John Chrysostom, Fragments on Job

his mind, and to persuade him that this voice is brought from above, just as also upon the mercy-seat of the ark; this seems to me to have happened also on the mountain, when a cloud appeared, so that they might learn that the voice was from above. 64.645 "Who is this that hides counsel from me? [Symmachus, Darkened in mind,] but keeping words in his heart, and thinks to hide them from me?" See what he does; it seems to me, considering these words, that something else enters his mind. For since there were many things that Job had in mind, and did not dare to bring them forth into the open, from this first point He rouses him, and shows that He provides for human affairs, and knows all things clearly; so He begins with those earlier things, which are more inexcusable. For if the things he dared to say were so burdensome and grievous, how much more those others; for this reason He applies the remedy to them first; Who is this? he says. At once from the beginning He shows God's intermediary role, as it were: Who is it that attempts to hide from me, tell me, from the one who knows secrets with precision? For just because you did not say them, are they not words? It was born, and became speech; so you wish to hide in vain what cannot be hidden. You see how gently, how correctively and reprovingly he speaks. "Gird up your loins like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me." Since he was cast down by despondency, He rouses him through these words, so that he might pay attention to what was being said; and He brings forth his argument by way of questioning, which is most especially reproving; and He shows that He does all things with wisdom and understanding, and it was not for one who works so many things with wisdom to overlook a man, for whom He fashioned all things, suffering badly as it happened. We learn truly secret mysteries; and what was said to Job was not said to him more than to us; Gird up your loins like a man; for we too need this readiness and rousing. "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?" What are you saying? he says. I established the earth with such precision for your sake, and shall I overlook you for whom I made it? For this reason He does not speak of the wisdom of creation, and the craftsmanship of its construction, but out of abundance He shows from the earth, from the heaven, that if the world enjoys such providence for your sake, how much more you? He did not say, When I made it; but, When I founded it; for the very fact that it stands, was a work of great art, having no foundation, nor base, nor support, to fit together such a mass of a body, and to fix it so firmly, that in so much time it has not been shaken. "Who set its measurements, if you know? Or who stretched a line upon it?" 64.648 Therefore the earth has not become so large simply, nor by chance; but it seems to me, that if even a random part were added, it would be inopportune, and if a part were likewise taken away, it would ruin the whole of it; and the measures and the line allude to this. "And I set bounds for it, placing bars and gates." Here he shows that it stands so securely, as if it were bound. Through this, then, he shows its security; and through what follows, its ease; for he adds: "To shake the wicked out of it." He speaks concerning robbers, and grave-robbers, and all others, who use the night for their own wickedness; for these, when the light has risen, no longer appear openly on the earth, but are shaken out of it, and are restrained; for they hate the light, as it exposes them. "Or have you taken clay from the earth, and formed a living being, and placed him upon the earth with the power of speech?" Of Olympiodorus, Severus and Chrysostom. But you, he says, O Job, taking dust moistened with water, did you form a man from the earth? And did you adorn him with reason, as I did? And did you show him to be the ornament of the world? From which it is clear that other things did not have reason; for He would not have attached it to man as something exceptional; for by 'with the power of speech', he means a rational animal. And the phrase, 'To be placed upon the earth', means to be appointed to rule over all things on the earth.

αὐτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ πεῖσαι ὅτι ἄνωθεν αὕτη φέρεται ἡ φωνὴ, καθὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου τῆς κιβωτοῦ· τοῦτό μοι δοκεῖ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους γενέσθαι, ὅτε νεφέλη ἐπέστη, ἵνα μάθωσιν ὅτι ἄνωθεν ἡ φωνή. 64.645 «Τίς οὗτος ὁ κρύπτων με βουλήν; [Σύμμαχος, Σκοτεινὸς γνώμῃ,] συνέχων δὲ ῥήματα ἐν καρδίᾳ, ἐμὲ δὲ οἴεται κρύπτειν;» Ὅρα τί ποιεῖ· ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, ἀπὸ τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων στοχαζομένῳ, ἕτερόν τι αὐτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν εἰσιέναι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλὰ ἦν ἃ κατὰ διάνοιαν ἔσχεν ὁ Ἰὼβ, καὶ εἰς μέσον ἐξενεγκεῖν οὐκ ἐτόλμα, ἀπὸ τούτου πρώτου διανίστησιν αὐτὸν, καὶ δείκνυσιν ὅτι προνοεῖ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων, καὶ πάντα οἶδε σαφῶς· ὥστε ἀπὸ τῶν προτέρων ἐκείνων ἄρχεται, τῶν μᾶλλον ἀσυγγνώστων. Εἰ γὰρ ἅπερ ἐτόλμησεν εἰπεῖν, οὕτω φορτικὰ καὶ ἐπαχθῆ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐκεῖνα· διὰ τοῦτο προτέροις αὐτοῖς ἐπιτίθησι τὸ φάρμακον· Τίς οὗτος; φησίν. Ὁμοῦ ἐκ προοιμίου δείκνυσι τὸ μέσον τοῦ Θεοῦ, οἷον· Τίς ὁ κρύπτειν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ἐπιχειρῶν, εἰπέ μοι, τοῦ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα μετ' ἀκριβείας εἰδότος; Μὴ γὰρ, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ εἶπες αὐτὰ, οὐχὶ ῥήματά ἐστιν; Ἐτέχθη, καὶ γέγονε λόγος· ὥστε μάτην κρύπτειν βούλει, ἃ λαθεῖν οὐκ ἔστιν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἡμέρως, πῶς διορθωτικῶς καὶ ἐλεγκτικῶς διαλέγεται. «Ζῶσαι ὥσπερ ἀνὴρ τὴν ὀσφύν σου· ἐρωτήσω δέ σε, σὺ δέ μοι ἀποκρίθητι.» Ἐπειδὴ καταβεβλημένος ὑπὸ τῆς ἀθυμίας ἦν, διανίστησιν αὐτὸν διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων, ὥστε προσέχειν τοῖς λεγομένοις· καὶ κατ' ἐρώτησιν προάγει τὸν λόγον, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἐλεγκτικώτατον μάλιστα· καὶ δείκνυσιν, ὅτι πάντα σοφίᾳ καὶ συνέσει ποιεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἦν τοῦ τοσαῦτα μετὰ σοφίας ἐργαζομένου, ἄνθρωπον, δι' ὃν ἅπαντα ἐτεκτήνατο, παριδεῖν ὡς ἔτυχε πάσχοντα κακῶς. Ἀπόῤῥητα μανθάνομεν μυστήρια ὄντως· καὶ τὸ πρὸς τὸν Ἰὼβ εἰρημένον, οὐ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον εἴρηται μᾶλλον ἢ πρὸς ἡμᾶς· Ζῶσαι ὥσπερ ἀνὴρ τὴν ὀσφύν σου· καὶ γὰρ ἡμῖν ταύτης δεῖ τῆς προθυμίας καὶ τῆς διαναστάσεως. «Ποῦ ἦς ἐν τῷ θεμελιοῦν με τὴν γῆν;» Τί λέγεις, φησί; γῆν μὲν μετὰ ἀκριβείας τοσαύτης ἐστήριξα διὰ σὲ, σὲ δὲ παρόψομαι δι' ὃν ἐκείνην ἐποίησα; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐ λέγει τῆς πλάσεως τὴν σοφίαν, καὶ τὴν δημιουργίαν τὴν κατὰ τὴν κατασκευὴν, ἀλλ' ἐκ περιουσίας ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ δεικνὺς, ὅτι Εἰ ὁ κόσμος ἀπολαύει τοσαύτης προνοίας διὰ σὲ, πόσῳ μᾶλλον σύ; Οὐκ εἶπε δὲ, Ὅτε ἐποίησα· ἀλλ', Ὅτε ἐθεμελίωσα· καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸ τὸ στῆναι αὐτὴν, μεγάλης τέχνης ἦν, οὐκ ἔχουσαν θεμέλιον, οὔτε κρηπῖδα, οὔτε ὑποβάθραν, σώματος ὄγκον τοσοῦτον ἐναρμόσαι, καὶ πῆξαι βεβαίως οὕτως, ὡς ἐν τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ μὴ παρασαλευθῆναι. «Τίς ἔθετο τὰ μέτρα αὐτῆς, εἰ οἶδας; ἢ τίς ὁ ἐπαγαγὼν σπαρτίον ἐπ' αὐτῆς;» 64.648 Ἄρα οὐχ ἁπλῶς τοσαύτη γεγένηται ἡ γῆ, οὐδὲ ὡς ἔτυχεν· ἀλλ' ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, εἰ καὶ τὸ τυχὸν προσετέθη, ἄκαιρον εἶναι, καὶ εἴπερ ἀφῃρέθη ὁμοίως τῷ λόγῳ, πᾶσαν αὐτὴν λυμήνασθαι· καὶ τοῦτο αἰνίττεται τὰ μέτρα καὶ τὸ σπαρτίον. «Ἐθέμην δὲ αὐτῇ ὅρια, περιθεὶς κλεῖθρα καὶ πύλας.» Ἐνταῦθα δείκνυσιν, ὅτι οὕτως ἀσφαλῶς ἕστηκεν, ὡσανεὶ δεδεμένη. ∆ιὰ μὲν οὖν τούτου, τὸ ἀσφαλές· διὰ δὲ τοῦ ἑξῆς, τὸ εὔκολον δείκνυσιν· ἐπάγει γάρ· «Ἐκτινάξαι ἀσεβεῖς ἐξ αὐτῆς.» Περὶ τῶν λῃστῶν, καὶ τῶν τυμβωρύχων, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων λέγει, τῶν τῇ νυκτὶ πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν κεχρημένων πονηρίαν· οὗτοι γὰρ, τοῦ φωτὸς ἀνατείλαντος, οὐκέτι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς παῤῥησιάζονται, ἀλλ' ἐξ αὐτῆς ἐκτινάσσονται, καὶ συστέλλονται· μισοῦσι γὰρ τὸ φῶς, ὡς ἐλέγχον αὐτούς. «Ἢ σὺ λαβὼν γῆν πηλὸν, ἔπλασας ζῶον, καὶ λαλητὸν αὐτὸν ἔθου ἐπὶ γῆς;» Ὀλυμπιοδώρου, Σεβήρου καὶ Χρυσοστόμου. Ἀλλὰ σὺ, φησὶν, ὦ Ἰὼβ, λαβὼν χοῦν ὕδατι βεβρεγμένον, ἀπὸ γῆς ἔπλασας ἄνθρωπον; καὶ λόγῳ τοῦτον ἐκόσμησας, ὥσπερ ἐγώ; καὶ τοῦ κόσμου κόσμον ἀνέδειξας; Ὅθεν δῆλον ὅτι τὰ ἄλλα οὐκ εἶχε τὸ λογικόν· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ὡς ἐξαίρετον αὐτῷ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ προσῆψε· λαλητὸν γὰρ, τὸ λογικόν φησι ζῶον. Τὸ δὲ, Τεθῆναι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τὸ ταχθῆναι κυριεύειν πάντων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.