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you have spoken. These words are not yours.” For he was eager not only to insult her, but also to lead her away from this wicked thought. 2,10c Shall we receive good things, he says, from the Lord, and shall we not endure evil things? That is: “Even if there were only evils, one ought to bear them. He is Lord and Master. Does he not have authority to bring all things? For what reason did he give good things? Not as to those who are worthy. Let us not, therefore, even now grieve as if we are suffering unworthily. Most of all, he was Lord and could give only evils; but if he has also given good things, why are we displeased?” See how nowhere does he speak of either sins or righteous deeds, but only that it is possible for God to do what he wishes. “Remind yourself of your former prosperity and you will not bear the present things with difficulty. It is sufficient for our comfort that it is the Lord who has brought it upon us. Let us not say ‘justly’ or ‘unjustly.’” And see, again the proclamation of the athlete: 2,10d In all these things that had happened to him, it says, 10e Job did not sin nor with his lips before the Lord. It is not possible to say that he said these things to his wife, while the secret things of his mind were full of anger and despondency; but he did not even utter anything with his lips. 2,11a But when his three friends heard of all the evil that had come upon him, 11b they came each from his own city to him; 11c Eliphaz the king of the Temanites, 11d Bildad the tyrant of the Shuhites, 11e and Zophar the king of the Minaioi. 11f and they came to him with one accord 11g to comfort and visit him. Just as from where he expected to find some comfort and excellent counsel, from there he found destruction, from his wife, so also from his friends. They come as if to comfort, but they do the opposite. And even before their words, their sight alone was enough to cast down the just man. For we see our own terrible things most accurately especially in the good things of others. Consider how great it was to see himself in these circumstances and those companions and acquaintances remaining in their former prosperity. For nothing else but his own former prosperity was represented in them, as he considered in what state he was. And it was a terrible thing that the misfortune was carried about everywhere. For if these who were so far away heard, how much more those who were near. But what grieved him most was not the magnitude of his terrible sufferings, but the appearance that he was suffering these evils as an impious and lawless man, as an enemy of God and an adversary, as one who had lived his former life in hypocrisy. He was not concerned about his body being destroyed, but about his reputation being cast down, not because the man was ambitious nor because he lived for the opinion of the many, but because he saw many being scandalized by these things. So also Moses feared for the glory of God, and Paul likewise. For hear what Moses