The nature of his character
additions to Avot D'Rabbi Natan, ed Schechter, p. 164 - parallel to stories in the Testament of Job
בּוֹ בַיּוֹם דָּרַשׁ רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן הוּרְקְנוֹס, לֹא עָבַד אִיּוֹב אֶת הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶלָּא מֵאַהֲבָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (איוב יג) הֵן יִקְטְלֵנִי לוֹ אֲיַחֵל. וַעֲדַיִן הַדָּבָר שָׁקוּל, לוֹ אֲנִי מְצַפֶּה אוֹ אֵינִי מְצַפֶּה, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר (שם כז) עַד אֶגְוָע לֹא אָסִיר תֻּמָּתִי מִמֶּנִּי, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁמֵּאַהֲבָה עָשָׂה. אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, מִי יְגַלֶּה עָפָר מֵעֵינֶיךָ, רַבָּן יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי, שֶׁהָיִיתָ דוֹרֵשׁ כָּל יָמֶיךָ שֶׁלֹּא עָבַד אִיּוֹב אֶת הַמָּקוֹם אֶלָּא מִיִּרְאָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם א) אִישׁ תָּם וְיָשָׁר יְרֵא אֱלֹהִים וְסָר מֵרָע, וַהֲלֹא יְהוֹשֻׁעַ תַּלְמִיד תַּלְמִידְךָ לִמֵּד שֶׁמֵּאַהֲבָה עָשָׂה:
On that day Rabbi Joshua ben Hyrcanus expounded: Job only served the Holy One, blessed be He, from love: as it is said, “Though he slay me, yet I will wait for him” (Job 13:15). And it is still evenly balanced whether to read “I will wait for him” or “I will not wait for him”? Scripture states, “Until I die I will maintain my integrity” (Job 27:5), this teaches that what he did was from love. Rabbi Joshua [ben Hananiah] said: who will remove the dust from your eyes, Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai, since you had expounded all your life that Job only served the Omnipresent from fear, as it is said, “A blameless and upright man that fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8) did not Joshua, the student of your student, teach that what he did was from love?
Did he exist?
(יד) וְ֠הָיוּ שְׁלֹ֨שֶׁת הָאֲנָשִׁ֤ים הָאֵ֙לֶּה֙ בְּתוֹכָ֔הּ נֹ֖חַ דנאל [דָּנִיֵּ֣אל] וְאִיּ֑וֹב הֵ֤מָּה בְצִדְקָתָם֙ יְנַצְּל֣וּ נַפְשָׁ֔ם נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִֽה׃ (טו) לֽוּ־חַיָּ֥ה רָעָ֛ה אַעֲבִ֥יר בָּאָ֖רֶץ וְשִׁכְּלָ֑תָּה וְהָיְתָ֤ה שְׁמָמָה֙ מִבְּלִ֣י עוֹבֵ֔ר מִפְּנֵ֖י הַחַיָּֽה׃ (טז) שְׁלֹ֨שֶׁת הָאֲנָשִׁ֣ים הָאֵלֶּה֮ בְּתוֹכָהּ֒ חַי־אָ֗נִי נְאֻם֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה אִם־בָּנִ֥ים וְאִם־בָּנ֖וֹת יַצִּ֑ילוּ הֵ֤מָּה לְבַדָּם֙ יִנָּצֵ֔לוּ וְהָאָ֖רֶץ תִּהְיֶ֥ה שְׁמָמָֽה׃ (יז) א֛וֹ חֶ֥רֶב אָבִ֖יא עַל־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַהִ֑יא וְאָמַרְתִּ֗י חֶ֚רֶב תַּעֲבֹ֣ר בָּאָ֔רֶץ וְהִכְרַתִּ֥י מִמֶּ֖נָּה אָדָ֥ם וּבְהֵמָֽה׃ (יח) וּשְׁלֹ֨שֶׁת הָאֲנָשִׁ֣ים הָאֵלֶּה֮ בְּתוֹכָהּ֒ חַי־אָ֗נִי נְאֻם֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה לֹ֥א יַצִּ֖ילוּ בָּנִ֣ים וּבָנ֑וֹת כִּ֛י הֵ֥ם לְבַדָּ֖ם יִנָּצֵֽלוּ׃ (יט) א֛וֹ דֶּ֥בֶר אֲשַׁלַּ֖ח אֶל־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַהִ֑יא וְשָׁפַכְתִּ֨י חֲמָתִ֤י עָלֶ֙יהָ֙ בְּדָ֔ם לְהַכְרִ֥ית מִמֶּ֖נָּה אָדָ֥ם וּבְהֵמָֽה׃ (כ) וְנֹ֨חַ דנאל [דָּנִיֵּ֣אל] וְאִיּוֹב֮ בְּתוֹכָהּ֒ חַי־אָ֗נִי נְאֻם֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה אִם־בֵּ֥ן אִם־בַּ֖ת יַצִּ֑ילוּ הֵ֥מָּה בְצִדְקָתָ֖ם יַצִּ֥ילוּ נַפְשָֽׁם׃ (פ)
