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and of the written teaching they said many things unwritten with wisdom, which later someone handed down in writing by divine provision. It is likely therefore, that the friends of Job also, having a distinct understanding, remembered the words set forth by holy men. And this is what leads them to utter wise words, even if in some things they were mistaken. What the verses set forth suggest, therefore, is this: as long as someone exists under the world created in six days, he endures the troubles and afflictions in it. For even if someone is holy, he has the necessity of the body's need, from which he is set free when he has passed beyond the world and has come to be in the seventh-day rest. This is shown from: "Pain and grief and sighing have fled away." For according to this thought, it is not out of place136 to understand the saying. For affliction does not touch him who has passed beyond the world, since loss does not touch one who has a character that is not avaricious and possesses nothing, of "touches," understood wisely, as we also previously pointed out, signifying more than the literal word; for in "touch all things" it indicates the approach and the touch itself, but in "he who touches you is as he who touches the apple of his eye" it indicates an attack and an impulse against someone and a plot, even if the wrongdoer does not enact it himself. But it might also be understood thus: he who is still advancing so as to hasten toward the end through works and deeds, this one would be in six necessities, becoming a forceful one; for "the forceful take the kingdom by force." But when he arrives at perfection, he will no longer need the force of that which consists of the need of progress through toil and sweat, being constrained by perfection. This, then, is shown symbolically in the patriarch, first called Jacob because of "supplanting" the passions, but later Israel because of being at leisure for contempla137 tion after the struggle against the passions. Jesus was saying this at least also to his disciples: "You are no longer of this world," who had leaped over it. But if someone were to object that a higher contemplation is not suggested by what was said by Eliphaz, it would be right for him to give the meaning and say, if he thinks it never has sense in this way, that up to the sixth affliction God allows a man to be afflicted, no longer allowing the seventh, since he has experience that men often have fallen into many trials; for this is not unlikely. "In famine he will rescue you from death, and in war he will deliver you from the hand of the sword." Someone might say that it is not unlikely for one who thought the sufferer suffers because of sin to think that even one who is admonished by the Lord, immediately after the admonition, is deemed worthy of such things as to be rescued from death by God in famine and to be delivered from the sword by God in war, this not being irrefutable; for many good men have died in famine and not all who perish in war are wicked, with the saying having its irrefutable meaning in an alle138 gorical sense. For what is said in the Psalms: "I was young, and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. All the day long he is merciful and lends" is true and necessary when taken according to its inner meaning; for a righteous man is not in need of the things that feed the soul, being full of the "life-giving spirit." but also his seed, which is born according to the divine generation, will not be subject to this lack of nourishment; for the good man, becoming an imitator of Christ according to Paul who says: "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ," has as food the will of God, walking in his commandments and ordinances. And the same one is merciful and lends, not a forbidden loan—for how is it possible? For he did not give his money at interest—but divine instruction and teaching, from which comes progress and profit for those who hear and for the one teaching. At least to his disciples who were hastening not to have "copper in their belts" nor anything at all

