How can a good God countenance the appalling evil apparent in the world at large ? The problem posed here is an obstacle to religious faith for many men and women. C. G. Jung felt that the Book of Job served as a paradigm for a certain experience of God which has a special significance for us today. In this fascinating work he seeks to know why and to what purpose Job was wounded, and what consequences have grown out of this for God as well as for man.
In linking together the moral problem posed by the Book of Job with the Christian revelation, he writes of the way in which modern men and women with a Christian education and background might come to terms with the divine darkness which is unveiled in the Book of Job, and of the effect it has on them. He does not give a cool and carefully considered exegesis that tries to be fair to every detail, but a purely subjective reaction. In this way he hopes to act as a voice for the many who feel as he does, and to give expression to the shattering emotion that the unvarnished spectacle of divine savagery and ruthlessness produces in many people.