John Chrysostom, Fragments on Job

the flocks, the herds, the droves of horses, of mules? Did you not also destroy the company of his children, and cut his whole flesh to pieces? For what reason are you withdrawing? Because all things that I wished have happened, he says; but that which I most wished to happen, and for which I did all things, this did not happen; for he did not blaspheme. For on this account I did all those things, he says, so that this might come forth; but since this did not happen, I gained nothing from the loss of his possessions, and the destruction of his children, and the striking of his body; but the very opposite of what I wished has come to pass: I have made my enemy more illustrious, and have rendered him more radiant. Do you know how great is the gain from affliction? For the body was beautiful 64.556 and healthy; but it became much more venerable, when it had been cut up by those wounds. For even wool is beautiful before it is dyed, but when it becomes purple, it takes on an unspeakable beauty and great comeliness. If he had not stripped him, we would not have known the good condition of the champion; if he had not pierced his body with sores, the rays would not have shone forth from within; if he had not set him upon the dunghill, we would not have known his wealth; for a king sitting on a throne is not so glorious as he was, then sitting on the dunghill, distinguished and conspicuous; for after the royal throne, there is death; but after that dunghill, the kingdom of heaven. I have set forth this story, not that you may praise what is said, but that you may imitate the virtue and the patience of the man; that through their works you may learn that nothing among human things is terrible, but sin alone. Not poverty, not disease, not insult, not abuse, not dishonor, not what seems to be the last of all evils, death; for these are only names, to those who philosophize, names of misfortunes, empty of reality; but the true misfortune is to offend God, and to do something of what is not pleasing to him. It remains to make a comparison of right actions and of sufferings, so that you may learn clearly that rewards are laid up not only for right actions, but also for sufferings, and exceedingly great rewards, and for sufferings no less than for right actions, but rather in some cases more than for right actions. And let us bring forward, if you please, the great athlete of patience, the one who shone in both of these, so that you may know from which he shone more greatly; let us see then by comparing, when he was more illustrious: when he was a common harbor for those in need, or when he was suffering painful things, and things that caused him much despondency; when he opened his house to all who passed by, or when, after it had been brought down, he uttered no bitter word, but praised God; and yet the one was a right action, the other a suffering. When was he more radiant, tell me? when he offered sacrifices for his children, and brought them together in harmony, or when, after they had been buried alive, and ended their life in the most bitter manner, he bore what had happened with much philosophy? When did he shine more? when the shoulders of the naked were warmed from the shearing of his lambs, or when, hearing, Fire fell from heaven and consumed the flock along with the shepherds, he was not disturbed, nor troubled, but bore the misfortune calmly? When was he greater? when he used the health of his body for the protection of the wronged, breaking the jaws of the unjust, and snatching the prey from between their teeth, and becoming a harbor for them, or when he saw this very 64.557 body of his, the weapon of the wronged, being eaten by worms, and sitting on the dunghill, he himself scraped it, taking a potsherd? For I scrape away clods of earth from the discharge, he says. And yet all those were right actions, but all these were sufferings; but nevertheless these things made him more illustrious than those. For this was for him the most bitter part of the battle-line, and one requiring greater courage, and a more vigorous soul, and a loftier mind,

