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Commentaries on Job

1 That which is fitting for everyone who proposes to make an examination of any discourse, namely to first address the premises of the discourse, must be done in the present case, and especially since the present book, being most beneficial, has a meaning that is not to be despised. For in it the whole discourse concerning the judgments of God is set in motion by Job, and how none of the painful things that happen to men occurs without the concession of God, and other dogmatic considerations, and further, in the principal discourse, concerning endurance and patience and the contempt of indifferent things—I mean money and possessions and many children and good children—; in addition to these, also the manifestation of free will and the teaching of various doctrines, as we shall see, God willing, in each of the oracles in which these things are. If, then, we must begin with the subject matter, let us begin. The change in the state of beings appears to be of different kinds: on the one hand, of bodies decaying and growing, and on the other, of a change of choice occurring. And as many changes as occur according to the body show the subject to be neither blameworthy nor praiseworthy. For no one is approved for the decay of the body nor for its growth; for these things are outside of what is in our power. But whatever things are done by reasoning when the agent is moved by choice, 2 these show him to be either blameworthy or praiseworthy. And this follows for those who change from vice to virtue or from virtue to vice. Therefore, a rational being became an apostate from God, "having become stiff-necked before the Lord Almighty". d This is the devil, not having been created a devil—for "God did not make death"—, but perfect and virtuous—for "God made all things very good"—, who, having fallen from the right state and blessedness, envies those who are turning toward it; for "by the envy of the devil death entered the world". For as an outcast he reasons with himself that: those who have a heavenly citizenship must be hindered, so that these may not ascend to the place from which I have fallen. For he considers the progress of men his own accusation, because he himself is the "morning star" of the heavens and the star "that rises early", shining brightly, but because he schemed against those who were to be enlightened by the "sun of righteousness", he fell from the heavenly regions. But these hasten to a virtuous life, who have a greater inclination toward vice. For "the mind of man is intently set on evil things", 3 which the Apostle, wishing to show, says: "Shall we not judge angels?" declaring as it were that: we who live the heavenly life on earth will condemn those who did not keep their own proper place, just as the Ninevites will also condemn the Jews who did not obey the Savior, they themselves having been persuaded by the preaching of Jonah, who proclaimed concerning repentance. But also what is said about the queen of Sheba is illustrative of the same thought: for being a woman and a queen and living far away and about to pass through foreign domains, disregarding all these things, she hastened to be a hearer of the wisdom of Solomon, while the Jews had the teacher near them and were unwilling to be benefited by him at all, although he was greater than Solomon. For that one gave benefit, being wise by his own means, but the Savior, in addition to the benefit from his words, also displayed a wonder-working of signs and portents sufficient to persuade the most unbelieving; for raisings of the dead, recoveries of sight for the blind, cleansings of lepers, and in short, the healing of "every disease and every infirmity" was accomplished by him. This, therefore, was the diabolical envy, that men were hastening to lay hold of these things 4 from which he himself had fallen. Wherefore he is not neglectful of his insolence against the race; for "our adversary"

