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to deliver, but we especially need God as a teacher for this and the holy men shown by God. For this reason, indeed, even the wise men of the Greeks, seeking piety by their own power, failed. For the matter is not attainable by men, but they are in need of divine gift and grace, whence also from the beginning God instructed men in piety, partly through visions, 236 partly through the visitation of angels, and partly through the God-bearing holy prophets. So that a certain wisdom lies in nature even among the irrational animals, as for instance with the bee, but pre-eminently among rational beings, from which we are moved towards the arts and pursuits, since God has honored man with reason and understanding above the other animals, and this we all have in common, both the unjust and the just, the pious and the impious. For in that we have become rational animals, we have received this from God. But as for perfect piety, even if we have its seeds by nature, it is nevertheless impossible to achieve it perfectly, or to discover it from oneself, or to apprehend it in a place, but for this we need divine grace alone, so that it may guide us safely to it. For this reason it was also said previously: Is it not the Lord who teaches understanding and knowledge, as this possession is a gift of God? Therefore, we must seek, being moved by our natural notions, but we must ask God to guide us unerringly to this. And it is fitting to know this, that a mortal does not know its way as he ought to know it. 28, 15 He will not give treasure for it. By treasure he seems to mean a hoard of money, because we lock these things up securely. Such wisdom, therefore, he says, is not a thing that can be bought. 28, 15-16 And silver shall not be weighed as its exchange; nor shall it be weighed with the gold of Souphir. Nothing, he says, is found equal to this possession, nor can it be weighed against 237 wisdom—for this is what 'shall not be weighed with' means—not the finest gold, not a multitude of silver. But we have interpreted Souphir in the preceding parts, that the word is used for wealth. 28, 16-17 with precious onyx and sapphire; gold and crystal shall not be equal to it. But not even the most precious of stones, sardonyx and sapphire, nor transparent crystal will be made equal to this possession. The blessed Job recounts these things, persuading his friends that he above all both understands the pre-eminence of piety and is pre-eminently possessed of it. 28, 17 and its exchange, vessels of gold. But it is not even possible to say that many vessels of gold, according to him, can be an exchange for wisdom. 28, 18 For things high and gabis shall not be mentioned. 'Gabis' seems to signify things that are lifted up; for Symmachus has rendered it thus: _h_i_g_h_ _t_h_i_n_g_s_ _a_n_d_ _t_h_i_n_g_s_ _l_i_f_t_e_d_ _u_p_ _s_h_a_l_l_ _n_o_t_ _b_e_ _m_e_n_t_i_o_n_e_d_. But he says that in comparison with wisdom, all things that seem to be high and lifted up among men are not even worthy of mention. 