50

of his advocacy, and I contend with him. But since the wickedness of the demons is hard for human understanding to grasp, for this reason he said that: their heart they hid, instead of: deceitfully and stealthily they come, so that their malice escapes notice and is hidden from human understanding. But some of the copies have that: _y_o_u_ _h_i_d_ _t_h_e_i_r_ _h_e_a_r_t_, that is: you made them invisible to men. Then he also prays that they not lift their head, but be humbled by the all-powerful God; 17, 45 For this reason you shall not exalt them; to their portion he will report wickedness. 153 Do not exalt, he says, them, both the unjust men together with the demons, since by their portion—that is, by the lot they have received from God, instead of: by the free will of their choice—they have willingly announced wickedness; for the portion and lot of rational beings, specially set apart for them by God, is free will. Therefore he says this: since all, having been made good by God and with free will, have cast themselves into wickedness, do not exalt them. 17, 56 But my eyes have wasted away over my sons. You have made me a byword to the nations, and I have become a laughingstock to them. He says nations, even those of men from afar, in order to say that: everywhere my circumstances have been rumored and I have become a laughingstock. But more truly he speaks of the nations of demons, who indeed mocked the just man, treading upon his misfortunes. But note, that he did not say: my eyes have wasted away over the loss of my possessions—for he made little account of those—but over the sudden death of his children; for over these things, being compassionate, he grieved exceedingly. 17, 7 For my eyes have been dimmed from wrath, and I am greatly besieged by all. My eyes were dimmed, he says, literally, by the evils brought upon me according to divine wrath, but in terms of meaning, the seeing power of the soul was dimmed through the constant resistance against the demons, by whom he also says he is besieged. 154 17, 8 Astonishment has seized the truthful over these things. So that, he says, even those who long for the truth are astounded at the things that have happened to me. And perhaps he says this also alluding to his friends, as not partaking of the truth, but simply wanting to gratify God. 17, 8-9 But may the just man rise up against the lawless; and may the faithful hold to his own way, and the clean of hands take courage. Though he speaks as if about another, he speaks about himself. For since he said before: do not exalt the unjust, but may the opposite, he says, happen: for the just man to prevail over the lawless and for the faithful and true to hold his own way, that is: to prosper and not be defeated by the lawless, so that from my example the pure might take courage as prevailing over their adversaries. These things again the holy Job prays