God's role in the Bible is characterized in many different ways, with dramatically contrasting attributes. It takes on multiple functions and, as literary characters are, is dynamic and changes over time. The depiction of God is unique in separate books throughout the Bible. This flexibility of role and character is exemplified by the discrepancy in the portrayal of God in the book of Genesis compared to the portrayal of God in the book of Job. On a larger scale, God creates with intention in Genesis as opposed to mindlessly destroying in Job. However, as the scale gets smaller, God's creative authority can be seen in both books, yet this creative authority manifests itself in quite distinctive ways. In Genesis, God as creator is ideal, moral and rational; in Job, God as creator is boastful, imperfect, and discredited by his own pride. As explicitly stated in the first line of Genesis, "God created the heavens and the earth"; God is a creator (Genesis 1:1). He is omnipotent, kind and remains above his creation. In his perfect and distant way, God announces: “let there be” a new creation, and so it is (Genesis 1,3). The simple process ends with the vision that His creation is good, His blessing, and the circular pattern of the evening and morning. He is the essence of a divine Creator. Genesis paints an ideal picture of God in which He forms the heavens and the earth, the day and the night, the water and the sky, the earth and the sea, the plants, the creatures and humanity, all with intention. In the first chapter of Genesis, everything that God creates has a clear and simple name, which reflects without boasting the greatness of creation. Light is called “Day”, darkness is called “Night” and there is nothing more to it. Each individual......middle of paper......other books throughout the Bible. On the other hand, the book of Job is of unknown author and origins, which is reflected in God's inconsistent attributes with many of his other depictions in additional books. While the first glimpse of God given in the Bible is that of a perfect creator, the flexibility of his nature allows his characteristics to change depending on contexts. His rational, reasonable, and moral personality in the first book provides a stark contrast to his boastful, immoral, and imperfect ways in the later book of Job. Instead of methodically creating, it unjustly destroys. However, on a more complex level, God is creator in both stories. Job's portrayal of his creative authority is discredited by his overly proud and sarcastic portrayal of his own accomplishments. This leads to a further discrepancy in its two already distinct roles.