in which I was born, and the night in which they said: Behold, a male child. He insulted the nobility of his mother, he expected his mother's womb to be a tomb, he slandered the nobility of her breasts, he insulted the common nourishment of milk. Did he not pursue these things and things similar to them? How then did Job not sin? Because scripture cries out: Nor in his lips did Job sin. Listen with understanding. In every matter seek the purpose of the matter, and you will in no way fall from the truth. Listen with understanding. As to the words, Job stumbled—as to the words, not as to the meanings, he reviled God's creation—but as to the devil's proposal, Job did not sin at all, according to the divine scripture. But it is possible for someone to say: Did Job not sin at all? Listen with understanding. The devil, approaching the Lord in thought, not in appearance—for this was also said yesterday, that the devil answered the Lord in thought, and not face to face. For the historiographer Moses wrote the scripture of Job. But he was not in the times of Job, but much after Job; Job was the fifth after Abraham. And Moses, after many generations, after the exodus from Egypt, nevertheless wrote down the things concerning Job, not by his own will but by the dictation of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, therefore, as knowing all things according to the purpose and thought of the devil, dictated to Moses to set forth all these things as a history. For the Holy Spirit knew both the devil's [thought] and God's own reply to it. For the Holy Spirit also knows the things of God, according to the blessed Paul who says: No one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God which is in him, and again: For the Spirit searches even the depths of God. Therefore, the Holy Spirit, having considered the thought of the devil, dictated a history, so that we who hear might more clearly attend to what is being said. If, then, you hear the devil saying anything, hear it according to his thought; but if anything of God, according to His decree; for the Holy Spirit has set this forth. Therefore, in thought, the devil approached the Lord and asked for Job, saying: Give me all authority over him, and I will show how he will blaspheme you more shamelessly than all. That is, give me all dominion over him and I will prepare Job to blaspheme you to your face, that is, to do the opposite things to you, to proclaim you as without providence, to worship idols and forsake you, to sacrifice to images and not to bring offerings to you, to raise altars of temples and to destroy sacrificial altars. The devil was accomplishing this purpose and expected to bring Job to these things. If, then, Job pursued any of these things, he blasphemed, since he did the works of the devil; but if he pursued none of these things, he was righteous and blameless and God-fearing according to the Lord's teaching; for whom God justifies, who condemns? Therefore, Job did not sin at all by speaking human words; as a man he spoke, being smitten by pains. For if Job had not spoken these things and cursed the day, some might have said that Job had become insensible, or that he had surpassed human measures. For from here it is shown from the curse of Job that he was encompassed by great torments, from which, not bearing the pain, he cried out in a human way, saying: Why did I not die from my mother's womb, and having come forth, did not immediately perish? And why did knees receive me? And why did I suck my mother's breasts? He said these things to himself, not as though he blasphemed the Creator. That is, Why did my mother's womb not become a tomb, so that I might not wrestle and not know with whom I wrestle? If I had [to wrestle] against someone of like form, I would know how I prevail and am prevailed upon. For this reason Job added, saying: For before my food, my groaning comes to me, and I weep, being seized by fear; for the fear which I dreaded has come

