121

of the chapter, God greatly honors His own servants; seeing that even now when Eliphaz and his companions were shown to be worthy of punishment for having condemned the righteous man, God withdrew the threat and remitted the punishment, granting the pardon for the sake of the righteous man himself. But if someone, moved by a love of learning, should say: "Why did He strike Miriam with leprosy for speaking against Moses—even if He later restored her body, again out of honor for His servant—but granted pardon immediately to Eliphaz and his companions without scrutinizing them at all?" we say that Miriam, through her reviling of Moses, also brought blasphemy against God who had glorified the face of the hierophant, whereas Job's friends, having undertaken to advocate for God, sinned only against the righteous man, unjustly enumerating his impiety. And if you should also ask: "But Aaron, why did he suffer nothing terrible?" we say, because God honors the priesthood. We learn two things, therefore, from this: that accusing the righteous makes one liable to sin, and that God pardons sins out of honor for them. 385 The words 42, 7 And it came to pass after the Lord had spoken all these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite. Eliphaz seems to have been more venerable than the others; which is why he begins the discourse with Job first, and now the Lord speaks to him, and this, although the words were fitting for the three friends. But observe how God spoke within the hearing of all, so that Job's virtue might be made manifest to all through the divine testimony. 42, 7 you have sinned, you and your two friends; for you have not spoken anything true before me, as my servant Job has. Understand the precision of the divine saying; for as far as men were concerned, the friends were doing well by advocating for God, but Job was not doing well by wishing to be judged with God—at which point some even to this day stumble at his words, paying attention only to the utterance of the phrases, but in the divine and incorruptible and impartial judgment, the opposite appeared. Therefore He also said: 'before me'; "for before me," He says, "as judge, you spoke nothing true, casting your votes unjustly against the righteous man, but my servant Job spoke all things with bare truth." For he was not suffering because of sins, but so that he might be revealed as righteous. Who then can accuse the words, of which the Lord became the praiser through His own judgment? and 386 observe, how He calls Job His own servant, honoring the righteous man even in the address; and He does this not only once, but many times. 