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And he who returns from war and victory and slaughter must needs be bloodied, and often also have wounds. When, therefore, you see someone giving alms, and doing countless other good things, and by this cutting down the power of the devil, and then falling into temptations and dangers, do not be troubled by this; for he fell into temptations for this reason, because he struck the devil mightily. And how did God allow it, you say? So that he might be crowned the more; so that the other might receive the greater blow. For it is a great thing, even when one's affairs are carried by a fair wind, both to show mercy and to hold fast to virtue; but it is much greater, when suffering terrible things, to hold unwaveringly and with greater eagerness to the labors for virtue's sake. For just as among sinners, those who have suffered nothing terrible here undergo a greater punishment there; so among the righteous, those who have suffered many terrible things here will enjoy great honor there. And just as when there are two sinners, if one is punished here, and the other is not punished, the one who is punished is more blessed than the one who is not punished; so also when there are two righteous men here, if one endures more afflictions, and the other fewer, the one who endures more is more blessed. But those who do not bear the discipline of God with thanksgiving, but are discontented, in addition to reaping no fruit from it, also surround themselves with the worst calamities. But are you living in poverty and famine and countless dangers? Then learn from the poor to give thanks to the Master; for these, spending their whole life in begging, do not blaspheme, are not indignant, nor do they complain, but bear it with thanksgiving. For what have you suffered such as that man did? Did you have your eye put out? but he, both of his. Did you suffer a long illness? but this one, an incurable one too. Did you lose your children? but he also lost the health of his own body. Did you suffer a great loss? but you have not yet been reduced to needing others. But are these things not enough? consider for me Job, the unassailable 63.705 tower of patience. For who has become poorer than this man, who was poorer even than those cast out in the baths, and those who sleep in the ashes of the furnace, and simply all men? For they have at least a ragged cloak; but he sat naked, and the only garment he had from nature, the covering of his flesh, this too the devil destroyed with a grievous sore. And the poor are at least under the roof of the porticoes at the baths, or are covered with reeds; but he continually spent the night in the open air, not having even the comfort of a bare roof; and what is greater, that they are conscious of many terrible things in themselves (and this is no small comfort in calamity, to be conscious of being justly punished); but he was deprived of this comfort also, and having displayed a life full of virtue, he endured the things of those who had dared the worst. And they have practiced in calamity from the beginning; but he endured unpracticed poverty, having suddenly received the change from wealth. Have you seen him come to the uttermost poverty, beyond which it is not possible to find another? For what could be poorer than a naked man with not even a roof, not even enjoying the ground itself? For he sat not on the earth, but on a dunghill. Therefore, whenever you see yourself in poverty, consider the suffering of the just man, and you will immediately rise up and drive away every thought of despondency. But if you wish also to hear of the war from nature, which with great excess was waged against this noble man, attend to what I say: He lost ten children, the ten all at once, in the very flower of their age, the ten having shown great virtue, and not even by the common law of nature, but by a violent and pitiable death. Who could tell of such a calamity? what man of iron, what adamant could have endured such terrible things? There is none, there is none. For if each of these things is unbearable by itself, consider how much disturbance they raised when all came together at once.

