On Job: Reflections of an Accomplished Sinner on the Suffering of the Just originated as chapter by chapter reflections on the Book of
Job, while the author's father was dying in a distant state. It was written and is intended to be read as an encouragement to the medieval tradition of
lectio divina-one of the regular forms of monastic prayer-which begins with the reading of the sacred text, usually aloud (the
lectio), followed by
meditatio-a consideration of some of the important words, images, and occurrences therein. Being a scholar himself, Dr. Fendt turned to several of the more exacting scholars to "divine" more precisely how the original language was working. This led to his here recorded
meditatio (meditation) and
oratio (prayer), leaving it to the reader to join with his and her own
oratio and
contemplatio on each of the chapters of
Job. It is offered as an invitation to a very old prayer, going on under the busy-ness of the world for nearly as long as its busy-ness has been recorded.
