Origen of Alexandria, Homilies on Job

Homilies on job 361 ch. 1, 2. and that man was true, blameless, righteous, god-fearing, abstaining from every evil thing. for wicked men are false, li

My witness is in heaven, and my advocate is in the highest. being at a loss, he speaks to the earth, 365 and calling for sympathy he says words, which

Having said that he was struck by god, he also mentioned that he was wronged by men he argues, therefore, that all things were brought upon him becau

I took from the naked. many such things happen among us, when we lend, when we go to debtors often our debtor is exceedingly poor, unable to repay a

Not from what i have done, you seem to bring your reproofs for god has laid a heavy hand upon me, so that i groan. -i know, he says, that from the de

He says, i have made the matter useful to me a virtue for i used all things well. 7. when i went out early in the city, and in the squares my seat wa

Wickedness, to be such even in poverty. 24. for if only i could overcome myself. you see that the phrase if i could is said not because of weakness,

Into heaven. no lover of the world looks up to heaven let us not love the world, nor the things in the world. if we love the things from here, we do

Of knowledge being inherent in each, and for knowledge, for one of war, for others of the dead, you see also the vulture, one borne through the air. 3

Of a release from external masks, from the writings of the devil and demons, the author of evil and wicked things. for it says: who will uncover the f

Whom the lord raises up. aquila and symmachus, having come, finished the book, as indeed following the hebrew but theodotion finishes it with the sev

not from what I have done, you seem to bring your reproofs; for God has laid a heavy hand upon me, so that I groan. -I know, he says, that from the deeds of men, are their judgments; yet beyond my strength was the reproof laid upon me, that is, outside of my deeds. 2. And with great strength he will come upon me, then he will not use a threat against me. For even if he uses great strength and a threat against me, yet still I know that truth is with him. 7. For truth and reproof are from him; but may he bring my judgment to an end. He prayed for this, this is what he says, so that an end might be put to my sufferings; then, he says, that I wished these things to happen, so that I might die, not as he is now about to judge. -Among the Hebrews, the end and the victory are signified by one word. 10. For he already knows my way. He knows, he says, my way, and that I have always striven to obey him; but who, when he judges, will speak against him? 374 15. At this I shall be troubled from his presence; I will consider, and be terrified of him. I have not sinned, he says, and what of that? for God is able to punish not only from the authority of sins, but I say this also apart from sins. 17. For I did not know that darkness would come upon me, but gloom has covered me before my face. This has not happened according to human sequence, he says, the evil was unexpected; I surmise the blow to be from the hand of God. And well he said, before my face; for the darkness is not common, but of my own despondency. Ch. 24, 13. But why has he not made a visitation of these things? while they were on the earth, and they did not know. That is, they despised all things, they mocked all things; no one wrongs them, nor does them harm; but he has not yet made a visitation of these things, so that he will do so after this, and he will examine their transgressions, and will not overlook them; they have greedily devoured orphans. 14. But knowing their works, he delivered them to darkness. That is, having learned their works, or because having examined and tested, that is, having known. Ch. 27, 4. Nor will my soul meditate on unjust things. That is, I will stand by the same vote, no one will be able to turn me aside, no one to rush in, no one to lead me astray from my purpose. 5. Far be it from me to declare you righteous 375 until I die, for I will not put away my innocence. That is, I will not accuse myself, nor will I change my mind, even if you say ten thousand things; I will not abandon my vote, even if you seem to stop the reproof against me. And if I should agree to what you say, when you have understood why I have suffered these things, I would have declared you righteous. I will not cast away my innocence, thinking one thing about you, and saying another. 10. Or when necessity comes upon him, does he not have some boldness before him? What he says is this: That, he says, the one who does wrong has no boldness, nor can he speak, nor say these things which I do now, but has been deprived and silenced; but I have not suffered this, but I speak and I speak against. But the unjust are not so. Ch. 28, 1. For there is a place for silver etc. He says this, that he who has established order in common things, does so much more in human affairs. 2, 3. For iron is taken from the earth, and bronze is quarried like stone. He has set an order for darkness, and he himself scrutinizes every limit. That he provides and cares for affairs, and nothing simply or randomly passes by. Or rather he says this, that other things are clear, but the economy of God is inscrutable and unknown. And after a little: He said well: He has set an order for darkness, showing that he knows how to yield and to stand aside. Who drives away the gloom 376 that? whence such good order in such a matter? then he recounts his power, then his wisdom, persuading not to wish to demand an account from him. Ch. 29, 3. As when his lamp shone over my head, when by his light I walked in darkness. For that he sought his former prosperity for this reason, that the providence of God might be shown, is clear from his saying: When God watched over me. 4. When God made a visitation of my house. But Symmachus: Whenever God hedged about my tent. You see that he desired this, to show the visitation and providence of God. Because I was young, being righteous,

