some variation of "my throne," which is reminis­cent of the refrain characteristic of the two earlier poems (TJob 25, 32). The ascription of a heavenly throne to a revered figure is a frequent hagiographic technique in the literature of the period (Mt 19:28b = Lk 22:30, and cf. Mt 20:21; Rev 4:4; 11:16; 20:4; neo-Heb. examples in H. Odeberg, 3 Enoch or the Hebrew Book of Enoch [Cambridge, 1928, repr. 1973] p. 27 , note to 3En 10:1, where Enoch has just such a throne set for him as he is proclaimed Metatron). But the rabbis felt anyone seated in heaven gives affront to the Holy One (Hag 15a). Job's claim to have a throne at the Father's right is thus a daring one.

b. Only V so reads. P has Elihu and S, Elious. See n. a to 31 .

c. Dropping the first person, P reads "Job said." d. A striking resemblance to the Qumran concept

of die fellowship of the just with the angels (e.g. 1QH 3.21-23; 4.24f.; 11.10-12; 1QS 11.709; lQSa 2.8f.) elsewhere in TJob expressed in his daughters' charismatic access to the language of the angels (48:3; 49:2; 50:2). Among the harsh (excommu-nicative?) judgments invoked on Elihu was the loss of such fellowship: "And the holy ones abandoned him" (43:10). Exactly as the Qumran members were themselves called "men of holiness" (1QS 8.17, 23; 9.8; cf. 8.20), so may "the holy ones" now rejoice at the discomfiture of Elihu (43:15; cf. 43:14). The whole of the hymn against Elihu (TJob 43:4-17) , in fact, is replete with Qumran affinities.

e. T*iis vs. follows 33:4 in V.

f. Neither LXX nor MT uses this term (hyper-kosmios), which first appears in 5th cent. Christian (Cyril of Alexandria) or pagan (Iamblichus) mys­tical authors.

g. Only P reads "Father" here. S has "God" and V reads "Savior." S V speak of "the Father in the heavens." S V Slav add the line "My throne is eternal." Surprisingly, the phrase "from the Father's right hand" is not readily paralleled in the biblical tradition (MT, LXX, NT) though the tendency apparent at Acts 2:33 and Eph 1:17, 20 emerges clearly in later Christian examples, in­cluding exacUy this phrase in a variant reading for Mk 16:19 (quoting Ps 109 [1101:1). The wide NT use of Ps 109 (110):1 regularly appears with "Lord" (as LXX), " G o d , " or a circumlocution such as "power" (Mt 26:64; but note conflation at Lk 22:69: ' 'at the right hand of the Power of God' *) or "majesty" (Heb 1:3; 8:1). "Father" is used of God nationally already at such places as Isa 63:16; 64:8; Mai 1:6; 2:10, and of God as the Father of individuals at least since Eccl 23:4 (cf. 23:1): "Lord Father and God of my life . . . "

h. Both NT parallels (ICor 7:31; Un 2:17) use the present tense. Cf. Did 10:6: "Let grace come and this world pass o n . "

i. ' 'The holy land'' as early as Zech 2:16; WisSol 12:3; 2Mac 1:8 refers to the promised land. But it is apparently not until Origen (Contra Celsum 7:29) that the term is used metaphorically of heaven, though the meaning might be anticipated in such places as Mt 5:5: "The gentle . . . shall have the earth for their heritage." One motif in intertesta­mental literature is the special privilege that attaches to those who live in Palestine (Joel 2:32; 4Ezra 13:48f.; 2Bar 29:3; 40:2). Charles, in a note to 2Bar 29:2 (Apocalypse of Baruch [London, 1896] pp. 51f.) , summarizes rabbinic notions that (1) of three who will inherit the coming world, one is he who lives in Israel (Pes 113a); (2) leaving Israel forfeits the accumulated merit of the fathers (BB 91a); (3) he who dies in the Holy Land will rise first in the resurrection (Jalkut Shimeoni; Bereshit 130); and (4) the righteous dead, if they are to participate in the resurrection, would have to roll through un­derground passageways to Palestine (Ket 111a).

j . S V have "the unchangeable world." Paral­lelism with "Father" in 33:3, 9 suggests "the changeless one" here is a tide for God, but there seems no firm reason to associate the title with a similar expression for an eon ("endless and un-

Eliphas' rejoinder i,2 34 As I was saying these things to them so they would be quiet, •Eliphasa became

enraged and said to the other friends, "What good has it done that we have come 3 here with our armies to comfort him? •Look, now he accuses us! Let us then go 5 4 back to our own countries. •Here he sits in the misery of worms and foul odors: 28:2 20:8 31:2

and yet he is piqued at us. 4Kingdoms pass away and so do their sovereigns.b But 33:8f.

5 as for my kingdom,' he says, 'it shall last forever.' " # So Eliphas, arising with great consternation, turned away from them in deep sadness and said, "I am leaving: We came to cheer him, and yet he demeans us in the presence of our 2 trOOpS." 30:2

C. BALDAD TESTS JOB'S SANITY (35:1-38:5)

1 35 Then Baldad seized hima and said, "One should not speak that way to a man 2 who not only is in mourning but also is beset by many plagues. -Take note:

Although we are quite healthy, we were not strong enough to approach him because 31.2-4

3 of the foul stench, except by the use of much perfume. *You there, Eliphas, do 4 you forget how you were when you fell illb for two days? «Now then, let us be

patient in order that we may discover his true condition. Perhaps he is emotionally gji*' disturbed.0 Perhaps he recalls his former prosperity and has become mentally 41U

5 deranged. #For who would not be driven senseless and imbalanced when he is 2i:4 6 sick? #But allow me to approach him, and I will determine his condition." 31:1

changing power") in Simonian Gnosticism (Hip-poly tus, Ref 6.17.7; cf. 6.12.4; 6.14.6) .

k. The term "forever" (eis to dienekes)—found in Heb 7:3; 10:1, 12, 14—is not elsewhere used in NT or LXX, but the 2nd-cent. A.D. historian Appian uses it to say Julius Caesar was made dictator "forever" (Bella civilia 1.4).

1. I.e. transient. The same feature (not opacity) characterizes the mirrors of ICor 13:12 and Jas 1:23.

m. This remarkable phrase, "the chariots of the Father," is attested in P S V, while "Father" is used elsewhere of God only by P (33:3; 40:2; 47:11 [possibly of God here also]; 52:12). The textual validity of "Father" at 33:3 draws some strength from its appearance here; for the result then has the term "Father" artfully arranged in the first and last units of the poem, in each of which Job says his splendor and majesty are associated with the "Father." The passage is commonly connected with the so-called Merkabah mysticism (mystical speculation about the "chariots" [mrkbwt] of God thriving on the fringe of hellenistic Judaism through and beyond NT times). Such speculations appear in a minor sectarian document from Qumran. Called the "Angelic Liturgy" (4Q$ir£abb 37-40) , these fragmentary texts suggest an order of worship

merging angelic cultic actions with the liturgy of the Qumran covenanters. But in contrast with these Qumran fragments, TJob has no sevenfold heaven nor is it even concerned with ecstatic descriptions of the throne or chariot as 4Q$ir§abb 40 . In fact, TJob 33:9 asserts yet again the supramundane permanence of Job's own throne—not God's—by locating it with "the chariots of the Father." Perhaps an Alexandrianized early Merkabah tra­dition lies behind this unusual phrase.

34 a. Here, as not since 29:3, triply attested in P S V. S e e n , a to 31 .

b. P has "administrations."

35 a. Seized Eliphas, that is, who according to 34:5 was about to leave. S V Slav add "by the hand."

b. There is no canonical reference to the illness of Eliphas, which may have been occasioned by the stench of Job's sickness.

c. The Gk. of chs. 35 -38 shows a rich vocab­ulary for mental (in)stability which taxes the trans­lator's ingenuity. The section may have been in­formed by Job 36:28b LXX: "In all these things your understanding was not deranged nor was your mind disturbed in your body."