28, 18 and draw forth wisdom above the innermost things. By innermost things he means either the treasures laid up in storehouses 238 or the precious stones brought to us from the inner parts of India. Therefore, he says, prefer wisdom to all treasures. And he said well: draw forth, as if to say: draw from the true wisdom through piety, according to that in the Psalms: I opened my mouth, and drew in the spirit. For it is fitting for us to draw this wisdom from there, from the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. For unless by participation and partaking of the true wisdom of the paternal Word, it is impossible to receive the wisdom according to piety. Draw forth wisdom, he says, therefore, instead of: a spirit of wisdom, which is supplied only by the grace of the divine gift. 28, 19 The topaz of Ethiopia shall not be equal to it. The 'to' is not an article, but 'topazion' is one word. The stone is said to be found among the Indians and to be very transparent. 28, 19 It shall not be weighed with pure gold. Things that are weighed against each other, being placed on either scale-pan, are weighed together by the balance. 'Shall not be weighed with', therefore, is instead of: 'shall not be weighed against'. 28, 22

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παραδοῦναι, ἀλλ' ἰδικῶς θεοῦ πρὸς τοῦτο διδασκάλου δεόμεθα καὶ τῶν ὑπὸ θεοῦ δεδειγμένων ἱερῶν ἀνδρῶν. διὰ τοῦτό τοι καὶ οἱ τῶν Ἑλλήνων σοφοὶ ἰδίᾳ δυνάμει τὴν θεοσέβειαν ζητήσαντες ἠστόχησαν. τὸ γὰρ πρᾶγμα οὐκ ἀνθρώποις ἐστὶν ἐφικτόν, ἀλλὰ τῆς θείας δωρεᾶς τε καὶ χάριτος δέονται, ὅθεν καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὁ θεὸς τὰ μὲν δι' ὀπτα 236 σιῶν, τὰ δὲ δι' ἀγγέλων ἐπιφοιτήσεως, τὰ δὲ διὰ τῶν θεοφορουμένων ἁγίων προφητῶν τὴν θεοσέβειαν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐξεπαίδευσεν. ὥστε κεῖται μὲν ἐν τῇ φύσει σοφία τις καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων ὡς καὶ παρὰ τῇ μελίσσῃ, διαφερόντως δὲ ἐν τοῖς λογικοῖς, ἐξ ἧς κινούμεθα περὶ τὰς τέχνας καὶ ἐπιτηδεύματα, τοῦ θεοῦ λόγῳ καὶ συνέσει παρὰ τὰ λοιπὰ ζῷα τετιμηκότος τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ταύτην ἔχομεν κοινῶς πάντες, ἄδικοί τε καὶ δίκαιοι, θεοσεβεῖς καὶ ἄθεοι. ᾗ γὰρ ζῷα λογικὰ γεγόναμεν, ὑπὸ θεοῦ ταύτην εἰλήφαμεν. τὴν δὲ τελείαν θεοσέβειαν, εἰ καὶ ταύτης τὰ σπέρματα κατὰ φύσιν ἔχομεν, πλὴν εἰς ἄκρον αὐτὴν κατορθῶσαι ἢ οἴκοθεν εὑρεῖν ἢ ἐν τόπῳ καταλαβεῖν ἀδύνατον, ἀλλὰ τῆς θείας καὶ μόνης πρὸς τοῦτο χρῄζομεν χάριτος, ἐφ' ᾧ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἡμᾶς ἀσφαλῶς χειραγωγῆσαι. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἐλέγετο· πότερον οὐχὶ ὁ κύριός ἐστιν ὁ διδάσκων σύνεσιν καὶ ἐπιστήμην ὡς τοῦ κτήματος θεοδωρήτου τυγχάνοντος. δεῖ οὖν ἡμᾶς μὲν ζητεῖν ἐκ τῶν φυσικῶν κινουμένους ἐννοιῶν, θεὸν δὲ ἐξαιτεῖν ἐπὶ ταύτην ἡμᾶς ἀπλανῶς καθοδηγῆσαι. κἀκεῖνο δὲ εἰδέναι προσήκει, ὅτι ὡς δεῖ εἰδέναι οὐκ οἶδεν βροτὸς τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτῆς. 28, 15 οὐ δώσει συγκλεισμὸν ἀντ' αὐτῆς. συγκλεισμὸν ἔοικε λέγειν χρημάτων θησαυρὸν διὰ τὸ ταῦτα ἀσφαλῶς ἡμᾶς συγκλείειν. οὐκ ἔστιν οὖν, φησίν, πρᾶγμα ὤνιον ἡ τοιαύτη σοφία. 28, 1516 καὶ οὐ σταθήσεται ἀργύριον ἀντάλλαγμα αὐτῆς· καὶ οὐ συμβασταχθήσεται χρυσίῳ Σουφείρ. οὐδέν, φησίν, τούτου τοῦ κτήματος ἴσον εὑρίσκεται, οὐδὲ ἀντι 237 σταθμίζεσθαι δύναται τῇ σοφίᾳτοῦτο γὰρ λέγει τὸ οὐ συμβασταχθήσεται, οὐκ ἄριστος χρυσός, οὐκ ἀργυρίου πλῆθος. τὸ δὲ Σουφεὶρ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἡρμηνεύσαμεν, ὅτι ἐπὶ πλούτου κεῖται ἡ λέξις. 28, 1617 ἐν ὄνυχι τιμίῳ καὶ σαπφείρῳ· οὐκ ἰσωθήσεται αὐτῇ χρυσίον καὶ ὕαλος. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τῶν λίθων οἱ τιμιώτατοι, σαρδόνυξ καὶ σάπφειρος, οὐχ ἡ διαφανὴς ὕαλος τούτῳ τῷ κτήματι παρισωθήσεται. ταῦτα δὲ διεξέρχεται ὁ μακάριος Ἰὼβ πείθων τοὺς φίλους ὡς πάντων μᾶλλον καὶ ἐπίσταται τῆς θεοσεβείας τὸ ὑπερφυὲς καὶ διαφερόντως αὐτῆς περιέχεται. 28, 17 καὶ τὸ ἄλλαγμα αὐτῆς σκεύη χρυσᾶ. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ δυνατὸν εἰπεῖν, ὡς πολλὰ κατ' αὐτὸν σκεύη χρυσᾶ ἀντάλλαγμα δύνανται τῆς σοφίας εἶναι. 28, 18 μετέωρα γὰρ καὶ γάβις οὐ μνησθήσεται. τὸ γάβις τὰ ἐπηρμένα ἔοικε σημαίνειν· ὁ γὰρ Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἐκδέδωκεν· _ὕ_ψ_η_ _κ_α_ὶ_ _ἐ_π_η_ρ_μ_έ_ν_α_ _ο_ὐ_ _μ_ν_η_σ_θ_ή_σ_ε_τ_α_ι_. λέγει δέ, ὅτι πρὸς σύγκρισιν τῆς σοφίας οὐδὲ μνήμης ἄξια τυγχάνουσι πάντα τὰ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις εἶναι δοκοῦντα ὑψηλὰ καὶ ἐπηρμένα. 28, 18 καὶ ἕλκυσον σοφίαν ὑπὲρ τὰ ἐσώτατα. ἐσώτατα ἢ τὰ ἐν τοῖς ταμείοις ἐναποκείμενα χρήματά φησιν 238 ἢ τοὺς τιμίους λίθους τοὺς ἐκ τῶν ἐσωτέρων Ἰνδῶν ὡς ἡμᾶς κομιζομένους. πάντων οὖν, φησίν, κειμηλίων προτίμησον τὴν σοφίαν. καλῶς δὲ εἶπε· ἕλκυσον, οἱονεί· σπάσον ἐκ τῆς ἀληθινῆς σοφίας διὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας, κατὰ τὸ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς· τὸ στόμα μου ἤνοιξα καὶ εἵλκυσα πνεῦμα. ἐκεῖθεν γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἑλκύσαι ταύτην τὴν σοφίαν προσήκει, ἐκ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. εἰ μὴ γὰρ κατὰ μετοχὴν καὶ μετάληψιν τῆς ἀληθινῆς σοφίας τοῦ λόγου τοῦ πατρικοῦ, τὴν κατὰ θεοσέβειαν σοφίαν ἀναλαβεῖν ἀδύνατον. ἕλκυσον, οὖν φησιν, σοφίαν, ἀντὶ τοῦ· πνεῦμα σοφίας, ὃ κατὰ μόνην τὴν χάριν τῆς θείας χορηγεῖται δωρεᾶς. 28, 19 οὐκ ἰσωθήσεται αὐτῇ τοπάζιον Αἰθιοπίας. τὸ τὸ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄρθρον, ἀλλὰ μία λέξις ἐστὶ τοπάζιον. λέγεται δὲ ὁ λίθος εὑρίσκεσθαι παρ' Ἰνδοῖς καὶ εἶναι διαυγέστατος. 28, 19 χρυσίῳ καθαρῷ οὐ συμβασταχθήσεται. τὰ ἀλλήλοις ἀντισταθμιζόμενα εἰς ἑκατέρας κείμενα τὰς πλάστιγγας διὰ τῆς τρυτάνης ὁμοῦ συμβαστάζεται. οὐ συμβασταχθήσεται οὖν ἀντὶ τοῦ· οὐκ ἀντισταθμισθήσεται. 28, 22