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of torments proved him impious and it was not possible from what was seen to show the suspicion false, he wishes to be judged by him who is the true and impartial God, trusting strongly in his righteous judgment and all but saying: You, O friends, cast your votes based on what has been inflicted upon me; but if the unfailing God should wish to contend with me, being impartial and being truth itself, he himself will bear witness that he did not bring on the torments because of sins. But that such is the mind of the righteous man, and that from much love for God and boldness and confidence concerning his truth he flees judgment with men, but is gladly judged by God who says each thing without falsehood and without error, hear him saying in what follows, when, in speaking with Zophar, having abandoned the dialogue with his friends as being in error and not proceeding with 100 righteous judgment, he adds: Nevertheless, but I will speak to the Lord, that is, the one who is without falsehood and impartial, and I will plead before him, if he wishes; but you are all unjust physicians and healers of evils. Do you see how he avoids the judgments of men as unjust, but flees to God, the physician of souls and righteous judge? Then, also in what follows, trusting greatly in the righteous judgment of God, he is bold and says: I know that I will appear righteous, and again elsewhere he says: And now behold, my witness is in the heavens, and my advocate is in the highest. Do you see everywhere how, fleeing the erroneous judgments among men, he asks God himself to be both his adversary and witness? How much love, how much boldness, how much confidence. Wherefore also God, understanding the mind of men, did not remain silent, knowing from what disposition the righteous man spoke, but has given him the victory over his friends and declared that he did not suffer because of sins, but so that he might be shown to be righteous. Therefore, having known this love and confidence of the righteous man for God, let us hear in this way the things written in what follows. But if the psalmist says: And enter not into judgment with your servant, for in your sight no one living will be justified, let this not disturb us. For even the great Job knows that in relation to divine justice and exactitude, no one is righteous. But now his purpose is not to contend with divine exactitude nor to show the righteous God punishing him unjustly, but to refute the friends who were lying, who thought he was being punished for his sins; 101 so that the good and man-loving God also concurred with Job's opinion and said clearly that he did not suffer on account of impiety, but the torment was a test, trying the noble Job, so that he might be shown righteous. But the phrase *my garment has abhorred me* can also be understood in this way: either that even those closest to me have abhorred and hated me, or that my clothing also flees me, as if hating me, instead of: I cannot even put on clothing because I am so covered in sores. 