Job or the suffering of the righteous

Abstract

The question about the meaning of the suffering of the innocent is inescapable. In the biblical tradition, this subject is treated in a particularly profound way in the book of Job. Paradoxically, this book is little known. This article describes the elements that articulate this book according to its complex structure and its poetic peculiarity. That understanding helps to explain the various interpretations and re-readings that this work experienced in Judaism of the pre-Christian period, in the origin of Christianity and in later Rabbinism. Since the central theme is always current, this work helps readers to better read this biblical book and makes them understand its importance and transcendence in the history of Western culture.