for on behalf of all; therefore he made the prayer not for himself, but indefinitely for every person. At the same time he also teaches that wickedness never prevails over virtue to the end. 17, 10 But no, but all of you, lean on and come now, for I find nothing true in you. Strengthen one another, therefore, he says; for even if you all agree, I will refute you as not speaking the truth. Then again, defending himself, since he said: I ask for 155 burial and do not receive it, he states the reasons for which he longs for death. 17, 11 My days have passed in stench, and the cords of my heart are broken. Much time, he says, has already passed for me and I am driving towards the end, wearing out my days in loathing, and the sinews of my soul have been paralyzed and dissolved. 17, 12 I have made night into day, light is near from the face of darkness. Literally: the whole night, he says, being awake as if it were day I continued, always expecting the light after the passing of the night. And those who are awake in sickness naturally experience this, praying to see the day. But in terms of meaning: I did not neglect, he says, to separate myself from the darkness and to approach the intelligible light. 17, 13-16 For if I endure, Hades is my house, and in darkness my bed is spread. I called upon death to be my father, and my mother

50

τούτου συνηγορίας καὶ δικάζομαι αὐτῷ. ἐπειδὴ δὲ δυσκατάληπτός ἐστιν ἡ τῶν δαιμόνων κακία τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φρονήσει, διὰ τοῦτο εἶπεν ὅτι· καρδίαν αὐτῶν ἔκρυψαν ἀντὶ τοῦ· δολίως καὶ ἐπικλόπως ἔρχονται ὡς λανθάνειν αὐτῶν τὴν κακουργίαν καὶ κρύπτεσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φρονήσεως. τινὰ δὲ τῶν ἀντιγράφων ἔχει ὅτι· _κ_α_ρ_δ_ί_α_ν_ _α_ὐ_τ_ῶ_ν_ _ἔ_κ_ρ_υ_ψ_α_ς, τουτέστιν· ἀοράτους αὐτοὺς ἀνθρώποις κατεσκεύασας. εἶτα καὶ εὔχεται μὴ αἴρειν αὐτοὺς τὴν κεφαλήν, ἀλλὰ ταπεινοῦσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ παντοδυνάμου θεοῦ· 17, 45 διὰ τοῦτο οὐ μὴ ὑψώσῃς αὐτούς· τῇ μερίδι ἀναγγελεῖ κακίαν. 153 μὴ ὑψώσῃς, φησίν, αὐτοὺς τούς τε ἀδίκους ἀνθρώπους ὁμοῦ καὶ τοὺς δαίμονας, ἐπειδὴ τῇ μερίδιτουτέστι τῇ μοίρᾳ ᾗ εἰλήφασι παρὰ θεοῦ, ἀντὶ τοῦ· τῷ αὐτεξουσίῳ τῆς προαιρέσεωςἑκόντες προσήγγειλαν τὴν κακίαν· μερὶς γὰρ καὶ κλῆρος τῶν λογικῶν ἰδικῶς αὐτοῖς ἀφωρισμένος ὑπὸ θεοῦ τὸ αὐτεξούσιον. τοῦτο οὖν λέγει· ἐπειδὴ πάντες ὑπὸ θεοῦ καλοὶ γεγονότες καὶ αὐτεξούσιοι ἑαυτοὺς τῇ κακίᾳ προσέρριψαν, μὴ ὑψώσῃς αὐτούς. 17, 56 ὀφθαλμοὶ δέ μου ἐφ' υἱοῖς ἐτάκησαν. ἔθου δέ με θρύλημα ἔθνεσι, γέλως τε αὐτοῖς ἀπέβην. ἔθνη λέγει καὶ τὰ τῶν μηκόθεν ἀνθρώπων, ἵνα εἴπῃ ὅτι· πανταχοῦ τὰ κατ' ἐμὲ τεθρύληται καὶ καταγέλαστος γέγονα. ἀληθέστερον δὲ τὰ τῶν δαιμόνων ἔθνη φησίν, οἳ δὴ καὶ κατεγέλων τοῦ δικαίου ταῖς συμφοραῖς ἐπεμβαίνοντες. σημειοῦ δέ, ὡς οὐκ εἶπεν· οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπωλείᾳ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἐτάκησανμικρὸν γὰρ ἐκείνων ἐποιεῖτο λόγον, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν τέκνων ἀθρόᾳ τελευτῇ· ἐπὶ γὰρ τούτοις ὡς συμπαθὴς περιήλγησεν. 