An argument against the historicity of Job is the poetic character of the book. Real people don't speak in long poetic speeches–unless they're Shakespearean actors. In addition, the book has some literary symmetries which are unrealistic.
However, that objection posits a false dichotomy. You can write poetry about real events. For instance, the Psalter is studded with poetic commemorations of the Exodus. And the psalmists certainly thought the Exodus was a real event (or series of events). Another example is the Song of Moses (Exod 15). We have two accounts of the Red Sea crossing back-to-back, one prosaic and the other poetic.
So the fact that Job is narrative poetry carries no presumption that it's fictional. That does mean the literary record is a step removed from reality. In reading the book we must make allowance for poetic license.
Likewise Tennyson’s “The charge of the light brigade” about a battle in the Crimean war, Whitman’s “O captain, my captain” about Lincoln’s assassination, etc.
ReplyDeleteOur own national anthem “The star spangled banner” about a battle in the War of 1812 might count.
ReplyDeleteBallads are a dying art form, though occassionally with resurgences in popularity... Such as (ahem) Taylor Swift's Romeo, Big Iron, The Trooper and Lose Yourself.
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