Testaments: 1 - The Wrestling Dust
He sat on ash, scraping rot from skin,
A prince of sorrows bound in silent awe.
No voices rose to answer pain with law
Only stale winds and the haunting tucked within.
His wealth, his kin, the laughter he had been,
All stripped by wagers no human ever saw.
Three friends arrived to diagnose hidden flaws,
But truth lay further than the wheels of creeds could spin.
“Where were you when came the morning’s flame?”
The whirlwind asked giving no path to peace.
He felt the coming storm but never heard its name.
The stars too mute; the known rites brought no ease.
Left under silent light, scorched, half undone,
God’s blinding eye above like a hot, cursed sun.
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Book of Job
Estimated Date of Composition:
7th–6th century BCE
Form:
Wisdom Literature (Poetic dialogue within a prose frame)
Context:
The Book of Job is widely regarded as one of the oldest texts in the biblical corpus, though its exact date remains debated. Most scholars date the poetic core to the late 7th or early 6th century BCE, with possible earlier oral origins. Its author remains unknown, and the setting is deliberately non-Israelite (in “Uz”). Unlike other Hebrew scriptures, Job lacks references to Israel’s covenant, law, or history, instead interrogating the problem of innocent suffering through dialogues that resonate with ancient Near Eastern wisdom traditions. The prose prologue and epilogue are thought to be later editorial additions.
References:
• Newsom, Carol A. *The Book of Job: A Contest of Moral Imaginations. *Oxford University Press, 2003.
• Clines, David J. A. *Job 1–20 (Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 17)*. Thomas Nelson, 1989.