of pains and such suspicion to be reckoned among the living. Therefore, upon the loss of his possessions and the sudden death of his children, we have heard what words of thanksgiving he uttered, and how he instructed his wife when she had thought something improper concerning the Master, and what things he uttered after the trial and the contempt and the sharp suffering, and how none of the human misfortunes disturbed him; but when his friends arrived, righteous and sympathetic men, he thought it opportune, seeing their patience and love for him, to speak and make public the pains in his soul, and he speaks, indeed, according to a harmless history. For the devil's one endeavor was to prepare the righteous man to blaspheme God. But he is by no means seen to have done this, but rather even praised and sent up words of thanksgiving. But he curses the day of his birth, and longs for death, for the reasons mentioned above. But in his thought he speaks mysteries; and he philosophizes about what has already happened, and gives full assurance of what is to come. For such are always the sayings of the holy prophets. And coming to the words themselves, let us clarify the meaning, with He who also strengthened the holy Job for his struggles guiding us to the interpretation. Verse 1. After this Job opened his mouth. That a righteous man opens his mouth, it is not fitting simply thus to pay attention to what is said, but to seek benefit from the words. For such words of the saints are always full of benefit; and a righteous man, opening his mouth, makes public hidden treasures. Therefore also the chosen vessel Paul, writing, says: My mouth is opened to you, Corinthians. And concerning the Lord it is written that, Opening his mouth he taught. And simply, that man is testified to open his mouth who was previously taught the measures of silence. Therefore Job also opens his mouth 17.69 after this; that is, after the great trophy, after those sufferings, he does not speak unexaminedly, being in great pain in his body, with his tongue preceding the law of prudence, but he is shown to be of sound mind even by his words. And the testimony of "he opened his mouth" also indicates the calm of his soul and the seemliness of his words. CHAPTER 19. Verse 1. How long will you vex my soul? Just as heavy bodies placed on the bodies of living things make the bearers weary; so there are some heavy words, which one grows weary hearing. As if pressed by a weight, by the power of the words not badly, and harshly, or abusively spoken by the other two who had come with Bildad, like the sensation of a heavy burden, Job says, being weary in his soul at what they had said: How long will you vex my soul? -And after a little: You see how the tyrant of the Shuhites is previously described. His words are tyrannical, which Job, having heard, says: How long will you vex my soul? Nothing else touches a man's soul so much as a harsh word. Often, having endured tortures inflicted on the body, he has not endured words. The perfect athlete, however, even if weary, still endures the harsh words. For to endure insult is the mark of a great man. Therefore, among his own manly deeds the Apostle says: When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become as the scum of the world, the refuse of all things, even until now. And after a little he then says, because of the, How long will you vex my soul? Do you see? It is Job, whose book contains nothing else preeminently but his manliness and his patience. But nevertheless he feels the weariness with which he was wearied by the harsh word of those who had come to visit him. Verse 3. Know only that the Lord has made me thus. What you see concerning me, do not think it has come to me from anywhere else but from God. Therefore, be afraid. For he who brings these things upon me is able to bring them upon you also. Verse 3. You speak against me; not being ashamed of me, you attack me. Often someone also speaks against another while doing evil. But when not