6 •Rivers will dry up, Job i4:ii and the arrogance of their waves goes down into the depths of the abyss.

7 But the rivers of my land, where my throne is, do not dry up nor will they 5 disappear, but they will exist forever.*

8 •These kings will pass away, and rulers come and go; but their splendor 34:4 and boast shall be as in a mirror.1

9 But my kingdom is forever and ever, and its splendor and majesty are in the chariots of the Father.""1

52:6.8.10

1 36 Then Baldad, w h e n he had arisen, approached m e and said, " A r e you J o b ? " 29:3 And I said to h i m , " Y e s . " 29:4

2 And he said, "I s your heart untroubled?"

3 And I said to h im, " M y heart is not fixed o n earthly concerns , s ince the earth 48:2; 49:i; 50.2 and those w h o dwel l in it are unstable. But m y heart is fixed on heavenly concerns, 47:3 for there is no upset in h e a v e n . " 8

4 And Baldad replied and said, " W e k n o w the earth is unstable, s ince of course 33:4 it changes from t ime to t ime. Somet imes it steers an e v e n course/ and is at peace;

5 there are also t imes o f war. *But as for heaven , w e hear that it stays calm. But 33:5

6 if you are truly sound o f mind, I wil l ask y o u about s o m e t h i n g . b • And if you answer m e sensibly regarding the first query, I wil l ask y o u about a second matter. And if y o u answer m e ca lmly , it wil l be clear that y o u are not emotional ly disturbed."

1 37 S o he said, "In w h o m d o y o u h o p e ? " 3

2 And I said, "In the G o d w h o l i v e s . "

3 And again he said to m e , " W h o destroyed b your g o ods or inflicted you with these p l a g u e s ? "

4 And I said, " G o d . " 4 : 3 . 5

5 And again he replied and said, " D o you hope upon God? Then h o w do you

reckon him to be unfair 0 by inflicting y o u with all these plagues or destroying your

6 goods? *If he were to g i v e and then take away, it would actually be better for him

not to have g iven anything. At no t ime does a king dishonor his o w n soldier w h o

bears arms wel l for h im. Or w h o wil l ever understand the deep th ings d o f the Lord 7 and his w i s d o m ? W h o dares to ascribe to the Lord an injustice? • Answer m e this,

Job.

8 " A n d again I say to y o u , i f y o u are sound of mind and have your wits about y o u , tell m e w h y w e see the sun on the one hand rising in the east and setting in the wes t , and again w h e n w e get up early w e find it rising again in the east? Explain these things to m e if y o u are the servant o f G o d . " e

1 38 A n d to all this I said, "I do have m y wits about m e , and m y mind is sound.

W h y then should I not speak out the magnificent things o f the Lord? 8 Or should

36 a. The gist of Job's response—his alliance with the stable "heavenly concerns"—accords with the central theme of his psalm of affirmation (TJob 33). There it was his throne, here it is his mind (kardial pseuche). There it was the supramundane (hyper-kosmios), here it is the "heavenlies" (epourania). With this relate the glossolalic participation of Job's daughters in the same upper world (TJob 48:3; 49:2; 50:2). The whole motif, furthermore, may be com­pared to the postresurrectional understanding of Christian existence implied in Col 3: If.: "Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God's right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth."

b. Putting riddles follows a typical wisdom motif (cf. H. Torczyner, "The Riddle in the Bible," HUCA 1 [1924] 125-49) . Job has his own riddle to ask, 38:3f.

37 a. The question—now sincere, not rhetorical— may arise from Job 17:15 LXX: "Where then is my hope?" The longer recension of Tob—reflected in the Vulgate as well as in the Heb. and Aram, fragments of Tob from Qumran—says Tobit's misfortune happened "so that the example of his patience might be given to posterity, just as was also that of sainUy Job" (Tob 2:12 Vulgate; cf.

Jas 5:11: "You have heard of the patience of Job''). The same passage (not paralleled in the shorter Gk. recension) also shows very high similarities with certain elements in the TJob: "For just as the kings would mock blessed Job, so also those who were subject to him and his kin would laugh at his way of life, saying, 'Where is your hope? To what end did you give alms and perform burial rites?' " (Tob 2:15f. Vulgate).

b. God here, but Satan at 4:3-5 . c. The text is corrupt. P reads "How then can

he be unfair by inflicting . . . ? " Kraft conjectures, "How then does he act unjustly when he judges, inflicting . . . ? "

d. This phrase is closer to NT expressions (ICor 2:10) than to anything in LXX (but cf. Dan 2:22 LXX, "the deep and dark things").

e. In LXX (e.g. 1:8; 2:3), Job is frequently called the "servant" (ho therapon) of God. S V Slav omit the " i f clause.

38 a. The phrase "the magnificent things (ta me-galeia) of the Lord" has been suggested as the title of a collection of angelic hymns. If so, Job appears here (38:If.) to say that recital of angelic hymns, while entirely open to him in full possession of his mental powers, is inappropriate as a dem­onstration of sanity. Rather, he will show mental acuity in a way that will not offend the Lord, by

my mouth utterly blunder regarding the Master? b Never! # W h o are w e to be busying

ourselves with heavenly matters, seeing that w e are fleshly, having our lot in dust 5 J o b 3 0 : i 9

and ashesT " N o w then, so you may know that m y heart is sound, here is my question for

you: Food enters the mouth, then water is drunk through the same mouth and sent

into the same throat. But whenever the two reach the latrine, d they are separated

from each other. W h o divides t h e m ? "

And Baldad said, "I do not k n o w . "

Again I replied and said to h im, "If you do not understand the functions 6 o f the

body, h o w can you understand heavenly matters?" 2

D. SOPHAR: OFFERS THE ROYAL PHYSICIANS (38:6-*)

Then Sophar replied and said, " W e are not inquiring after things beyond u s /

but w e have sought to know if you are of sound mind. And n o w w e truly know

that your intell igence has been unaffected. ' W h a t then do you wish us to do for cf. J o b 3 6 : 2 8 b

you? Look, s ince w e are travel ing 8 w e have brought along with us the physicians

of our three k ingdoms. D o you wish to be treated by them? Perhaps you will find

relief."

But I answered and said, " M y hea l ing h and m y treatment are from the Lord, 47:6

who also created the phys i c ians ." sir38:1

E. SITIS: LAMENTS HER CHILDREN, DIES, AND IS BURIED (39-40)3

39 While I was saying these things to them, my wife Sitis arrived in tattered 25:7

garments, • f l ee ing from the servitude o f the official she served, s ince he had

forbidden her to leave lest the fe l low kings see her and se ize her. # W h e n she came ,

she threw herself at their feet and said weep ing , ' " D o you remember m e , E l iphas—

you and your t w o friends—what sort o f person I used to be among you and how

I used to dress? ' B u t now look at m y debut and m y att ire!" b 25:7

asking a counterriddle—which baffles Baldad (38:3f.). "The great things" refers, in LXX, to the mighty deeds of God, chiefly those displayed at the Exodus (Deut 11:2; Ps 105 [106]:21). They were to be recited widely (Ps 70 [71]: 19; Eccl 36:7). So the "mighty deeds" became a praiseful recital of the acts of God. Luke uses the same phrase to describe the content of glossolalia heard on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:11; cf. 10:46, "Since they could hear them speaking strange languages and proclaiming the greatness [megalu-nouton] of God"). As the companion of Paul, who himself knew of tongues of angels (ICor 13:1), Luke, with Paul, may have been aware of some tradition linking the glossolalic praise of God with angelic hymnody. While there is not sufficient evidence to say either Luke or Paul knew of the TJob, the concern of all three with prophetic experience at once ecstatic and angelic brings them closer together on this point than any other contem­porary texts.

b. ' 'Master'' (despotes) appears only here in the TJob. Cf. Job 5:8 LXX: "Lord and Master of al l ."

c. This view of the "nothingness" of mankind, which permits neither ability nor right to meddle in heavenly matters, is frequently expressed; it constitutes the thrust of the God speeches in Job 38:1-41:25 (cf. especially Job's response at 42:3b, "I have been holding forth on matters I cannot

understand, on marvels beyond me and my knowl­edge"). See further the conversations concluded by 4Ezra 4:10f., 21 and Jn 3:12. TJob sees no conflict between this anthropological abnegation— reflected here in Job's own words—and Job's earlier claim that he sides with the "heavenlies" (36:3).

d. Neither P, S, nor V adopts a euphemism for * 'latrine'' as Codex Bezae does for Mk 7:19 ( = Mt 15:17, only here in NT) by reading ("sewer, drain," ochetos).

e. "Foresight" in S. f. Sophar's denial that he and his friends were

exploring inscrutables shows that the gist of Job's remarks (38:1-5) was a caution against such spec­ulation.

g. The text is uncertain. h. In the ongoing narrative, Job's healing is not

detailed, though it must have occurred during the appearance of God to Job "through a hurricane and clouds" (42:1). Later (47:4-9) , the effects of the healing and the role of Job's charismatic phylactery are recalled.

