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to the Holy Spirit and to us," not simply, but with discernment. This patient saying might also indicate the opposite, that Job was not handed over for the sake of bringing gladness to the devil who had asked for him, but so that what seemed good to the Lord might come to pass. And this was what God himself said to Job: "Do you think that I have dealt with you for any other reason than that you might be shown to be righteous," and that he does not abandon virtue either for the sake of money or for the sake of children. One must also admire his thanksgiving in saying: "Blessed be the name of the Lord," which is a refutation against those who... 36 in such misfortunes and utter such things, which it is not even good to say. But the saint is not so senseless, inflexible in his reasoning, that even when such things happen he becomes a herald of true and divine doctrines. The phrase, "Thus Job tore his garments," must be taken typologically. It would be plausible to say that he stripped himself for this reason: first, to show the tempter, "If you desire even what is left, take these things also;" then, symbolically showing that just as an athlete strips to face an opponent. And the removal of his hair might also be a symbol of considering all superfluous things as nothing great, but easily despised by a righteous and sensible man, neither being puffed up in "times of ease" nor distressed in "times of affliction," which the blessed David also presented when he sang: "I will bless the Lord at all times." "In all these things that happened to him, Job did not sin before the Lord, nor did he attribute folly to God." A great testimony is given by the Holy Spirit to the blessed Job in the saying: "In all these things, Job did not sin before the Lord." For it is often possible not to sin openly, but for there to be turmoil in the mind, as it is said: "I was troubled and did not speak." 37 But the addition of "before" shows that no fault occurred; for it would have been seen by God. For it is not the same to say, «This man did not sin,» and, "He did not sin before the Lord," which signifies exceeding purity, as the saint did not stumble in word, in deed, in thought, or in mind. To this end, God, calling the repentant, said: "Put away the evil from your souls from before my eyes," which means: let us abstain from wickedness not only in deed, but also in thought, as God is watching. The Savior also says this in the Gospel: "But when you give alms, do not sound a trumpet as the hypocrites do. ῃαξατ and: "He who sees in secret will reward you." For just as he who gives alms in this way does not hear the praise from the many, so he who does not sin before the Lord is outside of all evil. And well it is said: "and he did not attribute folly to God." For one who is persuaded that what happens is ordered by divine providence does not attribute folly to the God who orders it, whereas unbelievers in these matters often find fault and say: "This should not have happened, 38 or that; so-and-so ought not to be poor or rich or sick or healthy," or: "Why did the young man depart from life while the old are still in it?". And in general, those who say such things suppose the administration to be foolish. But the saint, even being in so many trying circumstances, blesses the Lord, persuaded that the judgment of God is just. "And it came to pass on this day, that the angels of the Lord came to present themselves before the Lord, and the devil came among them. And the Lord said to the devil: From where do you come? Then the devil said before the Lord: Having gone through the world under heaven and having walked about the whole of it, I am here." Having in a former approach received authority from God over all of Job's possessions and his children, and having destroyed them all, the devil was not able to overthrow the brave purpose of the holy Job. For through his greatness of soul he remained the same, and the same in his piety. And reasonably so; for he was disposed to believe that God sends pleasant things

