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lest he had endured complete abandonment by God; for nothing so punishes a rational and God-loving soul as to suspect that it has been abandoned by God. And he would have chosen death ten thousand times 36 rather than to be numbered among the living with pains and such a suspicion. Therefore, at the loss of his possessions and the sudden death of his children, what words of thanksgiving he uttered, we have heard, and how he instructed his wife when she had considered something unseemly concerning the Master, and what things he uttered after poverty and humiliation and his bitter suffering, and how none of the human misfortunes disturbed him. But when his friends arrived, righteous and sympathetic men, he thought it a good opportunity, seeing their patience and love, to speak in their presence and make public the pains of his soul. And he speaks things that are harmless according to the literal account; for the one aim of the devil was to prepare the righteous man to blaspheme God. But he is nowhere seen to have done any such thing, but rather to have spoken well and sent up words of thanksgiving. But he curses the day of his birth and longs for death for the reasons stated above. But in a spiritual sense he speaks mysteries and philosophizes about what has already happened and is fully assured of the future; for such are always the sayings of the holy prophets. But let us come to the words themselves and clarify their meaning, with him guiding us to the interpretation, who also strengthened the most holy Job for his contests. 37 The words 3, 12 After this Job opened his mouth and cursed his day, saying: When a righteous man opens his mouth, one must not just pay attention to what is said in a simple way, but seek the benefit from the words. For the words of the saints are always full of benefit, for which reason also Paul, the chosen vessel, writing says: My mouth is open to you, Corinthians. And concerning the Lord it is said in the sacred writings of the gospels: And opening his mouth he taught them, saying. Let us see, then, what the great Job also utters, having opened his mouth. 3, 3 Let the day perish on which I was born, and the night in which they said, 'Behold, a male child.' That Job was despondent for the reasons mentioned is obvious. But he utters words of despondency and curses something that does not exist, but a twenty-four-hour period that has passed. But that the righteous are despondent in their trials, you may hear from Jeremiah when he says: Cursed be the day on which I was born, and from the hierophant Moses: Kill me, if you are going to treat me this way. And the Lord himself also says concerning Judas, who had fallen into incurable evils: it were good for him if that man had not been born. 38 Therefore they are despondent, as I said, but they do not despair nor are they cast down nor do they utter anything blasphemous against God, but they utter words of despondency either against themselves or against things that are