42, 8 Now therefore, take seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and he will make a burnt offering for you. Seven in scripture is an honored and perfect number. Therefore they are commanded to offer perfect sacrifices, as having sinned greatly, and He commands Job himself to become a priest and directs that the whole burnt offerings be offered up through him. "for so righteous is he," He says, "as even to intercede for others"; and before the law, the saints offered the sacrifices by themselves, just as Abel and Noah and Abraham did. 42, 8 And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his person only; for if it were not for him, I would have destroyed you. For you have not spoken the truth against my servant Job. Oh, the excess of honor that the Lord bestows upon the saints. For He declares that speaking against the righteous makes one liable to death, and yet He pardons the deadly punishment out of honor for them. 387 CHAPTER THIRTY-FIRST Beginning of the saying: And Eliphaz the Temanite went. Preface to the chapter. It has already begun, from when God delivered an oracle to him, for the prizes to be given to the righteous man. For he first received as a crown the very fact of being deemed worthy of the divine discourse and teaching and testimony, now he receives second prizes, to pray for his friends and to receive their pardon as a reward for his struggles. The words 42, 9-10 And Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Minaean went, and did as the Lord commanded them. and

121

κεφαλαίου μεγάλως ὁ θεὸς τοὺς οἰκείους τιμᾷ θεράποντας· ὅπουγε καὶ νῦν τιμωρίας ἀξίων φανέντων τῶν ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἐλιφὰζ διὰ τὸ τοῦ δικαίου καταψηφίσασθαι, ἀνῆκε τὴν ἀπειλὴν ὁ θεὸς καὶ τὴν τιμωρίαν συνεχώρησεν, αὐτῷ τῷ δικαίῳ τὴν συγχώρησιν χαριζόμενος. εἰ δέ τις ἐρεῖ φιλομαθῶς κινούμενος· διὰ τί τὴν Μαριὰμ ἐλέπρωσε κατὰ Μωυσέως λαλήσασανεἰ καὶ ὕστερον ἀποκατέστησεν αὐτῆς τὸ σῶμα τιμῇ πάλιν τῇ πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ θεράποντα, τοῖς δὲ ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἐλιφὰζ εὐθὺς τὴν συγχώρησιν δέδωκε μηδὲν αὐτοὺς περιεργασάμενος, φαμέν, ὅτι ἡ μὲν Μαριὰμ διὰ τῆς εἰς Μωυσέα λοιδορίας καὶ κατὰ θεοῦ τὴν βλασφημίαν ἔφερεν τοῦ δοξάσαντος τοῦ ἱεροφάντου τὸ πρόσωπον, οἱ δὲ φίλοι τοῦ Ἰὼβ τὴν ὑπὲρ θεοῦ συνηγορίαν ἀναδεξάμενοι εἰς μόνον τὸν δίκαιον ἐξημάρτανον ἀδίκως αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀσέβειαν καταλέγοντες. εἰ δὲ καὶ ζητήσεις· Ἀαρὼν δέ, διὰ τί μηδὲν ὑπέστη δεινόν, φαμέν, ὅτι τοῦ θεοῦ τιμῶντος τὴν ἱερωσύνην. δύο οὖν ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν, ὅτι καὶ ἁμαρτίας ἔνοχον τὸ τῶν δικαίων κατηγορεῖν καὶ ὁ θεὸς τιμῇ τῇ πρὸς αὐτοὺς συγχωρεῖ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. 385 Αἱ λέξεισ 42, 7 ἐγένετο δὲ μετὰ τὸ λαλῆσαι τὸν κύριον πάντα τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα τῷ Ἰώβ, εἶπεν ὁ κύριος Ἐλιφὰζ τῷ θαιμανίτῃ. ἔοικεν ὁ Ἐλιφὰζ αἰδεσιμώτερος τῶν ἄλλων τυγχάνειν· διὸ καὶ πρότερος τῆς πρὸς τὸν Ἰὼβ ἄρχεται διαλέξεως, καὶ νῦν ὁ κύριος πρὸς αὐτὸν διαλέγεται, καὶ ταῦτα τῶν λόγων τοῖς τρισὶν ἁρμοζόντων φίλοις. θεώρει δέ, ὡς εἰς ἐπήκοον ἁπάντων ὁ θεὸς ἐλάλει, ὡς ἂν εἰς πάντας ἡ τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἀρετὴ διὰ τῆς θείας μαρτυρίας κατάδηλος γένηται. 