9, 32 For you are not a man like me, that I should answer you, that we should come together to judgment. For would that it were possible, he says, as with men, to be judged before you, the incorruptible judge. 9, 3310, 1 If only there were a mediator for us, who would rebuke and hear both of us. Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me. And I will not be afraid, if I speak, for I am not conscious of injustice in myself, but I am weary in my soul. And would that it were possible to choose a mediator to give a decision in the matter. But these things, as we said, he says, trusting in God's truth and wishing to refute his friends who were not speaking the truth. For with Job saying, that: I am not aware of having sinned in such a way as to be punished in such a way, and God affirming that he does not punish on account of sins, what else could the mediator do but to concur with the words of both and condemn the friends as having lied, which indeed God later did? Then, as if someone were saying: And why do you not set forth your own 102 just claims? he teaches, saying that: if God allows me to speak boldly, he will take away the torments, he will permit me not to be afraid, so that having received boldness as from him

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βασάνων ἀσεβῆ αὐτὸν ἀπεδείκνυε καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἐκ τῶν ὁρωμένων δεῖξαι ψευδῆ τὴν ὑπόνοιαν, πρὸς αὐτὸν βούλεται κριθῆναι τὸν ἀληθῆ καὶ ἀπροσωπόληπτον θεόν, σφόδρα πεποιθὼς τῇ αὐτοῦ δικαιοκρισίᾳ καὶ μονονουχὶ λέγων· ὑμεῖς μέν, ὦ φίλοι, ἐκ τῶν ἐπενεχθέντων κατ' ἐμοῦ τὰς ψήφους ἐκφέρετε· εἰ δὲ θελήσει ὁ ἀψευδὴς θεὸς διαδικάσασθαι μετ' ἐμοῦ ἀπροσωπόληπτος ὢν καὶ αὐτοαλήθεια τυγχάνων, αὐτὸς προσμαρτυρήσει, ὅτι οὐ δι' ἁμαρτήματα τὰς βασάνους ἐπήγαγεν. ὅτι δὲ τοιαύτη ἐστιν ἡ τοῦ δικαίου διάνοια καὶ ἐκ πολλῆς ἀγάπης τῆς πρὸς τὸν θεὸν καὶ παρρησίας καὶ πεποιθήσεως τῆς περὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀλήθειαν φεύγει μὲν τὴν πρὸς ἀνθρώπους κρίσιν, πρὸς δὲ θεὸν ἡδέως κρίνεται τὸν ἀψευδῶς καὶ ἀπλανῶς ἕκαστα λέγοντα, ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ λέγοντος ἐν τοῖς ἐφεξῆς, ὅτε πρὸς τὸν Σωφὰρ διαλεγόμενος ἐάσας τὴν πρὸς τοὺς φίλους διάλεξιν οἷα ἐσφαλμένην καὶ οὐ μετὰ 100 τῆς δικαίας προιοῦσαν κρίσεως ἐπάγει· οὐ μὴν δέ, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ πρὸς κύριον λαλήσω, τὸν ἀψευδῆ δηλονότι καὶ ἀπροσωπόληπτον, ἐλέγξω δὲ ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ, ἐὰν βούληται· ὑμεῖς δέ ἐστε ἰατροὶ ἄδικοι καὶ ἰαταὶ κακῶν πάντες. ὁρᾷς, ὡς τὰς μὲν τῶν ἀνθρώπων κρίσεις ὡς ἀδίκους ἐκκλίνει, εἰς δὲ τὸν τῶν ψυχῶν ἰατρὸν καὶ δίκαιον κριτὴν καταφεύγει θεόν; εἶτα καὶ ἐφεξῆς σφόδρα πεποιθὼς τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιοκρισίᾳ θαρρεῖ καὶ λέγει· οἶδα ἐγώ, ὅτι δίκαιος ἀναφανοῦμαι, καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ λέγει· καὶ νῦν ἰδοὺ ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὁ μάρτυς μου, ὁ δὲ συνίστωρ μου ἐν ὑψίστοις. θεωρεῖς πανταχοῦ, ὡς φεύγων τὰς παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἐσφαλμένας κρίσεις αὐτὸν αἰτεῖ τὸν θεὸν καὶ ἀντίδικον αὐτῷ γενέσθαι καὶ μάρτυρα; ταῦτα πόσης ἀγάπης, πόσης παρρησίας, πόσης πεποιθήσεως. διὸ καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἐπιστάμενος τὸν νοῦν τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐ παρεσιώπησεν εἰδώς, ἐκ ποίας διαθέσεως ὁ δίκαιος ἐλάλει, ἀλλὰ δέδωκεν αὐτῷ κατὰ τῶν φίλων τὰ νικητήρια καὶ ἀπεφήνατο, μὴ δι' ἁμαρτίας αὐτὸν πάσχειν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀναφανῇ δίκαιος. ταύτην οὖν ἐγνωκότες τοῦ δικαίου τὴν περὶ θεὸν ἀγάπην καὶ πεποίθησιν οὕτω τῶν ἐφεξῆς ἀναγεγραμμένων ἀκούσωμεν. ἐὰν δὲ λέγῃ ὁ ψαλμῳδός· καὶ μὴ εἰσέλθῃς εἰς κρίσιν μετὰ τοῦ δούλου σου, ὅτι οὐ δικαιωθήσεται ἐνώπιόν σου πᾶς ζῶν, μὴ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς θορυβείτω. καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ μέγας οἶδεν Ἰώβ, ὡς πρὸς τὴν θείαν δικαιοσύνην τε καὶ ἀκρίβειαν οὐδεὶς δίκαιος. νῦν δὲ ὁ σκοπὸς αὐτῷ, οὐ δικάσασθαι πρὸς τὴν θείαν ἀκρίβειαν οὐδὲ δεῖξαι τὸν δίκαιον θεὸν ἀδίκως αὐτὸν κολάζοντα, ἀλλ' ἀπελέγξαι ψευδομένους τοὺς φίλους τοὺς οἰηθέντας αὐτὸν δι' ἁμαρτίας τιμωρεῖσθαι· 101 ὥστε καὶ ὁ ἀγαθὸς καὶ φιλάνθρωπος θεὸς τῇ τοῦ Ἰὼβ συνέδραμε γνώμῃ καὶ σαφῶς εἶπεν, ὡς οὐ δι' ἀσέβειαν πέπονθεν, ἀλλὰ πεῖρά τις ἦν ἡ βάσανος δοκιμάζουσα τὸν γενναῖον Ἰώβ, ἵνα ἀναφανῇ δίκαιος. τὸ δὲ ἐβδελύξατό με ἡ στολή δύναται καὶ οὕτω νοεῖσθαι· ἢ ὅτι καὶ οἱ ἐγγύτατοί μου ἐβδελύξαντο καὶ ἐμίσησάν με, ἢ ὅτι φεύγει με καὶ ἡ ἐσθῆς οἱονεὶ μισήσασά με, ἀντὶ τοῦ· οὐδὲ ἐπενδύσασθαι δύναμαι διὰ τὸ ἄγαν εἱλκῶσθαι. 9, 32 οὐ γὰρ εἶ ἄνθρωπος κατ' ἐμέ, ᾧ ἀντικρινοῦμαι, ἵνα ἔλθωμεν ὁμοθυμαδὸν εἰς κρίσιν. εἴθε γὰρ ἦν ἐξόν, φησίν, ὡς ἐπὶ ἀνθρώπων πρὸς σὲ τὸν ἀδέκαστον κριθῆναι κριτήν. 9, 3310, 1 εἴ γε ἦν ὁ μεσίτης ἡμῶν καὶ ἐλέγχων καὶ διακούων ἀνὰ μέσον ἀμφοτέρων. ἀπαλλαξάτω ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὴν ῥάβδον καὶ ὁ φόβος αὐτοῦ μή με στροβείτω. καὶ οὐ μὴ φοβηθῶ, ἂν λαλήσω, οὐ γὰρ συνεπίσταμαι ἐμαυτῷ ἄδικον, κάμνω δὲ τῇ ψυχῇ μου. καὶ εἴθε ἦν ἑλέσθαι μεσίτην τὸν ἐν τῷ πράγματι ἀποφαινόμενον. ταῦτα δέ, ὡς ἔφημεν, θαρρῶν τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀληθείᾳ φησὶ καὶ βουλόμενος τοὺς φίλους διελέγξαι μὴ ἀληθεύοντας. τοῦ γὰρ Ἰὼβ λέγοντος, ὅτι· οὐκ οἶδα τοιαῦτα ἁμαρτήσας, ὡς τοιαῦτα κολάζεσθαι, καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ φάσκοντος, ὡς οὐ δι' ἁμαρτίας κολάζει, τί ἕτερον εἶχεν ὁ μεσίτης ποιεῖν ἢ συντρέχειν τοῖς ἑκατέρων λόγοις καὶ καταδικάζειν τοὺς φίλους ὡς ψευσαμένους, ὃ δὴ καὶ ὕστερον ὁ θεὸς ἔπραξεν; εἶτα ὥσπερ τινὸς λέγοντος· καὶ διὰ τί μὴ τὰ σαυτοῦ παρατίθης 102 δίκαια; διδάσκει λέγων ὅτι· εἰ ἐπιτρέπει μοι ὁ θεὸς παρρησιάσασθαι, ἀφελεῖται τὰς βασάνους, ἐπιτρέψει μοι τὸ μὴ φοβεῖσθαι, ἵνα ὡς ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὴν παρρησίαν λαβὼν