John Chrysostom, Commentary on Job

let them know themselves? Will a lion roar from the thicket having no prey? Will a cub give its voice at all, if it does not seize something? Will a bird fall into a snare without a fowler? Will a snare be sprung without catching something? And again: Will horses run on rocks? Will they be silent among females? And see: he takes examples from nature. That is: nothing new or strange happens, but all things are ordered by certain laws and nothing has been changed. For if even the things concerning the beasts are fixed, much more so are our own affairs. Just as the strength of a lion would not be hindered, so neither would the boldness of a righteous man. For power is not so naturally inherent in the beast, as power and strength are in the righteous man; it is easier for a lion to become cowardly than for a righteous man to be easily subdued. 4,11a The ant-lion perished for lack of food, 11b and the cubs of the lions have forsaken one another? They say that this animal cannot feed itself. “What then? Did it perish?” he says. “By no means.” And this is paradoxical and great, for the animal to be nourished without food, enjoying the providence from above. How then could the providence that ordained these things and does not interrupt them have undone the laws concerning righteousness? But does it exercise such great providence for irrational creatures, but not for humans? And he takes the nature of irrational creatures not at all useful to our race, but even treacherous and deadly. He therefore who disturbs nothing in the venomous animals and who maintains good order 64 for those that plot against us, even though they do not have the ability to feed themselves by nature, will do so much more for humans. But does he provide so much for an ant-lion, but not for a righteous man? And did the cubs of the lions leave one another? And this is natural, to herd together even though it is small, and not even this has been corrupted; but what he has placed in nature, this he preserves. Do you see a wild beast? 4,12a But if, he says, any true word had been in your speeches, 12b none of these evils would have befallen you. And at present he hints to me that Job often said some solemn things, perhaps either leading some to jealousy or even for the sake of some other dispensation. See, all you who are perplexed by such things even now, what you resemble. For if he, saying such things in those times, did not obtain pardon, much more so we, who say such things after the experience of the events and have many reasons to give for what happened † as they seem † to have found a moment to reproach and assail him, not awaiting the experience from the events. 