SOURCE: "The Folktale of Job and The Book of Job," in The Book of Job: Its Origin, Growth and Interpretation, J. B. Lippincott Company, 1920, pp. 25-63.

Altarpiece, c. 1480-83. Cycle of scenes from the nonbiblical life of Job, including the visit of an angel (upper left) and Job and the minstrels (lower right).

In the following essay from his critical study and translation The Book of Job: Its Origin, Growth and Interpretation, Jastrow views the poetry section of The Book of Job as a philosophical discussion in which the traditional explanation for human suffering presented in the older folktale of Job is questioned.

The ambition of the student of Biblical Literature to try his hand at an interpretation of the Book of Job appears to be as irresistible as the longing of every actor—even though he begins his career with low comedy—to end as Hamlet. [In...