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were they appointed? Therefore, just as, he says, these keep the bounds of nature, so you too, if you were truly genuine and did not possess piety in words only, none of these things would have happened to you. But according to the allegorical interpretation, the impulses of the passions must be compared to the wild beasts, and the ant-lion to the devil, being an ant to the pious, but a lion to the impious. If, therefore, he says, the devil had not found nourishment in you, that is, if you were not unjust, he would have perished, instead of which: he remained inactive and the assaults of the passions were extinguished and dissolved. 55 We have interpreted these things not as if Eliphaz understood them this way, but as the sayings are able to be turned also toward allegory, whenever the need should call for it. For it must not be declared that Eliphaz understood it thus, but the older writers used this interpretation. 4, 1216 Shall not my ear receive extraordinary things from him? But fear and a nocturnal sound, fear falling upon men, and shuddering met me and trembling, and greatly shook my bones. And a spirit came upon my face, and my hair and flesh stood on end. I arose and did not recognize it; I looked and there was no form before my eyes, but I heard a breeze and a voice. It is possible to understand the present matters according to many interpretations: For either, leading Job into fear, he says that: 'You must be afraid, O Job, and not despise God, since he punishes not only by day, but also through nocturnal visions, as I have both heard others recounting the wonders concerning him and I myself have often experienced in sleep being frightened, so that my hair stood on end and I became trembling and endured a shaking of the harmony of my bones and it seemed that some spirit came upon me and I saw nothing formed, but only heard voices gently and startlingly falling upon me and casting trembling into me.' Fear therefore, he says, the God who punishes even through dreams. And otherwise: 'It is fitting for you to fear God, O Job,' he says, 'the very thought of whom is terrible; for I have also heard from older men recounting the 56 extraordinary things concerning him. And I, whenever I take into my mind the majesty concerning his nature, and especially, how he was in his own blessedness before he made the world, and how he is even now everywhere present and existing outside the universe in his own eminence and blessedness, I endure the same thing as those who in the dead of night, when a deep silence holds all things in great quiet, are terrified by the nocturnal sound, so that both shuddering and trembling come upon me in such thoughts; and I become in my mind in the presence of some invisible and incomprehensible spirit; and if I should rouse myself further in my reasonings, I recognize nothing nor do I comprehend. For the formlessness and incomprehensibility