XIV. FORMS OF PROPHETIC LITERATURE XV. FORMS OF PROPHETIC LITERATURE: THE DOOM SONG. XVI. FORMS OF PROPHETIC LITERATURE: THE RHAPSODY INTRODUCTION I THE story in the Book of Job opens by telling how there was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; how he was perfect \ and upright, a man that feared God and eschewed Book of Job: evil. It tells of his great substance in sheep and The Story Opens camels and oxen, and how he was the greatest of i, ii all the children of the east. Then it speaks of his seven sons and three daughters, and describes their joyous family life. And so scrupulous was the piety of Job that, when his sons and daughters had concluded a round of feastings at one another's houses, Job rose early and sanctified them, lest perchance in their gaiety they had offended God. Then the story passes to a Council in Heaven, at which the sons of God came, each from his several province, to present themselves before the Lord; and amongst them came the Adversary from his sphere of inspection, the Earth. He in his turn was questioned as to his charge, and Job was instanced by the Lord as a type of human perfection. But the Adversary, as his office was, began to raise doubts as to this perfection. God had made a hedge of prosperity about the man: if he were to put forth his hand, and destroy all at a stroke, Job might yet renounce his worship. The Lord gave consent for this experiment to be made. So it came about that in the midst of Job's prosperity there came a messenger to him and said: |