4,12c Will not your ear, then, he says, receive extraordinary things? What he says is something like this: “Have you never seen a dream?” he says, “and were not troubled?” Or what he says is something like this: “Have you not heard such narratives? Do I lie?” he says, “Did your ear not receive extraordinary things?” “For indeed he does not only startle and trouble by day, but also in dreams,” he says, “and I have often suffered many such things. And he knows how to trouble through dreams alone,” he says, “and to exact punishment.” For since it happened that his word was contradicted by the many 65 who are unjust and suffer nothing of the sort, “But in dreams,” he says. For since he did not see God nor feel a hand touching him, “Do not be amazed,” he says; “for he punishes invisibly, since he has also troubled me many times in dreams and I had no perception of what was happening, but I heard only a breeze and a voice. This alone,” he says, “as God knows, he thoroughly confuses, and do not be amazed.” And he says all these things in order to show that the wrath is from him. It seems to me that he is hinting at something else also; for since he had lived his entire previous life calmly, “What then?” he says; “if he troubled you in dreams, how do we know? And if he also foretold it so that you would be afraid and take precaution, but you did not take precaution? But I have endured many such things.” And do you not consider life to be unlivable for those who are troubled and disturbed every single day, even if by day they continually live in prosperity? For to me it seems more grievous than what happens by day, when someone blocks his very harbor of rest. For if someone should drive away a traveler who has been wrestling with scorching heat and hardship all day long, when at evening he wishes to rest in the lodging, by showing some apparitions and disturbances

γνωρίσωσιν ἑαυτοῖς; εἰ ἐρεύξεται λέων ἐκ δρυμοῦ θήραν οὐκ ἔχων; εἰ δώσει σκύμνος φωνὴν αὐτοῦ καθόλου, ἐὰν μὴ ἁρπάσῃ τι; εἰ πεσεῖται ὄρνεον ἐν παγίδι ἄνευ ἰξευτοῦ; εἰ σχασθήσεται παγὶς ἄνευ τοῦ συλλαβεῖν τι; καὶ πάλιν· εἰ διώξονται ἐν πέτραις ἵπποι; εἰ παρασιωπήσονται ἐν θηλείαις; καὶ ὅρα· φυσικὰ παραδείγματα λαμβάνει. τουτέστιν· οὐδὲν καινὸν οὐδὲ ξένον γίνεται, ἀλλὰ νόμοις τισὶ πάντα τέτακται καὶ οὐδὲν ἐνήλλακται. εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὰ θηρία ἕστηκεν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὰ ἡμέτερα. ὥσπερ σθένος λέοντος οὐκ ἂν κωλυθείη, οὕτως οὐδὲ παρρησία δικαίου. οὐ γὰρ οὕτω κατὰ φύσιν πρόσεστι τῷ θηρίῳ ἡ δύναμις, ὡς τῷ δικαίῳ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ ἰσχύς· εὐκολώτερον λέοντα ἄνανδρον γενέσθαι ἢ δίκαιον εὐχείρωτον. 4,11a μυρμηκολέων ὤλετο παρὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βοράν, 11b σκύμνοι δὲ λεόντων ἀπέλιπον ἀλλήλους; τὸ ζῷον τοῦτό φασι μὴ δύνασθαι σιτεῖσθαι. «τί οὖν; διεφθάρη;» φησίν. «οὐδαμῶς.» τοῦτο δὲ παράδοξον καὶ μέγα, χωρὶς τροφῆς διατρέφεσθαι τὸ ζῷον τῆς ἄνωθεν προνοίας ἀπολαῦον. ἡ τοίνυν πρόνοια ἡ ταῦτα διατάξασα καὶ μὴ διακόπτουσα πῶς ἂν τοὺς περὶ δικαιοσύνης ἔλυσε νόμους; ἀλλ' ἀλόγων μὲν τοσαύτην ποιεῖται πρόνοιαν, ἀνθρώπων δὲ οὔ; καὶ λαμβάνει φύσιν ἀλόγων οὐ πάνυ χρησίμην τῷ γένει τῷ ἡμετέρῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπίβουλον καὶ θανάσιμον. ὁ τοίνυν ἐν τοῖς δηλητηρίοις ζῴοις οὐδὲν διαταράττων καὶ τοῖς ἐπιβουλεύουσιν ἡμῖν 64 τὴν εὐταξίαν διατηρῶν, καίτοι μὴ ἐχόντων ἀπὸ φύσεως τὸ τρέφεσθαι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπ' ἀνθρώπων. ἀλλὰ μυρμηκολέοντος τοσοῦτον