Further events in the life of the Jewish people did not make it into the Bible. In 63 B.C., the Holy Land was conquered by the Roman general Pompey. From that time on, Palestine, with its four provinces, became subject to Rome and paid tribute to it. Soon power was concentrated in the hands of a cunning Edomite named Antipater, who managed to gain the trust of Rome. From Antipater, power passed to his son, the cruel Herod the Great, who in 37 B.C. declared himself "king of the Jews." He was the first king to call himself Jewish without being of Jewish descent. Under him, in the small city of Bethlehem, the true King and Savior of the world, Christ, was born.

Thus was fulfilled the prophecy of the Patriarch James, spoken two thousand years before the birth of Christ: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the lawgiver from his loins, until the Mediator comes, and to Him shall be the obedience of the nations" (Gen. 49:1011).

Teaching Books

Teaching Books

In the Bible there are books of moral and edifying content, which are usually called "didactic". In comparison with the books of Moses, which contain direct and obligatory commandments of God, the teaching books are written with the aim of disposing and encouraging a person to a pious way of life. They teach a person to build his life so that it is blessed by God, brings prosperity and peace of mind. This group includes the Books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, the Wisdom of Solomon, and the Wisdom of Jesus, the son of Sirach.

In form, most of the Old Testament teaching books are poetic works written in the Hebrew original in verse. A feature of Hebrew versification, noticeable even in translations into other languages, is poetic parallelism. It consists in the fact that the writer's thought is expressed not in one sentence at once, but in several, mostly in two, which together reveal the thought by comparison or opposition, or justification. This is the so-called synonymous, antithetical, and synthetic parallelism. The following passages from the Psalter can be cited as examples of various poetic parallelisms:

When Israel came out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a foreign nation, Judah became His holiness, Israel His possession (synonymous parallelism, Psalm 113:12).

Some with chariots, some with horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God: they have wavered and fallen, but we have risen and stand upright (antithetical parallelism, Psalm 19:89).

The law of the Lord is perfect, it strengthens the soul; the revelation of the Lord is true, it makes the simple wise. The commandments of the Lord are righteous, they rejoice the heart; the commandment of the Lord is bright, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, endures forever (synthetic parallelism, Psalm 18:8-10).

The Book of Job

This book takes its name from the protagonist of Job. Job lived in patriarchal times, long before the prophet Moses, not far from the Holy Land. He was a very rich, large and happy man. But wealth did not make him proud or selfish. On the contrary, all who knew Job loved his kindness, wisdom, and compassion for the poor. Many came to him for advice and considered it an honor to visit him. The devil was jealous of Job's virtuous life and wanted to take revenge on him. The Lord, in order to reveal to everyone the great patience and virtues of Job, did not prevent the devil from causing him grief. And the devil in a very short time brought many misfortunes upon Job. Job lost everything he had, his family, great wealth, and even his health. Having fallen ill with severe leprosy, he no longer dared to live in the company of healthy people and was forced to settle far beyond the boundaries of his city-village. Here his friends began to visit him. Job poured out his grief before them, trying to find an explanation for the misfortunes that had befallen him. No one could help or console him. However, Job was far from grumbling against God. Suffering physically and mentally, he surprised his friends with his boundless patience when he said: "Naked I came out of my mother's womb, naked and I will return." The Lord gave, and the Lord took away; [as it pleased the Lord, so it was done;] blessed be the name of the Lord... Shall we receive good from God, and not receive evil? (Job 1:21; 2:10). Job's suffering probably lasted for about a year. God, having shown everyone Job's great faith, decided to shame the devil and returned to Job what the devil had taken from him. Miraculously, Job recovered from an incurable leprosy, quickly became rich again, and started a new family. After this, Job lived for many years, enjoying even greater honor and love. He died at the age of one hundred and forty, having seen the descendants of the fourth generation. Job's life took place in the country of Uz, which is supposed to have been located east of the Jordan and south of Damascus, in ancient Bassan. This country received its name from Uz, the son of Abraham, a descendant of Simon (see Gen. 10:2223). Job was an Aramitite, and his friends mentioned in his book were Edomites and were also descendants of Abraham.

It is assumed that the original writer of the book of Job was Job himself, which he expressed in verse 2324 of chapter 19. The very content of the book suggests that it could only have been written by a local person, a participant in the events described. This original narrative was later reworked into a fictional poem by a divinely inspired Hebrew writer. Otherwise, it could not be included in the list of sacred books. The Book of Job is written in pure Hebrew. Later, the Jews found the original record of Job during the conquest of Bassan and copied it into a collection, like the "Book of the Righteous" mentioned in the Book of Joshua (see Joshua 10:13). It is possible that King Solomon processed it in its present form, because the book of Job bears many similarities with the other books of Solomon, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Job is mentioned in several books of the Holy Scriptures as a great righteous man. Thus, for example, in the book of the prophet Ezekiel, Job is placed on a par with the patriarch Noah and the prophet Daniel (see Ezekiel 14:1420). The Apostle James cites Job as an example of patience: Behold, we bless those who have endured. You have heard of Job's patience, and have seen the end of it from the Lord, for the Lord is very merciful and compassionate (James 5:11). During his illness, Job made an important prediction about the Redeemer and about the coming resurrection of the dead: "But I know that my Redeemer lives, and He will raise up this decaying skin of mine from the dust at the last day, and I will see God in my flesh. I will see Him myself; my eyes, and not the eyes of another, will see Him (Job 19:2527).

The purpose of the Book of Job is to show that earthly happiness does not always correspond to a virtuous life of a person. Sometimes misfortunes are sent to the righteous for greater confirmation in good, for the shame of the devil's slanders and the glorification of God's truth. In short, the book of Job touches on the deep and difficult to understand theme of the relationship between righteousness and reward, evil and punishment. In addition, the book of Job has very high literary merit.

Psalm