Gerard Gertoux

The Book of Job: Chronological, Historical and Archaeological Evidence Gerard Gertoux

The book of Job is paradoxical regarding its historicity as well as its meaning. Although Job is clearly presented as a real, historical person (he lived from 1710 to 1500 near Bozra in Idumea), rabbis and bishops preferred to see it as a moral tale. Despite the main question all over the book being: "why evil prevails?" the answer would be: "please, look at the hippopotamus and the crocodile" (Job 40:1-42:6), which is poetic but quite absurd. However, as Maimonides had already understood a long time ago the Book of Job includes profound ideas and great mysteries and reveals the most important truths. Indeed, Job received a deep and detailed answer in order to know when and how the evil angel, Leviathan a.k.a. Satan, would be defeated by Behemoth the first creature of God (Job 40:19). In a surprising manner, archaeology has shown that all the geographical and historical details in the Book of Job are accurate and reliable.