says: Lest they should say, he says, that you brought them out of Egypt with evil intent to destroy them here. For what did he consider? That if those who had experienced many good things from him, for whom he had relieved poverty and shared in the burden of widowhood and made orphanhood lighter, for whom he had become a harbor and a refuge, hear that this man is tempest-tossed and receives no comfort, with how many tempests of thoughts are they likely to be assailed, so that his terrible sufferings tossed the thoughts of others in a storm. And that these things are so, let us wait and we will know from what comes next. And they came, it says, to him with one accord to comfort and visit him. But they did not do this, but the opposite. Friendly was their arrival, but not friendly their exhortation and counsel. 2,12a And when they saw him from afar, they did not recognize him, 12b and they cried out with a loud voice and each wept, 12c tearing his own garment 12d and sprinkling earth on their heads. 2,13a They sat down with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights, 13b and none of them spoke to him; 13c for they saw that his affliction was very grievous and great. All these things were good and worthy of friends and proofs of those who sympathize, but the things after these were no longer such, but far from these

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ἐφθέγξω. οὐκ ἔστι σὰ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα.» οὐ γὰρ ὅπως αὐτὴν ἐξυβρίσειε μόνον ἐσπούδαζεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅπως ἀπαγάγοι τῆς πονηρᾶς ταύτης διανοίας. 2,10c εἰ τὰ μὲν ἀγαθά, φησίν, ἐδεξάμεθα παρὰ κυρίου, τὰ κακὰ οὐχ ὑποίσομεν; τουτέστιν· «εἰ καὶ μόνον κακὰ ἦν, φέρειν ἔδει. κύριός ἐστι καὶ δεσπότης. οὐχὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔχει πάντα ἐπαγαγεῖν; τίνος ἕνεκεν ἔδωκε τὰ ἀγαθά; οὐχ ὡς ἀξίοις. μὴ τοίνυν μηδὲ νῦν ὡς παρ' ἀξίαν ταλαι48 πωροῦντες ἀλγῶμεν. μάλιστα μὲν κύριος ἦν καὶ μόνα δοῦναι τὰ κακά· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀγαθὰ δέδωκεν, τί δυσχεραίνομεν;» ὅρα, πῶς οὐδαμοῦ οὔτε τὰ ἁμαρτήματα οὔτε τὰ κατορθώματα λέγει, ἀλλὰ μόνον, ὅτι ἔξεστι τῷ θεῷ, ἃ βούλεται, ποιεῖν. «ἀνάμνησον σαυτὴν τῆς προτέρας εὐπραγίας καὶ οὐκ οἴσεις χαλεπῶς τὰ παρόντα. ἀρκεῖ πρὸς παραμυθίαν ἡμῖν τὸ τὸν κύριον εἶναι τὸν ἐπαγαγόντα. μὴ λέγωμεν "δικαίως" ἢ "ἀδίκως".» καὶ ὅρα, πάλιν ἡ ἀνακήρυξις τοῦ ἀθλητοῦ· 2,10d ἐν τούτοις πᾶσι τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν αὐτῷ, φησίν, 10e οὐχ ἥμαρτεν ˉ̓Ιὼβ οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτοῦ ἔναντι κυρίου. οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι πρὸς μὲν τὴν γυναῖκα ταῦτα ἔλεγεν, τὰ δὲ ἀπόρρητα αὐτοῦ τῆς διανοίας ἔγεμε θυμοῦ καὶ ἀποδυσπετήσεως· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτοῦ ἐφθέγξατό τι. 2,11a ἀκούσαντες δὲ οἱ τρεῖς φίλοι αὐτοῦ τὰ κακὰ πάντα τὰ ἐπελθόντα αὐτῷ 11b παρεγένοντο ἕκαστος ἐκ τῆς ἰδίας πόλεως πρὸς αὐτόν· 11c ˉ̓Ελιφὰζ ὁ Θαιμανῶν βασιλεύς, 11d Βαλδὰδ ὁ Σαυχαίων τύραννος 11e καὶ Σωφὰρ ὁ Μιναίων βασιλεύς. 