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they happen by the will of God, overtaking one and another, and no one being able to push away what has been judged. And the proof is from greater and acknowledged things. "If He holds back the water, He will dry the land; but if He sends it forth, He has destroyed it by overturning it." And if He holds back the rain, all things will be destroyed by drought, as in the time of Elijah; and if He sends it upon the earth, as in the time of Noah, He flooded it and wiped it out. Then He teaches the reasonableness of the proof, that no one else could do each of the things done by God but Himself, through the things that follow, saying: "With Him are dominion and strength, to Him belong knowledge and understanding." That is, to Him alone it belongs to do all things according to His will; and this is fitting, since, being Lord of all, He has unspeakable power. To Him belong knowledge and understanding, the most accurate knowledge of beings, and the wisest governance. 64.612 "He leads counselors away captive, and has driven judges of the earth mad." From Chrysostom and Polychronius. These too are works of Providence; for by the divine will and judgment, counselors are led away captive, and judges are removed. But perhaps he says this not about those taken captive by the spear in war, but about those who are proud of their sagacity; as if he were to say, He trips up even the wise, and overturns the discerning, and renders those who recommend courses of action to others unintelligent in comparison to His own precision, and leads them into indecision. Aquila and Symmachus also present this meaning; for the one says, leading away counselors as spoils; and the other, leading counselors into indecision. But see that, having shown God's power to be invincible, he shows Him to be greater than all in wisdom; and he divides his discourse, into those who are distinguished in life, and those who are considered great in piety.

CHAPTER 13

"Would that you would be silent, and it will become wisdom for you." From Chrysostom and Olympiodorus. For when someone utters things that have no reason, it is better to be silent, and by being silent he will be wiser than by speaking. For it is good for such people to be silent, rather than to attack with such words; for their silence carries a suspicion of wisdom; for if someone makes himself dumb, he will seem to be prudent; but talk provokes the one who is suffering. And you, therefore, O lover of God, be not shaken by such words, but rather imitate the saints, knowing that these are satanic suggestions, and it is the devil who is at work in those who reproach, that he might draw you away from the faith, and make you cease from your good intention. For the crafty one knows that the labor harms you not at all, but rather commends you to God; but to cease from your intention, this harms you greatly. The more, therefore, he greatly tempts you, the more you should advance in virtue; and the more he compels you to be negligent, the more you should be long-suffering, and endure, and say, All these things have come upon us, and we have not forgotten you. If you are thus strengthened against temptations, the devil will turn back ashamed, and the Lord of all will remember you, and will give you rest here twofold, and after this you will hear, Well done, good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things, I will set you over many. Remember the patience of Job, who was not overturned either in prosperity or in temptation, having been steadfastly long-suffering in so many matters in each case, until he should receive double from God, and be testified to until now, that he has suffered, that he might be shown to be righteous to all. 64.613 "Be silent that I may speak, and I will be relieved of my anger, taking up my flesh with my teeth." For just as those who bite their own flesh in their pains have some consolation; so I too these things

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Θεοῦ βουλήσει συμβαίνουσι, ἄλλον καὶ ἄλλον κατειλημμένους, καὶ μηδένα δυνάμενον ἀπώσασθαι τὸ κεκριμένον. Καὶ ἡ ἀπόδειξις ἀπὸ τῶν μειζόνων καὶ ὡμολογημένων. «Ἐὰν κωλύσῃ τὸ ὕδωρ, ξηρανεῖ τὴν γῆν· ἐὰν δὲ ἐπαφῇ, ἀπώλεσεν αὐτὴν καταστρέψας.» Κἂν ἐπίσχῃ τὸν ὑετὸν, τῷ αὐχμῷ ἀπολεῖται τὰ πάντα, ὡς ἐπὶ Ἡλιοῦ· κἂν ἐπαφῇ τοῦτον τῇ γῇ, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ Νῶε, κατέκλυσεν αὐτὴν, καὶ ἠφάνισεν. Εἶτα τὸ εὔλογον τῆς ἀποδείξεως, τοῦ ἕκαστα τῶν παρὰ Θεοῦ γινομένων, μὴ ἂν ἄλλον δύνασθαι ποιεῖν ἢ αὐτὸν, διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς διδάσκει, φάσκων· «Παρ' αὐτῷ κράτος καὶ ἰσχὺς, αὐτῷ ἐπιστήμη καὶ σύνεσις.» Τουτέστιν, Αὐτῷ μόνῳ πρόσεστι, τὸ πάντα κατὰ γνώμην ποιεῖν· συμβαίνει δὲ τοῦτο εἰκότως, ἐπειδὴ πάντων δεσπόζων, ἄφατον ἔχει τὴν δύναμιν. Αὐτῷ ἐπιστήμη καὶ σύνεσις, γνῶσις τῶν ὄντων ἀκριβεστάτη, καὶ κυβέρνησις σοφωτάτη. 64.612 «∆ιάγων βουλευτὰς αἰχμαλώτους, κριτὰς δὲ γῆς ἐξέστησε.» Χρυσοστόμου καὶ Πολυχρονίου. Καὶ ταῦτα τῆς Προνοίας ἔργα· καὶ γὰρ τῷ θείῳ θελήματι καὶ τῇ κρίσει, καὶ βουλευταὶ αἰχμάλωτοι ἄγονται, καὶ κριταὶ μεθίστανται. Ἴσως δὲ τοῦτο οὐ περὶ τῶν ἐν πολέμῳ γινομένων δορυαλώτων φησὶν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν μέγα φρονούντων ἐπ' ἀγχινοίᾳ· ὡς εἰ λέγοι, Σφάλλει καὶ τοὺς σοφοὺς, καὶ τοὺς διακριτικοὺς περιτρέπει, καὶ τοὺς τὰ πρακτέα τοῖς ἄλλοις εἰσηγουμένους, πρὸς τὴν αὑτοῦ ἀκρίβειαν ἀσυνέτους ἀποφαίνει, καὶ εἰς ἀβουλίαν ἄγει. Ταύτην τὴν ἔννοιαν παριστᾷ καὶ Ἀκύλας, καὶ Σύμμαχος· ὁ μὲν γὰρ, ἀπάγων συμβούλους λάφυρα, φησίν· ὁ δὲ, ἄγων βουλευτικοὺς εἰς ἀβουλίαν. Ὅρα δὲ, ὅτι ἄμαχον δείξας τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δύναμιν, ἁπάντων αὐτὸν μείζονα κατὰ σοφίαν δείκνυσι· διαιρεῖ δὲ τὸν λόγον, εἴς τε τοὺς κατὰ τὸν βίον λαμπροὺς, καὶ τοὺς ἐν εὐσεβείᾳ νομιζομένους μεγάλους.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΓʹ

«Εἴη δὴ ὑμῖν κωφεῦσαι, καὶ ἀποβήσεται ὑμῖν σοφία.» Χρυσοστ. καὶ Ὀλυμπ. Ὅταν γάρ τις τὰ μὴ λόγον ἔχοντα φθέγγεται, βέλτιον σιγᾷν, καὶ σιωπῶν μᾶλλον ἔσται σοφὸς, ἢ λέγων. Καλὸν γὰρ τοὺς τοιούτους σιωπᾷν, ἢ τοιούτοις ἐνάλλεσθαι ῥήμασιν· ἡ μὲν γὰρ σιωπὴ τούτων ὑπόνοιαν ἔχει σοφίας· ἐννεὸν γάρ τις ἑαυτὸν ποιήσας, δόξει φρόνιμος εἶναι· ἡ δὲ λαλιὰ παροξύνει τὸν πάσχοντα. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν, ὦ φιλόθεε, ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις λόγοις μὴ σαλεύου, μιμοῦ δὲ μᾶλλον τοὺς ἁγίους, εἰδὼς ὅτι σατανικαί εἰσιν αὗται ὑποβολαὶ, καὶ διάβολός ἐστιν ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἐν τοῖς ὀνειδίζουσιν, ἵνα σε τῆς πίστεως ἀφελκύσῃ, καὶ τῆς προθέσεως παύσῃ τῆς ἀγαθῆς. Οἶδε γὰρ ὁ πανοῦργος, ὅτι ὁ μὲν πόνος οὐδέν σε βλάπτει, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον συνίστησι παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ· τὸ δὲ παύσασθαι τῆς προθέσεως, τοῦτο μεγάλως βλάπτει. Ὅσῳ οὖν μεγάλως σε πειράζει, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον πρόκοπτε τῇ ἀρετῇ· καὶ ὅσῳ ὀλιγωρεῖν σε βιάζεται, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον μακροθύμει, καὶ ὑπόμενε, καὶ λέγε, Ταῦτα πάντα ἦλθεν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς, καὶ οὐκ ἐπελαθόμεθά σου. Ἂν οὕτω κραταιωθῇς πρὸς τοὺς πειρασμοὺς, ὁ μὲν διάβολος ἀποστραφήσεται εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω κατησχυμμένος, μνημονεύσει δέ σου ὁ τῶν ὅλων ∆εσπότης, καὶ ἀναψύξει μὲν ὧδε διττῶς, ἀκούσῃ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα, Εὖ δοῦλε ἀγαθὲ καὶ πιστὲ, ἐπὶ ὀλίγα ἦς πιστὸς, ἐπὶ πολλῶν σε καταστήσω. Μνήσθητι τῆς ὑπομονῆς τοῦ Ἰὼβ, τοῦ μήτε ἐν εὐθυνίᾳ, μήτε ἐν πειρασμῷ περιτραπέντος, τοσαῦτα ἐν ἑκάστῳ πράγματι μακροθυμήσαντος καρτερῶς, ἕως ἂν ἀπολάβῃ διπλὰ παρὰ Θεοῦ, καὶ μαρτυρηθῇ μέχρι νῦν, ὅτι πέπονθεν, ἵνα φανῇ δίκαιος τοῖς πᾶσιν. 64.613 «Κωφεύσατε ἵνα λαλήσω, καὶ ἀναπαύσωμαι θυμοῦ, ἀναλαβὼν τὰς σάρκας μου τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν.» Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ τὰς σάρκας ἑαυτῶν καταδάκνοντες ἐν ταῖς ὀδύναις, ἔχουσί τινα παραμυθίαν· οὕτω καὶ ἐγὼ ταῦτα