in no way harmed. And indeed the great David curses the mountains of Gilboa, saying: Let no dew come upon you, because he heard that the beloved Jonathan, along with his father, although he was his enemy, had been slain on those mountains. And these things are according to the literal sense; but covertly as a prophet he speaks mysteries. And since Scripture knows of a birth not only according to the flesh, but also the change from one manner of life to another, such as from virtue to vice or from vice to virtue, he prays that the day of sin perish, on which Adam transgressed. For he appropriates the person of humanity and says: Let the day perish, on which man was turned from virtue to depravity. And the phrase *in which they said: Behold, a male child*, because from the one Adam we the many were made sinners. And he speaks of day and night as the same, literally, because Scripture knows the twenty-four hour period as one day, but spiritually, because the transgression, though holding the promise of light because of hearing *you will be as gods*, brought forth works of darkness. For disobedience is darkness, through which death entered, so that henceforth the difference between the male and the female must be seen more clearly. 3, 45 And let that night be darkness, and may the Lord not seek it out

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μήπως τελείαν ἐγκατάλειψιν ὑπέμεινεν ὑπὸ θεοῦ· οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω τιμωρεῖται ψυχὴν λογικὴν καὶ φιλόθεον ὡς τὸ ὑποπτεύειν καταλελεῖφθαι παρὰ θεοῦ. καὶ μυριάκις ᾑρεῖτο τὸν θάνατον 36 ἢ μετὰ ἀλγηδόνων καὶ τοιαύτης ὑποψίας τοῖς ζῶσιν ἐγκαταλέγεσθαι. ἐπὶ μὲν οὖν τῇ τῶν κτημάτων ἀπωλείᾳ καὶ τῇ τῶν παίδων ἀθρόᾳ τελευτῇ οἵας ἀφῆκε χαριστηρίους φωνάς, ἠκούσαμεν, καὶ ὅπως τὴν γυναῖκα ἐξεπαίδευσεν ἀπρεπές τι περὶ τοῦ δεσπότου λογισαμένην καὶ ποῖα μετὰ πενίαν καὶ ἐξουδένωσιν καὶ τὸ δριμὺ πάθος ἐφθέγξατο, καὶ ὡς οὐδὲν αὐτὸν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων συμπτωμάτων διεθορύβησεν. ὡς δὲ οἱ φίλοι παρεγένοντο ἄνδρες δίκαιοι καὶ συμπαθεῖς, εὔκαιρον ᾠήθη θεωρῶν αὐτῶν τὴν ὑπομονὴν καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην, ἐπ' αὐτῶν εἰπεῖν καὶ δημοσιεῦσαι τὰς κατὰ ψυχὴν ἀλγηδόνας. καὶ φθέγγεται μὲν καθ' ἱστορίαν ἀκίνδυνα· ἓν γὰρ τοῦ διαβόλου τὸ σπούδασμα τὸ παρασκευάσαι τὸν δίκαιον βλασφημῆσαι θεόν. ὁ δὲ οὐδαμοῦ φαίνεται τοιοῦτόν τι διαπραξάμενος, ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλον εὐφημήσας καὶ χαριστηρίους ἀναπέμψας φωνάς. καταρᾶται δὲ τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς γεννήσεως καὶ τὸν θάνατον ἐπιποθεῖ διὰ τὰς ἀνωτέρω λεχθείσας αἰτίας. πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν μυστήρια λαλεῖ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἤδη προγεγονότων φιλοσοφεῖ καὶ πληροφορεῖται τὸ μέλλον· τοιαῦται γὰρ ἀεὶ τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν αἱ ῥήσεις. ἐπὶ δὲ αὐτῶν τῶν λέξεων γενόμενοι σαφηνίσωμεν τὴν ἔννοιαν αὐτοῦ ποδηγοῦντος ἡμᾶς πρὸς τὴν ἑρμηνείαν τοῦ καὶ τὸν ἁγιώτατον Ἰὼβ πρὸς τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἐνισχύσαντος. 