John Chrysostom, Commentary on Job

In the other cases, "I alone escaped" somehow made sense. But here the suffering makes it worse, if indeed this one alone was saved after the children had departed; whence it seems to me that it is the devil himself who is announcing these things. Again, this manner is not like the former one; two messengers came announcing a natural death, two messengers saying the death was from above, not according to the common law. There he speaks of captors and horsemen, here of fire from heaven and a wind from the desert. 1,20a So when Job heard this, he arose and tore his garments. Do not think this to be a defeat, beloved; this especially shows the victory. For if he had done nothing, he would have seemed unsympathetic, but now he is at once a philosopher, a father, and a God-fearer. For what harm was done? He does not mourn for the children nor the loss of the livestock, but the manner of their death. Whom would these things not have moved? What adamant heart? Since Paul also suffered this from tears; saying, What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? 26 But for this reason he was admirable, just as this one is admirable for this reason, that though his suffering compelled him to do and suffer these things, he uttered nothing grievous. Arising, it says, he tore his garments. Since Moses also tore and Joshua tore his garments, if he had not done this, someone might have said that God had made him unfeeling. But he allows suffering to overcome the righteous man, so that you may know that even while in pain he philosophizes. Do you see how maliciously the devil inflicted this last, more grievous blow? He overlooked the former things; he was not moved by the loss. When he heard these things, the weakness of his nature was tested, or rather the philosophical spirit of the righteous man. Like some athlete, he honored the children. By these things he honors God also; and falling upon the ground, he worshipped. For so that you may not think that the tearing of the garments was the act of one blaspheming and being displeased with what had happened, hear what he says and he now yields even his garment to the devil; 1,20b And he shaved, it says, the hair of his head 20c and falling to the ground he worshipped the Lord and said: 1,21a Naked I came from my mother's womb, 21b and naked shall I depart. And he spoke well; for now he goes down naked into the contest. And falling to the ground he worshipped and said: Naked I came forth. Do you see how the magnitude of the disaster does not overturn the God-fearer? And he said, it says, Naked I came forth. Did you see what kinds of blows he gives to the devil and how he stretched him out on the ground? He fell upon the ground and cast that one down. He showed his suffering, he showed his reverence. It was not possible for one who was human not to feel pain at what happened, just as it was not 27 possible for one who was Job to be displeased. And there he showed his nature, but here his zeal. In this way, I suppose, athletes also act; before they go down into the wrestling matches and the contests they prostrate themselves before the judges of the games, and after winning again, just as this one also fell and worshipped. And see what the devil was strong enough to do, so as to make him tear only his garment. But if some philosopher, demanding things beyond measure, should say that he ought not to have done these things, let him learn that Paul also wept, and that Jesus himself shed tears. Let him know what sympathy for children is. But let us hear what things he philosophizes about at the very time of the disaster and, the things that someone might have advised him, these things the one who suffered himself soothed himself with, stirring up pious reasonings. If he had not done these things, who would not have called him cruel and unsympathetic and savage? Then would he not have grieved for those for whom he had labored so much? For did he lose children simply? Disciples of piety. The death was untimely and unexpected. Do you not consider these things, O man? Then for the first time these things had happened to him, all came upon him at once and did not allow him even to catch his breath. It showed that it was God who was making war. But let us see the words of the athlete; here especially are the wrestlings, here the anointings. Let us see how he dashed the enemy down, first with his worship; for having worshipped, he then permitted his soul to say nothing discordant.

