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of the Word from its exceeding purity, having nothing of such a state, in which Job came to be for the sake of the economy, which, on account of conversation and intercourse with men, does not have the like untroubled state of such a mind, which might be wiped away because it is not a sin, but something else which has been added, which has happened for the sake of the benefit of others. "or as an abortion coming forth from its mother’s womb, or as infants who have not seen the light." To: "why then did I suck the breasts" this is added through the intervening spoken verses from: "For now I would have lain down and been quiet" until: "who filled their houses with silver." Let the thought, then, be the same as what was said before: for just as coming into being happened against his will, so also to be born as an abortion was desirable to him, so that he might not partake for long 74 in this life and affliction according to generation, or if he had even become an infant, he might have returned again, so that he would not be in a state of full age after infancy. For indeed such a thing would not be outside of perplexity and inquiry, with some not having come to life, and others dying again immediately after being born, which the philosopher, investigating, will know not that these things happen by chance, since God is just and good and since the God of all governs all things with reason and order and measure and weight. The holy one himself also knows the judgment and does not say this without concern, but praising the better state and being persuaded that this is to be preferred. "There the wicked have ceased from raging, there the weary in body have rested, and with one accord the eternal ones." The whole sequence of things said by Job, attempting a divine thought, introduces teaching on the different origins of men. For having discussed that it was to be wished by him not to approach the human way nor to be born, or 75 having been born to be freed immediately from this life, he adds, teaching also a certain cause, that this, being desirable to the opposing powers, was not a little striven for. For since the argument has shown that through faults of generation souls happened to be different, and the devil and those with him are lovers of sin so as even to stir up to evil those given to it, he interprets this very thing, saying: "There the wicked have ceased from raging," saying "there" of the other world besides this one, as in: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall depart there." Nevertheless, even if such a thing is desirable to the evil powers, God foresaw it in his economy and has given to each one laws preventing sin, so that while living in this body they might think on heavenly things and long for life there likewise, so that one who is weary in body and has become exhausted from wrestling against evil may have rest. For this is what is signified by: "there the weary 76 in body have rested." For the saints who have been well-pleasing through many things on earth, through many tribulations, from which they become weary in body and not in spirit, have their rest with one accord with the angels, who are eternal. But if they are eternal, and their rest is with one accord, it is clear that souls also are eternal; for they are immortal and, having despised temporal things, they possess eternal things. It should be noted that the word eternal is used in several ways: it signifies also that which is without beginning and without end, as in: "the eternal God." For God is called eternal because he has neither beginning nor end of existence. And the eternal is something else, according to which it is said: "the things which are not seen are eternal." For these are not eternal as God is, but because they do not fall away, remaining always in the same state. And the eternal in another way, when it is commensurate with the present, according to which it is said: "the sons of this age are wiser in their own generation." And the time extending through a person's life is also called an age (aion). Concerning, at least, the Hebrew who did not wish to be freed in 77 the seventh year, it is written that "he shall be your slave for ever (eis ton aiona)." For not at all

