John Chrysostom, Commentary on Job

of a wicked mind. For what do you have, man, that you did not receive? Did a child of yours die? Say: the Lord gave, the Lord has taken away. Say this upon all things. Did you enjoy safety, and then fall into dangers? This saying is sufficient to be a remedy. It is able to stand by everywhere in every calamity, in every misfortune, to take away all despondency. As it seemed good to the Lord, so also it happened. So also another says: Behold, I am here, let him do to me what is pleasing in his sight, and again another: The Lord himself will do what is pleasing in his sight. And in the gospel Christ commanded us, saying: Thy will be done.

2,1a And it came to pass, he says, on this day, 1b that the angels of God came

to present themselves before the Lord, 1c and the devil came among them 1d to present himself before the Lord. Why does he introduce them presenting themselves each day? So that we may learn that the present things are not without providence, but they give an account of what happens each day, and each day the angels are sent to manage something, even if we do not know. For if they have come into being for this, this is their work, as the blessed Paul also says: being sent forth for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation. And the devil, he says, among them. Do you see for what purpose they present themselves, and for what purpose this one does? They, so as to minister, this one, so as to tempt; they, so as to manage our affairs, but this one, so as to pervert our affairs. 34 And for what reason is he again questioned in the presence of the angels themselves? Necessarily, concerning what he also said before: Surely he will bless you to your face. O shameless nature; he dared to come again. 2,2a And the Lord said to the devil: From where do you come? 2b Then the devil said before the Lord: 2c Having gone through the world under heaven and walked about the earth, I am here. See how this one also goes about the world each day. For that angels also go about, we have learned from Zechariah. But this one does not simply go about; for this also is a work of God's providence that he goes about each day, so that both his judgment might become greater and we might be more sober. For this reason he is called the ruler of the darkness of this age, of wickedness. "Tell me, devil, what have you done?" "Having gone around," he says, "the earth and walked about it, I am here." "What did you accomplish?" Nothing useful, nothing good. He dares not say anything, but that he went around. 2,3a And the Lord said to Satan: 3b Have you considered my servant Job, 3c that there is none like him among the men 3d on the earth, blameless, righteous, true, God-fearing, 3e abstaining from every evil? Again he challenges him to a second contest. 2,3f Moreover, he says, he still holds fast to his integrity. 3g But you said to destroy his substance for nothing. Did you not wish, O shameless one, to believe God? Was it not necessary to be convinced from the trial now? Did he not tell you that he is blameless? Did you not see through the trial? How do you approach again? What do we learn from these things? That even if he falls ten thousand times, the devil never gives up, but stands shamelessly. But you said, he says, to destroy his substance for nothing. Rashly and in vain have all things happened to him, and yet not for nothing, but 35 for a useful purpose. But you said to destroy for nothing. He did not say, that it was destroyed for nothing, but: you said to destroy for nothing. Since he himself received no ordinary reward from the destruction. "For do not seek this, that I will give it back to him again, but that you slandered the man rashly and in vain." And not even so was the vile one ashamed or put to shame, but he seeks a second trial, so that according to the Olympic contests he might be thrown a second time. For in the mouth, he says, of two and three every word will be established. But see the great folly. He said, "He still holds fast to his integrity. What did you expect?" "Strike his body," he says. He who took one untrained and placed upon him such a load of evils and had no strength, but was tested by one stronger, not even so did he desist. See with how much gentleness God answers the devil,

διανοίας πονηρᾶς. τί γὰρ ἔχεις, ἄνθρωπε, ὃ οὐκ ἔλαβες; ἀπέθανέ σοι παῖς; λέγε· ὁ κύριος ἔδωκεν, ὁ κύριος ἀφείλατο. ἐπὶ πάντων τοῦτο λέγε. ἀσφαλείας ἀπήλαυες, εἶτα κινδύνοις περιέπεσες; ἱκανὸν τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα ἀντὶ φαρμάκου γενέσθαι. πανταχοῦ παραστῆναι ἐν πάσῃ συμφορᾷ, ἐν πάσῃ δυσπραγίᾳ, πᾶσαν ἀφελεῖν ἀθυμίαν δύναται. ὡς τῷ κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν, οὕτω καὶ ἐγένετο. οὕτω καὶ ἄλλος τίς φησιν· ἰδοὺ ἐγώ, ποιείτω μοι τὸ ἀρεστὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάλιν ἕτερος· κύριος αὐτὸς τὸ ἀρεστὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ποιήσει. καὶ ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ δὲ παρήγγειλεν ἡμῖν ὁ Χριστὸς λέγων· γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου.

2,1a ἐγένετο δέ, φησίν, ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη, 1b ἦλθον οἱ ἄγγελοι τοῦ θεοῦ

