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being zealous cares little for the benefactor. But one must understand "a true word" as that which proceeds from a sincere disposition; for there is also a word in the soul. And this must be said, that it is not fitting to consider the words of every person found in scripture to be 104 serious or worthy of understanding. For instance, in the Gospels, the words of the Jews are unintelligible, but even Nicodemus used words unwisely; for when the Savior said, "You must be born from above," he himself said, "Can a man who is old be born? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb?" Thus one must not always demand understanding from every person found in scripture. "Shall not my ear receive extraordinary things from him? But with fear and a sound in the night, when fear falls upon men, a shuddering met me and trembling, and it violently shook my bones. And a spirit came upon my face, and my hair and my flesh stood on end. I arose and did not recognize it, I saw and there was no form before my eyes, but I heard a breeze and a voice." Since he used many words, which at first seemed to be consoling, but then became critical, as if Job himself had rushed into what had happened and that he suffered because of sin—for Eliphaz thought this from the beginning, and in addition to this, that hu105man affairs, even if they are esteemed, are subject to great change—, having reasoned that it is possible for the listener not to pay attention to what was said by him, for the sake of confirmation he adds the things set forth, saying: "Shall not my ear receive extraordinary things from him," as if to say: let none of the listeners think me to be unintelligent. For the ear of my mind receives wonderful things from him, meaning from God himself. For this is indicative of authority as in: "I who speak am present," and in: "He is wise and brought evil upon them, and his law shall not be set aside," clearly meaning of God. For indeed if human understanding attempts the things of God, it is filled with fear according to the saying: "I considered your works and was amazed." And to this same thing a "sound in the night" also follows, which is great obscurity, from which it happens that he who begins to understand any of God's judgments shudders and fears. But also "the bones" of such a one are troubled, which are the power of the soul. For all human reasoning is weak toward the precise understanding of divine things. Habakkuk, knowing this same thing, 106 says: "from the voice of my prayer 106 trembling entered into my bones." Therefore, for one who wishes to comprehend intellectually the divine works which are, as has been said, fearful, there comes a certain type of unclear understanding, which is indicated by: "And a spirit came upon my face." Next there is also: "and my hair and my flesh stood on end." For a man endures no small disturbance, if he should dare to attempt God's judgments and wonders. "I arose, and there was no form before my eyes," so that the saying might be that: even if a man wishes to rouse himself to understanding, precision, which is called form, escapes him. Similar to this would be: "a deep depth, who will find it?" "but I heard a breeze and a voice." For someone using understanding receives certain wonderful things and echoes of the administration from God. And he is not at all able to comprehend it, and quite rightly so; for if Paul, speaking in Christ, says: "O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways," 107 how much more will he who attempts with human reasonings fail in comprehension? "What then? Shall a mortal be pure before the Lord, or a man blameless from his works?" We supposed even in the preceding that the friends of Job possessed human understanding. For it is no small sign of understanding that being kings they left their lands and came because of sympathy for Job, even though they assumed that he was not free from sins. Nevertheless, even if

