by
Damien F. Mackey
Following on from my identification of the prophet Job
with Tobias, son of Tobit,
and of Job’s wife with Sarah, the wife of Tobias, I now
wonder might not the Book of Tobit
also provide the identity of Job’s three elusive friends,
Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar?
In this Part One I focus entirely upon Eliphaz the
Temanite, and whether he may potentially have his ‘alter ego’ in the Book of
Tobit as Raguel, the father of Sarah.
Introduction
If the
prophet Job is really to be located (as the Naphtalian Tobias), to the
neo-Assyrian era, from approximately the early reign of King Sennacherib of
Assyria to the Fall of Nineveh (c. 700-600 BC, conventional dating), then those
who adhere to the more traditional view, that Job was the Edomite ruler, Jobab,
of Genesis 36:33, see e.g:
“Job as Jobab: The Interpretation of Job in LXX Job
42:17b-e”
will be
incapable of properly identifying any of the characters in the Book of Job.
That much is obvious, given the immense chronological gap between the events of
the Book of Genesis and those of the Book of Tobit.
Now, whilst
I am extremely confident that the parallels that I have drawn between Job and
Tobias in
Job’s Life and Times
are too
consistent for these to have intended two separate characters - this coupled
with the argument, there, that the “Eldorado” land of Job’s “Uz” cannot be
equated with the sterile Edom (land of the Jobab of Genesis 36:33):
Delitzsch … put paid in one blow to any attempt realistically to connect
Job’s “Uz” with the place of the same name associated with Edom, when he wrote:
But should one feel a difficulty in freeing himself from the idea that
Ausitis [Job’s “Uz”] is to be sought only in the Ard el Hâlât [desert]
east of Ma‟ân [next to Edom], he must consider that the author of the book
of Job could not, like that legend which places the miraculous city of Iram in
the country of quicksands, transfer the cornfields of this hero to the desert;
for there, with the exception of smaller patches of land capable of culture,
which we may not bring into account, there is by no means to be found that
husbandman’s [farmer’s] Eldorado, where a single husbandman might find tillage
for five hundred [Job 1:3], yea, for a thousand [Job 42:12] yoke of oxen. Such
numbers as these are not to be depreciated; for in connection with the
primitive agriculture in Syria and Palestine, - which renders a four years’
alternation of crops necessary, so that the fields must be divided into so many
portions ... from which only one portion is used annually, and the rest left
fallow ... Job required several square miles of tillage for the employment of
his oxen. It is all the same in this respect whether the book of Job is a
history or a poem: in no case could the Ausitis be a country, the notorious
sterility of which would make the statement of the poet ridiculous.
The poem’s description though fits perfectly the fertile region of
Batanaea.
[End of quote]
- still, to be able also to locate Job’s three friends, as well as the
young Elihu, to my revised era, would be a nice clincher to “Job’s Life and
Times”.
Along such lines I wrote in:
Does the Prophet Jeremiah Figure in the Book of Job?
when now tentatively identifying young Elihu of the Book of Job with the
great Jeremiah himself, in the early reign of King Josiah of Judah:
…. [“Job’s Life and Times”] lifted Job right
away from where commentators generally try to situate him, at the approximate
time of Abraham - though this seems to me quite anachronistic given the obvious literary connections with the Book of Jeremiah and Lamentations (cf. e.g. Job 3 and Jeremiah 20:7-18), in the
C7th BC (conventional dating) - and transported the prophet Job back down to his
rightful (as I see it) place more than a millennium later than Abraham.
Now, though as I have said I am ‘confident’
that my Job = Tobias is a right connection, it had occurred to me that this reconstruction
could be really secured for readers if I were able to take it yet a step
further, by positively identifying also Job’s three friends, and the young Elihu.
The latter had in fact seemed the most promising prospect for identification given
that he is the only character in the Book of Job to have been afforded a
patronymic.
However I, until now, had been quite unable
to achieve this purpose, despite plenty of effort. The Book of Job is extremely
lacking in biographical detail for its characters.