39 a. TJob 39f. resume and complete the Sitis episode earlier treated at 21-26 . On the name, see n. b to 25.

b. TJob 39:4f. summarize the lament for Sitis (25:1-8). Even the characteristic contrast ("But now . . ." ) of the refrain is preserved.

6 Then , w h e n they had made a great lamentation 0 and were doubly exhausted, 53:2 7 they fell silent ' s o that Eliphas se ized his purple r o b e , d tore it off, and threw it

about m y wi fe . 8 But she began to beg them, saying, "I plead with y o u , order your soldiers to 3i:3

dig through the ruins o f the house that fell on m y children so that at least their is-.i 9 bones might be preserved as a memorial • s ince w e cannot because of the expense . 24:2

10 Let us see them, e v e n if it is only their bones . ' H a v e I the w o m b of cattle or of a wi ld animal that m y ten children have died and I have not arranged the burial 40:13 of a s ingle one o f t h e m ? "

11 And they left to d ig , but I forbade it, saying , " D o not trouble yourselves in 12 vain. *For y o u wil l not find m y children, s ince they were taken up into heaven e

by the Creator their K i n g . " f

13 Then again they answered m e and s a i d , ' ' W h o then wil l not say you are demented 35:4 and mad w h e n you s a y , g ' M y children have been taken up into heaven! ' Tell us the truth n o w ! "

1 40 A n d I replied to them and said, "Lift m e up so I can stand e r e c t . " And they 2 lifted m e up , supporting m y arms on each side. *And then when I had stood up,

3 I sang praises to the Father. 3 *And after the prayer I said to them, " L o o k up with 50:3; 52:12

c. Jewish funereal interests apparent here are illustrated at Tob 1:17-19 and Eccl 38:16-23. Here, as also TJob 19:2; 20:4; 53:1-4 , it is a question of sincere and traditional laments (even if, fantastically, the animals share in the lamenta­tion, 40:10!), and not the mocking laments of TJob 25:1-8 and 32:1-12. See also n. d to 28.

d. This sign of royalty was placed even about idols (LetJer 6:11, 71; cf. Jn 19:2, 5).

e. Body and soul, apparently, since (1) the search for bones would be fruitless (39:11) and (2) it is the children, not their souls, or spirits, merely, that have been taken to heaven (39:12f.; 40:3). Yet this seems to contradict the account of Job's demise, where although his soul was borne off in a chariot to the east (42:10), his body was at once prepared (53:11) and buried after three days "in a beautiful sleep" (53:7). At the outset of the story, the angel had promised Job would be raised up in the resurrection (4:9; see n. c to 4) , an echo (or source?) of Job 42:17a LXX. Though nothing direct is said of the future of the wicked in the TJob, the hymn against Elihu (TJob 43) speaks more of banishment, of separation from the "holy ones ," than it does of extinction or of consignment to any special abode of the wicked dead, either with or without a resurrection. (See 43:5, 6, 10.) Except for the assumption of the children, the view of life after death expressed in these passages in TJob is not unlike that of Jub 23:28-31; lEn 91:10; 92:3; 103:3f.; TAb B 7, in which the bones and the bodies rest in the earth but the spirits rise in conscious joy. If the ascent to heaven of the children (leaving no bones behind!) seems inconsistent with the other references, it is only because TJob reflects a stage in the development of Jewish eschatology where considerable diversity appeared. Compared to Qumran thought, TJob openly asserts (as 4:9) the resurrection of the righteous, where Qumran (e.g. 1QH 3.19) tacitly assumes it, or, by virtue

of intense eschatological immediacy, obviates it. TJob never reaches (at best, 43) the execratory vocabulary of damnation for the wicked character­istic of the Qumran texts (e.g. 1QS 4.11-14) . Finally, Qumran knows nothing comparable to the bodily assumption into heaven, following death, of Job's deceased children. While ancient worthies such as Elijah (without death, 2Kgs 2:9 LXX), Abraham (TAb B 7) , Paul (before death, 2Cor 12:2, 4) were said to have been "taken up" (analambaneinlanalempsis; for 2Cor, harpazein), the ascension of Jesus (Acts 1:11) should not be overlooked in this case. With Jesus, there was no discussion about body and/or soul, whereas Paul twice (2Cor 12:2f.) wondered if he were "in the body" during the ascent. The model of Jesus— ascension after death, consequent to resurrection— may betray a Christian hand somewhere in the editorial history of TJob.

f. TJob employs some unusual divine titles: "the great God" (17:4); "Master" (despotes) (38:1); "the Master of virtues" (50:2); "the Creator" (demiourgos) and "King" here at 39:12. "Creator" (demiourgos) is used in NT only at Heb 11:10. None of the later gnostic contempt for the term "creator" appears here.

g. V reads for the quotation, "for when we were about to recover the bones of your children, you forbad us, saying, 'They have been gathered up and are kept by their Creator.' "

40 a. So P; "I sang praises first to the Lord and to God'' S ; " . . . to God first'' V. Kraft conjectures "I first gave thanks to the Lord." On "Father" in TJob, see n. g to 33. Cf. singing praises to the Father with a similar line in the speculative hellen­istic theosophic tract Poimandres 1.26, which says of the climax of the ascended soul upon its arrival at the eighth sphere, "And it sings (hymnei) to the Father with those who are there."

your e y e s to the eas t b and s e e c my children crowned d with the splendor of the 52: io 43: M

heavenly o n e . " e

4 And when she saw that, Sitis my wife fell to the ground worshiping and said, 21:2

" N o w I know that I have a memorial with the Lord. S o I shall arise f and return 24:2

to the city and nap awhile and then refresh myse l f before the duties o f m y

5 servitude.' ' # A n d when she left for the city she went to the c o w shed of her o x e n ,

6 which had been confiscated by the rulers w h o m she served. »And she lay down

near a certain manger and died in good spirits . 8 1 *

7,8 When her domineering ruler sought her but could not find her, # h e went when

9 it was evening into the folds of the herds and found her sprawled out dead. »And

all w h o s a w h cried out in an uproar of lament over her, and the sound reached

10 through the whole city. • W h e n they rushed in to discover what had happened,

11 they found her dead and the living animals standing about weeping' over her. j

12 And so bearing her in process ion, they attended to her burial, locating her near 52=12

13 the house that had collapsed on her children. «And the poor of the city made a 18:1 53:i.5f.

great lamentation, say ing , k " L o o k ! This is Sit is , the woman of pride and splendor! 25:i

She was not even considered worthy o f a decent burial!" 39:10

14 So then you will find in " T h e Misce l lan ies" 1 the lament made for her. 41:6; 48:3; 49:3; 50:3; 51:4

F. JOB'S RECOVERY AND VINDICATION (41-45)

Elihu's insult 1 41 Eliphas and the rest sat beside m e after these things arguing and talking big

2 against m e . 8 • After twenty-seven days , they were about to arise and g o to their

3 own countries, # w h e n they were implored by Elihu, saying, "Stay here till I clarify Job 36:2

this issue for him. Y o u held on quite s o m e time whi le Job boasted himself to be

