John Chrysostom, Commentary on Job

From this we learn that what God permits to the devil happens by concession, because that one asks and runs to temptations not being commanded, but desiring and asking God. Do you see that God tempts no one? But when that one leaps upon someone, He permits some things, but not others. But if someone should say concerning those who fall, for what reason does He permit it? So that they may be tested, often being fashioned and playing a part, as in the case of Judas. He permitted him to leap upon him, so that He might test his wickedness; but in the case of Simon, no longer, but He helped him. So He both permits and does not permit. He permits one to fall and be tested, and again permits one to be tried, but He withholds permission so that one does not utterly fall. Therefore we are also commanded to pray: lead us not into temptation, which we are not able to bear. See, when the sickness and illness happened to him, when he became bereft of those who were caring for him. For poverty is difficult even in health, but when illness is also present, and an illness needing many caregivers, the terrible thing becomes more unbearable. See the devilish rage; he spared no part, he corrupted his flesh. O noble athlete and hero, boxing in his body with the evil demon, just as if someone, having been stripped of all his weapons, were forced to strike the head of his antagonist with his bare hand, or to conquer only by being struck. But he binds his 39 hands, intending to unnerve his opponent. “Behold,” he says, “I hand him over to you, into your hand.” He did not say: “Fight from opposite sides,” but: “Having bound him, I hand him over, and not even so will you prevail.” See how great is the power of God’s servants, and how great the weakness of the devil. He does not prevail even over the righteous when they are restrained. Perhaps the suffering does not seem evil to you, since you heard 'an ulcer,' but hear what follows: 2,8a And Job took a potsherd, that he might scrape off his discharge. How could anyone attain to the account of that calamity? What am I saying? Not even sight will be able to represent it, but only through experience is it possible to know it well. For what reason did he scrape himself? He was desolate, bereft of caregivers; for this also was of the devil's working: to make him disgusting and hateful to all. For he snatched away beforehand those who were most likely to withstand the calamity, and the remaining consolation—I mean his wife—not only did he not leave, but he even armed against him. And for what reason did he not scrape with his hands or fingers? So that the treatment would not become a cause of greater disgust. And he who did not endure treating himself, how would he have obtained the help of others? He was his own executioner, not digging out his sides, but cutting away the gushing putrefaction. For even if he had caregivers, is this not pitiful? But now he was treating himself. A common spectacle lay before all who saw. The athlete stripped and wrestled. Of what would we be worthy, we