οὐκ ἀφ' ὧν ἔπραξα, δοκεῖτε τοὺς ἐλέγχους ἐπάγειν· καὶ γὰρ βαρέως ἐπέθετό μοι Θεὸς, ὥστε με στενάζειν. -Οἶδα, φησὶν, ὅτι ἐκ τῶν πράξεων τῶν ἀνθρώπων, αἱ κρίσεις αὐ τοῖς· πλὴν ὑπὲρ τὴν ἰσχύν μου ἐπετέθη μοι, ἤτοι ἔξω τῆς πράξεώς μου, ὁ ἔλεγχος. ʹ. Καὶ ἐν πολλῇ ἰσχύϊ ἐπελεύσεταί μοι, εἶτα ἐν ἀπειλῇ μοι οὐ χρήσεται. Καὶ γὰρ εἰ ἐν πολλῇ ἰσχύϊ χρήσεται μοι καὶ ἀπειλῇ, ἀλλ' ὅμως οἶδα ὅτι ἀλήθεια παρ' αὐτῷ ἐστιν. ζʹ. Ἀλήθεια γὰρ καὶ ἔλεγχος παρ' αὐτοῦ· ἐξαγάγοι δὲ εἰς τέλος τὸ κρίμα μου. Τοῦτο ηὔξατο, τοῦτό ἐστιν ὅ φησιν, ὥστε πέρας ἐπιτεθῆναί μου τοῖς δεινοῖς· εἶτα, φη σὶν, ὅτι ταῦτα ἤθελον γενέσθαι, ὥστε ἀπο θανεῖν, οὐχ ὡς νῦν μέλλοντος αὐτοῦ κρίνειν. -Παρ' Ἑβραίοις, τὸ τέλος καὶ ἡ νίκη διὰ μιᾶς σημαίνεται λέξεως. ιʹ. Οἶδεν γὰρ ἤδη ὁδόν μου. Οἶδε, φησὶ, τὴν ὁδόν μου, καὶ ὅτι ἐσπού δασα ἀεὶ ὑπακούειν αὐτῷ· ἀλλὰ τίς, ὅταν κρίνῃ, ἀντερεῖ αὐτῷ; 374 ιεʹ. Ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ κα τασπουδασθῶ· κατανοήσω, καὶ πτοηθήσομαι ἐξ αὐτοῦ. Οὐχ ἥμαρτον, φησὶ, καὶ τί τοῦτο; οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐξουσίας ἔξεστι κολάζειν Θεῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο χωρὶς ἁμαρτημάτων λέγω. ιζʹ. Οὐ γὰρ ᾔδειν ὅτι ἐπελεύσεταί μοι σκό τος, πρὸ προσώπου δέ μου ἐκάλυψεν γνόφος. Οὐ κατ' ἀκολουθίαν ἀνθρωπίνην γέγονε τοῦτο, φησὶν, ἀπροσδόκητον τὸ κακόν· στο χάζομαι τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χειρὸς εἶναι τὴν πλη γήν. Καὶ καλῶς εἶπε, πρὸ προσώπου μου· οὐ γὰρ κοινὸν τὸ σκότος ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀθυμίας. Κεφ. Κ∆ʹ, ιγʹ. Αὐτὸς δὲ διὰ τί τούτων ἐπισκοπὴν οὐ πεποίηται; ἐπὶ γῆς ὄντων αὐ τῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἐπέγνωσαν. Τουτέστιν πάντων κατεφρόνησαν, πάντων κατεγέλασαν· οὐδεὶς αὐτοὺς ἀδικεῖ, οὐδὲ κα κῶς ποιεῖ· αὐτὸς δὲ οὔπω ἐπισκοπὴν πε ποίηται τούτων, ὥστε ποιήσει μετὰ ταῦτα, καὶ ἐξετάσει τὰ πεπλημμελημένα αὐτοῖς, καὶ οὐ παρόψεται· ἐπιθυμητικῶς κατέφαγον ὀρφανούς. ιδʹ. Γνοὺς δὲ αὐτῶν τὰ ἔργα, παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς εἰς σκότος. Τουτέστιν, μαθὼν τὰ ἔργα, ἢ ὅτι ἐξε τάσας καὶ βασανίσας, τουτέστι γνούς. Κεφ. ΚΖʹ, δʹ. Οὐδὲ ἡ ψυχή μου μελετήσει ἄδικα. Τουτέστιν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς στήσομαι ψή φου, οὐδείς με παρατρέψαι δυνήσεται, οὐδεὶς εἰσκροῦσαι, οὐδεὶς παραγαγεῖν τοῦ προκει μένου. εʹ. Μή μοι εἴη δικαίους ὑμᾶς ἀποφῆναι 375 ἕως ἂν ἀποθάνω, οὐ γὰρ ἀπαλλάξω ἀκακίαν μου. Τουτέστιν, οὐ κατηγορήσω ἐμαυτοῦ, οὐδὲ μεταθήσομαι, κἂν μυρία λέγητε· οὐ προή σομαι τῆς ψήφου, εἰ καὶ δοκεῖτε παῦσαι τὸν κατ' ἐμοῦ ἔλεγχον. Κἂν συγκαταθῶμαι εἰς ἃ λέγετε, ὅτε νενοήκατε διὰ τί ταῦτα πέ πονθα, δικαίους ὑμᾶς ἀπεφηναίην. Οὐκ ἀπώ σομαι τὴν ἀκακίαν μου, ἕτερα νοῶν περὶ ὑμῶν, καὶ ἕτερα λέγων. ιʹ. Ἢ ἐπελθούσης αὐτῷ ἀνάγκης, μὴ ἔχει τινὰ παῤῥησίαν ἔναντι αὐτοῦ; Ὃ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ὅτι, φησὶν, ὁ ἀδικῶν οὐκ ἔχει παῤῥησίαν, οὐδὲ φθέγξασθαι, οὐδὲ εἰπεῖν ταῦτα ἅπερ ἐγὼ νῦν, ἀλλ' ἀφῄ ρηται καὶ ἐπεστόμισται· ἐγὼ δὲ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔπαθον, ἀλλὰ λέγω καὶ ἀντιλέγω. Οἱ δὲ ἄδικοι οὐχ οὕτως. Κεφ. ΚΗʹ, αʹ. Ἔστι γὰρ ἀργυρίῳ τόπος κτλ. Τοῦτό φησιν, ὅτι ὁ ἐν τοῖς τυχοῦσιν τά ξιν ὁρίσας, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρω πίνοις. βʹ, γʹ. Σίδηρος μὲν γὰρ ἐκ γῆς γίνεται, χαλκὸς δὲ ἶσα λίθῳ λατομεῖται. Τάξιν ἔθετο σκότει, καὶ πᾶν πέρας αὐτὸς ἐξακριβάζεται. Ὅτι προνοεῖ καὶ μέλει τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῷ, καὶ οὐδὲν ἁπλῶς, οὐδ' εἰκῆ παρέρχε ται. Ἢ μᾶλλον ἐκεῖνό φησιν, ὅτι τὰ μὲν ἄλλα δῆλά ἐστιν, ἡ δὲ οἰκονομία τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀτέκ μαρτος καὶ ἄγνωστος. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Καλῶς εἶπε· Τάξιν ἔθετο σκότει, δεικνὺς ὅτι οἶδε παραχωρεῖν καὶ ὑπερεξίστασθαι. Τίς ἀπελαύνει τὸ ζόφον 376 ἐκεῖνον; πόθεν εὐταξία τοσαύτη ἐν πράγματι τοιούτῳ; εἶτα τὴν δύναμιν, εἶτα τὴν σοφίαν αὐτοῦ διηγεῖται, πείθων μὴ θέλειν ἀπαιτεῖν αὐτὸν εὐθύνας. Κεφ. ΚΘʹ, γʹ. Ὡς ὅτε ηὔγει ὁ λύχνος αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς μου, ὅτε τῷ φωτὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπορευόμην ἐν σκότει. Ὅτι γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο ἐζήτει τὴν προτέραν εὐπραγίαν, ἵνα δειχθῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ πρόνοια, δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ λέγειν· Ὅτε ὁ Θεὸς ἐφύλατ τέ με. δʹ. Ὅτε ὁ Θεὸς ἐπισκοπὴν ἐποιεῖτο τοῦ οἴκου μου. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος· Ὁπότε περιέφρασσεν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν σκηνήν μου. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι τοῦτο ἐπεθύμει, τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν καὶ τὴν πρόνοιαν δεῖ ξαι τοῦ Θεοῦ. Νέος διότε εἶχον ἐγὼ, δίκαιος ὢν,