τὰ ποίμνια, τὰ βουκόλια, τὰς ἀγέλας τῶν ἵππων, τῶν ἡμιόνων; οὐχὶ καὶ τὸν χορὸν τῶν παίδων ἀπώλεσας, καὶ τὴν σάρκα κατέκοψας ἅπασαν; τίνος ἕνεκεν ἀναχωρεῖς; Ὅτι ἐγένετο μὲν πάντα, ὅσα ἠθέλησα, φησίν· ὃ δὲ γενέσθαι μάλιστα ἠβουλόμην, καὶ δι' ὃ πάντα ἐποίησα, τοῦτο οὐκ ἐγένετο· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐβλασφήμησε. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο πάντα ἐκεῖνα ἐποίουν, φησὶν, ἵνα τοῦτο ἐξέλθῃ· τούτου δὲ μὴ γενομένου, οὐδέν μοι πλέον ἀπὸ τῆς ζημίας τῶν χρημάτων, ἐγένετο, καὶ τῆς τῶν παίδων ἀπωλείας, καὶ τῆς τοῦ σώματος πληγῆς· ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἤπερ ἠβουλόμην ἐξέβη, λαμπρότερον ἐποίησα τὸν ἐχθρὸν, καὶ φαιδρότερον εἰργασάμην. Ἔγνως ὅσον τῆς θλίψεως τὸ κέρδος; Καλὸν μὲν 64.556 γὰρ τὸ σῶμα καὶ ὑγιαῖνον ἦν· πολλῷ δὲ σεμνότερον γέγονε, κατατμηθὲν ὑπὸ τῶν τραυμάτων ἐκείνων. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἔρια καλὰ μὲν καὶ πρὸ τῆς βαφῆς, ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἁλουργὰ γένηται, ἄφατον προσλαμβάνει τὸ κάλλος, καὶ πολλὴν τὴν εὐπρέπειαν. Εἰ μὴ ἀπέδυσεν αὐτὸν, οὐκ ἂν ἔγνωμεν τοῦ στεφανίτου τὴν εὐεξίαν· εἰ μὴ διέτρησεν αὐτοῦ τὸ σῶμα ταῖς ὠτειλαῖς, οὐκ ἂν ἀντέλαμψαν ἔνδοθεν αἱ ἀκτῖνες· εἰ μὴ ἐκάθισεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας, οὐκ ἂν ἔγνωμεν αὐτοῦ τὸν πλοῦτον· οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτω λαμπρὸς ἐπὶ θρόνου καθήμενος βασιλεὺς, ὡς ἐκεῖνος, ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας τότε καθήμενος, ἐπίσημος ἦν, καὶ περιφανής· μετὰ μὲν γὰρ τὸν βασιλικὸν θρόνον, θάνατος, μετὰ δὲ τὴν κοπρίαν ἐκείνην, οὐρανῶν βασιλεία. Ταύτην παρέθηκα τὴν ἱστορίαν, οὐχ ἵνα ἐπαινῆτε τὰ λεγόμενα, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὴν ἀρετὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, καὶ τὴν ὑπομονὴν μιμήσησθε· ἵνα διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν μάθητε, ὅτι οὐδὲν δεινὸν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων, ἀλλ' ἡ ἁμαρτία μόνη. Οὐ πενία, οὐ νόσος, οὐχ ὕβρις, οὐκ ἐπήρεια, οὐκ ἀτιμία, οὐ τὸ πάντων δοκοῦν ἔσχατον εἶναι τῶν κακῶν, ὁ θάνατος· ὀνόματα γὰρ ταῦτα μόνον ἐστὶ, τοῖς φιλοσοφοῦσι, συμφορῶν ὀνόματα, πραγμάτων ἔρημα· ἡ δὲ ἀληθὴς συμφορὰ, τὸ προσκροῦσαι Θεῷ, καὶ ποιῆσαί τι τῶν μὴ δοκούντων αὐτῷ. Λείπεται δὲ κατορθωμάτων, καὶ παθημάτων ποιήσασθαι σύγκρισιν, ἵνα μάθῃς σαφῶς, ὅτι οὐ κατορθώμασι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ παθήμασιν, ἀμοιβαὶ κεῖνται, καὶ ἀμοιβαὶ σφόδρα μεγάλαι, καὶ παθήμασιν οὐκ ἔλαττον ἢ κατορθώμασι, μᾶλλον δέ ἐστιν ὅπου πλέον, ἢ κατορθώμασι. Καὶ εἰσαγάγωμεν, εἰ δοκεῖ, τὸν μέγαν τῆς ὑπομονῆς ἀθλητὴν, τὸν ἐν ἑκατέροις διαλάμψαντα τούτοις, ἵνα εἴδῃς πόθεν μειζόνως διέλαμψεν· ἴδωμεν οὖν συγκρίναντες, πότε λαμπρότερος ἦν, ὅτε κοινὸς ἦν λιμὴν τοῖς χρῄζουσιν, ἢ ὅτε ἔπασχε τὰ ὀδυνηρὰ, καὶ πολλὴν ἐντιθέντα αὐτῷ τὴν ἀθυμίαν· ὅτε τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ πᾶσι τοῖς παριοῦσιν ἀνέῳξεν, ἢ ὅτε κατενεχθείσης αὐτῆς οὐδὲν ἐφθέγξατο ῥῆμα πικρὸν, ἀλλ' εὐφήμησε τὸν Θεόν· καίτοι τὸ μὲν κατόρθωμα ἦν, τὸ δὲ πάθημα. Πότε φαιδρότερος ἦν, εἰπέ μοι; ὅτε ἔθυεν ὑπὲρ τῶν παίδων, καὶ πρὸς ὁμόνοιαν αὐτοὺς συνῆγεν, ἢ ὅτε καταχωσθέντων αὐτῶν, καὶ τῷ πικροτάτῳ τρόπῳ τῆς τελευτῆς καταλυσάντων τὸν βίον, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἤνεγκε τὸ συμβάν; Πότε μᾶλλον ἐξέλαμψεν; ὅτε ἀπὸ τῆς κουρᾶς τῶν ἀρνῶν αὐτοῦ ἐθερμάνθησαν τῶν γυμνῶν οἱ ὦμοι, ἢ ὅτε ἀκούσας, Πῦρ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἔπεσε καὶ κατέφαγε τὴν ἀγέλην μετὰ τῶν ποιμένων, οὐ διεταράχθη, οὐδὲ ἐθορυβήθη, ἀλλὰ πράως ἤνεγκε τὴν συμφοράν; Πότε μείζων ἦν; ὅτε τῇ ὑγιείᾳ τοῦ σώματος εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀδικουμένων ἐκέχρητο προστασίαν, συντρίβων τὰς μύλας τῶν ἀδίκων, καὶ ἐκ μέσου τῶν ὀδόντων ἐξαρπάζων ἁρπάγματα, καὶ λιμὴν αὐτοῖς γινόμενος, ἢ ὅτε τὸ σῶμα 64.557 τοῦτο αὐτοῦ, τὸ τῶν ἀδικουμένων ὅπλον, ἑώρα κατεσθιόμενον ὑπὸ σκωλήκων, καὶ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας, αὐτὸς αὐτὸ κατέξαινε, λαβὼν ὄστρακον; Τήκω γὰρ βώλακας γῆς ἀπὸ ἰχῶρος ξύων, φησί. Καίτοι ἐκεῖνα μὲν πάντα κατορθώματα, ταῦτα δὲ πάντα παθήματα ἦν· ἀλλ' ὅμως ταῦτα αὐτὸν λαμπρότερον ἐκείνων ἀπέφηνε. Τοῦτο γὰρ μάλιστα τὸ πικρότατον αὐτῷ τῆς παρατάξεως μέρος ἦν, καὶ μείζονος δεόμενον τῆς ἀνδρείας, καὶ εὐτονωτέρας ψυχῆς, καὶ ὑψηλοτέρας διανοίας,