Origen of Alexandria, Commentaries on Job

Enarrationes in job

Verse 9. but say a word against the lord, and die. after she had related the tragedy in detail, then she brought forth her shameless counsel. and she

God scattered me, or, my god's contempt. teman, their eclipse. zophar, a watchman, or contempt. bildad, growing old, and renowned. shuhites, their idl

Of pains and such suspicion to be reckoned among the living. therefore, upon the loss of his possessions and the sudden death of his children, we have

He should be unashamed, he speaks to his face, not refuting, nor speaking the truth, but reproaching and insulting. for one must not tread upon those

Is made harsh by the tongue of the one chewing it. just as, he says, that herb, even if one should be very eager to grind it smooth with his teeth, he

They are fearless. they do not fear god, they despise the godhead saying such things about god, they are not afraid that they are speaking about god.

Teach us, having received the grace of teaching. verse 4. and he will enter with you into judgment. god, holding an account of the one for whom he pro

Like a gazelle from snares, and like a bird from a trap. verse 12. does not he who dwells on high observe? but you think that god, who dwells on high,

To pass the verdict of punishments, it was possible to find him. would that it were possible to go to law, he says, and to meet with him, and to le

From the righteousness of job, from his courage. for this is: when my paths flowed with butter. verse 2. and my mountains flowed with milk. as many lo

In the gospel. 17.96 no one puts new wine into old wineskins v. 20. i will speak, that i may be refreshed by opening my lips. he who happens upon an i

But god gives him boldness to speak. and after other things so great is the goodness of god, that he takes upon himself the person not of one judging

To put to death. and each one puts to death, as far as it is in his power, the devil, according to what was said by the apostle: may the god of peace

14. but the flesh of his body are glued together. he could have said: but the flesh of his body are united. but he did not say it for they are not un

to put to death. And each one puts to death, as far as it is in his power, the devil, according to what was said by the Apostle: May the God of peace soon crush Satan under your feet. CH. 41. V. 4. Who will uncover the face of his garment? Why did he not say: Who will uncover his face? What is the garment also doing here? For who will uncover, he says, the face of his garment? So that what is said may be understood, let us use the example of those who put on masks, and do not appear as what they are, but as what they wish to seem. For they take up masks, so to speak, these actors on the stage, sometimes of leaders, sometimes of other kings, sometimes of women. And their own face is hidden, and they do not appear as what they are; but they are seen as what they seem. Such is the dragon. He never shows his face; but having taken a face for the deception of men, he uses that. And this enemy has many masks, and for each vice he takes on the face of virtue. And after a little, in what follows. The remainder of the aforementioned verse. The face which he has put on, who is able to expose? who is able to uncover and declare that within is a dragon? Such are also some other disciples of his, Who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. V. 4. And into the fold of his breastplate who could enter? Do you see? This is called a breastplate, and a breast; and a breastplate, where the ruling faculty is. His breastplate is not simple. He has nothing simple. He is deceitful, he is folded. Therefore, into the fold of his breastplate who could enter? But a holy man can expose him, and show that his breastplate is folded; but that of the holy man is not folded. V. 5. Who will open the doors of his face? He hides the things stored within. Who then will open the doors of his face? Who is this, 17.104 so as to expose and show how much deceit, how much venom, how many evils he has stored up? V. 5. Around his teeth is fear. Concerning which it is said: You have broken the teeth of the wicked. And, The Lord will break the great teeth of the lions. This is not the fear of God; but the fear that is around his teeth. But if you have Christ in you, do not be concerned about this fear. For you shall fear the Lord your God, and besides him, do not fear the other. V. 7. His inwards are shields of bronze. The doctrines, the hidden thoughts. Everything is the venom of asps, everything within him. And they are not soft shields, but hard. For they are hard shields. V. 10. Out of his mouth. The blasphemies and the words of impious and atheistic teachers. V. 10. Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and are cast forth hearths of fire. I think indeed that all the impious introducers of atheistic doctrines would properly be members of the dragon; and if you wish to hear the names of the members of the dragon, who are these? But the mouth of the dragon might also be understood tropologically, and from this is the source of the words that destroy. [For from his mouth lamps of fire are destroyed.] Because from his mouth hearths of fire are destroyed. If I ever heard an accusing word, under the pretext of Christianity, accusing the Creator, so to speak, advocating the things of Marcion, advocating the things of Valentinus, and the things of Basilides; whenever they speak evil of the Maker of heaven and earth, whenever they say that he does not exist, nor is of a spiritual substance, such as these men say; you will see, from the mouth of such men go forth burning lamps, and are cast forth hearths of fire. Therefore let us, knowing this, keep ourselves, lest those lamps burn us, lest the hearths of fire touch us. V. 13. And in his neck dwells power. There is a certain wicked power. But the weakness, which my Savior and Lord took up for my sake, which is called the weakness of God, has conquered his power. For the weakness of God, the Apostle says, is stronger than men; but I would say it is stronger than the power of the dragon. V.

