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considering it to be of virtue, a claim for which he was refuted as incorrect. For even when deprived of these, he remained likewise undefeated. And in reality, an abundance of wealth contributes something to virtue for the one who uses it well, but in and of itself it contributes nothing to this. And the blessed Job showed his virtue to be uncorrupted both in poverty and in wealth. "But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has; surely he will bless you to your face." His 'hand' must be understood in different ways: either as the punishing and for this purpose ministering power, which the divine scripture is accustomed to name "vessels of wrath," or the covering and guarding power, as it is said: "no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand." It is possible also to understand the Son as a hand that covers and supports those who are under it, as it is said: "the right hand of the Lord has exalted me, the right hand of the Lord has wrought strength." And perhaps "touch" here means "lay hold of," instead of: bring on afflictions. For we have this commonly used in the scripture. For "do not touch my anointed ones" does not forbid a simple touch, but the audacity against the holy ones for the purpose of doing harm. And, "he who touches 23 you is as he who touches the apple of his eye" similarly signifies the one who touches for the purpose of doing evil. And if the devil has become an apostate and "has become stiff-necked before the Lord Almighty," nevertheless he has some reverence toward the creator of all. For he says: "surely he will bless you to your face," instead of "he will curse" or "he will blaspheme," using this word so that he might not bring the harsher term against God, uttering it as has been said before. "Then the Lord said to the devil: Behold, all that he has I give into your hand, but do not touch him." The things set forth are indicative of the fact that... no one falls into temptations without divine permission. For God says: "Behold, I have given all things into your hand." But in order that it may be clear that He also grants permission with measure, it is added: "but do not touch him." Whence circumstances do not happen either by fate or by chance, but from the permission of God, according to the things already set forth, for the demonstration of Job's virtue, and sometimes also for other reasons, about which it will be spoken in the following sections. "And the devil went out from the Lord." 24 It is said more literally of the devil, that he goes outside of the Lord, beyond Cain. For about that one it is also said: "For Cain went out from the face of the Lord God." And "to go out" signifies that he is without the vision of God. And so this one always goes out, being of those who are outside, even if he came feignedly with the attendants of God. "And it was as on this day, the sons of Job and his daughters were drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother." Accordingly, it mentions both the day and the gathering of the children, so that in this way the account of their death may also be credible, they having died all at once at one time under the collapse of the house. κ̣·τ̣αχι̣_0__·__α0_1__ __τ_ _ε1 in custom often ; scripture, for since many for the most part think that those coming together to such gatherings drink, they were not only drinking but also eating and speaking as in an assembly. And consider the preceding things allegorically, perhaps they were being given to drink "wine" that "gladdens the heart of man" by the eldest brother who was beginning the divine instruction. "And behold, a messenger came to Job 25 and said to him: The yokes of oxen were plowing and the female donkeys were grazing near them. And the raiders came and took them captive and killed the servants with swords. And I alone escaped and came to report to you." It is shown through these things that the attack happened during the day; for "the yokes of oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing near them". And 'angelos' must be understood as 'messenger,' just as also in the books of Kingdoms

