人的苦难与信仰-《约伯记》的分析_英语论文

The Human Suffering and Their Belief——An Analysis of the Book of Job

摘要

《约伯记》是旧约圣经中最古老的也是最重要的书之一，国内外诸多学者尝试从不同方面对其进行研究解读。本文从文学角度对《约伯记》的主题及内容进行阐释。书中讲述义人约伯笃信神义，却突然间遭受了失去财产和儿女，罹患恶疾，被朋友背叛一系列灾难。他向上帝辩护，抱怨，甚至对上帝的公义产生了怀疑。神最后显现在约伯面前，使坚持本心的约伯再次蒙福。本文通过解读《约伯记》中约伯所遭受的苦难与他的信仰，旨在分析义人约伯受难的原因，苦难中约伯信仰的变化，以及苦难之于信仰的作用。

关键词：苦难；信仰；约伯；《约伯记》

Abstract

The Book of Job is a very important part in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible. Numerous scholars at home and abroad have made researches and studies on this book from different perspectives. The research and study of this paper is an interpretation of the text itself, not from the level of religion. The book describes a righteous man named Job who goes through a series of sufferings. He lost his properties. Then he gets severe disease. His friends come to comfort him but they only make him feel worse by judging him as a sinner. At last, god shows himself to Job and blesses him again. Through interpretation of this book, this essay aims at analyzing the suffering that Job has and his belief. Analyzing the reason why Job suffers and the changes of his faith during the suffering, we can know something between suffering and belief.  

Key words: suffering; belief; Job; the Book of Job

Contents

Introduction 5

Chapter One Job’s Belief before Suffering 6

1.1 Perfection 6

1.2 Uprightness 7

1.3 Fearing God 7

1.4 Eschewing Evil 9

Chapter Two Changes of Job’s Belief Caused by his Suffering 9

2.1 Job’s Faithfulness at the Beginning of the Disaster 10

2.2 Changes of Job’s Faith in the three Cycles of Debate. 10

2.2.1 Eliphaz’s Theory and Job’s Change in Faith 11

2.2.2 Bildad’s Theory and Job’s Change in Faith. 12

2.2.3 Zophar’s Theory and Job’s Change in Faith 12

2.3 Change in Faith Caused by Change in Fate 13

Chapter Three Job’s Blessing 14

3.1 God and Job’s Suffering 14

3.2Job’s Blessing from God after the Test 15

Chapter Four Viewpoint of Suffering 16

4.1 God’s Omnipotence and Suffering 16

4.2 God’s Goodness and Suffering 17

4.3 The Fall of Man and Suffering 17

5.4 The Value of Suffering 18

Conclusion 19

Acknowledgments 22