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ἁγίῳ πνεύματι καὶ ἡμῖν", οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ κεκριμένως. εἴη δ' ἂν καὶ τὸν ἀντικείμενον τοῦτο τλητικὸν τὸ ῥῆμα δηλοῦν, ὡς οὐχ ἕνεκα τοῦ θυμηδίαν ἐνβ̣αλεῖν τῶι διαβόλωι ἐξαιτήσαντι ὁ Ἰὼβ ἐκδέδοται, ἀλλ' ὅπως τὸ δόξαν τῶι κυρίωι γένηται. ἦν δὲ τοῦτο, ὅπερ αὐτὸς ὁ θεὸς πρὸς τὸν Ἰὼβ ἐ´̣φη· "οἴει δέ με ἄλλως σοι κεχρηματικέναι ἢ ἵνα ἀναφανῇς δίκαιος", καὶ ὅτι οὔτε διὰ χρήματα οὔτε διὰ τέκνα τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀφίσταται. θαυμάσαι δὲ ἔστιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ εὐχαριστητικὸν λέγοντος· "εἴη τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου εὐλογημένον", ὅπερ ἔλεγχός ἐστιν κατὰ τῶν ἀπο···ύντων 36 ἐπὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις συμπτώμασιν καὶ τοιαῦτα προφερόντων, ἅπερ οὐδὲ λέγειν καλ̣όν. ἀλλ' ὁ ἅγιος οὐ τοιοῦτος ἀσύνετος ἀκαμπὴς τὸν λογισμὸν ὅσων καὶ τοιούτων συμβάντων κῆρυξ ἀληθῶν δογμάτων καὶ θείων γίγνεται. τό· "οὕτως διέρρηξεν Ἰὼβ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ" ἀντιτύπως λημπτέον. πιθανὸν δ' ἂν εἴη εἰπεῖν, ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο ἑαυ τὸν ἐγύμνωσεν, πρῶτον μὲν δεικνὺς τῶι πειράζοντι ὅτι· εἰ καὶ τῶν περιλειπομένων ἐπιθυμεῖς, ἔχε καὶ ταυ῀̣τα, ἔπειτα συμβολικῶς δεικνύς, ὅτι ὥσπερ ἀγωνιστὴς πρὸς ἀντίπαλον ἐπαποδύεται. εἴη δὲ καὶ ἡ ἀφαίρεσις τῶν τριχῶν σύμβολον τοῦ λογίζεσθαι πάντα τὰ περιττὰ μηδὲν μέγα, ἀλλ' εὐκαταφρόνητα δικαίωι καὶ συνετῶι, μήτε ἐν ταῖς "ἀνέσεσιν" χαυνουμένου μήτε ἐν ταῖς "θλίψεσιν" δυσφοροῦντος, ὅπερ παριστῶν καὶ ὁ μακάριος ∆αυὶδ ἔψαλλεν· "εὐλογήσω τὸν κύριον ἐν παντὶ καιρῶι." "ἐν τούτοις πᾶσι τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν αὐτῶι οὐδὲν ἥμαρτεν Ἰὼβ ἐναντίον τοῦ κυρίου καὶ οὐκ ἔδωκεν ἀφροσύνην τῶι θεῶι." μεγάλη μαρτυρία ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος δίδοται τῶι μακαρίῳ Ἰὼβ ἐν τῶι εἰρῆσθαι· "ἐν τούτοις πᾶσιν οὐδὲν ἥμαρτεν Ἰὼβ ἐναντίον τοῦ κυρίου." ἔστιν γὰρ πολλάκις μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν μὲν κατὰ πρόδηλον, γίνεσθαι δὲ ἐν τῆι διανοίαι ταραχὴν καθὸ εἴρηται· "ἐταράχθην καὶ οὐκ ἐλά37 λησα." ἀλλὰ προσκείμενον τὸ "ἐναντίον" δείκνυσιν, ὡς οὐδὲν πταῖσμα γέγονεν· ἦ γὰρ ἂν ὑπὸ θεοῦ ἐθεωρεῖ το. οὐ γὰρ ταὐτόν ἐστι τό· «οὐδὲν ἥμαρτεν ὅδε τις» καὶ τό· "οὐδὲν ἥμαρτεν ἐναντίον κυρίου", ὅπερ ὑπερβάλλουσαν ἐμφαίνει καθαρότητα ὡς μήτε λόγωι μήτε πράξει μ̣ήτε λογισμῶι ἢ διανοίαι τοῦ ἁγίου πταίσαντος. εἰς τοῦτο γοῦν τοὺς μετανοοῦντας ὁ θεὸς καλῶν ἔλεγεν· "ἀφέλετε τὰς πονηρίας ἀπὸ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου", ὃ δηλοῖ ὅτι· μὴ πράξει μόνῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ διανοίαι τῆς κακίας ἀπεχώμεθα ὡς θεοῦ ὁρῶντος. τοῦτο καὶ ὁ ςωτὴρ ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ φησιν· "σὺ δὲ ὅταν ποιῇς ἐλεημοσύνην, μὴ σαλπίσῃς ὥσπερ οἱ ὑποκρίται ποιοῦσιν. ῃαξατ καί· "ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ ἀποδώσει σοι." ὡς γὰρ ὁ οὕτω ποιῶν ἐλεημοσύνην οὐκ ἀκούει τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν πολλῶν ἔπαινον, οὕτως ὁ μὴ ἀπέναντι κυρίου ἁμαρτάνων πάσης ἐκτός ἐστι κακίας. εὖ δὲ καὶ τὸ εἰρῆσθαι· "καὶ οὐκ ἔδωκεν ἀφροσύνην τῶι θεῶι." ὁ γὰρ πεπεισμένος, ὅτι προνοίᾳ θεία οἰκονομεῖται τὰ συμβαίνοντα, οὐ δίδωσιν ἀφροσύνην τῶι δι οικοῦντι θεῷ, τῶν ἀπίστων ἐν τούτοις πολλάκις αἰτιωμένων καὶ λεγόντων· «το´̣δε οὐκ ἔδει γενέσθαι 38 ἢ τόδε, οὐκ ὤφειλεν ὁ δεῖνα πένεσθαι ἢ πλουτεῖν ἢ νοσεῖν ἢ ὑγιαίνειν», ἤ· «διὰ τί ὁ νέος ἀπῆλθεν τοῦ βίου τῶν γερόντων ἔτι ἐν αὐτῷ ὄντων;». καὶ ὅλως οἱ τοιαῦτα λέγοντες ἄφρονα ὑποτίθενται τὴν διοίκησιν. ἀλλ' ὁ ἅγιος καὶ ἐν τοῖς περιστατικοῖς τοσούτοις ὢν κύριον εὐλογεῖ δικαίαν εἶναι τὴν κρίσιν τοῦ θεοῦ πεπεισμένος. "ἐγένετο δὲ ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη, καὶ ἦλθον οἱ ἄγγελοι τοῦ κυρίου παραστῆναι ἔναντι κυρίου καὶ ὁ διάβολος ἦλθεν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν. καὶ εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ διαβόλωι· πόθεν σὺ ἔρχῃ; τότε εἶπεν ὁ διάβολος ἐνώπιον τοῦ κυρίου· διαπορευθεὶς τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανὸν καὶ ἐνπεριπατήσας τὴν σύμπασαν πάρειμι." κατὰ προτέραν πρόσοδον ἐξουσίαν ὁ διάβολος θεόθεν λαβὼν πάντων τῶν ὑπαρχόντων τοῦ Ἰὼβ καὶ τῶν τέκνων πάντα τε ἀπολέσας ἀνατρέψαι τὴν πρόθεσιν τὴν ἀνδρείαν τοῦ ἁγίου Ἰὼβ οὐ δεδύνηται. ἔμεινεν γὰρ διὰ μεγαλοψυχίαν ὁ αὐτός, ὁ αὐτὸς δὲ κατὰ τὴν θεοσέ βειαν. καὶ εἰκότως· διέκειτο γάρ, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς πέμπει τὰ ἡδέα