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may call to hear. For it is possible at times, though the hearing is struck by the voice, because the mind is not paying attention, not to have heard. For this reason the Savior, stirring up the hearers to hear genuinely, would say: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." And again 353 he says to others who were not paying attention: "You have neither heard his voice nor seen his form," and interpreting in a way, he adds: "nor do you have his word abiding in you," which would have happened, if they heard genuinely. Thus also the blessed Job, wanting to prepare their hearing beforehand, said the word '"Listen"; for 'thus with you prepared, I am pleased to speak'," wanting them to become wise listeners; "For the ear of the listener is the desire of the wise." Behold, I am near to my judgment. He lays down for them even now a beginning of teaching, instructing that it was judged for him to suffer not because of sin, but for a contest, in such a way as even to know the time when the judgment will end. I know that I will be shown to be righteous. For who is he who will be judged with me, #6that I should now be silent and fail? He says this not out of boastfulness, but in order to instruct them not to have any other opinion about him than the true one. For sometimes a person says good things about himself without proposing to do this, when someone else is otherwise disposed toward him. For come, if someone entrusted 354 with some ministry to the needy were to fulfill it, if he should slander him as misappropriating something, we would not accuse him for saying, in the form of a defense, that 'I have given all our things to the needy,' though he had not said this before. Thus Job is not to be accused of self-love, but for the stated reason he says these things, and says them with pure boldness: "Who is he who will be judged with me that I should be silent," instead of 'I will be silent,' "and fail?", instead of 'I will cease speaking.' But grant me two things; then I will not hide from your face: keep your hand far from me, and let not your fear terrify me#6. The obscurity of the preceding things might be smoothed out thus with him saying that, 'If, as the friends say, you will deal with me thus, showing me to be wicked, "I will hide from your face," but if as I say, "keep your hand far from me and let not your fear terrify me". ' Every one who sins, working things unworthy of him, hides from the face of God, just as Adam also hid from the face of God. 355 Opposite to this is to be hidden by God according to what is said: "You will hide them in the secret place of your presence from the trouble of men." This too is salutary, with God sheltering the virtuous person, so that he may not fall away through human disturbances. And the secret place of the face of God would be the mystical contemplations, being contrasted with what is manifest. For to see God from the works of providence and the things of creation is not in secret, but in what is manifest. It is said: "Because that which is known of God is manifest in them; for God has shown it to them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made." Therefore, to be hidden by God, as has been said before, is salutary, but to hide oneself like Adam is unprofitable, which not happening because he is not subject to sin, he says: "keep your hand far from me" and the rest, 'so that these may be instructed, that I am not suffering this because of sin. ' For the friends thought nothing else than that he was suffering because of sin. 356 Then you will call, and I will answer you; or you will speak, and I will give you a reply. Through many things he makes known his own boldness toward God, so that in this he might lead them up to the true knowledge of the things happening to him. For this is also indicative of his being righteous. And you have this also concerning the hierophant Moses, who was deemed worthy to speak with him in the passage, "Moses spoke, and God answered him with a voice." But one must not suppose the answer that comes from God to be a mere voice, but divine energies, from which one speaks with great boldness to God. How many are my sins and my iniquities?

