Didymus the Blind, Commentaries on Job

saying with great boldness according to the blessed Paul: "troubled on every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." I am shaken in all my members. This is clear to those who understand it in a physical sense. For not a single one of his members happened to be healthy; for "from feet" "to head" he was afflicted. But if you would also say that his members are all those who had 258 a close relationship with him, who were also shaken in such a way that some forsook him, and others in a way attacked him because of their disposition, thinking that he suffers these things because of sin, consider it. For I know that you will not leave me guiltless. The moderation of the saint is known through this and his great gratitude. For he says that, becoming a precise examiner of me—for you are God—you will not leave me guiltless. For even if he said "I know that I will appear righteous," yet he knows and is persuaded that before God the tester, "the stars are not pure in his sight," and obviously he himself is not either. The blessed Paul says something similar, writing: "For I know nothing by myself." Then, not giving it to himself, he adds: "yet I am not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord." And this saint also knows the weakness of human nature, saying that "we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God." And if the saints also grow weary in their toils, still they have the sentence in themselves, so that they might give their trust to God and not to themselves; as this same 259 blessed one says: I know that I do not have it from myself to be innocent, without you cooperating, just as the wise Paul says "not I, but the grace with me" and the holy David: "I was troubled, and did not speak." But since I am ungodly, why have I not died? He moves on to the supposition concerning his friends. For since they are disposed to think that falling into evils follows sinners, and that dying is worse than all things according to those who love life, he asks them: Since according to you I am ungodly, why have I not died? so that in the question he might provide them the understanding that there is some other cause that brings on the toils. And he does the same thing in other places, asking again: "Why do the wicked live, and grow old in wealth, their seed is according to their soul, their cow has not miscarried?" so that through these things also he might teach, he seeks the existing causes from God of the toilsome and pleasant things that happen to men. For so much have the wicked often continued in what are considered good fortunes, that Solomon said of them that --; just as the blessed Job also says, that "and in the rest of Hades they have fallen a260 sleep". For if I wash myself with snow, and make my hands clean, sufficiently have you plunged me in filth, and my own clothes have abhorred me. Again, so that they might not think him boastful, he says these things, that even if I should exist so purely, as to cleanse myself through virtuous deeds, which he called hands, I again have filth; concerning which one must inquire, comparing the similar saying: "No one is clean from filth, not even if his life is one hour upon the earth." And "the thought of man is diligently set on evil things from his youth," which indicates the character that produces new things, just as it has also been said by someone not to accept a young listener. These things, then, will afflict those who reckon nothing in addition to this life; for how is the one who has just now been formed not clean? But one must also prudently understand the sin of succession according to Adam, which is brought forward by them without understanding. For even the saints, even if they have not come into life for another's sake, have the filth in childhood, which is not a sin. According to this it is said concerning Samuel: "And Samuel, before he knew God." And he did not know God, being an infant, not because he had 261 malice, but because he had not yet obtained a rational knowledge. And the "but all

