it is necessary to raise a further question to those who suppose, whether the prophets, whose sins are not spoken against, have kept the law; for example, Elijah, who was most destitute, so as not even to have bread with him to eat and for this reason was sent to a woman in Zarephath of Sidon; and Elisha, who received from the Shunammite woman very small lodging and a pallet bed and a simple lamp, who also fell sick and died; and Isaiah, who went naked and barefoot for three years; and Jeremiah, who was cast into a pit of mire and was always derided, so that he even prayed to dwell in a wilderness; and John, who spent his time in the wilderness and partook of nothing but locusts and wild honey, his loins girded with leather and clothed in camel's hair. For they will confess that they kept the law. And we will ask if the things they consider good belonged to these who kept it. But being unable to show this, they will be shut up to the conclusion that either the promises said to be given to the godly are false, or being true, they require an allegorical interpretation; and if they are forced to come to an allegorical interpretation, their supposition will be set aside, which is that the law threatens bodily disease and what are considered external evils to the impious, or that it promises that the bodies of those who have followed God will be healthy and that they will have abundance. 26.5 But how is it not foolish to be proud of evils and for those who are in them to boast? For if tribulations are evils, but the apostle says to boast in tribulations, it is clear that he boasts in evils; but this is foolish, and the apostle is not foolish; therefore, such exercises of the saint are not evil, who being afflicted in every way is not distressed, being perplexed is not abandoned, being tempted is not put to death, considered to be poor makes many rich, and being supposed to have nothing possesses all things; for the whole world of wealth belongs to the faithful, but not even an obol to the unfaithful. Furthermore, it follows for those who suppose that according to the scripture there are three kinds of goods, and it is clear also of evils, that the righteous are always in many evils; the prophecy which says being true: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous." And it is not inopportune to remind those who think that certain things are evils of what happened to Job; to whom the divine oracle, after he had most nobly borne the surrounding trials, says: "Do you think that I have dealt with you otherwise than that you might be shown to be righteous?" For if Job is not shown to be righteous otherwise than by the fact that these and those things happened to him, how could we say that the causes of his righteousness being revealed were evils for him? And it would follow from this that not even the devil is an evil to the saint. At any rate, the devil was not an evil to Job; since "for those who love God, God works all things