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The rational man judges it better not to have been born at all than to be born in abandonment by God. 48 3, 25 For the fear which I cared about came upon me, and what I dreaded has befallen me. The great writer says somewhere in a psalm: But I said in my prosperity, ‘I shall never be moved.’ Then he adds: You turned away Your face, and I was troubled. But the great Job, out of exceeding philosophy, in his wealth and prosperity did not say, ‘I shall not be moved,’ but was exceedingly afraid and terrified, lest he should offend God, lest he should fall outside the divine purpose. For this reason he now agonizes and longs for death, suspecting that he has suffered this very thing which he feared, and that the God he longed for has turned away from his affairs. 3, 26 I was not at peace, nor was I quiet, nor was I at rest, but wrath came upon me. Never, he says, was I without care, I was not at peace with sin, I did not cease from doing good, fearing the wrath and turning away of God which has now come upon me. 49 CHAPTER FOUR Beginning of the saying: But Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: Has it often been spoken to you in toil? But who will bear the force of your words? Preface to the chapter and these things the one lying in torments philosophized, this man, from rich now poor, from having many children now childless, pitied and rejected by all. And he has shown indeed that he feels the pains; but he is outside of his body in the very midst of the torments and prophesies by divine grace and introduces the most beautiful lesson about the immortality of the soul, through which he teaches that souls do not perish with bodies, but exist in Hades. And he teaches the rich and consoles those in necessity, saying that there is an end to all things, both of the fears in life and of the things that seem pleasant; and that the mystery of death was administered usefully and very philanthropically by God for mankind, because it both restrains wickedness and brings a respite from toils; and how one must not be contemptuous in prosperity, but must consider the changeability of life and be afraid; and that to die is better than to be in offense to God. Not having understood these things, Eliphaz and his companions, but suspecting 50 it to be blasphemy against God for the righteous man to long to be released from life, are moved by an irrational zeal; and when their passionate part was agitated, using an unreasonable anger against the righteous man, they go astray concerning the principles of providence; and thinking that men suffer only because of sin, taking up a supposed defense on behalf of God, that he is punishing Job justly and as a sinner, those who came to comfort him have become an addition to his pains. But they do this not out of any malice, but thinking to turn their own friend back and make him better and, by frightening him, to urge