Saadiah Gaon (882-942) and other Jewish Sources on the Date and Background of the Book of Job

  

In his commentary on the first chapter of Job, Saadiah offers his views regarding the background of the story. Job and his companions are gentiles who live during the period of the exodus from Egypt. They are all descended from the patriarchs or their relatives. Job and Eliju are traced to Abraham’s nephew Nahor; Eliphaz, to Esau; and Bildad, to Abraham. (The lineage of Zophar is unclear.) Saadiah supports all these connections with clues from the biblical text. Saadiah also informs us that the author of the book is Moses. None of these views is original to Saadiah; they all have precedence in rabbinic sources. (Robert Eisen, The Book of Job in Medieval Jewish Philosophy [Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004], 23)

 

The notion that Job lived during the period of the exodus is mentioned in B.T. Bava’ Batra’ 15a; J.T. Sotah 5:6; Bereshit Rabbah 57:4. These sources also entertain a wide range of other opinions on when Job lived. He is located as early as the period of Abraham and as late as the period of Esther. Two opinions correspond to Saadiah’s view. R. Joshua ben live maintains that Job is a contemporary of Moses. R. Johanan and R. Eliezer claims that Job’s life span was from the time that the Israelites entered Egypt until the time they left. As for the lineage of Job and his companions, Saadiah bases his connections on biblical evidence found in a number of genealogical passages in Genesis. We find similar attempts to identify the characters in the Book of Job in numerous rabbinic sources. The notion that Moses is the author of Job is found in B.T. Bava’ Batra’ 15a. (Ibid., 244 n. 33)

 

The baraita further states that Moses wrote his own book, i.e., the Torah, the portion of Balaam, and the book of Job. This supports Rabbi Levi bar Laḥma, as Rabbi Levi bar Laḥma says: Job lived in the time of Moses. It is written here with regard to Job: “Oh, that my words were written now [eifo]” (Job 19:23), and it is written there in Moses’ words to God: “For in what shall it be known here [eifo]” (Exodus 33:16). The unusual use of the word eifo in these two places indicates that Job and Moses lived in the same generation. (Bava Batra 15a)

 

HALAKHAH: “Rebbi Joshua said, who would remove the dust from your eyes, Rabban Joḥanan ben Zakkai,” etc. When was Job? Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish in the name of Bar Qappara: He was in the days of our father Abraham; that is what is written: “ A man was in the land of Oz, his name was Job.” And it is written, “ Oz his firstborn.” Rebbi Abba said, in the days of our father Jacob and Dinah was his wife; that is what is written: “You speak like one of the impious ones”, and it is written: “For an impiety he did in Israel.” Rebbi Levi said, he was in the days of the tribes; that is what is written: “What Sages would tell, they did not conceal from their fathers.” Rebbi Yose ben Ḥalaphta said, he was born when they descended into Egypt and he died when they left. A parable of a shepherd when a wolf came and attacked his flock. What did he do? He put up a ram against him. That is what is written: “He delivered me to the evil one, he threw me amongst evildoers.” Rebbi Ismael stated: Job was one of Pharao’s servants, a great one in his government’. That is what is written: “One who feared the word of the Eternal etc.”, and it is written about him, “ a man, artless and straight, fearing God and fleeing from evil”. Rebbi Yose bar Jehudah says, he was in the days when the Judges judged; that is what is written: “Behold, you all did see, why do you turn all into vapor.” You saw what my generation did, that they collect tithes on the threshing floors; “you loved whore’s wages on all grain threshing floors.” Rebbi Samuel bar Naḥman in the name of Rebbi Jonathan: He was in the days of the queen of Seba, as it is said: “Seba attacked and took them.” Rebbi Nathan said, he was in the days of the Chaldeans, as it is said: “The Chaldeans attacked from three sides.” Rebbi Joshua ben Qorḥa said, he was in the days of Asuerus, as it is said: “One shall look for beautiful virgins for the king.” And it is written, “no women were found like Job’s daughters.” Rebbi Joshua ben Levi said, he was of the returnees of the diaspora. Rebbi Joḥanan said, He was of the returnees from the diaspora and was a Jew. Therefore Rebbi Joḥanan learned from him the rules of mourning. “Job got up and tore his coat”; Rebbi Jehudah ben Pazi in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: From here [one learns] that a mourner has to tear [his garment] while standing. Rebbi Ḥiyya stated: In My world I had one just Gentile, I gave him his reward and removed him from My world. Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish said, Job did not exist and will never live. The opinion of Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish is inconsistent: There, Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish said in the name of Bar Qappara: He was in the days of our father Abraham, but here he says so? But he did exist but his suffering did not. Then why is it written about him? To tell you that if it had come upon him, he would have withstood it. . . . Moses wrote the five books of the Torah and added the chapters about Balaq and Bileam. He also wrote the book of Job. (Jerusalem Talmud Sotah 5:6)