he rebukes the impious man; but speaking on behalf of the one who provides and benefits him. You took pledges from your brothers for nothing. He supposes this about Job from this, because he knew him to be rich, and suspected that he became rich from certain resources of this kind; therefore he says: "You took pledges for nothing;" that is, when nothing was owed. And again intensifying another sin of his, he says. And you have taken away the clothing of the naked. It is possible sometimes to take clothing, not of a naked man, but of a rich man, who has many garments stored away. If, however, someone has one tunic, and I take this tunic off him on the pretext of demanding what is mine, not pitying that naked man, I have taken away the clothing of the naked. And many such things happen among us, when we lend, when we have debtors. Often our debtor is exceedingly poor, unable to pay back; and we, having shut up our compassion, and not seeing that he supports a wife, and children, and is barely nourished from the few obols he earns, demand bitterly, sometimes even when we have abundance ourselves. These things, then, he says, accusing Job, that, "You have taken away the clothing of the naked." Perhaps he even calls the not giving a garment to the naked man a taking away; for he who does not clothe the naked is a defrauder and a covetous man, as is he who does not feed the one in need of bread. And you have shown favor to the faces of some. This too is another sin; for it is a sin to show favor to a face. So-and-so, because he is rich, I admire his face; but the poor man I trample on, since he has no rank. The Almighty then will be your helper. Here Eliphaz speaks a sound doctrine; for he thinks that Job suffers because of his sins, and that by enduring he is purified through the very act of suffering; and being purified, like gold in a furnace, he is shown to be approved, having put away all that is foreign, and having become unmixed with any evil. 12.1040 He says then, that if you also endure the things that have happened to you, God will render you pure like silver tried by fire; and having become pure, you will have boldness, having put away your sins, and you will cheerfully lift up your face to heaven, making your supplications with a clear conscience; and if you pray and promise anything to God, he himself will strengthen you to bring to completion the promises made to him; for he is "the one who works in us both to will and to work for his good pleasure." Instead, however, of "And he will grant you to pay your vows," Theodotion has published, "And you shall decree a thing, and it shall be established for you;" that is, everything that you shall arrange and form will not fall through; and simply put, he will provide you with every way of life fitting for a righteous man; and all your ways will be made prosperous, guided by the divine light; or also your deeds will be brilliant and