4

sacrifices for them according to their number and one calf for sin for their souls." according to the one who says: "from the night my spirit rises early to you, O God," and: "My God, to you I rise early," and: "in the morning I will stand before you and watch" the blessed Job did not rise in the morning for any other work but to offer a sacrifice to God for his children "according to their number," that is for each one and in an orderly way; for nothing is confused in a serious matter. But also after this he offered the calf for them according to his own manner and accustoming the children to this upbringing.

12 Thus then he purified them after the drinking party was completed, demonstrating with the perceptible purification also the purifications that contribute to the mind. But if the "calf" offered for all signifies the Savior who "endured the cross" for the race of men, consider further, who is also called "fatted" in the parable of the gospel because he is nourishing with divine teaching. But do not be amazed if the calf alludes to the Savior; for Job was not uninitiated into the coming of the Savior; for he said concerning him: "the one who is to subdue the great sea monster." "For Job said: lest my sons have thought evil things against God in their mind." Great purity of the children is shown in this; for not seeing any perceptible sin of theirs, he offered the sacrifice for those of the mind, reasoning that human weakness and softness often has a slip in youth. Wherefore also the holy Paul said: "I am conscious of nothing in myself, but I am not 13 justified in this," and the psalmist: "cleanse me from my secret faults." Hence it must be observed, not that they were subjected to such a death on account of sins. "Thus then did Job all the days of his life." The uninterrupted intensity of the saint is shown here, as not practicing virtue sometimes and sometimes not. This also David says concerning himself, singing: "I will bless the Lord at all times." "And when this day came, behold, the angels came to stand before the Lord, and the devil came with them." The form of the expression, the word showing, narrated more descriptively the things concerning the presentation of the angels in this: "And when it came to be as this day," we understanding accordingly a time and a suitable condition of the presentation before the Lord of the angels who provided their own ministries and their own labor toward God. As they presented themselves, the devil also stood by. Even if he is manifold and versatile, he does not escape God's notice. It is said that he also came with the angels not to "stand before 14 him," but as he himself was being known by the all-seeing eye of God. And the saying might also indicate the hypocrisy of the devil, who "transforms himself" indeed "into an angel of light" and in these things escapes the notice of mortals, but is not able to escape the notice of God, the originator of all, and the one "through whom are all things," and the Holy Spirit; for the Trinity is of the same substance. For as it is said concerning the Word that he is "a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart, and no creature is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and exposed to his eyes," so also concerning the Spirit: "for the Spirit searches all things." And concerning the Father it is said by the apostles: "You, Lord, knower of the hearts of all." And reasonably it belongs to the Godhead alone to see the minds. For if this were also clear to mortals who do not possess the goodness of God, they would be alienated from sinners so as not to help them but to turn away, being wary of the magnitude of the evils, lest they share the danger by interceding for such people. But if also from certain 15 proofs they grasped the purpose of the devil, nevertheless,

4

περὶ αὐτῶν θυσίας κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν αὐτῶν καὶ μόσχον ἕνα περὶ ἁμαρτίας περὶ τῶν ψυχῶν αὐτῶν." κατὰ τὸν λέγοντα· "ἐκ νυκτὸς ὀρθρίζει τὸ πνεῦμά μου πρὸς σέ, ὁ θεός", καί· "ὁ θεός μου, πρὸς σὲ ὀρθρίζω", καί· "τὸ πρωῒ παραστήσομαί σοι καὶ ἐπόψομαι" οὐ πρὸς ἕτερον ἔργον ὁ μακάριος Ἰὼβ τὸ πρωῒ ἀνίστατο ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ θεῷ ὑπὲρ τῶν παιδίων θυσίαν προσάγειν "κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν αὐτῶν", ὅ ἐστιν καθ' ἕκαστον καὶ εὐτάκτως· οὐδὲν γὰρ συγκεχυμένον ἐν σπουδαίῳ. ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν τὸν μόσχον προσῆγεν κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον τρόπον καὶ τὴν τῶν παίδων ἀγωγὴν συνεθίζων.

