The Book of Job is one of the most read and discussed texts of the Bible.
Scholars of the biblical text, historians, philosophers, even psychologists hail Job
as a masterpiece of ancient literature.
Martin Luther exclaimed that Job is "magnificent," like "no other book of Scripture."
One scholar of the 20th century stated the author was "the Shakespeare of the Old Testament"
while an influential French writer, poet and politician of the 18th century noted, Job
"is the most sublime monument in literature, not only of written language, nor of philosophy
and poetry, but the most sublime monument of the human soul.
Here is the great eternal drama with three actors who embody everything: but what actors!
God, humankind, and Destiny."
Clearly, the biblical Book of Job transcends like any good piece of literature.
Most know the Book of Job as a story of a man's struggle to understand divine justice.
The tale opens introducing its main character as a man of unparalleled piety.
He is described as "perfect and upright;" a man "who feared God and eschewed evil."
In a heavenly court, God brings to the attention of one of his divine attendants, a being known
as the Accuser, the flawless Job.
The Accuser points out that Job is pious precisely because God has never allowed any harm to
come to him and wagers that if some disaster befell the man, he would turn on the deity
and curse his name.
God allows the divine being to bring disaster and disease to Job, robbing him of all his
property and possessions, killing his ten children and covering his body with painful
boils.
The opening chapters close, describing Job as still unwavering in his faith.
The Job in the center section of the book, however, is different than the one in the
prolog.
Here Job is found cursing the day he was born.
He is then joined by three of his friends who enter into a dialogue with him, exploring
the reasons for his great suffering with Job actively calling into question God's divine
justice.
God, his honor tarnished by Job's complaints, comes from a whirlwind to appear before the
mortal and defend his actions.
In the divine discourse, God describes the origin of the world and the order of living
things as well as the nature of some fantastical creatures and questions Job's understanding
of these deep subjects and incredible works of creation.
The book closes with a humbled Job and God restoring all that Job had lost, including
providing 10 new children.
In the end, Job dies an old man, "full of days."
Because of Job's setting, in a world that appears to predate the nation of Israel, some
believe that the book's story was created before the first chapter of the Book of Genesis.
Jewish tradition ascribes the book to Moses.
This tradition places Job's original composition sometime during the lifetime of the patriarch
Jacob with the story probably being passed along on stone tablets until they reached
Moses who edited the material into its final version as we have it today.
But, hidden in this tale of one man's struggle to understand divine justice, is there even
more?
Does the story reveal stunningly accurate details about the nature of our world and
our universe not discovered until the modern era?
Does Job evidence remarkably advanced scientific insight and as such, reveal the divine inspiration
of the Bible and biblical infallibility, and more, evidence for the very existence of God?
The forces of nature, including that of the air, wind and earth, have long fascinated
humanity.
Throughout history humans have struggled to understand the environment, creating stories
to explain the source and behavior of the elements, seeking ways to control nature so
as to benefit humankind.
In ancient Greece, different gods were believed to control the elements of air and water,
for example.
Greek mythology had four wind gods -- one representing each cardinal direction -- each
with a unique personality.
Boreas, god of the north wind, was exceedingly strong with a violent temper who was responsible
for the biting cold winter winds.
Notus, god of the south wind, was feared as a destroyer of crops and it was he who brought
the winds carrying the raging storms of late summer and autumn.
Zephyrus was the god of the west wind, a gentle being who brought light breezes during the
spring and early summer.
And then there was Eurus, god of the east wind believed to be associated with bad luck,
his wind was often accompanied by warm rain.
In Shintoism, the native religion of Japan, Susanowo is the god of the sea and storms.
He has a ferocious and impulsive temper.
He is responsible for ravaging storms causing extensive damage on the Japanese islands.
Fen-rear, the great wolf god of Norse mythology, was believed to have been responsible for
the great trembling of the ground and mountains when he howled in anger, creating deep fractures
in the earth's crust.
Tó Neinilii, is the Navaho God of Water.
He was responsible for the rain and snow and also caused thunder and lightning.
He is believed to have been a mischievous god, meaning no true harm, but enjoying the
tricks he played on human beings, sending downpours on a family's picnic, for example.
Modern scientific study of the earth and elements, however, have de-mythologized our understanding
of how the wind blows, what causes earthquakes and how elements like air and water work together
to form gentle summer showers or torrential monsoon rains.
Modern earth and atmospheric sciences have been able to unravel a great many mysteries
that baffled the ancient world.
Is such knowledge of the earth and weather systems only a modern discovery, however?
Or, is there evidence that such wisdom was embedded in the biblical Book of Job?
If such modern scientific facts can indeed be discovered in Job, this would indicate
that either the ancient author had remarkably up-to-date knowledge or that the Bible was
indeed inspired by a divine super-intelligence.
Apologetics, generally, is the study and practice of defending a certain set of beliefs or specific
worldview.
Christian apologetics, then, is the study and practice of defending Christian doctrine
and the Christian worldview.
Biblical apologetics is a specialized branch of Christian apologetics and specifically
aims to defend the Bible itself from various criticisms leveled against its historical
and scientific accuracy and claims supporting the belief in its supposed divine origins.
Biblical apologists practice this defense of the Bible and have developed many sophisticated
proofs which argue positively for the Bible's historical and scientific accuracy as well
as supporting evidence for the divine nature of the book's ultimate authorship.