Didymus the Blind, Commentaries on Job

to say: "by the command of the Lord they will perish, and by the breath of his anger they will be destroyed." a similar thing is said by the blessed Paul: "who will render to each one according to his works." "The strength of a lion, and the voice of a lioness, and the pride of dragons are extinguished. The ant-lion perished for lack of food, and the cubs of lions have abandoned one another. But if any true word had been in your speeches, none of these evils would have befallen you." Even if the friends of Job were mistaken, of whom this one was, in their disposition towards him as one who fell into afflictions on account of sins, nevertheless they possess human understanding, which is not infallible. Wherefore, considering their very words, we are not displeased with those things spoken from understanding, as they were not strong enough to grasp all the truth concerning what ought to be thought, and from what has now been set forth at the end: "For if any," he says, "true word had been in your speeches, 101 none of these evils would have befallen you," which, as we said, was spoken by him neither properly nor wisely. For he thought this was the only cause of the afflictions, speaking of that which is through sin. And he goes through the changes concerning men, speaking not unwisely: "The strength of a lion, and the voice of a lioness, and the pride of dragons are extinguished." For he says these things in the manner of a trope, of the many proud and those who think great things of human affairs having suffered a change, such as Nebuchadnezzar, who came from a kingdom to the last state of a commoner. But also what was said to the rich man who said: "I will pull down my barns and build larger ones. -Fool, this night they require your soul from you," is illustrative of this thought. Therefore, "lion" is taken by him for his savage temper and pride, as "to be confident in himself." Understanding this, the blessed Paul also said concerning Nero: "At my first defense no one came to my support, but the Lord stood by me and rescued me from the lion's mouth." But also Jeremiah, saying: "Israel is a straying sheep, lions have driven him out," next interprets who 102 the lions are, saying: "The first to devour him was the king of Assyria," and what follows. But also this: "God broke the molars of the lions," signifies the defeat of proud and savage-tempered men. And he might have taken "lioness" for an insatiable character, which has such a nature. For when it needs food, it does not roar, so that the flight of the beasts which are destined to become its food may not occur. And if the male is also of this nature, yet he mentioned it because of its more dominant and royal and proud nature. And he has also made mention of "dragons," alluding to serpentine men, that they too are destroyed when a change occurs concerning them. And these are deceitful and working deception, according to that about which it is said: "But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your thoughts will be corrupted." And the "ant-lion" seems to be like a boastful and rash man, who on account of his instability and unsteadiness quickly falls away. And this is said to be born from a lion mating with an ant, not the small animal, 103 but another, which has the size of a bear, and is so called. And those who record history say that because the father is a flesh-eater and the mother a grass-eater, it perishes, being unable, on account of its birth from both, to use a single kind of food. But as to how these things are, let the reader judge. And there are those who plausibly interpret this as the devil, saying that to the saints he is an ant because of weakness, but to sinners he is a lion because they have "given place to him." "And the cubs of lions have abandoned one another," which he said, alluding to unsociable and savage men. For the cubs, as long as they are with their mother, are together, but when they are grown, they are separated from one another. Thus also a crafty and savage man, as long as he has some benefit—I mean a human one—from his companion, hides his wickedness, but having been filled with the

