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that he might say, that no brightness will be left to him. And according to the phrase *stars shall walk in his habitations*, instead of: fearful phantoms will terrify him. But Aquila rendered it thus: _a_n_d_ _l_i_g_h_t_n_i_n_g_ _f_r_o_m_ _h_i_s_ _f_a_c_e_ will go forth upon him, instead of: from the face of God—that is, by His command—thunderbolts and lightning-flashes will be brought down upon the impious man. It is also possible to understand it otherwise: the stars are the just according to what was said: *you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life*. Therefore, since it was said before: *for what they gathered, the just will eat*, he said the same thing in another way, that the stars—that is, the just—will walk in the habitations of the impious, that is: they will receive their goods. , 2526 terrors upon him; and may all darkness remain for him. In darkness, he says, and in gloom and in fears will his affairs be. , 26 And an unquenchable fire shall consume him. Zophar has taught us a fine lesson, that there is an unquenchable fire, 180 on the one hand that which according to conscience consumes the impious, and on the other hand that which is laid up for them in future tribunals. But see if, in addition to these, he is not also alluding to a fever here; for those who have a fever are consumed, though no one brings this external and material fire to them. , 26 And a newcomer shall harm his house. Some stranger and foreigner. , 27 And may heaven reveal his iniquities. The divine nature making his affairs manifest. , 27 And may the earth rise up against him. The punishments from the earth: famines, plagues, and anything else. , 28 May destruction drag his house away to its end. Instead of: may he be destroyed with utter destruction. , 28 May a day of wrath come upon him. In which the divine justice is moved against him. , 29 And this is the portion of an impious man from the Lord and the possession of his belongings from the overseer. Since the impious man, having acquired goods, was not sensible of the divine beneficence, the fullness of wrath is given to him as a possession and a portion from the God who oversees all things. And let the bishops, hearing that God is called by this name in Scripture, keep the dignity of the name, watchfully overseeing the affairs of the flock and priding themselves in faith and life and blameless teaching. 181 CHAPTER FIFTEENTH Beginning of the saying: And Job answered and said: Listen to me, listen to my words, so that this may not be the consolation I have from you. Preface to the chapter Job's friends, having come for consolation and having become eyewitnesses of his incurable misfortunes, as pious men reasoned nothing amiss concerning God; but being ignorant that the affliction was a kind of trial and test of virtue, they judged it better to condemn Job as suffering for sins, and to declare God just as not having punished him unjustly. But