ἀλγηδόνων καὶ τοιαύτης ὑποψίας τοῖς ζῶσιν ἐγκατα λέγεσθαι. Ἐπὶ μὲν οὖν τῇ τῶν κτημάτων ἀπωλείᾳ καὶ τῇ τῶν παίδων ἀθρόᾳ τελευτῇ οἵας ἀφῆκε χα ριστηρίους φωνὰς ἠκούσαμεν, καὶ ὅπως τὴν γυναῖκα ἐξεπαίδευσεν ἀπρεπές τι περὶ τοῦ ∆εσπότου λογισα μένην, καὶ ποῖα μετὰ πεῖραν καὶ ἐξουδένωσιν καὶ τὸ δριμὺ πάθος ἐφθέγξατο, καὶ ὡς οὐδὲν αὐτὸν τῶν ἀν θρωπίνων συμπτωμάτων διεθορύβησεν· ὡς δὲ οἱ φί λοι παρεγένοντο ἄνδρες δίκαιοι καὶ συμπαθεῖς, εὔ καιρον ᾠήθη, θεωρῶν αὐτῶν τὴν ὑπομονὴν καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην ἐπ' αὐτῶν, εἰπεῖν καὶ δημοσιεῦσαι τὰς κατὰ ψυχὴν ἀλγηδόνας, καὶ φθέγγεται μὲν καθ' ἱστο ρίαν ἀκίνδυνον. Ἓν γὰρ ἦν τοῦ διαβόλου τὸ σπού δασμα, τὸ παρασκευάσαι τὸν δίκαιον βλασφημῆσαι Θεόν. Ὁ δὲ οὐδαμῶς φαίνεται τοῦτο διαπραξάμενος, ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλον εὐφημήσας, καὶ χαριστηρίους ἀνα πέμψας φωνάς. Καταρᾶται δὲ τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς γεννήσεως, καὶ τὸν θάνατον ἐπιποθεῖ, διὰ τὰς ἀνω τέρω λεχθείσας αἰτίας. Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν μυστήρια λαλεῖ· καὶ περὶ τῶν ἤδη προγεγονότων φιλοσοφεῖ, καὶ πληροφορεῖ τὸ μέλλον. Τοιαῦται γὰρ ἀεὶ τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν αἱ ῥήσεις. Ἐπὶ δὲ αὐτῶν τῶν λέ ξεων γενόμενοι, σαφηνίσωμεν τὴν διάνοιαν, αὐτοῦ ποδηγοῦντος πρὸς τὴν ἑρμηνείαν, τοῦ καὶ τὸν ἅγιον Ἰὼβ πρὸς τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἐνισχύσαντος. Στίχ. αʹ. Μετὰ τοῦτο ἤνοιξεν Ἰὼβ τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ. Ὅτι δίκαιος ἀνοίγει τὸ στόμα, οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὑτωσὶ προσήκει προσέχειν τοῖς λεγομένοις, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐκ τῶν λόγων ἀναζητεῖν ὠφέλειαν. Μεστὰ γὰρ ἀεὶ ὠφε λείας τὰ τοιαῦτα ῥήματα τῶν ἁγίων· καὶ ἀνοίγων τὸ στόμα δίκαιος, κεκρυμμένους δημοσιεύει θησαυ ρούς. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὸ σκεῦος τῆς ἐκλογῆς ὁ Παῦλος ἐπι στέλλων φησί· Τὸ στόμα μου ἀνέῳγε πρὸς ὑμᾶς, Κορίνθιοι. Καὶ περὶ τοῦ Κυρίου γέγραπται ὅτι Ἀνοίξας τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ἐδίδασκε. Καὶ ἁπλῶς ἐκεῖνος μαρτυρεῖται στόμα ἀνοίγειν, ὁ σιωπῆς μέτρα πρότερον διδαχθείς. Οὐκοῦν καὶ Ἰὼβ ἀνοίγει τὸ στόμα 17.69 μετὰ τοῦτο· τουτέστι μετὰ τὸ μέγα τρόπαιον, μετ' ἐκεῖνα τὰ πάθη, οὐκ ἀβασανίστως φθέγγεται περιαλ γῶν τῷ σώματι, τῆς γλώσσης φθανούσης τὸ τῆς φρο νήσεως ἔνθεσμον, ἀλλὰ σωφρονῶν καὶ ταῖς φωναῖς ὑποδείκνυται. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ καὶ τὴν γαλήνην τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τῶν ῥημάτων τὸ ἐμπρεπὲς ἡ τοῦ ἀνοῖξαι τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ μαρτυρία. ΚΕΦ. ΙΘʹ. Στίχ. αʹ. Ἕως τίνος ἔγκοπον ποιήσετε ψυχήν μου; Ὥσπερ σώματα βαρέα ἐπιτιθέμενα ζώων σώμα σιν, κάμνειν ποιεῖν τὰ βαστάζοντα· οὕτως εἰσί τι νες λόγοι βαρεῖς, οὓς ἀκούσας τις κάμνει. Ὡς ὑπὸ βάρους πιεζόμενος, τῆς δυνάμεως τῶν λόγων τῶν οὐ κακῶς, καὶ χαλεπῶς, ἢ ἐπὶ λοιδορίας εἰρημέ νων ὑπὸ τῶν ἄλλων δύο μετὰ Βαλδὰδ ἐληλυθότων, οἱονεὶ φορτίου αἴσθησις βαρέος, ὁ Ἰώβ φησι καμὼν τῇ ψυχῇ ἐφ' οἷς εἰρήκασιν· Ἕως τίνος ἔγκοπον ποιήσετε ψυχήν μου; -Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον· Ὁρᾷς ὡς προγέγραπται ὁ Σαυχαίων τύραννος. Τυ ραννικοὶ αὐτοῦ εἰσιν οἱ λόγοι, οὓς ἀκούσας ὁ Ἰὼβ, λέ γει· Ἕω τίνος ἔγκοπον ποιήσετε τὴν ψυχήν μου; Οὐχ οὕτως καθικνεῖται ψυχῆς ἀνθρώπου ἄλλο τι, ὡς λόγος σκληρός. Πολλάκις ὑπομείνας τὰς βασάνους σώματι προσφερομένας, λόγους οὐχ ὑπέμεινεν. Ὁ μέντοιγε τέλειος ἀθλητὴς, εἰ καὶ κάμνων, ἀλλ' ὑπο μένει τοὺς χαλεποὺς λόγους. Ὕβριν γὰρ ὑπομένειν μεγάλου ἀνδρός ἐστιν. ∆ιόπερ ἐν τοῖς ἀνδραγαθήμα σιν ἑαυτοῦ ὁ Ἀπόστολος λέγει· Λοιδορούμενοι εὐλο γοῦμεν, διωκόμενοι ἀνεχόμεθα, δυσφημούμενοι παρακαλοῦμεν. Ὥσπερ καθάρματα τοῦ κόσμου ἐγενήθημεν, πάντων περίψημα ἕως ἄρτι. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον φησὶν εἶτα, διὰ τὸ, Ἕως τίνος ἔγκοπον ποιή σετε ψυχήν μου; Ὁρᾷς; Ἰώβ ἐστιν, οὗ καὶ τὸ βιβλίον οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐξαιρέτως περιέχει ἢ τὴν ἀνδρίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ὑπομονήν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως αἰσθάνεται τῶν καμάτων, ὧν κεκμήκει ἀπὸ τοῦ λόγου τοῦ σκλη ροῦ τῶν ἐληλυθότων αὐτὸν ἐπισκοπῆσαι. Στίχ. γʹ. Γνῶτε μόνον, ὅτι ὁ Κύριος ἐποίησέ με οὕτως. Ἃ βλέπετε περὶ ἐμὲ, μὴ νομίσητε ἄλλοθεν ἐληλυ θέναι μοι ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Φοβήθητε τοίνυν. Ὁ γὰρ ἐμοὶ ταῦτα ἐπάγων δύναται καὶ ὑμῖν ἐπαγαγεῖν. Στίχ. γʹ. Καταλαλεῖτέ μου· οὐκ αἰσχυνόμενοί με, ἐπίκεισθέ μοι. Πολλάκις καὶ καταλαλεῖ τις κακῶς ποιῶν. Ὅτε ἂν δὲ οὐκ