They are fearless. They do not fear God, they despise the Godhead; saying such things about God, they are not afraid that they are speaking about God. Verse 9. But a scourge from the Lord is not upon them. Of the same. If you see a person speaking such things against God, healthy in body, seeing, having his senses intact, and appearing at times even to prosper in worldly things; see that this is fulfilled in him, being impious: But a scourge from the Lord is not upon them. Verse 10. Their cow has not miscarried. Of the same. The ox is a farming animal, and works together in farming. And they themselves farm. But they farm Sodom and Gomorrah, they farm Egypt. Their cow has not miscarried; but she also has brought forth, and has borne a child, so that their wicked land may be farmed. Verse 10. And their one with young was preserved, and did not fail. Whatever they conceive, these things they also bring to birth, not conceiving from the fear of God, but from wickedness. Behold, he has travailed with injustice, he has conceived trouble, and brought forth iniquity. Verse 11. But they remain like eternal sheep. What is the meaning of: they remain as eternal sheep? Concerning whom Christ says: My sheep hear my voice, and I give them eternal life, and so forth; these are the eternal sheep. Since, therefore, the heterodox are mimics, and wish to imitate the flock of Christ, ordaining for themselves bishops, presbyters, deacons, teachers, laity, catechumens, imitating the eternal sheep, they fulfill this: But they remain as eternal sheep. They are not eternal sheep, but they remain as eternal sheep. 17.80 Verse 11. And their children play. Verse 12. Taking up psaltery and harp. Our people take up psaltery and harp, hymning God, and glorifying him. But their children, the foolish among them, play, taking up psaltery and harp. Whenever they take up the words of the Old Testament, they mock, and laugh at the oracles of the law and of the prophets. Taking up the harmonious instruments, the psaltery of the law, the prophetic harp, they mock them. Verse 12. And they rejoice at the sound of a psalm. And they themselves say psalms of Valentinus, and they say odes of Basilides, and utter such things, rejoicing at the sound of a psalm. Verse 13. And in the repose of Hades they fell asleep. And in the repose not of heaven, but of Hades they fell asleep. But we pray not to fall asleep in the repose of Hades, but in the repose of God in the holy heavens with Christ our king; to whom be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. CHAP. 22. Verse 2. Is it not the Lord who teaches understanding and knowledge? The things dispensed by the Holy Spirit should be deemed worthy of being written down. For this reason it is written down, so that the one who encounters it may be helped by the things that are read. If, therefore, the words of the three who came to Job were