[End of
quote]
Here, in this article, I shall consider
whether Raguel, the father-in-law of Tobias (my Job), might also possibly double
as the Eliphaz of the Book of Job.
Comparing
Eliphaz and Raguel
Eliphaz, as the first of the
three (four including young Elihu) friends to address the afflicted Job, is
generally considered for this reason to have been the oldest of the group. For
example: “The first to speak was Eliphaz
who was the oldest
and considered the wisest of the three friends, Job 4-6”. (http://www.allaboardgodstrain.org/files/pdf/Jobs-Faith-Part4.pdf)
And again, C. Seow (Job 1–21:
Interpretation and Commentary, Illuminations;
Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2013, p. 381): “Eliphaz is the first of Job’s
friends to speak, which suggests to interpreters that he is the most senior of
the group”.
Raguel, too, being the father
of Tobias’s wife Sarah, must of course have been a generation older than
Tobias/Job. Indeed, when Raguel is first-mentioned in the book, his daughter
Sarah refers to him as “grey-haired” (Tobit 3:10).
Further on, in Tobit 6:10-12, when
the angel Raphael and Tobias are approaching Ecbatana [read ‘Batanaea’], we
learn from the angel’s words that Raguel was actually a relative:
They entered Media [read ‘Midian’] and had nearly reached
Ecbatana [read ‘Batanaea’]
… Raphael
said to the boy, ‘Brother Tobias’. ‘Yes?' he replied. The angel went on, ‘Tonight we are to stay with Raguel, who is a
kinsman of yours. He has a daughter called Sarah, but apart from
Sarah he has no other son or daughter. Now you are her next of kin; she belongs
to you before anyone else and you may claim her father’s inheritance.
Raguel was apparently, therefore,
closely related to the family, so presumably a Naphtalian. Tobias would, after
he had fled from Nineveh, treat Raguel and his wife (Edna) most kindly in their
final years (14:12-13):
When his mother died, Tobias buried her
beside his father. Then he left for Media [sic] with his wife and children. He
lived in Ecbatana with Raguel, his father-in-law. He treated the
ageing parents of his wife with every care and respect, and later buried them in Ecbatana
in Media.
The Name
Whilst the name, “Raguel”, or
“Reuel” (רְעוּאֵל),
meaning “friend of God”, appears to be rather straightforward
(http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/raguel/): “Raguel …
friend of God, (Nu 10:29)=Reuel (q.v.), Exodus 2:18”,
there can be some debate (see e.g. http://biblicalhumanities.org/bhebrew/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=390)
over the meaning of the name “Eliphaz” (אֱלִיפָז),
which is usually, however, taken to mean “God is fine gold”
(http://biblehub.com/hebrew/464.htm).
Whilst there does not appear to be any
sort of connection in meaning between these two names, it is striking,
nevertheless, to read in I Chronicles 1:35: “The sons of Esau
[were] Eliphaz
and Raguel
…”.
Raguel
(Reuel), the father-in-law of Tobias, may have been given the alternative name
of Eliphaz, just as Raguel (Reuel), the father-in-law of Moses, was apparently
given the alternative name of Jethro (http://www.theseason.org/exodus/exodus18.htm): “The name
"Jethro", is not his given name, but a title [his Excellency],
for Moses' father in law's name is given in Numbers 10:29: "And
Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in
law...".”
The Geographical Location
In “Job’s Life and Times” I
believed that I had been able to tie to a Batanaean (Bashan) location
geographical names of the Book of Job, such as “Teman” (for Eliphaz) and “Buz”
(for Elihu), that are normally considered to pertain to the land of Edom. Thus
I wrote: “The Jâkût el-Hamawi and Moslem tradition generally mention the east
Hauran fertile tract of country north-west of Têmâ and Bûzân, el-Bethenîje
(i.e. Batanaea), as the district in which Job dwelt”.
Re-reading this, I am not
entirely sure that it says what I had imagined it to.
