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the devil walks about like a lion, seeking whom he may devour." Thus also to Judas, by instilling a thought of avarice, he made him a betrayer of the savior, entering into his mind as into a fitting den. Thus also Hymenaeus and Alexander "suffered shipwreck concerning the faith," suffering this on this account and having become an instrument of the devil through their own will, whom the blessed Paul also "delivered to Satan," "that they might be taught not to blaspheme." And in general, the devil's ambush against men is varied, "working in the sons of disobedience," but not refraining from the virtuous, but attacking them as well. For this the saying signifies, exhorting: "If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place." He indeed attempts and has let it descend upon him, but the virtuous one, having been made secure, prevents the plot. And so Job, being a perfect man and in every way abstaining from evil and partaking of virtue, "gave no place to the devil"; for it is said "just, true, blameless, God-fearing, abstaining from every evi5l thing," which shows him to be most perfect, not only abstaining from evil, but also having reached the height of virtue. For one properly has virtue then, when he abstains by choice from contrary dispositions. For this the blessed David teaches, saying: "Depart from evil, and do good." But also this: "Cease from your evil ways, learn to do good" is of the same mind. So Job, abstaining from evil, did not abstain in the way infants do, but as one perfectly practicing virtue. But his praise came from courage, not as one lacking the other virtues—for all of them followed him, being linked to one another—but from the predominance of courage, which is also the case with the beatitudes; for the one who is "poor in spirit" has the kingdom of God, being adorned with the others as well, and being meek and just. Job therefore also had the other virtues, as is shown in what follows; for as he was ready for hospitality, so also for almsgiving, "becoming a father to orphans, a helper to the powerless, an eye to the blind, and being found a foot to the lame." The one thus secured on all sides by both practical 6 and intellectual virtue—for because of this he is called true, as well as blameless—the devil tried to dislodge from such great virtue, often, as is likely, suggesting thoughts, which the saint did not accept, according to the one who says: "When the wicked one turned away from me, I did not know him," which shows that: although the adversary approached many times, I did not yield, so as to know he was present by sinning. For he was not ignorant of his presence inasmuch as the saint was at war, but he did not know him in this way, so as to experience his wicked thoughts. But he sent down a final plot, that of demanding him, thinking that by this attack he could dislodge him from his virtue, which he also did in the case of the patriarch Abraham, if anyone is pleased to accept the Book of the Testament. Having tried many things many times against the saint and having been defeated in all of them, since he hoped to pervert Abraham, who was disposed toward his late-born and beloved son, he brings forward the demand for the child, which God makes through himself, wishing to put the adversary to shame, saying: "Take your beloved son whom you have loved," through the varied word7s stirring up the father's affection, in order to make his courage manifest, which he preserved, neither reporting what was to be to his wife nor to his servants, so that no obstacle might arise to the right action. But also he did not yield to the words of the child who said: "Father, behold the fire and the wood; where is the sheep for the whole burnt offering?" Wherefore believing, that even if the child should become dead, God is able to raise him up, he did not give way before the command, but would have slaughtered the only-begotten, if God, having accepted his eagerness, had not preserved him