not useful, so that the one who encounters them might receive something from what was said by them to Job; providence would not have caused the words of the three to be written in the book of Job as well. It is possible, then, to be helped by his words, looking at the doctrines; but to see the blameworthy part of the words concerning one thing only, when they accuse Job, thinking that he suffers because of his sins; not seeing that there are also many other reasons for things to happen to people. Such are the things that are considered to be good or hard, or however one wishes to name them. And after a little: Is it not the Lord who teaches understanding and knowledge? The doctrine is sound: that a true teacher of virtue cannot be a man. For he who teaches man knowledge, it is also written in the Psalms, is none other than God. And, Teach me, he says, your statutes, the Prophet, knowing that the true and perfect teacher is God. And God teaches by shining in the soul of the one learning from him, and by illuminating the mind with the light, with his true word. Therefore also righteous men

Ἄφοβοί εἰσιν. Οὐ φοβοῦνται τὸν Θεὸν, καταφρο νοῦσι τῆς Θεότητος· τοιαῦτα λέγοντες περὶ Θεοῦ, οὐ φοβοῦνται, ὅτι περὶ Θεοῦ λαλοῦσιν. Στίχ. θʹ. Μάστιξ δὲ παρὰ Κυρίου οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ἐὰν ἴδῃς ἄνθρωπον τοιαῦτα κατὰ Θεοῦ λαλοῦντα, ὑγιαίνοντα τῷ σώματι, βλέποντα, τὰ αἰσθητήρια σώζοντα, καὶ δοκοῦντα ἐνίοτε καὶ ἐν τοῖς κοσμικοῖς εὐτυχεῖν· ὅρα, ὅτι πεπλήρωται ἐπ' αὐτοῦ ἀσεβοῦς ὄντος τό· Μάστιξ δὲ παρὰ Κυρίου οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς. Στίχ. ιʹ. Ἡ βοῦς αὐτῶν οὐκ ὠμοτόκησε. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ὁ βοῦς ζῶόν ἐστι γεωργικὸν, καὶ συμπνέων εἰς γεωργίαν. Καὶ αὐτοὶ γεωργοῦσι. Γεωρ γοῦσι δὲ Σόδομα καὶ Γόμοῤῥα, γεωργοῦσιν Αἴγυπ τον. Ἡ βοῦς αὐτῶν οὐκ ὠμοτόκησεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴ ἀπεκύησε, καὶ ἐγέννησε τέκνον, ἵνα γεωργῆται αὐτῶν ἡ πονηρὰ γῆ. Στίχ. ιʹ. ∆ιεσώθη δὲ αὐτῶν ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσα, καὶ οὐκ ἔσφηλεν. Ὅσα συλλαμβάνουσι, ταῦτα καὶ κύουσιν, οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου Θεοῦ συλλαμβάνοντες, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς κα κίας. Ἰδοὺ ὠδίνησεν ἀδικίαν, συνέλαβε πόνον, καὶ ἔτεκεν ἀνομίαν. Στίχ. ιαʹ. Μένουσι δὲ ὥσπερ πρόβατα αἰώνια. Ποῖος νοῦς ἐστι τοῦ· μενοῦσιν ὡς πρόβατα αἰώ νια; Περὶ ὧν φησιν ὁ Χριστός· Τὰ ἐμὰ πρόβατα τῆς ἐμῆς φωνῆς ἀκούουσι, καὶ ἐγὼ ζωὴν αἰώνιον δίδωμι αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· ταῦτά ἐστι τὰ αἰώνια πρόβατα. Ἐπεὶ οὖν μῖμοί εἰσιν οἱ ἑτερόδοξοι, καὶ ἐθέλουσι μιμεῖσθαι τὴν ποίμνην τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐπι σκόπους ἑαυτοῖς χειροτονοῦντες, πρεσβυτέρους, δια κόνους, διδασκάλους, λαὸν, κατηχουμένους, μιμού μενοι τὰ αἰώνια πρόβατα, πληροῦσι τό· Μένουσι δὲ ὡς πρόβατα αἰώνια. Οὐκ εἰσὶ δὲ πρόβατα αἰώνια, ἀλλὰ μένουσιν ὡς πρόβατα αἰώνια. 