4 a just man. «But I will not hold on . From the start I too made lamentation for h im, 32:i

remembering his former prosperity. b And here now he speaks out in boastful 35:4

b. Same direction toward which Job is carried off at death (52:10). At least at Lk 1:78, the "east" (anatole) had messianic connotations. Literal aid from the east—fellow Jews in Babylon—was re­called in IBar 4:36; 5:5. Josephus (War 2.128 = 2.8.5) mentions the prayers of the Essenes directed toward the sun; and according to Athanasius, Quaestiones ad Antiochum 37 (PG 28.620A), the Jews prayed toward the east. Christian practices in patristic times included baptizing toward the east and orienting churches in that direction. Contrast the north-south orientation of most graves at Qum­ran.

c. S V Slav have "when they looked, they saw." d. The anticipated future of the sons of truth,

according to 1QS 4.7 , includes "the glorious crown" (kill kdbSd).

e. V has "the heavenly king." f. This expression is not strong enough to suggest

that Sitis shares Job's hope of resurrection (TJob 4:9).

g. S V have " . . . died disheartened." h. Probably the city folk, but possibly the mourn­

ing animals of vs. 11. i. Sympathetic participation of animals is an

occasional feature of certain popular sectarian lit­erature: the cooperative worm (20:9); Ignatius (Rom 4:2) seeks the aid of beasts in becoming the "pure bread of Christ"; cf. Mk 1:13, Jesus with the wild beasts; and 2En 58:6, where beasts are said to survive to accuse their abusers. (See an extensive n. to 2En 58:6 regarding Jewish and Greek notions of the rationality of animals in Charles, APOT, vol. 2 , p. 464.

j . Vss. 9-11 show considerable disarray in the text witness. S has twice written the words "and the living animals . . . over her." V places vs. 9 after vs. 11.

k. The minuscule lament shows the same con-trastive form as the longer laments of TJob 25, 32 (see n. a to 25).

1. Lit. "things omitted." Used in LXX as Gk. title for the two books commonly called 1 and 2 Chr. So called, because the books of "Chronicles" were to supply additional events omitted from 1 and 2 Kgs. TJob shows high interest in fabulous "books ." Besides these unidentified "Miscellan­ie s ," also mentioned are "The Miscellanies of Eliphas" (41:6), the "Hymns of Kasia" (49:3), and the "Prayers of Amaltheia's Horn" (50:3). Parallels at 49:3 and 50:3 suggest "The Spirit" as at i t leat48:4 . "The Great Things" (51:3; cf. 38:1; 51:4) could be yet another such title (see n. a to 38). The principle is anticipated by numerous "lost" books mentioned in the canonical literature (Num 21:14; Josh 10:13 MT; 2Sam 1:18; IKgs 11:41; 14:19, 29; 15:7; IChr 29:29; 2Chr 9:29; 12:15; 20:34; 26:22; 33:18f.; 35:25. Cf. IMac 16:24). 41 a. V has a lengthy restyling of vss. 1-3, showing dramatic literary improvement: **. . .against me, saying for 27 days that I had suffered this jusUy due to many sins and that there was no hope left for me. But I vigorously remonstrated. Filled with anger, they arose to leave in a rage. Then Elihu implored them . . . "

b. P adds here "And suddenly he has undertaken to exalt himself."

5 grandeur, saying he has his throne in heaven. • Listen to m e n o w , and I will tell 33:2-9

you about his imaginary e s t a t e . " Then Elihu, inspired by Satan , c spoke out against

6 m e insulting words , • which are written d o w n in " T h e Miscel lanies o f Eliphas. " d 4 0 : i 4

The kings forgiven through Job's intercession

1 42 After Elihu ended his arrogant speech , the Lord—having appeared plainly to Job 38:1

2 me through a hurricane and clouds*—spoke »and censured E l ihu , b showing me

3 that the one w h o spoke in him was not a human but a beast . c »And when the Lord 7:6

spoke to m e through the c loud, the four kings also heard d the voice of him w h o 30:2 52:9

spoke.

4,5 cAfter the Lord finished speaking to me, he said to Eliphas, • " Y o u there, Job42:7 - io

Eliphas—you and your two friends—why did you sinl You have not spoken truly 6 regarding my servant Job. •Arise and have him offer up sacrifices on your behalf

so your sin might be taken away. Except for him, I would have destroyed you." 7,8 So they brought m e the things for sacrifice. # A n d I took them and made an offering

on their behalf, and the Lord received it favorably and forgave their sin. 43:4

A hymn against Elihu

1 43 Then when Eliphas, Baldad, and Sophar knew that the Lord had showed them

2 favor regarding their s in—but had not considered Elihu worthy—•Eliphas replied 3

3 and spoke up with a h y m n b • whi le the other friends and their troops sang to him

4 in response near the altar. •E l iphas c spoke in this manner: d 31:8

c. In the canonical Job, Elihu makes a very graphic and explicit claim to inspiration: "For I am filled with words, choked by the rush of them within me. I have a feeling in my heart like new wine seeking a vent, and bursting a brand-new wineskin. Nothing will bring relief but speech, I will open my mouth and give my answer" (Job 32:18-20; cf. 32:8, "But now I know that it is a breath in man, the inspiration of Shaddai, that gives discernment"). While the biblical book at­tributes the inspiration to God (Job 32:8), TJob ascribes it to Satan (41:5; cf. 42:2).

d. See n. 1 to 40. The words of Elihu are preserved in the records of Eliphas perhaps because Elihu is the subject of execration (TJob 43) and any invitation to consult his own records would be inappropriate.

42 a. A less restrained apocryphon may well have easily or fabulously amplified this event mentioned at Job 38:1.

b. Beyond his speech, nothing is heard of Elihu in the canonical book.

c. Cf. 23:2; 27:2, all of which attest a developed yet restrained view of Satan not unlike that of NT (e.g. Eph 2:2).

d. V omits the whole verse. S reads " . . . the cloud, they heard."

e. TJob 42:4-8 slightly compresses Job 42:7-9 LXX, with the following differences: (1) LXX (42:7) says the kings did not speak the truth as Job did—TJob (42:5) says they did not speak truly regarding (kata) Job; (2) LXX (42:8) speaks of seven bullocks and seven rams, TJob (42:6) merely of "sacrifices"; (3) the names of the kings (42:9) in LXX are omitted in TJob (42:9; but cf. 28:4 V, where V has the names); (4) unusually, TJob in one or two cases does not follow the Alexandrian text of LXX.

43 a. P reads "Eliphas received a spirit. . . " (or "the Spirit"?) P here omits "holy" before "spirit," but includes it at 51:2. The activity of the spirit here is associated with speaking (or singing) the hymn (cf. ICor 14:15; Eph 5:18f.), but not with the inspiration of composing the hymn. Describing the hymn composition of the Therapeutae, Philo mentions no "spirit" (Vita cont 29.80). On the other hand, the Holy Spirit (according to 51:2 P; S has "holy angel," V omits) is present in Nereus' recording of the hymns (51:2 P). "Spirit" as inspiring agent is clear in such Jewish literature as lEn 91:1; Martls 1:7; 5:14; TAb A 4; and 4Ezra 14:22. But in none of these examples is it a matter of hymn composition. But cf. Job's query of Baldad, found at Job 26:4 LXX: "Whose breath is it that has come forth from you?"

b. See n. g to 31 . Philo (Vita cont 80) identifies among the hymns of the Therapeutae those that were sung at the altar, as here and at 44:1, where in view is the altar where the sacrifices had just been offered by Job for his fellow kings (42:6-43:3).

c. Eliphas, as the leading one of the visiting kings, gives the hymn. He also is the only one identified as to homeland (29:3); was first to speak upon the kings' discovery of Job (29:3); and was first to be addressed by Sitis (39:4).

