ABSTRACT
The book of Job raises the problem of evil in a profound way. Its central theme is the question as to whether human beings are able to have a meaningful relationship with God, given the nature of God's activity and power, on the one hand, and human suffering, on the other. The book of Job is a product of the postexilic period in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament thought, probably compiled between the sixth and fourth centuries bce, but possibly with older roots. It may have arisen partly out of the questions raised during the exile about just punishment for sin but on a more individual basis. Although a literary whole as it stands, the book of Job is clearly the product of two disjointed literary parts that were eventually brought together. The first consists of the Prologue and Epilogue, written in prose and offering the 'story' of Job's calamity and eventual restoration to good fortune.
