Everything You Need to Know About the Book of Job: Dr. Ellie Paley

Click here for your free copy of When Faith is Forbidden by Todd NettletonDr. Ellie Paley received her Ph.D. from Cambridge University, where she studied the book of Job, and she’s currently pursuing a post-doc at Bar-Illan University in Israel. Ellie literally memorized the entire book—in Hebrew…in 6 months! Job is her gig and she knows more about the book than anyone I know. In this episode, Ellie gives a master class on the book of Job, discussing its date, the setting, the meaning of “The Adversary” (hasatan, or Satan?), the purpose of the prologue (Job 1-2), the content of purpose of the dialogue cycle of Job’s 3 friends, the purpose of the transitionary wisdom poem of Job 28, the role and function of Elihu’s speech and why she thinks he’s a rather presumptuous young buck who thinks he knows better than he really does, God’s response to Job, and how the book resolves in the latter chapters. We end by reflecting on Job’s contribution to the question of theodicy and the problem of evil. To follow Ellie’s work, check out her Substack “Compulsively Contemplative.” Time Stamps00:00:00 Introduction00:01:05 Why Memorize the Book of Job? (Hebrew, Theology & Spiritual Formation)00:12:30 Who Wrote Job? Date, Setting & Historical Background00:24:28 Is Job Historical? Debating the Origins of the Book of Job00:28:10 Satan in Job: Understanding the Divine Adversary00:38:42 God's Speeches & the Meaning of Suffering in Job00:43:57 What’s up with Job’s friends? Retribution Theology Explained00:55:14 Who Is Elihu? His Role in the Book of Job01:01:05 God Answers Job from the Whirlwind01:06:41 Job's Repentance, Restoration & the Ending Explained01:16:05 Theodicy: Job on the Problem of Evil, Suffering, and Trusting God01:23:17 Ellie Paley's Ministry, Writing & Substack. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.