Saadiah Gaon

Abstract This analysis of Saadiah’s reading of Job begins with a brief summary of his discussion of the suffering of the righteous in Beliefs and Opinions, where he lays out the philosophical ideas that are critical for his interpretation of Job. This is followed by a summary of the contents of his commentary on Job. The discussion then proceeds in the order of the three interfaces outlined in the introduction: a discussion of the sources and antecedents of Saadiah’s reading of the Book of Job; an analysis of Saadiah’s reading as an exegetical exercise grappling with the biblical text; and finally revisiting Saadiah’s discussion of the suffering of the righteous in Beliefs and Opinions to determine precisely how his systematic thinking on theodicy relates to his exegesis on Job.