Is Job the OLDEST Book in the Bible?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Judas_Thaddeus
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
TimothyH said:
I wasn’t talking about its origin. I was talking about its place in the canon of Scripture.

-Tim-
Click to expand...
What does that mean? Do you want to know when it became scripture? Surely you know its location in the writings of the OT, (between Esther and Psalm).which has no significance in determining its place.
 
nmgauss said:
What does that mean? Do you want to know when it became scripture? Surely you know its location in the writings of the OT, (between Esther and Psalm).which has no significance in determining its place.
Click to expand...
I am not asking a question. I am making a statement.

***In Scripture, the Book of Job is supplemental to Genesis. ***

That is my statement. My statement has nothing to do with Job’s origin nor does it have to do with where it appears in relation to other books in the Bible.

Here is what I mean. There are narrative books of the Bible, those which tell the story of salvation. The rest of the books supplement the narrative books, explain them and add to them.

As an example, Leviticus is a training manual. Chapters 1 through 16 is a training manual for priests while chapters 17 through 22 is a training manual for ordinary people. Leviticus supplements and adds to the Books of Exodus and should be read in the context of the Book of Exodus. The Book of Job, in the same way, explains and adds to Genesis. Genesis is the story. Genesis is the narrative thread. Job explains it further and adds to it.

My statement has nothing to do with the origin of the book nor where it appears in relation to other books in the Bible.

-Tim-
 
Judas_Thaddeus said:
I here ever so often that the Book of Job is the OLDEST book in the Bible, is that truly so?

If such is the case, I then ask again to double check: Is the Book of Job older even than the Torah?
Click to expand...
No, that’s extremely unlikely. Most scholars think that Job was written fairly late, probably after the exile.

The people who say that are treating Job as a historical work (which makes no sense, in my opinion–nothing about the book indicates that it is in any way a historical account) and are assuming that it happened soon after the events described. The book appears to be set in “patriarchal” times, but that doesn’t mean that it was written then.

Of course, the Torah, in its final form, is also dated after the exile by many/most scholars.

Edwin
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top