Anyway, from it I had
concluded:
Now that we have determined exactly where
Tobias dwelt, after his having fled Nineveh, we can the more easily (though
tentatively) locate the homes of Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, as well as that of
the young Elihu.
Eliphaz the Temanite. We presumably no longer
have to go to distant Edom to find Tema(n).We now know that there was also a
Tema in east Hauran.
….
Character and Theology
The traditional doctrine of retribution is a central
tenet to all three of Job’s friends.
In regard to Eliphaz, for
instance, Seow discusses this in some detail (op. cit., pp. 453-456). E.g.:
P. 453
… Job responds to Eliphaz’s arguments regarding the
doctrine of retribution, specifically, his assumptions about the relationship
between cause and effect (6:2-7). Eliphaz had spoken of moral principles in
universal and objective terms. Job, however, challenges Eliphaz’s approach and
focuses instead on his own experience of vexation and calamity (6:2-3).
P. 454-455
The doctrine of retribution that Eliphaz had invoked
presupposes cause and effect: wrongdoing is the cause; suffering is the effect
(4:7-11). In this view, if one suffers, there must be a cause, even if one may
never know what it is. This is the perspective of other exemplary-sufferer
texts throughout the ancient Near East (see Introduction, 6.4). Hence, Eliphaz
admonished Job to respond to his situation properly and not overreact, for an
angry reaction – vexation – will have its consequences: it kills (5:2). Job, however,
turns the argument on its head, thus challenging the adequacy of the doctrine
of retribution as Eliphaz has understood it. Drawing on the metaphor of
balance, a veritable symbol of objectivity and justice (31:6; Lev 19:36; Prov
11:1; 16:11; Ezek 45:10), Job implies that his reaction is indeed proportionate
(v. 3a). His “vexation” – in the sense of his anguish over what has happened to
him – is heavier than sands of the seashore, that is, something heavy beyond
measure, indeed, incomparably vast and weighty (Aquinas).
That the doctrine of retribution is also an important
theme in the Book of Tobit is apparent from the intriguing discussion by M. Kiel
(The "Whole Truth": Rethinking
Retribution in the Book of Tobit): https://books.google.com.au/books?id=GOYRBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA69&lpg). For instance:
P.
68
The
story is narrated in such a way that the simple, straightforward retribution
based on human action is associated specifically with the character of Tobit.
Now,
interestingly, Raguel appears to subscribe to this doctrine:
P.
69
The
characters within the story reinforce this conclusion: references to Tobit
within the story world further index him with the straightforward retributive
perspective …. Tobit’s wife throws his own ideology back at him: “Where are
your acts of mercy and where is your righteousness? Behold, these things are known
about you …” (2:14). Anna’s claim that Tobit’s righteousness is known to others
is confirmed in Raguel’s indignation over Tobit’s plight: “What a wretched and
bad thing that such a righteous and charitable … man is blinded” (7:7).
However, just as
words that Eliphaz will speak to Job may be something of a back-handed
compliment (Seow, op. cit., p. 383):
Eliphaz’s
words are, however, double-edged. On the one hand, he may be encouraging Job
and offering to be helpful to Job as Job has been helpful to others. On the
other hand, Eliphaz’s observation may be heard as disparaging, pointing to
Job’s hypocrisy, as if Job is not practising what he used to preach …. [,]
so has Kiel
suspected, in regard to Raguel (op. cit.,
ibid.):
The
interpretation of Raguel’s statement here is dependent upon tone of voice. Is
he sincere, or are his eyes rolling into the back of his head in a mock because
he knows Tobit’s theology could never square with reality? As Weeks notes,
“Tobit’s self-perception sits uncomfortably beside the comments of others”
(2011: 392).
Were the pious and
often highly talented friends (relatives) of Tobit and his son also somewhat
jealous, knowing of the high achievements and reputations of the pair?
