“Who, being innocent, ever perished?” (Job 4,7): the book of Job and the doctrine of retribution

Abstract

The book of Job can only be understood against the background of the so-called doctrine of retribution: “he who does good, meets good”, and “evil harms”. This doctrine sought not only to encourage doing good and leaving evil, but also served as an explanatory mechanism: good things are due to good actions, while bad consequences must have been caused by bad actions. Old Testament authors often invoked this doctrine in an attempt to explain the dire situations Israel found itself in throughout history. Even if, in many cases, the notion of retri- bution seems to be a useful concept to explain calamity and suffering, when evil strikes good people, one hits its limit. Not surprisingly, several Bible texts are critical of the doctrine of retribution and the supposed idea of justice on which it is based. The book of Job is perhaps the best example of this.