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καὶ τῆς ἐνγράφου διδασκαλίας πολλὰ ἀγράφως μετὰ σοφία̣ς ἔλεγον, ἅπερ ὕστερόν τις ἐγγράφως παραδέδωκεν̣ θείᾳ γε̣ χορηγίᾳ. εἰκὸς οὖν, ὅτι καὶ οἱ τοῦ Ἰω`̣β φ̣ίλοι ἔχοντες διηρθρωμένην ἔννοιαν ἐμέμνηντο τῶν ὑπὸ ἁγίων διατεθ̣έντων λ̣όγων̣. και`̣ τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ ἐνάγο̣ν αὐτ̣οὺς̣ εἰς τὸ συνετοὺς προφέρειν λο´̣γους, εἰ καὶ ἔν τισιν διημάρτα̣ν̣ο̣ν̣. ὃ ὑποβάλλουσιν τοίνυν οἱ ἐκτεθέντες στίχοι, τοῦτ' ἔστιν· ἐς ὅσον τις ὑπὸ τὸν ἐν ἓξ ἡμέραις γεγενημένον ὑπάρχει κόσμον, τὰς ἐν αὐτῷ ὑπομένει ἀνίας καὶ θλίψεις. κἂν γὰρ ἅγιος τις ὑπάρχῃ, ἔχει τὴν ἐκ τοῦ σώματος τῆς χρείας ἀνάγκην, ἧς ἀπαλλάττεται ὑπερβὰς τὸν κόσμον καὶ ἐν ἑβδοματικῇ ἀναπαύσει γεγενημένος. τοῦτο δηλοῦται ἐκ τοῦ· "ἀπέδρα ὀδύνη καὶ λύπη καὶ στεναγμός." καὶ κατὰ ταύτην γὰρ τὴν διάνοιαν οὐκ ἀπεμφαί136 νει ἐκλαβεῖν τὸ ῥητόν. οὐχ ἅπτεται γὰρ κάκωσις τοῦ ὑπερβάντος τὸν κόσμον, ἐπεὶ τοῦ καὶ ἀφιλάργυρον ἔχοντος τρόπον καὶ ἀκτήμονος οὐχ ἅπτεται ζημία, τοῦ ἅπτεται συνετῶς νοουμένου ὡς καὶ πρότερον ἐπεσημηνάμεθα πλείονα τῆς λέξεως σημαινούσης· ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῷ· "πάντων ἅψαι" τὸν προσεγγισμο`̣ν κα̣ὶ αὐτὴν τὴν ἁφὴν δηλοῖ, ἐν δὲ τω῀̣ι· "ὁ ἁπτόμενος ὑμῶν ὡς ὁ ἁπτόμενος τῆς κόρης τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ αὐτοῦ" τὴν κατά τινος ἐπιφορὰν καὶ ὁρμὴν δηλοῖ καὶ ἐπιβουλήν, κἂν μὴ δι' αὑτοῦ αὐτὴν ὁ ἀδικῶν ἐνεργῇ. νοηθείη δὲ καὶ οὕτως· ὁ ἔτι ἐπιπροκόπτων ὡς δι' ἔργων καὶ πράξεων ἐπὶ τὸ τέλος ἐπείγεσθαι, οὗτος ἂν ἐν ἓξ ἀνάγκαις εἴη βιαστής τις γινόμενος· "βιασταὶ" γὰρ "ἁρπάζουσι τὴν βασιλείαν". ἐπειδὰν δὲ τελειότητος ἐφίκηται, οὐκέτι τῆς δι ὰ πόνου καὶ ἱδρῶτος το̣υ῀̣ ἐνδεία προκοπῆς συνισταμένου δεήσεται βίας τῇ τελειότητι διαναγ̣καζο´̣μενος. τοῦτο τοίνυν συμβολικῶς ἐν τῷ πατριάρχῃ δείκνυται Ἰακὼβ μὲν πρότερον καλουμένῳ διὰ τὸ "πτερνίζειν" τὰ πάθη, ὕστερον δὲ Ἰσδραὴλ διὰ τὸ θε137 ωρίᾳ σχολάζειν μετὰ τὴν πρὸς τὰ πάθη πάλην. τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἑαυτοῦ Ἰησοῦς ἔλεγεν· "οὐκέτι ἐστὲ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου" ὑπερπηδήσασιν ε αὐτόν. εἰ δέ τις ἐνσταίη ὡς μὴ ὑποβαλλομένης ἀνηγμένης θεωρίας πρὸς τοῦ εἰρημένου ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἐλιφάζ, δίκαιος ἂν εἴη τὴν διάνοιαν ἀποδοῦναι καὶ λέγειν, εἰ οὕτως μήποτε νοῦν ἐ´̣χειν̣ οἴεται, ὅτι ἕως ἕκτης θλίψεως συνχωρεῖ ἀνθρώπῳ θεὸς θλίβεσθαι τὸ ἕβδομον οὐκέτι συνχωρῶν, πεῖραν αὐτοῦ ἔχοντος ὡς πολλάκις ἄνθρωποι πολλοῖς̣ π̣ειρασμοῖς ε̣ι᾿̣σ̣ενέπεσαν· οὐ γὰρ ἀπεικὸς τοῦτο. "ἐν λιμῷ ῥύσεταί σε ἐκ θανάτου, ἐν πολέμῳ δὲ ἐκ χειρὸς σιδήρου λύσει σε." εἴποι μὲν ἄν τις, ὡς οὐδὲν ἀπεοικὸς τὸν νομίσαντα δι' ἁμαρτίας τὸν πάσχοντα πάσχειν νομίσαι, ὅτι καὶ ὁτι νουθετούμενος ὑπὸ κυρίου μετὰ τὴν νουθεσίαν εὐθὺς τοιούτων ἀξιοῦται ὡς καὶ ὑπὸ θεοῦ ἐν λιμῷ ἐκ θανάτου ῥύεσθαι καὶ ἐν πολέμῳ ἐκ σιδήρου ὑπὸ θεοῦ λύεσθαι, τούτου ἀναντιρρήτου μὴ ὑπάρχοντος· πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐπαπέθανον σπουδαῖοι ἐν λιμῷ καὶ οὐ πάντες οἱ ἐν πολέμῳ ἀπολλύμε νοι φαῦλοι, τοῦ λόγου κατὰ ἀνα138 γωγὴν ἔχοντος τὸ ἀναντίρρητον. τὸ γὰρ λεγόμενον ἐν Ψαλμοῖς· "νεώτερος ἐγενάμην· καὶ γὰρ ἐγήρασα καὶ οὐκ εἶδον δίκαιον ἐνκαταλελειμμένον οὐδὲ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ζητοῦν ἄρτους. ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐλεᾷ καὶ δανίζει" ἀληθὲς καὶ ἀναγκαῖον κατὰ διάνοιαν λαμβανόμενον· οὐδὲ γὰρ δίκαιος δέεται τῶν τρεφόντων ψυχὴν πλήρης ὑπάρχων τοῦ "ζωοποιοῦντος πνεύματος". ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ τὸ κατὰ τὴν θείαν ἀπογέννησιν τικτόμενον οὐχ ὑποκείσεται ταύτῃ τῇ ἐνδείαι τῶν τροφῶν· μιμητὴς γὰρ ὁ σπουδαῖος γινόμενος τοῦ Χριστοῦ κατὰ τὸν Παῦλον λέγοντα· "μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε καθὼς κἀγὼ Χριστοῦ βρῶμα ἔχει τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ θέλημα ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς καὶ δικαιώμασιν αὐτοῦ πορευόμενος. ὁ δ' αὐτὸς ἐλεεῖ καὶ δανίζει οὐκ ἀπηγορευμένον δάνιον-πῶς γὰρ οἷόν τε; τὸ γὰρ ἀργύριον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔδωκεν ἐπὶ τόκῳ-, ἀλλὰ παίδευσιν θεί αν καὶ διδασκαλίαν, ἐξ ἧς προκοπὴ καὶ κέρδος τοῖς ἀκούουσιν γίνεται καὶ τῷ διδάσκοντι. τοῖς γοῦν γνωρίμοις Ἰησοῦς σπεύδουσι μὴ ἔχειν "χαλκὸν εἰς τὰς ζώνας" μηδ' ὅλως τι