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the affliction was a training ground for virtue and not a requital for sins, the Lord, making a judgment on all that was said, accepts the things spoken by all concerning divine providence and power and wisdom as having been well said; wherefore He Himself also elaborates on these things at greater length, speaking gently and mildly to His own friend, the righteous Job, and confirming the things said by all concerning God, through which He also teaches similar things concerning Himself, but teaching us that the judgments of divine providence are incomprehensible and the ways of God's wisdom are unsearchable, while He rebukes the friends for having pronounced on matters they did not know. For 'judge nothing before the time,' says the divine apostle, 'until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the counsels of the hearts,' and so forth. And Elihu He neither praises—for he did not understand Job's mind, from which he brought forth his words, nor the reason for the contest—nor does He blame him, since he did not condemn the holy man. But the righteous Job He crowns and proclaims and recalls with words as one who was nowhere wrestled down, but who competed lawfully in all the wrestlings, and He unfolds and makes public the secret reason for the trial. 'For the righteous one did not suffer as unrighteous,' He says, 'but that he might be revealed as righteous and that the things concerning Job's virtue might be proclaimed by a divine vote.' Anointing him with His words and strengthening him and extending His discourse with him—for it was right for him to enjoy more communion with God than the others, inasmuch as he also persevered longer in his sufferings—He teaches also the mysteries concerning the incarnation of the Only-begotten, and makes public through mystical and veiled words the common enemy of mankind, the dragon and apostate, whom He calls a sea-monster, and his strength and rashness and malice, laying bare for us the things concerning him, and proclaiming the righteous man even more and preparing him to become more courageous, almost saying with a great voice to those able to understand, that he had so great an adversary and through it all remained unbroken. And after the many contests and the comfort from the divine voice, health immediately returned and he who was gushing with sores and teeming with worms was at once in his usual state. And his acquaintances ran together from all sides and welcomed him with gifts. And so all his possessions followed twofold, but his children were of the same number; for those who had departed from the body did not go into non-existence, so that they too happened to be double in number, with those who had previously departed living, and those born later having been added. For just as before, when the divine abandonment for the sake of training had occurred, all things were gloomy—poverty and childlessness, sores and discharge and dishonor—so later, under the divine illumination, all things were bright and cheerful and full of gladness, and twofold in the present, but to be sent on to the things promised to the righteous, which are neither seen by eyes nor comprehended by the human mind. But since the blessed Job, with a pious and God-loving mind, used a rather obscure delivery of his words, and it is clear that he held the best opinions concerning God, but was unclear in those things in which he seemed to those who did not know his mind to utter words of contempt, and since he agreed with the things of Elihu who held good opinions concerning God, but was silent and did not answer, from this point the Lord begins His words to him as to one who is silent and concealing his own counsel. And the divine voice comes through the air to our hearing by divine creation; for God does not speak in a human way, but as soon as He wills, the word proceeds to action and we hear divine utterances. And He speaks through a whirlwind and clouds—a whirlwind is a twisting of winds—through this, I think, striking those standing around with awe and bringing them to fear, but through the cloud speaking to the righteous man, just as also to Moses and Aaron; for in a pillar of cloud He spoke to