λέγων εὐπαρησιάστως κατὰ τὸν μακάριον Παῦλον· "ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι ἀλλ' οὐ στενοχωρούμενοι, ἀπορούμενοι ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐξαπορούμενοι, διωκόμενοι ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐγκαταλειπόμενοι, καταβαλλόμενοι ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπολλύμενοι." σείομαι πᾶσιν τοῖς μέλεσίν μου. δῆλόν ἐστι τοῦτο κατὰ τὸ αἰσθητὸν νοοῦσιν. οὐδὲ γὰρ μέλος τι αὐτοῦ ὑγιαῖνον ἐτύγχανεν· "ἀπὸ ποδῶν" γὰρ "ἕως κεφαλῆς" λελώβητο. εἰ δὲ καὶ μέλη αὐτοῦ λέγοις πάντας τοὺς ἔχοντας πρὸς αὐτὸν 258 οἰκειότητα, οἳ καὶ ἐσαλεύθησαν οὕτως ὡς τοὺς μὲν καταλιπεῖν αὐτόν, τοὺς δὲ τρόπον τινὰ ἐπιτίθεσθαι διὰ τοῦ διακεῖσθαι, ὡς δι' ἁμαρτίας ταῦτα πάσχει, συνεπίσκεψαι. οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι οὐκ ἀθῷόν με ἐάσεις. ἡ μετριότης τοῦ ἁγίου διὰ τούτου γνω ρίζεται καὶ μεγάλη εὐγνωμοσύνη. φησὶν γάρ, ὅτι ἐξεταστής μου γινόμενος ἀκριβής-θεὸς γὰρ εἶ-οὐκ ἀθῷόν με ἐάσεις. εἰ γὰρ καὶ εἶπεν "οἶδα ὅτι κα δίκαιος ἀναφανοῦμαι", ἀλλ' οὖν οἶδεν καὶ πέπεισται, ὅτι ὡς πρὸς θεὸν δοκιμαστὴν "ἄστρα οὐκ ἔστιν καθαρὰ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ" καὶ αὐτὸς δηλονότι. τοιοῦτον ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος λέγει γράφων· "οὐδὲν ἐμαυτῶι σύνοιδα". εἶτα μὴ διδοὺς ἑαυτῶι ἐπάγει· "ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ δεδικαίωμαι, ἀλλ' ὁ ἀνακρίνων με κύριός ἐστιν." οἶδεν δὲ καθὰ καὶ οὗτος ὁ ἅγιος τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως τὸ ἀσθενὲς λέγων, ὅτι "καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἐβαρήθημεν, ὥστε ἐξαπορηθῆναι ἡμᾶς καὶ τοῦ ζῆν. ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ τὸ ἀπόκριμα τοῦ θανάτου ἐσχήκακαμεν, ἵνα μὴ πεποιθότες ὦμεν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ θεῷ." εἰ δὲ καὶ κάμνουσιν οἱ ἅγιοι ἐν τοῖς ἐπιπόνοις, ἀλλ' ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἔχουσι τὸ ἀπόκριμα, ἵνα τῷ θεῷ τὴν πεποίθησιν καὶ μὴ ἑαυτοῖς ἀποδῶσιν· ὡς οὗτος αὐτὸς ὁ 259 μακάριος λέγων· οἶδα ὅτι οὐκ ἐξ ἐμαυ τοῦ ἔχω τὸ ἀθῶος εἶναι μὴ σοῦ συνεργοῦντος, καθὰ καὶ ὁ σοφὸς Παῦλος λέγων "οὐκ ἐγὼ δὲ ἀλλ' ἡ χάρις σὺν ἐμοὶ" καὶ ὁ ἅγιος ∆αυίδ· "ἐταράχθην καὶ οὐκ ἐλάλησα." ἐπειδὴ δέ εἰμι ἀσεβής, διὰ τί οὐκ ἀπέθανον; μεταβαίνει ἐπὶ τὴν περὶ τῶν φίλων ὑπόλημψιν. ἐπεὶ γὰρ διάκεινται, ὅτι τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν ἕπεται τὸ κακωτικοῖς περιπεσεῖν, πάντων δὲ χεῖρον τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κατὰ τοὺς φιλοζώους, ἐρωτᾷ αὐτούς· ἐπεὶ καθ' ὑμᾶς ἀσεβής εἰμι, διὰ τί οὐκ ἀπέθανον; ἵνα ἐν τῇ ἐρωτήσει παράσχῃ αὐτοῖς νόησιν, ὅτι αἰτία τις ἔστιν ἑτέρα ἡ ἐπάγουσα τὰ ἐπίπονα. τὸ δ' αὐτὸ καὶ ἐν ἑτέροις ποιεῖ ἐρωτῶν πάλιν· "διὰ τί ἀσεβεῖς ζῶσιν, πεπαλαίωνται δὲ καὶ ἐν πλούτῳ, ὁ σπόρος αὐτῶν κατὰ ψυχήν, ἡ βοῦς αὐτῶν οὐκ ὠμοτόκησεν;" ἵνα καὶ διὰ τούτων παιδεύσῃ, ἐπιζητεῖ τὰς οὔσας αἰτίας παρὰ θεοῦ τῶν συμβαινόντων ἀνθρώποις ἐπιπόνων καὶ ἡδέων. ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον γὰρ πολλάκις οἱ φαῦλοι διετέλεσαν ἐν ταῖς νομιζομέναις εὐπραγίαις, ὡς εἰπεῖν περὶ αὐτῶν Σολομῶντα, ὅτι --· καθὰ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἰὼβ λέγει, ὅτι "καὶ ἐν ἀναπαύσει ᾅδου ἐκοι260 μήθησαν". ἐὰν γὰρ ἀπολούσωμαι χιόνι καὶ ἀποκαθαίρωμαι χερσὶν καθαραῖς, ἱκανῶς ἐν ῥύπωι με ἔβαψας, ἐβδελύξατο δέ με ἡ στολή μου. πάλιν, ἵνα μὴ περίαυτον αὐτὸν νομίσωσιν, φησὶν ταῦτα, ὅτι κἂν καθαρῶς ὑπάρξω οὕτω, ὡς διὰ πραξέων ἐναρέτων, ἃς χεῖρας ὠνόμασεν, καθᾶραι ἐμαυτόν, ἔχω πάλιν ῥύπον· περὶ οὗ ζητητέον παραβάλλοντα τὸ ὅμοιον ῥητόν· "οὐδεὶς καθαρὸς ἀπὸ ῥύπου, οὐδ' εἰ μία ὥρα ὁ βίος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς." καὶ "ἡ διάνοια τῶν ἀνθρώπ̣ων ἐπιμελῶς ἔνκειται ἐπὶ τὰ πονηρὰ ἐκ νεότητος", ὅπερ τὸ νεωτεροποιὸν ἦθος δηλοῖ, καθὰ καί τινι εἴρηται ἀκροατὴν νέον μὴ παραδέχεσθαι. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν θλίψει τοὺ»ς» μηδὲν πρὸς τῆς ζωῆς ταύτης τιθεμένους· πῶς γὰρ οὐ καθαρὸς ὁ νῦν πεπλασμένος; συνετῶς δὲ καὶ τὸ τῆς διαδοχῆς ἁμάρτημα ἐκλαβεῖν δεῖ τὸ κατὰ τὸν Ἀδάμ, ὅπερ παρ' ἐκείνων ἀσυνέτως προφέρεται. καὶ γὰρ καὶ οἱ ἅγιοι, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἄλλου χάριν εἰς τὸν βίον ἐληλύθασιν, ἐν τῇ παιδικῇ ἡλικίᾳ τὸν ῥύπον ἔχουσιν, ὃς οὐκ ἔστιν ἁμάρτημα. κατὰ τοῦτο εἴρηται περὶ τοῦ Σαμουήλ· "καὶ Σαμουὴλ πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι θεόν". ἠγνόει δὲ θεὸν βρέφος ὤν, οὐ διὰ τὸ κακίαν ἔ261 χειν, ἀλλὰ μήπω ἐπίγνωσιν λόγου ἐσχηκέναι. καὶ τὸ "πάντες δὲ