glorious. Because he humbled himself, and you will say: He was proud. He seems to speak as if about another; but the word is to Job. For this reason, he says, these things will be for the one who repents, because he humbled himself, and said that he justly suffered what he has suffered, since he was proud. And he will save the one who is downcast in his eyes. That is, the humble-minded one, the one looking down because of a bad and timid conscience, just like the tax collector who was justified in the Gospels. CH. 27. And Job again taking up his parable, said. The devil received authority over Job and tested him night and day; first through external things; later through his body itself; after these things also through his friends. For when he tested him through his wife, and knew that Job was not defeated, he brought three friends, not enemies, not having treacherous opinions; but true words, though not well nor timely offered; and through these he wished to make the righteous man utter something against Providence; to be impious because of the toils; to lose heart because of the pains; but this firm adamant, see what he says after the words of the three, when Eliphaz had completed three discourses, Baldad three, and Sophar two. For I am not conscious of having done anything wrong. Paul also uttered this later, and added: "But not in this

ἐλέγχει τὸν ἀσεβῆ· ἀλλὰ λόγον ποιούμενος τοῦ προνοουμένου καὶ εὐεργετῶν αὐτόν. Ἠνεχύραζες τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου διακενῆς. Ὑπολαμβάνει δὲ τοῦτο περὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἐντεῦθεν, ὅτι ᾔδει αὐτὸν πλούσιον, καὶ ὑπώπτευεν ἀπὸ τοι ούτων τινῶν πόρων πλουτεῖν αὐτόν· διό φησιν· «Ἠνε χύραζες διακενῆς·» τουτέστι μηδὲν ἐποφειλόμε νος. Προσεπιτείνων δὲ πάλιν ἄλλην αὐτοῦ ἁμαρτίαν φησίν. Ἀμφίασιν δὲ γυμνῶν ἀφείλου. Ἔστι ποτὲ λαβεῖν ἀμφιάσματα, οὐ γυμνοῦ, ἀλλὰ πλουσίου, ἔχοντος ἀποκείμενα ἐνδύματα πολλά. Ἐὰν μέντοιγε χιτῶνα ἔχῃ τις ἕνα, καὶ τοῦτον τὸν χιτῶνα προφάσει τοῦ ἀπαιτεῖν τὸ ἐμὸν ἐκδύσω, μὴ ἐλεήσας ἐκεῖνον τὸν γυμνὸν, ἀμφίασιν τοῦ γυμνοῦ ἀφειλόμην. Πολλὰ δὲ τοιαῦτα ἐν ἡμῖν γίνεται, ὅταν δανείζωμεν, ὅταν προσ οφειλέτας ἔχωμεν. Πολλάκις ὁ ὀφειλέτης ἡμῶν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν πένεται, μὴ δυνάμενος ἀποδοῦναι· καὶ ἡμεῖς, τὰ σπλάγχνα ἡμῶν ἀποκλείσαντες, καὶ μὴ βλέποντες, ὅτι γυναῖκα τρέφει, καὶ τέκνα, καὶ μόλις τρέφεται ἀπὸ τῶν ποριζομένων αὐτῷ ὀλίγων ὀβολῶν, ἀπαιτοῦμεν πικρῶς, ἔσθ' ὅτε καὶ περισσὰ ἔχοντες παρ' ἑαυτοῖς. Ταῦτα οὖν λέγει ἐγκαλῶν τῷ Ἰὼβ, ὅτι, «Ἀμφίασιν γυμνῶν ἀφείλου.» Ἴσως δὲ καὶ τὸ μὴ δοῦναι τῷ γυμνῷ ἱμάτιον ἀφαίρεσιν ὀνομά ζει· ἀποστερητὴς γάρ ἐστι καὶ πλεονέκτης καὶ ὁ μὴ ἐνδύων τὸν γυμνὸν, καὶ ὁ μὴ τρέφων τὸν ἄρτου δεόμενον. Ἐθαύμασας δέ τινων πρόσωπα. Ἄλλο καὶ τοῦτο ἁμάρτημα· ἁμάρτημα γὰρ καὶ τὸ θαυμάζειν πρόσ ωπον. Ὁ δεῖνα, ὅτι πλούσιός ἐστι, θαυμάζω αὐτοῦ τὸ πρόσωπον· τὸν δὲ πένητα καταπατῶ, ἐπειδήπερ ἀξίωμα οὐκ ἔχει. Ἔσται οὖν σοι ὁ παντοκράτωρ βοηθός. Ὑγιὲς