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he might be considered blessed by God as being long-lived- for they considered a man who became long-lived to be blessed-, but even this one, in relation to the age to come, is short-lived; through ... ... wishing to show him that he does not have precise knowledge of things, for he is short-lived according to men. And this is clear from what follows; and 'born of a woman' periphrastically signifies man. We have this said by the Lord: "Among those born of women there is none greater than John." Cleverly the arguments on this matter ... are presented, distinguishing Jesus from those born of a woman because He was of a virgin; and cleverly we will say, that of him ... it is said: "born of a woman," the name of 'woman' here indicating the female. And in reality, human time is short; and proof of this is what was said by Paul: "If in this life only we have hope, we are of all men most miserable." For this is the life of the composite man. But if you would understand the 294 life belonging to the rational part, you would not be fainthearted; for the soul is immortal. For if you were to compare the life of Methuselah, even this would be short in comparison to the life in the age to come and the immortality of the soul. Do not be abundant in words, for there is no one to answer you. ... ... the virtue of the ..., as has been said before, being ignorant also of the harmonious purpose of the things announced by him, says to him: "Do not be abundant in words." But the divine word, teaching to restrain what is superfluous in words, says: "From a multitude of words you will not escape sin," here calling a multitude of words the declaration of things that are not fitting. And it is possible ... and ... to speak. But that it is not the multitude of uttered words that makes for much speaking, the apostle shows when "continuing his speech until midnight" to his listeners. One must marvel at his audacity against Job, because although he was answering him, he claimed there was no one to answer him; through this 295 ... ... it is necessary for someone more audacious ... to be brought forth ... he suffers on account of wickedness, being ignorant of the other reason. For do not say, "I am pure in my works and blameless before him." In relation to his own opinion, being ignorant of his purity, he in a way offers him advice, thinking that this confession of purity and blamelessness is a rejection of providence; for the friends think that if he had not sinned, he would not have fallen into sad circumstances. But they are not able to show that Job said to God: "I am blameless before you." For he knew that "the stars are not pure in his sight," and what was said by those who have achieved righteousness: "All our righteousness is as a filthy rag before you." For in comparison to you, the judge who is righteousness, even if we have righteousness, we have it as dim in comparison to you. And Paul, saying, "I am conscious of nothing in myself," and adding, "but I am not hereby justified," shows the weakness of created nature. 296 But how would the Lord speak to you? And open his lips with you? Since they appear to be ... and they themselves ... ... of words having fluency, even if they were mistaken about one thing- for it was said by one of them: "For inquire of the former generation, and search out the generation of their fathers"- it is clear that he does not speak of God's speech and the opening of his lips in an anthropomorphic way. He says, therefore, "Do not you say: 'I am pure;'" but prepare yourself for purity, so that God may thus speak to you and open his lips with you through goodness. And his speech and his lips must be taken as the converse that happens invisibly in the mind. But that the lips signify the word, the proverbial saying teaches: "But the lips of the wise are bound by perception;" and also, "Put away from you unjust lips." Then he will announce to you the power of wisdom, that it will be double according to your state. It shows that, speaking to you, God will teach you that these things wisely

