@article{ART003251608},
author={Young-Ho Kim},
title={What was the purpose of the Book of Job?},
journal={Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies},
issn={1229-0521},
year={2025},
volume={31},
number={4},
pages={89-126}
TY - JOUR
AU - Young-Ho Kim
TI - What was the purpose of the Book of Job?
JO - Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies
PY - 2025
VL - 31
IS - 4
PB - Korean Society of Old Testament Studies
SP - 89
EP - 126
SN - 1229-0521
AB - This study seeks to reinterpret the Book of Job not merely as a traditional work of Israelite wisdom literature, but as a theological response that emerged within the intellectual and cultural milieu of the Hellenistic period. While Job addresses the classic theodic question of “suffering without cause,” its literary structure and conceptual depth suggest a context shaped by philosophical reflection and historical crisis. This paper argues that Job was written in the aftermath of the desecration of the Jerusalem Temple by Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the late second century BCE—a traumatic event that profoundly destabilized the religious identity of the Jewish community. The text is thus read as a reaction to the collapse of the temple-based theological framework and an attempt to reconstruct divine justice from a cosmological and ontological perspective.
During this period, Jewish society underwent significant upheaval due to the rise of the Hasmonean dynasty, the politicization of the priesthood, and the penetration of Greco-Roman culture. Against this backdrop, the Book of Job confronts a theological crisis: Where is God in the midst of suffering? Why does God remain silent in the face of injustice? By engaging these questions, the author of Job deconstructs the traditional doctrine of retributive justice and instead presents a vision of God as the transcendent Creator who governs the cosmos beyond human understanding.
Job’s deep philosophical reflection resonates with Hellenistic thought, especially in its concern with cosmic order, divine silence, and the limits of human knowledge. The book does not merely seek to justify God but invites a radical shift in the way divine sovereignty is conceived—no longer confined to the temple or covenantal frameworks, but expanded into an ontological and universal domain. Thus, Job emerges as one of the earliest theological texts to articulate divine justice and sovereignty through a synthesis of Jewish faith and Hellenistic cosmology.
This study analyzes the structure and thought of the Book of Job to interpret it as a product of the intersection between the crisis of Jewish theology and a creative response during the Hellenistic period, presenting it as an enduring archetype of theological reflection that remains relevant today.
KW - Job;epistemology;ontology
DO -
UR -
ER -
Young-Ho Kim. (2025). What was the purpose of the Book of Job?. Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies, 31(4), 89-126.
Young-Ho Kim. 2025, "What was the purpose of the Book of Job?", Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies, vol.31, no.4 pp.89-126.
Young-Ho Kim "What was the purpose of the Book of Job?" Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 31.4 pp.89-126 (2025) : 89.
Young-Ho Kim. What was the purpose of the Book of Job?. 2025; 31(4), 89-126.
Young-Ho Kim. "What was the purpose of the Book of Job?" Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 31, no.4 (2025) : 89-126.
Young-Ho Kim. What was the purpose of the Book of Job?. Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies, 31(4), 89-126.
Young-Ho Kim. What was the purpose of the Book of Job?. Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies. 2025; 31(4) 89-126.
Young-Ho Kim. What was the purpose of the Book of Job?. 2025; 31(4), 89-126.
Young-Ho Kim. "What was the purpose of the Book of Job?" Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 31, no.4 (2025) : 89-126.
