360

and, They who do lawless things are built up, and we call strangers blessed; and, The way of the Lord is not straight. And the blessed Job, when he fell into that temptation, not from such a mind as the Jews had, nor such things, God forbid; yet he said nevertheless: Would that there were a mediator, and one to arbitrate and reprove between us both. Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me. For this reason He says to him: I will ask you, and you answer me. Then when he was astonished, and said: What further shall I plead, being admonished, and reproving the Lord? and 55.450 again, I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear before, but now my eye has seen you; therefore I have held myself vile, and have melted away; and I regard myself as earth and ashes; I will lay my hand on my mouth; He says to him, No, but gird up your loins like a man, as if reminding him of his words and saying: Since you wished to be judged against me, behold, I am present to judge. Have you seen God's ineffable love for mankind, have you seen goodness that has no end? For this reason the three children also said. We have sinned, we have committed iniquity, we have done unjustly. For since many of the senseless bring their own sins upon God, this being contrived by the devil, God, pulling this habit up by the roots, continually speaks of being judged against them. 3. Indeed, the first-formed man also sinned in some such way; wherefore he also said: The woman, whom you gave to be with me, she gave me, and I ate. And the Jews also sinned many such things. For in your sight shall no man living be justified. Why then do I speak of myself and this one and that one? he says. There is no man on earth who, being judged against the things promised by you, can be justified; thus the prize of victory is yours by abundance. For the enemy has persecuted my soul. It is possible to understand this as having been said also on account of Saul, who was an enemy, and was persecuting him at that time; but it is also possible, anagogically, to speak of the devil as the enemy; for he does not cease persecuting those of God. How then might we be delivered from being persecuted? If we might find a place where he is not able to enter. And what place is this? he says. What other, but heaven? But how is it possible to ascend into heaven? Hear Paul speaking and showing, that even while entangled in the flesh we are able to dwell there; For set your minds on things above, he says, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. And again: But our citizenship is in heaven. He has humbled my life to the ground. The name of humiliation signifies many things. For there is also the humiliation of virtue, as when it says: A broken and humbled heart God will not despise. There is also humiliation from calamities; there is also from sins. Here, however, he speaks of that from calamities. Wherefore he also added this, showing: He has humbled my life to the ground. There is also a humiliation from recklessness, as when it says, He who exalts himself, will be humbled. There is also another humiliation, that from greed. For what is more base than those who bury themselves in wealth and powers and glories? For such men are doubly base, both because they are dragged on the ground, and because they consider these things great, just as little children consider knucklebones and balls and such playthings to be great. But this is not a sign that those things are great, but that the mind of those who admire them happens to be imperfect and base. But that is a defect of age and nature, while this is a crime of choice. For though a man, and having reached mature age 55.451, he considers tables and harlots and luxury to be great things; than which what could be more base? And yet many call such men magnanimous; but these are again much baser than they. Let us learn

