Theodicy In The Book Of Job

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Theodicy can be described as the attempt to find a response to the process of the Divine allowing evil or suffering on a guilty or blameless person. The author of the Book of Job thoroughly addresses the complicated issue of theodicy by acknowledging that evil things happen to blameless people, there is a direct correlation between what happens to you and how righteous you act, and finally that Gods own answer is that suffering of individuals are inconsequential in a bigger scheme of the universe.
The author of the Book of Job admits there is problem of theodicy and that evil things happen to good people. For example, Job is described as “upright and blameless” (1:1) but at the same time awful things happen to him while being a righteous person. In a single day Job’s animals, servants, children were killed and his body was overcome with boils, all as a part of a bet (1:13-19; 2:7). After all of the suffering Job endures, to Gods dismay he still does not curse him. Hence the author of the Book of Job believes that evil things happen to blameless people, as Job exemplified. …show more content…

Eliphaz believes that Job is undoubtedly not innocent by saying, “Who, being innocent, has ever perished” (4:7; 4:1-21; 5:1-27). Bildad considers that Job isn’t “pure and upright” and he defends divine justice (8:6; 8:1-22). Zophar thinks that Job deserves the worst, but also believes that God gives him mercy by saying, “God has even forgotten some of your sin” (11:1-20, 11:). Job’s friends all seem to represent the current understanding that there is a direct correlation between what happens to you and how righteous you act. In other words, people get what they deserve; if they suffer it is because they have sinned against

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