d. This hymn (43:4-17) is an imprecatory exe­cration text given, according to TJob, at the altar when it became clear Elihu did not share in the forgiveness just mediated through Job's sacrificial offices (42:5-43:3). Something like a refrain ap­pears as the opening and closing lines (43:4, 17); it is not impossible the refrain originally appeared in alternation with the remaining verses so as to approximate the form of the laments in TJob 25, 32 (see n. g to 25). Some parallels with other material in TJob appear: e.g. cf. 43:10 with 33:2

(for use of Job 18 LXX, see n. g to 43). Yet much of the language of the psalm is distinctive and its affinities with Qumran hymnody have been noted by Philonenko ("Le Testament de Job," Sem 18 [1968] 52f.) . Even though it belongs to a consid­erably later period (5th to 6th cent, A.D.), a striking parallel is afforded by the Cop. gnostic apocryphon entitled Book of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ by Bartholomew the Apostle (ResBart). This text contains an execration against Judas Iscariot said to have been pronounced by Jesus in "Amente ," an Egyptian mythological term for hell, where Jesus went following death and prior to resurrection and where he found Judas Iscariot. Both the Elihu hymn and the Judas invective (1) are poetic in form, (2) appear in the third person, (3) amount to an excommunicative curse, and (4) are uttered against a named individual. Striking conceptual similarities appear in the following paired excerpts (utilizing the present translation of TJob and, for ResBart, that of E. Budge, Coptic Apocrypha [London, 1913] p. 185; Cop. text, pp. 7 - 9 with plates VII-IX; excerpts from TJob are in textual sequence, those from ResBart are not):

TJob 43:5 Elihu . . . will have no me­morial among the living

ResBart Judas' inheritance has been taken away from among the living

TJob 43:5 his quenched lamp lost its luster

ResBart the light departed and left him, and darkness came upon him

TJob 43:7 His kingdom is gone, his throne is rotted, and the honor of his tent lies in Hades

ResBart his crown has been snatched away . . . the worm has in­herited his substance . . . his house hath been left a desert

TJob 43:8 He loved the beauty of the

snake and the scales of the dragon. Its venom and poison shall be his food.

ResBart His mouth was filled with thirty snakes so that they might devour him

The Elihu hymn shows more literary finesse; it begins and ends with a similar couplet, for example. But both hymns must arise from the same literary stock, the roots of which reach through Job 18 LXX as far back as the "mocking dirges" in Isa 14 and Ezek 28.

e. Close the the Christian title for Satan, "the Evil One ," which occurs at TJob 7:1 V; 20:2 V; cf. Mt 13:19 and 6:13.

f. The frequency of the expression "no memor­ial" in TJob (24:2; 39:8; 40:4; 43:5, 17) was anticipated by its occurrence at Job 18:17 LXX (cf. Job 2:9 with TJob 24:2 and see n. c to 24). With whom the "memorial" occurs varies: the earth (24:2; Job 2:9b), the living (43:5, 17), the Lord (40:4), or no such reference (39:8).

g. The themes and the language of 43:5f. appear in the LXX poem of Job: the vanished memorial (Job 18:17); the quenched lamp (Job 18:5f.; 21:17; 29:3); light/darkness motifs (Job 12:25; 17:12; 18:6, 18; 23:11; 26:10). Baldad's derisive description of the ungodly (Job 18:2-21 LXX), in particular, seems to inform TJob 43:5f.

h. The ill end of Elihu's "splendor and majesty'' (vs. 6) and of his "throne" (vs. 7) contrast with the heavenly, supramundane character of Job's kingdom and throne (33:2, 3 , 5, 9).

i. S V have "stateliness." j . A tide for angels, cf. 43:10, 14f.; 33:2. k. The second member of a parallelism, first

part of which is 43:9. Banishment, or excommun­ication, seems to be implied.

1. S V have "for emptiness." m. S V Slav have "an asp ." n. Possibly angels.

"Our sins were stripped off, and our lawlessness buried. n;42:8

5 Elihu, Elihu—the only evil onee—will have no memorial among the 24:2 living.

His quenched lamp lost its luster, job 18:5 6 and the splendor of his lantern will flee from him into condemnation.

For this one is the one of darkness and not of light. And the doorkeepers of darkness shall inherit his splendor and majesty.8 33:2

7 His kingdom is gone, his throneh is rotted. 33:3.5,7,9

And the honor of his tent1 lies in Hades. 11 8 He loved the beauty of the snake and the scales of the dragon. Job 20:16

Its venom and poison shall be his food. 12 9 He did not take to himself the Lord, nor did he fear him.

But even his honored onesj he provoked to anger. 10 The Lord has forgotten him, and the holy ones abandoned him.k 33:2 11 But wrath and anger shall be his tent.1 7

He has no hope in his heart, nor peace in his body. 12 He had the poison of aspsm in his tongue. job 20.14 13 Righteous is the Lord, true are his judgments.

With him there is no favoritism. He will judge us all together. Job 9:32 14 Behold the Lord has come! Behold his holy ones are prepared, 10

while crowns" lead the way with praises. 40:3

15 Let the holy ones rejoice, let them leap for j o y in their hearts , 0 io 16 for they have received the splendor they awaited.

n Gone is our s in, c leansed is our lawlessness . 4; 42:8 And the evi l one Elihu has no memorial among the l iving. " p 24:2

Job's restoration

1 44 After Eliphas ended the hymn, whi le all were s inging in response to him and 3i:8 encircling the altar, w e arose 3 and entered the c i t y b where w e now make our home. 28:7

2 And w e held great festivities in the delight o f the Lord. Once again I sought to 9:i-i5:9; 45:2 do good works for the poor.

3 And all m y friends and those who had known me as a benefactor came to me . j 0b42:iof. 4 c A n d they queried m e , saying , " W h a t do you ask o f us n o w ? " And remembering

the poor again to do them g o o d , I asked them, saying, "Let each one g ive me a 5 lamb for the clothing o f the poor w h o are n a k e d . " # S o then every single one

brought a lamb and a gold coin.6 And the Lord blessed all the goods I o w n e d , 6

and he doubled my estate. 4:7

Job's final.counsels and the division of the inheritance3

i 45 And n o w , m y children, behold I am dying. A b o v e all, do not forget the Lord. i:4 2,3 D o g o o d to the poor. D o not overlook the helpless . *Do not take to yourselves

4 w ives from strangers. 6 - L o o k , m y children, I am dividing among you everything i:4,46:4 that is mine , so each one may have unrestricted control over his o w n share. c

o. Vs. 15 appears to describe, in poetic form, the more prosaic conclusion of 43:17, which vir­tually repeats 43:5. S V Slav read "Let their hearts leap for j o y . "

p. Eliphas, Baldad, and Sophar are thus forgiven and they may, with the "holy men," rejoice (43:15). But Elihu now stands under divine judg­ment, excluded from the group; he is not again heard of in TJob.

4 4 a. One expects at this point, or earlier, some description of Job's healing. But none is given, although 47:2-9 recounts how his recovery was effected through a triple-stranded band, or sash, Midrashically derived from a literal interpretation of the biblical injunction, "Gird your loins like a man" (Job 38:3; 40:7 RSV). The band is then split into three parts and given to the daughters as their inheritance.

b. Reference is made either probably to the unnamed city of the region of Ausitis (TJob 28:7 and Job 1:1; 42:17b, e A) or possibly to the city the angel mentioned (TJob 18:8).

c. TJob 44:3-5 restyles Job 42:10-12 so as to reflect Job's charitable deeds detailed earlier at TJob 9 -15 .

d. Lit. a "tetradrachma of gold." V makes it an alloy: " . . . o f gold and silver." Cf. Job 42:11

LXX B, "a tetradrachma of uncoined gold." e. V completes the verse with a characteristic

and lengthy reading: "and within a few days I abounded in goods and cattle and the remaining things which I had lost. And I gained others in double quantity. And I took a wife, your mother, and I fathered the ten of you in lieu of my ten children who had died."