360

καὶ, Ἀνοικοδομοῦνται ποιοῦντες ἀνομήματα, καὶ μακαρίζομεν ἀλλοτρίους· καὶ, Οὐκ εὐθεῖα ἡ ὁδὸς Κυρίου. Καὶ ὁ μακάριος δὲ Ἰὼβ, ἐπειδὴ εἰς τὸν πειρασμὸν ἐνέπεσεν ἐκεῖνον, οὐκ ἀπὸ τοιαύτης γνώμης ἧς οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, οὐδὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα, μὴ γένοιτο· ἔλεγε δ' οὖν ὅμως· Εἴθε ἦν ὁ μεσίτης, καὶ διακρίνων καὶ ἐλέγχων μεταξὺ ἀμφοτέρων. Ἀπαλλαξάτω τὴν ῥάβδον αὐτοῦ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ ὁ φόβος αὐτοῦ μή με στροβείτω. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο λέγει αὐτῷ· Ἐρωτήσω δέ σε, σὺ δέ μοι ἀποκρίθητι. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ κατεπλάγη, καὶ ἔλεγε· Τί ἔτι κἀγὼ κρίνομαι νουθετούμενος, καὶ ἐλέγχω Κύριον; καὶ 55.450 πάλιν, Ἀκοῇ μὲν ὠτὸς ἤκουόν σου τὸ πρότερον, νυνὶ δὲ οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου ἑωράκασί σε· διὸ ἐφαύλισα ἐμαυτὸν, καὶ ἐτάκην· ἥγημαι δὲ ἐμαυτὸν γῆν καὶ σποδόν· χεῖρα θήσω ἐπὶ τῷ στόματί μου· λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν, Μὴ, ἀλλὰ ζῶσαι ὥσπερ ἀνὴρ τὴν ὀσφύν σου, μονονουχὶ αὐτὸν ἀναμιμνήσκων αὐτοῦ τῶν ῥημάτων καὶ λέγων· Ἐπεὶ ἐβούλου κρίνεσθαι πρὸς ἐμὲ, ἰδοὺ πάρειμι δικασόμενος. Εἶδες Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν ἄφατον, εἶδες ἀγαθότητα πέρας οὐκ ἔχουσαν; ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ παῖδες οἱ τρεῖς ἔλεγον. Ἡμάρτομεν, ἠνομήσαμεν, ἠδικήσαμεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀναισθήτων τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἁμαρτήματα ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἐπάγουσι, τοῦτο τοῦ διαβόλου κατασκευάσαντος, πρόῤῥιζον ταύτην ἀνασπῶν τὴν συνήθειαν ὁ Θεὸς, συνεχῶς λέγει κρίνεσθαι πρὸς αὐτούς. γʹ. Τοιοῦτον γοῦν τι καὶ ὁ πρωτόπλαστος ἥμαρτε· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν· Ἡ γυνὴ, ἣν ἔδωκας μετ' ἐμοῦ, αὕτη μοι ἔδωκε, καὶ ἔφαγον. Καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι δὲ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ἡμάρτανον. Ὅτι οὐ δικαιωθήσεται ἐνώπιόν σου πᾶς ζῶν. Τί δαὶ λέγω ἐμαυτὸν καὶ τὸν δεῖνα καὶ τὸν δεῖνα; φησίν. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἄνθρωπος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὃς κρινόμενος πρὸς τὰ ἐπηγγελμένα παρὰ σοῦ, δικαιωθῆναι δύναται· οὕτως ἐκ περιουσίας τὰ νικητήρια παρὰ σοί. Ὅτι κατεδίωξεν ὁ ἐχθρὸς τὴν ψυχήν μου. Ἔστι μὲν τοῦτο νοεῖν καὶ διὰ τὸν Σαοὺλ εἰρῆσθαι, ἐχθρὸν ὄντα, καὶ αὐτὸν τότε διώκοντα· ἔστι δὲ καὶ κατὰ ἀναγωγὴν ἐχθρὸν τὸν διάβολον εἰπεῖν· οὐ παύεται γὰρ ἐκεῖνος διώκων τοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ. Πῶς οὖν ἂν ἀπαλλαγείημεν τοῦ διώκεσθαι; Εἰ τόπον εὕροιμεν, ἔνθα εἰσελθεῖν οὐ δύναται. Καὶ ποῖος, φησὶν, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τόπος; Ποῖος δὲ ἕτερος, ἀλλ' ἢ ὁ οὐρανός; Πῶς δὲ δυνατὸν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβῆναι; Ἄκουσον Παύλου λέγοντος καὶ δεικνύντος, ὅτι καὶ σαρκὶ συμπεπλεγμένοι δυνάμεθα διατρίβειν ἐκεῖ· Τὰ ἄνω γὰρ φρονεῖτε, φησὶν, οὗ ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Θεοῦ καθήμενος. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἡμῶν δὲ τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπάρχει. Ἐταπείνωσεν εἰς γῆν τὴν ζωήν μου. Πολλὰ σημαίνει τῆς ταπεινώσεως τὸ ὄνομα. Ἔστι γὰρ καὶ ἀρετῆς ταπείνωσις, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Καρδίαν συντετριμμένην καὶ τεταπεινωμένην ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἐξουδενώσει. Ἔστι καὶ ἀπὸ συμφορῶν ταπείνωσις· ἔστι καὶ ἀπὸ ἁμαρτημάτων. Ἐνταῦθα μέντοι τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν συμφορῶν λέγει. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγε τοῦτο δεικνύς· Ἐταπείνωσεν εἰς γῆν τὴν ζωήν μου. Ἔστι καὶ ταπείνωσις ἐξ ἀπονοίας, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ, Ὁ ὑψῶν ἑαυτὸν, ταπεινωθήσεται. Ἔστι καὶ ἑτέρα ταπείνωσις, ἡ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀπληστίας. Τί γὰρ ταπεινότερον τῶν κατορυττόντων ἑαυτοὺς ἐν πλούτῳ καὶ δυναστείαις καὶ δόξαις; ∆ιπλῶς γάρ εἰσι ταπεινοὶ οἱ τοιοῦτοι, ὅτι τε χαμαὶ σύρονται, καὶ ὅτι μεγάλα ταῦτα νομίζουσιν, ὡς τὰ παιδία τὰ μικρὰ ἀστραγάλους καὶ σφαίρας καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀθύρματα μεγάλα τίθενται. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο οὐ τοῦ μεγάλα εἶναι ἐκεῖνα σημεῖόν ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ τῶν θαυμαζόντων τὴν διάνοιαν ἀτελῆ τυγχάνειν καὶ ταπεινήν. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο μὲν ἡλικίας καὶ φύσεώς ἐστιν ἐλάττωμα, τοῦτο δὲ προαιρέσεως ἔγκλημα. Καὶ γὰρ ἀνὴρ ὢν, καὶ ἐν ἡλικίᾳ τελείᾳ 55.451 γεγονὼς, τραπέζας καὶ πόρνας καὶ τρυφὴν μεγάλα εἶναι νομίζει· οὗ τί γένοιτ' ἂν ταπεινότερον; Καίτοι πολλοὶ τοὺς τοιούτους μεγαλοψύχους καλοῦσιν· ἀλλ' οὗτοι ἐκείνων πολλῷ ταπεινότεροι πάλιν. Μάθωμεν