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of nature. Then again: he will not listen, it says, to the insolence of the wicked; this is a safeguard. For the Lord does not wish to see unbecoming things. Not only does the Lord not accept it, but he does not even wish to see it, as another prophet says: A pure eye that does not see evil things. Do you see, how great the providence, how great the protection, how great the understanding? Even if he does not avenge you, yet he is hostile towards the matter. Then, since he said: He does not wish to see, so that you may not think the matter is one of ignorance, but may learn that it is of a certain disposition and contradiction, listen how he added: For the Almighty himself is the seer of those who commit lawless deeds. Be judged then before him, if you are able to praise him as he is. “If he had set up a court,” it says, “and set forth the ordinances, would you not have praised him? Would you not have glorified him worthily for the things that have happened to you now, when you think you are being wronged and punished? For not being able to hymn God worthily is no great thing, but being about to be judged by him in the things concerning us and not being able to hymn him worthily, this is a great thing.”

36,1 AND ELIHU ADDED AND SAID FURTHER: 36,2a Wait for me a little longer, that I may teach you; 2b for there is still speech in me. 36,3a Having taken up my knowledge from afar, 3b and in my works I will speak righteous things 36,4a in truth, and not unjust, he says, words 4b you understand unjustly. That is: I speak the just outcomes of their works, these are not words or speeches. Then after many things he says: 36,21a But take care, lest you do unjust things. He did not say: “You did them.” 179 36,24a Remember therefore, Job, that his works are great, 24b which men have begun. 36,25a Every man has seen in himself, 25b as many mortals as are wounded. That is: perishing each day, as many as he destroys. 36,27a And the drops of rain have been numbered by him. Here he speaks of knowledge and providence. 36,28b And he overshadowed clouds upon countless mortals. 28c And he set a time for the cattle, 28d and they know the order of their resting place. And though deprived of reason, they knew by nature. He introduces these things, about which God is about to speak with him. 36,28e At all these things, he says, is not your mind astonished? He did not say: "Does it not marvel?", but "is it not astonished?"—for truly it is astonishment and shuddering, from whence the irrational beings keep such good order—, so that you may learn that you too are governed not by reason, but by the one who gave reason. And after many things he says: 37,7b so that every man may know his own weakness. “For this reason,” he says, “his creations are so great, for this reason there is cold and heat, for this reason there is irregularity of the airs.” For was it not possible for the best mixture to come into being? But so that from all sides he might hinder the excessive and uprising pride, so that every man may know his own weakness. In the face of his cold, he says, who will stand? And all creation has been crafted for this, and all things have come to be for this reason. For since this, most of all things, cast one out from boldness before God, God constructed all things for the opposite: both the creation and the structure of the body and the conduct of life, so that all these things are for humility, so that we may learn to be moderate and so that we may recognize our own weakness, so that we may say according to Abraham: But I am earth and ashes, so that we may say according to David: But I am a worm and not a man, so that we may say according to the Apostle, that he appeared to me as to one born out of due time. He made him weak, and he thinks he is strong; for which reason he also becomes weaker. Some things therefore show both his power and our weakness, while others show his power alone. For not only does he wish everywhere to be marveled at by us while grieving us, but there are times when he also relieves our mind. And after many things he says: 37,17a But your robe is warm, 17b and there is quiet upon the earth. That is to say this, that “you are in pains now, but later you will rest.” And this is of God's wisdom, to devise a certain release and end for human evils, namely death. Or that “even if in

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φύσεως. εἶτα πάλιν· οὐ μὴ εἰσακούσῃ, φησίν, ἀπὸ ὕβρεως πονηρῶν· τοῦτο φυλακή. ἄτοπα γὰρ ἰδεῖν οὐ βούλεται ὁ κύριος. οὐ μόνον οὐ δέχεται ὁ κύριος, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἰδεῖν βούλεται, ὥσπερ ἄλλος φησὶ προφήτης· καθαρὸς ὀφθαλμὸς τοῦ μὴ ὁρᾶν πονηρά. ὁρᾷς, πόση πρόνοια, πόση φυλακή, πόση σύνεσις; εἰ καὶ μή σε ἐκδικεῖ, ἀλλ' ἀπεχθῶς ἔχει πρὸς τὸ πρᾶγμα. εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν· οὐ βούλεται ὁρᾶν, ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς ἀγνοίας εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἀλλὰ μάθῃς, ὅτι σχέσεώς τινός ἐστι καὶ ἀντιλογίας, ἄκουσον, πῶς ἐπήγαγεν· αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ παντοκράτωρ ὁρατής ἐστι τῶν συντελούντων τὰ ἄνομα. κρίθητι δὲ ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ, εἰ δύνασαι αὐτὸν αἰνέσαι ὡς ἔστιν. «εἰ δικαστήριον ἐκάθισεν», φησίν, «καὶ τὰ δικαιώματα προέθηκεν, οὐκ ἂν αὐτὸν ἐπῄνεσας; οὐκ ἂν αὐτὸν ἐδόξασας κατ' ἀξίαν ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰς σὲ γεγενημένοις νῦν, ὅτε νομίζεις ἀδικεῖσθαι καὶ κολάζεσθαι; τὸ μὲν γὰρ μὴ δύνασθαι κατ' ἀξίαν τὸν θεὸν ὑμνεῖν οὐδὲν μέγα, τὸ δὲ μέλλοντα κρίνεσθαι πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς πρὸς ἡμᾶς μὴ δύνασθαι κατ' ἀξίαν αὐτὸν ὑμνεῖν, τοῦτο μέγα.»