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ἀκοῦσαι καλέσῃ. ἔνεστι γάρ ποτε πληγείσης τῆς ἀκοῆς τῇ φωνῇ διὰ τὸ μὴ προσέχειν τὸν νοῦν μὴ ἀκηκοέναι. διὰ τοῦτο ὁ Σωτὴρ διεγείρων τοὺς ἀκούοντας εἰς τὸ γνησίως ἀκούειν ἔλεγεν· "ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω." καὶ πά353 λιν πρὸς ἄλλους μὴ προσέχον τας λέγει· "οὔτε φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀκηκόατε οὔτε εἶδος αὐτοῦ ἑωράκατε," καὶ ἑρμηνεύων πως ἐπάγει· "οὔτε τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ ἔχετε ἐν ὑμῖν μένοντα", ὅπερ συνέβαινεν̣, εἰ γνησίως ἤκουον. οὕτως δὲ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἰὼβ προευτρεπίσαι αὐτῶν τὴν ἀκοὴν βουλόμενος ἔλεγεν τὸ «"ἀκούσατε"· οὕτω γὰρ ὑμῶν εὐτρεπισθέντων εὐδοκῶ λέγειν», σοφοὺς ἀκροατὰς αὐτοὺς γενέσθαι βουλόμενος· "οὖς γὰρ ἀκροατοῦ ἐπιθυμία σοφοῦ." ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐγγύς εἰμι τοῦ κρίματός μου. διδασκαλίας ἀρχὴν αὐτοῖς καὶ νῦν καταβάλλεται παιδεύουσαν, ὅτι οὐ δι' ἁμαρτίας, ἀλλὰ διὰ ἀγῶνα αὐτῷ παθεῖν κέκριται οὕτως ὡς καὶ τὸν καιρὸν εἰδέναι, καθ' ὃν λήξει τὸ κρίμα. οἶδα ἐγώ, ὅτι δίκαιος ἀναφανοῦμαι. τίς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ κριθησόμενός μοι, #6ὅτι νῦν κωφεύσω καὶ ἐκλείψω; οὐκ ἀλαζονείᾳ τοῦτό φησιν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ παιδεῦσαι αὐτοὺς μὴ ἑτέραν παρὰ τὴν ἀληθῆ διάλημψιν ἔχειν περὶ αὐτοῦ. ἐσθότε γάρ τις περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λέγει χρηστὰ μὴ προθέμενος τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ὅταν ἄλλως ᾖ διαθέμενός τις περὶ αὐτόν. φέρε γὰρ εἴ τις ἐγκεχειρισμένον 354 τινὰ διακονίαν εἰς τοὺς δεομένους ἀποπληρῶσαι, εἰ διαβάλλοι ὡς σφετεριζόμενόν τι, οὐκ ἂν αἰτιασαίμεθα ἐν ἀπολογίας εἴδει λέγοντα ὅτι «τὰ ἡμέτερα πάντα παρέσχον δεομένοις», πρότερον τοῦτο μὴ εἰρηκότα. οὕτως οὐδὲν αἰτιατέ ον τὸν Ἰὼβ οὐ φιλαυτίας, ἀλλὰ τῆς εἰρημένης αἰτίας ἕνεκα ταῦτα λέγοντα καὶ μετὰ παρρησίας καθαρᾶς λέγοντα· "τίς ἐστιν ὁ κριθησόμενός μοι ἵνα κωφεύσω", ἀντὶ τοῦ «σιωπήσω», "καὶ ἐκλείψω;", ἀντὶ τοῦ «παύσομαι λέγων». δυεῖν δέ μοι χρήσει· τότε ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου κρυβήσομαι· τὴν χεῖρα ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ἀπέχου, ὁ δὲ φόβος σου μή με καταπλησ#6σέτω. τὸ ἀσαφὲς τῶν προκειμένων οὕτως ἂν ἐξομαλισθείη λέγοντος αὐτοῦ ὅτι «εἰ ὡς οἱ φίλοι λέγουσιν οὕτω μοι χρήσει ὡς φαῦλον δεικνύς, "ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου κρυβήσομαι", εἰ δὲ ὡς ἐγὼ λέγω, "τὴν χεῖρα ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ἀπέχου καὶ ὁ φόβος σου μή με καταπλησσέτω". « κρύπτεται δ' ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ πᾶς ὁ ἁμαρτάνων ἀνάξια αὐτοῦ ἐνεργῶν, καθὰ καὶ Ἀδὰμ ἐκρύπτετο ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ. 355 τούτῳ ἐναντίον ἐστὶν τὸ ὑπὸ θεοῦ κατακρύπτεσθαι κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· "κατακρύψεις αὐτοὺς ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ τοῦ προσώπου σου ἀπὸ ταραχῆς ἀνθρώπων." σωτήριον καὶ τοῦτο σκεπάζοντος τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν σπουδαῖον, ἵνα μὴ ταραχαῖς ἀνθρωπίναις ἐκπέσῃ. ἀπόκρυφον δὲ τοῦ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ εἴη ἂν τὰ μυστικὰ θεωρήματα ἀντιδιαστελλόμενον πρὸς τὸ φανερόν. τὸ γὰρ ἐξ ἔργων τῆς προνοίας καὶ τῶν δημιουργημάτων θεὸν ὁρᾶν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ φανερῷ. εἴρηται· "διότι τὸ γνωστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φανερόν ἐστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς· ὁ θεὸς γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐφανέρωσεν. τὰ γὰρ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασιν νοούμενα καθορᾶται." τὸ κατακρύπτεσθαι οὖν, ὡς προείρηται, ὑπὸ θεοῦ σωτήριον, τὸ δὲ κρύπτεσθαι αὑτὸν κατὰ τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἀλυσιτελές, οὗ μὴ γινομένου διὰ τὸ μὴ ὑποκεῖσθαι ἁμαρτίᾳ φησίν· "τὴν χεῖρα ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ἀπέχου" καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, «ἵν' οὗτοι παιδευθῶσιν, ὅτι οὐ δι' ἁμαρτίας τοῦτο πάσχω. « οἱ γὰρ φίλοι οὐδὲν ἕτερον διενοοῦντο ἢ ὅτι δι' ἁμαρτίας πάσχει. 356 εἶτα καλέσεις, ἐγὼ δέ σοι ὑπακούσομαι· ἢ λαλήσεις, ἐγὼ δέ σοι δώσω ἀνταπόκρισιν. διὰ πλειόνων ἑαυτοῦ τὴν πρὸς θεὸν παρρησίαν γνωρίζει, ἵν' ἐν τούτῳ ἀναγάγῃ αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν ἀληθῆ τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν συμβαινόντων γνῶσιν. καὶ γὰρ παραστατικόν ἐστιν τοῦτο τοῦ εἶναι αὐτὸν δίκαιον. ἔχεις δὲ τοῦτο καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἱεροφάντου Μωσέως καταξιωθέντος λαλεῖν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ "Μωυσῆς ἐλάλε̣ι καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἀπεκρίνετο αὐτῷ φωνῇ". οὐ δεῖ δὲ τὴν ἀπόκρισιν τὴν πρὸς θεοῦ γινομένην ψιλὴν φωνὴν οἴεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐνεργείας θείας, ἐξ ὧν εὐπαρησιάστως πρὸς θεὸν λαλεῖ. πόσαι εἰσὶν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι μου καὶ ἀνομίαι μου;