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24, 21 and they did not pity a little woman. the one needing assistance because of her nature. 24, 22 but with wrath they overthrew the powerless. Not for any reasonable cause, but using wrath, an irrational movement of the soul, he overthrew and brought the powerless and helpless into complete destitution. 213 24, 22 Therefore, when he rises up, he will not believe in his own life. Therefore, for these reasons, the ungodly man, rising up each day, will not believe if he will live, but will remain fearing and being terrified. For fear is nothing else but a betrayal of the helps that come from reason, as the wise Solomon defined it. 24, 23 But having become weak, let him not hope to be healed, but he will fall by disease. For often the diseases of the body also happen because of sins. And "let him not hope" is instead of: he is despairing, being struck by his own conscience. And he will fall, evidently struck by the disease. 24, 24 For his high position harmed many. For this reason he will fall, because having been exalted, he harmed many. 24, 24 He withered like mallow in the heat or like an ear of corn that has fallen from the stalk of its own accord. Other copies contain: _l_i_k_e_ _g_r_e_e_n_ _g_r_a_s_s_. And the great writer said something similar: that like grass he will quickly wither, and like green herbs he will quickly fall away. And he spoke well the phrase "that has fallen of its own accord"; for to each his own sin becomes an avenger. 214 24, 25 But if not, who is he who says I speak falsely and will set my words to naught? I, therefore, he says, hold these opinions concerning both the injustice of the ungodly and the divine forbearance and the just retribution. But if what has been said is false, let whoever wishes come forward and refute the argument and nullify my words. 215 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN The beginning of the saying: Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: For what beginning or fear is from him, who makes all things in the highest? Introduction to the chapter just as Eliphaz, being at a loss regarding the things spoken problematically by Job, did not contend for upright justice, but turned his argument to slanders against the righteous man, so also Bildad, being unable to refute Job's words, diverts his defense and slanders him as one who exalts himself against God and is proud of his own godliness, while philosophizing admirably about the things of God, but disparaging human nature and decreeing that none of the purest things are pure in comparison with divine purity. The words 25, 2 For what beginning or fear is with him? Since, he says, you are proud of your godliness, learn that the beginning of wisdom and godliness is the divine fear; but you speak fearlessly. Therefore, he who has not acquired the beginning of godliness, how can he boast in its other parts? 