of God escapes the soul's power of seeing, and as much as one might ascend in reasonings, so much does the finding of what is sought abandon him. For in nature he is incomprehensible, but nevertheless the mind perceives as it were a gentle breeze and a quiet voice refreshing the intellect, with the energy of God causing perception, but not showing the divine nature. For such a contemplation is utterly unattainable and full of shuddering and causing the reasonings to whirl in darkness. Otherwise: 'Do not despise my words and my counsel, O Job,' he says. For I have both been deemed worthy of a divine revelation and through dreams I have seen a vision and I have received an illumination of the holy spirit; and I know indeed that God is formless and simple and incomprehensible in nature, but as in a certain gentle breeze a divine perception has come to 57 me. But perhaps he says these things, making his own speech acceptable, so that in what he is about to say he may seem to be worthy of belief. But according to all the interpretations, he tries to frighten Job and turn him to repentance. 4, 17 For what? Shall a mortal be pure before the Lord, or a man blameless from his works? And do not think, he says, that I say these things to you reproachfully; for in general no man is blameless, but even if he escapes the notice of men, the all-seeing eye of God which precisely

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ἐτάχθησαν; ὥσπερ οὖν, φησίν, ταῦτα τηροῦσι τῆς φύσεως τοὺς ὅρους, οὕτω καὶ σὺ εἰ ἦς ἀληθινὸς ὄντως καὶ μὴ μέχρι λόγων μόνον εἶχες τὸ θεοσεβές, οὐδὲν ἂν τούτων συνήντησέ σοι. κατὰ δὲ τὴν θεωρίαν τὰς ὁρμὰς τῶν παθῶν τοῖς θηρίοις ἀπεικαστέον, τὸν δὲ μυρμηκολέοντα τῷ διαβόλῳ, μύρμηκα μὲν ὄντα τοῖς εὐσεβέσιν, λέοντα δὲ τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν. εἰ μὴ εὗρεν, οὖν φησιν, τροφὴν παρὰ σοὶ ὁ διάβολος, τουτέστιν εἰ μὴ ἦς ἄδικος, ἀπώλετο ἄν, ἀντὶ τοῦ· ἄπρακτος ἔμενε καὶ αἱ τῶν παθῶν προσβολαὶ ἀπεσβέννυντο καὶ διελύοντο. 55 ταῦτα δὲ οὐχ ὡς τοῦ Ἐλιφὰζ οὕτω νοήσαντος ἐθεωρήσαμεν, ἀλλ' ὡς δυναμένων τῶν ῥητῶν καὶ πρὸς ἀλληγορίαν τρέπεσθαι, ὅταν ἡ χρεία καλέσοι. οὐ γὰρ ἀποφαντέον, ὅτι ὁ Ἐλιφὰζ οὕτως ἐνόησεν, πλὴν οἱ παλαιότεροι ἐχρήσαντο τῇ θεωρίᾳ. 4, 1216 πότερον οὐ δέξεταί μου τὸ οὖς ἐξαίσια παρ' αὐτοῦ; φόβος δὲ καὶ ἠχὼ νυκτερινή, ἐπιπίπτων φόβος ἐπ' ἀνθρώπους, φρίκη δέ μοι συνήντησε καὶ τρόμος καὶ μεγάλως μου τὰ ὀστᾶ συνέσεισεν. καὶ πνεῦμα ἐπὶ πρόσωπόν μου ἐπῆλθεν, ἔφριξαν δέ μου τρίχες καὶ σάρκες, ἀνέστην καὶ οὐκ ἐπέγνων, εἶδον καὶ οὐκ ἦν μορφὴ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν μου, ἀλλ' ἢ αὖραν καὶ φωνὴν ἤκουον. κατὰ πολλὰς ἐννοίας τὰ παρόντα δυνατὸν νοῆσαι· ἢ γὰρ εἰς φόβον ἐνάγων τὸν Ἰώβ φησιν ὅτι· δεῖ σε φοβεῖσθαι, ὦ Ἰώβ, καὶ μὴ καταφρονεῖν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐπειδήπερ οὐ μόνον καθ' ἡμέραν κολάζει, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ νυκτερινῶν ὄψεων, ὡς καὶ ἑτέρων διηγουμένων τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ θαυμάσια ἤκουσα καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπειράθην πολλάκις ἐν ὕπνῳ φοβηθεὶς ὡς φρίξαι μου τὰς τρίχας καὶ σύντρομον γενέσθαι καὶ σεισμὸν ὑπομεῖναι τῶν ὀστῶν τὴν ἁρμονίαν καὶ δοκεῖν τι πνεῦμα ἐπιέναι μοι καὶ μηδὲν μὲν μεμορφωμένον ὁρᾶν, φωνῶν δὲ μόνον ἀκούειν ἠρέμα ἐκπληκτικῶς μοι προσπιπτουσῶν καὶ τρόμον ἐμβαλλουσῶν. δεῖσον τοίνυν, φησίν, τὸν θεὸν τὸν καὶ δι' ἐνυπνίων κολάζοντα. καὶ ἄλλως· φοβεῖσθαι σε προσήκει, φησίν, τὸν θεόν, ὦ Ἰώβ, οὗ καὶ ἡ ἔννοια φοβερά· καὶ γὰρ καὶ παλαιοτέρων ἤκουσα τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ 56 ἐξαίσια διηγουμένων. καὶ ἔγωγε ὅταν εἰς νοῦν λάβω τὴν περὶ τῆς φύσεως αὐτοῦ μεγαλειότητα, καὶ μάλιστα, πῶς ἦν ἐν τῇ οἰκείᾳ μακαριότητι πρὸ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον ποιῆσαι, πῶς δὲ καὶ νῦν ἐστι πανταχοῦ ὢν καὶ ἔξω τοῦ παντὸς τυγχάνων ἐν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ περιωπῇ καὶ μακαριότητι, ταὐτὸν ὑπομένω τοῖς ἀωρὶ τῶν νυκτῶν βαθείας σιγῆς κατεχούσης τὰ πάντα ἐν πολλῇ τῇ ἡσυχίᾳ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἤχου τοῦ νυκτερινοῦ καταπτοουμένοις, ὥστε καὶ φρίκην μοι συμβαίνειν καὶ τρόμον ἐν ταῖς τοιαύταις ἐννοίαις· καὶ γίνομαι μὲν ἐν διανοίᾳ ἀφανοῦς τινος καὶ ἀκαταλήπτου πνεύματος· εἰ δὲ καὶ διανασταίην ἐπὶ πλεῖον τοῖς λογισμοῖς, οὐδὲν ἐπιγινώσκω οὐδὲ καταλαμβάνω. τὸ γὰρ ἀνείδεον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἀκατάληπτον διαφεύγει τὴν ὀπτικὴν τῆς ψυχῆς δύναμιν, καὶ ὅσον ἄν τις ἀνέλθοι τοῖς λογισμοῖς, τοσοῦτον αὐτὸν τοῦ ζητουμένου ἡ εὕρεσις ἀπολιμπάνει. καὶ τὴν μὲν γὰρ φύσιν ἐστὶν ἀκατάληπτος, συναισθάνεται δὲ οὖν ὅμως ἡ διάνοια ὡσανεὶ αὔρας λεπτῆς καὶ φωνῆς ἠρεμαίας ἀναψυχούσης τὸν νοῦν, καὶ τῆς μὲν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐνεργείας ποιούσης συναισθάνεσθαι, τὴν μέντοι θείαν φύσιν οὐκ ἐπιδεικνύσης. παντελῶς γάρ ἐστιν ἀνέφικτος καὶ φρίκης γέμουσα καὶ σκοτοδινιᾶν τοὺς λογισμοὺς παρασκευάζουσα ἡ τοιαύτη θεωρία. ἄλλως· μὴ φαυλίσῃς μου, φησίν, τοὺς λόγους καὶ τὴν παραίνεσιν, ὦ Ἰώβ. καὶ γὰρ καὶ θείας ἀποκαλύψεως ἠξιώθην καὶ δι' ὀνείρων ὀπτασίαν ἐθεώρησα καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἔλλαμψιν ἐδεξάμην· καὶ οἶδα μέν, ὅτι ἀνείδεός ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς ἁπλοῦς τε καὶ ἀκατάληπτος τὴν φύσιν, πλὴν ὡς ἐν αὔρᾳ τινὶ λεπτῇ συναίσθησίς μοι θεία γέγο 57 νεν. ταῦτα δὲ ἴσως φησὶν εὐπρόσδεκτον ἑαυτοῦ τὸν λόγον κατασκευάζων, ἵνα ἐν οἷς μέλλει λέγειν πίστεως ἄξιος εἶναι δόξῃ. κατὰ πάσας δὲ τὰς ἐννοίας φοβεῖν πειρᾶται τὸν Ἰὼβ καὶ εἰς μετάνοιαν ἐπιστρέφειν. 4, 17 τί γάρ; μὴ καθαρὸς ἔσται βροτὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κυρίου ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ἄμεμπτος ἀνήρ; καὶ μὴ νόμιζε, φησίν, ὅτι ὀνειδιστικῶς σοι ταῦτα λέγω· καθόλου γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν ἄμεμπτος, ἀλλὰ κἂν ἀνθρώπους λάθῃ, τὸν παντεπόπτην ὀφθαλμὸν τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν ἀκριβῶς