Moral Reflections on the Book of Job


Book Description

Gregory the Great was pope from 590 to 604, a time of great turmoil in Italy and in the western Roman Empire generally because of the barbarian invasions.Gregory s experience as prefect of the city of Rome and as apocrisarius of Pope Pelagius fitted him admirably for the new challenges of the papacy. "The Moral Reflections on the Book of Job" were first given to the monks who accompanied Gregory to the embassy in Constantinople. This first volume of the work contains books 1 5, accompanied by an introduction by Mark DelCogliano."













Moral Reflections on the Book of Job


Book Description

"Saint Gregory the Great's Moralia in Job is a classic. It is one of the longest pieces of literature to survive from late antiquity, running to 1,880 pages in the Latin critical edition. It is also a complete commentary on the biblical book of Job: so many biblical commentaries from the patristic and medieval era peter out before reaching the final verse. No doubt this is a testament to Gregory's tenacity and dedication. But the most remarkable thing about the Moralia is its contents: Gregory poured his insight, wisdom and profundity into it. He recapitulates the best of patristic theology and monastic spirituality; transforms these in the light of his own experience as a pastor, ascetic, and contemplative; and bequeaths his resultant vision of the Christian life to the Middle Ages and beyond. It is no exaggeration to say that Christianity as we know it today has been deeply shaped by the Moralia."--










The Book of Job


Book Description

The life and times of this iconic and enduring biblical book The book of Job raises stark questions about the meaning of innocent suffering and the relationship of the human to the divine, yet it is also one of the Bible's most obscure and paradoxical books. Mark Larrimore provides a panoramic history of this remarkable book, traversing centuries and traditions to examine how Job's trials and his challenge to God have been used and understood in diverse contexts, from commentary and liturgy to philosophy and art. Larrimore traces Job's reception by figures such as Gregory the Great, William Blake, and Elie Wiesel, and reveals how Job has come to be viewed as the Bible's answer to the problem of evil and the perennial question of why a God who supposedly loves justice permits bad things to happen to good people.