(14) even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—should be in it, they would by their righteousness save only themselves—declares the Lord GOD. (15) Or, if I were to send wild beasts to roam the land and they depopulated it, and it became a desolation with none passing through it because of the beasts, (16) as I live—declares the Lord GOD—those three men in it would save neither sons nor daughters; they alone would be saved, but the land would become a desolation. (17) Or, if I were to bring the sword upon that land and say, “Let a sword sweep through the land so that I may cut off from it man and beast,” (18) if those three men should be in it, as I live—declares the Lord GOD—they would save neither sons nor daughters, but they alone would be saved. (19) Or, if I let loose a pestilence against that land, and poured out My fury upon it in blood, cutting off from it man and beast, (20) should Noah, Daniel, and Job be in it, as I live—declares the Lord GOD—they would save neither son nor daughter; they would save themselves alone by their righteousness.
In the 14th century BCE Epic of Aqhat Dan'el is depicted as "judging the cause of the widow, adjudicating the case of the fatherless" in the city gate. He passed through trials, his son Aqhat was destroyed but apparently in the missing conclusion was revived or replaced by Dan'el's patron god, Rp'u
(stolen and slightly modified from Wikipedia)
Was he Jewish?
- We learn halachot (mourning) from Iyov and his friends' behavior
- There is no other sefer in Tanach where there is not a single Jew present
- He is listed as one of the chasidei umot ha'olam and/or a gentile prophet (Bava Batra 15b)
- No record of Jews in the land of Utz
(איוב לד, לה) [איוב] לא בדעת ידבר ודבריו לא בהשכל (וכתיב (איוב מב, ז) כי לא דברתם אלי נכונה כעבדי איוב) אמר רבא מכאן שאין אדם נתפס בשעת צערו
The Gemara comments: On the one hand, the text states: “Job has spoken without knowledge, and his words were without wisdom” (Job 34:35). But on the other hand, it is written with regard to Job’s friends: “You have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, like my servant Job” (Job 42:8). Rava said: From here it may be inferred that a person is not held responsible for what he says when he is in distress. Although Job uttered certain words that were wrong and inappropriate, he was not punished for them because he said them at a time of pain and hardship.
ומי כתבן משה כתב ספרו ופרשת בלעם ואיוב יהושע כתב ספרו ושמונה פסוקים שבתורה שמואל כתב ספרו ושופטים ורות דוד כתב ספר תהלים על ידי עשרה זקנים ע"י אדם הראשון על ידי מלכי צדק ועל ידי אברהם וע"י משה ועל ידי הימן וע"י ידותון ועל ידי אסף
The baraita now considers the authors of the biblical books: And who wrote the books of the Bible? Moses wrote his own book, i.e., the Torah, and the portion of Balaam in the Torah, and the book of Job. Joshua wrote his own book and eight verses in the Torah, which describe the death of Moses. Samuel wrote his own book, the book of Judges, and the book of Ruth. David wrote the book of Psalms by means of ten elders of previous generations, assembling a collection that included compositions of others along with his own. He included psalms authored by Adam the first man, by Melchizedek king of Salem, and by Abraham, and by Moses, and by Heman, and by Jeduthun, and by Asaph,