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for, he says, it brought down the first man, this will also be able to overcome this one. But, O foolish one, finding that one weaker than his belly, she sowed her own poison; but you see this one acting as a philosopher, and overcoming nature itself. The loss of wealth did not bend him, nor the untimely death of his children, nor the inconsolable torment of his body, nor such a great length of time; and the one who was not conquered by deeds, do you expect to subdue this one by words? But the woman, after having accurately recounted the tragedy, then introduces her shameless counsel, and not even then does she say openly, "Blaspheme"; for those who give evil counsel do not dare to introduce their advice unveiled. What are you saying, O woman? When it is necessary to propitiate, necessary to be reconciled, do you advise rather to provoke? For if God has done these things, one must entreat him, not blaspheme him. "But he looked at her and said, 'You have spoken as one of the foolish women.'" Of Basil and Chrysostom. Job, vexed by these words as by none of the previous evils, and filling his gaze with anger, and turning away from his wife as from an enemy, and looking at her bitterly, and before he spoke, by his look he repelled her machinations. For she expected to move fountains of tears; but he became fiercer than a lion, filled with anger 64.568 and indignation, not for what he was suffering, but for what she had diabolically advised; and having shown his anger by his look, he makes his rebuke measured, for even in misfortunes he was temperate. And what does he say? "You have spoken as one of the foolish women." I did not teach you so, he says, I did not raise you so; wherefore I do not even recognize my own spouse. For these words are of a foolish and raving woman's counsel. Put away, he says, O woman, your counsel. For how long, in what you say, will you insult our common life? You have lied, and my upbringing, as if I had not prayed, you have slandered in what you have spoken; and I consider my life now to have been impious by half, since marriage made us both one body, but you have fallen into blasphemy. Did you see a fitting incision, and a blow sufficient to correct the disease? He did not say, "You are senseless and foolish"; but what? "You have spoken as one of the foolish women"; that is, you have uttered nothing worthy of yourself, nor of my instruction. Then after the rebuke, he again introduces counsel, sufficient to comfort her, and having much that is reasonable, saying: "If we have received good things from the hand of the Lord, shall we not endure the evil things?" Remember, he says, those former things, and consider the cause, and you will bear these things also nobly. Did you see the man's moderation? For he does not reckon his patience to his own fortitude, but says that it is from the consequence of events. For in return for what did God give us those things? Paying what reward? None, but from goodness alone. For it was a gift, not a reward, and grace, not a recompense; therefore let us bear these things also nobly; remind yourself of the good things that have gone before, weigh the better against the worse. No man's life is blessed throughout; to fare well always belongs to God alone; but if you are grieved by the present things, comfort yourself with the things that have gone before. Now you weep, but you laughed before; now you are poor, but you were rich before; you drank the clear stream of life, and drinking this turbid one, be patient; not even the currents of rivers appear clear throughout. For our life, as you know, is a river, flowing continuously, and being filled with successive waves; for part of it has already flowed by, part is still on its way, part has just emerged from the springs, and part is yet to come, and we are all hastening to the common sea of death. If we have received good things from the hand of the Lord, shall we not endure the evil things? Do we compel the judge to provide similar things for us throughout all time?