ᾗ ἐγεννήθην καὶ ἡ νὺξ ἐν ᾗ εἶπον· Ἰδοὺ ἄρρεν. Ὕβρισε τῆς μητρὸς τὴν εὐγένειαν, τύμβον τὸν κόλπον τῆς μητρὸς προσεδόκησεν, διέβαλε τῶν μαζῶν τὴν εὐγένειαν, τὴν κοινὴν γαλακτοτροφίαν ἐνύβρισεν. Οὐ ταῦτα καὶ τὰ παραπλήσια τούτων μετῆλθεν; Πῶς οὖν οὐχ ἥμαρτεν Ἰώβ; Ἐπειδὴ κέκραγεν ἡ γραφή·Οὔτε ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτοῦ ἥμαρτεν Ἰώβ. Ἄκουε συνετῶς. Ἐν παντὶ πράγματι τὸν σκοπὸν ζήτει τοῦ πράγματος καὶ οὐδαμῶς τῆς ἀληθείας οὐ μὴ διαπέσῃς. Ἄκουε συνετῶς. Ὡς μὲν πρὸς τὰς λέξεις ἔπταισεν ὁ Ἰώβὡς πρὸς τὰς λέξεις, οὐχ ὡς πρὸς τὰς ἐννοίας τὴν κτίσιν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐλοιδόρησενὡς δὲ πρὸς τὴν πρότασιν τοῦ διαβόλου, οὐδ' ὅλως ἥμαρτεν ὁ Ἰὼβ κατὰ τὴν θείαν γραφήν. Ἔστι δὲ πάντως εἰπεῖν τινα· Οὐδ' ὅλως ἥμαρτεν ὁ Ἰώβ; Ἄκουε συνετῶς. Ὁ διάβολος προσελθὼν τῷ κυρίῳ κατὰ διάνοιαν οὐ κατ' ἔμφασιν τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ χθὲς ἐλέγετο, ὅτι κατὰ διάνοιαν ὁ διάβολος ἀπεκρίνατο τῷ κυρίῳ, οὐχὶ δὲ ἐπ' ὄψεσιν. Τὴν γὰρ γραφὴν τοῦ Ἰὼβ ὁ ἱστοριογράφος Μωϋσῆς ἀνεγράψατο. Οὗτος δὲ οὐκ ἦν ἐν τοῖς χρόνοις τοῦ Ἰώβ, ἀλλὰ σφόδρα μετὰ τὸν Ἰώβ· πέμπτος ἦν μετὰ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ὁ Ἰώβ. Ὁ δὲ Μωϋσῆς μετὰ πολλὰς γενεάς, μετὰ τὴν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἔξοδον , ἀλλ' ὅμως ἀνεγράψατο τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ἰώβ, οὐκ οἰκείῳ βουλήματι ἀλλ' ὑπαγορεύσει τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος. Τὸ ἅγιον τοίνυν πνεῦμα, ὡς πάντα ἐπιστάμενον τὰ κατὰ τὸν σκοπὸν καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν τοῦ διαβόλου, ὑπηγόρευσε τῷ Μωϋσῇ ὡς ἱστορίαν πάντα ταῦτα ἐκθέσθαι. Ἐπίστατο γὰρ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα καὶ τὴν τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὴν τούτου ἰδίαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀντίρρησιν. Οἶδε γὰρ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ κατὰ τὸν μακάριον Παῦλον τὸν λέγοντα· Οὐδεὶς οἶδε τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ πάλιν· Τὸ γὰρ πνεῦμα ἐρευνᾷ καὶ τὰ βάθη τοῦ θεοῦ. Τὴν διάνοιαν τοίνυν τοῦ διαβόλου τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα θεωρῆσαν ἱστορίαν ὑπηγόρευσεν , ὅπως ἡμεῖς οἱ ἀκούοντες σαφέστερον ἐπιβάλωμεν τοῖς λεγομένοις. Εἴ τι οὖν ἀκούεις τοῦ διαβόλου λέγοντος, κατὰ διάνοιαν ἄκουε· εἴ τι δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ, κατὰ ἀπόφασιν· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐξέδωκε τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα. Κατὰ διάνοιαν τοίνυν προσελθὼν ὁ διάβολος τῷ κυρίῳ ἐξῃτήσατο τὸν Ἰὼβ λέγων· ∆ός μοι αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐξουσίαν πᾶσαν καὶ δείκνυμι πῶς ἀναισχυντότερον πάντων σε βλασφημήσει. Τουτέστι δός μοι αὐτοῦ τὴν πᾶσαν ἡγεμονίαν καὶ παρασκευάζω τὸν Ἰὼβ κατὰ πρόσωπόν σε βλασφημῆσαι , τουτέστι τὰ ἐναντία σοι διαπράξασθαι, ἀπρονόητόν σε κηρῦξαι, εἴδωλα προσκυνῆσαι καὶ σὲ καταλεῖψαι, ἀγάλμασι θυσιάσαι καὶ σοὶ μὴ προσενέγκαι, βωμοὺς ναῶν ἐγείρειν καὶ θυσιαστήρια καταστρέφειν. Τοῦτον τὸν σκοπὸν ἐξήνυεν ὁ διάβολος καὶ εἰς ταῦτα προσεδόκα τὸν Ἰὼβ καθιστᾶν. Εἰ δὲ τούτων τοίνυν μετῆλθέ τι ὁ Ἰώβ, ἐβλασφήμησεν, ἐπειδὴ τὰ τοῦ διαβόλου διεπράξατο· εἰ δὲ οὐδὲν τούτων μετῆλθεν, δίκαιος ἦν καὶ ἄμεμπτος καὶ θεοσεβὴς κατὰ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου διδασκαλίαν· ὃν γὰρ ὁ θεὸς δικαιοῖ τίς κατακρίνει; Οὐδ' ὅλως οὖν ἥμαρτεν ὁ Ἰὼβ ἀνθρώπινα ῥήματα λαλήσας· ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἐλάλησε πληττόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ὀδυνῶν. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ ἧν ταῦτα λαλήσας ὁ Ἰὼβ καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν ἀρασάμενος, εἶχον λέγειν τινὲς ὅτι ἀναίσθητος γέγονεν ὁ Ἰώβ, ἢ ὅτι ὑπερέβη τὰ ἀνθρώπινα μέτρα. Ἔνθεν γὰρ δείκνυται ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρᾶς τοῦ Ἰὼβ ὅτι μεγάλαις βασάνοις περιεβλήθη, ἐξ ὧν τὴν ὀδύνην μὴ φέρων ἀνθρωπίνως ἐβόα λέγων· ∆ιὰ τί ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου οὐκ ἐτελεύτησα, ἐξῆλθα δὲ καὶ οὐκ εὐθὺς ἀπωλόμην; ∆ιὰ τί δὲ συνήντησάν μοι γόνατα; ∆ιὰ τί δὲ μασθοὺς ἐθήλασα μητρός μου; Ταῦτα πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἔλεγεν, οὐχ ὡς τὸν δημιουργὸν ἐβλασφήμει. Τουτέστιν ∆ιὰ τί μὴ γέγονεν ὁ μητρῷος κόλπος τύμβος, ἵνα μὴ παλαίω καὶ μὴ γνωρίζω τίνι παλαίω; Εἰ εἶχον πρὸς ὁμοιόσχημόν τινα, ᾔδειν πῶς κρατῶ καὶ κρατοῦμαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο προσετίθει λέγων ὁ Ἰώβ· Πρὸ γὰρ τῶν σίτων μου στεναγμός μοι ἥκει, δακρύω δὲ ἐγὼ συνεχόμενος φόβῳ· φόβος γὰρ ὃν ηὐλαβούμην ἧλθέ