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of those who had dared, seeing himself suffering worse things, not even being able to find the cause to say, for which he was suffering these things. For this reason, having no cause to assign to the calamity, he takes refuge in the incomprehensibility of God's providence, and referring the events to what seemed good to Him, he said: As it seemed good to the Lord, so it came to pass. For I do not think it right to scrutinize the Master's will; Blessed be the name of the Lord. Nothing discordant, he says, will I utter concerning God, but I will judge Him worthy of hymns, for those things which He provided in the beginning, and for those things which He has now seen fit to take away. With such words the righteous man struck down the devil; and it is marvelous that even though he thought they were taken away by God, he gives thanks and is not undone. Do you also do this, and reason with yourself, that it was not a man who took, but God who made, who cares for you more, and knows what is profitable, not an enemy, nor a plotter. Help those who have departed, making remembrance for them. For if the spiritual sacrifice cleansed the children of Job, why do you doubt if some comfort comes to them when we make offerings for those who have departed? For God is accustomed to grant favors to some on behalf of others; let us be helped in a perceptible way, because all creation follows the Creator; wherefore He both gives to each and takes away according to what is profitable, exercising at once our gratitude and endurance. For gratitude for what has been provided was the foundation for a second good deed. "In all these things that had happened to him, Job did not sin with his lips against the Lord, nor did he ascribe foolishness to God." Just as when we paint some icons, we write underneath in the cartouches, "So-and-so dedicated it"; so also here, having painted the image of the righteous man's soul through words, the writer of the book, as if writing underneath in a cartouche, says that, "In all these things Job did not sin with his lips against the Lord." And do not think that he was silent before men, but not before God; but he did not sin even in thought. But what does it mean, "Not even with his lips?" Often, being carried away by passion, we utter a word, without the consent of our mind, but with our tongue carried away by despondency. But he did not suffer this either; but his mind was pure from blasphemy, and his tongue pure from evil words. "And he did not ascribe foolishness to God," that is, he did not condemn the things that had happened as an injustice; he did not say, as many do, "Things happen simply and by chance," but: "As it seemed good to the Lord, so it came to pass." Therefore, let us not ever take a breath as long as we are here, but let us always fight, and especially in time of sickness, when pains from every side disturb the soul, when afflictions besiege it, when the devil stands by, provoking us to say some bitter word. Then especially one must be on guard, and be fortified with the breastplate of patience, and with the weapon of thanksgiving. For these are the grievous arrows against the devil, this is the mortal blow; then especially are the crowns glorious. Since this especially made the blessed Job glorious, this proclaimed him, that in a time of trial, and sickness, and poverty, his mind appeared steadfast and unshaken, to offer up words of thanksgiving to God, and that spiritual sacrifice. For a sacrifice were the words which he spoke: "The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away," and the rest; which let us also always do, in trials, in tribulations, in plots, glorifying God.