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γὰρ, φησὶ, κατήνεγκεν τὸν πρῶτον ἄνθρωπον, αὕτη καὶ τούτου περιγενέσθαι δυνήσηται. Ἀλλ', ὦ ἀνόητε, ἐκεῖνον ἥττονα γαστρὸς εὑροῦσα, ἰὸν ἐνέσπειρε τὸν ἑαυτῆς, τοῦτον δὲ ὁρᾷς φιλοσοφοῦντα, καὶ αὐτῆς περιγενόμενον τῆς φύσεως. Οὐκ ἐπέκαμψεν αὐτὸν χρημάτων ἀπώλεια, οὐ παίδων θάνατος ἄωρος, οὐ βάσανος σώματος ἀπαραμύθητος, οὐ μῆκος χρόνου τοσοῦτον· καὶ τὸν ὑπὸ πραγμάτων οὐχ ἁλόντα, τοῦτον ὑπὸ λόγων προσδοκᾷς χειρώσασθαι; Πλὴν ἡ γυνὴ μετὰ τὸ τὴν τραγῳδίαν ἀκριβῶς διηγήσασθαι, τότε τὴν ἀναίσχυντον ἐπιφέρει συμβουλὴν, καὶ οὐδὲ τότε λέγει φανερῶς, Βλασφήμησον· οἱ γὰρ πονηρὰ συμβουλεύοντες, οὐ τολμῶσιν ἀνακεκαλυμμένην εἰσάγειν τὴν παραίνεσιν. Τί λέγεις, ὦ γύναι; δέον ἐξιλεώσασθαι, δέον καταλλάξαι, παροξύναι μᾶλλον παραινεῖς; εἰ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ταῦτα ἐποίησε, παρακαλέσαι αὐτὸν, οὐ βλασφημῆσαι δεῖ. «Ὁ δὲ ἐμβλέψας, εἶπεν αὐτῇ· Ὥσπερ μία τῶν ἀφρόνων γυναικῶν ἐλάλησας.» Βασιλείου καὶ Χρυσοστόμου. Ἀχθεὶς ἐπὶ τούτοις ῥήμασιν ὁ Ἰὼβ, ὡς ἐπ' οὐδενὶ τῶν προτέρων κακῶν, καὶ θυμοῦ τὸ βλέμμα πληρώσας, καὶ πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα, καθάπερ πρὸς πολεμίαν, ἀποστραφεὶς, καὶ βλέψας εἰς αὐτὴν πικρὸν, καὶ πρὸ τῆς φωνῆς, ἀπὸ τῆς ὄψεως διεκρούσατο τὰ μηχανήματα. Ἐκείνη μὲν γὰρ προσεδόκησε δακρύων κινήσειν πηγάς· οὗτος δὲ λέοντος σφοδρότερος γέγονε, θυμοῦ πληρω 64.568 θεὶς, καὶ ἀγανακτήσεως, οὐχ ὑπὲρ ὧν ἔπασχεν, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐκείνη διαβολικῶς συνεβούλευσε· καὶ τῷ βλέμματι τὸν θυμὸν ἐνδειξάμενος, μεμετρημένην ποιεῖται τὴν ἐπιτίμησιν, καὶ γὰρ ἐν συμφοραῖς σώφρων ἦν. Καὶ τί φησιν; Ὥσπερ μία τῶν ἀφρόνων γυναικῶν ἐλάλησας· οὐχ οὕτω σε ἐπαίδευσα, φησὶν, οὐχ οὕτω σε ἔθρεψα· ὅθεν οὐδὲ ἐπιγινώσκω τὴν σύνοικον τὴν ἐμήν. Τὰ γὰρ ῥήματα ταῦτα ἀνοήτου γυναικὸς, καὶ παραπαιούσης ἡ συμβουλή. Κατάθου, φησὶν, ὦ γύναι, τὴν συμβουλὴν, μέχρι τίνος τὴν κοινὴν, ἐν οἷς λέγεις, ὑβρίζεις ζωήν; ἐψεύσω, καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν, ὡς οὐκ ηὐχόμην, ἀνατροφὴν διέβαλες, ἐν οἷς ἐλάλησας· καὶ τὸν ἐμὸν βίον ἐξ ἡμισείας, ἠσεβηκέναι νενόμικα νῦν, ἐπειδήπερ ἓν μὲν σῶμα ἀμφοτέρους ἡμᾶς ὁ γάμος ἐποίησε, σὺ δὲ εἰς βλασφημίαν κατέπεσες. Εἶδες τομὴν σύμμετρον, καὶ πληγὴν ἱκανὴν διορθῶσαι τὸ νόσημα. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἄφρων εἶ καὶ ἀνόητος· ἀλλὰ τί; Ὥσπερ μία τῶν ἀφρόνων γυναικῶν ἐλάλησας· τουτέστιν, Οὐδὲν ἄξιον σεαυτῆς, οὐδὲ τῆς ἐμῆς ἐφθέγξω παιδεύσεως. Εἶτα μετὰ τὴν ἐπίπληξιν, καὶ συμβουλὴν εἰσάγει πάλιν, ἀρκοῦσαν αὐτὴν παραμυθήσασθαι, καὶ πολὺ τὸ εὔλογον ἔχουσαν, λέγων· «Εἰ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐδεξάμεθα ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου, τὰ κακὰ οὐχ ὑποίσομεν;» Ἀναμνήσθητι, φησὶ, τῶν προτέρων ἐκείνων, καὶ λογίζου τὸν αἴτιον, καὶ οἴσεις καὶ ταῦτα γενναίως. Εἶδες μετριοφροσύνην ἀνδρός; οὐδὲ γὰρ τῇ ἀνδρείᾳ αὐτοῦ λογίζεται τὴν ὑπομονὴν, ἀλλὰ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἀκολουθίας αὐτὴν εἶναί φησι. Ἀντὶ τίνων γὰρ ἐκεῖνα ἡμῖν ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεός; ποίαν ἐκτιννὺς ἀμοιβήν; Οὐδεμίαν, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀγαθότητος μόνης. ∆ωρεὰν γὰρ ἦν, οὐκ ἀμοιβὴ, καὶ χάρις, οὐκ ἀντίδοσις· οὐκοῦν καὶ ταῦτα φέρωμεν γενναίως· ἀνάμνησον τῶν φθασάντων σεαυτὴν ἀγαθῶν, ἀντισήκωσον τὰ κρείττω τοῖς χείροσιν. Οὐδενὸς ἀνθρώπων ὁ βίος δι' ὅλου μακάριος· τὸ διαπαντὸς εὖ πράττειν, μόνου Θεοῦ· σὺ δὲ εἰ τοῖς παροῦσιν ἀλγεῖς, ἀπὸ τῶν προλαβόντων σεαυτὴν παραμύθησον. Νῦν δακρύεις, ἀλλ' ἐγέλασας πρότερον· νῦν πτωχεύεις, ἀλλ' ἐπλούτησας πρότερον· ἔπιες τὸ διειδὲς νᾶμα τοῦ βίου, καὶ τὸ θολερὸν τοῦτο πίνουσα, καρτέρησον· οὐδὲ τὰ τῶν ποταμῶν ῥεύματα δι' ὅλου φαίνεται καθαρά. Ποταμὸς δὲ, ὡς οἶσθα, ὁ βίος ἡμῶν, ῥέων ἐνδελεχῶς, καὶ κύμασιν ἀλλεπαλλήλοις πληρούμενος· τὸ μὲν γὰρ αὐτοῦ προέῤῥευσεν ἤδη, τὸ δὲ ἔτι πορεύεται, τὸ δὲ ἄρτι προέκυψε τῶν πηγῶν, τὸ δὲ μέλλει, καὶ πρὸς τὴν κοινὴν ἅπαντες τοῦ θανάτου σπεύδομεν θάλασσαν. Εἰ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐδεξάμεθα ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου, τὰ κακὰ οὐχ ὑποίσομεν; Ἀναγκάζομεν τὸν κριτὴν ὅμοια χορηγεῖν πράγματα δι' αἰῶνος ἡμῖν;