It needs to be
recalled, too, in relation to Tobit’s kinsfolk (which Eliphaz may also be),
that, according to Tobit’s testimony they were all Baalist apostates from
Yahwism (Tobit 1:4-6):
When I was
young, I lived in northern Israel. All the tribes in Israel were supposed to
offer sacrifices in Jerusalem. It was the one city that God had chosen from
among all the Israelite cities as the place where his Temple was to be built
for his holy and eternal home. But my
entire tribe of Naphtali rejected the city of Jerusalem and the kings
descended from David. Like everyone
else in this tribe, my own family used to go to the city of Dan in the
mountains of northern Galilee to offer sacrifices to the gold bull-calf which
King Jeroboam of Israel had set up there. I
was the only one in my family who regularly went to Jerusalem to celebrate
the religious festivals, as the Law of Moses commands everyone to do.
Eliphaz himself refers
to the Canaanite god, Resheph (Job 5:7).
He will also
place great store upon a vague ‘private revelation’ (4:12-21). Spiritual
advisers and the great mystics greatly caution against these as a possible
trick of the Devil, to mislead. And, according to Seow’s conclusion on this,
Eliphaz did get it wrong (op. cit., p.
389): “… Eliphaz’s rhetorical setup, with its allusions to theophany, has led
ironically to the reiteration of the perspective not of God but of the
Adversary”.
In the case of
Raguel’s household, demonic visitation (Asmodeus) - obsessing the beautiful Sarah
(Tobit 3:8) - as well as angelic visitation (Raphael), had occurred.
Typical of Job’s
friends, Eliphaz, whilst singing the praises of God and blessing him, never
actually addresses him personally, as Job does, suggesting on their part no
close relationship. As J. Kitchen well puts it (Praying Through: Finding Wholeness and
Healing in the Prayers of David) https://books.google.com.au/books?id=X3D238KwHTYC&pg=PT119&lpg=PT1
“Job’s friends saw life with God as a mathematical
equation – obey and be blessed, sin and be disciplined. They left no room for
God’s inscrutable purposes. In the end, God neither performed to their
expectations, nor explained Himself”.
Raguel does admittedly
utter prayer to God (e.g. Tobit 8:15-17), though it may be largely formulaïc.
Obviously
Eliphaz has theological skill and is steeped in traditional and sapiential knowledge.
He also appears to have a deep affection for Job, just as Raguel does for Tobit
and Tobias, and especially for his only daughter, Sarah, as she herself tells
(Tobit 3:10):
Sarah
was so depressed that she burst into tears and went upstairs determined to hang
herself. But when she thought it over, she said to herself,
No,
I won't do it! People would insult my father and say,
You
had only one child, a daughter whom you loved dearly, but she hanged herself
because she felt so miserable. Such grief would bring my grey-haired father to
his grave, and I would be responsible. I won't kill myself; I'll just beg the
Lord to let me die.
Overriding all
of this tendency to kindness, and generous hospitality, though, may be a degree
of jealousy (as mentioned above) and also of callousness, rooted in pride.
Raguel, for instance, may seem somewhat less concerned about the fate of Tobias
than of his own reputation (Tobit 8:9-12):
Later
that night, Raguel called his servants, and together they went out to dig a
grave,
because Raguel thought,
Tobias will probably die too, and people
will laugh and make fun of us. When they finished digging the grave,
Raguel went back into the house and said to his wife,
Send one of the servant women to find out if Tobias is still alive. If he isn't, then we will bury him before anyone finds out.
Send one of the servant women to find out if Tobias is still alive. If he isn't, then we will bury him before anyone finds out.
Moreover, the firmly
held doctrine of retribution, and the obligation to defend it at all costs,
will further limit the charitable potential of the friends of Job.
Traditionally,
the three friends of Job are considered to be men of high rank. In the Douay
version of Tobit 2:15, for instance, we read: “For as the kings insulted
over holy Job: so his relations and kinsmen mocked at his life …”, with the
explanation ([15] Kings: So
Job's three friends are here called, because they were princes in their
respective territories).
Correspondingly, perhaps, the Hebrew name of Raguel’s daughter, “Sarah”,
has the meaning of “Princess”, or “Lady”.
