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to see the dung-heap of Job, one will receive every benefit, and much philosophy, and exhortation to the word of patience. For this reason many now undertake a certain long, and overseas journey, running from the ends of the earth to Arabia, that they might see that dung-heap, and having seen it, kiss the earth, which received the struggles of that crowned one, and the blood more precious than all gold. For not even purple is so bright, as that body then glistened, baptized not with another's, but with its own blood; and those wounds were more precious than all stones. For the nature of pearls in no way benefits our life, nor does it fill any necessary need for those who possess them; but those wounds are a consolation for all despondency. And that you may learn that this is true, if someone loses a legitimate and only-begotten son, show him ten thousand pearls, and you will not console his suffering, nor will you heal his pain. But by reminding him of the wounds of Job, you will easily be able to heal, saying thus: Why do you mourn, O man? You have lost one child, but that blessed one, after the entire choir of his children was taken away, also received a blow in his very flesh, and sat naked upon the dung-heap, with ichor flowing down from all sides, as his flesh was being consumed little by little, the just one, the God-fearing one, the one who has God as a witness of his virtue. For if you say these words, you have extinguished all the despondency of the one who mourns, and you have taken away all his pain; and thus the wounds of the just man become more useful than pearls. Picture therefore to yourselves the athlete, and consider that you see that dung-heap, and him sitting in the middle, the sta 64.553 tue the golden, the one adorned with jewels, the one—how to say it I do not know. For I cannot find material so precious, as to be able to compare with that bloodied body. Thus also the nature of that flesh was more precious than any most valuable material, by a great deal, and the wounds brighter than the rays of the sun; for these illuminate the sight of the body, but those enlighten the eyes of our mind, those once and for all blinded the devil; for this reason, at least, after that blow, he leaped away, and did not appear again. But from this, beloved, learn how great is the gain of affliction; for when the just man was rich and enjoyed rest, he was able to slander him, falsely indeed, but still he was able to say: Does Job fear you for nought? But when he had stripped him, and made him poor, he no longer dared even to mutter. And when he was rich, he promised to wrestle with him, and threatened to trip him up; but when he had made him poor, and deprived him of all things, and cast him into extreme pain, then he leaped away; and when his body was healthy, he raised his hands against him, but when he had cut his flesh, then he fled, defeated. Have you seen how much better poverty is than wealth, and sickness than health, and temptation than rest, for those who are sober, and more useful, and how it makes the athletes more illustrious and more vigorous? who has seen, who has heard such wonderful wrestlings? the boxers of the contests outside, when they have cut up the heads of their opponents, then they conquer, and are crowned; but this one, when he had cut the body of the just man, piercing it with all kinds of sores, and had made it weaker, then he was conquered and withdrew. And when he had dug through his sides from all directions, he himself gained nothing more; for he did not plunder the treasure laid up within, but he made it more manifest to us, and through that digging, he gave to all the ability to look inside, and to perceive all his wealth; and when he expected to prevail, then he withdrew with great shame, and no longer uttered any sound. What has happened, O devil? For what reason do you withdraw? Did not everything happen, that you wished? Did you not take away his

