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God." And he adds the reason why no one is able to say to him: "What have you done?" saying: "for he himself has turned away in anger;" for he has made the turning away by a judgment of anger. Therefore, someone recognizing this with good judgment said: "I will bear the Lord's anger, because I have sinned against him." In anger, then, he turns away from the one who is worthy of it; 244 but the righteous man does not have things worthy of anger, therefore he has not turned away from the righteous man. And even if the righteous man suffers, he is not under anger, but endures a contest. For come now, if one were struck while competing, and another for having stolen, is the manner of the blows the same? Thus, even if grievous things happen to a righteous man and a wicked one, it did not happen in the same way, but the one is under anger, the wicked man, I mean, while the other is not, but rather He has turned anger away from the righteous man, wishing to show him to be a victor, like the martyrs and Job himself. For he who reveals his virtue has turned away from him the anger that is sent upon the wicked. And by him were bent the sea-monsters that are under heaven. And in the historical sense this is true; for if he himself had not subjected them, they would have been unbearable for humans. And passing in thought to the other venomous beasts you will find this. But also the evil spirits, allegorically called sea-monsters, he himself bent; for human nature was not able to stand against them had they not been bent by God. And he reasonably said "under heaven," to indicate all things, both in the air and on earth and under the earth. For all things are subject; "for by knowledge the sea-monster is tamed." And if God had not permitted 245 it, not even to Job would... the primevally-evil devil. For the opposing powers do not come upon us using their own venomous purpose. For they do not have authority to do evil and bring on afflictions, unless God should permit it. But they hasten to suggest wickedness by their own impulse. For thus also according to his own purpose "into the heart of Judas" as his passions afforded him opportunity, remaining there he gathers evils. But if he listens to me, will he indeed discern my words? He wishes to teach that not, if we pray for something, is this always judged by God in accordance with our words. "For what we should pray for as we ought, we do not know." What he says, therefore, is this, that even if he listens, he will not discern human words so as to judge by them, but will wisely bring his own judgment upon us, being also a lover of mankind and doing nothing without judgment. For even if I am righteous, he will not hear me; I will plead for his judgment. He confirms the aforementioned things, teaching that even if someone were perfect among men, still the eye of God "which searches the things of the heart" perceives