affected the whole ‘wisdom’ ethos in the ancient Near East, a time when the traditional responses to life which the wisdom movement gave were beginning to be profoundly questioned. The traditional ‘wisdom’ responses are what are purveyed by Job’s three friends. The author of the book, through the mouth of Job, subjects these views to intense questioning. Qoheleth, in his turn, makes a different criticism of traditional wisdom by suggesting that none of it matters anyway, since all of life is futile.