Review article
Job and Jesus at the same time. The christian under suffering
Pero Vidović
; Filozofsko-teološki institut Družbe Isusove, Zagreb
Abstract
After a summary survey of some attitudes on suffering from antiquity and the present, the author suggests a biblical approach to the mystery of suffering he has named Job-Christ-like instead of Aristotelian /in the sense of an eventual approach to this question by power of logical thought only/, /a/ Job-like attitude: Job did not allow himself to be destroyed by suffering. During his distress he set questions to God, he protested... »he is for God and against God at the same time, but always with God« /E. W./. The latent hope he had was at times strongly expressed, it became reality, /b/ Christ-like attitude: Jesus Christ not only resisted formidable suffering which had the aim of destroying him but, in his personal calling gave suffering and death a sense of redemption, therefore death itself as the ultimate cry of suffering »becomes the death of death« /H.S/. This is the reason why the question of resurrection already arises here. On Mount Golgotha - an answer to all the »Jobs« in all times - God is solidarily quite close to man, God personified-suffering-crucified, although he appears as having been mysteriously, anxiously absent /c/ To a christian with the Job-Christ-like attitude it is incomprehensible to be crushed by intense suffering. To the contrary, through his suffering he becomes, like Christ, redemptive, Christiform Within the divine solidarity with man he also solidarizes with sufferers and is ready to accept solidarity from others.
We could say that Job /who asks under protest/ and Jesus /totally devoted to the Father/ are within him at the same time. The Easter Light from Golgotha reaches the everyday Tabor/the place of transformation through suffering/ on the christian's /co-redemptive/ Way of the Cross leading to the morning of his resurrection.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
51909
URI
Publication date:
20.10.1993.
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