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not to come into corruption, and my life will see light. And these are the words of the hymn. For he asks not to be in the portion of the unjust in corruption after this life, but in that of the just. For Scripture everywhere proclaims that there is light for the just forever. 33, 29-30 Behold, all these things the mighty one works three ways with a man. But he delivered my soul from death, that my soul might praise him in light. These are the works of the strong and wise God, benefiting us in various ways, so that we might escape spiritual death and send up doxologies to him in unutterable life and perpetual light. For "three ways" is instead of "in many parts"; or "three" because the divine instruction brings a threefold benefit: abstinence from evil, the assumption of virtue, and the things promised upon it to the saints; or "three ways" because of "convince, rebuke, exhort"—and these are the works of God and of divine teachers; or "three ways," that our whole soul and body and spirit may be saved. 33, 31-33 Give ear, Job, and listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. If you have a word, answer me; speak, for I want you to be justified. If not, you listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom. If, therefore, you have anything to say to these things and to refute me as not speaking 287 just things concerning the justice of God, speak, for I am pleased to listen to your justification. And "and I am" is instead of: do not be afraid, I am the one of your own nature, fashioned from the same clay, not someone fearsome and terrifying, but I am the one urging you to answer. But if you have nothing to answer, listen in silence to the words of another wisdom. 288 CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE The beginning of the saying: And Elihu answered and says: Hear me, wise men; you who have knowledge, give ear to what is good. Preface to the chapter Elihu, having spoken of the manner of God's solicitous instruction and that by frightening through dreams and instructing through sicknesses he leads us back to what is better, again makes his speech from another beginning and, prefacing it, he exhorts the listeners to the understanding of what is said. And he adds to teach about the punishment that destroys the unjust and asks the listeners to discern whether it was well said by Job that he himself is just, but suffers unjust things from God. Then he also says that God, allotting to each what is according to worth, punishes the unjust, and he sets down the reasons for this; for first, the creator would not endure, he says, to wrong his own creations, nor would the Lord, being a guardian and benefactor of men, bring punishment on anyone contrary to what is just. Concerning, therefore, the just judgment of God, it has been rightly spoken by Elihu, but the reason for which Job suffers, neither he