him toward repentance. Wherefore they are also rebuked by the Lord for not having spoken right things, but they are forgiven since they uttered such things not out of any malice, but rather out of goodwill for the righteous man and reverence toward God. Therefore, the contradiction of the friends is not unhelpful to us, even if it did not happen as it should have, nor at the right time, nor to a person who ought {not} to hear these things. For first we are taught not to give exhortations randomly, but with much reverence and prayer to God, that he may keep our reasonings unerring and undistorted, and that there is no benefit, but rather even harm, for one who judges not as he ought, even if he seems to be making his arguments on behalf of God. Therefore, as I said, one must make one's arguments with fear of God; for the evil one is accustomed to lie in wait for our discussions and to agitate the passionate part of the soul, so that, our minds being darkened and turned aside from the straight path, we who often gathered for benefit may become a cause of harm to ourselves. But having used a plausible introduction, Eliphaz in the middle of his speeches 51 goes astray and tries to show that Job is suffering because of sin, and to turn back the one who has turned back, and to draw to piety the blameless and God-fearing man who, in the very midst of his pains, philosophized such things. The words 4, 1 But answering

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ἄμεινον κρίνει ὁ λογικὸς ἄνθρωπος τὸ μηδὲ ὅλως γενέσθαι ἢ ἐν ἐγκαταλείψει γενέσθαι θεοῦ. 48 3, 25 φόβος γάρ, ὃν ἐφρόντισα, ἦλθέ μοι, καὶ ὃν ἐδεδοίκειν, συνήντησέ μοι. φησί που ψάλλων ὁ μεγαλογράφος· ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπα ἐν τῇ εὐθηνίᾳ μου· οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. εἶτα ἐπιφέρει· ἀπέστρεψας δὲ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου καὶ ἐγενήθην τεταραγμένος. ὁ δὲ μέγας Ἰὼβ ἐξ ὑπερβαλλούσης φιλοσοφίας ἐν πλούτῳ καὶ εὐθηνίᾳ οὐκ εἶπεν· οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα ἐδεδοίκει καὶ περιδεὴς ἦν, μή τι προσκρούσῃ θεῷ, μὴ ἐκτὸς τῆς θείας σκοπῆς γένηται. διὰ τοῦτο νῦν ἀγωνιᾷ καὶ τὸν θάνατον ποθεῖ ὑπονοῶν, ὅτι τοῦτο πέπονθεν, ὅπερ ἐφοβεῖτο, καὶ ὁ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ποθούμενος θεὸς ἀπεστράφη τὰ κατ' αὐτόν. 3, 26 οὔτε εἰρήνευσα οὔτε ἡσύχασα οὔτε ἀνεπαυσάμην, ἦλθε δέ μοι ὀργή. οὐδέποτε, φησίν, ἀπεμερίμνησα, οὐ μετὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας εἰρήνευσα, οὐκ ἐφησύχασα τοῦ ἀγαθοποιεῖν, τὴν ὀργὴν καὶ ἀποστροφὴν τοῦ θεοῦ δεδοικὼς τὴν νῦν ἐπελθοῦσάν μοι. 49 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΤΕΤΑΡΤΟΝ Ἀρχὴ τοῦ ῥητοῦ· Ὑπολαβὼν δὲ Ἐλιφὰζ ὁ Θαιμανίτης λέγει·μὴ πολλάκις σοι λελάληται ἐν κόπῳ; ἰσχὺν δὲ ῥημάτων σου τίς ὑποίσει; Προθεωρία τοῦ κεφαλαίου καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὁ ἐν ταῖς βασάνοις κείμενος, ταῦτα ὁ ἐκ πλουσίων πένης, ὁ ἐκ πολυπαίδων ἄπαις, ὁ πᾶσιν