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there is no number, small animals with great he immediately brought forth; this is the dragon, whom you have formed to play with him. He says, then, that by divine power he stilled the intelligible sea, that is; he made sin disappear through the bath of regeneration. And he cast down the devil, having given us authority to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy, not using almighty power nor accomplishing this by authority as God, but by knowledge and wisdom, through humility, through long-suffering, the creator of men having become man and having humbled himself unto death, even death on a cross. 26, 13 But the bars of heaven feared him. Just as the powers above, 224 beholding him who was escorted by the angels returning to his own Father with his own flesh, said with fear and wonder: Who is this King of glory? Then they heard those who escorted him saying in response: The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. 26, 13 And by his command he put the apostate dragon to death. In agreement with these things the apostle spoke, saying: whom the Lord will slay with the spirit of his mouth. But if you should take this as referring to the devil himself, because he is destined to be sent into eternal darkness and into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels—for what the apostle says is about the antichrist, it is not spoken off the mark. 26, 14 Behold, these are parts of his way, and we will hear but a drop of his word in him. These things, he says, a few out of many, we have said, explaining a small part of the power and wisdom of God, by which, visiting and going about, he governs this world, and we have heard a certain small drop of his word; for it is impossible for a created nature to receive the whole flood of his wisdom. 26, 14 But the power of his thunder, who knows when he will make it? And who is a sufficient interpreter to say of the sound borne through the air and of the thunder, according to what principles or what causes it happens? 225 27, 1 And Job, adding further, spoke in the prologue. Since the three friends kept silent concerning what had been said, the blessed Job again adds what follows, connecting it to what went before. And he called what was said before a prologue with respect to what follows. But Aquila has rendered it thus: _A_n_d_ _J_o_b_ _a_d_d_e_d_ _t_o_ _t_a_k_e_ _u_p_ _h_i_s_ _parable and said. A parable is said in Scripture to be not only a word introduced by way of comparison, but also every wise word. For both Balaam, taking up his parable, spoke, and David: I will open my mouth in parables, not going through similarities, but wise words. 27, 2-5 The Lord lives, who has thus judged me, and the Almighty who has embittered my soul. As long as my breath is in me, and the divine spirit that is in my nostrils, my lips shall not speak lawless things, nor will my soul meditate unjust things. Far be it from me to declare you righteous until I die. The phrase "until I die" is spoken commonly, and the meaning is this: By the living Lord and by him who according to his own judgment and his inscrutable reasons has surrounded me with so many evils, as long as I breathe and live, even if I suffer things more terrible than these, I would not utter nor think anything discordant or lawless or blasphemous against God, resisting sin unto death. And may it not be for me to have one thing in my mind and be conscious that you condemn me in vain, but, being ashamed before you, to falsify the truth and to say that you justly think these things concerning me which you are indeed 226 saying. But observe how, while speaking about one God, he made mention of the holy and consubstantial Trinity. For first he said, "The Lord lives," speaking of the only-begotten; for there is one Lord, one faith. Then he added "the Almighty," signifying the Father of the only-begotten. Then, in order, he made mention of the Holy Spirit, which the saints breathe more than the air. He speaks of the spiritual gift, which God breathed into us from the beginning when he formed man to life, and later the

