Morals on the Book of Job

1. It is often a question with many persons, who should be held for the writer of the Book of the Blessed Job; and some indeed conjecture that Moses was the author of this work, others, some one of the Prophets. For because it is related in the Book of Genesis that Jobab sprung from the stock of P^sau, and that he succeeded ‘Bale the son of Beor upon the throne, they have infened that this Blessed Job lived long before the times of Moses, evidently from ignorance of the manner of Holy Writ, vAhich in the earlier parts is wont to touch slightly upon events that are not to follow till long afterwards, when the object is to proceed without delay to particularize other events with greater exactness. Whence it happens, that in that case likewise it is mentioned of Jobab, that he was before there arose kiuys in Israel. Therefore we clearly see that He never could have lived before the Law, who is marked out as having lived during the time of the Judges of Israel; which being little attended to by some, they suppose that Moses was the writer of his acts, as placing him long before, so that in effect the self-same person who was able” to deliver the precepts of the Law for our instruction, should be supposed also to have commended to us examples of virtue derived from the life of a man that was a Gentile. But some, as has been said, suppose some one of the Prophets to have been the Author of this work, maintaining that no man could have knowledge of those words of God, which have such deep mystery, save he whose mind was raised to things above by the spirit of Prophecy.