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τῆς ἀρετῆς εἶναι λογιζόμενος, ὅπερ οὐ καλῶς λέγων ἠλέγχθη. καὶ τούτων γὰρ ἀφαιρεθεὶς ἔμεινεν ὁμοίως ἀήττητος. καὶ τῷ ὄντι πλούτου περιουσία πρὸς μὲν τὸν καλῶς αὐτῆι χρώμενον συντελεῖ τι πρὸς ἀρετήν, αὐτὴ δὲ καθ' αὑτὴν οὐδὲν εἰς τοῦτο συμβάλλεται. καὶ ἔδειξεν ὁ μακάριος Ἰὼβ καὶ ἐν πενίᾳ καὶ ἐν πλούτωι τὴν ἀρετὴν ἀδιάστροφο̣ν. "ἀλλὰ ἀπόστειλον τὴν χεῖρά σου καὶ ἅψαι πάντων ὧν ἔχει· εἶ μὴν εἰς πρόσωπόν σε εὐλογήσει." χεῖρα αὐτοῦ καλεῖν ἐκλημπτέον α διαφόρως ἢ τὴν κολαστικὴν καὶ εἰς τοῦτο ὑπηρετικὴν δύναμιν, ἅπερ "σκεύη ὀργῆς" ἡ θεία γραφὴ ὀνομάζειν εἴωθεν, ἢ τὴν σκεπαστικὴν καὶ φρουρητικη`̣ν δύναμιν καθὸ εἴρηται· "οὐδεὶς δύναται ἁρπάσαι ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ πατρός μου." δυνατὸν καὶ τὸν υἱὸν εἰς χεῖρα παραλαβεῖν σκέπουσαν κ̣αὶ στηρίζουσαν τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτὴν ὄντας καθὸ εἴρηται· "δεξιὰ κυρίου ὕψωσέν με, δεξιὰ κυρίου ἐποίησεν δύναμιν." τὸ δὲ "ἅψαι" μήποτε σημαίνει ἐνταῦθα τὸ κάθαψαι ἀντὶ τοῦ· ἐπάγαγε θλιβηρά. ἔχομεν γὰρ τοῦτο συνήθως ἐν τῆι γραφῇ φερόμενον. τὸ γάρ· "μὴ ἅψεσθε τῶν χρισ̣τ̣ῶν μου" οὐ τὴν ἁπλῆν ἁφὴν ἀπαγορεύει, ἀλλὰ τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἁγίων τόλμαν ἐπὶ κακώσει. καὶ τό· "ὁ ἁπτόμενος 23 ὑμῶν ὡς ὁ ἁπτόμενος τῆς κόρης τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ αὐτοῦ" ὁμοίως τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ κακοῦν ἁπτόμενον σημαίνει. εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀποστάτης ὁ διά βολος γέγονεν καὶ "ἐνώπιον κυρίου παντοκράτορος ἐτραχηλίασεν", ἀλλ' οὖν ἔχει τι σέβας πρὸς τὸν δημιουργὸν τῶν ὅλων. φησὶν γάρ· "εἶ μὴν εἰς πρόσωπόν σε εὐλογήσει", ἀντὶ τοῦ καταράσεται ἢ βλασφημήσει ταύτηι τῆι λέξει χρώμενος, ὅπως μὴ πρὸς θεὸν τὴν τραχυτέραν προσενέγκηται, ὡς προείρηται προφέρων. "τότε εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ διαβόλωι· ἰδοὺ πάντα ὅσα ἔστιν αὐτῷ δίδωμι ἐν τῇ χειρί σου, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ μὴ ἅψῃ." τὰ ἐκκείμενα παραστατικὰ τυγχάνει τοῦ μ̣ὴ ··· χωρὶς θείας συνχωρήσεως ὑποπίπτειν τινὰ πειρασμοῖς. φησὶν γὰρ ὁ θεός· "ἰδοὺ δέδωκα πάντα ἐν τῆι χε̣ιρί σου." ἵνα δὲ φανερὸν γένηται, ὅτι μέτρωι καὶ τὴν συνχώρησιν ποιεῖται, ἐπιφέρεται· "ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ μὴ ἅψῃ." ὅθεν οὔτε εἱμαρμένῃ αἱ περιστάσεις συμβαίνουσιν οὔτε ἐκ ταὐτομάτου, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ συνχωρήσεως κατὰ μὲν τὰ ἤδη προκείμενα ἐπὶ ἀποδείξει τῆς ἀρετῆς τοῦ Ἰώβ, ἐσθότε καὶ καθ' ἑτέρας αἰτίας, περὶ ὧν ἐν τοῖς ἑπο μένοις εἰρηθήσεται. "καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ διάβολος ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου." 24 κυριολεκτεῖται μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τοῦ διαβόλου, ὅτι ἔξω γίνεται τοῦ κυρίου, ὑπὲρ τὸν Κάιν. καὶ γὰρ περὶ ἐκείνου εἴρηται· "ἐξῆλθεν γὰρ Κάιν ἀπὸ προσώπου κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ." τὸ δὲ ἐξελθεῖν τὸ ἀφάνταστον θεοῦ εἶναι αὐτὸν σημαίνει. καὶ οὗτος οὖν ἔξεισιν ἀεὶ τῶν ἔξω τυγχάνων, εἰ καὶ προσποιήτως ἦλθεν μετὰ τῶν παραστατῶν τοῦ θεοῦ. "καὶ ἦν ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη, οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰὼβ καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες αὐτοῦ ἔπινον οἶνον ἐν τῆι οἰκίᾳ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτῶν τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου." ἀκολούθως καὶ τῆς ἡμέρας μνημονεύει καὶ τῆς συνηλύσεως τῶν τέκνων, ἵν' οὕτω καὶ τὸ τοῦ θανάτου αὐτῶν γένηται πιστὸν ἀθρόως ὑφ' ἕνα καιρὸν ὑπὸ τὴν πτῶσιν τῆς οἰκίας ἀποθανόντων. κ̣·τ̣αχι̣_0__·__α0_1__ __τ_ ̣_ε1 ἐν̣ τῆι συνηθείαι πολλάκις · γρ̣αφη̣, τῶν πολλῶν ὡς γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸ π̣λεῖ στον τοὺς συνερχομένους εἰς τοιαύτας συνόδους πίνειν οἰομένων, οὐ μόνον πινόντων δ' αὐτῶν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐσθιόντων καὶ λεγόντων ὡς ἐν συνελεύσει. καὶ κατ' ἀλληγορίαν τὰ προκείμενα συνεπίσκεψαι, μήποτε "οἶνον" τὸν "εὐφραίνοντα καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου" ἐποτίζοντο παρὰ τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου ἀδελφοῦ καταρχομένου τῆς θείας παιδεύσεως. "καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος ἦλθεν πρὸς Ἰὼβ 25 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῶι· τὰ ζεύγη τῶν βοῶν ἠροτρία καὶ αἱ θήλειαι ὄνοι ἐβόσκοντο ἐχόμεναι αὐτῶν. καὶ ἐλθόντες οἱ αἰχμαλωτεύοντες ᾐχμαλώτευσαν αὐτοὺς καὶ τοὺς παῖδας ἀπέκτειναν ἐν μαχαίραις. σωθεὶς δὲ ἐγὼ μόνος ἦλθον τοῦ ἀναγγεῖλαί σοι." παρίσταται διὰ τούτων, ὡς τὰ τῆς ἐφόδου ἐν ἡμέραι συνέστη· "ἠροτρία" γὰρ "τὰ ζεύγη τῶν βοῶν καὶ αἱ ὄνοι ἐχόμεναι ἐβόσκοντο". ἄγγελον δὲ τὸν ἀγγέλλοντα ἐκδεκτέον καθὰ καὶ ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις