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teaching us not to be arrogant in prosperity. For it is great forbearance even when we prevail. What then of the devil, who is insatiable and never brings an end to the evils against us? 2,4a And the devil answered and said to the Lord: 4b Skin for skin; 4c and all that a man has, he will give for his soul. "Even if he must give another body, he will not refuse." That is to say: "Even if he has given his children, this is the custom for men. Nothing is more precious to a man than himself. He has not yet touched the essentials." "And yet you were saying, 'If I take these things away, he will blaspheme you.'" Why then did he not ask for this from the beginning? He reasoned that "if it should happen that he is defeated, it is better," he says, "to win the victory from lesser things. If I should not prevail by means of his possessions, I will prevail by means of his body. And the defeat will be shameful for him, if for the sake of possessions 36 he should blaspheme; but if he does not blaspheme, it remains to proceed to other things." For this reason he kept it in reserve. And all that a man has, he says, he will give for his soul. For did he himself give it? I myself took it from him. For was it proposed that either he or his possessions should be destroyed, and he chose this? How did he not blaspheme, O foul one? What he says is this, that a man is more essential to himself than all things, and all other things are secondary. See again, how he is caught by his own replies. For in order that he might no longer leave himself a pretext or a reason, as if he had not touched the very essentials, as if he had not taken the greatest handle of all, he himself anticipates and declares that all things are secondary to a man's self and that he will easily give up all things so as to preserve and protect himself, and that the most essential of all things is he to himself. "Here then I wish to get my handle." "Possessions," he says, "are of little account to men." Let us listen, beloved, even to the devil, and be ashamed, that we must give up all things for the sake of the soul and that this is natural for men, so that we are deprived of all excuse when we blaspheme for the sake of possessions. "Possessions," he says, "are no great thing. For for the salvation of their own soul they give everything." Again he asks him: 2,5a But now, he says, send forth your hand and touch his bones and his flesh, 5b and surely he will bless you to your face. He speaks with wickedness. He did not say simply "of the flesh," but also "of the bones," so that the evil might be produced from within. 37 What then does God say in turn? 2,6a And the Lord said to the devil: Behold, I deliver him to you, 6b only preserve his soul. That is: "Do not destroy him;"--so it is possible for him, if he should receive permission--"if you destroy him, the theater is no longer assembled for us." So he is able to destroy a man, but he is not able to do evil. Do you see? From this we learn that the devil is envious of the good, and that even being envious he does not attack them until God permits it. And God often does not permit everything, but sometimes with regard to possessions, sometimes with regard to bodies. For to receive authority a second time hints at this. From this we learn that what things he can do, he can do by permission, that even if he is defeated he does not withdraw, but always attempts greater things. And it is God's to grant or not to grant. For why did he not say: "Only do not touch his soul," but: "only preserve his soul"? He surrounded him with great fear. "Do not say to me, 'I did not touch it,' but you destroyed him in another way, I seek the salvation of his soul from you." "Preserve" is greater than "do not touch". Here he frightens the enemy, so that from an abundance of caution he might not touch his soul. For since it was likely he would inflict such a disease on him as to kill the body and he could have said, "I did not touch his soul," for this reason he says: "Preserve". "I say not only this, that you should not touch, but also preserve, lest it suffer anything; I speak concerning the principle of life." 38 2,7a And the devil went out from the Lord 7b and struck Job with a wicked sore from his feet to his head. Again he goes out from God, when he does his own things, having received authority. And see, he does not delay, but immediately attacks.

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παιδεύων ἡμᾶς μὴ ἐπεμβαίνειν ἐν ταῖς εὐημερίαις. μέγα γὰρ ἐπιείκεια καὶ ὅταν κρατῶμεν. τί οὖν ὁ διάβολος ὁ ἀκόρεστος καὶ μηδέποτε λαμβάνων τέλος τῶν καθ' ἡμῶν κακῶν; 2,4a ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ὁ διάβολος εἶπε τῷ κυρίῳ· 4b δέρμα ὑπὲρ δέρματος· 4c καὶ πάντα ὅσα ὑπάρχει τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, δώσει ὑπὲρ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ. «κἂν σῶμα δέῃ δοῦναι ἕτερον, οὐ παραιτήσεται.» τουτέστιν· «εἰ καὶ τὰ παιδία ἔδωκεν, τοῦτο ἔθος τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. οὐδὲν τιμιώτερον ἀνθρώπῳ ἑαυτοῦ. οὔπω τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἅπτεται.» «καὶ μὴν σὺ ἔλεγες, ὅτι· ἐὰν ταῦτα ἀφέλωμαι, βλασφημήσει σε.» διὰ τί δὲ μὴ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τοῦτο ᾔτησεν; ἐλογίσατο, ὅτι «εἰ συμβαίη αὐτὸν ἡττηθῆναι, βέλτιον», φησίν, «ἀπὸ τῶν ἐλαττόνων τὴν νίκην ἐνεγκεῖν. εἰ δὲ μὴ περιγενοίμην ἀπὸ τῶν χρημάτων, ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος περιέσομαι. καὶ αἰσχρὰ ἔσται αὐτῷ ἡ ἧττα, ἐὰν διὰ χρήματα 36 βλασφημήσῃ· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ βλασφημήσῃ, λείπεται καὶ ἐφ' ἕτερα ἐλθεῖν.» διὰ τοῦτο ἐτήρησεν αὐτό. καὶ πάντα, φησίν, ὅσα ὑπάρχει τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, δώσει ὑπὲρ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ. μὴ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἔδωκεν; αὐτὸς αὐτὸν ἀφείλω. μὴ γὰρ προέκειτο αὐτὸν ἀπολέσθαι ἢ χρήματα, καὶ τοῦτο εἵλετο; πῶς οὐκ ἐβλασφήμησεν, ὦ μιαρέ; ὃ λέγει, τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὅτι πάντων ἀναγκαιότερον αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα πάντα δεύτερα. ὅρα πάλιν, πῶς ταῖς οἰκείαις ἀποκρίσεσιν ἁλίσκεται. ἵνα γὰρ μηκέτι αὑτῷ καταλείπῃ πρόφασιν μηδὲ λόγον ὡς οὐχὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων αὐτῶν ἁψάμενος, ὡς οὐδὲ λαβὼν λαβὴν τὴν πασῶν μείζονα, αὐτὸς προλαβὼν ἀποφαίνεται, ὅτι πάντα δεύτερα ἀνθρώπῳ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ πάντα προήσεται εὐκόλως ὥστε ἑαυτὸν διατηρῆσαι καὶ διαφυλάξαι, τὸ δὲ πάντων ἀναγκαιότερον αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ. «ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν βούλομαι λαβεῖν τὴν λαβήν.» «οὐ πολλοῦ λόγου», φησίν, «τὰ χρήματα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις.» ἀκούσωμεν, ἀγαπητοί, κἂν τοῦ διαβόλου, καὶ αἰσχυνθῶμεν, ὅτι πάντα δεῖ προΐεσθαι ὑπὲρ τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τοῦτο κατὰ φύσιν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐστίν, ὥστε πάσης ἀποστερούμεθα συγγνώμης, ὅταν διὰ τὰ χρήματα βλασφημῶμεν. «οὐδὲν μέγα τὰ χρήματα», φησίν, «ἐστίν. ὑπὲρ γὰρ σωτηρίας τῆς οἰκείας ψυχῆς ἅπαντα διδόασιν.» πάλιν αὐτὸν ἀξιοῖ· 2,5a οὐ μὴν δέ, φησίν, ἀλλὰ ἀπόστειλον τὴν χεῖρά σου ἅψαι τῶν ὀστῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν σαρκῶν αὐτοῦ, 5b ἦ μὴν εἰς πρόσωπόν σε εὐλογήσει. μετὰ πονηρίας φθέγγεται. οὐχὶ ἁπλῶς τῶν σαρκῶν εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ὀστῶν, ὥστε ἔνδοθεν τεχθῆναι τὸ κακόν. 37 τί οὖν πάλιν ὁ θεός; 2,6a εἶπε δὲ ὁ κύριος τῷ διαβόλῳ· ἰδού, παραδίδωμί σοι αὐτόν, 6b μόνον τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ διατήρησον. τουτέστιν· «μὴ αὐτὸν ἀνέλῃς·»-ὥστε ἔξεστιν αὐτῷ, εἰ λάβοι συγχώρησιν-»ἐὰν ἀνέλῃς, οὐκέτι ἡμῖν τὸ θέατρον συγκεκρότηται.» ὥστε ἀνελεῖν μὲν δύναται ἄνθρωπον, κακὸν δὲ ποιῆσαι οὐ δύναται. ὁρᾷς; ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν, ὅτι τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ὁ διάβολος βασκαίνει, ὅτι καὶ βασκαίνων οὐ πρότερον αὐτοῖς ἐπιτίθεται, ἕως ἂν ὁ θεὸς συγχωρήσῃ. συγχωρεῖ δὲ ὁ θεὸς πολλάκις οὐ πάντα, ἀλλὰ ἐνίοτε ἐπὶ χρημάτων, ἐνίοτε ἐπὶ σωμάτων. τὸ γὰρ ἐκ δευτέρου λαβεῖν τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦτο αἰνίττεται. ἐκ τούτου μανθάνομεν, ὅτι ὅσα δύναται κατὰ συγχώρησιν δύναται, ὅτι κἂν ἡττηθῇ οὐκ ἀφίσταται, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ ἐπιχειρεῖ τοῖς μείζοσιν. τοῦ δὲ θεοῦ ἐστι τὸ ἐνδοῦναι ἢ μὴ ἐνδοῦναι. διὰ τί γὰρ μὴ εἶπεν· «μόνον τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ μὴ ἅψῃ», ἀλλά· μόνον τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ διατήρησον; εἰς μέγαν αὐτὸν φόβον περιέστησεν. «μή μοι εἴπῃς, ὅτι "οὐχ ἡψάμην", ἀλλ' ἑτέρως ἀνεῖλες, τὴν σωτηρίαν τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ παρὰ σοῦ ζητῶ.» μεῖζόν ἐστι τὸ διατήρησον τοῦ "μὴ ἅψῃ". ἐνταῦθα φοβεῖ τὸν ἐχθρόν, ὥστε ἐκ πολλῆς τῆς περιουσίας μὴ ἅψασθαι τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰκὸς ἦν τοιαύτην νόσον αὐτῷ ἐπιβαλεῖν ὥστε ἀποκτεῖναι τὸ σῶμα καὶ εἶχεν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι «τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ οὐχ ἡψάμην», διὰ τοῦτό φησιν· διατήρησον. «οὐ τοῦτο λέγω μόνον, ὅπως μὴ ἅψῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ διατήρησον, μή τι πάθῃ, κατὰ τὸν τῆς ζωῆς λέγω λόγον.» 38 2,7a ἐξῆλθε δὲ ὁ διάβολος παρὰ κυρίου 7b καὶ ἔπαισε τὸν Ἰὼβ ἕλκει πονήρῳ ἀπὸ ποδῶν ἕως κεφαλῆς. πάλιν ἐξέρχεται ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὅταν πράττῃ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ λαβὼν ἐξουσίαν. καὶ ὅρα, οὐκ ἀναβάλλεται, ἀλλ' εὐθέως ἐπιτίθεται.