37 Αἱ λέξεισ 3, 12 Μετὰ τοῦτο ἤνοιξεν Ἰὼβ τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ καὶ κατηράσατο τὴν ἡμέραν αὐτοῦ λέγων· ὅτε δίκαιος ἀνοίγει τὸ στόμα, οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὑτωσὶ προσήκει προσέχειν τοῖς λεγομένοις, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐκ τῶν λόγων ὠφέλειαν ἀναζητεῖν. μεστὰ γὰρ ἀεὶ ὠφελείας τῶν ἁγίων τὰ ῥήματα, διὸ καὶ τὸ σκεῦος τῆς ἐκλογῆς ὁ Παῦλος ἐπιστέλλων φησίν· τὸ στόμα μου ἀνέωγεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, Κορίνθιοι. καὶ περὶ τοῦ κυρίου δὲ εἴρηται ἐν ταῖς ἱεραῖς τῶν εὐαγγελίων γραφαῖς· καὶ ἀνοίξας τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ἐδίδασκεν αὐτοὺς λέγων. ἴδωμεν οὖν, τί καὶ ὁ μέγας Ἰὼβ ἀνοίξας τὸ στόμα φθέγγεται. 3, 3 ἀπόλοιτο ἡ ἡμέρα, ἐν ᾗ ἐγεννήθην, καὶ ἡ νύξ, ἐν ᾗ εἶπαν· ἰδοὺ ἄρσεν. ὅτι μὲν ἠθύμει διὰ τὰς εἰρημένας αἰτίας ὁ Ἰώβ, πρόδηλον. ἐκφέρει δὲ τὰ τῆς ἀθυμίας ῥήματα καὶ καταρᾶται πρᾶγμα οὐχ ὑφεστηκός, ἀλλ' ἡμερονύκτιον παρελθόν. ὅτι δὲ ἀθυμοῦσιν ἐν ταῖς περιστάσεσιν οἱ δίκαιοι, καὶ Ἰερεμίου λέγοντος ἀκούσῃ· ἐπικατάρατος ἡ ἡμέρα, ἐν ᾗ ἐγεννήθην, καὶ τοῦ ἱεροφάντου Μωσέως· ἀπόκτεινόν με, εἰ οὕτως μοι μέλλεις ποιεῖν. καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ κύριός φησι περὶ τοῦ τοῖς ἀνηκέστοις περιπεπτωκότος κακοῖς Ἰούδα· καλὸν ἦν αὐτῷ, εἰ οὐκ ἐγεννήθη ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνος. 38 ἀθυμοῦσι μὲν οὖν, ὡς ἔφην, οὐκ ὀλιγωροῦσι δὲ οὐδὲ καταπίπτουσιν οὐδὲ φθέγγονταί τι παλίμφημον κατὰ θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ἢ καθ' ἑαυτῶν ἢ κατὰ πραγμάτων οὐδὲν βλαπτομένων τὰ τῆς ἀθυμίας ἐκφέρουσι ῥήματα. καὶ γοῦν ὁ μέγας ∆αυὶδ τὰ ὄρη τὰ Γελβοῦε καταρᾶται φάσκων· μὴ ἔλθοι ἐφ' ὑμᾶς δρόσος, ὅτι τὸν ποθούμενον Ἰωναθὰν μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καίτοιγε πολεμίου τυγχάνοντος αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρῶν ἐκείνων ἤκουσεν ἀναιρεθέντας. καὶ πρὸς μὲν ῥητὸν ταῦτα· ἐπικεκρυμμένως δὲ ὡς προφήτης μυστήρια λαλεῖ. καὶ ἐπειδὴ γέννησιν οἶδεν ἡ γραφὴ οὐ τὴν κατὰ σάρκα μόνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τρόπου εἰς τρόπον μεταβολήν, οἷον ἀπὸ ἀρετῆς εἰς κακίαν ἢ ἀπὸ κακίας εἰς ἀρετήν, ἀπολέσθαι ἐπεύχεται τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἐν ᾗ ὁ Ἀδὰμ παρέβη. τὸ γὰρ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος οἰκειοῦται πρόσωπον καί φησιν ὅτι· ἀπόλοιτο ἡ ἡμέρα, καθ' ἣν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς εἰς τὴν φαυλότητα ὁ ἄνθρωπος μετετράπη. τὸ δὲ ἐν ᾗ εἶπαν· ἰδοὺ ἄρσεν, ὅτι ἐξ ἑνὸς τοῦ Ἀδὰμ οἱ πολλοὶ ἁμαρτωλοὶ κατέστημεν. ἡμέραν δὲ καὶ νύκτα τὴν αὐτήν φησι, πρὸς μὲν ῥητόν, ὅτι τὸ ἡμερονύκτιον μίαν ἡμέραν οἶδεν ἡ γραφή, πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν, ὅτι ἡ παράβασις φωτὸς ἐπαγγελίαν ἔχουσα διὰ τὸ ἀκοῦσαι ἔσεσθε ὡς θεοὶ σκότους ἤνεγκεν ἔργα. σκότος γὰρ ἡ παρακοὴ δι' ἧς ὁ θάνατος εἰσῆλθεν, ὥστε δεῖν λοιπὸν ἐναργέστερον τὴν διαφορὰν ὀφθῆναι τοῦ ἄρρενος πρὸς τὸ θῆλυ. 3, 45 καὶ ἡ νὺξ ἐκείνη εἴη σκότος, καὶ μὴ ἀναζητήσαι αὐτὴν ὁ κύριος