CHAPTER 2

"And it came to pass on this day, that the angels of God came to stand before

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τετολμηκότων, ὁρῶν ἑαυτὸν χαλεπώτερα πάσχοντα, οὐδὲ τὴν αἰτίαν εὑρίσκειν εἰπεῖν, δι' ἢν ταῦτα ἔπασχεν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔχων οὐδεμίαν αἰτίαν ἐπιθεῖναι τῇ συμφορᾷ, ἐπὶ τὸ ἀκατάληπτον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ οἰκονομίας καταφεύγει, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ δοκοῦν αὐτῷ ἀναφέρων τὰ γενόμενα, ἔλεγεν· Ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν, οὕτω καὶ ἐγένετο. Οὐ γὰρ οἶμαι δεῖν ἐξετάζειν ∆εσποτικὴν γνώμην· Εἴη τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου εὐλογημένον. Οὐδὲν ἀπηχὲς, φησὶν, φθέγξομαι περὶ Θεοῦ, ὕμνων δὲ ἄξιον κρινῶ, ἐφ' οἷς τότε τὴν ἀρχὴν παρέσχε, καὶ ἐφ' οἷς νῦν ἀφελέσθαι ἐδοκίμασε. Τοιούτοις τὸν διάβολον ὁ δίκαιος κατηκόντισε ῥήμασι· θαυμαστὸν δὲ, ὅτι καὶ παρὰ Θεοῦ νομίζων ἀφῃρῆσθαι, εὐχαριστεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἐκλύεται. Τοῦτο καὶ σὺ ποίει, καὶ λογίζου πρὸς σεαυτὸν, ὅτι οὐκ ἄνθρωπος ἔλαβεν, ἀλλὰ ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ποιήσας, ὁ μᾶλλον σου κηδόμενος, καὶ τὸ συμφέρον εἰδὼς, οὐ πολέμιος, οὐδὲ ἐπίβουλος. Βοήθησον τοῖς ἀπελθοῦσι, μνείαν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἐπιτελῶν. Εἰ γὰρ τοὺς παῖδας τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἐκάθηρεν ἡ τοῦ πνεύματος θυσία· τί ἀμφιβάλλεις, εἰ καὶ ἡμῶν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀπελθόντων προσφερόντων γίνεταί τις αὐτοῖς παραμυθία; εἴωθε γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἑτέροις ὑπὲρ ἑτέρων χαρίζεσθαι· ὠφεληθῶμεν κατὰ τὸ αἰσθητὸν, ὅτι πᾶσα κτίσις ἕπεται τῷ ∆ημιουργῷ· διὸ κατὰ τὸ συμφέρον καὶ δίδωσιν ἑκάστῳ, καὶ ἀφαιρεῖται, τὸ εὔγνωμον ὁμοῦ καὶ καρτερικὸν ἡμῶν ἐγγυμνάζων. Ἡ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῖς παρασχεθεῖσιν εὐγνωμοσύνη, δευτέρας εὐεργεσίας ἦν ὑπόθεσις. «Ἐν τούτοις πᾶσι τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν αὐτῷ οὐδὲν ἥμαρτεν Ἰὼβ τοῖς χείλεσιν ἐναντίον τοῦ Κυρίου· 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 τοῦ δικαίου διὰ ῥημάτων γράψας, ὁ συγγράψας τὸ βιβλίον, ὥσπερ ἐν χοινικίδι κάτωθεν ὑπογράφων, λέγει, ὅτι Ἐν τούτοις πᾶσιν οὐχ ἥμαρτεν Ἰὼβ τοῖς χείλεσιν ἐναντίον Κυρίου. Μηδὲ νομίσῃς, ὅτι ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐσίγησεν, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐχί· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ κατὰ διάνοιαν ἥμαρτε. Τί δέ ἐστιν· Οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν; Πολλάκις ὑπὸ τοῦ πάθους συναρπαζόμενοι, ῥῆμα ἐκφέρομεν, 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. Καὶ οὐκ ἔδωκεν ἀφροσύνην τῷ Θεῷ, τουτέστιν, οὐ κατέγνω τῶν 64.545 γεγενημένων ἀδικίαν· οὐκ εἶπεν, ὡς πολλοὶ, Ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε τὰ πράγματα φέρεται, ἀλλά· Ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν, οὕτω καὶ ἐγένετο. Οὐκ οὖν μὴ ἀναπνεύσωμέν ποτε ἕως ἂν ἐνταῦθα ὦμεν, ἀλλὰ πυκτεύωμεν αἰεὶ, μάλιστα δὲ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς νόσου, ὅταν ὀδύναι πανταχόθεν θορυβῶσι τὴν ψυχὴν, ὅταν ἀλγηδόνες πολιορκῶσιν, ὅταν ὁ διάβολος ἐφεστήκει, παροξύνων εἰπεῖν τι ῥῆμα πικρόν. Τότε δὲ μάλιστα ἀσφαλίζεσθαι δεῖ, καὶ φράττεσθαι τῷ τῆς ὑπομονῆς θώρακι, καὶ τῷ τῆς εὐχαριστίας ὅπλῳ. Ταῦτα γὰρ χαλεπὰ κατὰ τοῦ διαβόλου τὰ βέλη, αὕτη καιρία ἡ πληγή· τότε μάλιστα λαμπροὶ οἱ στέφανοι. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸν μακάριον Ἰὼβ τοῦτο μάλιστα λαμπρὸν ἀπέφηνε, τοῦτο ἀνεκήρυξε, τὸ ἐν καιρῷ πειρασμοῦ, καὶ νόσου, καὶ πενίας, ἀπερίτρεπτον φανῆναι καὶ ἄσειστον τὴν διάνοιαν, τὰ εὐχαριστήρια τῷ Θεῷ ἀνενεγκεῖν ῥήματα, καὶ τὴν πνευματικὴν ἐκείνην θυσίαν. Θυσία γὰρ ἦν τὰ ῥήματα αὐτοῦ ἅπερ ἔλεγεν· Ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν, ὁ Κύριος ἀφείλατο, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς αἰεὶ ποιῶμεν, ἐν πειρασμοῖς, ἐν περιστάσεσιν, ἐν ἐπιβουλαῖς, τὸν Θεὸν δοξάζοντες.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Βʹ

«Ἐγένετο δὲ ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη, καὶ ἦλθον οἱ ἄγγελοι τοῦ Θεοῦ παραστῆναι ἔναντι