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καὶ τὸν ἐκ πολέμου δὲ καὶ νίκης καὶ σφαγῆς ἐπανιόντα ἀνάγκη καὶ ᾑμάχθαι, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ τραύματα ἔχειν. Ὅταν τοίνυν ἴδῃς τινὰ ἐλεημοσύνας ποιοῦντα, καὶ ἄλλα μυρία ἐργαζόμενον ἀγαθὰ, καὶ ταύτῃ συγκόπτοντα τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν δύναμιν, εἶτα πειρασμοῖς περιπεσόντα καὶ κινδύνοις, μὴ διὰ τοῦτο θορυβηθῇς· διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο περιέπεσε πειρασμοῖς, ἐπειδὴ σφόδρα ἔπληξε τὸν διάβολον. Καὶ πῶς ὁ Θεὸς συνεχώρησε, φησίν; Ἵνα μᾶλλον στεφανωθῇ· ἵνα πλείονα τὴν πληγὴν λάβῃ ἐκεῖνος. Μέγα μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἐξ οὐρίας φερομένων τῶν πραγμάτων, καὶ ἐλεεῖν καὶ ἀρετῆς ἀντέχεσθαι· πολλῷ δὲ μεῖζον, τὸ δεινὰ πάσχοντα ἀμεταστρεπτὶ καὶ μετὰ πλείονος ἔχεσθαι τῆς προθυμίας τῶν ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς πόνων. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων οἱ μηδὲν παθόντες δεινὸν ἐνταῦθα, μείζονα ὑφίστανται τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐκεῖ· οὕτως ἐπὶ τῶν κατορθούντων οἱ πολλὰ παθόντες ἐνταῦθα δεινὰ, πολλῆς ἀπολαύσονται ἐκεῖ τιμῆς. Καὶ καθάπερ ἁμαρτωλῶν ὄντων δύο, ἂν ὁ μὲν ἐνταῦθα κολασθῇ, ὁ δὲ μὴ κολασθῇ, μακαριώτερος ὁ κολασθεὶς τοῦ μὴ κολασθέντος ἐστίν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ δικαίων ἐνταῦθα ὄντων δύο, ἂν ὁ μὲν πλείους, ὁ δὲ ἐλάττους ὑπομένῃ τὰς θλίψεις, μακαριώτερος ὁ τὰς πλείους ὑπομένων ἐστίν. Οἱ δὲ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ παιδείαν εὐχαρίστως μὴ φέροντες, ἀλλὰ δυσανασχετοῦντες, πρὸς τῷ μηδὲν ἐξ αὐτῆς καρπώσασθαι καὶ ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἑαυτοὺς περιβάλλουσι συμφοραῖς. Ἀλλ' ἐν πενίᾳ διάγεις καὶ λιμῷ καὶ μυρίοις κινδύνοις; Οὐκοῦν ἀπὸ τῶν πενήτων μάθε εὐχαριστεῖν τῷ ∆εσπότῃ· οὗτοι γὰρ πάντα τὸν βίον ἑαυτῶν ἐν τῷ ἐπαιτεῖν καταναλίσκοντες οὐ βλασφημοῦσιν, οὐκ ἀγανακτοῦσιν, οὐδὲ δυσχεραίνουσιν, ἀλλ' εὐχαρίστως φέρουσι. Τί γὰρ τοιοῦτον ἔπαθες οἷον ἐκεῖνος; Ἐξεκόπης τὸν ὀφθαλμόν; ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος τοὺς δύο. Ἐνόσησας νόσον μακράν; οὗτος δὲ καὶ ἀνίατον. Ἀπέβαλες τοὺς παῖδας; ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος καὶ τὴν ὑγείαν τοῦ οἰκείου σώματος. Ἐζημιώθης ζημίαν μεγάλην; ἀλλ' οὐδέπω πρὸς τὸ ἑτέρων δεῖσθαι κατέστης. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀρκεῖ ταῦτα; ἐννόησόν μοι τὸν Ἰὼβ τὸν τῆς ὑπομονῆς ἀπε 63.705 ρίτρεπτον πύργον. Τίς γὰρ τούτου πενέστερος γέγονεν, ὃς καὶ τῶν ἐν βαλανείοις ἐῤῥιμμένων, καὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ καμινιαίᾳ τέφρᾳ καθευδόντων, καὶ πάντων ἁπλῶς ἀνθρώπων πενέστερος ἦν; Οὗτοι μὲν γὰρ κἂν ἱμάτιον ἔχουσι διεῤῥωγός· ἐκεῖνος δὲ γυμνὸς ἐκάθητο, καὶ ὃ μόνον ἱμάτιον εἶχε παρὰ τῆς φύσεως, τῆς σαρκὸς τὴν περιβολὴν, χαλεπῇ σηπεδόνι καὶ τοῦτο διέφθειρεν ὁ διάβολος. Καὶ οἱ μὲν πένητες κἂν ὑπὸ στέγην εἰσὶ προπυλαίων τῶν ἐν τοῖς βαλανείοις, κἂν καλάμῃ καλύπτονται· ἐκεῖνος δὲ αἴθριος διανυκτερεύων ἀεὶ διετέλει, οὐδὲ τὴν ἀπὸ ψιλῆς στέγης παραμυθίαν ἔχων· καὶ τὸ δὴ μεῖζον, ὅτι οὗτοι μὲν πολλὰ ἑαυτοῖς συνίσασι τὰ δεινά (καὶ οὐ μικρὸν τοῦτο εἰς παραμυθίαν συμφορᾶς, τὸ συνειδέναι ἑαυτῷ δικαίως τιμωρουμένῳ)· ἐκεῖνος δὲ καὶ ταύτης ἀπεστέρητο τῆς παραμυθίας, καὶ πολιτείαν ἐπιδειξάμενος ἀρετῆς γέμουσαν, τὰ τῶν ἔσχατα τετολμηκότων ὑπέμεινε. Καὶ οὗτοι μὲν ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐνεμελέτησαν τῇ συμφορᾷ· ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἀμελέτητον ὑπέμεινε πενίαν, ἀθρόον δεξάμενος τὴν ἐκ τοῦ πλούτου μεταβολήν. Εἶδες αὐτὸν πρὸς ἐσχάτην ἐλθόντα πενίαν, καὶ μεθ' ἣν ἑτέραν οὐκ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν; Τί γὰρ ἂν τοῦ γυμνοῦ καὶ μηδὲ στέγην ἔχοντος πενέστερον γένοιτ' ἂν, μηδὲ ἐδάφους αὐτοῦ ἀπολαύοντος; οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας ἐκάθητο. Οὐκοῦν ὅταν ἴδῃς σαυτὸν ἐν πενίᾳ γενόμενον, ἐννόησον τοῦ δικαίου τὸ πάθος, καὶ εὐθέως διαναστήσῃ, καὶ πάντα ἀποκρούσῃ λογισμὸν τῆς ἀθυμίας. Εἰ δὲ βούλει καὶ τὸν παρὰ τῆς φύσεως πόλεμον τὸν μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ὑπερβολῆς τῷ γενναίῳ τούτῳ ἐπιτεθειμένον ἀκούειν, πρόσεχε ᾧ λέγω· ∆έκα παιδία ἀπώλεσε, τὰ δέκα ἀθρόον, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ἄνθει τῆς ἡλικίας, τὰ δέκα πολλὴν ἀρετὴν ἐπιδεδειγμένα, καὶ οὐδὲ τῷ κοινῷ τῆς φύσεως νόμῳ, ἀλλὰ βιαίῳ θανάτῳ καὶ ἐλεεινῷ. Τίς ἂν ἔχοι τοιαύτην συμφορὰν εἰπεῖν; ποῖος σιδηροῦς ἄνθρωπος, ποῖος ἀδάμας τοσαῦτα ἂν ὑπέμεινε δεινά; οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεὶς, οὐκ ἔστιν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸ τούτων ἕκαστον ἀφόρητον, ἐννόησον ὡς ὁμοῦ πάντα συνελθόντα, πόσον ἤγειρε καὶ τὸν θόρυβον.