παραστῆναι ἐνώπιον κυρίου, 1c καὶ ὁ διάβολος ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν ἦλθε 1d παραστῆναι ἔναντι κυρίου. τί καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν παρισταμένους αὐτοὺς εἰσάγει; ἵνα μάθωμεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἀπρονόητα τὰ παρόντα, ἀλλὰ λόγον διδόασι τῶν καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν γινομένων καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἀποστέλλονταί τι οἰκονομοῦντες οἱ ἄγγελοι, εἰ καὶ ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἴσμεν. εἰ τοῦτο γὰρ γεγένηνται, τοῦτο ἔργον αὐτῶν, ὡς καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλός φησιν· ἀποστελλόμενοι διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν. καὶ ὁ διάβολος, φησίν, ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν. ὁρᾷς, ἐπὶ τίνι μὲν ἐκεῖνοι παρίστανται, ἐπὶ τίνι δὲ οὗτος; ἐκεῖνοι ὥστε λειτουργεῖν, οὗτος ὥστε πειράζειν· ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ὥστε οἰκονομεῖν τὰ ἡμέτερα, οὗτος δὲ ὥστε διαστρέφειν τὰ ἡμέτερα. 34 τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν πάλιν ἐρωτᾶται ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτῶν; ἀναγκαίως, ἐφ' ὧν καὶ πρότερον εἶπεν· ἦ μὴν εἰς πρόσωπόν σε εὐλογήσει. ὢ τῆς ἀναισχύντου φύσεως· πάλιν ἐτόλμησεν ἐλθεῖν. 2,2a καὶ εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ διαβόλῳ· πόθεν σὺ ἔρχῃ; 2b τότε εἶπεν ὁ διάβολος ἔναντι τοῦ κυρίου· 2c διαπορευθεὶς τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανὸν καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσας τὴν γῆν πάρειμι. ὅρα καὶ τοῦτον καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν περιοδεύοντα τὴν οἰκουμένην. ὅτι γὰρ καὶ ἄγγελοι περιοδεύουσιν, ἀπὸ τοῦ Ζαχαρίου μεμαθήκαμεν. οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ καὶ οὗτος περιοδεύει· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ προνοίας ἔργον ἐστὶ τὸ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν αὐτὸν περιοδεύειν, ὥστε καὶ τὸ κρίμα αὐτῷ μεῖζον γενέσθαι καὶ ἡμᾶς μᾶλλον νήφειν. κοσμοκράτωρ διὰ τοῦτο καλεῖται τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος, τῆς πονηρίας. «εἰπέ, διάβολε, τί ἐποίησας;» «περιελθών», φησίν, «τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσας πάρειμι.» «τί εἰργάσω;» οὐδὲν χρηστόν, οὐδὲν ἀγαθόν. οὐ τολμᾷ λέγειν οὐδέν, ἀλλ' ὅτι περιῆλθεν. 2,3a εἶπε δὲ ὁ κύριος πρὸς τὸν σατανᾶν· 3b προσέσχες τῷ θεράποντί μου Ἰώβ, 3c ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι κατ' αὐτὸν τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς 3d ἀνθρώπων ὅμοιος αὐτῷ, ἄμεμπτος, δίκαιος, ἀληθινός, θεοσεβής, 3e ἀπεχόμενος ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ. πάλιν καὶ εἰς δευτέραν προκαλεῖται πάλην αὐτόν. 2,3f ἔτι δέ, φησίν, ἔχεται ἀκακίας. 3g σὺ δὲ εἶπας ἀπολέσαι τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ διὰ κενῆς. οὐκ ἠθέλησας, ὦ ἀναίσχυντε, ὡς θεῷ πιστεῦσαι; ἀπὸ τῆς πείρας οὐκ ἔδει πιστωθῆναι λοιπόν. οὐκ εἶπέν σοι, ὅτι ἄμεμπτος; οὐκ εἶδες διὰ τῆς πείρας; πῶς πάλιν προσέρχῃ; τί μανθάνομεν ἐκ τούτων; ὅτι κἂν μυριάκις πέσῃ, οὐδέποτε ἀπαγορεύει ὁ διάβολος, ἀλλ' ἵσταται ἀναισχύντως. σὺ δὲ εἶπας, φησίν, τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ ἀπολέσαι διὰ κενῆς. εἰκῇ καὶ μάτην αὐτῷ ἅπαντα γεγένηται, καὶ μὴν οὐ διὰ κενῆς, ἀλλ' 35 ἐπὶ χρησίμῳ. ἀλλὰ σὺ εἶπας ἀπολέσαι διὰ κενῆς. οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι διὰ κενῆς ἀπώλετο, ἀλλά· σὺ εἶπας ἀπολέσαι διὰ κενῆς. ἐπεὶ αὐτὸς μισθὸν οὐ τὸν τυχόντα ἔλαβε τῆς ἀπωλείας. «μὴ γὰρ τοῦτο ζήτει, ὅτι ἐγὼ πάλιν αὐτῷ ἀποδίδωμι, ἀλλ' ὅτι σὺ μάτην καὶ εἰκῇ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐσυκοφάντησας.» καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως ᾐδέσθη οὐδὲ ἐνετράπη ὁ μιαρός, ἀλλὰ δευτέραν ζητεῖ πεῖραν, ἵνα κατὰ τοὺς Ὀλυμπιακοὺς ἀγῶνας δεύτερον βληθῇ. ἐπὶ στόματος, γάρ φησιν, δύο καὶ τριῶν σταθήσεται πᾶν ῥῆμα. ἀλλ' ὅρα τὴν πολλὴν ἄνοιαν. εἶπεν, ὅτι «ἔτι ἔχεται ἀκακίας. τί προσεδόκησας;» «τὸ σῶμα πλῆττε», φησίν. ὁ λαβὼν ἀγύμναστον καὶ τοσαύτην ἐπιθεὶς κακῶν ἐπιθήκην καὶ μηδὲν ἰσχύσας, ἀλλ' ἰσχυροτέρου πειραθείς, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀπέστη. ὅρα, μεθ' ὅσης ἐπιεικείας ἀποκρίνεται τῷ διαβόλῳ ὁ θεός,