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what has been said, and {ὡς} if they had been supplied with defensive arguments, I would not have spoken. But since they have stopped and were not able to proceed further, having been cut short by the words of Job, I came forward to refute what has been said. 277 CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND Beginning of the saying: But Elihu answered and says: I will speak again, for I am full of words; for the spirit of my belly destroys me. Introduction to the chapter. Elihu, having stated the reason why he was led to speak, after a deep silence had fallen, himself filling up his own words, says that he is full of words, that is, on behalf of God and against Job, who wished to stand in a similar examination with God. He says, therefore, that he will speak, preferring what is just to all human respect. And he challenges Job to the examination, fearing nothing; for your contest, he says, is not against God, do not be afraid, but against a man of like passions. For this is what you were saying, that you are ready to be judged before God, if you were permitted to do this without fear, and you said, on the one hand, that you were blameless, but on the other, you accused God as having meticulously sought out the things against you. But I will teach you, that God for the sake of discipline and for the benefit of sinners brings on both fears through dreams and scourges through illnesses, and saves those who are disciplined and repent. And Elihu does speak truly about the disciplinary and caring providence of God for us. But such was not the case with Job; for it was a contest of virtue against vice and of a God-fearing man against diabolical cruelty, so that Elihu, not having grasped the case of Job, has not understood the reason for the plague inflicted upon him. 278 The words 32, 18 I will speak again, for I am full of words. He says he is full of words, both on behalf of God and against a man so puffed up as to wish to be judged against God and to hope to receive the prize of victory. 32, 18 for the spirit of my belly destroys me. For I cannot bear, he says, the silence, being goaded by what has been said, nor am I able to keep quiet any longer, and I am perishing in my soul, being altogether stirred up and inflamed and suffocated, if I do not speak. And "spirit of the belly" either refers periphrastically to the soul or to the spirited part of the soul, being reasonably and courageously moved on behalf of God. 32, 19 and my belly is like a wineskin of new wine, boiling and bound, or like a blacksmith's bellows that has burst. I am almost, he says, bursting from the multitude of thoughts that have come upon me, being constrained for the refutation, like a wineskin filled with new and warm wine, about to burst from the fermenting and boiling, or like a blacksmith's bellows. And he said "that has burst" since he