together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose". Furthermore, in addition to these things, we say that it is contrary to what is manifest that the righteous man will be in the literal blessings of the supposed goods contained in the scriptures; for the extensive history concerning the saint, when examined, is contrary to such interpretations. And it is senseless to suppose that the saint will be a moneylender, opening up banking-tables of many nations in every city, and being distracted by giving and receiving, and doing forbidden things; "for the righteous man has not given his money at interest and has not taken bribes against the innocent"; and: "He who does these things shall never be moved." And according to Ezekiel the saint did not give his money at interest and for increase. And to think that fever also occurs because of sins is a doctrine of the exceedingly uneducated, since the causes of such a disease are often obvious; for it is either because of the environment or because of such and such waters or such and such foods. And if health and wealth are rewards for the righteous, none of the impious should be healthy or rich. But one must seek such a state of the soul as health, and wealth that, according to Solomon, is a ransom for the soul, who says: "The ransom for a man's soul is his own wealth"; but one must flee the poverty concerning which it is written: "But a poor man does not stand up to a threat." Furthermore, wounds and bruises and diseases must be understood as those things which happen through wickedness to inattentive souls; concerning

ὑπολαμβάνοντας ἐπαπορητέον, εἰ τετηρήκασι τὸν νόμον οἱ προφῆται, ὧν ἁμαρτήματα οὐ κατηγορεῖται· οἷον Ἠλίας ὁ ἀκτημονέστατος, ὡς μηδὲ ἄρτον ἔχειν παρ' ἑαυτῷ φαγεῖν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πέμπεσθαι πρὸς γυναῖκα εἰς Σάρεπτα τῆς Σιδωνίας· καὶ Ἐλισσαῖος, ὃς παρὰ τῇ Σουμανίτιδι βραχυτάτην ἔλαβε κατάλυσιν καὶ σκιμπόδιον καὶ λυχνίαν εὐτελῆ, ὃς καὶ ἀρρωστήσας ἐτελεύτησε· καὶ Ἠσαΐας ὁ πορευθεὶς γυμνὸς καὶ ἀνυπόδετος τρισὶν ἔτεσι· καὶ Ἱερεμίας ὁ ἐμβληθεὶς εἰς λάκκον βορβόρου καὶ ἀεὶ μυκτηρισθείς, ὥστε καὶ ἐρημίαν οἰκῆσαι εὔξασθαι· καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης ὁ ἐν ταῖς ἐρημίαις διατρίβων καὶ πλὴν ἀκρίδων καὶ μέλιτος ἀγρίου μηδενὸς μεταλαμβάνων, δέρματι περιεζωσμένος τὴν ὀσφὺν καὶ ἀπὸ τριχῶν καμήλου ἠμφιεσμένος. Ὁμολο γήσουσι γὰρ αὐτοὺς τετηρηκέναι τὸν νόμον. Καὶ ἀπαιτήσομεν εἰ ἃ νοοῦσιν ἀγαθὰ τοῖς τετηρηκόσι τούτοις ὑπῆρκται. Οὐκ ἔχοντες δὲ δεῖξαι, περικλεισθήσονται εἰς τὸ ἤτοι ψευδεῖς εἶναι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας τὰς λεγομένας δίδοσθαι τοῖς θεοσεβέσιν ἢ ἀληθεῖς τυγχανούσας ἀναγωγῆς δεῖσθαι· εἰ δ' ἐπ' ἀλληγορίαν ἀναγκασθέντες ἔλθωσιν, ἀθετηθήσεται αὐτῶν ἡ ὑπόληψις ἡ περὶ τοῦ τὸν νόμον ἀπειλεῖν νόσον σωματικὴν καὶ τὰ ἐκτὸς νομιζόμενα κακὰ τοῖς ἠσεβηκόσιν, ἢ ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι ὑγιαίνοντα εἶναι τὰ σώματα καὶ περιουσίαν ἔσεσθαι τοῖς τῷ θεῷ κατηκολουθηκόσι. 