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οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός, ζῷα μικρὰ μετὰ μεγάλων εὐθὺς ἐπήγαγεν· δράκων οὗτος, ὃν ἔπλασας ἐμπαίζειν αὐτῷ. φησὶν οὖν, ὅτι θεϊκῇ δυνάμει τὴν νοητὴν ἔπαυσε θάλασσαν, τουτέστιν· τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐξηφάνισε διὰ τοῦ λουτροῦ τῆς παλιγγενεσίας. τὸν δὲ διάβολον ὑπέστρωσε δεδωκὼς ἡμῖν ἐξουσίαν πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, οὐ τῇ παναλκεῖ δυνάμει χρησάμενος οὐδὲ τῇ κατεξουσίᾳ τοῦτο διαπραξάμενος ὡς θεός, ἀλλ' ἐπιστήμῃ καὶ σοφίᾳ διὰ ταπεινοφροσύνης, διὰ ἀνεξικακίας, ἄνθρωπος γεγονὼς ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων δημιουργὸς καὶ ταπεινώσας ἑαυτὸν μέχρι θανάτου, θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ. 26, 13 κλεῖθρα δὲ οὐρανοῦ δεδοίκασιν αὐτόν. ὥσπερ ἀμέλει τὸν δορυφορούμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων αἱ ἄνω δυνά 224 μεις θεώμεναι πρὸς τὸν οἰκεῖον ἀναφοιτῶντα πατέρα μετὰ τῆς ἰδίας σαρκὸς μετὰ δέους καὶ θαύματος ἔλεγον· τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης; εἶτα καὶ ἀντιφθόγγως τῶν δορυφορούντων λεγόντων ἤκουον· κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης. 26, 13 προστάγματι δὲ ἐθανάτωσε δράκοντα ἀποστάτην. σύμφωνα τούτοις ὁ ἀπόστολος ἔφησεν εἰρηκώς· ὃν ὁ κύριος ἀνελεῖ τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ. εἰ δὲ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἐκλάβοις τὸν διάβολον διὰ τὸ μέλλειν αὐτὸν εἰς αἰώνιον σκότος παραπέμπεσθαι καὶ εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦτὸ γὰρ τοῦ ἀποστόλου περὶ τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου λέγεται, οὐκ ἀπὸ σκοποῦ εἴρηται. 26, 14 ἰδοὺ ταῦτα μέρη ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ ἰκμάδα λόγου αὐτοῦ ἀκουσόμεθα ἐν αὐτῷ. ταῦτα, φησίν, ἐκ πολλῶν ὀλίγα εἴπαμεν μέρος τι μικρὸν ἐξηγησάμενοι τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ σοφίας τοῦ θεοῦ, καθ' ἣν ἐφοδεύων καὶ περιπολῶν τόνδε τὸν κόσμον διέπει, καὶ μικράν τινα ἰκμάδα τοῦ λόγου αὐτοῦ ἀκηκόαμεν· ὅλον γὰρ τὸ χύμα τῆς αὐτοῦ σοφίας γεννητὴν φύσιν παραδέξασθαι ἀμήχανον. 26, 14 σθένος δὲ βροντῆς αὐτοῦ τίς οἶδεν ὁπότε ποιήσει; τίς δὲ ἱκανὸς ἐξηγητὴς τὸν διὰ ἀέρος καὶ βροντῆς κτύπον φερόμενον εἰπεῖν, κατὰ ποίους λόγους ἢ ποίας αἰτίας γίνεται; 225 27, 1 ἔτι δὲ προσθεὶς Ἰὼβ εἶπε τῷ προοιμίῳ. τῶν τριῶν φίλων πρὸς τὰ εἰρημένα τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἀγαγόντων αὖθις τοῖς προτέροις ἐπισυνάπτων τὰ ἐφεξῆς ὁ μακάριος Ἰὼβ ἐπιφέρει. προοίμιον δὲ ὡς πρὸς τὰ ἐφεξῆς τὰ πρότερον εἰρημένα εἶπεν. ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας οὕτως ἐκδέδωκεν· _κ_α_ὶ_ _ _ ̓_Ι_ὼ_β_ _π_ρ_ο_σ_έ_θ_η_κ_ε_ν_ _ἆ_ρ_α_ι_ _τ_ὴ_ν_ _π_α_ραβολὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν. παραβολὴ δὲ εἴρηται παρὰ τῇ γραφῇ οὐ μόνον ὁ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν εἰσαγόμενος λόγος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἅπας λόγος σοφός. καὶ ὁ Βαλαὰμ γὰρ ἀναλαμβάνων τὴν παραβολὴν ἔλεγεν, καὶ ∆αυίδ· ἀνοίξω ἐν παραβολαῖς τὸ στόμα μου, οὐχ ὁμοιώματα διεξιόντες, ἀλλὰ λόγους σοφούς. 27, 25 ζῇ κύριος, ὃς οὕτω με κέκρικεν, καὶ ὁ παντοκράτωρ ὁ πικράνας μου τὴν ψυχήν. ἢ μὴν ἔτι τῆς πνοῆς μου ἐνούσης, πνεῦμα δὲ θεῖον τὸ περιόν μοι ἐν ῥισίν, μὴ λαλήσειν τὰ χείλη μου ἄνομα, οὐδὲ ἡ ψυχή μου μελετήσει ἄδικα. μή μοι εἴη δικαίους ὑμᾶς ἀποφῆναι ἕως ἂν ἀποθάνω. τὸ ἕως ἂν ἀποθάνω κατὰ κοινοῦ εἴρηται, ὁ δὲ νοῦς οὗτος· μὰ τὸν ζῶντα κύριον καὶ τὸν κατὰ κρίσιν οἰκείαν καὶ τοὺς ἀνεφίκτους ἑαυτοῦ λόγους τοῖς τοσούτοις με κακοῖς περιβεβληκότα, ἕως ἀναπνέω καὶ ζῶ, κἂν τούτων πάθω δεινότερον, οὐκ ἂν ἀπηχές τι ἢ ἄνομον ἢ παλίμφημον φθεγξαίμην ἢ διανοησαίμην κατὰ θεοῦ ἀντικαθιστάμενος μέχρι θανάτου πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. ἀλλὰ μηδὲ γένοιτό μοι, ἕτερα μὲν ἔχειν κατὰ διάνοιαν καὶ συνειδέναι μὲν ὡς μάτην μου καταψηφίζεσθε, δυσωπούμενον δὲ ὑμᾶς παραχαράττειν τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ φάσκειν, ὅτι δικαίως ταῦτα ἐννοεῖτε περὶ ἐμοῦ ἅπερ δὴ 226 λέγετε. ἐπιτήρει δέ, ὡς περὶ ἑνὸς θεοῦ διαλεγόμενος τῆς ἁγίας καὶ ὁμοουσίου τριάδος ἐμνημόνευσε. πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ εἶπε ζῇ κύριος τὸν μονογενῆ λέγων· εἷς γὰρ κύριος, μία πίστις. εἶτα ἐπήγαγεν ὁ παντοκράτωρ τὸν τοῦ μονογενοῦς πατέρα παραδηλῶν. εἶτα ἐφεξῆς τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ἐμνημόνευσεν, ὃ ἀναπνέουσι μᾶλλον οἱ ἅγιοι ἢ τὸν ἀέρα. λέγει δὲ τὸ πνευματικὸν χάρισμα, ὃ ἐνεφύσησεν ἡμῖν θεὸς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ζωοπλαστήσας τὸν ἄνθρωπον καὶ ὕστερον ὁ