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σπουδαζομένου μικρὰ φροντίζει τοῦ εὐεργέτου. "ἀληθινὸν" δὲ "ῥῆμα" νοεῖν δεῖ τὸ ἀπὸ διαθέσεως προϊὸν ἀψευδοῦς· ἔστι γὰρ καὶ ἐν ψυχῇ λόγος. καὶ τοῦτο δὲ λεκτέον, ὡς οὐ παντὸς προσώπου τοῦ ἐν τῇ γραφῇ κειμένου τοὺς λόγους 104 σπουδαίους ἢ ἀξίους συνέσεως ἡγεῖσθαι προσήκει. ἐν γοῦν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις τὰ μὲν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀσύνετα, ἀλλὰ καὶ Νικόδημος λόγοις ἐχρήσατο οὐ φρονίμως· τοῦ γὰρ ςωτῆρος λέγοντος· "δεῖ ὑμᾶς γεννηθῆναι ἄνωθεν", εἶπεν αὐτός· "μὴ δύναταί τις γέρων ὢν γεννηθῆναι ἢ δεύτερον εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν τῆς μητρὸς εἰσελθεῖν." οὕτως οὐκ ἀεὶ ἀπαιτεῖν δεῖ σύνεσιν παρὰ παντὸς προσώπου ἐν τῆι γραφῇ κειμένου. "πότερον οὐ δέξεταί μου τὸ οὖς ἐξαίσια παρ' αὐτοῦ, φόβῳ δὲ καὶ ἠχὼ νυκτερινή, ἐπιπίπτων φόβος ἐπ' ἀνθρώπους, φρίκη δέ μοι συνήντησεν καὶ τρόμος καὶ μεγάλως μου τὰ ὀστᾶ συνέσεισεν, καὶ πνεῦμα ἐπὶ πρόσωπόν μου ἐπῆλθεν, ἔφριξαν δέ μου τρίχες καὶ σάρκες. ἀνέστην καὶ οὐκ ἐπέγνων, εἶδον καὶ οὐκ ἦν μορφὴ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν μου, ἀλλ' ἢ αὔραν καὶ φωνὴν ἤκουον." ἐπεὶ πλείοσιν ἐχρήσατο λόγοις, τὰ μὲν πρῶτα δόξασιν εἶναι παρακλητικοῖς, ἔπειτα καθαπτομένοις ὡς ἂν σπεύσαντος αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἰὼβ διὰ τὰ συμβεβηκότα καὶ ὅτι δι' ἁμαρτίας πέπονθεν-τοῦτο γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐνόμισεν ὁ Ἐλιφάζ, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις, ὅτι τὰ πράγματα τὰ ἀν105 θρώπινα, κἂν ᾖ ἐπίδοξα, πολλὴν δέχεται τὴν μεταβολήν-, λογισάμενος ὡς ἐνδέχεται τὸν ἀκούοντα μὴ προσέχειν τοῖς παρ' αὐτοῦ εἰρημένοις πιστοποιήσεως χάριν ἐπάγει τὰ ἐκτεθέντα λέγων· "πότερον οὐ δέξεταί μου τὸ οὖς ἐξαίσια παρ' αὐτοῦ", μονονουχὶ φάσκων· μηδεὶς τῶν ἀκουόντων οἰέσθω ἀσύνετόν με τυγχάνειν. δέχεται γάρ μου τὸ οὖς τῆς διανοίας θαυμαστὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ, αὐτοῦ λέγων τοῦ θεοῦ. αὐθεντίας γὰρ τοῦτο σημαντικὸν ὡς ἐν τῷ· "αὐτὸς ὁ λαλῶν πάρειμι", καὶ ἐν τῶι· "αὐτὸς σοφὸς ἦγεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς κακά, καὶ ὁ νόμος αὐτοῦ οὐ μὴ ἀθετηθῇ", δηλονότι τοῦ θεοῦ. καὶ γὰρ τῷ ὄντι ἐὰν ἀνθρωπίνη σύνεσις ἐπιβάλλῃ τοῖς παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, φόβου πιμπλάνεται κατὰ τὸ λεγόμενον· "κατενόησα τὰ ἔργα σου καὶ ἐξέστην." τῷ δ' αὐτῷ τούτῳ καὶ "ἦχος" ἕπεται "νυκτερινός", ὅ ἐστιν ἀσαφία πολλή, ἐξ ἧς φρίττειν καὶ φοβεῖσθαι συμβαίνει τῶι ἀρξαμένῳ νοεῖν τι τῶν θεοῦ κριμάτων. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ "τὰ ὀστᾶ" τοῦ τοιούτου ταράττεται, ἅ ἐστιν δύναμις ψυχῆς. πᾶς γὰρ ἀνθρώπινος λογισμὸς ἐξασθενεῖ πρὸς τὴν τῶν θείων ἀκριβῆ κατανόησιν. τοῦτο αὐτὸ καὶ Ἀμβακοὺμ ἐπιστάμενός 106 φησιν· "ἀπὸ φωνῆς προσευχῆς με 106 εἰσῆλθεν τρόμος εἰς τὰ ὀστᾶ μου." τῷ οὖν ὡς προείρηται θείων ἔργων φοβερῶν τυγχανόντων βουλομένῳ ἐπαΐειν κατὰ τὸ διανοητικὸν γίνεταί τις τύπος νοήσεως οὐκ ἀκριβής, ὅστις δηλοῦται διὰ τοῦ· "καὶ πνεῦμα ἐπὶ πρόσωπόν μου ἐπῆλθεν." ἑξῆς καὶ ἔστιν τό· "ἔφριξαν δέ μου τρίχες καὶ σάρκες." θόρυβον γὰρ ὑπομένει οὐ μικρὸν ἄνθρωπος, εἰ τολμήσειεν ἐπιβαλεῖν τοῖς θεοῦ κρίμα σίν τε καὶ θαυμασίοις. "ἀνέστην, καὶ οὐκ ἦν μορφὴ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν μου", ἵν' ᾖ τὸ λεγόμενον ὅτι· κἂν διεγεῖραι αὑτὸν θέλῃ ἄνθρωπος πρὸς κατανόησιν, διαφεύγει αὐτὸν ἡ ἀκρίβεια μορφὴ εἰρημένη. τούτῳ ὅμοιον ἂν εἴη τό· "βαθὺ βάθος, τίς εὑρήσει αὐτήν." "ἀλλ' ἢ αὔραν καὶ φωνὴν ἤκουον." θαυμαστὰ γάρ τινα καὶ ἀπηχήματα τῆς διοικήσεως τῆς ἀπὸ θεοῦ δέχεται συνέσει τις χρώμενος. καὶ οὐ πάντηι σθένει γε καταλαβεῖν, καὶ μάλα εἰκότως· εἰ γὰρ Παῦλος ἐν Χριστῷ λαλῶν φησιν· "ὦ βάθος πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως θεοῦ. ὡς ἀνεξεραύνητα τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ", 107 πόσῳ ὁ τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις λογισμοῖς ἐπιβάλλων ἀτονήσει πρὸς τὴν κατάλημψιν; "τί γάρ; μὴ καθαρὸς ἔσται βροτὸς ἐναντίον κυρίου ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ἄμεμπτος ἀνήρ;" σύνεσιν ἀνθρωπίνην ἔχειν ὑπεθέμεθα καὶ ἐν τοῖς προλαβοῦσιν τοὺς φίλους τοῦ Ἰώβ. καὶ γὰρ οὐ μικρὸν δεῖγμα συνέσεως τὸ βασιλεῖς ὄντας καταλιπεῖν μὲν τὰς χώρας, παραγενέσθαι δὲ διὰ συνπάθειαν τοῦ Ἰώβ, καίτοι διαλαμβάνοντες ὡς οὐκ ἀπήλλακται ἁμαρτημάτων. ὅμως δ', εἰ καὶ