προνοεῖ, δικαίου δὲ οὐχί; σκύμνοι δὲ λεόντων ἔλιπον ἀλλήλους; καὶ τοῦτο φυσικὸν τὸ συναγελάζεσθαι καίτοι μικρὸν ὄν, καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο διέφθαρται· ἀλλ' ὅπερ τέθεικεν ἐν τῇ φύσει, τοῦτο διατηρεῖ. ὁρᾷς ζῷον ἄγριον; 4,12a εἰ δέ τι, φησίν, ῥῆμα ἀληθινὸν ἐγεγόνει ἐν λόγοις σου, 12b οὐδὲν ἂν κακὸν τούτων συνήντησέ σοι. καὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι αἰνίττεταί μοι, ὅτι πολλάκις σεμνά τινα εἶπεν ὁ Ἰὼβ ἴσως ἢ εἰς ζῆλόν τινας ἄγων ἢ καὶ ἑτέρας ἕνεκεν οἰκονομίας. ὁρᾶτε, ὅσοι τοιαῦτα διαπορεῖτε καὶ νῦν, τίνι προσεοίκατε. εἰ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος κατ' ἐκείνους τοὺς καιροὺς τοιαῦτα εἰπὼν οὐκ ἔτυχε συγγνώμης, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς οἱ μετὰ τὴν πεῖραν τῶν πραγμάτων τοιαῦτα λέγοντες καὶ πολλὰς ἔχοντες αἰτίας τῶν γενομένων εἰπεῖν † ὥσπερ δοκοῦσι † καιρὸν εὑρηκέναι τοῦ ὀνειδίσαι καὶ ἐπεμβῆναι αὐτῷ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων πεῖραν οὐκ ἀναμένοντες. 4,12c πότερον οὖν, φησίν, οὐ δέξεταί σου τὸ οὖς ἐξαίσια; ὃ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· «οὐκ εἶδες οὐδέποτε ἐνύπνιον;» φησίν, «οὐδὲ ἐταράχθης;» ἢ ὃ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· «οὐκ ἤκουσας τοιούτων διηγημάτων; μὴ ψεύδομαι;» φησίν, «τὸ οὖς σου οὐκ ἐδέξατο ἐξαίσια;» «οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μόνον πτοεῖ καὶ ταράσσει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἐνυπνίοις», φησίν, «καὶ ἐγὼ τοιαῦτα πολλὰ πολλάκις ἔπαθον. οἶδε δὲ καὶ δι' ὀνειράτων μόνων ταράττειν», φησίν, «καὶ δίκην εἰσπράττεσθαι.» ἐπειδὴ γὰρ συνέβαινεν ἐναντιοῦσθαι αὐτοῦ τῷ λόγῳ 65 πολλοὺς ὄντας ἀδίκους καὶ οὐδὲν πάσχοντας τοιοῦτον, «ἀλλ' ἐν ὀνείροις», φησίν. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ εἶδε τὸν θεὸν οὐδὲ χειρὸς ᾔσθετο ἁπτομένης αὐτοῦ, «μὴ θαυμάσῃς», φησίν· «ἀοράτως γὰρ κολάζει, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐμὲ πολλάκις ἐτάραξεν ἐν ἐνυπνίοις καὶ οὐδεμίαν αἴσθησιν ἔσχον τῶν γενομένων, ἀλλ' ἢ αὔραν καὶ φωνὴν ἤκουον. τοῦτο μόνον», φησίν, «ὡς οἶδεν ὁ θεός, συνταράττει, καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς.» ταῦτα δὲ πάντα λέγει, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ἡ ὀργή. ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ καὶ ἕτερόν τι αἰνίττεσθαι· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸν ἔμπροσθεν πάντα βίον γαληνὸν διήγαγεν, «τί οὖν;» φησίν· «εἰ ἐν ὀνείροις σε ἐτάραξεν, πόθεν ἴσμεν; εἰ δὲ καὶ προεῖπεν ὥστε φοβηθῆναι καὶ προφυλάξασθαι, σὺ δὲ οὐκ ἐφυλάξω; ἐγὼ δὲ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ὑπέστην.» καὶ οὐχ ἡγῇ τὸν βίον ἀβίωτον εἶναι τῶν καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ταραττομένων καὶ θορυβουμένων, κἂν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ διὰ παντὸς ἐν εὐπραγίᾳ διατελῶσιν; ἐμοὶ γὰρ τοῦ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ χαλεπώτερον εἶναι δοκεῖ, ὅταν τις αὐτὸν τῆς ἀναπαύσεως προσχώσῃ τὸν λιμένα. εἰ γάρ τις τὸν ὁδοιπόρον τὸν δι' ὅλης ἡμέρας φλογμῷ παλαίοντα καὶ ταλαιπωρίᾳ, ἑσπέρας ἀναπαύσασθαι βουλόμενον εἰς τὸ καταγώγιον, ἀπελάσειεν ἰνδάλματά τινα δεικνὺς καὶ θορύβους