νεκρῶσαι. Νεκροῦ μεν δὲ ἕκαστος, τὸ ὅσον ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ, τὸν διάβολον, κα τὰ τὸ εἰρημένον παρὰ τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ· Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς συντρίψαι τὸν Σατανᾶν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας ὑμῶν ἐν τάχει. ΚΕΦ. ΜΑʹ. Στίχ. δʹ. Τίς ἀποκαλύψει πρόσωπον ἐνδύσεως αὐτοῦ; ∆ιὰ τί οὐκ εἶπε· Τίς ἀποκαλύψει πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ; Τί ποιεῖ ἐνθάδε καὶ ἡ ἔνδυσις; Τίς γὰρ ἀποκαλύψει, φησὶ, πρόσωπον ἐνδύσεως αὐτοῦ; Ἵνα νοηθῇ τὸ λεγόμενον, παραδείγματι χρησώμεθα τῶν περιτιθε μένων προσωπείων, καὶ μὴ φαινομένων τοῦτο ὅ εἰσιν, ἀλλὰ θέλουσι δοκεῖν. Ἀναλαμβάνουσι γὰρ προσωπεῖα, φέρε εἰπεῖν, οὗτοι ἐν ταῖς θυμέλαις ὑποκριταὶ, ποτὲ μὲν ἡγουμένων, ποτὲ δὲ ἄλλων βασιλέων, ποτὲ δὲ γυναικῶν. Καὶ τὸ μὲν ἴδιον αὐτῶν πρόσωπον ἀποκέ κρυπται, καὶ ὅ εἰσιν οὐ φαίνονται· ὃ δὲ δοκοῦσι, βλέ πονται. Τοιοῦτός ἐστιν ὁ δράκων. Οὐδέποτε τὸ πρόσ ωπον αὐτοῦ δείκνυσιν· ἀλλὰ εἰ πρόσωπον λαβὼν εἰς ἀπάτην τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἐκεῖνο χρῆται. Καὶ ἔχει γε ὁ ἐχθρὸς οὗτος πολλὰ προσωπεῖα, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην κακίαν πρόσωπον λαμβάνει ἀρετῆς. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα εἰς τὸ ἑξῆς. Τὰ ὑπόλοιπα τοῦ προγραφέντος στίχου. Τὸ πρόσωπον ὃ ἐνεδύσατο τίς ἱκανὸς ἐλέγξαι; τίς ἱκανὸς ἀποκαλύψαι καὶ λῆξαι ὅ τι ἔνδον δρά κων ἐστί; Τοιοῦτοί εἰσί τινες καὶ ἄλλοι μαθηταὶ αὐ τοῦ, Οἵτινες ἔρχονται πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐν ἐνδύμασι προβάτων, ἔνδοθεν δέ εἰσι λύκοι ἅρπαγες. Στίχ. δʹ. Εἰς δὲ πτύξιν θώρακος αὐτοῦ τίς ἂν εἰσέλθοι; Ὁρᾷς; θώραξ οὗτος ὀνομάζεται, καὶ στῆθος· καὶ θώραξ, ὅπου ἐστὶ τὸ ἡγεμονικόν. Οὐχ ἁπλοῦς ἐστιν ὁ θώραξ αὐτοῦ. Οὐδὲν ἔχει ἁπλοῦν. ∆όλιός ἐστιν, ἐπτυ γμένος ἐστίν. Εἰς οὖν τὴν πτύξιν θώρακος αὐτοῦ τίς ἂν εἰσέλθοι; Ἅγιος δὲ ἐλέγχειν αὐτὸν δύναται, καὶ δεῖξαι, ὅτι ἔπτυκται αὐτοῦ ὁ θώραξ· τοῦ δὲ ἁγίου οὐκ ἔπτυκται. Στίχ. εʹ. Πύλας προσώπου αὐτοῦ τίς ἀνοίξει; Κρύπτει τὰ ἔνδον ἀποκείμενα. Τίς οὖν ἀνοίξει τὰς πύλας τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ; Τίς οὗτός ἐστιν, 17.104 ὥστε ἐλέγξαι καὶ δεῖξαι ὅσον δόλον, ὅσον ἰὸν, ὅσα κακὰ ἔχει ἀποκείμενα; Στίχ. εʹ. Κύκλῳ ὀδόντων αὐτοῦ φόβος. Περὶ ὧν λέγεται· Ὀδόντας ἁμαρτωλῶν