The title of this picture is Vision of Christ, and Job and his wife seem to be facing God, although the enscribed version of it contains much New Testament text which seems to come from the mouth of Christ.
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| From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Blake's Book of Job Plate 17 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Vision_of_Christ_Butts_set.jpg |
This engraved plate shows a great sun with God's head in the center of it; Job and his wife on their knees look upward toward Him. Behind Job his three friends have their backs to this Vision (although in the picture they seem to be facing it with their face covered by their hands).
God seems to be standing on a cloud, said to be his platform.
On the right background we see mountains.
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| The Enscription with a lot of text. |
Here is the text found in the enscription:
(Note especially the words of Jesus quoted in John 10 and 14.)
...he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up (I Samuel 2:6)
...we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (I John 3:2)
When I consider thy heaven, the work of the finger, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? (Psalm 8:3-4)
I have heard of thee with the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee (Job 42:5)
...he that hath seen me hath seen the Father (John 14:9)
I and my Father are one (John 10:30)
If ye had know me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him (John 14:21)
Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me (John 14:11)
...he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father (John 14:21)
...for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you (John 14:17)
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you (John 14:20)
If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father (John 14:28)
...he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him (John 14:21)
...and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him (John 14: 23)
And...the Father...shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever (John 14:16)
Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive (John 14:17)
The two main souces I've used for this study of Blake's Job,
Kathleen Raines' Golgonooza (page page 141) and Edward Edinger's Encounter with the Self (page 63) are in serious disagreement over the meaning of this Plate:
Edinger's Jung felt that Job had got the best of God by proving that he had a higher moral standard than Yahweh, which led to the Deity including mortal man.
Raine felt that Job had reached a fuller understanding of the Love of God.
Viewers are not sure whether the erect and imposing God image represented to Blake the Father or the Son, who was to come much later.
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