began to speak and as it were to release the spirit within. For the burst bellows of the blacksmith releases the spirit. Therefore he also adds: 32, 222 I will speak, that I may find relief, opening my lips; for 279 I will not be ashamed of any man, nor indeed will I be in awe of any mortal; for I know not how to show partiality to persons; but if not, moths will also eat me. Therefore I will speak without shame and without any man-pleasing. But if I should say anything contrary to what is just, out of respect for a person or to show favor to someone, just as moths consume garments, so too the moths of the soul will consume me, vainglory and man-pleasing, which bring on punishments from God. 33, 13 Nevertheless, but listen, Job, to my words and give ear to my speech; for behold, I have opened my mouth, and my tongue has spoken. My heart's words are pure, and the understanding of my lips will think purely. Listen, therefore, O Job; for I am at last beginning my words to you, having a soul that is pure and untroubled by any passion, and having knowledge that is discerning and unerring and purified. And he calls the knowledge pure which is on behalf of God and against a man who wishes to contend with God out of an equal standing. 33, 4 The divine Spirit is what made me, and the breath of the Almighty is what teaches me. Elihu, beginning his words to Job, sends up a hymn of thanksgiving to God, saying that he is the cause of him and of the

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εἰρημένα, καὶ {ὡς} εἴ γε ηὐπόρησαν ἀμυντικῶν λόγων, οὐκ ἂν ἐφθεγξάμην. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἔστησαν καὶ περαιτέρω προελθεῖν οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν τοῖς τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἀνακοπέντες λόγοις, ἐγὼ παρῆλθον διελέγξων τὰ εἰρημένα. 277 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΕΙΚΟΣΤΟΝ ∆ΕΥΤΕΡΟΝ Ἀρχὴ τοῦ ῥητοῦ· ὑπολαβὼν δὲ Ἐλιοὺς λέγει· πάλιν λαλήσω, πλήρης γάρ εἰμι ῥημάτων· ὀλέκει γάρ με τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς γαστρός. Προθεωρία τοῦ κεφαλαίου εἰρηκὼς ὁ Ἐλιοὺς τὴν αἰτίαν, ὅθεν εἰς τὸ λέγειν προήχθη, βαθείας αὐτῷ γενομένης σιγῆς αὐτὸς τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ λόγους ἀναπληρῶν πλήρης εἶναι λέγει ῥημάτων, τῶν ὑπὲρ θεοῦ δηλονότι καὶ τῶν πρὸς τὸν Ἰὼβ εἰς τὴν ὁμοίαν ἀντεξέτασιν θεῷ καταστῆναι θελήσαντα. λαλήσειν οὖν φησιν, τὸ δίκαιον πάσης ἀνθρωπίνης αἰδοῦς προτιμῶν. προκαλεῖται δὲ τὸν Ἰὼβ εἰς τὴν διάγνωσιν μηδὲν εὐλαβούμενον· οὐ γὰρ πρὸς θεόν σοι, φησίν, ὁ ἀγών, μὴ δείσῃς, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἄνθρωπον ὁμοιοπαθῆ. τοῦτο γὰρ ἔφασκες, ὡς ἕτοιμος εἶ δικάσασθαι πρὸς θεόν, ἐὰν ἀφόβως τοῦτο ποιεῖν ἐπιτραπῇς, καὶ ἔλεγες μὲν ἄμεμπτος εἶναι, ᾐτιῶ δὲ θεὸν ὡς ἀκριβῶς ἀναζητήσαντα τὰ κατὰ σέ. ἐγὼ δέ σε διδάξω, ὅτι παιδευτικῶς ὁ θεὸς καὶ πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι τούς τε δι' ἐνυπνίων φόβους ἐπάγει καὶ τὰς διὰ τῶν νόσων μάστιγας καὶ σῴζει τοὺς παιδευομένους καὶ μετανοοῦντας. καὶ ἀληθῆ μέν φησιν ὁ Ἐλιοὺς περὶ τῆς παιδευτικῆς καὶ κηδεμονικῆς τοῦ θεοῦ περὶ ἡμᾶς προνοίας. οὐ τοιαύτη δὲ ἦν ἡ κατὰ τὸν Ἰὼβ ὑπόθεσις ἀγὼν γὰρ ὑπῆρχεν ἀρετῆς πρὸς κακίαν καὶ ἀνθρώπου θεοσεβοῦς πρὸς ὠμότητα διαβολικήν, ὥστε ὁ Ἐλιοὺς οὐ τῆς κατὰ τὸν Ἰὼβ ὑποθέσεως ἁψάμενος οὐ νενόηκε τῆς ἐπενεχθείσης πληγῆς τὴν αἰτίαν. 