συνέ τριψας. Καὶ, Κύριος συντρίψει τὰς μύλας τῶν λεόντων. Οὐκ ἔστιν οὗτος ὁ φόβος τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἀλλ' ὁ φόβος, ὁ κύκλῳ τῶν ὀδόντων αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλ' ἐὰν ἔχῃς τὸν Χριστὸν ἐν σεαυτῷ, μὴ φρόντιζε τούτου τοῦ φόβου. Κύριον γὰρ τὸν Θεόν σου φοβηθήσῃ, καὶ πλὴν αὐτοῦ μὴ φοβοῦ τὸν ἄλλον. Στίχ. ʹ. Τὰ ἔγκατα αὐτοῦ ἀσπίδες χαλκαῖ. Τὰ δόγματα, τὰ νοήματα τὰ ἀποκεκρυμμένα. Πάντα ἰὸς ἀσπίδων ἐστὶ, πάντα τὰ ἔνδον αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἀσπίδες εἰσὶν οὐχ ἁπαλαί τινες, ἀλλὰ σκληραί. Ἀσπί δες γάρ εἰσι σκληραί. Στίχ. ιʹ. Ἐκ στόματος αὐτοῦ. Αἱ βλασφημίαι καὶ οἱ λόγοι τῶν ἀσεβῶν καὶ ἀθέων διδασκάλων. Στίχ. ιʹ. Ἐκ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐκπορεύονται λαμ πάδες καιόμεναι, καὶ διαριπτοῦνται ἐσχάραι πυρός. Οἶμαι μὲν καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς ἀθέων δογμάτων εἰσηγητὰς κυρίως ἂν εἶναι μέλη τοῦ δρά κοντος· καὶ τῶν μελῶν τοῦ δράκοντος ὀνόματα εἰ θέλεις ἀκοῦσαι, ποῖοί εἰσιν οὗτοι; Τὸ στόμα τοῦ δράκοντος εἴη δ' ἄν τι καὶ τροπικῶς νοούμενον, καὶ παρὰ τοῦτο ὅθεν οἱ λόγοι οἱ ἀπολλύντες. [Ἐκ στό ματος γὰρ αὐτοῦ λαμπάδες ἀπολλύονται πυρός.] Ὅτι ἐκ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐσχάραι ἀπολλύονται πυρός. Εἴ ποτε ἤκουσα τοῦ κατηγοροῦντος λόγου, προφάσει Χριστιανισμοῦ, κατηγοροῦντος τοῦ ∆ημιουρ γοῦ, φέρε εἰπεῖν, πρεσβεύοντος τὰ Μαρκίωνος, πρε σβεύοντος τὰ Οὐαλεντίνου, καὶ τὰ Βασιλείδου· ὅτ' ἂν κακῶς λέγωσιν τὸν Ποιητὴν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς, ὅτ' ἂν λέγωσιν αὐτὸν μὴ εἶναι, μηδὲ πνευματικῆς οὐσίας, ὁποῖά φασιν οὗτοι· ὄψῃ, ἐκ στόματος τῶν τοιούτων ἐξέρχονται λαμπάδες καιόμεναι, καὶ διαρι πτοῦνται ἐσχάραι πυρός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἡμεῖς, εἰδότες, τηρῶμεν ἑαυτοὺς, μήποτε ἐκεῖναι αἱ λαμπάδες ἡμᾶς καύσωσι, μήποτε αἱ ἐσχάραι τοῦ πυρὸς ἡμῶν ἅψωνται. Στίχ. ιγʹ. Ἐν δὲ τραχήλῳ αὐτοῦ αὐλίζεται δύ ναμις. Ἔστι τις δύναμις πονηρά. Ἀλλ' ἡ ἀσθένεια, ἣν ἀνέλαβε δι' ἐμὲ ὁ Σωτήρ μου καὶ Κύριος, ἥτις λέγε ται ἀσθένεια Θεοῦ, ἐνίκησεν ἐκείνου τὴν δύναμιν. Τὸ γὰρ ἀσθενὲς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ μὲν Ἀπόστολος λέγει, ἰσχυρότερον τῶν ἀνθρώπων· ἐγὼ δὲ ἂν εἴποιμι ἰσχυρότερον τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ δράκοντος. Στίχ.