4 5 a. This paragraph is typical of the close of the usual "testament": the death scene, exhortations to the children, summary injunctions. But the death itself is not described (till 52:1-53:8), and there is no concern to take the bones back to Hebron (found in all T12P).

b. The essentially Jewish ban against foreign marriage has been widely recognized. From biblical roots (Gen 24:3, 37; 27:46-28:1; Num 36:8; Ezra 10:10; cf. Gen 26:34f.), it has spread to such texts as JosAsen 8:5; Tob 1:9; 3:15; 4:12f.; 6:10-12 (pre-eminenUy); Jub 20:4; 22:20; 25:1-10; 30:7-17; TLevi 9:10; Ps-Philo 9:15; 18:13; 43:5; AddEsth 4:17w, x.

c. This final sentence serves as a transition to the following (fourth and final) major section of TJob, 4 6 - 5 3 . Here end Job's testamentary words to his children begun in the first person at 1:4b (see n. i to 1).

IV. Job and His Three Daughters (46-50)*

The daughters' inheritance: their father's phylactery

1 46 And they brought forth the estate for distribution among the seven m a l e s b only . 2 For he did not present any of the g o o ds to the females . They were grieved and

said to their father, "Our father, sir, are w e not also your children? W h y then did you not g ive us s o m e o f your g o o d s ? "

3 But Job said to the females , " D o not be troubled, m y daughters: I have not

4 forgotten y o u . »I have already designated for you an inheritance better than that 45:4; 47:i of your seven brothers."c Job42:15

5 Then w h e n he had called his daughter w h o was named Hemera he said to her, "Take the signet ring, g o to the vault, and bring the three go lden b o x e s , so that

6 I may g ive y o u your inheritance." *So she left and brought them back. 7 And he opened them and brought out three multicolored cords d w h o s e appearance 8 was such that no man could describe, • s i n c e they were not from earth but from

9 h e a v e n , e shimmering with fiery sparks like the rays o f the s u n . f »And he gave each

one a cord, saying, "Place these about your breast, so it may g o wel l with y o u

all the days of your l i f e . "

1 47 Then the other daughter, named K a s i a , a said to h im, "Father, is this the

inheritance which y o u said was better than that o f our brothers? W h o has any use 46:4

for these unusual b cords? c W e cannot gain a l iving from them, can w e ? "

2 And their father said to them, " N o t only shall you gain a l iving from these,

3,4 but these cords wil l lead you into the better world, to l ive in the h e a v e n s . d ^ A r e 36:3

you then ignorant, m y children, of the value of these strings? The Lord considered

46 a. Merely named (1:3 P) prior to this point in TJob, the three daughters dominate the final main section. Chs. 1-45 have been related in the first person; with 46:1, however, there is a sudden shift to third-person discourse, which is sustained through 50:3; thereafter the first person returns, but it is Job's brother Nereus who speaks throughout (51-53). Although such a shift may suggest com­positional evolution, similar shifts of person occur in texts where unity is not in question, such as 2Ezra 6:28; Tob 3:7; and lQapGen 21 .23-30 . While TJob 1-45 serves to commend the virtues of patience and philanthropy in a manner reminis­cent of the T12P, TJob 4 6 - 5 3 seems rather to legitimate charismatic communion with the angels in a mode approaching Merkabah mysticism.

b. A similar interest in males occurs at 15:4. It may be possible to detect here rudimentary proto-gnostic interests, such as the process of "becoming male" as an expression for saving enlightenment.

c. The whole of TJob may be considered as a Midrashic development from Job 42:15b: "And their father gave them inheritance rights like their brothers." The daughters each receive as their portion one cord of the tri-stranded belt, or girdle, by which Job was miraculously cured (47:5). No particular theological use is made here of "inher­itance."

d. S has "the multicolored objects." V has "three cordlike aprons." The meaning is unclear. Elsewhere it is called a cord (sparte, 48:1), cincture (perizdsis, 52:1), phylactery (47:11), while more likely words for "girdle" (zone, kestos) are not used. These terms suggest a sash, or cord, derived from the tri-stranded therapeutic girdle that God provided Job (47:5) when the chaUenge was given,

"Gird up your loins . . . " (Job 38:3; 40:7; cf. 42:4 RSV). By this object, Job was cured (47:4-8) . Now each of the three daughters is given as her inheritance one of the three cordlike strands, which she is to don as a sash. These "cords" are possibly a magical device for fending off evil; see n. i to 47:11.

e. In accord with the earth/heaven bifurcation of TJob 33:2-9; 36:3.

f. 3En 29:2 describes a class of angels thus: "And from each of them sparks and lightnings shoot forth; from each of them rays of splendor stream out, and from each of them lights flash; pavilions and tents of brilliance surround them, for even the seraphim and the creatures who are greater than all the celestials cannot look on them."

47 a. Kasia and Hemera (46:5) have a part in the conversation with their father. But Amaltheia's Horn is not introduced till 50:1.

b. Or, "useless ." c. S Slav put the question: "What then is so

unusual about these cords?" d. As Job affirmed in his psalm (33:2-9) and

asserted during his interrogation (36:3), the daugh­ters too will now be enabled to share in the heavenly world, specifically by ecstatic utilization of the language of heavenly beings (48:3; 49:2; 50:2).

e. The account of Job's miraculous cure (vss. 4 - 9 ) occurs neither in the canonical book nor after TJob 42:3 or 43:17, where it might logically appear. From God's challenge to Job to arise and gird himself for divine questioning (Job 38:3; 40:7; cf. 42:4), TJob in Midrashic style fashions the very "girdle" that now becomes the inheritance for the daughters.

m e worthy o f these in the day in which he wished to s h o w m e mercy and to rid m y body of the plagues and the worms . 20:8

5 "Cal l ing m e , he furnished m e with these three cords and said, 'Arise, gird your Job 38:3; 40:2 loins like a man. I shall question you, and you answer me.1

6 " S o I took them and put them on . And immediately from that time the worms 20:8 7 disappeared from m y body and the plagues , too . »And then m y body got strength 38:8

8 through the Lord as if I actually had not suffered a t h i n g / «I also forgot the pains 52:1 9 in m y heart. *And the Lord spoke to m e in p o w e r , 8 showing m e things present and

things to c o m e . 10 " N o w then, m y children, s ince you have these objects you will not have to face 1* 11 the e n e m y at a l l , h but neither wil l you have worries o f h im in your mind, • s ince 7:11

it is a protective amulet 1 o f the Father. j Rise then, gird yourselves with them before I die in order that you may be able to see those w h o are coming for m y soul , in 52:2 order that y o u may marvel over the creatures k o f G o d . "

The charismatic sashes3

1 48 Thus , when the one called Hemera b arose, she wrapped around her o w n string 0

2 just as her father said. °And she took on another heart— d no longer minded toward 23:11

f. See n. d to 1. g. Probably this refers to the event described in

TJob 42:1-3 and Job 38:1 LXX. The scene is taken as the origin of an apocalyptic vision disclosing "things present and impending," a typical apoca­lyptic agenda (cf. Rev 1:1; see n. j to 1). Such apocalyptic visions—more precisely the claims based on them made by his opponents—led Paul to his statement in Rom 8:38: "no angel, no prince, nothing that exists, nothing still to come." Yet he allowed even at Corinth a "revelation" (apokalyp-sis) among the components of an ordered Christian service (ICor 14:26).

h. Cf. 7:11 andn . a to 3 . i. Lit. "phylactery" (phylakterion). In view of

its therapeutic and evil-averting effects, this phy­lactery appears to stem from the sphere of magic. No hint is given that this phylactery corresponds to the usual arm and head cases for miniature Scripture portions, examples of which (with slight differences) have been found at Qumran. In com­mon with the traditional Jewish phylacteries, those of Job's daughters were to be tied on, or at least donned (47:11; 48:1; 49:1; 50:1; 52:1). But it is striking that they wore them at all, since talmudic tradition exempted from the use of phylacteries slaves, mourners, and females (Kid 34a; MK 15a; Tefillin 3). Yet neither is it a pure magical amulet (a written prescription for magically fending off evil). It is thus a case of restrained Jewish magic, resulting in a wearable' 'charm'' Midrashic in origin and capable of effects including those (1) thera­peutic (47:5-7; 52:1); (2) economic (47:2); (3) evil-averting (47:10); (4) glossolalic (48:3; 49:2; 50:2); and (5) apocalyptic-visionary (47:2, 9 , 11; 52:9).

j . Job, or God? The text is ambiguous. S V Slav

read "the Lord," understanding the term as a divine title, as they also did at 40:2, where according to P, Job "sang praises to the Father." "Father" is a frequent title for Job in the immediate context: 47:1, 2; 48:1 (cf. 52:9, 12). The "father" here seems to be Job, whose own phylactery he is about to grant his daughters as their inheritance,

k. V has "wonders."

