Book of Job

The Book of Job is a story of human trauma. In this story the main character, Job, was subjected to extreme suffering, loss of material possessions and, psychological anguish. Job is a character who demonstrates the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and is provided with a variety of psychic outlets which function to alleviate the stress of the trauma. According to the article “A Phonological Existential Analysis to the Book of Job,” Jobs friends, Eliphaz, Zophar and Bildad, utilize a variety of crisis intervention techniques in an attempt to bring Job back to a state of reality. Job’s friends did what they could for him because they could not stand to watch their friend suffer from this psychological disorder. Job is portrayed as an Arab Sheik man who is wealthy, both physically and spiritually. Job was a man who attended his duties before the lord with extreme care. He was considered righteous and upright and his actions were considered flawless in God’s eyes. Job even made extra supplications to the Lord just in case his children sinned unknowingly. Job’s righteousness attained the attention of the Lord, and the Lord even referred to Job as “my servant Job.” God loves Job so; the afflictions that eventually fall upon him are not a punishment. Nothing Job has done would give God reason to curse him. In the Book of Job, God destroys the family, body, and property of an honorable person, a perfect and upright man (Job 1:1), apparently to win a wager with Satan. God and Satan seem interested in testing Job’s faith because Job has been rewarded for his propriety with good fortune, children, health, and esteem. Although Job begins by reminding himself that he may receive evil as well as good at the hand of God (Job 2:10), he soon asks if God does not reward good with good, and evil with evil. Job responds to his treatment from God as if he had a psychological disorder. Some say his reactions can be classified under the disorder, PTSD (Post Traumatic