who do not endure even to hear these things? Than what punishment are these things not harsher? Let each one take up the matter in experience, let him not pay attention only to the narrative of words. Little by little he saw himself being consumed shamefully and disgustingly; 40 for how did he bear to see himself? He was driven out of the city—how great the reproach—and sat upon the dung heap. 2,8b For he himself, it says, sat upon the dung heap outside the city. For what reason? The citizens could not bear to see a terrible and pitiful sight, something monstrous and strange. Did you see the ultimate calamity? Did you see the adamant? Did you see the man of iron? For what reason did he not shut himself up in a small house, but was in the open air, set before the eyes of all? It seems to me, so that he might become more pitiful. Concerning this it was possible to say: as much as the outer man is decaying, so much is the inner man being renewed. Let as many as are proud of the beauty of their body, consider its nature. It was discharge and food and a table for worms. If any are cast down because of a bad smell or mutilation, let them consider this hero. What is more foul-smelling than this? What is more hideous? What is more disgusting? But nothing was more fragrant than his soul. The nature of the body was decaying, but the soul remained incorrupt. And of what

ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν, ὅτι κατὰ συγχώρησιν γίνεται, ἅπερ ὁ θεὸς ἐπιτρέπει τῷ διαβόλῳ, ὅτι ἐκεῖνος αἰτεῖ καὶ ἐπιτρέχει τοῖς πειρασμοῖς οὐ κελευόμενος, ἀλλ' ἐπιθυμῶν καὶ αἰτῶν τὸν θεόν. ὁρᾷς, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς οὐ πειράζει οὐδένα; ἀλλ' ὅταν ἐκεῖνος ἐπιπηδήσῃ, συγχωρεῖ τὰ μέν, τὰ δὲ οὔ. εἰ δὲ λέγοι τις ἐπὶ τῶν καταπιπτόντων, τίνος ἕνεκεν συγχωρεῖ· ἵνα ἐλεγχθῶσι πολλάκις σχηματιζόμενοι καὶ ὑποκρινόμενοι οἷον ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα. συνεχώρησεν αὐτῷ ἐπιπηδῆσαι, ἵνα ἐλέγξῃ αὐτοῦ τὴν κακίαν· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Σίμωνος οὐκέτι, ἀλλ' ἐβοήθησεν. ὥστε καὶ συγχωρεῖ καὶ οὐ συγχωρεῖ. συγχωρεῖ μὲν ἐπὶ τῷ πεσεῖν καὶ ἐλεγχθῆναι καὶ συγχωρεῖ πάλιν ἐπὶ τῷ δοκιμασθῆναι, καὶ οὐ συγχωρεῖ ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ καταπεσεῖν. διὸ καὶ κελευόμεθα εὔχεσθαι· μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ὃν οὐ δυνάμεθα φέρειν. ὅρα, πότε τὰ τῆς νόσου καὶ τῆς ἀρρωστίας αὐτῷ συνέβη, ὅτε τῶν θεραπευόντων ἐγένετο γυμνός. ἡ γὰρ πενία χαλεπὸν μὲν καὶ ἐν ὑγείᾳ, ὅταν δὲ καὶ ἀρρωστία προσῇ καὶ ἀρρωστία πολλῶν δεομένη τῶν θεραπευσόντων, ἀφορητότερον γίνεται τὸ δεινόν. ὅρα θυμὸν διαβολικόν· οὐδενὸς ἐφείσατο μέρους, διέφθειρεν αὐτῷ τὴν σάρκα. ὢ ἀθλητοῦ γενναίου καὶ ἥρωος ἐν τῷ σώματι πυκτεύοντος τῷ δαίμονι τῷ πονηρῷ, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις τὰ ὅπλα ἅπαντα ἀφαιρεθεὶς γυμνῇ τῇ χειρὶ ἀναγκάζοιτο τύπτειν τοῦ ἀνταγωνιστοῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἢ πληττόμενος μόνον νικᾶν. δεσμεῖ δὲ αὐτῷ 39 τὰς χεῖρας ἐκλύειν τὸν ἀντίπαλον μέλλων. «ἰδού», φησίν, «παραδίδωμί σοι αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ χειρί σου.» οὐκ εἶπεν· «ἐξ ἐναντίας μάχεσθε», ἀλλά· «δεσμεύσας αὐτὸν παραδίδωμι, καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτω περιέσῃ.» ὅρα, πόση τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ δούλων ἡ δύναμις, καὶ πόση τοῦ διαβόλου ἡ ἀσθένεια. οὐδὲ κατεχομένων περιγίνεται τῶν δικαίων. ἴσως οὐ δοκεῖ σοι πόνηρον εἶναι τὸ πάθος, ἐπειδὴ ἕλκος ἤκουσας, ἀλλ' ἄκουε τὴν ἐπαγωγήν· 2,8a καὶ ἔλαβεν ˉ̓Ιὼβ ὄστρακον, ἵνα ἀποξέσῃ τὸν ἰχῶρα αὐτοῦ. πῶς ἄν τις ἐφίκοιτο τῷ λόγῳ τῆς συμφορᾶς ἐκείνης; τί λέγω; οὐδὲ ὄψις αὐτὴν παραστῆσαι δυνήσεται, διὰ μόνης δὲ τῆς πείρας ἔστιν αὐτὴν εἰδέναι καλῶς. τίνος ἕνεκεν αὐτὸς ἔξεεν; ἔρημος ἦν, γυμνὸς τῶν θεραπευσόντων· ἦν γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο διαβολικῆς ἐνεργείας βδελυκτὸν αὐτὸν πᾶσι καταστῆσαι καὶ μισητόν. τοὺς γὰρ μάλιστα ἀντέχεσθαι μέλλοντας τῆς συμφορᾶς προανήρπασεν, τὴν δὲ παραμυθίαν τὴν ὑπολειπομένην-τὴν γυναῖκα λέγω-οὐ μόνον οὐκ εἴασεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὥπλισε κατ' αὐτοῦ. τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν οὐχὶ χερσὶν οὐδὲ δακτύλοις ἀπέξεεν; ὥστε μὴ τὴν θεραπείαν μείζονα γενέσθαι ἀηδίας ὑπόθεσιν. ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν θεραπεῦσαι οὐκ ἀνεχόμενος πῶς ἂν ἑτέρων ἔτυχεν; αὐτὸς ἑαυτοῦ δήμιος ἦν, οὐ διορύττων τὰς πλευράς, ἀλλὰ τὴν πηγάζουσαν σηπεδόνα περικόπτων. εἰ γὰρ καὶ τοὺς θεραπεύοντας εἶχεν, οὐκ ἐλεεινὸν τοῦτο; νῦν δὲ αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐθεράπευεν. κοινὸν προύκειτο θέατρον πᾶσι τοῖς ὁρῶσιν. ἀπεδύσατο ὁ ἀθλητὴς καὶ ἐπάλαιεν. τίνος ἂν εἴημεν ἡμεῖς ἄξιοι μηδὲ ἀκοῦσαι ταῦτα ἀνεχόμενοι; πόσης ταῦτα τιμωρίας οὐ χαλεπώτερα; ἕκαστος ἀναλαβέτω τῇ πείρᾳ τὸ πρᾶγμα, μὴ τῇ τῶν λόγων διηγήσει προσεχέτω μόνον. κατὰ μικρὸν ἑαυτὸν ἑώρα ἀναλούμενον αἰσχρῶς καὶ βδελυκτῶς· 40 ἰδεῖν γὰρ αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν πῶς ἔφερεν; ἀπελήλατο τῆς πόλεως- πόσον τὸ ὄνειδος- καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας ἐκάθητο. 2,8b καὶ γὰρ αὐτός, φησίν, ἐκάθητο ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας ἔξω τῆς πόλεως. τίνος ἕνεκεν; οὐκ ἠνέσχοντο οἱ πολῖται θέαμα δεινὸν καὶ ἐλεεινόν, τέρας τι καὶ παράδοξον ἰδεῖν. εἶδες συμφορὰν ἐσχάτην; εἶδες τὸν ἀδάμαντα; εἶδες τὸν σιδηροῦν ἄνθρωπον; τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἐν οἰκίσκῳ καθεῖρξεν ἑαυτόν, ἀλλ' αἴθριος ἦν τοῖς ἁπάντων προκείμενος ὀφθαλμοῖς; ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ ὥστε ἐλεεινότερος γενέσθαι. ἐπὶ τούτῳ εἰπεῖν ἦν· ὅσῳ ὁ ἔξω ἄνθρωπος διαφθείρεται, τοσούτῳ ὁ ἔσω ἀνακαινοῦται. ὅσοι μέγα φρονοῦσιν ἐπὶ σώματος ὥρᾳ, ἀναλογιζέσθωσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν φύσιν. ἰχὼρ ἦν καὶ σκωλήκων τροφὴ καὶ τράπεζα. εἴ τινες ἐπὶ δυσωδίᾳ καὶ κολοβώσει καταδύονται, τὸν ἥρωα τοῦτον λογιζέσθωσαν. τί τούτου δυσωδέστερον; τί δὲ εἰδεχθέστερον; τί δὲ μᾶλλον βδελυκτόν; ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἦν τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ εὐωδέστερον. ἐσήπετο τοῦ σώματος ἡ φύσις, ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ διέμεινεν ἄφθορος. τίνος δὲ