ἐνθάδε δόγμα ὁ Ἐλιφὰζ λέγει· οἴεται γὰρ τὸν Ἰὼβ διὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα πάσχειν, καὶ ὅτι ὑπομείνας κα θαίρεται δι' αὐτοῦ τοῦ πάσχειν· καὶ καθαιρόμενος, ὥσπερ χρυσὸς ἐν χωνευτηρίῳ, δόκιμος ἀποφαίνεται, πᾶν τὸ ἀλλότριον ἀποθέμενος, καὶ πάσης κακίας 12.1040 ἀμιγὴς γεγονώς. Φησὶν οὖν, ὅτι, ἐὰν καὶ σὺ ὑπομεί νῃς τὰ συμβεβηκότα σοι, ἀποδώσει σε καθαρὸν ὥσπερ ἄργυρον πεπυρωμένον ὁ Θεός· καὶ καθαρὸς γενόμε νος, παῤῥησίαν ἕξεις, ὡς ἀποθέμενος τὰ ἁμαρτή ματα, καὶ ἱλαρῶς τὸ πρόσωπον ἐπαρεῖς εἰς τὸν οὐ ρανὸν, ἀκαταγνώστῳ συνειδότι τὰς ἱκετείας ποιούμε νος· κἄν τι εὔξῃ καὶ ὑπόσχῃ τῷ Θεῷ, αὐτὸς ἐνισχύ σει σε πρὸς πέρας ἀγαγεῖν τὰς πρὸς αὐτὸν ὑποσχέ σεις· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν «ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἐν ἡμῖν καὶ τὸ θέλειν καὶ τὸ ἐνεργεῖν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐδοκίας.» Ἀντὶ μέντοι τοῦ, «∆ώσει δέ σοι ἀποδοῦναι τὰς εὐχὰς,» Θεοδοτίων, «Καὶ ὁριεῖς ῥῆμα, καὶ σταθήσεταί σοι,» ἐξέδωκε· τουτέστιν, ἅπαν ὃ ἂν συντάξῃ καὶ τυπώσῃς, οὐ διαπεσεῖται· καὶ ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν, ἅπασάν σοι τὴν ἁρμόζουσαν δικαίῳ παρέξει διαγωγήν· καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοί σου κατευοδωθήσονται ὑπὸ τοῦ θείου ὁδηγούμε ναι φωτός· ἢ καὶ αἱ πράξεις σου λαμπραὶ καὶ ἐπίδο ξοι ἔσονται. Ὅτι ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτὸν, καὶ ἐρεῖς· Ὑπερηφανεύσατο. Ὡς μὲν περὶ ἑτέρου δοκεῖ λέγειν· πρὸς δὲ τὸν Ἰὼβ ὁ λόγος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, φησὶν, ἔσται ταῦτα τῷ μετανοοῦντι, ὅτι ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτὸν, καὶ εἶπεν, ὅτι ἐνδίκως αὐτὸς ὑπέστη ἃ πέπονθεν, ἐπειδὴ ὑπερη φανεύσατο. Καὶ κύφοντα ὀφθαλμοῖς σώσει. Τουτέστι τὸν τα πεινόφρονα, τὸν κάτω βλέποντα διὰ τὸ δυσσυνείδητον καὶ ἀπαῤῥησίαστον, καθάπερ ὁ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις δικαιωθεὶς τελώνης. ΚΕΦ. ΚΖʹ. Ἔτι δὲ προσθεὶς Ἰὼβ τῷ προοιμίῳ εἶπεν. Ἔλαβεν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ Ἰὼβ ὁ διάβολος καὶ ἤτασεν αὐτὸν νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας· πρότερον μὲν διὰ τῶν ἐκτός· ὕστερον δὲ δι' αὐτοῦ τοῦ σώματος· μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ διὰ τῶν φίλων. Ὅτε γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐδοκίμαζε διὰ τῆς γυναικὸς, καὶ οἶδεν, ὅτι οὐ νενίκηται ὁ Ἰὼβ, τρεῖς φίλους ἤνεγκεν, οὐκ ἐχθροὺς, οὐκ ἐπίβουλα δόγματα ἔχοντας· ἀλλ' ἀληθεῖς μὲν λόγους, οὐ καλῶς δὲ, οὐδὲ ἐν καιρῷ προσφερομένους· καὶ ἐβούλετο διὰ τούτων ποιῆσαι τὸν δίκαιον φθέγξασθαί τι κατὰ τῆς Προ νοίας· ἀσεβῆσαι διὰ τοὺς πόνους· ἐκκακῆσαι διὰ τὰς ἀλγηδόνας· ἀλλ' ὁ στεῤῥὸς ἀδάμας οὗτος, ὅρα τί λέγει μετὰ τοὺς λόγους τῶν τριῶν, ὅτε ἐτέλεσε ὁ Ἐλιφὰζ τρεῖς διαλέξεις, ὁ Βαλδὰδ τρεῖς, ὁ Σοφὰρ δύο. Οὐ γὰρ σύνοιδα ἐμαυτῷ ἄτοπα πράξας. Τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος ὕστερον ἐφθέγξατο, καὶ προσέθηκεν· «Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