36,1 ΠΡΟΣΘΕΙΣ ∆Ε ΕΛΙΟΥΣ ΕΤΙ ΛΕΓΕΙ· 36,2a μεῖνόν με μικρὸν ἔτι, ἵνα διδάξω

σε· 2b ἔτι γάρ μοι ἔνεστι λέξις. 36,3a ἀναλαβὼν τὴν ἐπιστήμην μου μακράν, 3b ἔργοις δέ μου δίκαια ἐρῶ 36,4a ἐπ' ἀληθείας, καὶ οὐκ ἄδικα, φησίν, ῥήματα 4b ἀδίκως συνίεις. τουτέστιν· τὰ ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν ἐκβαίνοντα δίκαια λέγω, οὐχὶ ῥήματα ταῦτά ἐστιν οὐδὲ λόγοι. εἶτα μετὰ πολλά φησιν· 36,21a ἀλλὰ φύλαξαι, μὴ πράξῃς ἄδικα. οὐκ εἶπεν ὅτι· «ἔπραξας.» 179 36,24a μνήσθητι οὖν, ˉ̓Ιώβ, ὅτι μεγάλα ἐστὶν αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔργα, 24b ὧν ἦρξαν ἄνδρες. 36,25a πᾶς ἄνθρωπος εἶδεν ἐν ἑαυτῷ, 25b ὅσοι τιτρωσκόμενοί εἰσι βροτοί. τουτέστιν· ἀπολλύμενοι καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, ὅσους ἀναιρεῖ. 36,27a ἠρίθμηνται δὲ αὐτῷ ὑετοῦ σταγόνες. ἐνταῦθα τὴν γνῶσίν φησιν καὶ τὴν πρόνοιαν. 36,28b ἐσκίασε δὲ νέφη ἐπὶ ἀμυθήτων βροτῶν. 28c ὥραν δὲ ἔθετο κτήνεσιν, 28d καὶ οἴδασι κοίτης τάξιν. καίτοι λόγου ἀπεστερημένα ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως ἔγνωσαν. προοιμιάζεται περὶ τούτων, περὶ ὧν μέλλει αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς διαλέγεσθαι. 36,28e ἐπὶ τούτοις πᾶσιν, φησίν, οὐκ ἐξίσταταί σου ἡ διάνοια; οὐκ εἶπεν· "οὐ θαυμάζει;", ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐξίσταται;-ὄντως γὰρ ἔκστασις καὶ φρίκη, πόθεν τὰ ἄλογα τοσαύτην εὐταξίαν φυλάττει-, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι καὶ σὺ οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ λόγου, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τοῦ τὸν λόγον δεδωκότος κυβερνᾷ. καὶ μετὰ πολλά φησιν· 37,7b ἵνα γνῷ πᾶς ἄνθρωπος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀσθένειαν. «διὰ τοῦτο», φησίν, «οὕτω μεγάλα αὐτοῦ τὰ δημιουργήματα, διὰ τοῦτο ψῦχος καὶ καῦμα, διὰ τοῦτο ἀέρων ἀνωμαλία.» μὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἐνῆν γενέσθαι κρᾶσιν ἀρίστην; ἀλλ' ἵνα πάντοθεν κωλύσῃ τοῦ φρονήματος τὸ ὑπερέχον καὶ διανιστάμενον, ἵνα γνῷ πᾶς ἄνθρωπος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀσθένειαν. κατὰ πρόσωπον ψύχους αὐτοῦ, φησίν, τίς ὑποστήσεται; καὶ πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις πρὸς τοῦτο δεδημιούργηται καὶ πάντα διὰ τοῦτο γέγονεν. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τοῦτο μάλιστα πάντων ἐξέβαλε τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ παρρησίας, πάντα πρὸς τὸ ἐναντίον κατεσκεύασεν ὁ θεός, καὶ τὴν κτίσιν καὶ τὴν κατασκευὴν τοῦ σώματος καὶ τὴν τοῦ βίου διαγωγήν, ὥστε ταῦτα πάντα διὰ ταπεινο180 φροσύνην, ἵνα μάθωμεν μετριάζειν καὶ ἵνα τὴν ἀσθένειαν ἐπιγνῶμεν τὴν ἑαυτῶν, ἵνα λέγωμεν κατὰ τὸν Ἀβραάμ· ἐγὼ δέ εἰμι γῆ καὶ σποδός, ἵνα λέγωμεν κατὰ τὸν ∆αυίδ· ἐγὼ δέ εἰμι σκώληξ καὶ οὐκ ἄνθρωπος, ἵνα λέγωμεν κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον, ὅτι ἐμοὶ ὡσπερεὶ τῷ ἐκτρώματι ὤφθη. ἀσθενῆ αὐτὸν ἐποίησεν, καὶ νομίζει ἰσχυρὸς εἶναι· διὸ καὶ ἀσθενέστερος γίνεται. τὰ μὲν οὖν ὁμοῦ καὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀσθένειαν δείκνυσιν, τὰ δὲ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ μόνον. οὐ γὰρ μόνον βούλεται πανταχοῦ μετὰ τοῦ λυπεῖν ἡμᾶς θαυμάζεσθαι παρ' ἡμῶν, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὅπου καὶ ἀνίησιν ἡμῶν τὴν διάνοιαν. καὶ μετὰ πολλά φησιν· 37,17a σοῦ δὲ ἡ στολὴ θερμή, 17b ἡσυχάζεται δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. ἤτοι τοῦτό φησιν, ὅτι «ἐν ὀδύναις εἶ νῦν, ἀλλ' ὕστερον ἀναπαύσῃ». καὶ τοῦτο τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίας τὸ λύσιν τινὰ καὶ πέρας ἐπινοῆσαι τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις κακοῖς τὸν θάνατον. ἢ ὅτι «εἰ καὶ ἐν