48 a. The accounts of the daughters putting on their sashes (48-50) show several common ele­ments: (1) the name of the daughter; (2) donning the sash; (3) having the "heart changed"; (4) no longer concerned with worldly things; (5) glosso-lalia in the language of specified heavenly beings; (6) a brief characterization of the contents of glos-solalia; and (7) reported preservation of the speeches in mythical books (but see n. h to 48).

b. Lit. " D a y . " See nn. f, g, and h to 1. c. S has "wrapped it around herself." d. V heightens by adding "and at once she was

outside her own flesh," which parallels Paul's * ecstatic ascent; he twice wondered whether the ascent was "in the body" or "outside the body" (2Cor 12:2f.). The changed "heart" (cf. 49:1; 50:2) refers not to conversion but appears rather to describe the onset of the ecstatic state, "the descent to the Merkabah." When Saul was "also among the prophets," it is said that "God gave him another heart." Note the similarity to the language of Montanus preserved in the 4th-cent. heresiologist Epiphanius: "Behold! Humankind is like a harp, and I strum as a plectrum; humans sleep, I am awake. Behold! The Lord is the one who excites the hearts of humans, the one who gives them a heart" (AdvHaer 48 .4 .1) .

3 earthly things c —•but she spoke ecstatically in the angel ic dialect,* sending up a hymn to G o d in accord with the hymnic style o f the angels . And as she spoke ecstatically, she a l lowed " T h e S p i r i t , , g to be inscribed on her garment. 1* 40:i4

149 Then Kasia bound hers on and had her heart changed so that she no longer 23.11 2 regarded worldly things. *And her mouth took on the dialect o f the archons and 3 s h e praised G o d for the creation of the heights. ' S o , if anyone wishes to k n o w

" T h e Creation o f the H e a v e n s , " 3 he wil l be able to find it in " T h e H y m n s o f 40:14

K a s i a / ' b

1 50 Then the other one a l so , named Amaltheia's Horn, bound on her cord. And 2 her mouth spoke ecstatically in the dialect o f those on high, • s ince her heart also 23:11

was changed, keeping aloof from worldly things. For she spoke in the dialect o f 3 the cherubim, glorifying the Master o f virtues 8 by exhibiting their splendor. «And

finally whoever wishes to grasp a trace b o f " T h e Paternal Sp lendor" wil l find it 40:3 written d o w n in " T h e Prayers o f Amaltheia 's H o r n . " c 40:14

e. Cf. 49:1 and 50:2, but also 2En 56:2 A: "And Enoch answered his son and said, 'Listen, my child! Since the time when the LORD anointed me with the ointment of my glory, it has been horrible for me, and food is not agreeable to me, and I have no desire for earthly food.' " 2Clem 5:6 urges Christians "to regard worldly things (ta kosmika) as not their o w n . " But 2Clem deals with "this world and the coming one" (2Clem 6:3), which is an eschatological dualism not central to the TJob. With this avoidance of "worldly things" can be related Job's own deprecation of "earthly things" (TJob 36:3; see n. a to 36) and especially his psalm of affirmation (TJob 33), where the heavenly throne is described as Job's present possession, an onto-logical rather than eschatological dualism. The on­tology resembles Heb, especially 9:1 and 8:5: While eschatological events are not absent (Heb 9:28; TJob 4:9; 47:9) they play no major role. To the contrary, the enduring reality of the upper world is already realized (Heb 12:22-24, in community; TJob 4 8 - 5 0 , by ecstatic access). Overall, TJob shows an eschatology closer to Heb. than to Qumran (or, for that matter, to the Montanists with their hope for the descending New Jerusalem; Epi­phanius, AdvHaer 49.1 .2f . ) .

f. Similarly, "the dialect of the archons" (49:2), "the dialect of those on high" (50:1), "the dialect of the cherubim (50:2), "the distinctive dialect" (52:7). The source of Paul's "tongues . . . of angels" (ICor 13:1)? Paul, however, does not use "dialect" (dialektos), which in NT is Luke's word alone. In the account of the Pentecostal glossolalia, Luke uses the word expressly for humans (of varied nationality) and not for angels; contrast his use of "magnify" (megalunein; see n. a to 38). In ApAb 17, an angel teaches Abraham a heavenly song, recital of which leads him to a vision of the Merkabah. The singing of hymns by females ("vir­gins") in the language of the cherubim—as well as the notion of the "Chariot of the Father"—is known also to Resurrection of Bartholomew (ed. Budge, Coptic Apocrypha, pp. 1 If., 189).

g. See n. a to 43 . "Spirit" here could be the subject: "As she spoke ecstatically, the Spirit let it be inscribed on her garment." In view of parallel titles of poems at 49:3 and 50:3, Kraft—followed here—takes "The Spirit" as also a title of a poem or hymn. V omits the entire sentence.

h. For "on her garment (en stole),11 M. J. Schwartz (in Philonenko, Sem 18 [1968] 56) in­

geniously conjectures "in her epistle" (en epi stole). The proposal has in its favor the provision of a book corresponding to the "Hymns of Kasia" (49:3) and the "Prayers of Amaltheia's Horn" (50:3). But the conjecture may be unnecessary. Philo (Vita com 29) speaks of hymnic composition by the Therapeutae using the same term (charatto). The existence of mystically engraved gems per­taining to 3rd-cent. Gnosticism is well known (cf. C. Bonner, Studies in Magical Amulets [Ann Arbor, 1950] pp. 1-21). So are the "garments of glory" prepared for such persons as Isaiah (Ascenls 9:2-11); Metatron (3En 12:1); and Enoch (2En 22:8). Most interesting is the line in Hekhalot Rabbati 24, where God is described as "glorified with embroideries of songs" (hmhwdr brkmy syr; cf. G. Scholem, Jewish Gnosticism [New York, 1965 2] p. 26; cf. p. 128 and n. to p. 26). Scholem (p. 24) also calls attention to AZ 24b, where animals addressing the ark sing a hymn containing the line describing the throne as "girdled in golden em­broidery." Finally, Hekhalot Rabbati 3.4 says of God's garment, "And it is every part engraved from within and from without JHWH JHWH." These and other comparatively inaccessible texts grouped by Scholem disclose a motif of the "gar­ment of God," sometimes said to be inscribed. While these sources are late (3rd. cent, A.D.), it may be possible to see in Hemera's inscribed skirt a development of early Merkabah traditions already present in 4Q§irSabb 3 7 - 4 0 .

49 a. Probably this is another title of a poem. Possibly "the creation of the heavens" was one of the various subjects of mystical inquiry featured in Merkabah mysticism.

b. Cf. Ps 71 (72):20, "the hymns of David, son of Jesse."

50 a. See n. f to 39. b. The meaning is unclear. S omits the tide in

quotes. P obscurely adds "of Hemera." "Trace" (lit. "footprint") might mean (so Kraft) "poetic rhythm."

c. "Amaltheia's Horn," latinized then angli­cized to "Cornucopia," is widely used as a book title, ancient and modern. But the 2nd-cent. A.D. grammarian Aulus Gellius expressly rejected this titie for his own miscellany called Attic Nights (praefatio 6) .

