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Nevertheless, it is necessary to give thanks, whatever may happen. And it stops the mouths of those who want to blaspheme, it bridles the tongue. Why did he not say this from the beginning and give praise, but instead set forth righteous reasonings? So that he might also silence those who want to blaspheme. If he had said beforehand: "Blessed be the name of the Lord," he would have seemed to be philosophizing simply. But now he both employs righteous reasonings and has taken away every pretext from those who want to accuse him. For let it not be Job who suffered these things, but some ordinary person: "For what reason are you distressed? Did you not possess the things of God?" "Yes," he says, "for what reason did he give, if he was going to take it away?" "You ought to be grateful for the time you had the use of it, † but if someone even loaned you money and made a deposit†". Let the wealthy say these things, even if they have not 31 had them taken away, even if wealth flows in: "Naked I came forth, and naked I shall depart. Why do I collect possessions? What profit is there for me from wealth?" he says, "Naked I depart." We have brought nothing, he says, into the world, nor can we take anything out. Do you see how much profit he gained? Do you see the loss of wealth becoming a foundation? He lost possessions and found virtue; he became poor and grew richer; he cast aside the gold and struck the devil all the more. 1,22a In all these things that happened to him 22b Job did not sin, it says, before the Lord, not even with his lips, 22c and did not charge God with foolishness. Just as with icons, when we write something below on the base, we inscribe: "So-and-so has dedicated it," so also here, the one who wrote the book, having drawn the icon of his soul through words, as if inscribing it below on a base, says: In all these things that happened to him Job did not sin before the Lord, not even with his lips. And do not think that he was silent before men, but not before God; rather, he did not sin even in his mind. What does this mean: not even with his lips? Often, being carried away by suffering, we utter an improper word without the consent of our mind, but with despair carrying away the tongue. But he did not suffer even this; rather, his mind was pure of blasphemy, and his tongue pure of evil words. 32 In all these things, it says. He said well: all. For do not think, because he narrated these things in a short time, that these things were small; he summarized misfortunes of a long time. But if you wish, let us go through the account, and you will see what is meant by "in all these things." Consider: the fields desolate, the livestock destroyed; the earth barren; everything full of lamentations, wailing throughout the house. Everything then in confusion, everything having been snatched away. What war, what battle, what captivity so burst into the house of the righteous man? What must be said? That many things happened to him? That all of them at once? That it was a harsh manner of punishment? That it was unexpected? That he was conscious of no evil in himself? What first? What second? It is necessary to consider the age of the children, the virtue of their souls, the cruelty of the punishment. Young and in their prime, in one house, while they were eating and drinking, when the roof collapsed, they were buried. He said well: in all these things. A treasury of evils, a wealth of tragedy, blow after successive blow. Many people say nothing before men, but in their mind they condemn God. But not so the righteous man; rather, he remained unwavering. And he did not charge God with foolishness, it says. What is this? What is said is unclear. Just as David also says: "and by night," he says, "and it is not folly to me," so also has it happened here. That is: he did not condemn what had happened as an injustice. He did not say that things happen simply and at random. He did not say: "I am righteous and conscious of nothing in myself; while they are prosperous, I am in such great evils. Why? What wrong have I done, what sin have I committed? Does God care about our affairs?" But he neither said nor thought any such thing, as many do who see others prospering while they themselves are in the most extreme calamities. It is not, then, from 33 circumstances that suspecting something evil concerning God arises, since he too would have suspected it, but from