ἐλεεινὸς καὶ ἀπερριμμένος ἐφιλοσόφησεν. καὶ δέδειχε μέν, ὡς ἐπαισθάνεται τῶν ἀλγηδόνων· ἔξω δὲ γίνεται τοῦ σώματος ἐν αὐταῖς μέσαις ταῖς βασάνοις καὶ προφητεύει κατὰ θείαν χάριν καὶ τὸ περὶ ἀθανασίας ψυχῆς κάλλιστον εἰσηγεῖται μάθημα, δι' ὧν διδάσκει μὴ συναπόλλυσθαι τοῖς σώμασι τὰς ψυχάς, ἀλλ' ἐν ᾅδου τυγχάνειν. καὶ παιδεύει τοὺς πλουσίους καὶ παραμυθεῖται τοὺς ἐν ἀνάγκαις πέρας ἁπάντων εἶναι λέγων καὶ τῶν ἐν βίῳ φοβερῶν καὶ τῶν δοκούντων ἡδέων· καὶ ὅτι χρησίμως καὶ σφόδρα φιλανθρώπως ὑπὸ θεοῦ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὸ τοῦ θανάτου μυστήριον ᾠκονομήθη διὰ τὸ καὶ κακίαν ἐπέχειν καὶ πόνων φέρειν ἀνάπαυλαν· καὶ ὡς οὐ δεῖ καταφρονεῖν ἐν ταῖς εὐθηνίαις, ἀλλ' ἐννοεῖν τοῦ βίου τὸ εὐμετάπτωτον καὶ δεδοικέναι· καὶ ὅτι τὸ ἀποθανεῖν ἄμεινον ἢ ἐν προσκρούσει γενέσθαι θεοῦ. ταῦτα οὐ νενοηκότες οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἐλιφάζ, ὑποπτεύσαντες δὲ 50 βλασφημίαν εἶναι κατὰ θεοῦ τὸ ποθεῖν τὸν δίκαιον ἀπαλλαγῆναι τοῦ βίου, ἀλόγῳ κινοῦνται ζήλῳ· καὶ ἐκταραχθέντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ θυμικοῦ οὐκ εὐλόγῳ θυμῷ χρώμενοι κατὰ τοῦ δικαίου πλανῶνται περὶ τοὺς τῆς προνοίας λόγους· καὶ νομίζοντες, ὅτι δι' ἁμαρτίας μόνον πάσχουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ θεοῦ δῆθεν συνηγορίαν ἀναλαβόντες, ὅτι δικαίως καὶ ὡς ἁμαρτωλὸν τιμωρεῖται τὸν Ἰώβ, προσθήκη τῶν ἀλγηδόνων οἱ ἐπὶ παραμυθίαν ἥκοντες αὐτῷ γεγόνασιν. ποιοῦσι δὲ τοῦτο οὐ κακονοίᾳ τινί, ἀλλ' οἰόμενοι τὸν ἑαυτῶν φίλον ἐπιστρέφειν καὶ καλλίονα ποιεῖν καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἐκφοβεῖν ἐπὶ μετάνοιαν προτρέπειν. διὸ καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου ἀγανακτοῦνται μὲν ὡς οὐ δίκαια λαλήσαντες, συγχωροῦνται δὲ ὡς οὐ κακονοίᾳ τινί, εὐνοίᾳ δὲ μᾶλλον τῇ περὶ τὸν δίκαιον καὶ τῇ πρὸς θεὸν εὐλαβείᾳ τὰ τοιαῦτα φθεγξάμενοι. ἔστιν οὖν οὐδὲ ἡ τῶν φίλων ἀντιλογία ἀνωφελὴς ἡμῖν, εἰ καὶ μὴ κατὰ τὸ δέον μηδὲ ἐν καιρῷ μηδὲ ἐπὶ προσώπου ταῦτα {μὴ} ὀφείλοντος ἀκούειν γέγονεν. πρῶτα μὲν γὰρ διδασκόμεθα μὴ ὡς ἔτυχε τὰς παραινέσεις ποιεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς εὐλαβείας καὶ δεήσεως τῆς πρὸς τὸν θεόν, ὅπως ἀπλανεῖς ἡμῶν καὶ ἀδιαστρόφους φυλάξῃ τοὺς λογισμούς, καὶ ὅτι οὐδεμία ὠφέλεια, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ βλάβη τῷ μὴ κατὰ τὸ δέον κρίνοντι, κἂν ὑπὲρ θεοῦ δοκῇ ποιεῖσθαι τοὺς λόγους. χρὴ τοιγαροῦν, ὡς ἔφην, μετὰ φόβου θεοῦ ποιεῖσθαι τοὺς λόγους· πέφυκε γὰρ ὁ πονηρὸς ἐφεδρεύειν ἡμῶν ταῖς διαλέξεσι καὶ τὸ θυμικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκταράττειν μέρος, ὡς ἂν σκοτωθέντες τὸν νοῦν καὶ τῆς εὐθείας παρατραπέντες οἱ ἐπὶ ὠφελείᾳ πολλάκις συναχθέντες βλάβης αἴτιοι ἑαυτοῖς γενώμεθα. πιθανῷ δὲ προοιμίῳ χρησάμενος ὁ Ἐλιφὰζ ἐν μέσοις πλανᾶται 51 τοῖς λόγοις καὶ πειρᾶται δεικνύναι, ὡς δι' ἁμαρτίας πάσχει ὁ Ἰώβ, καὶ ἐπιστρέφειν τὸν ἐπεστραμμένον καὶ πρὸς θεοσέβειαν ἕλκειν τὸν ἄμεμπτον καὶ θεοσεβῆ καὶ παρ' αὐτὰς μέσας τὰς ἀλγηδόνας τοιαῦτα φιλοσοφήσαντα. Αἱ λέξεισ 4, 1 Ὑπολαβὼν δὲ