the most courageous Job not even so reasoned anything unjust concerning God, nor did he adopt a disparaging opinion concerning the providence of God which governs all things well and justly; but being conscious of nothing in himself worthy of so great a punishment, he does not endure the unjust condemnation of his friends. And after many discussions had occurred between them about these things, and now that Zophar had again condemned him for impiety, he says to them: Listen to my words, that you may know that you have not brought a comforting speech, but you bring forth your judgments erroneously and in ignorance. And refuting their ignorance, he says to them problematically: If you know the reasons of providence, answer me, why do the impious prosper and from every side goods flow around them abundantly, and 182 they live in ease, uttering words that fight against God—but nevertheless even their prosperity changes, and how is it that one man ends his life in wealth and in all the happiness that is among men, while another in bitterness of soul, having partaken of none of the good things in life. Then in the middle he inserted, whether it is not the Lord who teaches understanding and knowledge, showing that the judgments of God are unsearchable and incomprehensible and not all the reasons of the providence which directs all things well are known to us. The words are as follows:

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ἵνα εἴπῃ, ὅτι οὐδεμία αὐτῷ λαμπρότης ὑπολειφθήσεται. κατὰ δὲ τὸ ἄστρα ἐν διαίταις αὐτοῦ περιπατήσαισαν ἀντὶ τοῦ· φοβερὰ αὐτὸν ἐκδειματώσει φάσματα. ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας οὕτως ἐκδέδωκεν· _κ_α_ὶ_ _ἀ_σ_τ_ρ_α_π_ὴ_ _ἀ_π_ὸ_ _π_ρ_ο_σ_ώ_π_ο_υ_ _α_ὐ_τ_ο_ῦ_ πορεύσεται ἐπ' αὐτόν, ἀντὶ τοῦ· ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦτουτέστιν· ἐκ προστάγματοςσκηπτοὶ καὶ κεραυνοὶ κατὰ τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς κατενεχθήσονται. ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλως νοῆσαι· ἄστρα εἰσὶν οἱ δίκαιοι κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· ὑμεῖς δὲ φαίνεσθε ὡς φωστῆρες ἐν κόσμῳ λόγον ζωῆς ἐπέχοντες. ἐπειδὴ οὖν εἴρηται ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν· ἃ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι συνήγαγον, δίκαιοι ἔδονται, τὸ αὐτὸ ἑτέρως εἶπεν, ὅτι τὰ ἄστρατουτέστιν οἱ δίκαιοιἐν ταῖς τῶν ἀσεβῶν διαίταις περιπατήσουσιν, τουτέστιν· τὰ αὐτῶν ἀγαθὰ παραλήψονται. , 2526 ἐπ' αὐτῷ φόβοι· πᾶν δὲ σκότος αὐτῷ ὑπομείναι. ἐν σκότῳ δέ, φησίν, καὶ ἀφεγγείᾳ καὶ φόβοις ἔσται τὰ κατ' αὐτόν. , 26 κατέδεται δὲ αὐτὸν πῦρ ἄκαυστον. ὡραῖον ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξε μάθημα ὁ Σωφάρ, ὅτι ἔστι πῦρ ἄκαυστον, 180 τοῦτο μὲν τὸ κατὰ συνείδησιν καταφλέγον τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς, τοῦτο δὲ τὸ αὐτοῖς ἀποκείμενον ἐν μέλλουσι δικαστηρίοις. ὅρα δέ, μὴ πρὸς τούτοις καὶ πυρετὸν ἐνταῦθα αἰνίττεται· καταφλέγονται γὰρ οἱ πυρέττοντες οὐδενὸς αὐτοῖς τὸ ἔξωθεν τοῦτο καὶ ἔνυλον πῦρ προσάγοντος. , 26 κακώσαι δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐπήλυτος τὸν οἶκον. ξένος τις καὶ ἀλλογενής. , 27 ἀνακαλύψαι δὲ αὐτοῦ ὁ οὐρανὸς τὰς ἀνομίας. ἡ θεία φύσις φανερὰ ποιοῦσα τὰ κατ' αὐτόν. , 27 γῆ δὲ ἐπανασταίη αὐτῷ. οἱ ἐκ γῆς τιμωρίαι λιμοί, λοιμοὶ καὶ εἴ τι ἕτερον. , 28 ἑλκύσαι τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ ἀπώλεια εἰς τέλος. ἀντὶ τοῦ· πανωλεθρίᾳ διαφθαρείη. , 28 ἡμέρα ὀργῆς ἐπέλθοι αὐτῷ. καθ' ἣν ἡ θεία κατ' αὐτοῦ κινεῖται δίκη. , 29 καὶ αὕτη ἡ μερὶς ἀνθρώπου ἀσεβοῦς παρὰ κυρίου καὶ κτῆμα ὑπαρχόντων αὐτοῦ παρὰ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου. ἐπειδὴ κτησάμενος τὰ ἀγαθὰ ὁ ἀσεβὴς οὐκ ᾔσθετο τῆς θείας εὐεργεσίας, δίδοται αὐτῷ κτῆμα καὶ μερὶς τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς ὀργῆς παρὰ τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐπισκοποῦντος θεοῦ. ἀκούοντες δὲ οἱ ἐπίσκοποι, ὡς ὁ θεὸς ταύτῃ κέκληται τῇ προσηγορίᾳ παρὰ τῇ γραφῇ, τηρείτωσαν τῆς προσηγορίας τὸ ἀξίωμα ἐπαγρύπνως τὰ κατὰ τὴν ποίμνην ἐπισκοποῦντες καὶ πίστει καὶ βίῳ καὶ ἀνεπιλήπτῳ διδασκαλίᾳ σεμνυνόμενοι. 181 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΠΕΝΤΕΚΑΙ∆ΕΚΑΤΟΝ Ἀρχὴ τοῦ ῥητοῦ· ὑπολαβὼν δὲ Ἰὼβ λέγει· ἀκούσατέ μου, ἀκούσατέ μου τῶν λόγων, ἵνα μὴ ᾖ μοι παρ' ὑμῶν αὕτη ἡ παράκλησις. Προθεωρία τοῦ κεφαλαίου οἱ φίλοι τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἐλθόντες ἐπὶ παράκλησιν καὶ τῶν ἀνηκέστων συμφορῶν αὐτόπται γενόμενοι ὡς μὲν εὐσεβεῖς οὐδὲν ἄτοπον περὶ θεοῦ διελογίζοντο· ἀγνοοῦντες δέ, ὡς πεῖρά τις ἦν καὶ βάσανος ἀρετῆς ἡ πληγή, ἄμεινον ἔκριναν καταδικάσαι μὲν τὸν Ἰὼβ ὡς ἐφ' ἁμαρτίαις πάσχοντα, δίκαιον δὲ τὸν θεὸν ἀποφῆναι ὡς οὐκ ἀδίκως αὐτὸν τιμωρησάμενον. ὁ δὲ ἀνδρειότατος Ἰὼβ οὐδὲ οὕτως μὲν ἄδικόν τι περὶ θεοῦ ἐλογίσατο οὐδὲ ἀπεμφαίνουσαν εἴληφε δόξαν περὶ τῆς πάντα καλῶς καὶ δικαίως διεπούσης προνοίας τοῦ θεοῦ· οὐδὲν δὲ ἑαυτῷ συνειδὼς τηλικαύτης τιμωρίας ἐπάξιον οὐκ ἀνέχεται τῆς ἀδίκου τῶν φίλων κατακρίσεως. πολλῶν δὲ περὶ τούτων γενομένων αὐτοῖς διαλέξεων καὶ νῦν τοῦ Σωφὰρ ἐπ' ἀσεβείᾳ πάλιν αὐτὸν καταδικάσαντός φησι πρὸς αὐτούς· ἀκούσατέ μου τῶν λόγων, ἵνα γνῶτε, ὡς οὐ παρακλητικὸν προσηγάγετε λόγον, ἀλλ' ἐσφαλμένως καὶ κατ' ἄγνοιαν τὰς κρίσεις προφέρετε. διελέγχων δὲ τὴν ἄγνοιαν προβληματικῶς φησι πρὸς αὐτούς· εἰ οἴδατε τῆς προνοίας τοὺς λόγους, ἀποκρίνασθέ μοι, διὰ τί ἀσεβεῖς εὐθηνοῦνται καὶ πανταχόθεν αὐτοὺς ἀφθόνως περιρρεῖ τὰ ἀγαθὰ καὶ 182 ἐν εὐπαθείᾳ διάγουσι θεομάχα φθεγγόμενοι ῥήματαπλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῶν ἡ εὐημερία μεταπίπτει, πῶς δὲ καὶ ὁ μέν τις ἐν πλούτῳ καὶ πάσῃ τῇ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις εὐδαιμονίᾳ τελευτᾷ τὸν βίον, ὁ δὲ ἐν πικρίᾳ ψυχῆς οὐδενὸς τῶν ἐν βίῳ μετασχὼν ἀγαθῶν. εἶτα διὰ μέσου παρενέθηκεν, πότερον οὐχὶ ὁ κύριός ἐστιν ὁ διδάσκων σύνεσιν καὶ ἐπιστήμην, δεικνύς, ὡς ἀνέφικτα καὶ ἀκατάληπτα τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ κρίματα καὶ οὐ πάντες ἡμῖν γνώριμοι τῆς πάντα καλῶς διοικούσης προνοίας οἱ λόγοι. Αἱ λέξεις εἰσὶν τοιαῦται·