Holier Than Thou

Who wrote the books of the Bible and when?

Book of Job, a poem about the trials and suffering of Job in the land of Uz, was written around the tenth century B.C., although some date it as early as 2000 to 1800 B.C., making it the first book of the Bible, and some date it later, between the seventh and fourth centuries B.C. The author is unknown, though some candidates include Job, Moses, Solomon, and Elihu. It describes the tragedies that befall a righteous man of God and how he attempts to reason why God has forsaken him (Job is considered a righteous man in the ranks of Moses and Daniel by Ezekiel 14:14, 20). Job is lectured by four friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu), and eventually confronted by God himself. The Book of Job includes:

Satan accuses Job before God of being a righteous man only out of prosperity;

God allows Satan to test Job by taking everything he has, including his family;

Job's misery in response to his tragedies;

Speeches from each of Job's friends that make up the dialog between them as they each try to give reasons why God does what he does;

The Lord speaks to Job and questions him about his right to complain and confronts him about his lack of knowledge in questioning God's actions, then rebukes Job's friends;

Job repents and God restores his family and wealth.

Then Job replied to the Lord: "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:1-6)