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Commentarii in Job

1 ὅπερ ἁρμόζει παντὶ προτιθεμένῳ ἐξέτασιν ποιήσασθα̣ι λόγου τινὸς τὰ εἰς τὴν ὑπόθεσιν προδιαλαμβάνοντι τοῦ λόγου, ἐν τοῖς νῦν ποιητέον, καὶ μάλιστα ε᾿̣π̣εὶ τὸ προκείμενον βιβλίον ὠφελιμώτατον ὑπάρχον οὐκ εὐκαταφρόνητον ἔχει τὴν νόησιν. κινεῖται γὰρ ἐν αὐτῳ῀̣ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰὼβ ὅλο̣ς ὁ περὶ τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ κριμάτων λόγος, καὶ ὡς οὐδὲν τῶν συμβαινόντων ἐπιπόνων ἀνθρώποις ἐκτὸς τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ συνχωρήσεως γίνεται, καὶ ἕτερα δογματικὰ θεωρήματα καὶ ἔτι ἐν τῷ προηγουμένῳ λόγῳ καρτερίας πέρι καὶ ὑπομονῆς καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀδιαφόρων καταφρονήσεως- χρημάτων λέγω καὶ κτημάτων καὶ πολυπαιδίας καὶ εὐπαιδίας-, πρὸς τούτοις καὶ τοῦ αὐτεξουσίου φανέρωσις καὶ τῶν ποικίλων δογμάτων διδασκαλία, ὡς καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν λογίων, εἰς ἃ ταῦτά ἐστιν, θεοῦ διδόντος ὀψόμεθα. εἰ δεῖ τοίνυν τῆς ὑποθέσεως, ἀρκτέον. διάφορος ἡ τῆς τι̣μῆς τῶν οὐσιῶν φαίνεται μεταβολή, τοῦτο μὲν σωμάτων φθειρομένων καὶ αὐξομένων, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ προαιρετικῆς συμβαινούσης μεταβολῆς. καὶ ὅσαι μὲν κατὰ σῶμα γίνονται, οὔτε μεμπτὸν ὑποκείμενον οὔτε ἐπαινετὸν δεικνύουσιν. οὐδεὶς γὰρ οὔτε ἐπὶ φθορᾷ σώματος οὔτε ἐπὶ αὐξήσει ἀποδεκτός· ἔξω γὰρ ταῦτα τοῦ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστιν. ὅσα δὲ λογισμῷ προαιρετικῶς κινουμένου 2 τοῦ ἐνεργοῦντος πράττεται, ταῦτα ἢ ψεκτὸν ἢ ἐπαινετὸν αὐτὸν δείκνυσιν. τοῦτο δ' ἀκολουθεῖ τοῖς ἐκ κακίας εἰς ἀρετὴν ἢ ἐξ ἀρετῆς εἰς κακίαν μεταβάλλουσιν. γέ γονεν τοίνυν λογικὴ οὐσία ἀποστάτις θεοῦ, "ἐνώπιον κυρίου παντοκράτορος τραχηλιάσασα". δ αὕτη δ' ἐστὶν ὁ διάβολος οὐ διάβολος γεγενημένη-"ὁ θεὸς" γὰρ "θάνατον οὐκ ἐποίησεν"-, ἀλλὰ τελεία καὶ ἐνάρετος-"πάντα" γὰρ "ὁ θεὸς καλὰ λίαν ἐποίησεν"-, ἥτις ἐκπεσοῦσα τῆς ὀρθῆς καταστάσεως καὶ μακαριότη̣τος φθονεῖ τοῖς ἐπὶ ταύτην τρεπομένοις· "φθόνῳ" γὰρ "διαβόλου θάνατος εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον". λογίζεται γὰρ ὡς ἔκβολ̣ος πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ὅτι· ἐμποδιστέον τοῖς οὐράνιον ἔχουσιν πολιτείαν, ὅπως μὴ ἐξ ὧν ἐγὼ ἐκπέπτωκα, οὗτοι ἀνέλθωσιν. ἰδίαν γὰρ κατηγορίαν οἴεται τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων προκ̣οπήν, διότι αὐτὸς μὲν "ἑωσφόρος" οὐρανῶν καὶ "πρωῒ ἀνατέλλων" ἀστήρ ἐστι καταυγάζων, διὰ δὲ τὸ παρασκευάζειν τοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ "ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης" φωτισθησομένους ἐξέπεσεν τῶν οὐρανίων χωρίων. οὗτοι δὲ ω̣·ι̣δ̣·α̣ τῆς ἐναρέτου πολιτείας σπεύδουσιν, οἵτινες πλείονα ῥοπὴν εἰς κακίαν ἔχουσιν. "ἐπιμελῶς" γὰρ "ἡ διάνοια τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔνκειται ἐπὶ τὰ πονηρά", 3 ὅπερ παραστῆσαι ὁ ἀπόστολος βουλόμενός φησιν· "οὐκ ἀγγέλους κρινοῦμεν;" δηλῶν ὡς ὅτι· ἡμεῖς οἱ τὸν οὐράνιον βίον ζῶντες ἐπὶ γῆς κατακρινοῦμ̣εν τοὺς τὴν ἰδίαν μὴ φυλάξαντας τάξιν, καθὰ καὶ Νινευῖται τοὺς Ἰουδαίους κατακρινοῦσι μὴ πεισθέντας τῷ ςωτῆρι, αὐτοὶ πεπεισμένοι τῶι κηρύγματι Ἰωνᾶ περὶ μετανοίας καταγγείλα̣ντος̣. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ περὶ τῆς βασιλίδος Σαβὰ λεγόμενον τῆς αὐτῆς διανοίας ἐ στι παραστατικόν· γυνὴ γὰρ καὶ βασιλὶς καὶ πόρρω καθεστῶσα καὶ διὰ ξένων τοπαρχιῶν διαβαίνειν μέλλουσα πάντα ταῦτα ὑπεριδοῦσα τῆς τοῦ Σολομῶνος σοφίας ἔσπευσεν εἶναι κατήκοος, τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐγγυ`̣ς ἐχόντων τὸν παιδευτὴν καὶ μηδὲν ἐθελόντων ἐξ αὐτοῦ ὠφεληθῆναι καίτοι πλεῖον ἔχοντος Σολομῶνος. ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ ἐξ αὐτοῦ σοφισθεὶς ὠφέλει, ὁ δὲ ςωτὴρ πρὸς τῇ ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων ὠφελίᾳ καὶ σημείων καὶ τεραστίων ἐπεδείκνυτο θαυματουργι´̣αν ἱκανὴν μεταπείθ̣ειν τοὺς σφόδρα ἀπιστοτάτους· νεκρῶν γὰρ ἀναστάσεις, τυφλῶν ἀναβλέψεις, λεπρῶν καθαρισμοὶ καὶ συνόλως "πάσης νόσου καὶ μαλακίας" ἴασις παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐπετελεῖτο. ὁ φθόνος οὖν ὁ διαβολικὸς οὗτος ἦν, ὅτι ἄνθρωποι τούτων ἐπιλαβέσθαι 4 ἔσπευδον, ὧν αὐτὸς ἐξέπεσεν. διὸ καὶ οὐκ ἀμελεῖ τῆς κατὰ τοῦ γένους ἐπηρείας· ὁ γὰρ "ἀντίδικος ἡμῶν