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ChapterI
1.3.3Crisissituations,stressandsufferinginamarriage
Theconceptofcrisisorsufferinginthecontextofreflectionsupontheirsense
andbehaviour-regulatingfunction,appearsintheBiblewithgreatfrequency.It
isfoundinthenarrativesonthefatesofindividualsasmuchasinpoetictexts,
e.g.thepsalmsorthelamentationsofIsaiah.ThestoryofJoboneofthemost
movingbiblicalnarrativesconstitutesthequintessenceofwhatistodayunder-
stoodunderthetermof“stress”.TheBookofJobtellsthestoryofamanwho
wasblessedwithgreatrichesandanuprightcharacter.Satanquestionedhisvir-
tue,statingthatitsprungfromJob’saffluence,nothisfaith.Godfeltobligedto
testhisservantbytakingawayfromhimallhehelddear:“Andtherecame
amessengeruntoJob,andsaid:Theoxenwereploughing,andtheasseswere
feedingbesidethem:AndtheSabeansfelluponthem,andtookthemaway;yea,
theyhaveslaintheservantwiththeedgeofthesword[...].ThefireofGodis
fallenfromheaven,andhathburnedupthesheep,andtheservants,andcon-
sumedthem[...].TheChaldeansmadeoutthreebands,andfelluponthecamels,
andhavecarriedthemaway,yea,andslaintheservantwiththeedgeofthesword
[...].Thysonsandthydaughterswereeatinganddrinkingwineintheireldest
brother’shouse:And,behold,therecameagreatwindfromthewilderness,and
smotethefourcornersofthehouse,anditfellupontheyoungmen,andtheyare
dead”(Job1,14-19).WhenthosemisfortunesdidnotshakeJob’sfaith,Satan
continuedtotemptGod:“allthatamanhathwillhegiveforhislife[...].Andthe
LordsaiduntoSatan,Behold,heisinthinehand;butsavehislife”(Job2,4-6).
Satanpromptly“smoteJobwithsoreboilsfromthesoleofhisfootuntohis
crown”(Hi2,8).Theupliftingmoralofthetalenotwithstanding,itisamazing
thatthelistoflossesandstress-inducingeventsinJob’slifeincludesthosethat
arestudiedincontemporaryresearchonstress.
TheBookofJobisperhapsoneofthemostbeautifulintheentireBible,and
itcertainlyposesoneofthemostdifficultquestions:thosepertainingtothesuf-
feringofanuprightman.Butthedebateiscarriedonlybythemales:Jobcon-
verseswiththreefriendsofhis,whowereinitiallysilencedbytheenormityof
hispainand“satdownwithhimuponthegroundsevendaysandsevennights,
andnonespakeaworduntohim:fortheysawthathisgriefwasverygreat”(Job
2,13),thenwithayoungerman,Elihu,finallywithGod.ThemenconsoleJob,
offertheirsupport,anddebateonGod’sjustice,wisdomandvirtues,andhuman
angerandneedoffaith;yetthefinalwordbelongstoJobhimself:“Iknowthat
thoucanstdoeverything,andthatnothoughtcanbewithholdenfromthee.Who
ishethathidethcounselwithoutknowledge?[...]Hear,Ibeseechthee,andIwill
speak:Iwilldemandofthee,anddeclarethouuntome.Ihaveheardoftheeby