42, 7 ἥμαρτες σὺ καὶ οἱ δύο φίλοι σου· οὐ γὰρ ἐλαλήσατε ἐνώπιόν μου ἀληθὲς οὐδέν, ὡς ὁ θεράπων μου Ἰώβ. κατανόει τῆς θείας ῥήσεως τὴν ἀκρίβειαν· ὅσον μὲν γὰρ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις καλῶς μὲν ἐποίουν οἱ φίλοι θεῷ συνηγοροῦντες, οὐ καλῶς δὲ ἐποίει ὁ Ἰὼβ πρὸς θεὸν θέλων δικάσασθαιὅπουγέ τινες καὶ μέχρι νῦν προσκόπτουσι τοῖς αὐτοῦ ῥήμασι τῇ τῶν λέξεων προφορᾷ μόνῃ προσέχοντες, παρὰ δὲ τῇ θείᾳ καὶ ἀδεκάστῳ καὶ ἀπροσωπολήπτῳ κρίσει τὸ ἐναντίον ἐφάνη. διὸ καὶ εἶπεν· ἐνώπιόν μου· παρ' ἐμοὶ γάρ, φησίν, κριτῇ ὑμεῖς μὲν οὐδὲν ἀληθὲς ἐλαλήσατε ἀδίκως κατὰ τοῦ δικαίου τὰς ψήφους ἐκφέροντες, ὁ δὲ ἐμὸς θεράπων Ἰὼβ μετὰ τῆς ψιλῆς ἀληθείας πάντα ἐφθέγξατο. οὐ γὰρ διὰ ἁμαρτίας ἔπασχεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀναφανῇ δίκαιος. τίς οὖν δύναται λόγων κατηγορεῖν, ὧν ὁ κύριος ἐπαινέτης κατέστη διὰ τῆς οἰκείας ἐπικρίσεως; καὶ 386 ἐπιτήρει, πῶς οἰκεῖον θεράποντα τὸν Ἰὼβ καλεῖ κἀν τῇ προσηγορίᾳ τιμῶν τὸν δίκαιον· καὶ οὐ μόνον ἅπαξ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλάκις τοῦτο ποιεῖ. 42, 8 νῦν δὲ λάβετε ἑπτὰ μόσχους καὶ ἑπτὰ κριούς, καὶ πορεύθητε πρὸς τὸν θεράποντά μου Ἰώβ, καὶ ποιήσει κάρπωσιν περὶ ὑμῶν. ὁ ἑπτὰ παρὰ τῇ γραφῇ τίμιος καὶ τέλειος ἀριθμός. τέλεια τοιγαροῦν θύματα κελεύονται προσφέρειν ὡς μεγάλα ἐξημαρτηκότες, αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν Ἰὼβ ἱερέα κελεύει γενέσθαι καὶ τὰς ὁλοκαρπώσεις ἀναφέρεσθαι δι' αὐτοῦ προστάττει· οὕτω γάρ, φησίν, δίκαιός ἐστιν, ὡς καὶ ὑπὲρ ἑτέρων πρεσβεύειν· πρὸ δὲ τοῦ νόμου οἱ ἅγιοι δι' ἑαυτῶν τὰς θυσίας προσέφερον ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ Ἀβὲλ καὶ ὁ Νῶε καὶ ὁ Ἀβραάμ. 42, 8 Ἰὼβ δὲ ὁ θεράπων μου εὔξεται ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, ὅτι εἰ μὴ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ λήψομαι· εἰ μὴ γὰρ δι' αὐτόν, ἀπώλεσα ἂν ὑμᾶς. οὐ γὰρ ἐλαλήσατε ἀληθὲς κατὰ τοῦ θεράποντός μου Ἰώβ. βαβαὶ τιμῆς ὑπερβολῇ, ἣν τοῖς ἁγίοις ὁ κύριος ἀπονέμει. θανάτου μὲν γὰρ ἔνοχον ἀποφαίνει τὸ τῶν δικαίων καταλαλεῖν, καὶ τὴν θανατηφόρον δὲ τιμωρίαν συγχωρεῖ τιμῇ τῇ πρὸς αὐτούς. 387 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΤΡΙΑΚΟΣΤΟΝ ΠΡΩΤΟΝ Ἀρχὴ τοῦ ῥητοῦ· ἐπορεύθη δὲ Ἐλιφὰζ ὁ Θαιμανίτης. Προθεωρία τοῦ κεφαλαίου ἤρξατο μέν, ἀφ' οὗ ὁ θεὸς ἐχρημάτισε πρὸς αὐτόν, τὰ ἔπαθλα τῷ δικαίῳ διδόσθαι. αὐτὸ γὰρ τὸ καταξιωθῆναι τῆς θείας ὁμιλίας καὶ διδασκαλίας καὶ μαρτυρίας πρῶτον ἐδέξατο στέφανον, νῦν βραβεῖα δέχεται δεύτερα τὸ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων εὔχεσθαι καὶ τῶν ἀγώνων δέχεσθαι γέρα τὴν αὐτῶν συγχώρησιν. Αἱ λέξεισ 42, 910 ἐπορεύθη δὲ Ἐλιφὰζ ὁ Θαιμανίτης καὶ Βαλδὰδ ὁ Σαυχίτης καὶ Σωφὰρ ὁ Μιναῖος, καὶ ἐποίησαν, καθὰ συνέταξεν αὐτοῖς ὁ κύριος. καὶ