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the history has given forth a voice. Therefore, God allowed the devil to know, even without a voice, that his wicked counsel and deed did not escape Him, and as it were, He speaks to him, From where have you come? not wishing to learn of the evil one's occupation (for how could He, who has present knowledge of all things?), but He is accustomed, for the most part, to give character to His words in the form of a question, just as also in the Gospels concerning Cleopas the Lord puts forth the questions, What are these words that you are exchanging with one another? And who would dare to say that the one who alone formed our hearts needs the question? Of such a kind is also, How many loaves do you have? and elsewhere, confirming His resurrection, He said, Do you have anything here to eat? and concerning Lazarus He inquired, Where have you laid him? He who anticipated the report, and foretold his death. In the same way, therefore, here also, in saying to the devil, From where have you come? and, Have you considered my servant? He does not offer words of ignorance, nor does He wish to be taught the adversary's way of life, but He shows him to be the accuser of his own cruelty. For wickedness is of a nature to wound itself. "A man blameless, true, God-fearing, abstaining from every evil thing." What harm is there in men and the whole world despising, when the Lord of angels praises and proclaims? Just as, therefore, if He does not bless, even if all who inhabit earth and sea should praise, there is no benefit. Let us, therefore, consider this everywhere, how He might proclaim us; and if this be so, we are higher than all, even if in poverty, and in sickness, even if we are in perceptible 64.528 evils. Since even the blessed Job, sitting on a dunghill, and surrounded by the discharge of his wounds, and gushing forth countless springs of worms, and suffering those incurable things, being spat upon by servants, by friends, by enemies, being plotted against by his wife, having been brought down into poverty, into famine, into that incurable sickness, was more blessed than all. How? Because God was blessing him, saying, "A man righteous, blameless, true, God-fearing." For how was he not surpassing all upon the earth, when the God of all testified to him, in saying, "blameless, a true man," having a certain incomparable virtue, both keeping blamelessly what is just towards men, and precisely pursuing piety towards God? And that the devil, considering the things concerning him, held no small wonder for him. But why does He change the order of the praises here? Perhaps He does this indifferently, but perhaps also, according to the nature of things and harmony, He arranges the praise. For first, every man is true, according to the principle of creation; then thus blameless, according to the manner of his conduct; but here, because of the battle against the devil, He places "blameless" before "true." For virtue knows how to war against wickedness, and the justice of one's manner becomes a most sharp arrow for the slanderer. Then thus He also joins "true" to "blameless," in order to show nature agreeing with manner, and choice adorning the nobility of nature. "And you have made his livestock numerous upon the earth." You see the wealth given by God, you see that it is not from injustice; "For you," he says, "have fenced him in, you have blessed, you have made his things numerous." How much did Job have to labor, to persuade men that his wealth was not from injustice? Behold, the devil testified this to him, even though he does not know it. "Surely he will bless you to your face." For this is what "to your face" means: openly, shamelessly, not holding back. "Then the Lord said to the devil: 'Behold, all that he has I give into your hand, but do not touch him.'" For thus, He says, I trust in my athlete, that you said, "Stretch forth your hand"; but I say, "Into your hand I give all that is his