μὲν τῶν ἄλλων τὸ ἐσώθην ἐγὼ μόνος ὅπως δήποτε λόγον εἶχεν. ἐνταῦθα δὲ πλέον ποιεῖ τὸ πάθος, εἴ γε τῶν παίδων ἀπελθόντων οὗτος ἐσώθη μόνος· ὅθεν μοι δοκεῖ αὐτὸς ὁ διάβολος εἶναι ὁ ταῦτα ἀπαγγέλλων. πάλιν οὗτος ὁ τρόπος οὐ κατὰ τὸν πρότερον· δύο ἄγγελοι ἦλθον ἀπαγγέλλοντες φυσικὴν τελευτήν, δύο ἄγγελοι ἄνωθεν εἶναι λέγοντες τὸν θάνατον, οὐ κατὰ τὸν νόμον τὸν κοινόν. ἐκεῖ φησιν οἱ αἰχμαλωτεύσαντες καὶ οἱ ἱππεῖς, ἐνταῦθα τὸ πῦρ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ πνεῦμα ἐκ τῆς ἐρήμου. 1,20a οὕτως ἀκούσας ὁ ˉ̓Ιὼβ ἀναστὰς διέρρηξε τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ. μὴ νομίσῃς ἧτταν εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἀγαπητέ· τοῦτο μάλιστα δείκνυσι τὴν νίκην. εἰ μὲν γὰρ μηδὲν ἐποίησεν, ἔδοξεν ἂν ἀσυμπαθὴς εἶναι, νῦν δὲ ὁμοῦ καὶ φιλόσοφος καὶ πατὴρ καὶ θεοσεβής. τί γὰρ ἐβλάβη; οὐχὶ τὰ παιδία πενθεῖ οὐδὲ τὴν ἀπώλειαν τῶν θρεμμάτων, ἀλλὰ τὸν τρόπον τῆς τελευτῆς. τίνα οὐκ ἂν ἐκίνησε ταῦτα; ποῖον ἀδάμαντα; ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ὑπὸ τῶν δακρύων τοῦτο ἔπαθεν· τί ποιεῖτε, λέγων, κλαίοντες καὶ συνθρύπτοντές μου τὴν καρ26 δίαν; ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο θαυμαστὸς ἦν, ὡσπεροῦν καὶ οὗτος διὰ τοῦτο θαυμαστός, ὅτι τοῦ πάθους ταῦτα ἀναγκάζοντος ποιεῖν καὶ πάσχειν οὐδὲν ἐπαχθὲς ἐφθέγξατο. ἀναστάς, φησίν, διέρρηξε τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ. ἐπεὶ καὶ Μωυσῆς διέρρηξε καὶ Ἰησοῦς διέρρηξε τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ, εἰ μὴ τοῦτο ἐποίησεν, εἶπεν ἄν τις, ὅτι ἀναίσθητον αὐτὸν κατεσκεύασεν ὁ θεός· ἀλλὰ συγχωρεῖ τὰ πάθη κρατῆσαι τοῦ δικαίου, ἵνα εἰδῇς, ὅτι καὶ ἀλγῶν φιλοσοφεῖ. ὁρᾷς, πῶς κακούργως ὁ διάβολος ὑστέραν ταύτην ἔδωκε τὴν πληγὴν τὴν χαλεπωτέραν; ὑπερεώρα τῶν προτέρων· οὐκ ἐκινήθη πρὸς τὴν ἀπώλειαν. ἐπειδὴ ταῦτα ἤκουσεν, ἠλέγχθη τῆς φύσεως τὸ ἀσθενές, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ δικαίου τὸ φιλόσοφον. καθάπερ τις ἀθλητὴς ἐτίμησε τὰ παιδία. τούτοις τιμᾷ καὶ τὸν θεόν· καὶ πεσὼν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν προσεκύνησεν. ἵνα γὰρ μὴ νομίσῃς τὸ διαρρῆξαι τὰ ἱμάτια βλασφημοῦντος εἶναι καὶ δυσχεραίνοντος τοῖς γενομένοις, ἄκουσον, τί φησιν καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἱματίου παραχωρεῖ τῷ διαβόλῳ λοιπόν· 1,20b καὶ ἐκείρατο, φησίν, τὴν κόμην τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ 20c καὶ πεσὼν χαμαὶ προσεκύνησε τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ εἶπεν· 1,21a αὐτὸς γυμνὸς ἐξῆλθον ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου, 21b γυμνὸς καὶ ἀπελεύσομαι. καὶ καλῶς εἶπεν· γυμνὸς γὰρ εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα καθίησι λοιπόν. καὶ πεσὼν χαμαὶ προσεκύνησε καὶ εἶπεν· αὐτὸς γυμνὸς ἐξῆλθον. ὁρᾷς, πῶς οὐ περιτρέπει τῆς συμφορᾶς τὸ μέγεθος τὸν θεοσεβῆ; καὶ εἶπεν, φησίν, αὐτὸς γυμνὸς ἐξῆλθον. εἶδες, τῷ διαβόλῳ πληγὰς οἵας δίδωσι καὶ πῶς αὐτὸν ἐξέτεινε χαμαί; ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν κἀκεῖνον κατέβαλεν. ἔδειξε τὸ πάθος, ἔδειξε τὴν εὐλάβειαν. οὐκ ἐνῆν ἄνθρωπον ὄντα μὴ ἀλγῆσαι τοῖς γενομένοις, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ 27 ἐνῆν Ἰὼβ ὄντα δυσχεραίνειν. κἀκεῖ μὲν τὴν φύσιν ἐπεδείξατο, ἐνταῦθα δὲ τὴν προθυμίαν. οὕτω που καὶ οἱ ἀθληταὶ ποιοῦσιν· πρὶν ἢ εἰς τὰ παλαίσματα καὶ τοὺς ἀγῶνας καθεῖναι προσκυνοῦσι τοὺς ἀγωνοθετοῦντας καὶ μετὰ τὸ νικῆσαι πάλιν, ὡσπεροῦν καὶ οὗτος πεσὼν προσεκύνησεν. καὶ ὅρα, τί ἴσχυσεν ὁ διάβολος, ὥστε διαρρῆξαι αὐτὸν τὸ ἱμάτιον μόνον. εἰ δέ τις τῶν φιλοσόφων καὶ πέρα τοῦ μέτρου ἀπαιτούντων λέγοι, ὅτι οὐδὲ ταῦτα ποιῆσαι αὐτὸν ἐχρῆν, μανθανέτω, ὅτι καὶ Παῦλος ἔκλαυσεν, ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐδάκρυσεν. εἰδέτω, τί ποτέ ἐστι παίδων συμπάθεια. ἀλλ' ἀκούσωμεν, οἷα φιλοσοφεῖ παρ' αὐτὸν τῆς συμφορᾶς τὸν καιρὸν καί, ἅπερ ἄν τις αὐτῷ παρῄνεσεν, ταῦτα αὐτὸς κατεπᾴδων ὁ παθὼν καὶ λογισμοὺς κινῶν θεοσεβεῖς. εἰ μὴ ταῦτα ἐποίησεν, τίς οὐκ ἂν αὐτὸν ὡς ὠμὸν καὶ ἀσυμπαθῆ καὶ ἄγριον εἶπεν; εἶτα οὐκ ἂν ἤλγησε περὶ οὓς τοσαῦτα ἐπονεῖτο; μὴ γὰρ παῖδας ἀπώλεσεν ἁπλῶς; μαθητὰς θεοσεβείας. ὁ θάνατος ἄωρος ἦν καὶ παράδοξος. ταῦτα οὐκ ἐξετάζεις, ἄνθρωπε; τότε πρῶτον αὐτῷ ταῦτα συμβεβήκει, ὁμοῦ πάντα ἐπῆλθε καὶ οὐδὲ ἀναπνεῦσαι αὐτῷ συνεχώρησεν. ἐδήλωσεν, ὅτι θεὸς ὁ πολεμῶν ἦν. ἀλλὰ ἴδωμεν τοῦ ἀθλητοῦ τὰ ῥήματα· ἐνταῦθα μάλιστά ἐστι τὰ παλαίσματα, ἐνταῦθα τὰ ἀλείμματα. ἴδωμεν, πῶς κατέρραξε τὸν ἐχθρὸν πρώτῃ μὲν τῇ προσκυνήσει· προσκυνήσας γὰρ λοιπὸν ἐπέτρεψε τῇ ψυχῇ μηδὲν ἀπηχὲς εἰπεῖν.