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κοπρίαν ἰδεῖν τοῦ Ἰὼβ, πᾶσάν τις δέξεται ὠφέλειαν, καὶ φιλοσοφίαν πολλὴν, καὶ παράκλησιν εἰς ὑπομονῆς λόγον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πολλοὶ νῦν μακράν τινα, καὶ διαπόντιον ἀποδημίαν στέλλονται, ἀπὸ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς εἰς Ἀραβίαν τρέχοντες, ἵνα τὴν κοπρίαν ἐκείνην ἴδωσι, καὶ θεασάμενοι καταφιλήσωσι τὴν γῆν, τὴν τὰ σκάμματα τοῦ στεφανίτου δεξαμένην ἐκείνου, καὶ τὸ χρυσίου παντὸς τιμιώτερον αἷμα. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτως ἐστὶν ἁλουργὶς λαμπρὰ, ὡς τὸ σῶμα ἐκεῖνο τότε ἀπέστιλβεν, οὐκ ἀλλοτρίῳ, ἀλλὰ οἰκείῳ βαπτιζόμενον αἵματι· καὶ τὰ τραύματα ἐκεῖνα ἁπάντων λίθων ἦν τιμιώτερα. Μαργαριτῶν γὰρ φύσις οὐδὲν τὸν βίον ὠφελεῖ τὸν ἡμέτερον, οὐ χρείαν τινὰ πληροῖ τοῖς ἔχουσιν ἀναγκαίαν· τὰ δὲ τραύματα ἐκεῖνα, πάσης ἀθυμίας ἐστὶ παράκλησις. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθὲς, ἐὰν ἀποβάλῃ τις υἱὸν γνήσιον καὶ μονογενῆ, δεῖξον αὐτῷ μυρίους μαργαρίτας, καὶ οὐ παραμυθήσῃ τὸ πάθος, οὐδὲ θεραπεύσεις τὴν ὀδύνην. Ἀναμνήσας δὲ αὐτὸν τῶν τραυμάτων τοῦ Ἰὼβ, ῥᾳδίως δυνήσῃ θεραπεῦσαι, οὕτω λέγων· Τί πενθεῖς, ἄνθρωπε; σὺ μὲν τέκνον ἀπέβαλες ἓν, ὁ δὲ μακάριος ἐκεῖνος, μετὰ τὸ τῶν παίδων ὁλόκληρον ἀφαιρεθῆναι τὸν χορὸν, καὶ αὐτῇ τῇ σαρκὶ πληγὴν ἐδέξατο, καὶ γυμνὸς ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας ἐκάθητο ἰχῶρι πάντοθεν καταῤῥεόμενος, κατὰ μικρὸν αὐτῷ τῆς σαρκὸς δαπανωμένης, ὁ δίκαιος, ὁ θεοσεβὴς, ὁ τὸν Θεὸν μάρτυρα τῆς ἀρετῆς ἔχων. Ἂν γὰρ ταῦτα εἴπῃς τὰ ῥήματα πᾶσαν ἔσβεσας τοῦ πενθοῦντος τὴν ἀθυμίαν, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀνεῖλες τὴν ὀδύνην· καὶ γίνεται οὕτω χρησιμώτερα μαργαριτῶν τὰ τραύματα τοῦ δικαίου. Ὑπογράφετε τοίνυν ἑαυτοῖς τὸν ἀθλητὴν, καὶ νομίζετε βλέπειν τὴν κοπρίαν ἐκείνην, καὶ αὐτὸν ἐν μέσῳ καθήμενον, τὸν ἀνδρι 64.553 άντα τὸν χρυσοῦν, τὸν διάλιθον, τὸν, πῶς εἴπω οὐκ οἶδα. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔχω τιμίαν οὕτως ὕλην εὑρεῖν, ὡς δυνηθῆναι τὸ ᾑμαγμένον ἐκεῖνο σῶμα παραβαλεῖν. Οὕτω καὶ πάσης ὕλης τιμαλφεστάτης, ἐκ πολλοῦ τοῦ περιόντος τῆς σαρκὸς ἐκείνης ἡ φύσις ἦν τιμιωτέρα, καὶ τὰ τραύματα τῶν ἡλιακῶν ἀκτίνων φαιδρότερα· αὗται μὲν γὰρ τὰς τοῦ σώματος καταυγάζουσιν ὄψεις, ἐκεῖνα δὲ τὰ τῆς διανοίας ἡμῶν φωτίζει τὰ ὄμματα, ἐκεῖνα καθάπαξ τὸν διάβολον ἀπετύφλωσε· διὰ γοῦν τοῦτο, μετὰ τὴν πληγὴν ἐκείνην, ἀπεπήδησε, καὶ οὐκ ἐφάνη λοιπόν. Σὺ δέ μοι κἀντεῦθεν, ἀγαπητὲ, μάνθανε, τὸ τῆς θλίψεως κέρδος πόσον ἐστίν· ἡνίκα μὲν γὰρ ἐπλούτει, καὶ ἀνέσεως ἀπέλαυεν ὁ δίκαιος, διαβάλλειν ἔσχεν αὐτὸν, ψευδῶς μὲν, ἔσχε δ' ὅμως εἰπεῖν· Μὴ δωρεὰν σέβεταί σε Ἰώβ; Ἐπειδὴ δὲ αὐτὸν ἐγύμνωσε, καὶ ἐποίησε πένητα, οὐδὲ γρύξαι λοιπὸν ἐτόλμησε. Καὶ ὅτε μὲν πλούσιος ἦν, ὑπισχνεῖτο παλαίειν αὐτῷ, καὶ ὑποσκελίζειν ἠπείλει· ἐπειδὴ δὲ πένητα εἰργάσατο, καὶ πάντων ἀπεστέρησε, καὶ εἰς ἐσχάτην ὀδύνην ἐνέβαλε, τότε ἀπεπήδησε· καὶ ὅτε μὲν ὑγιὲς αὐτοῦ τὸ σῶμα ἦν, τὰς χεῖρας ἀντῆρεν, ὅτε δὲ αὐτοῦ κατέκοψε τὴν σάρκα, τότε ἔφυγεν ἡττηθείς. Εἶδες πόσον πενία πλούτου, καὶ νόσος ὑγιείας, καὶ πειρασμὸς ἀνέσεως βέλτιον τοῖς νήφουσίν ἐστι, καὶ χρησιμώτερον, καὶ λαμπροτέρους, καὶ εὐτονωτέρους τοὺς ἀθλοῦντας ποιεῖ; τίς εἶδε, τίς ἤκουσεν οὕτω θαυμαστὰ παλαίσματα; οἱ τῶν ἔξωθεν ἀγώνων πύκται, ἐπειδὰν κατακόψωσι τὰς κεφαλὰς τῶν ἀντιπάλων, τότε νικῶσι, καὶ στεφανοῦνται· οὗτος δὲ, ὅτε κατέκοψε τὸ σῶμα τοῦ δικαίου παντοδαποῖς ἕλκεσιν αὐτὸ διατρήσας, καὶ ἀσθενέστερον ἐποίησε, τότε ἐνικήθη καὶ ἀνεχώρησε. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ διώρυξεν αὐτοῦ πάντοθεν τὰς πλευρὰς, αὐτῷ μὲν οὐδὲν πλέον ἐγένετο· τὸν γὰρ ἐναποκείμενον θησαυρὸν οὐκ ἐσύλησεν, ἡμῖν δὲ φανερώτερον αὐτὸν ἐποίησε, καὶ διὰ τῆς διορυγῆς ἐκείνης, ἔδωκεν ἅπασιν, εἰς τὸ ἔνδον βλέπειν, καὶ καταμανθάνειν αὐτοῦ τὸν πλοῦτον ἅπαντα· καὶ ὅτε κρατεῖν προσεδόκησε, τότε μετ' αἰσχύνης πολλῆς ἀνεχώρησε, καὶ οὐδεμίαν οὐκέτι φωνὴν ἀφῆκε. Τί γέγονεν, ὦ διάβολε; τίνος ἕνεκεν ἀναχωρεῖς; οὐκ ἐγένετο πάντα, ὅσα ἠθέλησας; οὐκ ἀνεῖλες αὐτοῦ