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to bring temptations upon us. Therefore, Scripture, having set forth these very things for our understanding, brought forth the account figuratively. And "it came to pass on a certain day" is instead of: "a certain day came, on which the theater was opened and the athlete went down to the wrestling matches." And since the holy angels both care for us 16 and look after us, but the devil works against our salvation, and concerning the same matter, that is, man, they work against each other, they are said to stand together before God who oversees what is being done. But we conquer or are defeated, not by the power of those working against us or the weakness of those allied with us, but by our own choice. For with each inciting us to themselves, the holy angels to good things, but the wicked demons to evil things, our choice, honored with free will, proceeds to whichever side it wishes. For neither does God compel us, having honored us with free will, nor does the devil possess any coercive power over us. 1, 7 And the Lord said to the devil: From where have you come? That angels indeed converse with the devil is shown also from the writings of Zechariah the prophet, where the angel says to the devil: May He who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you. And it is also said in the Catholic epistles, when Michael disputed about the body of Moses, that: the holy Michael did not dare to bring a judgment of blasphemy against the devil, but said only: May the Lord rebuke you. Here, therefore, it is possible to understand that a certain holy angel, serving the Lord's command, holds the conversation with the devil. And just as, if some bodyguard of a ruler should bring a reply from the one in power to someone, we know the reply is the ruler's, so also the voices of the holy angels, being offered according to the will of God, are believed to be of God Himself. Therefore God 17 converses with the devil through the holy angels, not deeming him worthy of a word, but for the sake of the one being tempted. So it is either this, or with God being pleased by the righteous man's achievements, and the devil being envious and seeking to receive permission for temptations against him, again Scripture brought forth the account figuratively. And "From where have you come?" is said reproachfully to the devil because he has fallen from the order of the ministering spirits, just as God also said to Adam: Adam, where are you? which is instead of: from what things into what things have you fallen. 1, 7 And the devil answered the Lord and said: Having gone round the earth and walked through what is under heaven, I am present. First, he becomes his own accuser, that he no longer has a firm standing, but restlessly wanders everywhere, having undertaken the battle against all men, and that he also roams the uninhabited world (for he says, "having walked through what is under heaven, I am present"), perhaps according to some economy of God so that he might not trouble our race continually. 1, 8 And the Lord said to him: Have you applied your mind against my servant Job? To your perverted mind, your malicious one, to which you always apply yourself for the purpose of turning aside the uprightness of men. So it is said either interrogatively or declaratively and with character, instead of: I know that you have applied your mind, for you envy him because of the virtues he possesses. 1, 8 for there is not a man like him on the earth, blameless, 18 true, God-fearing, abstaining from every evil thing. With many praises he extols the righteous one, calling out the antagonist to the struggle against the athlete. 1, 9 But the devil answered and said before the Lord: Does Job worship God for nothing? Truly the words of the devil: not according to virtue, he says, but in return for the benefactions toward him does he render worship to you. And "before the Lord," is to show the shameless mind that is always zealous to oppose what seems good to God. 1, 10 Have you not hedged about his possessions outside and the things inside his house and all that he has round about? You have blessed the works of his hands, and you have made his cattle numerous upon the earth. Nothing of his, he says,

