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Homicideandaggressioninthehistoryofmankind
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thehearingoftheear:butnowmineeyeseeththee.WhereforeIabhormyself,
andIrepentindustandashes”(Job42,2-6).
Hiswifeappearsonlymarginally,remainingfirmlyintheshadowofmen,she
isnotevenmentionedbyname.WhenJobissmittenwithboils,shesays:“Dost
thoustillretainthineintegrity?curseGod,anddie”(Job2,9).Thatisallthatis
saidbyawomanintheentirebook.Herutterancewastraditionallyinterpreted
asscornfuloratleastdeficientinsympathy,anddevil’spromptingsweresingled
outasthesourceofherattitude.St.Augustinehadnoqualmsaboutcallingher
diaboliadiutrix,thedevil’saccomplice.Yetfromtheperspectiveofthepsychol-
ogyofcrisis,itisJob’swifewhoislookingforawayoutofthetragicsituation.
Thebiblicaltextisclear,however:Jobrejectsherproposal,andhiswordssug-
gesthemayactuallywanttogothroughtheordealtogetherwithher:“Buthe
saiduntoher,Thouspeakestasoneofthefoolishwomenspeaketh.What?shall
wereceivegoodatthehandofGod,andshallwenotreceiveevil?”(Job2,10).
Hehadlosteverythingbuthershewasallthatremainedtohim.Herpresence
byhissideindicatesthatshe,too,hadlosteverythingandwitnessedhisdefeat
andsuffering;itishardtoimaginethatthedidnotsuffersimilarlytoJobhimself.
Yetfurtheron,itisquiteclearfromthetextthathersufferingwasofnointerest
totheauthorofthebook.SheismentionednomorewiththeexceptionofJob’s
tworemarks,“Mybreathisstrangetomywife,thoughIintreatedforthechil-
dren’ssakeofmineownbody”(Job19,17)and“Thenletmywifegrindunto
another,andletothersbowdownuponher”(Job31,10).
WithJob’schildren,however,thecaseisdifferent.Theepilogue,wherethe
uprightmanreceivesbackallthatwaslost,mentionsalsonewchildrenbeing
borntoJob:“Hehadalsosevensonsandthreedaughters.Andhecalledthe
nameofthefirst,Jemima;andthenameofthesecond,Kezia;andthenameof
thethird,Keren-happuch.Andinallthelandwerenowomenfoundsofairasthe
daughtersofJob:andtheirfathergavetheminheritanceamongtheirbrethren”
(Job42,13-15).Thesignificanceofthedaughtersisunderlinedtwice:firstly,
theirnamesarerevealed,unliketheirbrothers’;secondly,itisexpresslystated
thattheyreceivedinheritanceliketheirbrothers,whichwasagainsttheusual
practiceofthetime.Apparently,afterallhisordeals,debatesandreflectionJob
rediscoveredtheroleofafather.Yethiswife,althoughthismayarisefromthe
compositionalprinciplesofthebook(Jobhadnotlosther,sohedidnotgainher
back)isnotmentionedatall.
AnanalysisofJob’sbehaviourinthecontextofstrategiesandstylesofcom-
batingstresssuggeststhathewasabletowithstandmostseveresufferingdueto
faithandacceptanceofhisownplaceintheeyesofGod.Theundyingfascina-
tionwiththisnarrativespringsfromanidentificationwithitscentrallesson:that