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διάβολος ὡς λέων περιπατεῖ ζητῶν τίνα καταπίῃ". οὕτω καὶ τῷ Ἰούδᾳ λογισμὸν φιλαργυρίας ἐμβαλὼν προδότην αὐτὸν τοῦ ςωτῆρος πεποίηκεν, καθάπερ εἰς οἰκεῖον φωλεὸν εἰς τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτοῦ εἰσελθών. οὕτω καὶ οἱ περὶ Ὑμέναιον καὶ Ἀλέξανδρον "περὶ τὴν πίστιν ἐναυάγησαν" διὰ τοῦτο παθόντες ὄργανόν τε διαβολικὸν διὰ τοῦ ἑκουσίου γεγενημένοι, οὕστινας καὶ "παρέδωκεν αὐτῶι τῷ σατανᾷ" ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος, "ἵνα παιδευθῶσιν μὴ βλασφημεῖν". καὶ ὅλως ποικίλη ἡ τοῦ διαβόλου κατὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔνεδρα γίνεται "ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας ἐνεργοῦντος", οὐκ ἀπεχομένου δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐναρέτων, ἀλλὰ κἀκείνοις ἐπιτρέχοντος. τοῦτο γὰρ σημαίνει τὸ λόγιον παραινοῦν· "ἐὰν πνεῦμα τοῦ ἐξουσιάζοντος ἀναβῇ ἐπὶ σέ, τόπον σου μὴ ἀφῇς." ἐπιχειρεῖ μὲν καὶ ἀνῆκεν εἰς αὐτὸν καταβαίνων, ἀσφαλὴς δὲ ὁ ἐνάρετος γεγενημένος κωλύει τὴν ἐπιβουλήν. καὶ ὁ Ἰὼβ οὖν τέλειος ὑπάρχων ἀνὴρ καὶ πάντῃ ἀπεχόμενος κακίας καὶ ἀρετῆς μετέχων "οὐ παρεῖχεν τόπον τῷ διαβόλῳ"· εἴρηται γὰρ "δίκαιος, ἀ ληθινός, ἄμεμπτος, θεοσεβής, ἀπεχόμενος ἀπὸ παντὸς πονη5 ροῦ πράγματος", ἅπερ τελειότατον αὐτὸν ἀποδείκνυσιν, οὐ μόνον κακίας ἀπεχόμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς ἄκρον ἀρετῆς φθάσαντα. τότε γὰρ κυρίως τις ἀρετὴν ἔχῃ, ὅταν τῶν ἐναντίων διαθέσεων προαιρέσει ἀπέχηται. τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ μακάριος ∆αυὶδ παιδεύει λέγων· "ἔκκλινον ἀπὸ κακοῦ καὶ ποίησον ἀγαθόν." ἀλλὰ καὶ τό· "παύσασθε ἀπὸ τῶν πονηριῶν ὑμῶν, μάθετε καλὸν ποιεῖν" τῆς αὐτῆς ἐστι διανοίας. ὁ Ἰὼβ οὖν ἀπεχόμενος κακίας οὐχ οὕτως ἀπείχετο ὡς τὰ βρέφη, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐνεργῶν τελείως τὴν ἀρετήν. ἀπὸ ἀνδρείας δὲ αὐτῶι ὁ ἔπαινος ἐγίνετο οὐχ ὡς τῶν ἄλλων ἀρετῶν ἀπολειπομένῳ -ἠκολούθουν γὰρ αὐτῷ ἅπασαι ἀλλήλων ἠρτημέναι-, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἐπικρατείας τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἀνδρείαν, ὅπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν μακαρισμῶν ἔχει· ὁ γὰρ "πτωχὸς τῷ πνεύματι" ἔχει τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις κεκοσμημένος καὶ πρᾶος καὶ δίκαιος ὤν. εἶχεν οὖν καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἀρετὰς ὁ Ἰώβ, ὡς ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς δηλοῦται· ὡς γὰρ πρὸς φιλοξενίαν ἦν ἕτοιμος, οὕτως καὶ πρὸς ἐλεημοσύνην, "πατὴρ μὲν ὀρφάνοις γιγνόμενος, τοῖς δὲ ἀδυνάτοις βοηθός, ὀφθαλμὸς τυφλοῖς, ποὺς δὲ χωλῶν" εὑρισκόμενος. τὸν οὕτως οὖν ἠσφαλισμέ νον πάντοθεν πρακτικῇ τε 6 καὶ διανοητικῇ ἀρετῇ-διὰ γὰρ ταύτην ἀληθινὸς εἴρηται ὡς καὶ ἄμεμπτον εἶναι-ἐπειρᾶτο διάβολος τῆς τοσαύτης ἀρετῆς μεθιστᾶν, πολλάκις ὡς εἰκὸς ὑποβάλλων λογισμούς, οὓς ὁ ἅγιος οὐκ ἐδέχετο κατὰ τὸν λέγοντα· "ἐκκλίνοντος ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ πονηροῦ οὐκ ἐγίγνωσκον", ὃ δηλοῖ ὅτι· πολλάκις προσελθόντος τοῦ ἀντικειμένου οὐκ ὤκλασα, ὥστε γνῶναι μὲν αὐτὸν παρόντα διὰ τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν. οὐ γὰρ ἠγνόει παρόντα ἐς ὅσον ἐπολέμει ὁ ἅγιος, ἀλλ' οὕτως οὐκ ἐγίγνωσκεν, ὡς πεῖραν δέχεσθαι τῶν φαύλων αὐτοῦ ἐνθυμήσεων. τελευταίαν δ' ἐπιβουλὴν τὴν τῆς ἐξαιτήσεως καθῆκεν, οἰόμενος διὰ ταύτης αὐτὸν τῆς προσβολῆς τῆς ἀρετῆς μεθιστᾶν, ὅπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ πατριάρχου Ἀβρὰμ πεποίηκεν, εἴ τῳ φίλον παραδέξασθαι τὴν βίβλον τῆς διαθήκης. πολλὰ κ̣αὶ πολλάκις ἐπιχειρήσας κατὰ τοῦ ἁγίου καὶ πρὸς ἅπαντα ἡττηθείς, ἐπεὶ ἅτε πρὸς ὀψίγονον καὶ ἀγαπητὸν διακείμενον τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ἤλπιζεν διαστρέψειν, προφέρει τὴν ἐξαίτησιν τοῦ παιδός, ἣν ὁ θεὸς δι' ἑαυτοῦ ποιεῖται καταισχῦναι τὸν ἀντικείμενον βουλόμενος λέγων· "λαβὲ τὸν υἱόν σου τὸν ἀγαπητὸν ὃν ἠγάπησας", διὰ τῶν ποικίλων ῥημά7 των διεγείρων τοῦ πατρὸς τὸ φιλόστοργον, ἵνα τὸ ἀνδρεῖον αὐτοῦ φανερὸν ποιήσῃ, ὅπερ διετήρησεν μήτε τῆι γυναικὶ ἀνενεγκὼν τὸ ἐσόμενον μήτε τοῖς παισίν, ἵνα μή τι ἐμπόδιον τῶι κατορθώματι γίνηται. ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς λόγους τοῦ παιδὸς οὐκ ὤκλασεν εἰπόντος· "πάτερ, ἰδοὺ τὸ πῦρ καὶ τὰ ξύλα· ποῦ τὸ πρόβατον τὸ εἰς τὴν ὁλοκάρπωσιν;" διόπερ πιστεύων, ὅτι κἂν νεκρὸς ὁ παῖς γίνηται δυνατὸς ὁ θεὸς αὐτὸν ἀναστῆσαι, οὐκ ἐνδέδωκεν πρὸς τὸ πρόσταγμα, ἀλλὰ ἐσφαγίασεν ἂν τὸν μονογενῆ, εἰ μὴ θεὸς τὴν προθυμίαν ἀποδεξάμενος περιέσωσεν