λέγειν· "ἀπὸ προστάγματος κυρίου ἀπολοῦνται, ἀπὸ δὲ πνεύματος ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ ἀφανισθήσονται." ᾧ ὅμοιον παρὰ τῷ μακαρίῳ Παύλῳ λέγεται· "ὃς ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ." "σθένος λέοντος, φωνὴ δὲ λεαίνης, γαυρίαμα δὲ δρακόντων ἐσβέσθη. μυρμηκολέων ὤλετο παρὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βοράν, σκύμνοι δὲ λεόντων ἔλιπον ἀλλήλους. εἰ δέ τι ῥῆμα ἀληθινὸν ἐγεγόνει ἐν λόγοις σου, οὐδὲν ἄν σοι τούτων κακὸν ὑπήντησεν." εἰ καὶ διεσφάλησαν οἱ τοῦ Ἰὼβ φίλοι, ὧν ἦν καὶ οὗτος, κατὰ τὸ διακεῖσθαι περὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς δι' ἁμαρτήματα περιπεσόντος τοῖς θλιβηροῖς, ἀλλὰ γοῦν ἔχουσιν ἀνθρωπίνην σύνεσιν, ἥτις οὐκ ἔστιν ἀδιάπτωτος. διόπερ ἐπιβάλλοντες αὐτοῖς τοῖς λόγοις τοῖς μὲν ἐκ συνέσεως λεγομένοις οὐκ ἀπαρεσκόμεθα διακείμενοι, ὡς οὐκ ἐξίσχυσαν ἅπασαν τὴν περὶ τὰ φρονητέα ἀλήθειαν καταλαβεῖν καὶ ἐκ τοῦ νῦν ἐκτεθέντος ἐπὶ τέλει· "εἰ γάρ τι", φησίν, "ῥῆμα ἀληθινὸν ἐγεγόνει ἐν λόγοις σου, 101 οὐδὲν ἄν σοι τούτων κακὸν συνήντησεν", ὅπερ ὡς ἔφαμεν οὐκ οἰκείως οὐδὲ συνετῶς παρ' αὐτοῦ εἴρηται. ταύτην γὰρ μόνην αἰτίαν τῶν θλιβηρῶν ᾤετο, τὴν δι' ἁμαρτίας λέγων. διέξεισιν δὲ τὰς περὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους μεταβολὰς οὐκ ἀσυνετῶς λέγων· "σθένος λέοντος, φωνὴ δὲ λεαίνης, γαυρίαμα δὲ δρακόντων ἐσβέσθη." τροπολογίας γὰρ εἴδει ταῦτά φησιν, πολλῶν ὑπερηφάνων καὶ μέγα ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις φρονούντων μεταβολὴν πεπονθότων, οἷος ὁ Ναβουχοδοσὸρ ἐκ βασιλείας εἰς ἔσχατον ἰδιώτου ἐλθών. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ τῶι πλουσίωι εἰρημένον εἰπόντι· "καθελῶ μου τὰς ἀποθήκας καὶ μείζονας οἰκοδομήσω. -ἄφρων, ταύτηι τῇ νυκτὶ τὴν ψυχήν σου αἱροῦσιν ἀπὸ σοῦ", ταύτης τῆς διανοίας ἐστὶ παραστατικόν. "λέων" μὲν οὖν διὰ τὸ ὠμόθυμον αὐτῶι εἴλημπται καὶ γαῦρον ὡς "ἐφ' ἑαυτῶι πεποιθέναι". ὅπερ νοῶν καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος περὶ Νέρωνος ἔφη· "ἐν τῆι πρώτῃ μου ἀπολογίᾳ οὐδείς μοι παρεγένετο, ὁ δὲ κύριός μοι παρέστη καὶ ἐρύσατό με ἐκ στόματος λέοντος." ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Ἰερεμίας λέγων· "πρόβατον πλανώμενον Ἰσδραήλ, λέοντες ἐξῶσαν αὐτόν" ἑξῆς ἑρμηνεύει, τίνες 102 οἱ λέοντες, λέγων· "ὁ πρῶτος κατέφαγεν αὐτὸν βασιλεὺς Ἀσσοὺρ" καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ἀλλὰ καὶ τό· "ὁ θεὸς συνέτριψεν τὰς μύλας τῶν λεόντων" τὴν κατὰ τῶν ὑπερηφάνων καὶ ὠμοθύμων ἀνθρώπων ἧτταν σημαίνει. τὴν δὲ "λέαιναν" ἀντὶ ἀπλήστου τρόπου εἴη δεχόμενος, ἥτις φύσιν ἔχει τοιαύτην. καὶ γὰρ ὅτε τροφῆς δεῖται, οὐ βοᾷ, ἵνα μὴ τῶν ὀφειλόντων τροφὴν αὐτῆι γενέσθαι θηρίων φυγὴ γένηται. εἰ δὲ καὶ ὁ ἄρρην ταύτης ἐστὶ τῆς φύσεως, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐπικρατεστέρου καὶ πρὸς βασιλικόν τε καὶ ὑπερήφανον αὐτοῦ ἐμνήσθη. καὶ τῶν "δρακόντων" δὲ μνήμην πεποίηται, αἰνιττόμενος τοὺς ὀφιώδεις ἀνθρώπους, ὡς καὶ αὐτοὶ καταλύονται μεταβολῆς καὶ περὶ αὐτοὺς γιγνομένης. δολεροὶ δὲ οὗτοι καὶ ἀπάτην ἐργαζόμενοι, κατ' ἐκεῖνο περὶ οὗ εἴρηται· "φοβοῦμαι δέ, μή πως ὡς ὁ ὄφις ἐξηπάτησεν Εὕαν ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτοῦ φθαρῇ τὰ νοήματα ὑμῶν." "μυρμηκολέων" δὲ ἔοικεν ἀνθρώπωι ἀλάζονι καὶ προπετεῖ, ὅστις διὰ τὸ ἀβέβαιον καὶ ἀστάθμητον θᾶττον ἀποπίπτει. λέγεται δὲ οὗτος τίκτεσθαι ἀπὸ λέοντος συνελθόντος μύρμηκι, οὐ τῷ ζῳϋφαρίῳ, 103 ἀλλὰ ἄλλῳ, ὃ μέγεθος μὲν ἔχει ἄρκου, οὕτω δὲ καλεῖται. φασὶν δὲ οἱ ἱστοροῦν τες, ὡς διὰ μὲν τὸν πατέρα σαρκοφάγον ὄντα καὶ διὰ τὴν μητέρα ποηφάγον ἀπόλλυται μὴ δυνάμενος διὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων γένεσιν μιᾷ τροφῇ χρῆσθαι. ὅπως δὲ ἔχει ταῦτα, κρινέτω ὁ ἐντυγχάνων. εἰσὶν δὲ οἱ εἰς τὸν διάβολον τοῦτον δεχόμενοι πιθανῶς λέγοντες, ὅτι τοῖς μὲν ἁγίοις μύρμηξ ἐστὶν δι' ἀσθένειαν, τοῖς δὲ ἁμαρτάνουσι λέων διὰ τὸ "τόπον δεδωκέναι αὐτῷ". "σκυμνοὶ δὲ λεόντων ἔλιπον ἀλλήλους", ὅπερ ἔφη αἰνιττόμενος τοὺς ἀδιαθέτους καὶ ἀγρίους ἀνθρώπους. καὶ γὰρ οἱ σκυμνοὶ ἕως μὲν ὑπὸ τὴν μητέρα τυγχάνουσιν, ἅμα εἰσίν, ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἀνδρυνθῶσιν, διασχίζονται ἀλλήλων. οὕτω καὶ πανοῦργος ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἄγριος ἕως μέν τινα ἔχει ὠφελίαν- ἀνθρωπίνην λέγω- παρὰ τοῦ συνόντος, κρύπτει τὴν κακουργίαν, πληρωθεὶς δὲ τοῦ