278 Αἱ λέξεις 32, 18 πάλιν λαλήσω, πλήρης γάρ εἰμι ῥημάτων. πλήρης εἶναι λέγει ῥημάτων τῶν τε ὑπὲρ θεοῦ καὶ τῶν πρὸς ἄνθρωπον εἰς τοσοῦτον ἐπαιρόμενον, ὡς θέλειν πρὸς θεὸν κριθῆναι καὶ ἐλπίζειν λήψεσθαι τὰ νικητήρια. 32, 18 ὀλέκει γάρ με τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς γαστρός. οὐ γὰρ φέρω, φησίν, τὴν σιωπὴν ὑπὸ τῶν εἰρημένων κεντούμενος οὐδὲ ἐχεμυθεῖν ἔτι δύναμαι, ἀπόλλυμαι δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν ὅλως συγκεκινημένος καὶ διαθερμανθεὶς καὶ ἀποπνιγόμενος, εἰ μὴ λαλήσω. πνεῦμα δὲ γαστρὸς ἢ περιφραστικῶς τὴν ψυχὴν λέγει ἢ τὸ θυμικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς μέρος εὐλόγως καὶ ἀνδρείως ὡς ὑπὲρ θεοῦ κινούμενον. 32, 19 ἡ δὲ γαστήρ μου ὥσπερ ἀσκὸς γλεύκους ζέων δεδεμένος ἢ ὥσπερ φυσητὴρ χαλκέως ἐρρηγώς. μικροῦ μέν, φησίν, διαρρήγνυμαι ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν ἐννοιῶν τῶν ἐπελθουσῶν μοι πρὸς τὴν ἀντιλογίαν στενοχωρούμενος, ὥσπερ τις ἀσκὸς οἴνου νέου καὶ θερμοῦ πεπληρωμένος ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀναβρασμοῦ καὶ τῆς ζέσεως ἐκραγῆναι μέλλων ἢ ὥσπερ φυσητὴρ χαλκέως. τὸ δὲ ἐρρηγὼς εἶπεν, ἐπειδὴ λαλεῖν ἤρξατο καὶ ὥσπερ ἀφιέναι τὸ ἔνδον πνεῦμα. ὁ γὰρ διαρραγεὶς φυσητὴρ τοῦ χαλκέως ἀφίησι τὸ πνεῦμα. διὸ καὶ ἐπάγει· 32, 222 λαλήσω, ἵνα ἀναπαύσωμαι ἀνοίξας τὰ χείλη· ἄνθρωπον γὰρ 279 οὐ μὴ αἰσχυνθῶ, ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐδὲ βροτὸν οὐ μὴ ἐντραπῶ· οὐ γὰρ ἐπίσταμαι θαυμάσαι πρόσωπα· εἰ δὲ μή, καὶ ἐμὲ σῆτες ἔδονται. λαλήσω τοιγαροῦν ἀνεπαισχύντως καὶ δίχα πάσης ἀνθρωπαρεσκίας. εἰ δέ τι παρὰ τὸ δίκαιον φθέγξομαι πρόσωπον αἰδούμενος ἤ τινι χαριζόμενος, ὥσπερ τὰ ἱμάτια σῆτες δαπανῶσιν, οὕτω κἀμὲ δαπανήσουσιν οἱ τῆς ψυχῆς σῆτες, ἡ κενοδοξία καὶ ἀνθρωπαρεσκία, τὰς ἐκ θεοῦ τιμωρίας ἐπάγουσαι. 33, 13 οὐ μὴν δέ, ἀλλὰ ἄκουσον, Ἰώβ, τὰ ῥήματά μου καὶ λαλιὰν ἐνωτίζου μου· ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἤνοιξα τὸ στόμα μου, καὶ ἐλάλησεν ἡ γλῶσσά μου. καθαρά μου ἡ καρδία ῥήμασιν, σύνεσις δὲ χειλέων μου καθαρὰ νοήσει. ἄκουσον τοιγαροῦν, ὦ Ἰώβ· ἄρχομαι γὰρ λοιπὸν τῶν πρὸς σὲ λόγων, καθαρὰν μὲν καὶ παντὸς πάθους ἀνενόχλητον ἔχων τὴν ψυχήν, συνετὴν δὲ ἔχων γνῶσιν καὶ ἀπλανῆ καὶ κεκαθαρμένην. καθαρὰν δὲ λέγει γνῶσιν τὴν ὑπὲρ θεοῦ καὶ πρὸς ἄνθρωπον ἐξ ἰσοτιμίας θέλοντα πρὸς θεὸν δικάσασθαι. 33, 4 πνεῦμα θεῖον τὸ ποιῆσάν με, πνοὴ δὲ παντοκράτορος ἡ διδάσκουσά με. ἀρχόμενος τῶν πρὸς τὸν Ἰὼβ λόγων ὁ Ἐλιοὺς εὐχαριστήριον ὕμνον ἀναπέμπει θεῷ αὐτὸν εἶναι λέγων αἴτιον αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς