Transformation in the stories of Job

The Book of Job is the most widely written on text of the Hebrew Bible and has created a long interpretive tradition. In spite of this, the tradition tends to dismiss an integral part of the text, namely Job's restoration, found in the epilogue. It is the thesis of this project that amidst his suffering Job undergoes a transformation of his understanding, evidenced by his restored world, which is radically different than his original one. The thesis is supported not only through an in-depth analysis of the Book of Job, but also through the ancient Mesopotamian literature which preceded it, its Aramaic and Greek re-expressions, and a cross-cultural comparison with the Hindu story of Nala. The following work navigates through a diversity of ancient texts in order to better understand Job's transformation.