Epilogue (51-53)

Nereus' literary activity

1,2 51 After the three had stopped singing h y m n s , 3 • whi le the Lord was present as

was I, N e r e u s , b the brother of Job, and whi le the holy ange l c also was present, 53:i

3 I sat near Job on the couch . And I heard the magnificent th ings , d while each one

4 made explanation t o e the other. »And I wrote out f a complete book of most of the 40:14

contents o f hymns that issued from the three daughters o f m y brother, so that these

things would be preserved. For these are the magnificent things of God.

Job's death, soul ascent, and burial 1 52 After three days , as Job fell i l l 3 on his bed (without suffering or pain, however , 47:7

since suffering could no longer touch him on account of the o m e n o f the sash he

2.3 wore) , • after those three days he saw those w h o had c o m e for his s o u l . b • And rising 5,6.8; 47:11

4 immediately he took a lyre c and g a v e it to his daughter Hemera. *To Kasia he gave i4:if. 5 a censer , d and to Amaltheia's Horn he gave a kettle drum, • so that they might 3 2 : 8

6 bless those w h o had c o m e for his soul. »And when they took them, they saw the 2

7 g leaming chariots e which had c o m e for his s o u l . f «And they 8 blessed and glorified 3 3 : 9 2

G o d h each one in her o w n distinctive dialect.

8 After these things the one w h o sat in the great chariot got off and greeted Job 3 3 : 9

9 as the three daughters and their father' himself looked o n , though certain others

51 a. Here and at 51:4, as well as 52:12 (cf. 18:2: songs of victory taught by the angel), the products of the daughters' glossolalic speeches are described as hymns, although they are called "prayers" at 50:3. What singing angels sound like, which pre­sumably those using their language would resemble, can be gauged from 2En 17:1 J: "In the middle of the heaven, I saw armed troops, worshiping the LORD with tympani and pipes, and unceasing voices, and pleasant [voices and pleasant and unceasing] and various songs which it is impossible to describe. And every mind would be quite aston­ished, so marvelous and wonderful is the singing of these angels. And I was delighted listening to them."

b. The shift back to first person (as TJob 1:4-45:4)—but now to Nereus—affects at least 51 :1 -4 and 53:1-4 . See nn. i to 1 and a to 46. The name "Nereus" is a Gk. mythological deity. Nereus, sometimes said to be the oldest of the gods, was an apt choice for the name of an oracular recorder, since this god himself was said to have had the gift of prophecy (Horace, Carmina 1.15). Like Job, the god Nereus had daughters, the fifty (number varies) Nereids, whose names were re­corded. Like Satan, Nereus could transform himself into many shapes (fire, water, etc., Apollodorus 2.5.11). Paul knew a Christian of this name at Rome (Rom 16:15). Nereus is called Nahor (Naor) at TJob 1:6 S V Slav, where he is made a brother to Esau by S and a brother to Job by V.

c. Perhaps the same angel as the one who met Job earlier, TJob 5:2 (cf. 18:5). P speaks here of "the Holy Spirit," while V omits the whole phrase.

d. See n. a to 38. V adds so as to read "the magnificent things of the three daughters of my brother."

e. The translation is uncertain; possibly, "made signs to each other," or "noted things down for each other" (so Kraft).

f. 2En knows of books written by angels (22:11)

and—at the angel's dictation—by Enoch (23:6; cf. Rev 2:1 and Rom 16:22). 4Ezra 14:42, on the other hand, has five men writing in unfamiliar letters what Ezra himself uttered under inspiration. In TJob, however, it is Nereus himself who takes the literary initiative, even though both the Lord and the "holy angel" (or, "Holy Spirit"?) were present.

52 a. See n. d to 1. b. Regularly called angels by V (52:5, 6, 8;

47:11). c. According to 14:If., Job had a ten-stringed

lyre with which he entertained the widows after dinner.

d. A censer as Job had in earlier days of glory (32:8).

e. The ascent of Job's soul is not unlike that said of Enoch, where, however, there is no death involved and no soul/body separation: 3En 6:1, "When the Holy One, blessed be he, desired to lift me up on high, he first s en t 4 Anaphiel H [H = tetragrammaton], the Prince, and he took me from their midst in their sight and carried me in great glory upon a fiery chariot with fiery horses, servants of glory. And he lifted me up to the high heavens together with the Shekinah" (trans. H. Odeberg, 3 Enoch [Cambridge, 1928] p. 19). Biblical ac­counts of the ascensions of Enoch (Gen 5:24) and Elijah (2Kgs 2:11) no doubt inform such descrip­tions. Similar also is Abraham's death, ascent, and burial as told in TAb 20A.

f. S omits "they saw the gleaming chariots which had come for his soul ."

g. S has Job himself blessing God "in the distinctive dialect," cf. TJob 40:2: "I [Job] sang praises to the Father."

h. Only S reads "God ." i. Or, Father? Presumably Job, but see 52:12

and n. j to 47.

io did not see.J -And taking the soul he flew up, embracing it, and mounted the chariot 42:3 33:9 n and set off for the east.k 'But his body, prepared for burial, was borne to the tomb 40:3 40:12 12 as his three daughters went ahead girded about and singing hymns to God.1 40:2

1 53 And I Nereus, his brother, with the seven8 male children accompanied by the 5i:i i:2 2 poor and the orphansb and all the helpless, we were weeping »and saying: 40:13

" cWoe to us today! A double woe! 39:6 Gone today is the strength of the helplessl Job 29:i5f.

3 Gone is the light of the blindl Gone is the father of the orphans! Gone is the host of strangers ! d

Gone is the clothing of widows! 4 Who then will not weep over the man of God?" 5 And as soon as they brought the body to the tomb, all the widows and orphans

6.7 circled about "forbidding it to be brought into the tomb. -But after three days they 8 laid him in the tomb in a beautiful sleep, •since he received a name renownede in 4:6

all generations forever. AMEN.f

j . It was a property of the charismatic sash (47:11) that gave the daughters access to the vision. Restriction of the vision of the assumption also appears in an earlier, Gk. form of the AsMos (in Clement of Alexandria, Strom 6.15), where only Joshua and Caleb witness the sight. In the finally edited form, Moses* assumption is not mentioned and he dies in the presence of all the people, AsMos 1:15. Cf. 2Kgs 2:10-12; 6:17.

k. Where his former ten children already were. See n. b to 40.

1. S V Slav have "to God." P reads "hymns of the(ir) father."

53 a. S Slav omit. b. The poor also made lamentation for Sitis

(40:13). The mourners included those aided by Job's philanthropy (TJob 9-15; e.g. 9:3).

c. Cf. the lament for Sitis at 40:13f. The lan­guage of Job 29:15 LXX informs this lament: "I was the eye of the blind, the feet of the lame. I was a father to the weak. I tracked out a cause not my o w n . " The lament contains numerous echoes of the earlier celebration of Job's philanthropy (TJob 9 -15) .

d. The texts read variously, including or com­bining such 11. as "Gone is the way of the heart," ' 'Gone is the shelter/clothing of the naked, ' ' ' 'Gone

is the protector of widows ." e. The angel's promise is fulfilled. f. In place of the " A m e n " with which P ends,

S V provide longer endings close in content to Job 42:16 LXX. Noteworthy is the contrast between the future tense of Job 42:17a LXX ("And it is written that he will again rise with those whom the Lord raises up") and the past tense of TJob 53:8 V ("And it is written that he was raised with those whom the Lord raised up"). Slav has a distinctive ending: "And Job lived after his plague and his sufferings 170 years. And the whole span of his life was 248 years. And he saw his sons and grandsons and great-grandsons, to the third gen­eration. Do not believe his enemies forever, for just as honey makes wine bitter, so is his deceit-fulness. And if he humbles himself before you and bows, make firm your heart and beware of him and guide him over yourself. D o not place him higher than yourself, lest he seek out your seat. And when you announce your thoughts to him with your own lips, your enemy will call you blessed, but in his heart he thinks of throwing you into a ditch. Your enemy sheds tears before you, but in his heart he thinks of drinking your blood. Glory be to our God forever. Amen." (Translation kindly supplied by J. Kolsti.)