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ὅμως δεῖ εὐχαριστεῖν, ὅπερ ἂν γένηται. καὶ τοῖς βουλομένοις βλασφημεῖν ἐμφράττει τὰ στόματα, χαλινοῖ τὴν γλῶτταν. διὰ τί μὴ ἐξ ἀρχῆς εἶπε τοῦτο καὶ ηὐλόγησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ λογισμοὺς τέθεικε δικαίους; ἵνα καὶ τοὺς βουλομένους βλασφημεῖν ἐπιστομίσῃ. εἰ προεῖπεν· εἴη τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου εὐλογημένον, ἔδοξεν ἂν ἁπλῶς φιλοσοφεῖν. νῦν δὲ καὶ λογισμοὺς δικαίους κινεῖ καὶ τοῖς βουλομένοις αὐτοῦ κατηγορεῖν πᾶσαν πρόφασιν ἀνεῖλεν. μὴ γὰρ ἔστω Ἰὼβ ὁ ταῦτα παθών, ἀλλά τις τῶν τυχόντων· «τίνος ἕνεκεν δυσχεραίνεις; οὐχὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ εἶχες;» «ναί», φησίν, «τίνος ἕνεκεν ἔδωκεν, εἰ λαμβάνειν ἔμελλεν;» «δέον σε χάριν εἰδέναι ὑπὲρ τοῦ χρόνου οὗ ἐχρήσω, † σοὶ δὲ εἰ καί τις ἔχρησεν ἀργύριον καὶ παρακατέθετ. ταῦτα λεγέτωσαν οἱ πλουτοῦντες, κἂν μὴ ὦσιν 31 ἀφῃρημένοι αὐτά, κἂν ἐπιρρέῃ ὁ πλοῦτος· «γυμνὸς ἐξῆλθον, γυμνὸς καὶ ἀπελεύσομαι. τί συλλέγω χρήματα; τί μοι κέρδος ἀπὸ πλούτου;» φησίν, «γυμνὸς ἀπέρχομαι». οὐδὲν εἰσηνέγκαμεν, φησίν, εἰς τὸν κόσμον οὐδὲ ἐξενεγκεῖν τι δυνάμεθα. ὁρᾷς, ὅσον ἐκαρπώσατο κέρδος; ὁρᾷς ζημίαν πλούτου γενομένην ὑπόθεσιν; ἀπώλεσε χρήματα καὶ εὗρεν ἀρετήν· ἐγένετο πένης καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπλούτησεν· ἀπέθετο τὸ χρυσίον καὶ μᾶλλον ἔπληξε τὸν διάβολον. 1,22a ἐν τούτοις πᾶσι τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν αὐτῷ 22b οὐχ ἥμαρτεν, φησίν, ˉ̓Ιὼβ ἔναντι κυρίου οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτοῦ 22c καὶ οὐκ ἔδωκεν ἀφροσύνην τῷ θεῷ. καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν εἰκόνων, ἐπειδάν τινα γράψωμεν κάτωθεν ἐν ταῖς χοινικίσιν, ὑπογράφομεν· «ὁ δεῖνα ἀνατέθεικεν», οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὴν εἰκόνα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ διὰ ῥημάτων γράψας ὁ γράψας τὸ βιβλίον ὥσπερ ἐν χοινικίδι κάτωθεν ὑπογράφων λέγει· ἐν τούτοις πᾶσι τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν αὐτῷ οὐχ ἥμαρτεν Ἰὼβ ἔναντι κυρίου οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτοῦ. μὴ δὲ νομίσῃς, ὅτι ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐσίγησεν, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐχί, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ κατὰ διάνοιαν ἥμαρτεν. τί ἐστιν· οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτοῦ; πολλάκις ὑπὸ τοῦ πάθους συναρπαζόμενοι ῥῆμα ἐκφέρομεν ἄτοπον τῆς διανοίας μὴ συγκατατιθεμένης, ἀλλὰ τὴν γλῶτταν τῆς ἀθυμίας συναρπαζούσης. ἐκεῖνος δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦτο πέπονθεν, ἀλλὰ καθαρὰ μὲν ἡ διάνοια βλασφημίας ἦν, καθαρὰ δὲ ἡ γλῶττα πονηρῶν ῥημάτων. 32 ἐν τούτοις, φησίν, πᾶσιν. καλῶς εἶπεν· πᾶσιν. μὴ γάρ, ἐπειδὴ ἐν βραχεῖ χρόνῳ ταῦτα διηγήσατο, μικρὰ ταῦτα εἶναι νομίσῃς· μακροῦ χρόνου συμφορὰς συνελὼν εἶπεν. εἰ δὲ βούλει, ἐπεξέλθωμεν τῷ λόγῳ, καὶ ὄψει, τί ἐστι τὸ ἐν τούτοις πᾶσιν. σκόπει δέ· ἀγροὶ μὲν ἔρημοι θρεμμάτων ἀνῃρημένων, ἄκαρπος δὲ ἡ γῆ, θρήνων ἅπαντα μεστά, κωκυτοὶ κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν. πάντα λοιπὸν εἰκῇ πάντων ἀνηρπασμένων. ποῖος πόλεμος, ποία μάχη, ποία τις αἰχμαλωσία οὕτως εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν εἰσεκώμασε τοῦ δικαίου; τί δεῖ εἰπεῖν; ὅτι πολλὰ κατ' αὐτὸν συνέβη; ὅτι πάντα ἀθρόον; ὅτι τρόπῳ χαλεπῷ τιμωρίας; ὅτι παρὰ προσδοκίαν; ὅτι μηδὲν αὑτῷ συνειδότι πονηρόν; τί πρῶτον; τί δεύτερον; τὴν ἡλικίαν ἐννοῆσαι χρὴ τῶν παίδων, τὴν ἀρετὴν τῆς ψυχῆς, τὸ τῆς τιμωρίας ὠμόν. νέοι καὶ ἡβῶντες ἐν οἰκίᾳ μιᾷ ἐσθιόντων αὐτῶν καὶ πινόντων κατασεισθέντος τοῦ ὀρόφου κατεχώσθησαν. καλῶς εἶπεν· ἐν τούτοις πᾶσιν. θησαυρὸς τῶν κακῶν, πλοῦτος τραγῳδίας, ἐπάλληλοι ἀεὶ πληγαί. πολλοὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐδὲν φθέγγονται, κατὰ δὲ διάνοιαν καταγινώσκουσι τοῦ θεοῦ. ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως ὁ δίκαιος, ἀλλ' ἔμενεν ἀπερίτρεπτος. καὶ οὐκ ἔδωκεν, φησίν, ἀφροσύνην τῷ θεῷ. τί ἐστι τοῦτο; ἀσαφές ἐστι τὸ εἰρημένον. ὅπερ λέγει καὶ ὁ ∆αυίδ· καὶ νυκτός, φησίν, καὶ οὐκ εἰς ἄνοιαν ἐμοί, τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα γέγονεν. τουτέστιν· οὐ κατέγνω τῶν γεγενημένων ἀδικίαν. οὐκ εἶπεν ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε τὰ πράγματα φέρεσθαι. οὐκ εἶπεν· «δίκαιος ἐγὼ καὶ μηδὲν ἐμαυτῷ συνειδώς· ἐκεῖνοι μὲν εὐθηνοῦντες, ἐγὼ δὲ ἐν τοσούτοις κακοῖς. διὰ τί; τί ἠδίκησα, τί ἥμαρτον; ἆρα μέλει τῷ θεῷ τῶν πραγμάτων τῶν ἡμετέρων;» ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον οὐδὲ εἶπεν οὐδὲ ἐνενόησεν, οἷον πάσχουσι πολλοὶ ἑτέρους μὲν ὁρῶντες εὐημεροῦντας, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις δεινοῖς. οὐκ ἄρα ἀπὸ τῶν 33 πραγμάτων γίνεται τὸ πονηρόν τι ὑποπτεύειν περὶ θεοῦ, ἐπεὶ καὶ οὗτος ὑπώπτευσεν ἄν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