JOB – the Drama
On Monday 11th November seven members of the Earls Courtiers, our local AmDram Society, took their places at the front of the chancel of St Cuthbert’s Church and for an hour declaimed the poetry of the biblical book of Job. Job himself was played by a professional actor, Tony Richardson, and was it powerful! We also had a fine organist, John Henderson, who chose and played three musical interludes which follow each of the three cycles of speeches all in the amazing setting of St Cuthbert’s Church. It was quite an evening!
Of course, we did not read all the 42 chapters. That would have taken over two to three hours. About 25 years ago I edited the Book of Job so as to be able to perform it in one go to an audience. (That was pre-internet, so I had to use scissors and paste and photocopying). I have a passion for communicating, and I felt that to present Job as a play would give greater understanding than asking people to read one chapter a day for one and a half months. For one thing, you quickly lose track of whether you are reading the words of Job or of one of his three comforters, i.e. are you supposed to agree with it or not?
I reduced the number of words by about half. I did this by leaving out those parts that were almost certainly added later, i.e. the poem on wisdom in chapter 28, and the speeches of a fourth young man, Elihu, in chapters 32-37; then editing the rest to clarify the arguments and create a reasonable dramatic balance. The result is to make accessible what is perhaps the oldest drama in the world!
WHAT IS JOB?
Job is unique among the books of the Bible. It is the only sustained argument about the problem of suffering, evil and God, and, though written in Hebrew, is the only biblical book to contain no Jewish characters! Job himself was a legendary figure of righteousness, mentioned by the prophet Ezekiel. He may have lived about 2000 BCE and was an Edomite, i.e. a hereditary enemy of Israel!
There are other biblical books that address the question of suffering and God, particularly Ecclesiastes and some Psalms. But the closest to ‘Job’ comes from the surrounding countries, i.e. “A Dispute about Suicide” (Egypt), the Epic of Gilgamesh (Babylon) and the Sumerian Job.
Job is made up of two distinct parts. The introduction and conclusion, chapters 1, 2 and 42, tell the story of Job’s prosperity and his loss of everything, possessions, family and health, at the instigation of God’s ‘devil’s advocate’. The rest is made up of three cycles of speeches, in which Job complains about God’s unfairness and his “friends” retort that it is Job who has lived a bad life and so deserves all that he gets. Not very empathetic. The Lord appears at the end and simply lays out the wonders of creation. Is that a sufficient answer? The jury is out on that.
POETRY AND PASSION
Why bother struggling with Job?
Because of the honesty of the arguments and the passion and power with which they are presented. Here is a taster: the entire Book of Job as a 2-minute sketch!
Job I will speak in the anguish of my soul, When disaster brings sudden death. (God) mocks at the calamity of the innocent.
Friend Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert the right? If you will seek God… (He will) restore you to your rightful place.
Job How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How often does calamity come upon them? How then will you comfort me with empty nothings. There is nothing left of your answers but falsehood.
Friend Is not your wickedness great? There is no end to your iniquities. Agree with God and be at peace. In this way good will come to you.
Job As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty , who has made my soul bitter, I hold fast my righteousness, and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.
The Lord Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, and spreads its wings towards the south?
Job I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
THE MEANING OF ‘JOB’
I think Job raises more questions than it answers. But the fundamental question posed by ‘Job’ is not, “Why does God allow suffering?”, rather it is “Is God, in any useful sense of the word, good?” – a much tougher question. Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, said, “It just is the case that some people learn to live both with questions and with faith, and, as Andy Roland reminds us in his afterword on the book’s meaning, this is not an easy place to be, but there is such a place, and Job is one of the greatest guides to its geography.”
TAKING IT FURTHER
On Monday 11th November I used the occasion of the performance of Job to launch the second, extended edition of ‘The Book of Job arranged for Private Reading, Group Study and Public Performance’. It includes more detailed suggestions of how to read through ‘Job’ in a week, with questions to think about. There is a shortened version of ‘Job’ which can be read through in a single group study session in 30 minutes, together with discussion questions to consider; and the existing version for public performance. There is a new chapter ‘Introducing Job’ which goes through questions of authorship and date and its place in the context of similar literature in Israel and throughout the Ancient Near East. Still only £9.99.
And there is an even better offer! I would like to encourage anyone who wants to, to put it on in their church; so if it is bought through my website or my publisher Filament, I offer six or more copies at half price, i.e. 6 copies would be invoiced at £30. That can’t be bad! Also I am happy to go to any church in London to lead an evening’s discussion on Job. Just email me and we can talk about it.