11f καὶ παρεγένοντο ὁμοθυμαδὸν πρὸς αὐτὸν 11g τοῦ παρακαλέσαι καὶ ἐπισκέψασθαι αὐτόν. ὥσπερ ὅθεν προσεδόκησε παραμυθίαν τινὰ καὶ παραίνεσιν ἀρίστην εὑρήσειν, ἐντεῦθεν εὗρεν ὄλεθρον, ἀπὸ τῆς γυναικός, οὕτως καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν φίλων. παραγίνονται μὲν ὡς παραμυθησόμενοι, τὸ δὲ ἐναντίον ποιοῦσιν. καὶ πρὸ τῶν ῥημάτων δὲ αὐτῶν ἱκανὴ μόνη ἡ ὄψις τὸν δίκαιον καταβαλεῖν. τὰ γὰρ ἡμέτερα δεινὰ μάλιστα ἐν τοῖς ἄλλων καθορῶμεν ἀκριβέστερον ἀγαθοῖς. ἐννόησον, ὅσον ἦν ἑαυτὸν ἐν τούτοις ὁρᾶν καὶ ἐκείνους τοὺς συνήθεις καὶ γνωρίμους ἐπὶ τῆς προτέρας εὐπραγίας μένοντας. οὐδὲν γὰρ ἕτερον 49 ἀλλ' ἢ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πρότερον εὐπραγίαν ἐν τούτοις ἀνετυποῦτο ἑαυτὸν ἐννοῶν, ἐν τίσιν ἦν. καὶ τὸ δὴ δεινὸν τὸ πανταχοῦ περιενεχθῆναι τὴν συμφοράν. εἰ γὰρ οὗτοι τοσοῦτον ἀπέχοντες ἤκουσαν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον οἱ πλησίον ὄντες. μάλιστα δὲ αὐτὸν ἐλύπει οὐ τὸ μέγεθος τῶν δεινῶν, ἀλλὰ τὸ δοκεῖν ὡς ἀσεβῆ καὶ παράνομον ταῦτα πάσχειν τὰ κακά, ὡς ἐχθρὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πολέμιον, ὡς ἐν ὑποκρίσει τὸν ἔμπροσθεν ζήσαντα χρόνον. οὐκ ἔμελεν αὐτῷ τοῦ σώματος διαφθειρομένου, ἀλλὰ τῆς δόξης καταβαλλομένης, οὐχ ὅτι φιλότιμος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἦν οὐδὲ ὅτι πρὸς τὴν τῶν πολλῶν ἔζη δόξαν, ἀλλ' ὅτι πολλοὺς ἐπὶ τούτοις σκανδαλιζομένους ἑώρα. οὕτω καὶ Μωυσῆς ὑπὲρ τῆς δόξης ἔδεισε τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ Παῦλος δὲ ὁμοίως. ἄκουε γάρ, τί φησιν ὁ Μωυσῆς· μήποτε εἴπωσιν, φησίν, ὅτι ἐξήγαγες αὐτοὺς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐν πονηρίᾳ ἀπολέσαι ἐνταῦθα. τί γὰρ ἐνενόει; ὅτι εἰ οἱ πολλὰ καλὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ παθόντες, οἷς πενίαν ἔλυσε καὶ χηρείαν συνδιήνεγκε καὶ ὀρφανίαν κουφοτέραν ἐποίησεν, οἷς ἐγένετο λιμὴν καὶ καταγώγιον, τοῦτον ἀκούουσι χειμαζόμενον καὶ οὐδεμιᾶς τυγχάνοντα παραμυθίας, πόσαις εἰκὸς αὐτοὺς τρικυμίαις βάλλεσθαι λογισμῶν, ὥστε τὰ τούτου δεινὰ τοὺς ἑτέρων ἐχείμαζε λογισμούς. καὶ ὅτι ταῦτα ἔστιν, ἀναμείνωμεν καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν εἰσόμεθα. καὶ παρεγένοντο, φησίν, ὁμοθυμαδὸν πρὸς αὐτὸν τοῦ παρακαλέσαι καὶ ἐπισκέψασθαι αὐτόν. ἀλλ' οὐχὶ τοῦτο ἐποίησαν, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον. φιλικὴ μὲν ἡ παρουσία, οὐ φιλικὴ δὲ ἡ παραίνεσις καὶ ἡ συμβουλή. 2,12a ἰδόντες δὲ αὐτὸν πόρρωθεν οὐκ ἐπέγνωσαν, 12b καὶ βοήσαντες φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἔκλαυσαν ἔκαστος 12c ῥήξαντες τὴν ἑαυτοῦ στολὴν 12d καὶ καταπασάμενοι γῆν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῶν. 2,13a παρεκαθέζοντο αὐτῷ εἰς γῆν ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας καὶ ἑπτὰ νύκτας, 13b καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν ἐλά50 λησε πρὸς αὐτόν· 13c ἑώρων γὰρ τὴν πληγὴν δεινὴν οὖσαν καὶ μεγάλην σφόδρα. ταῦτα πάντα καλὰ καὶ φίλων ἄξια καὶ συμπαθούντων τεκμήρια, ἀλλὰ τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα οὐκέτι τοιαῦτα, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ τούτων