12 οὕτως οὖν ἐκαθάριζεν αὐτοὺς μετὰ τὸ συντελεσθῆναι τὸν πότον, μετὰ τῆς αἰσθητῆς καθάρσεως καὶ τὰ πρὸς διάνοιαν συντελοῦντα καθαρτήρια παραδεικνύς. εἰ δὲ τὸν πρὸς ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων προσαγόμενον "μόσχον" τὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ γένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων "σταυρὸν ὑπομείναντα" ςωτῆρα δηλοῖ, συνεπίσκεψαι, ὅστις καὶ "σιτευτὸς" ἐν τῇ παραβολῇ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου εἴρηται διὰ τὸ θρεπτικὸς εἶναι τῆς θείας διδασκαλίας. μὴ θαύμαζε δέ, εἰ ἐπὶ τὸν ςωτῆρα ὁ μόσχος αἰνίττεται· καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἀμύητος ἦν ὁ Ἰὼβ τῆς ἐπιδημίας τοῦ ςωτῆρος· περὶ γὰρ αὐτοῦ εἶπεν· "ὁ μέλλων τὸ μέγα κῆτος χειρώσασθαι". "ἔλεγεν γὰρ ὁ Ἰώβ· μήποτε ἐν τῆι διανοίᾳ αὐτῶν οἱ υἱοί μου κακὰ ἐνενόησαν πρὸς τὸν θεόν." μεγάλη καθαρότης ἐν τούτῳ τῶν παιδίων δείκνυται· μὴ γὰρ ὁρῶν αἰσθητόν τι ἁμάρτημα αὐτῶν περὶ τῶν κατὰ διάνοιαν τὴν θυσίαν προσῆγεν λογιζόμενος, ὅτι ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη ἀσθένεια καὶ μαλακία̣ ἐν νεότητι ὄλισθον ἔχει πολλάκις. διόπερ καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· "οὐδὲν ἐμαυτῶι σύνοιδα, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τούτωι 13 δεδικαίωμαι", καὶ ὁ ψαλμῳδός· "ἀπὸ τῶν κρυφίων μου καθάρισόν με." ὅθεν παρατηρητέον, οὐχ ὡς ἁμαρτημάτων ἕνεκεν τοιούτωι θανάτῳ ὑπεβλήθησαν. "οὕτως οὖν ἐποίει Ἰὼβ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ." τὸ ἀδιάστατον τοῦ τόνου τοῦ ἁγίου ἐνταῦθα δηλοῦται, ὡς οὐ ποτὲ μὲν ποτὲ δὲ οὒ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐνεργοῦντος. τοῦτο καὶ ∆αυὶδ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ φησι ψάλλων· "εὐλογήσω τὸν κύριον ἐν παντὶ καιρῶι." "καὶ ὡς ἐγένετο ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἦλθον οἱ ἄγγελοι παραστῆναι ἐνώπιον τοῦ κυρίου, καὶ ὁ διάβολος ἦλθεν μετ' αὐτῶν." τὸ μὲν σχῆμα τῆς λέξεως ὁ λόγος ἐμφαίνων διηγηματικώτερον τὰ περὶ τῆς παραστάσεως τῶν ἀγγέλων διηγεῖτο ἐν τῷ· "καὶ ὡς ἐγένετο ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη", ἡμῶν ἀκολούθως νοούντων καιρὸν καὶ κατάλληλον κατάστασιν τῆς παραστάσεως τῆς ἐνώπιον κυρίου τῶν ἀγγέλων τὰς ἰδίας λειτουργίας καὶ τὸν ἰ´̣διον πόνον τὸν πρὸς θεὸν̣ παρασχόντων. αὐτῶν καθιστώντων παρέστη δὴ καὶ ὁ διάβολος. εἰ καὶ πολύπτυχός ἐστι καὶ πολύτρ̣οπ̣ος, οὐ λανθάνει θεόν. ε̣ἴρηται, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἐλήλυθεν οὐ "παραστῆναι ἐνώ14 πιον" αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπὸ τοῦ πάντα ἐφορῶντος ὀφθαλμοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ γιγνωσκόμενος. εἴη δὲ καὶ τὸ ὑποκριτικὸν τοῦ διαβόλου δηλοῦν τὸ ῥητόν, "μετασχηματιζομένου" μὲν "εἰς ἄγγελον φωτὸς" καὶ ταῦτα λανθάνοντος τοὺς γεννητούς, θεὸν δὲ μὴ δυναμένου λαθεῖν τὸν πάντων γενεσιάρχην καὶ τὸν "δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα" καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα· τῆς γὰρ αὐτῆς οὐσίας ἡ τριάς. ὡς γὰρ περὶ τοῦ λόγου εἴρηται ὡς "κριτικός ἐστιν ἐνθυμήσεων καὶ ἐννοιῶν καρδίας καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν κτίσις ἀφανὴς ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ· πάντα δὲ γυμνὰ καὶ τετραχηλισμένα τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ", οὕτω καὶ περὶ τοῦ πνεύματος· "τὸ γὰρ πνεῦμα πάντα ἐρευνᾷ." καὶ περὶ πατρὸς πρὸς τῶν ἀποστόλων εἴρηται· "σὺ κύριε καρδιογνῶστα πάντων." καὶ εἰκότως μόνης τῆς θεότητός ἐστι τὸ τὰς διανοίας ὁρᾶν. εἰ γὰρ ἦν καὶ τοῖς γεννητοῖς τοῦτο δῆλον μὴ ἔχουσιν θεοῦ ἀγαθότητα, ἠλλοτριοῦντο ἂν τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων ὡς μὴ ἐπικουρεῖν αὐτοῖς ἀλλ' ἀποστρέφεσθαι διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῶν κακῶν εὐλαβούμενοι, μὴ συνκινδυνεύσωσιν ὑπὲρ τοιούτων πρεσβεύοντες. εἰ δὲ καὶ ἔκ τινων 15 τεκμηρίων κατελάμβανον τὴν τοῦ διαβόλου πρόθεσιν, ἀλλὰ γοῦν,