Manifestations of the Aesthetics of the Grotesque in the Testament of Job

ABSTRACT The Testament of Job is an ancient Jewish text, which was not canonized by either Judaism or Christianity, which is why it came to be included among the so-called apocrypha of the Old Testament. This work was written in Greek during the Hellenistic period, probably in Alexandria. Its content is the rewriting of the biblical book of Job, an attempt to update its content in view of the current culture. We intend to point out the manifestation of the grotesque body in the Testament of Job, in accordance with Mikhail Bakhtin’s use of this concept when discussing popular culture. As it is an apocryphal work, the Testament of Job dialogues with the versions of the book of Job written in Hebrew and with the one written in Greek, and therefore its content will be discussed based on its dialogical relationship with both texts mentioned.