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τοὺς πειρασμοὺς ἡμῖν ἐπάγειν. ταῦτα οὖν αὐτὰ διατυπώσασα ἡ γραφὴ διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν νόησιν κατὰ σχηματισμὸν τὸν λόγον προήγαγεν. τὸ δὲ ἐγένετο ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη ἀντὶ τοῦ· ἧκέν τις ἡμέρα, ἐν ᾗ τὸ θέατρον ἠνοίχθη καὶ ὁ ἀθλητὴς κατέβη πρὸς τὰ παλαίσματα. ἐπειδὴ δὲ οἱ μὲν ἅγιοι ἄγγελοι κήδονταί τε ἡμῶν 16 καὶ περιέπουσιν, ὁ δὲ διάβολος ἀντιπράττει τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ σωτηρίᾳ, καὶ περὶ τὸ αὐτὸ πρᾶγμα, τουτέστι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀντιπράττουσιν ἀλλήλοις, ὁμοῦ παρεστάναι λέγονται τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ πραττόμενα ἐφορῶντος. νικῶμεν δὲ ἡμεῖς ἢ ἡττώμεθα, οὐ παρὰ τὴν τῶν ἀντιπραττόντων δύναμιν ἢ τῶν συμμαχούντων ἀδυναμίαν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν προαίρεσιν. ἑκατέρων γὰρ εἰς ἑαυτοὺς προτρεπόντων, τῶν μὲν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων εἰς τὰ ἀγαθά, τῶν δὲ ἀλιτηρίων δαιμόνων εἰς τὰ φαῦλα, ἡ ἡμετέρα προαίρεσις τῷ αὐτεξουσίῳ τετιμημένη εἰς ὃ ἂν θελήσῃ μέρος προχωρεῖ. οὔτε γὰρ θεὸς βιάζεται τιμήσας ἡμᾶς τῷ αὐτεξουσίῳ, οὔτε διάβολος ἀναγκαστικήν τινα δύναμιν κέκτηται καθ' ἡμῶν. 1, 7 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ διαβόλῳ· πόθεν παραγέγονας; ὅτι μὲν ἄγγελοι προσδιαλέγονται τῷ διαβόλῳ, δηλοῦται μὲν καὶ ἐκ τῶν παρὰ Ζαχαρίᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ, ἔνθα φησὶν ὁ ἄγγελος τῷ διαβόλῳ· ἐπιτιμήσαιέν σοι ὁ ἐκλεξάμενος τὴν Ἰερουσαλήμ. εἴρηται δὲ καὶ ἐν Καθολικαῖς, ὅτε ὁ Μιχαὴλ περὶ τοῦ Μωυσέως διεμάχετο σώματος, ὡς ὅτι· οὐκ ἐτόλμησεν ὁ ἅγιος Μιχαὴλ κρίσιν βλασφημίας ἐπενεγκεῖν κατὰ τοῦ διαβόλου, ἔφη δὲ μόνον· ἐπιτιμήσαι σοι κύριος. κἀνταῦθα τοίνυν ἔστιν ἐννοεῖν, ὡς τῷ δεσποτικῷ προστάγματι ἅγιός τις ἄγγελος ὑπηρετούμενος τὴν διάλεξιν ποιεῖται πρὸς τὸν διάβολον. καὶ ὥσπερ, εἴ τις δορυφόρος ἄρχοντος ἀπόκρισιν ἐκ τοῦ κρατοῦντος φέροι πρός τινα, τοῦ ἄρχοντος εἶναι τὴν ἀπόκρισιν οἴδαμεν, οὕτω καὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων αἱ φωναὶ κατὰ γνώμην θεοῦ προσφερόμεναι αὐτοῦ εἶναι πιστεύονται τοῦ θεοῦ. διαλέγεται τοίνυν ὁ 17 θεὸς τῷ διαβόλῳ διὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων οὐκ ἀξιῶν αὐτὸν λόγου, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν πειραζόμενον. ἢ οὖν τοῦτό ἐστιν, ἢ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῖς τοῦ δικαίου κατορθώμασιν ἡδομένου, τοῦ δὲ διαβόλου διαφθονουμένου καὶ ζητοῦντος λαβεῖν κατ' αὐτοῦ τῶν πειρασμῶν τὴν συγχώρησιν πάλιν ἡ γραφὴ κατὰ σχηματισμὸν τὸν λόγον προήγαγεν. τὸ δὲ πόθεν παραγέγονας ὀνειδιστικῶς λέγεται πρὸς τὸν διάβολον διὰ τὸ ἐκπεπτωκέναι αὐτὸν τῆς τῶν λειτουργικῶν πνευμάτων τάξεως, ὥσπερ καὶ τῷ Ἀδὰμ ἔλεγεν ὁ θεός· Ἀδάμ, ποῦ εἶ; ἀντὶ τοῦ· ἐκ ποίων εἰς οἷα καταπέπτωκας. 1, 7 καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ διάβολος τῷ κυρίῳ εἶπεν· περιελθὼν τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσας τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανὸν πάρειμι. πρῶτα μὲν ἑαυτοῦ κατήγορος γίνεται, ὡς οὐκέτι βεβαίαν ἔχει τὴν στάσιν, ἀλλὰ ἀστάτως πανταχοῦ περιφέρεται τὴν κατὰ πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἀναδεξάμενος μάχην, καὶ ὅτι καὶ τὴν ἀοίκητον περινοστεῖ (ἐμπεριπατήσας, γάρ φησιν, τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανὸν πάρειμι) κατά τινα ἴσως οἰκονομίαν θεοῦ ὡς ἂν μὴ διὰ παντὸς ἐνοχλοίη ἡμῶν τῷ γένει. 1, 8 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ κύριος· προσέσχες τῇ διανοίᾳ σου κατὰ τοῦ θεράποντός μου Ἰώβ; τῇ διεστραμμένῃ διανοίᾳ, τῇ κακοτέχνῳ, ᾗ ἀεὶ προσέχεις εἰς τὸ παρατρέψαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν εὐθύτητα. ἢ οὖν ἐρωτηματικῶς λέγεται ἢ ἀποφαντικῶς καὶ μετὰ ἤθους, ἀντὶ τοῦ· οἶδα ὅτι προσέσχες, διαφθονῇ γὰρ αὐτῷ διὰ τὰς προσούσας αὐτῷ ἀρετάς. 1, 8 ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν κατ' αὐτὸν τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἄνθρωπος ἄμεμπτος, 18 ἀληθινός, θεοσεβής, ἀπεχόμενος ἀπὸ παντὸς πονηροῦ πράγματος. πολλοῖς ἐγκωμίοις αὔξει τὸν δίκαιον εἰς τὴν κατὰ τοῦ ἀθλητοῦ πάλην ἐκκαλούμενος τὸν ἀνταγωνιστήν. 1, 9 ἀπεκρίθη δὲ ὁ διάβολος καὶ εἶπεν ἐναντίον τοῦ κυρίου· μὴ δωρεὰν Ἰὼβ σέβεται τὸν θεόν; ὄντως διαβόλου τὰ ῥήματα· οὐ κατὰ ἀρετήν, φησίν, ἀλλὰ ἀντιμισθίαν τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν εὐεργεσιῶν ἀπονέμει σοι τὸ σέβας. τὸ δὲ ἐναντίον τοῦ κυρίου, ἵνα δείξῃ τὴν ἀναιδῆ γνώμην τὴν ἀντιπράττειν ἀεὶ τοῖς θεῷ δοκοῦσι σπουδάζουσαν. 1, 10 οὐ σῦ περιέφραξας τὰ ἔξω αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ ἔσω τῆς οἰκίας αὐτοῦ καὶ πάντων τῶν ὄντων αὐτῷ κύκλῳ; τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ εὐλόγησας, καὶ τὰ κτήνη αὐτοῦ πολλὰ ἐποίησας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. οὐδὲν αὐτοῦ, φησίν,