17, 7 πεπώρωνται γὰρ ἀπὸ ὀργῆς οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου, καὶ πεπολιόρκημαι μεγάλως ὑπὸ πάντων. ἠμαυρώθησαν, φησίν, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου, πρὸς μὲν ῥητὸν ὑπὸ τῶν κατὰ θείαν ὀργὴν ἐπενεχθέντων μοι κακῶν, πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν ἡ ὀπτικὴ τῆς ψυχῆς δύναμις ἠμαυρώθη διὰ τῆς συνεχοῦς πρὸς τοὺς δαίμονας ἀντιστάσεως, ὑφ' ὧν καὶ πεπολιορκῆσθαι λέγει. 154 17, 8 θαῦμα ἔσχεν ἀληθινοὺς ἐπὶ τούτοις. ὥστε, φησίν, καὶ ἐκπλήττεσθαι τοὺς τῆς ἀληθείας ἐφιεμένους ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐμοὶ συμβεβηκόσιν. τοῦτο δὲ ἴσως καὶ τοὺς φίλους αἰνιττόμενος λέγει ὡς οὐ τῆς ἀληθείας μεταποιουμένους, ἀλλὰ θέλοντας ἁπλῶς θεῷ χαρίζεσθαι. 17, 89 δίκαιος δὲ ἐπὶ παρανόμῳ ἐπανασταίη· σχοίη δὲ πιστὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ὁδόν, καθαρὸς δὲ χεῖρας ἀναλάβοι θάρσος. ὡς μὲν περὶ ἑτέρου λέγει, περὶ ἑαυτοῦ δέ φησιν. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ προεῖπεν· μὴ ὑψώσῃς τοὺς ἀδίκους, τὸ δὲ ἐναντίον, φησίν, γένοιτο τὸν δίκαιον κατισχῦσαι τοῦ παρανόμου καὶ σχεῖν τὸν πιστὸν καὶ ἀληθινὸν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ὁδόν, τουτέστιν· εὐοδοῦσθαι καὶ μὴ ἡττᾶσθαι τοῖς παρανόμοις, ἵνα ἐκ τοῦ κατ' ἐμὲ παραδείγματος οἱ καθαροὶ θάρσος ἀναλάβωσιν ὡς κατισχύοντες τῶν ὑπεναντίων. ταῦτα πάλιν ὁ ἅγιος Ἰὼβ ὑπὲρ πάντων εὔχεται· διόπερ οὐ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλὰ ἀορίστως περὶ παντὸς προσώπου τὴν εὐχὴν ἐποιήσατο. ὁμοῦ καὶ διδάσκει, ὡς οὐ κατισχύει ποτὲ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἡ κακία μέχρι τέλους. 17, 10 οὐ μὴν δέ, ἀλλὰ πάντες ἐρείδετε καὶ δεῦτε δή, οὐ γὰρ εὑρίσκω ἐν ὑμῖν ἀληθές. ἐνισχύσατε τοιγαροῦν ἀλλήλους, φησίν· κἂν γὰρ πάντες ὁμοφωνῆτε, διελέγξω ὑμᾶς μὴ ἀληθεύοντας. εἶτα πάλιν ἀπολογούμενος ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, ἐπειδὴ εἶπε· δέομαι 155 ταφῆς καὶ οὐ τυγχάνω, τὰς αἰτίας λέγει, δι' ἃς ποθεῖ τὸν θάνατον. 17, 11 αἱ ἡμέραι μου παρῆλθον ἐν βρόμῳ, ἐρράγη δὲ τὰ ἄρθρα τῆς καρδίας μου. πολύς, φησίν, ἤδη μοι παρῴχηκε χρόνος καὶ πρὸς τὸ τέλος ἐλαύνω ἐν ἀηδίᾳ τὰς ἡμέρας μου τρίβων, καὶ παρείθησαν καὶ διελύθησάν μου τῆς ψυχῆς οἱ τόνοι. 17, 12 νύκτα εἰς ἡμέραν ἔθηκα, φῶς ἐγγὺς ἀπὸ προσώπου σκότους. πρὸς μὲν ῥητόν· τὴν νύκτα, φησίν, ἅπασαν ἀγρυπνῶν ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ διετέλεσα προσδοκῶν ἀεὶ τὸ φῶς μετὰ τὴν τῆς νυκτὸς διάλυσιν. τοῦτο δὲ φυσικῶς πάσχουσιν οἱ ἐν ταῖς νόσοις ἀγρυπνοῦντες εὐχόμενοι τὴν ἡμέραν ἰδεῖν. πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν· οὐκ ἠμέλησα, φησίν, τοῦ χωρίζειν ἐμαυτὸν τοῦ σκότους καὶ τῷ νοητῷ προσεγγίζειν φωτί. 17, 1316 ἐὰν γὰρ ὑπομείνω, ᾅδης μου ὁ οἶκος, ἐν δὲ γνόφῳ ἔστρωταί μου ἡ στρωμνή. θάνατον ἐπεκαλεσάμην πατέρα μου εἶναι, μητέρα δέ μου