26.5 Πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἠλίθιον ἐπὶ τοῖς κακοῖς μέγα φρονεῖν καὶ αὐχεῖν τοὺς ὄντας ἐν αὐτοῖς; Εἰ γὰρ κακαὶ αἱ θλίψεις, φησὶ δὲ ὁ ἀπόστολος καυχᾶσθαι ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσι, δῆλον ὅτι καυχᾶται ἐν κακοῖς· τοῦτο δὲ ἠλίθιον, καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος οὐκ ἠλίθιος· οὐκ ἄρα κακὰ τὰ τοιάδε γυμνάσματα τοῦ ἁγίου, ὅστις ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενος οὐ στενοχωρεῖται, ἀπορού μενος οὐκ ἐγκαταλείπεται, πειραζόμενος οὐ θανατοῦται, νομιζόμενος εἶναι πτωχὸς πολλοὺς πλουτίζει, καὶ ὑπολαμ βανόμενος μηδὲν κεκτῆσθαι πάντα κατέχει· τοῦ γὰρ πιστοῦ ὅλος ὁ κόσμος τῶν χρημάτων, τοῦ δὲ ἀπίστου οὐδὲ ὀβολός. Ἔτι δὲ ἕπεται τοῖς ὑπολαμβάνουσι κατὰ τὴν γραφὴν τρία γένη τῶν ἀγαθῶν εἶναι, δῆλον δὲ ὅτι καὶ τῶν κακῶν, τοὺς δικαίους ἀεὶ ἐν πολλοῖς κακοῖς εἶναι· ἀληθευούσης τῆς λεγούσης προφητείας· «Πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων.» Οὐκ ἄκαιρον δὲ καὶ τῶν τῷ Ἰὼβ συμβεβηκότων ὑπομνῆσαι τοὺς οἰομένους τάδε τινὰ κακὰ εἶναι· ᾧ ὁ χρηματισμὸς μετὰ τὸ ἐνεγκεῖν γενναιότατα τοὺς περιστάντας ἀγῶνάς φησιν· «Οἴει δέ με ἄλλως σοι κεχρηματικέναι ἢ ἵνα ἀναφανῇς δίκαιος;» Εἰ γὰρ οὐκ ἄλλως ἀναφαίνεται ὁ Ἰὼβ δίκαιος ἢ ἐκ τοῦ τάδε τινὰ καὶ τάδε αὐτῷ συμπτώματα γεγονέναι, πῶς ἂν αὐτῷ κακὰ λέγοιμεν ὑπάρχειν τὰ αἴτια τοῦ ἀναφῆναι αὐτοῦ τὴν δικαιοσύνην; Ἑπόμενα δ' ἂν τούτοις εἴη, μηδὲ τὸν διάβολον τῷ ἁγίῳ κακὸν τυγχάνειν. Τῷ γοῦν Ἰὼβ ὁ διάβολος κακὸν οὐκ ἦν· ἐπεὶ «τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τὸν θεὸν πάντα συνεργεῖ εἰς ἀγαθὸν ὁ θεός, τοῖς κατὰ πρόθεσιν κλητοῖς οὖσιν». Ἔτι δὲ πρὸς τούτοις παρὰ τὸ ἐναργὲς εἶναί φαμεν τὸ τὸν δίκαιον ἐν ταῖς κατὰ τὸ ῥητὸν εὐλογίαις ἔσεσθαι τῶν ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς ἐγκειμένων νομιζομένων ἀγαθῶν· πολλὴ γὰρ ἱστορία ἡ περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου ἐξεταζομένη ἐναντιοῦται ταῖς τοιαύταις ἐκδοχαῖς. Καὶ ἀνόητόν ἐστι τὸ ὑπολαμβάνειν δανειστὴν τὸν ἅγιον ἔσεσθαι, πολλῶν ἐθνῶν τραπέζας κατὰ πόλιν ἀνοίγοντα, καὶ περισπώμενον περὶ τὰς δόσεις καὶ λήψεις, καὶ ποιοῦντα πράγματα ἀπηγορευμένα· «Τὸ ἀργύριον γὰρ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔδωκεν ἐπὶ τόκῳ ὁ δίκαιος καὶ δῶρα ἐπ' ἀθώοις οὐκ ἔλαβε»· καί· «Ὁ ποιῶν ταῦτα οὐ σαλευθήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.» Καὶ κατὰ τὸν Ἰεζεκιὴλ ὁ ἅγιος ἐπὶ τόκῳ καὶ πλεονασμῷ οὐκ ἔδωκε τὸ ἀργύριον. Τὸ δὲ καὶ πυρετὸν νομίζειν διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας γίνεσθαι ἀπαιδεύτων εἰς ὑπερβολήν ἐστι δόγμα, πολλάκις τῶν αἰτίων τῆς τοιᾶσδε νόσου προδήλων ὄντων· ἢ γὰρ διὰ τὸ περιέχον ἢ διὰ τοιάδε ὕδατα ἢ τοιάσδε τροφάς. Καὶ εἰ ἆθλα τοῖς δικαίοις ὑγεία καὶ πλοῦτος, ἐχρῆν μηδένα τῶν ἀσεβῶν ὑγιαίνειν μηδὲ πλουτεῖν. Ὑγείαν δὲ τὴν τοιάνδε κατάστασιν τῆς ψυχῆς ζητητέον, καὶ πλοῦτον τὸν κατὰ Σολομῶντα λύτρον τυγχάνοντα τῆς ψυχῆς, λέγοντα· «Λύτρον ἀνδρὸς ψυχῆς ὁ ἴδιος πλοῦτος»· φευκτέον δὲ πενίαν, καθ' ἣν ἀναγέγραπται· «Πτωχὸς δὲ οὐχ ὑφίσταται ἀπειλήν.» Ἔτι δὲ τραύματα καὶ μώλωπας καὶ νόσους ἐκληπτέον τὰ γινόμενα διὰ τὴν κακίαν ταῖς ἀπροσεκτούσαις ψυχαῖς· περὶ