even the hidden things. The apostle says something similar: "I am not conscious of anything against myself, 246 but I am not thereby justified; but he who examines me is the Lord;" wherefore the holy one begs for his judgment according to: "test my reins and my heart," which no one who sins says. Furthermore, in addition to these things he teaches them again not to understand afflictions as due to a single cause, suggesting the idea that if someone is righteous and hypothetically prays for pleasant things, he will not in every case be heard; for this one also has need of God's judgment. There are some who read the verse without a comma, so that it is: of my righteous one he will not hear me. But observe that the explanation has reason, because since the aforementioned friend said: "But you, rise early to pray to the Lord; if you are good and true, he will listen to your prayer," teaching him that God does not in every case give us the things we choose, but the things that are expedient, he says hypothetically, "for even if I am righteous, he will not hear me;" for thus judgment prevails. But I spoke hypothetically because the holy one, knowing the judgment, also obeys it and does not unseasonably demand release from it. And if I call and he should answer, I do not believe 247 that he has heard me, lest he crush me in a whirlwind. Since it was said readily and easily by Bildad to the blessed Job, as we said before, "But you, rise early" and what follows, against his very not with

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θεός." ἐπάγει δὲ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ μὴ δύνασθαί τινα εἰπεῖν αὐτῶι· "τί ἐποίησας;" φάσκων· "αὐτὸς γὰρ ἀπέστραπται ὀργῇ·" κρίματι γὰρ ὀργῆς τὴν ἀποστροφὴν πεποίηται. εὐγνωμόνως γοῦν τις τοῦτο ἐπι»γι»γνώς»κ»ων εἶπεν· "ὀργὴν κυρίου ὑποίσω, ὅτι ἥμαρτον αὐτῶι." ὀργῇ οὖν ἀποστρέφεται τὸν ἄξιον· 244 ὁ δὲ δίκαιος οὐκ ἄξια ὀργῆς ἔχει, οὐκ ἄρα ἀπέστραπται τὸν δίκαιον. κἄν γε πάθῃ ὁ δίκαιος, οὐχ ὑπ' ὀργῇ ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ἀγ̣ῶνα ὑφίσταται. φέρε γάρ, εἰ τύπτοιτό τις ἀγωνιζόμενος, ἕτερος δὲ κεκλοφώς, μὴ ὁ αὐτὸς τρόπος ἐστὶν τῶν πληγῶν· οὕτω κἂν ἀνιαρὰ δικαίωι καὶ φαύλῳ συμβαίνῃ, οὐ κατὰ ταὐτὸ συνέβη, ἀλλ' ὁ μέν ἐστιν ὑπ' ὀργῇ, ὁ φαῦλος, λέγω, ὁ δὲ οὐχί, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἀπέστρεψε ἀπὸ τοῦ δικαίου τὴν ὀργήν, νικητὴν αὐτὸν ἀποδεῖξαι βουλόμενος, ὡς τοὺς μάρτυρας καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Ἰώβ. τὴν γὰρ ὀργὴν τὴν ἐπὶ φαύλοις πεμπομένην ἀπὸ αὐτοῦ ἀπέστρεψεν ὁ τὴν ἀρετὴν αὐτοῦ φανερῶν. ὑπ' αὐτοῦ δὲ ἐκάμφθησαν κήτη τὰ ὑπ' οὐρανόν. καὶ τῷ τῆς ἱστορίας λόγῳ τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἀληθές· εἰ μὴ γὰρ αὐτὸς αὐτὰ ὑπέταξεν, ἀνύποιστα ἦν ἀνθρώποις ταῦτα. δε καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις δὲ θηρίοις ἰοβόλοις διαβὰς τῷ λογισμῷ τοῦτο εὑρήσεις. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πονηρὰ πνεύματα τὰ κήτη ἀλληγορικῶς ὀνομαζόμενα αὐτὸς ἔκαμψεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ οἵα τε ἦν ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις πρὸς αὐτὰ μὴ καμφθέντα ὑπὸ θεοῦ. εἰκότως δὲ καὶ τὰ ὑπ' οὐρανὸν εἶπεν, ἵνα τὰ πάντα δηλώσῃ καὶ τὰ ἐν ἀέρι καὶ ἐν γῇ καὶ ἐν καταχθονίοις. ἅπαντα γὰρ ὑποτέτακται· "ἐπιστήμῃ γὰρ ἔστρωται τὸ κῆτος." καὶ εἰ μὴ γὰρ θεὸς συνεχώ 245 ρησεν, οὐδὲ τῷ Ἰὼβ π̣··ι¨̣· ὁ ἀρχέκακος διάβολος. οὐ γὰρ τῇ ἑαυτῶν ἰώδει προθέσει αἱ ἀντικείμεναι δυνάμ_6_ε6ι_6_σ6 χρώμεναι ἐπέρχονται. ἐξουσίαν γὰρ οὐκ ἔχουσιν κακοῦν καὶ ἐπίπονα προσάγειν, εἰ μὴ θεὸς συνχωρήσοι. τὴν δὲ κακίαν ὑποβάλλειν ἰδίᾳ ὁρμῇ σπεύδουσιν. οὕτω γὰρ καὶ κατ' ἰδίαν πρόθεσιν "εἰς τὴν καρδίαν Ἰούδα" τῶν π̣αθῶν̣ αὐτῷ παρεχόντων συνάγ̣ει κακὰ ἐκεῖ μένων. ἐὰν δέ μου ὑπακούσηται, ἦ διακρινεῖ τὰ ῥήματά μου; διδάξαι βούλεται, ὅτι οὐκ, εἴ τι προσευχόμεθα, τοῦτο πάντως «καὶ» συμφώνως πρὸς τὰ ῥήματα ἡμῶν εἰς διάκρισιν γίνεται τοῦ θεοῦ. "τὸ γὰρ τί προσευξώμεθα καθὸ δεῖ, οὐκ οἴδαμεν." ὃ οὖν λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, ὅτι, εἰ καὶ ὑπακούσετ̣α̣ι̣, οὐ διακρινεῖ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα ῥη´̣ματα οὕτως ἐνκρῖναι, ἀλλ̣α`̣ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ κρίμα σοφοιῶς ἐπάξει καθ' η῾̣μῶν καὶ φιλάνθρωπος ὑπάρχων καὶ οὐδὲν ἀκρίτως ποιῶν. ἐάν τε γὰρ ὦ δίκαιος, οὐκ εἰσακούσεταί μου· τοῦ κρίματος αὐτοῦ δεηθήσομαι. βεβαιοῖ τὰ προειρημέ να παιδεύων, ὅτι κἂν τέλειός τις ᾖν ἐν ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλ' ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς τοῦ θεοῦ "τὰ τῆς καρδίας ἐραυνῶν" καταλαμβάνει καὶ τὰ ἄδηλα. τοιοῦτον ὁ ἀπόστολός φησιν· "οὐδὲν 246 ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ δεδικαίωμαι· ὁ δὲ ἀνακρίνων με κύριός ἐστιν·" διόπερ τοῦ κρίματος αὐτοῦ δέεται ὁ ἅγιος κατὰ τό· "πύρωσον τοὺς νεφροὺς καὶ τὴν καρδίαν μου", ὅπερ οὐδεὶς ἁμαρτάνων λέγει. ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις παιδεύει αὐτοὺς πάλιν τὸ μὴ κατὰ μίαν αἰτίαν ἐκλαμβάνειν τὰ ἐπίπονα, ὑποβάλλων οτι ἔννοιαν, ὅτι, ἐάν τις δίκαιος ᾖ καὶ καθ' ὑπόθεσιν εὔχηται τὰ ἡδέα, οὐ πάντως εἰςακούσεται· χρῄζει γὰρ καὶ οὗτος του῀̣ θεοῦ κρίματος. εἰσί τινες, οἳ ἄνευ ὑποστιγμῆς τὸν στίχον ἀνέγνω̣σαν, ἵν' ᾖ· δικαίου μου οὐκ εἰσακούσεται μου. ἐπίστησον δ', ὅτι ἔχει λόγον ἡ ἀπόδοσις, ὅτι ἐπε̣ὶ ὁ προειπὼν φίλος ἔλεγεν· "σὺ δὲ ὄρθριζε πρὸς κύριον δεόμενος· εἰ ἀγαθὸς εἶ καὶ ἀληθινός, δεήσεως ἐπακούσεται", διδάσκων αὐτόν, ὅτι οὐ πάντως τὰ ἡμῖν αἱ ρετὰ ὁ θεὸς δίδωσιν, ἀλλὰ τὰ συμφέροντα, ὑποθετικῶς φησιν, ὅτι "ἐὰν γὰρ ὦ δίκαιος, οὐκ εἰσακούσεταί μου·" οὕτω γὰρ νικᾷ τὸ κρίμα. ὑποθετικῶς δὲ εἶπον διὰ τὸ καὶ τὸν ἅγιον εἰδότα τὸ κρίμα πειθάρχειν αὐτῷ καὶ μὴ ἀκαίρως ἀπαιτεῖν αὐτοῦ λύσιν. ἐάν τε καλέσω καὶ ὑπακούσῃ, οὐ πιστεύ247 ω, ὅτι εἰσακήκοέν μου, μὴ γνόφῳ με ἐκτρίψῃ. ἐπεὶ εὐχερὲς καὶ εὔκολον ὑπὸ του῀̣ Βαλδὰδ πρὸς τὸν μακάριον Ἰὼβ εἴρητα̣ι̣, ὡς καὶ προείπομεν, τὸ "σὺ δὲ ὄρθριζε" καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, πρὸς αὐτὴν αὐτοῦ τὴν οὐ μετὰ