himself understood, nor his friends. For they said that he suffered in retribution for what he had done, but Elihu thinks rightly concerning God, but does not find the cause of the trial brought upon Job. Yet he differs from the friends, in that he does not 289 condemn the just man. But not even the great Job himself was yet fully informed of the reason for which he suffered. Whence the words of all were different, though speaking well and orthodoxly concerning God, but the reason for the affliction was known to none. But Elihu blames Job for this alone, that he wished to be judged by God as an equal, paying attention to the utterance of the words, but being unable to understand from what love and faith in God's just judgment the holy man brought forth his words, and that not accusing God, but wishing to refute his friends, he longed for the legal process with God. The phrases 34, 2-3 Hear me, wise men; you who know, give ear to what is good, because the ear tests words, and the throat tastes food. Wise men, he says, understand what has been said; for the hearing is critical of words, just as the throat is discerning of foods. 34, 4-6 Let us choose judgment for ourselves, let us know among ourselves what is good, because Job has said: I am righteous, the Lord has taken away my judgment. But he lied in my judgment, his arrow is violent without injustice. And let us ourselves be judges, whether Job has spoken well in saying: righteous

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μὴ ἐλθεῖν εἰς διαφθοράν, καὶ ἡ ζωή μου φῶς ὄψεται. καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ ὕμνου τὰ ῥήματα. αἰτεῖ γὰρ μὴ τῆς τῶν ἀδίκων μερίδος μετὰ τόνδε τὸν βίον ἐν τῇ διαφθορᾷ γενέσθαι, ἀλλὰ τῆς τῶν δικαίων. φῶς γὰρ δικαίοις διὰ παντὸς εἶναι ἡ γραφὴ κατεπαγγέλλεται πανταχοῦ. 33, 2930 ἰδοὺ ταῦτα πάντα ἐργάζεται ὁ ἰσχυρὸς ὁδοὺς τρεῖς μετὰ ἀνδρός. ἀλλ' ἐρρύσατο τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐκ θανάτου, ἵνα ἡ ψυχή μου ἐν φωτὶ αἰνῇ αὐτόν. ταῦτα τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ καὶ σοφοῦ θεοῦ τὰ ἔργα ποικίλως ἡμᾶς εὐεργετοῦντος, ἐφ' ᾧ τὸν μὲν ψυχικὸν διαφυγεῖν θάνατον, ἐν ἀμυθήτῳ δὲ ζωῇ καὶ φωτὶ διηνεκεῖ δοξολογίας ἀναπέμπειν αὐτῷ. τὸ γὰρ ὁδοὺς τρεῖς ἀντὶ τοῦ· πολυμερῶς· ἢ τὸ τρεῖς διὰ τὸ τὴν θείαν παιδείαν τριπλῆν ἄγειν ὠφέλειαν, ἀποχὴν κακίας, ἀνάληψιν ἀρετῆς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τοῖς ἁγίοις ἐπηγγελμένα· ἢ ὁδοὺς τρεῖς διὰ τὸ ἔλεγξον, ἐπιτίμησον, παρακάλεσονταῦτα δὲ θεοῦ καὶ θείων διδασκάλων ἔργα· ἢ ὁδοὺς τρεῖς, ἵνα ὁλόκληρος ἡμῶν διασωθῇ ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα. 33, 3133 ἐνωτίζου, Ἰώβ, καὶ ἄκουέ μου· κώφευσον, καὶ ἐγώ εἰμι λαλήσω. εἰ ἔστι σοι λόγος, ἀποκρίθητί μοι· λάλησον, θέλω γάρ σε δικαιωθῆναι. εἰ μή, σὺ ἄκουσόν μου· κώφευσον, καὶ διδάξω σε σοφίαν. εἴ τι τοιγαροῦν πρὸς ταῦτα λέγειν ἔχεις καὶ διελέγξαι με μὴ δί 287 καια περὶ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνης λέγοντα, λάλησον, ἡδέως γὰρ ἔχω τῆς σῆς ἐπακροάσασθαι δικαιολογίας. τὸ δὲ καὶ ἐγώ εἰμι ἀντὶ τοῦ· μὴ δείσῃς, ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἰσοφυής σοι, ὁ ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ πηλοῦ διηρτισμένος, οὐ φοβερός τις καὶ καταπληκτικός, ἀλλ' ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ προτρέπων ἀποκριθῆναι. εἰ δὲ μηδὲν ἔχεις ἀποκρίνασθαι, μεθ' ἡσυχίας ἄκουσον καὶ ἑτέρας σοφίας ῥήματα. 288 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΕΙΚΟΣΤΟΝ ΤΡΙΤΟΝ Ἀρχὴ τοῦ ῥητοῦ· ὑπολαβὼν δὲ Ἐλιοὺς λέγει· ἀκούσατέ μου, σοφοί, ἐπιστάμενοι ἐνωτίζεσθε τὸ καλόν. Προθεωρία τοῦ κεφαλαίου εἰρηκὼς ὁ Ἐλιοὺς τρόπον κηδεμονικῆς παιδεύσεως θεοῦ καὶ ὅτι δι' ἐνυπνίων φοβῶν καὶ διὰ νόσων παιδεύων ἐπὶ τὸ κάλλιον ἡμᾶς ἐπανάγει, πάλιν ἐξ ἑτέρας ἀρχῆς ποιεῖται τὸν λόγον καὶ προοιμιαζόμενος παρακαλεῖ τοὺς ἀκροατὰς εἰς τὴν τῶν λεγομένων κατανόησιν. προστίθεται δὲ διδάσκειν περὶ κολάσεως ὀλοθρευούσης ἀδίκους καὶ ἀξιοῖ τοὺς ἀκροατὰς διακρῖναι, εἰ καλῶς εἴρηται τῷ Ἰώβ, ὡς αὐτὸς μὲν δίκαιός ἐστιν, οὐ δίκαια δὲ πάσχει παρὰ θεοῦ. εἶτα καί φησιν, ὅτι ἑκάστῳ ὁ θεὸς τὸ κατ' ἀξίαν ἀπονέμων κολάζει τοὺς ἀδίκους, καὶ λογισμοὺς τούτου τίθησιν· πρῶτα μὲν γὰρ ὁ δημιουργὸς οὐκ ἂν ἀνάσχοιτο, φησίν, ἀδικῆσαι τὰ ἴδια ποιήματα, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἂν κηδεμὼν ὢν καὶ εὐεργέτης ἀνθρώπων ὁ κύριος παρὰ τὸ δίκαιον ἐπάξει τινὶ κόλασιν. περὶ μὲν οὖν δικαίας κρίσεως τοῦ θεοῦ ὀρθῶς εἴρηται τῷ Ἐλιούς, τὴν δὲ αἰτίαν, δι' ἣν ὁ Ἰὼβ πάσχει, οὔτε αὐτὸς ἐνόησεν, οὔτε οἱ φίλοι. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἔλεγον, ὅτι κατὰ ἀντίδοσιν ὧν δέδρακε πέπονθεν, ὁ δὲ Ἐλιοὺς δοξάζει μὲν ὀρθῶς περὶ θεοῦ, οὐχ εὑρίσκει δὲ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς κατὰ τὸν Ἰὼβ ἐπαγωγῆς. πλὴν διαφέρει τῶν φίλων, ὅτι μὴ 289 καταδικάζει τὸν δίκαιον. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ὁ μέγας Ἰὼβ οὔπω πεπληροφορημένος ἦν, δι' ἢν αἰτίαν πέπονθεν. ὅθεν διάφοροι μὲν πάντων οἱ λόγοι καλῶς μὲν καὶ ὀρθοδοξαστικῶς περὶ θεοῦ λαλούντων, ἡ δὲ τῆς πληγῆς ὑπόθεσις οὐδενὶ γνώριμος ἐτύγχανεν. τοῦτο δὲ μόνον μέμφεται τῷ Ἰὼβ ὁ Ἐλιούς, ὅτι πρὸς θεὸν ὁμοτίμως ἤθελε κρίνεσθαι, τῇ μὲν προφορᾷ τῶν ῥημάτων προσέχων, νοῆσαι δὲ ἀμηχανήσας, ἐξ οἵας ἀγάπης καὶ πίστεως τῆς περὶ θεοῦ δικαιοκρισίας ὁ ἅγιος ἀνὴρ τοὺς λόγους προέφερεν, καὶ ὡς οὐ θεοῦ κατηγορῶν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς φίλους διελέγξαι θέλων τὴν πρὸς θεὸν ἐπόθει διαδικασίαν. Αἱ λέξεισ 34, 23 ἀκούσατέ μου, σοφοί, ἐπιστάμενοι ἐνωτίζεσθε τὸ καλόν, ὅτι οὖς λόγους δοκιμάζει, καὶ λάρυγξ γεύεται βρῶσιν. ἄνδρες, φησίν, σοφοί, κατανοήσατε τὰ εἰρημένα· λόγων μὲν γὰρ ἀκοὴ κριτική, ὥσπερ διακριτικὸς βρωμάτων ὁ λάρυγξ. 34, 46 κρίσιν ἑλώμεθα ἑαυτοῖς, γνῶμεν ἀνὰ μέσον ἑαυτῶν, τί καλόν, ὅτι εἴρηκεν Ἰώβ· δίκαιός εἰμι, ὁ κύριος ἀπήλλαξέ μου τὸ κρίμα. ἐψεύσατο δὲ τῷ κρίματί μου, βίαιον τὸ βέλος αὐτοῦ ἄνευ ἀδικίας. ἡμεῖς δὲ αὐτοὶ κριταὶ γενώμεθα, εἰ καλῶς ὁ Ἰὼβ λελάληκε λέγων· δίκαιος