216 The psalmist also philosophized on this, melodiously adding: the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. 25, 2 who makes all things in the highest. To bring Job into the fear of God he explains his power and says, that God, being highest and above all, has fashioned all things and is creator of all. But it is also possible to understand "in the highest" differently as "in the Son"; for the Son is highest just as the Father is. 25, 3 For should one suppose that there is a reprieve for pirates? And against whom will an ambush from him not come? "Pirates" are properly those who plunder the sea. But generally he says that: let no one think that God continues for long postponing the punishments against the unjust, but just as those who lie in ambush, so he comes upon them unexpectedly and it is not possible for any of the ungodly to escape divine justice. 25, 4 For how shall a mortal be righteous before the Lord, or who, born of woman, shall cleanse himself? Bildad taught a beautiful doctrine. For no man is able to cleanse himself because of the sin handed down from the fathers, unless he should obtain divine cleansing. And in another way, even if by human judgment many are considered righteous, yet in the all-seeing eye of God no one is righteous, no one able to say: I am pure. For it is impossible 217 not to be in some transgressions, where indeed for our words and actions and thoughts we are required to pay penalties, to escape the notice of the all-seeing God not

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24, 21 καὶ γύναιον οὐκ ἠλέησαν. τὸ διὰ τὴν φύσιν ἐπικουρίας δεόμενον. 24, 22 θυμῷ δὲ κατέστρεψαν ἀδυνάτους. οὐκ ἔκ τινος αἰτίας εὐλόγου, ἀλλὰ ψυχῆς ἀλόγῳ κινήματι τῷ θυμῷ χρώμενος κατέστρεψε καὶ εἰς παντελῆ περιέστησεν ἀπορίαν τοὺς ἀδυνάτους καὶ ἀνεπικουρήτους. 213 24, 22 ἀναστὰς τοιγαροῦν οὐ μὴ πιστεύσει κατὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ζωῆς. διὰ ταῦτα οὖν ὁ ἀσεβὴς καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἀνιστάμενος οὐ πιστεύσει εἰ ζήσεται, ἀλλὰ μενεῖ δεδοικὼς καὶ περίφοβος ὤν. οὐδὲν γάρ ἐστι φόβος εἰ μὴ προδοσία τῶν ἀπὸ λογισμοῦ βοηθημάτων, ὡς ὁ σοφὸς ὡρίσατο Σολομών. 24, 23 μαλακισθεὶς δὲ μὴ ἐλπιζέτω ὑγιασθῆναι, ἀλλὰ πεσεῖται νόσῳ. συμβαίνουσι γὰρ πολλάκις καὶ διὰ ἁμαρτίας αἱ τῶν σωμάτων νόσοι. τὸ δὲ μὴ ἐλπιζέτω ἀντὶ τοῦ· δύσελπίς ἐστιν ὑπὸ τῆς ἰδίας συνειδήσεως βαλλόμενος. πεσεῖται δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς νόσου δηλονότι πληγείς. 24, 24 πολλοὺς γὰρ ἐκάκωσε τὸ ὕψωμα αὐτοῦ. διὰ τοῦτο πεσεῖται, ἐπειδὴ ὑψωθεὶς πολλοὺς ἐκάκωσεν. 24, 24 ἐμαράνθη ὥσπερ μαλάχη ἐν καύματι ἢ ὥσπερ στάχυς ἀπὸ καλάμης αὐτομάτως ἀποπεσών. ἕτερα ἀντίγραφα· _ὥ_σ_π_ε_ρ_ _χ_λ_ό_η, περιέχουσιν. ὅμοιον δὲ καὶ ὁ μεγαλογράφος εἶπεν· ὅτι ὡσεὶ χόρτος ταχὺ ἀποξηρανθήσεται καὶ ὡσεὶ λάχανα χλόης ταχὺ ἀποπεσοῦνται. καλῶς δὲ εἶπε τὸ αὐτομάτως ἀποπεσών· ἑκάστῳ γὰρ ἡ ἰδία ἁμαρτία τιμωρὸς γίνεται. 214 24, 25 εἰ δὲ μή, τίς ἐστιν ὁ φάμενος ψευδῆ με λέγειν καὶ θήσει εἰς οὐδὲν τὰ ῥήματά μου. ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν, φησίν, ταῦτα δοξάζω περί τε τῆς τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἀδικίας καὶ τῆς θείας ἀνεξικακίας καὶ τῆς δικαίας ἀνταποδόσεως. εἰ δὲ ψευδῆ τὰ εἰρημένα, ὁ βουλόμενος παρελθέτω καὶ διελεγξάτω τὸν λόγον καὶ τοὺς ἐμοὺς ἀκυρωσάτω λόγους. 215 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΟΚΤΩΚΑΙ∆ΕΚΑΤΟΝ Ἀρχὴ τοῦ ῥητοῦ· ὑπολαβὼν δὲ Βαλδὰδ ὁ Σαυχίτης λέγει· τί γὰρ προοίμιον ἢ φόβος παρ' αὐτοῦ, ὁ ποιῶν τὴν σύμπασαν ἐν ὑψίστῳ; Προθεωρία τοῦ κεφαλαίου ὥσπερ ὁ Ἐλιφὰζ ἀπορήσας πρὸς τὰ προβληματικῶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰὼβ εἰρημένα οὐκ εὐθυδικίαν ἠγωνίσατο, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὰς κατὰ τοῦ δικαίου διαβολὰς ἔτρεψε τὸν λόγον, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Βαλδὰδ οὐκ ἔχων ἐλέγχειν τοῦ Ἰὼβ τοὺς λόγους μετοχετεύει τὴν ἀπολογίαν καὶ ὡς ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ μέγα φρονοῦντα ἐπὶ τῇ οἰκείᾳ θεοσεβείᾳ διαβάλλει, θαυμαστῶς μὲν τὰ περὶ θεοῦ φιλοσοφῶν, ἐξευτελίζων δὲ τὴν ἀνθρώπου φύσιν καὶ μηδὲν τῶν καθαρωτάτων καθαρὸν εἶναι διοριζόμενος συγκρίσει τῆς θείας καθαρότητος. Αἱ λέξεις 25, 2 τί γὰρ προοίμιον ἢ φόβος παρ' αὐτῷ; ἐπειδὴ μέγα, φησίν, ἐπὶ θεοσεβείᾳ φρονεῖς, μάνθανε ὡς ἀρχὴ σοφίας καὶ θεοσεβείας ὁ θεῖος ὑπάρχει φόβος· σὺ δὲ ἀφόβως διαλέγει. ὁ τοίνυν τὸ προοίμιον τῆς θεοσεβείας μὴ κτησάμενος, πῶς τοῖς ἄλλοις αὐτῆς μέρεσι σεμνύνεσθαι δύναται; 216 τοῦτο καὶ ὁ ψαλμῳδὸς ἐφιλοσόφησεν ἐμμελῶς ἐπιβαλλόμενος· ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος κυρίου. 25, 2 ὁ ποιῶν τὴν σύμπασαν ἐν ὑψίστῳ. εἰς φόβον ἐνάγων τὸν Ἰὼβ τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν δύναμιν ἐξηγεῖται καί φησιν, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ὕψιστος ὢν καὶ ὑπεράνω παντὸς τὰ πάντα κατεσκεύασε καὶ πάντων ἐστὶ δημιουργός. ἔστι δὲ καὶ νοῆσαι ἑτέρως τὸ ἐν ὑψίστῳ ἐν τῷ υἱῷ· ὕψιστος γὰρ ὁ υἱὸς ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ πατήρ. 25, 3 μὴ γάρ τις ὑπολάβοι, ὅτι ἔστι παρέλκυσις πειραταῖς; ἐπὶ τίνας δὲ οὐκ ἐπελεύσεται ἔνεδρα παρ' αὐτοῦ; πειραταὶ μέν εἰσι κυρίως οἱ τὴν θάλασσαν λῃστεύοντες. καθόλου δέ φησιν ὅτι· μηδεὶς ἐννοείτω, ὡς ἐπὶ πολὺ διαμένει θεὸς ὑπερτιθέμενος τὰς κατὰ τῶν ἀδίκων τιμωρίας, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ οἱ ἐνεδρεύοντες οὕτως ἀδοκήτως αὐτοῖς ἐπέρχεται καὶ οὐκ ἔστι τινὰ τῶν ἀσεβῶν τὴν θείαν διαδρᾶναι δίκην. 25, 4 πῶς γὰρ ἔσται δίκαιος βροτὸς ἔναντι κυρίου, ἢ τίς ἀποκαθαρίσαι ἑαυτὸν γεννητὸς γυναικός; ὡραῖον ὁ Βαλδὰδ ἐδίδαξε δόγμα. οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀνθρώπων ἑαυτὸν καθᾶραι δύναται διὰ τὴν πατροπαράδοτον ἁμαρτίαν, εἰ μὴ τῆς θείας τύχοι καθάρσεως. καὶ ἄλλως δέ, εἰ καὶ τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ κρίσει πολλοὶ δίκαιοι νομίζονται, ἀλλά γε τῷ πανεπισκόπῳ τοῦ θεοῦ ὀφθαλμῷ οὐδεὶς δίκαιος, οὐδεὶς δυνάμενος εἰπεῖν ὅτι· καθαρός εἰμι. ἀμήχανον 217 γάρ, μὴ ἔν τισι γενέσθαι παραπτώμασιν, ὅπουγε καὶ λόγων ἡμῶν καὶ πράξεων καὶ ἐνθυμημάτων τὰς δίκας ἀπαιτούμεθα τὸν πάντα ἐφορῶντα θεὸν λαθεῖν οὐ