17.80 Στίχ. ιαʹ. Τὰ δὲ παιδία αὐτῶν προσπαίζουσι. Στίχ. ιβʹ. Ἀναλαβόντες ψαλτήριον καὶ κιθάραν. Οἱ ἡμέτεροι ἀναλαμβάνουσι ψαλτήριον καὶ κιθά ραν, ὑμνοῦντες τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ δοξολογοῦντες αὐτόν. Ἐκείνων δὲ τὰ παιδία, οἱ ἀνόητοι ἐν αὑτοῖς, προσ παίζουσιν, ἀναλαμβάνοντες ψαλτήριον καὶ κι θάραν. Ὅτ' ἂν ἀναλάβωσι τοὺς λόγους τῆς Παλαιᾶς ∆ιαθήκης, προσπαίζουσι, καὶ γελῶσι τὰ λόγια τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν. Ἀναλαμβάνοντες τὰ ἐναρ μόνια, ψαλτήριον τὸ τοῦ νόμου, κιθάραν τὴν προφη τικὴν, προσπαίζουσιν αὐτοῖς. Στίχ. ιβʹ. Καὶ εὐφραίνονται φωνῇ ψαλμοῦ. Καὶ αὐτοὶ λέγουσιν ψαλμοὺς Οὐαλεντίνου, καὶ λέ γουσιν ᾠδὰς Βασιλείδου, καὶ τοιαῦτά τινα φθέγγον ται, εὐφραινόμενοι φωνῇ ψαλμοῦ. Στίχ. ιγʹ. Ἐν δὲ ἀναπαύσει ᾅδου ἐκοιμήθησαν. Ἐν δὲ ἀναπαύσει οὐκ οὐρανοῦ, ἀλλ' ᾅδου ἐκοιμή θησαν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ εὐχόμεθα οὐκ ἐν ἀναπαύσει ᾅδου κοιμηθῆναι, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀναπαύσει Θεοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς τοῖς ἁγίοις μετὰ Χριστοῦ βασιλεύοντος ἡμῶν· ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. ΚΕΦ. ΚΒʹ. Στίχ. βʹ. Πότερον οὐχὶ Κύριός ἐστιν ὁ διδά σκων σύνεσιν καὶ ἐπιστήμην; Τὰ οἰκονομούμενα ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἀνα γραφῆς ἀξιωθῆναι χρή. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀναγράφεται ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὸν ἐντυγχάνοντα ὠφελεῖσθαι ἐκ τῶν ἀναγινω σκομένων. Εἰ μὴ οὖν χρήσιμοι ἦσαν οἱ λόγοι τῶν τριῶν, τῶν παραγενομένων πρὸς τὸν Ἰὼβ, ὡς τὸν ἐντυγχάνοντα λαβεῖν τι ἀπὸ τῶν εἰρημένων ὑπ' αὐτῶν πρὸς τὸν Ἰώβ· οὐκ ἂν ἡ πρόνοια εἰς τὴν βίβλον τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἐποίησεν ἀναγραφῆναι καὶ τοὺς λόγους τῶν τριῶν. Ἔστιν οὖν ὠφεληθῆναι μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων αὐτοῦ, ἐνορῶντα τοῖς δόγμασιν· ὁρᾷν δὲ τὸ ἔγκλη τον τῶν λόγων περὶ ἓν μόνον, ὅτε αἰτιῶνται τὸν Ἰὼβ, οἰόμενοι αὐτὸν πάσχειν διὰ τὰ ἡμαρτημένα αὐτῷ· οὐχ ὁρῶντες, ὅτι καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ αἴτιά ἐστι τοῦ συμ βαίνειν ἀνθρώποις. Τοιαῦτά ἐστι νενομισμένα εἶναι καλὰ ἢ χαλεπὰ, ἢ ὅπως ποτὲ βούλεταί τις αὐτὰ ὀνομάζειν. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Πότερον οὐχὶ ὁ Κύ ριός ἐστιν ὁ διδάσκων σύνεσιν καὶ ἐπιστήμην; Τὸ δόγμα ὑγιές ἐστι· ὅτι ἀληθινὸς διδάσκαλος ἀρετῆς οὐ δύναται εἶναι ἄνθρωπος. Ὁ διδάσκων γὰρ ἄνθρωπον γνῶσιν, καὶ ἐν τοῖς Ψαλμοῖς ἀναγέ γραπται, ὅτι οὐκ ἄλλος ἐστὶν ἢ Θεός. Καὶ, ∆ίδαξόν με, φησὶν, τὰ δικαιώματά σου, ὁ Προφήτης, εἰδὼς δι δάσκαλον εἶναι ἀληθῆ καὶ τέλειον τὸν Θεόν. ∆ιδά σκει δὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἐλλάμπων τῇ ψυχῇ τοῦ μανθάνοντος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν φωτίζων τῷ φωτὶ, τῷ ἀληθινῷ λόγῳ αὐτοῦ. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ἄνδρες δίκαιοι