Minneapolis Institute of Art

Then a Spirit passed before my face the hair of my flesh stood up

William Blake

Date: 1825
Medium: Engraving
Department: European Art
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Art

The long arguments of Job's friends are condensed in this illustration. They insist that since God is just and that Job's tribulations are the punishment for his sins. Eliphaz seen reclining above describes this God (Pahad), who is a nightmare. His arms are concealed and he is obliged to reward or punish according to whatever mankind deserves. In the margins is the forest of the night, a traditional symbol for the sterile growth of errors, whose false theories block the path to and hide the heavens. These trees are to be blown down by the whirlwind. England, Europe

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