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4

he will not take an increase; and it shows him to be easy to deal with and peaceful, so as to be able to arbitrate best for those in dispute; For from injustice, it says, he will turn his hand away and he will make a just judgment between a man and between his neighbor. For this is the exceptional and most distinguished thing, composed with all the other achievements of righteousness, the civic and judicial disposition, bringing what is suitable to each, which is why it is also named after justice. And having gone through all things, both what must be done and what must not, he applied the common rule and standard to all, by looking to which one will not err in anything. In my commandments, he says, he has walked, he has kept my ordinances to do them. And when all these things have been bound together and blended, and held like one body of many parts and all-harmonious, the just man comes to be. And having perfected him through so many things, and as if composing for him one definition and description from so many things, he enclosed everything in one name, and says: This just man shall surely live. Since, therefore, we have heard what things characterize the just man, come, let us consider alongside these also the things concerning Job. The just man is pious, but what of Job? did he not propitiate God with sacrifices for each one? temperate, and he also, A covenant, he says, 64.516 I made with my eyes, not to look upon a virgin; meek and gentle, and what is more meek than this man? whose servants, because of his excessive kindness, so depended on him that they desired to almost devour him; for they said: Who will give us to be filled with his flesh? Merciful and sociable, and who here is a match for Job? Was not his door opened to everyone who came, and no one went out with an empty bosom; the just man will arbitrate justly for those in dispute; it is possible here too for Job to boast, and to say: I investigated the cause which I did not know, and I broke the molar teeth; the just man will wrong no one, but Job even curses himself, If I raised my hand against an orphan, may my shoulder then fall from its joint. Since, therefore, Job practiced every particle of virtue with excess, for this reason he is called both blameless and just. Thus Job was also just, not having a part of virtue in himself, but all human virtue, whole and universal, not abstaining from this evil, while holding fast to another; so we also call that a just weight which is equal everywhere, not if it can weigh gold equally, but lead contrarily; but that which provides equality in all substances, and again a measure that is equal everywhere. Thus also Job was just, being equal everywhere; for not only in matters of money did he maintain this equality, but also in all other things, nowhere transgressing the measure; for no one could say that while in money matters he loved equality, yet in his interaction with his neighbors he overstepped the measure, but being someone arrogant and disdainful, but he fled from this too with great abundance, saying: And if I despised the judgment of my manservant or maidservant, when they contended with me, did not they come to be in the same way as I did? Therefore this too is the greatest injustice, to be boastful and arrogant; for just as we call someone covetous who wishes to take the things of others, and is not content with his own, so too we call him boastful, when he demands more than is due to a man, from his neighbor, when one establishes himself in all honor, but wishes to dishonor another, and this comes from nowhere else than from injustice; for this is injustice, God made one substance for all, He has given all things common and equal to one's neighbor; how then do you cast him out and deprive him of the honor which God has given? not allowing him to be a partner, but making everything yours, making him poor not in money, but in glory? One substance God granted to both, and the presidency of that substance; for, "Let us make man," is common to the whole race; how then him of his paternal

4

πλεονασμὸν οὐ λήψεται· εὐσυνάλλακτόν τε καὶ εἰρηνικὸν ἀποφαίνει, ὡς καὶ διαιτᾷν ἄριστα τοῖς ἀμφισβητοῦσι δύνασθαι· Καὶ ἐξ ἀδικίας γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀποστρέψει τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ καὶ κρῖμα δίκαιον ποιήσει ἀναμέσον ἀνδρὸς καὶ ἀναμέσον τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ ἐξαίρετον καὶ διαπρεπέστατον, τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι συγκείμενον τοῖς τῆς δικαιοσύνης κατορθώμασιν, ἡ πολιτικὴ καὶ δικαστικὴ ἕξις, ἑκάστῳ πρόσφορον ἐπιφέρουσα, διὸ καὶ τῆς δίκης ἐστὶν ἐπώνυμος. ∆ιεξελθὼν δὲ, πάντα τά τε πρακτέα, καὶ τὰ μὴ, τὸν κοινὸν κανόνα καὶ τύπον πᾶσιν ἐφήρμοσεν, εἰς ὃν ἀφορῶν τις, ἐν οὐδενὶ διαμαρτήσεται. Ἐν τοῖς προστάγμασί μου, φησὶν, πεπόρευται, τὰ δικαιώματά μου πεφύλακται τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτά. Καὶ ταῦτα πάντα συνδεθέντα καὶ ἀνακραθέντα, καὶ ὥσπερ σῶμα ἓν πολυμερὲς καὶ παναρμόνιον κρατηθὲν, ὁ δίκαιος γίνεται. Καὶ διὰ τῶν τοσούτων ἀπαρτίσας αὐτὸν, καὶ ὥσπερ ὅρον αὐτῷ καὶ περιγραφὴν μίαν ἐκ τῶν τοσούτων συνθεὶς, εἰς ἓν πάντα κατέκλεισεν ὄνομα, καὶ λέγει· ∆ίκαιος οὗτος ζωῇ ζήσεται. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἠκούσαμεν τίνα ἐστὶ τὰ τὸν δίκαιον χαρακτηρίζοντα, φέρε παρὰ ταῦτα καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ἰὼβ θεωρήσωμεν. Εὐσεβής ἐστιν ὁ δίκαιος, τί δὲ ὁ Ἰώβ; οὐχὶ ταῖς θυσίαις τὸν Θεὸν ἐφ' ἑκάστης ἱλάσκετο; σώφρων, καὶ οὗτος, ∆ιαθήκην, φησὶν, 64.516 ἐθέμην τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου, τοῦ μὴ κατανοῆσαι εἰς παρθένον· πρᾶος καὶ ἐπιεικὴς, καὶ τί τούτου πραότερον; οὗ καὶ οἱ οἰκέται διὰ τὴν ἄγαν χρηστότητα οὕτως ἐξεκρέμαντο, ὡς μικρῷ καὶ καταπιεῖν αὐτὸν ἐπιθυμεῖν· ἔλεγον γάρ· Τίς ἂν δῷ ἡμῖν τῶν σαρκῶν αὐτοῦ ἐμπλησθῆναι; Ἐλεήμων καὶ κοινωνικὸς, καὶ τίς ἐνταῦθα τῷ Ἰὼβ ἐφάμιλλος; Οὐχ ἡ θύρα παντὶ ἐλθόντι ἀνέῳκται, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐξῆλθε κόλπῳ κενῷ· διαιτήσει δικαίως τοῖς ἀμφισβητοῦσιν ὁ δίκαιος ἔξεστι κἀνταῦθα τῷ Ἰὼβ καυχήσασθαι, καὶ εἰπεῖν· ∆ίκην ἣν οὐκ ᾔδειν ἐξιχνίασα, καὶ συνέτριψα μύλας ὀδόντων· οὐκ ἀδικήσει οὐδένα ὁ δίκαιος, ὁ δὲ Ἰὼβ καὶ ἐπαρᾶται ἑαυτῷ, Εἰ ἐπῆρα ὀρφανῷ χεῖρα, ἀποσταίη ἄρα ὁ ὦμός μου ἀπὸ τῆς κλειδός. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ὁ Ἰὼβ ἅπαν μόριον ἀρετῆς μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς ἠκριβώσατο, διὰ τοῦτο ἄμεμπτός τε καὶ δίκαιος ὀνομάζεται. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Ἰὼβ δίκαιος ἦν, οὐ μέρος ἀρετῆς ἐν αὑτῷ ἔχων, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ὁλόκληρον καὶ καθολικὴν, οὐκ ἀπὸ τούτου μὲν ἀπεχόμενος τοῦ πονηροῦ, ἑτέρου δὲ ἀντεχόμενος· οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς δίκαιον στάθμιον τοῦτο λέγομεν, τὸ πανταχοῦ ἴσον, οὐκ ἐὰν χρυσὸν μὲν ἐξ ἴσης ἱστᾷν δύνηται, μόλυβδον δὲ ἐναντίως· ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐν πάσαις ὕλαις τὴν ἰσότητα παρεχόμενον, καὶ μέτρον πάλιν πανταχοῦ ἴσον. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Ἰὼβ δίκαιος πανταχοῦ ἴσος ὤν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπὶ χρήμασι τὴν ἰσότητα ταύτην ἐφύλαττε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν, οὐδαμοῦ τὸ μέτρον ὑπερβαίνων· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔχοι τις ἂν εἰπεῖν ὅτι ἐν χρήμασι μὲν τὴν ἰσονομίαν ἔστεργεν, ἐν δὲ τῇ πρὸς τοὺς πλησίον ὁμιλίᾳ τὸ μέτρον ὑπερέβαινεν, ἀλλὰ ζῶν τις καὶ ὑπεροπτικὸς ὢν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο ἐκ πολλῆς τῆς περιουσίας ἔφυγε λέγων· Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐφαύλισα κρῖμα θεράποντος ἢ θεραπαίνης, κρινομένων αὐτῶν πρός με, ἢ οὐχ ὡς ἐγὼ ἐγενόμην, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐγένοντο; Ἄρα καὶ τοῦτο ἀδικία μεγίστη τὸν ἀλαζόνα εἶναι καὶ ὑπερήφανον· ὥσπερ γὰρ πλεονέκτην, τὰ τῶν ἄλλων βουλόμενον λαβεῖν καλοῦμεν, καὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις οὐκ ἀρκούμενον, οὕτω καὶ ἀλαζονικὸν λέγομεν, ὅταν πλέον ἀπαιτεῖ τῶν ὀφειλομένων ἀνθρώπῳ, παρὰ τοῦ πλησίον, ὅταν τις ἑαυτὸν μὲν ἐν πάσῃ καθιστᾷ τιμῇ, ἕτερον δὲ ἀτιμάσαι θέλῃ, τοῦτο δὲ οὐδαμόθεν ἄλλοθεν γίνεται ἢ ἐξ ἀδικίας· ὅτι γὰρ ἀδικία τοῦτο, μίαν οὐσίαν ἁπάντων ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησεν, πάντα κοινὰ καὶ ἴσα δέδωκε πρὸς τὸν πλησίον· πῶς οὖν αὐτὸν ἐκβάλλεις καὶ ἀποστερεῖς τῆς τιμῆς, ἧς ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεός· οὐκ ἀφεὶς εἶναι κοινωνὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ πᾶν σὸν ποιῶν, οὐκ ἐν χρήμασιν, ἀλλ' ἐν δόξῃ ποιῶν αὐτὸν πένητα; Μίαν οὐσίαν ἀμφοτέροις ὁ Θεὸς ἐχαρίσατο καὶ τὴν τῆς οὐσίας προεδρίαν· τὸ γὰρ, Ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον, κοινὸν τοῦ γένους παντός· πῶς οὖν αὐτὸν τῆς πατρῴας