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φωνὴν ἐκδέδωκεν ἡ ἱστορία. Γνῶναι τοίνυν ὁ Θεὸς συνεχώρησε τὸν διάβολον καὶ δίχα φωνῆς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔλαθεν αὐτὸν ἡ πονηρὰ βουλή τε καὶ πρᾶξις, καὶ οἱονεὶ φθέγγεται πρὸς αὐτὸν, Πόθεν παραγέγονας; οὐ μαθεῖν βουλόμενος τὴν τοῦ πονηροῦ διατριβὴν (πῶς γὰρ, ὁ παρεστῶσαν ἔχων πάντων τὴν γνῶσιν;), ἀλλ' εἴωθεν ὡς τὰ πολλὰ ἐν ἐρωτήσεως σχήματι ἠθοποιεῖν τὰ λεγόμενα, καθάπερ καὶ ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις τοῖς περὶ τὸν Κλεόπαν προσάγει τὰς πεύσεις ὁ Κύριος, Τίνες οἱ λόγοι οὗτοι, οὓς ἀντιβάλλετε πρὸς ἀλλήλους; Καὶ τίς ἂν θαῤῥήσῃ εἰπεῖν, Τὸν πλάσαντα καταμόνας τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν, δεῖσθαι τῆς ἐρωτήσεως; Τοιοῦτον καὶ τὸ, Πόσους ἄρτους ἔχετε; καὶ ἑτέρωθι πιστούμενος αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, ἔλεγεν, Ἔχετέ τι βρώσιμον ἐνθάδε; καὶ περὶ Λαζάρου διεπυνθάνετο, Ποῦ τεθείκατε αὐτόν; ὁ τὴν ἀκοὴν προφθάσας, καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ τελευτὴν προειπών. Τὸν αὐτὸν οὖν τρόπον κἀνταῦθα, τῷ διαβόλῳ λέγων, Πόθεν παραγέγονας; καὶ, Προσέσχες τῷ θεράποντί μου; οὐκ ἀγνοίας προΐσχεται ῥήματα, οὐδὲ διδαχθῆναι βούλεται τοῦ δυσμενοῦς τὴν δίαιταν, ἀλλὰ αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον τῆς οἰκείας ὠμότητος δεικνύει κατήγορον. Αὐτὴ γὰρ ἑαυτὴν ἡ κακία πέφυκε τιτρώσκειν. «Ἄνθρωπος ἄμεμπτος, ἀληθινὸς, θεοσεβὴς, ἀπεχόμενος ἀπὸ παντὸς πονηροῦ πράγματος.» Τί βλάβης ἀνθρώπων καταφρονούντων καὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης, ὅταν ὁ τῶν ἀγγέλων δεσπότης ἐπαινεῖ καὶ ἀνακηρύττει; Ὥσπερ οὖν μὴ εὐλογοῦντος αὐτοῦ, κἂν ἅπαντες ἐπαινῶσιν οἱ γῆν καὶ θάλασσαν οἰκοῦντες, οὐδὲν ὄφελος. Τοῦτο τοίνυν πανταχοῦ σκοπῶμεν, ὅπως ἂν αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς ἀνακηρύξῃ· κἂν τοῦτο ᾖ, πάντων ἐσμὲν ὑψηλότεροι, κἂν ἐν πενίᾳ, καὶ ἐν νόσῳ, κἂν ἐν τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς ὦμεν 64.528 κακοῖς. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἰὼβ ἐν κοπρίᾳ καθήμενος, καὶ τῷ ἰχῶρι τῶν τραυμάτων κεκυκλωμένος, καὶ μυρίας βρύων πηγὰς σκωλήκων, καὶ τὰ ἀνήκεστα πάσχων ἐκεῖνα, παρὰ οἰκετῶν ἐμπτυόμενος, παρὰ φίλων, παρὰ ἐχθρῶν, παρὰ γυναικὸς ἐπιβουλευόμενος, εἰς πενίαν, εἰς λιμὸν, εἰς ἀῤῥωστίαν τὴν ἀνήκεστον ἐκείνην κατενεχθεὶς, πάντων μακαριώτερος ἦν. Πῶς; Ἐπειδὴ αὐτὸν ὁ Θεὸς εὐλόγει, λέγων, Ἄνθρωπος δίκαιος, ἄμεμπτος, ἀληθινὸς, θεοσεβής. Πῶς γὰρ οὐχ ὑπερβάλλων ἅπαντας τοὺς ἐπὶ γῆς ἐτύγχανε, τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων αὐτῷ μαρτυροῦντος, ἐν τῷ λέγειν, ἄμεμπτος, ἄνθρωπος ἀληθινὸς, ἀσύγκριτόν τινα τὴν ἀρετὴν ἔχων, τά τε πρὸς ἀνθρώπους δίκαια φυλάττων ἀμέμπτως, τήν τε πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν εὐσέβειαν ἀκριβῶς μετιών; Καὶ ὅτι τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν σκοπῶν ὁ διάβολος, οὐ μικρὸν τὸ περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐκέκτητο θαῦμα. Τί δὲ δήποτε τῶν ἐγκωμίων ἐνταῦθα τὴν τάξιν ἀμείβει; Ἴσως μὲν ἀδιαφόρως τοῦτο ποιεῖ, τάχα δὲ, καὶ κατὰ τὴν φύσιν τῶν πραγμάτων καὶ τὴν ἁρμονίαν, τὸν ἔπαινον διατίθησι. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ, ἀληθινὸς πᾶς ἄνθρωπος, κατὰ τὸν τῆς δημιουργίας λόγον· εἶθ' οὕτως ἄμεμπτος, κατὰ τὸν τῆς πολιτείας τρόπον· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν διάβολον μάχην, τὸ ἄμεμπτον, τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ προτάσσει. Ἀρετὴ γὰρ οἶδε πολεμεῖν τῇ κακίᾳ, καὶ τὸ δίκαιον τοῦ τρόπου, βέλος ὀξύτατον γίνεται τῷ βασκάνῳ. Εἶθ' οὕτω καὶ τὸ ἀληθινὸν ἐπισυνάπτει τῷ ἀμέμπτῳ, ἵνα καὶ τὴν φύσιν συνομολογοῦσαν δείξῃ τῷ τρόπῳ, καὶ προαίρεσιν κοσμοῦσαν τῆς φύσεως τὴν εὐγένειαν. «Καὶ τὰ κτήνη αὐτοῦ πολλὰ ἐποίησας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.» Ὁρᾷς τὸν πλοῦτον παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δεδομένον, ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐκ ἐξ ἀδικίας· Σὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, περιέφραξας, σὺ εὐλόγησας, σὺ πολλὰ τὰ αὐτοῦ ἐποίησας. Πόσα ἔδει καμεῖν τὸν Ἰὼβ, ὥστε πεῖσαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ὅτι οὐκ ἐξ ἀδικίας ἦν ὁ πλοῦτος; Ἰδοὺ ὁ διάβολος αὐτῷ τοῦτο ἐμαρτύρησε, κἂν οὐκ οἶδεν. «Ἦ μὴν εἰς πρόσωπόν σε εὐλογήσει.» Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι, τὸ, εἰς πρόσωπον, φανερῶς, ἀναισχύντως, οὐχ ὑποστελλόμενος. «Τότε εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ διαβόλῳ· Ἰδοὺ πάντα ὅσα ἔχει δίδωμι ἐν τῇ χειρί σου, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ μὴ ἅψῃ.» Οὕτω γὰρ, φησὶ, θαῤῥῶ τῷ ἐμῷ ἀθλητῇ, ὅτι σὺ εἶπας, Ἀπόστειλον τὴν χεῖρά σου· ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω, ὅτι Ἐν τῇ χειρί σου δίδωμι πάντα ὅσα ἐστὶν