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γυμνάσιον ἀρετῆς ὑπῆρχεν ἡ πληγὴ καὶ οὐχ ἁμαρτημάτων ἀντίδοσις, τῶν εἰρημένων πάντων ὁ κύριος ποιούμενος τὴν ἐπίκρισιν τὰ μὲν περὶ τῆς θείας προνοίας καὶ δυνάμεως καὶ σοφίας παρὰ πάντων εἰρημένα ὡς καλῶς λεχθέντα ἀποδέχεταιδιὸ καὶ αὐτὸς περιμηκέστερον τὰ περὶ τούτων ἐπεξέρχεται πρὸς μὲν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ φίλον, τὸν δίκαιον Ἰώβ, ἡμέρως καὶ πράως διαλεγόμενος καὶ ἐπικυρῶν μὲν τὰ παρὰ πάντων εἰρημένα περὶ θεοῦ δι' ὧν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκδιδάσκει περὶ ἑαυτοῦ τὰ ὅμοια, διδάσκων δὲ ἡμᾶς ὡς ἀκατάληπτα τῆς θείας προνοίας τὰ κρίματα καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδοὶ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίας, τοῖς δὲ φίλοις ἐπιτιμᾷ ὡς ἀποφηναμένοις περὶ ὧν οὐκ ᾔδεισαν μὴ γὰρ πρὸ καιροῦ τι κρίνετε, φησὶν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ὁ κύριος, ὃς καὶ φωτίσει τὰ κρυπτὰ τοῦ σκότους καὶ φανερώσει τὰς βουλὰς τῶν καρδιῶν καὶ τὰ ἑξῆςτόν τε Ἐλιοὺς οὔτ' ἐπαινεῖοὐ γὰρ ἔγνω τοῦ Ἰὼβ τὴν διάνοιαν, ἐξ ἧς τοὺς λόγους προέφερεν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦ ἀγῶνος τὴν ὑπόθεσιν, οὔτε ψέγει δέ, ἐπεὶ μὴ κατεδίκασε τὸν ἅγιον. τὸν δὲ δίκαιον Ἰὼβ στεφανοῖ καὶ ἀναγορεύει καὶ ἀνακαλεῖται τοῖς λόγοις ὡς οὐδαμοῦ μὲν ἐκπαλαίσαντα, πάντα δὲ νομίμως ἀγωνισάμενον τὰ παλαίσματα, καὶ τὸ ἀπόρρητον ἀναπτύσσει καὶ δημοσιεύει τοῦ πειρασμοῦ τὴν αἰτίαν. οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἄδικος πέπονθεν, φησίν, ὁ δίκαιος, ἀλλ' ἵνα δίκαιος ἀναφανῇ καὶ ἀπὸ θείας ψήφου ἀναγορευθῇ τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν τοῦ Ἰώβ. ἐπαλείφων δὲ αὐτὸν τοῖς λόγοις καὶ ἀναρρωννὺς καὶ παρατείνων αὐτῷ τὴν διάλεξινδίκαιος γὰρ ἦν παρὰ τοὺς ἄλλους πλείονος ὁμιλίας ἀπολαῦσαι θεοῦ, ὅσῳ καὶ πλείονα χρόνον τοῖς πάθεσιν ἐνεκαρ 333 τέρησεδιδάσκει καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως τοῦ μονογενοῦς μυστήρια καὶ δημοσιεύει διὰ λόγων μυστικῶν καὶ ἐπικεκαλυμμένων τοῦ κοινοῦ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος ἐχθροῦ, τοῦ δράκοντος καὶ ἀποστάτου, ὃν δὴ κῆτος προσαγορεύει, τήν τε ἰσχὺν καὶ ἰταμότητα καὶ κακόνοιαν, ἡμῖν μὲν τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν ἀπογυμνῶν, τὸν δὲ δίκαιον καὶ πλέον ἀναγορεύων καὶ θαρσαλεώτερον γενέσθαι παρασκευάζων, μονονουχὶ μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ πρὸς τοὺς συνιέναι δυναμένους λέγων, ὅτι πρὸς τοσοῦτον ἔσχεν ἀντίπαλον καὶ δι' ὅλων ἄρρηκτος ἔμεινεν. μετὰ δὲ τοὺς πολλοὺς ἀγῶνας καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῆς θείας φωνῆς παράκλησιν ὑγεία μὲν εὐθὺς συνέτρεχε καὶ ἀθρόως ἦν ἐν τοῖς συνήθεσιν ὁ τοὺς ἰχῶρας ἀναβλύζων καὶ τοὺς σκώληκας ἐξομβρῶν. συνέτρεχον δὲ πάντοθεν οἱ γνώριμοι καὶ ξενίοις ἐδεξιοῦντο. καὶ τὰ μὲν οὖν τῆς περιουσίας διπλᾶ ἠκολούθει πάντα, οἱ δὲ παῖδες ἰσάριθμοι· οὐ γὰρ εἰς ἀνυπαρξίαν ἐχώρησαν οἱ τοῦ σώματος ἐκδεδημηκότες, ὥστε καὶ αὐτοὶ διπλοῖ τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἐτύγχανον, ζώντων μὲν τῶν προαπελθόντων, προστεθέντων δὲ τῶν ὕστερον ἐπιγενομένων. ὥσπερ γὰρ πρότερον ὑπὸ τῆς θείας ἐγκαταλείψεως πρὸς γυμνασίαν γεγενημένης ἅπαντα ἦν σκυθρωπά, πενία καὶ ἀπαιδία, ἕλκη καὶ ἰχῶρες καὶ ἀτιμία, οὕτως ὕστερον ὑπὸ τῆς θείας ἐπιλάμψεως φαιδρὰ πάντα καὶ ἱλαρὰ καὶ θυμηδίας ἀνάμεστα, καὶ διπλασίονα μὲν ἐν τῷ παρόντι, παραπεμπτέα δὲ πρὸς τὰ τοῖς δικαίοις ἐπηγγελμένα τὰ μήτε ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁρατὰ μήτε ἀνθρωπίνῃ διανοίᾳ καταληπτά. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ μακάριος Ἰὼβ εὐσεβεῖ μὲν καὶ φιλοθέῳ διανοίᾳ, σκο 334 τεινοτέρᾳ δὲ τῇ ἀπαγγελίᾳ τῶν λόγων ἐχρήσατο, καὶ δῆλος μέν ἐστιν ἄριστα τὰ περὶ θεοῦ δοξάζων, ἀσαφὴς δὲ ἐν οἷς ἔδοξε τοῖς οὐκ εἰδόσιν αὐτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν ὀλιγωρίας φθέγγεσθαι ῥήματα, καὶ ἐπειδήπερ συνετίθετο μὲν τοῖς τοῦ Ἐλιοὺς καλῶς δοξάσαντος τὰ περὶ θεοῦ, ἐσιώπα δὲ καὶ οὐκ ἀπεκρίνετο, ἐντεῦθεν ὁ κύριος τῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἄρχεται λόγων οἷα σιωπῶντος καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν βουλὴν ἐπικρύπτοντος. ἔρχεται δὲ διὰ τοῦ ἀέρος ἡ θεία φωνὴ πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀκρόασιν κατὰ θείαν δημιουργίαν· οὐ γὰρ δὴ θεὸς ἀνθρωπίνως φθέγγεται, ἀλλ' ὁμοῦ τε θέλει καὶ ὁ λόγος εἰς ἔργον χωρεῖ καὶ θείων ἡμεῖς ῥημάτων ἀκούομεν. φθέγγεται δὲ διὰ λαίλαπος καὶ νεφῶν λαῖλαψ δέ ἐστιν ἡ τῶν ἀνέμων συστροφήδιὰ ταύτης μέν, οἶμαι, καταπλήττων τοὺς περιεστῶτας καὶ εἰς φόβον ἐνάγων, διὰ δὲ τοῦ νέφους πρὸς τὸν δίκαιον διαλεγόμενος ὥσπερ καὶ Μωυσεῖ καὶ Ἀαρών· ἐν στύλῳ γὰρ νεφέλης ἐλάλει πρὸς