he presented the devil answering the Lord and the Lord the devil. For the sake of personification, and not of truth; for the meaning is not already with the letter; the words are set down in one way, the meanings are clarified in another. Therefore all who are present must know clearly, that from when the devil fell from the heavens he has not seen the face of God, nor was he deemed worthy of his former way of life. For just as an earthly king, having made a tyrant out of his sight, does not receive him in his sight, turning away from him on account of his tyranny, so also when the devil had contrived rebellion, the Lord cast him away and no longer deemed him worthy of the sight of him, not that the Lord hated him, but that he did not incline toward repentance. These things being so known, let us see what has been read, so that we may clarify what has been set forth. You heard the historiographer Moses in the present evening, which evening I would not want to call an evening but rather a morning. For what evening must one call this or its sisters, in which all who are present have arrived fasting and sober as from bed, except for the clean unclean? For these alone stink in a Jewish manner. Therefore the present evening of the fast is again a morning because of the lightness of the stomach and the sobriety of the soul, but for them it is night because of the heaviness of the head from wine and the flesh-eating of meats. What then of the historiographer Moses? You heard him just now saying: And it came to pass on that day, and the angels of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and the devil came among them. And it came to pass on that day. What day? The one revealing the struggles of Job. It came to pass on that day. What day? The one that presented the heavenly archangelic powers for the sight of the wrestling match. For the Lord only saw the devil thinking against Job, and straightway the Lord commanded the powers above, saying: Peer down, behold an extraordinary wrestling match; peer down, behold how the one from among you, having left you and yours, wrestles madly below with one who has nothing in common with him in substance; peer down, behold how the one who fell once falls again; peer down, behold, so that none of you may become like him; peer down, behold Job being strengthened and the devil being undone, the one who was arrogant in paradise being put to shame upon the dunghill. It came to pass on that day. Truly the day of Job; for he was a noble of those from the rising of the sun; for Job a day, for the devil a night; for he groped and did not find. It came to pass on that day, and the angels of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and the devil came among them. The accusation in his name suffices him for a presentation of eulogies. He heard "Devil"; what he did, he received; what he sought, he was called; what he wished, he inherited; no longer an angel, the name of his nature, but devil, the pledge of his intention; angels are angels from "to announce," the devil is devil from "to slander." It came to pass on that day, and the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and the devil came among them. He came among them, no longer bearing the face of boldness but that of shame, no longer wearing the royal robe but bringing the satanic rag. And the devil came among them, and the Lord said to the devil: From where have you come? O, what paradoxical matters! Did the Lord not know from where the devil had come, He who knows the deep and hidden things, the tracker of hearts? From where have you come? He did not ask as one who is ignorant, but as one wanting to condemn him out of his own mouth; for thus He reproved his counterpart Cain, saying to him: Where is Abel your brother? He did not ask as one who is ignorant, He who hears the voice of the blood, but as one wanting to condemn him more completely. And the devil says

ὡς τὸν διάβολον ἀποκρινόμενον τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ τὸν κύριον τῷ διαβόλῳ παρέστησεν. Προσωποποιΐας χάριν, οὐχὶ δὲ ἀληθείας· οὐ γὰρ πρὸς λέξιν ἤδη καὶ τὸ νόημα· ἄλλως αἱ λέξεις ἔγκεινται, ἄλλως τὰ νοήματα σαφηνίζονται. ∆ιὸ πάντας χρὴ σαφῶς εἰδέναι τοὺς παρόντας, ὅτι ἐξ ἧς ὁ διάβολος ἔπεσεν ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν οὐκ εἶδεν τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ θεοῦ, οὐ κατηξιώθη τῆς προτέρας διαγωγῆς. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐπίγειος βασιλεὺς ἀπ' ὄψεως τύραννον ποιήσας οὐ προσδέχεται αὐτὸν ἐπ' ὄψεσιν, ἀποστρεφόμενος αὐτὸν διὰ τὴν τυραννίδα, οὕτω καὶ τοῦ διαβόλου ἀνταρσίαν μελετήσαντος ὁ κύριος αὐτὸν ἀποβαλὼν οὐκέτι κατηξίωσε τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν θέας, οὐχ ὅτι ὁ κύριος αὐτὸν ἐμίσησεν , ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐκεῖνος πρὸς ἐπιστροφὴν οὐκ ἔκλινεν. Τούτων οὕτως ἐγνωσμένων ἵδωμεν τὰ παραναγνωσθέντα, ἵνα σαφηνίσωμεν τὰ προτεθέντα. Ἤκουες τοῦ ἱστοριογράφου Μωϋσέως ἐν τῇ παρούσῃ ἑσπέρᾳ, ἣν ἑσπέραν προσειπεῖν οὐκ ἤθελον ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ὄρθρον. Ποίαν γὰρ δεῖ ἑσπέραν προσειπεῖν ταύτην ἢ τὰς ἀδελφὰς ταύτης, ἐν ᾗ πάντες οἱ παρόντες ὡς ἀπὸ κλίνης νήστεις καὶ νηφάλαιοι παραγεγόνατε ἐκτὸς τῶν καθαρῶν ῥυπαρῶν; Οὗτοι γὰρ μόνοι ἰουδαϊκῶς βρωμοῦσιν. ∆ιὸ ἡ παροῦσα τῆς νηστείας ἑσπέρα πάλιν ὄρθρος διὰ τὴν ἐλαφρότητα τῆς γαστρὸς καὶ τὴν νηφαλιότητα τῆς ψυχῆς, ἐκείνοις δὲ νὺξ διὰ τὴν καρηβαρίαν τοῦ οἴνου καὶ τὴν σαρκοφαγίαν τῶν κρεῶν. Τί οὖν ὁ ἱστοριογράφος Μωϋσῆς; Ἤκουες αὐτοῦ ἀρτίως λέγοντος· Ἐγένετο δὲ ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη, καὶ ἦλθον οἱ ἄγγελοι τοῦ θεοῦ παραστῆναι ἐνώπιον τοῦ κυρίου, καὶ ὁ διάβολος ἦλθεν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν. Ἐγένετο δὲ ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη. Ποία ἡμέρα; Ἡ τοὺς ἀγῶνας τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἐμφανίζουσα. Ἐγένετο ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη. Ποία ἡμέρα; Ἡ τὰς ἐπουρανίους ἀρχαγγελικὰς δυνάμεις πρὸς θέαν τῆς πάλης παραστήσασα. Μόνον γὰρ εἶδεν ὁ κύριος τὸν διάβολον διανοηθέντα κατὰ τοῦ Ἰώβ , πάλιν εὐθὺς ἐπέταττε ταῖς ἄνω δυνάμεσιν ὁ κύριος λέγων· Παρακύψατε, βλέπετε πάλην ἐξαίρετον· παρακύψατε, βλέπετε πῶς ὁ ἐξ ὑμῶν ὑμᾶς καὶ τὰ ὑμῶν καταλιπὼν κάτω τῷ μηδὲν κοινωνοῦντι κατ' οὐσίαν μα νικῶς προσπαλαίει· παρακύψατε, βλέπετε πῶς ὁ ἅπαξ πεσὼν πάλιν πίπτει· παρακύψατε, βλέπετε, ἵνα μηδεὶς ὑμῶν ὡς ἐκεῖνος γένηται· παρακύψατε, βλέπετε τὸν Ἰὼβ νευρούμενον καὶ τὸν διάβο λον ἐκλυόμενον, τὸν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ φρυαττόμενον καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας αἰσχυνόμενον. Ἐγένετο ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη. Ὄντως ἡμέρα ἡ τοῦ Ἰώβ·εὐγενὴς γὰρ ἦν τῶν ἀφ' ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν· τῷ Ἰὼβ ἡμέρα, τῷ διαβόλῳ νύξ· ἐψηλάφησεν γὰρ καὶ οὐχ εὗρεν. Ἐγένετο ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη, καὶ ἦλθον οἱ ἄγγελοι τοῦ θεοῦ παραστῆναι ἐνώπιον τοῦ κυρίου, καὶ ὁ διάβολος ἦλθεν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν. Ἀρκεῖ αὐτῷ τῆς προσηγορίας ἡ διαβολὴ πρὸς ἐγκωμίων παράστασιν. ∆ιάβολος ἤκουσεν· ὃ ἐποίησεν ἔλαβεν, ὃ ἐζήτησεν ἐκλήθη, ὃ ἠθέλησεν ἐκληρονόμησεν· οὐκέτι ἄγγελος, τὸ τῆς φύσεως ὄνομα, ἀλλὰ διάβολος, τὸ τῆς προθέσεως παρεγγύημα· ἄγγελοι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀγγέλλειν ἄγγελοι, διάβολος ἀπὸ τοῦ διαβάλλειν διάβολος. Ἐγένετο ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη, καὶ ἦλθον οἱ ἄγγελοι παραστῆναι ἐνώπιον τοῦ κυρίου, καὶ ὁ διάβολος ἦλθεν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν. Ἦλθεν ἐν μέσῳ, οὐκέτι τὸ τῆς παρρησίας ἀλλὰ τὸ τῆς αἰσχύνης πρόσωπον ἐπιφερόμενος, οὐκέτι τὸ βασιλικὸν πέπλον ἀλλὰ τὸ σατανικὸν ῥάκκος ἐπαγόμενος. Καὶ ὁ διάβολος ἦλθεν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν, καὶ εἶπεν ὁ κύριος πρὸς τὸν διάβολον· Πόθεν παραγέγονας; Ὢ τῶν παραδόξων πραγμάτων. Ἠγνόει ὁ κύριος πόθεν ὁ διάβολος παραγέγονεν, ὁ γινώσκων βαθέα καὶ ἀπόκρυφα, ὁ τῶν καρδιῶν ἰχνηλάτης; Πόθεν παραγέγονας; Οὐχ ὡς ἀγνοῶν ἠρώτα, ἀλλ' ὡς βουλόμενος αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ κατακρῖναι· οὕτως γὰρ τὸν ὁμοιότροπον αὐτοῦ Κάϊν ἤλεγξε λέγων πρὸς αὐτόν· Ποῦ Ἄβελ ὁ ἀδελφός σου; Οὐχ ὡς ἀγνοῶν ἠρώτα ὁ τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ αἵματος ἀκούων, ἀλλὰ βουλόμενος αὐτὸν ἐντελέστερον κατακρῖναι. Καὶ ὁ διάβολός φησιν