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εὐλογημένος ὑπὸ θεοῦ νομισθῇ ὡς πολυετής- γενέσθαι γὰρ καὶ πολυχρόνιον ἄνθρωπον εὐλογημένον ἐνόμιζον-, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτο̣ς ὡς πρὸς τὸν μέλλοντα αἰῶνα ὀλιγόβιός ἐστιν· διὰ τ̣····· ····· δεῖξαι αὐτῷ βουλόμενος, ὅτι οὐκ ἔχει τῶν πραγμάτων ἐπιστήμην ἀκριβῆ, ὀλιγόβιος γ̣ὰρ ὢν κατὰ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. δῆλον δὲ τοῦτο ἐκ τῶν ἑξῆς ἐπιφερομένων· γεννητὸν δὲ γυναικὸς περιφραστικῶς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ση̣μ̣αίνει. ἔχομεν τοῦτο ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου λεγόμενον· "μείζων ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν Ἰωάννου οὐδείς ἐστιν." χαριέντως οἱ εἰς τοῦτο λ̣όγοι ··· παρατίθενται διαστέλλοντες τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἀπὸ τῶν γεννητῶν διὰ γυναικὸς διὰ τὸ παρθένιον εἶναι αὐτόν· χαριέντως δὲ ἐροῦμ̣εν, ὅτι αὐτου῀̣ ···ηται· "γενόμενος ἐκ γυναικός", δηλοῦντος ἐνταῦθα τοῦ τῆς γυναικὸς ὀνόμ̣ατος τὴν θήλειαν. κ̣αὶ τῷ ὄντι ὀλίγος ἐστὶν ὁ χρόνος ἀνθρώπινος· καὶ τούτου δ»ε»ῖγμα τὸ παρὰ Παύλου εἰρημένον· εἰ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ ταύτῃ ἠλπικότες ἐσμὲν μόνον, ἐλεεινότεροι πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἐσμέν." αὕτη γὰρ ἡ τοῦ συνθέτου ἀνθρώπου ζωή ἐστιν. εἰ δὲ τὴν 294 τῷ λογικῷ προσοῦσαν ζωὴν νοήσοις, οὐκ ὀλιγοψυχήσαις ἄν· ἀθάνατος γὰρ ἡ ψυχή. εἰ γοῦν τὴν Μαθουσάλα ζωὴν συνκρίνοις, καὶ αὕτη ὀλίγη ἂν εἴη πρὸς τὴν ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι ζωὴν καὶ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀθανασίαν. μὴ πολὺς ἐν ῥήμασιν γίνου, οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἀντικρινόμενός · σοι. ο····· ··τη`̣ν ἀρετὴν τοῦ ὑπο̣τ̣·····, ω῾̣ς προείρηται, ἀγνοῶν καὶ τὸν σύμφωνον σκοπὸν τῶν ἀπαγγελλομένων πρὸς αὐτοῦ, λέγει αὐτῷ· "μὴ πολὺς ἐν ῥήμασιν γίνου." ὁ δὲ θεῖος λόγος παι̣δ̣εύων τὸ ἐν λόγ̣οις περιττὸν ἐπ̣έχειν φησίν· "ἐκ πολυλογίας οὐκ ἐκφεύξῃ ἁμαρτίαν," πολυλογίαν ἐνταῦθα μὲν τὴν μὴ προσ ηκόντων ἀπαγγελίαν λέγων. ἔστιν δὲ ·····σ̣του··αν καὶ κα····· · λ̣αλεῖν. ὅτι δὲ οὐ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀπαγγελλομένων λ̣όγων τὸ πολύλογον ποιεῖ, δ̣ηλοῖ ὁ ἀπόστολος "μέχρι μ̣εσονυκτίου παρατείν̣ω̣ν̣ τὸν λόγον" πρὸς τοὺς ἀκούοντας̣. θαυμάσαι δέ ἐστιν αὐτοῦ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰὼβ θρασύτητα, ὅτι καίτοι ἀποκρινόμενος πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔφασκεν μὴ εἶναι τὸν ἀνταποκρινόμενον αὐτῷ· διὰ τού295 του ······ ··· δεῖ θρασύτερόν τιν̣α ····· ··ενεχθῆναι του το ······ ····μενει τῷ διὰ φαυλότητα αὐτὸν πάσχειν, τὴν ἑτέραν ἀγνοῶν αἰτίαν. μὴ γὰρ λέγε, ὅτι καθαρός εἰμι τοῖς ἔργοις καὶ ἄμεμπτος ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ. ὡς πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν ὑπόλημψιν ἀγνοῶν αὐτοῦ τὴν καθαρότητα τρόπον τινὰ παραίνεσιν αὐτῷ προσάγει οἰόμενος, ὅτι ἀθέτησίς ἐστιν τῆς προνοίας ἡ τούτου τῆς καθαρότητος καὶ τοῦ ἀμέμπτου ὁμολογία· οἴ ονται γὰρ οἱ φίλοι, ὅτι εἰ μὴ ἦν ἁμαρτήσας, οὐ περιέπιπτεν σκυθρωποῖς. οὐκ ἔχουσιν δὲ δεῖξαι, ὅτι εἶπεν ὁ Ἰὼβ πρὸς θεόν· ἄμεμπτός εἰμι ἐναντίον σου. ᾔδει γάρ, ὅτι "ἄστρα οὐ καθαρὰ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ", καὶ τὸ ὑπὸ τῶν δικαιοσύνην κατορθωσάντων λεχθέν· "ὡς α ῥάκος ἀποκαθημένης πᾶσα ἡ δικαιοσύνη ἡμῶν ἐναντίον σου." ὡς πρὸς σὲ γὰρ τὸν δικαστὴν ὄντα δικαιοσύνην, κἂν ἔχωμεν δικαιοσύνην, ἀμαυρὰν αὐτὴν ἔχομεν ὡς πρὸς σέ. καὶ Παῦλος δὲ λέγων· "οὐδὲν ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα" καὶ ἐπάγων· "ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ δεδικαίωμαι" δ»ε»ίκνυσι τὸ τῆς γενητῆς φύσεως ἀσθενές. 296 ἀλλὰ πῶς ἂν ὁ κύριος λαλήσαι πρὸς σέ; καὶ ἀνοίξῃ χείλη αὐτοῦ μετὰ σοῦ; ἐπειδὴ φαι´̣νονται ·····οι ὄντες καὶ αὐτοὶ ····· ····· λόγων ἐχόντων ἐντρέχε̣ιαν, εἰ καὶ περὶ ἓν ἐσφάλησαν-εἴρηται γὰρ πρός τινος αὐτῶν· "ἐπερώτησον γὰρ γενεὰν πρώτην, ἐξιχνίασον δὲ κατὰ γένος πατέρων"- δῆλον, ὅτι λαλιὰν θεοῦ καὶ χειλέων αὐτοῦ ἄνοιξιν οὐκ ἀνθρωποπαθῶς φησιν. λέγει οὖν, ὅτι "μὴ λέγε σύ· καθαρός εἰμι·" εὐτρέπιζε δὲ σεαυτὸν εἰς καθαρότητα, ἵνα οὕτω πρὸς σὲ λαλήσῃ θεὸς καὶ ἀνοίξῃ τὰ χείλη αὐτοῦ μετὰ σοῦ δι' ἀγαθότητα. λαλιὰν δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ χείλη αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐν διανοίᾳ ἀοράτως γιγνομένην ὁμιλίαν ἐκλημπτέον. ὅτι δὲ τὰ χείλη τὸν λόγον δηλοῖ, διδάσκει τὸ παροιμιῶδες λόγιον· "χείλη δὲ σοφῶν δέδεται αἰσθήσει·" ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ "ἄδικα χείλη μακρὰν ἀπὸ σοῦ ἄπωσαι." εἶτα ἀναγγέλλει σοι δύναμιν σοφίας, ὅτι διπλοῦς ἔσται τῷ κατὰ σέ. δηλοῖ, ὅτι λαλῶν πρὸς σὲ θεὸς διδάξει σε, ὅτι σοφῶς ταῦτα