Today we will look at an unusual icon type, thanks to the Belgian collector who owns the image.
We can easily tell the subject of the icon because the identifying inscription at the top is quite clear: Obraz” Svyatago Pravednago Iova — “Image of the Holy Righteous Job.”
It depicts the Old Testament Job seated at left.
Job holds a scroll reading:
Аще благая [прияхом] от руки Господня, злаго не стерпим ли
“Shall I [receive] good from the hand of the Lord, and not evil?
His three friends Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite have come to him — the ones who debated the goodness of God with Job.
Up in the clouds we see Jesus as Emmanuel:
Job’s wife is at far right:
She holds a scroll reading:
Верую во единого Бога, Отца Вседержителя
“I believe in one God the Father Almighty.” You may recall that is the inscription commonly found in the scroll held by Saint Paraskeva in Russian icons.
One of the interesting things about this particular icon is that Job and his three friends are all robed and crowned as kings. The tradition that all were kings is not found in the English Protestant tradition, which ends the Book of Job at 42:17: “So Job died, being old and full of days.”
It is, however, found in the Slavic version, which continues at 43:18:
And it is written that he shall rise again, with whom the Lord will also raise him up. Thus is the interpretation from the Syrian book: He lived in the land of Ausitis, on the borders of Idumea and Arabia: and his former name was Jobab: and he took an Arabian wife, and bore a son, whose name was Ennon: and his father was Zereph, the son of Esau’s sons, and his mother was Bozorah, so that he was the fifth from Abraham. And these are the kings that reigned in Edom, which land he also possessed: the first was Balak, the son of Beor, and the name of his city was Denaba: after Balaz, Jobab, who was called Job: after him, Assam, who was a prince from the land of Temanitis: after him, Hadad, the son of Barad, who cut down Midian in the field of Moab, and the name of his city was Gatham. And his friends came to him: Eliphaz (son of Sophan), king of Temani, of the sons of Esau; Baldad (son of Amnon of Chebar), ruler of Sheba; and Zophar, king of Minea.
This identifies Job as Jobab, King of Edom, and his friend Eliphaz as King of Teman, Baldad (Bildad) as ruler of Sheba, and Zophar the Naamathite as King of Minea.
The Catholic tradition also has an implication that the friends of Job are kings in the Vulgate version, Tobit 2:15-16:
nam sicut beato Iob insultabant reges ita isti parentes et cognati eius et inridebant viam eius dicentes ubi est spes tua pro qua elemosynas et sepulturas faciebas
“For as the kings insulted over holy Job, so his relations and kinsmen mocked at this life, saying, “Where is your hope, for which you gave alms and buried the dead?“
It is not difficult to determine that this is an Old Believer icon. First, we have the very obvious Old Believer sign of blessing seen in the hand of the friend nearest Job:
Second, there is the wording on Job’s scroll, which is from the Ostrog Slavic translation of the Bible used by the Old Believers rather than from the differing later State Orthodox Church “Elizabeth” Bible. It begins here after the period in line two:
And finally, there is the overall style of the painting, which is very much in the traditional manner favored by the Old Believers.
ICONS AND THEIR INTERPRETATION 