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λόγου ἐκ τῆς ὑπερβαλου´̣σης καθαρότητος, μηδὲν τῆς τοιαύτης ἔχοντες καταστάσεως, ἐν ᾗ γέγονεν ὁ Ἰὼβ οἰκονομίας χάριν, ἥτις διὰ τὴν πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ὁμιλίαν τε καὶ διατριβὴν τὸ ὅμοιον τοῦ τοιούτου νοῦ ἀθόλωτον οὐκ ἔχει, ὅπερ ἀποσμηχθείη διὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἁμάρτημα, ἄλλο δέ τι προσγεγονός, ὃ τῆς ἑ τέρων ὠφελίας χάριν συνβέβηκεν. "ἢ ὥσπερ ἔκτρωμα ἐκπορευόμενον ἐκ μήτρας μητρός, ἢ ὥσπερ νήπιοι, οἳ οὐκ εἶδον φῶς." τῷ· "ἱνατί δὲ μαστοὺς ἐθήλασα" τοῦτο προσαποδίδοται διὰ μέσου εἰρημένων τῶν στίχων ἀπὸ τοῦ· "νῦν ἂν κοιμηθεὶς ἡσύχασα" ἕως τοῦ· "οἳ ἔπλησαν τοὺς οἴκους αὐτῶν ἀργυρίου." εἴη̣ οὖν ἡ αὐτὴ διάνοια τοῖς πρότερον εἰρημένοις· ὡς γὰρ ἀβούλητον ἐτύγχανεν τὸ εἰς γένεσιν ἐλθεῖν, οὕτω καὶ τὸ ἐν ἐκτρώματι γενέσθαι χαρτὸν αὐτῷ, ἵνα μὴ ἐπὶ πλεῖον 74 τῆς κατὰ γένεσιν ταύτην μετασχῇ διαγωγῆς καὶ συντριβῆς ἢ εἰ κἂν νήπιος γέγονεν, πάλιν ὑποστρέψας ᾖν, ὅπως μὴ ἐν ἕξει ἡλικίας μετὰ τὴν νηπιώδη γένηται. καὶ γὰρ τῶι ὄντι οὐκ ἔξω ἀπορίας καὶ ζητήσεως ε̣ἰ´̣η ἂν τὸ τοιοῦτον, τῶν μὲν ο̣υ᾿̣κ εἰς τὸ ζῆν ἡκόντων, τῶν δὲ μετὰ τὴν ἀπότεξιν εὐθὺς πάλιν ἀποθνῃσκόντων, ἅπερ ὁ φιλόσοφος ἐρευνῶν εἴσεται οὐχ ὡς α̣ὐτὰ τυχικῶς γίνεται, δικαίου καὶ ἀγαθοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τυγχάνοντος καὶ λόγωι καὶ τάξει καὶ μέτρῳ σταθμῷ τε τὰ πάντα τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων διοικοῦντος. οἶδεν αὐτὸς καὶ ὁ ἅγιος τὸ κρίμα καὶ οὐκ ἀμερι̣μνῶν τοῦτό φησιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν βελτίονα κατάστασιν αἰνῶν καὶ ταύτην προτιμητέαν εἶναι πειθόμενος. "ἐκεῖ ἀσεβεῖς ἐξέκαυσαν θυμὸν ὀργῆς, ἐκεῖ ἀνεπαύσαντο κατάκοποι τῷ σώματι, ὁμοθυμαδὸν δὲ οἱ αἰώνιοι." ὅλος ὁ εἱρμὸς τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰὼβ εἰρημένων διανοίας θείας πειρώμενος διδασκαλίαν ἐπά γει τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων διαφόρου γενέσεως. διαλαβὼν γὰρ περὶ τοῦ εὐκτέον αὐτῷ εἶναι μὴ πλησιάσαι τῆι ὁδῷ τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ μηδὲ γεννηθῆναι ἢ 75 γεννηθέντα εὐθὺς τοῦ ζῆν τούτου ἀπαλλαγῆναι, ἐπάγει καὶ αἰτίαν τινὰ διδάσκων, ὡς ταῖς ἀντικειμέναις δυνάμεσιν χαρτὸν ὑπάρχον τοῦτο οὐ μικρῶς ἐσπουδάζετο. ἐπεὶ γὰρ ὁ λόγος ἔδειξεν, ὡς διὰ σφάλματα γενέσεως διαφόρους ἔτυχον αἱ ψυχαί, φιλαμαρτήμονες δὲ διάβολος καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ ὡς καὶ διεγείρειν εἰς κακίαν τοὺς διδομένους αὐτῇ, αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἑρμηνεύει λέγων· "ἐκεῖ ἀσεβεῖς ἐξέκαυσαν θυμὸν ὀργῆς", "ἐκεῖ" λέγων τὸν ἕτερον παρὰ τοῦτον κόσμον ὡς ἐν τῷ· "γυμνὸς ἐξῆλθον ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου, γυμνὸς καὶ ἀπελεύσομαι ἐκεῖ." ὅμως̣ δ', εἰ καὶ χαρτὸν ταῖς πονηραῖς δυνάμεσιν τὸ τοιοῦτον, προεῖδε θεὸς οἰκονομῶν καὶ ἑκάστῳ νόμους δέδωκεν κωλύοντας τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν, ὥστε ἐν τούτωι διάγοντας τῷ σώματι οὐράνια φρονεῖν καὶ ποθεῖν τὴν ἐκεῖ ὡσαύτως διατριβήν, ἵνα κεκμηκὼς τῷ σώματι καὶ κατάκοπός τις γεγενημένος τῷ παλαίειν πρὸς τὴν κακίαν ἀνάπαυσιν ἔχῃ. τοῦτο γὰρ σημαίνει τό· "ἐκεῖ ἀνεπαύσαντο κατάκοποι 76 τῷ σώματι." οἱ γὰρ ἅγιοι εὐαρεστήσαντες διὰ πολλῶν ἐπὶ γῆς διὰ πολλῶν θλίψεων, ἐξ ὧν κατάκοποι τῶι σώματι καὶ οὐ τῶι φρονήματι γίγνονται, τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν μετ' ἀγγέλων ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἔχουσιν αἰωνίων τυγχανόντων. εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνοι αἰώνιοι, ὁμοθυμαδὸν δὲ ἡ ἀνάπαυσις αὐτῶν ὑπάρχει, δῆλον ὡς καὶ α̣ἱ ψυχαὶ αἰώνιοι· ἀθάνατοι γὰρ καὶ τῶν προσκαίρων καταφρονήσ̣ασαι τὰ αἰώνια ἔχουσι. σ̣ημειωτέον, ὅτι τὸ αἰώνιον κατὰ πλείονας λέγεται τρόπους· σημαίνει καὶ τὸ ἄναρχον καὶ ἀτελεύτητον ὡς ἐν τῷ· "θεὸς αἰώνιος." λέγεται γὰρ αἰώνιος ὁ θεὸς τῷ μήτε ἀρχὴν μήτε τέλος ἔχειν ὑπάρξεως. καὶ ἀ´̣λλο τι τὸ αἰώνιον, καθ' ὃ εἴρηται· "τὰ μὴ βλε πόμενα αἰώνια." οὔτε γὰρ ὡς θεὸς ταῦτα αἰώνια, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ μὴ διαπίπτειν μένοντα ἀεὶ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ. καὶ ἑτέρως τὸ αἰώνιον, ὅταν συνμετρῆται τῷ παρόντι, καθ' ὃ εἴρηται· "φρονιμώτεροί εἰσιν οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἐν τῇ ἑαυτῶν γενεᾷ." λέγεται δὲ καὶ ὁ παρεκτείνων τῇ ζωῇ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου χρόνος αἰών. περὶ γοῦν τοῦ Ἑβραίου τοῦ μὴ βουληθέντος ἐλευθερωθῆναι ἐν 77 τῷ ἑβδόμῳ ἔτει κεῖται, ὅτι "ἔσται σοι δοῦλος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα". οὐ γὰρ διόλου