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Commentarii in Job (In Catenis)

39.1120 CHAP. 1, v. 1. There was a certain man in the land of Ausitis, whose name was Job. Of Didymus. But on a higher level, Ausitis is interpreted as counsel, according to the Greek tongue, in which the just man dwelled. For a quick-tempered man acts with lack of counsel; therefore, blind things are born from him, as with dogs, both his deeds and his words; but the just man does nothing without counsel, obeying that wise precept: Do all things with counsel. The name Job is understood as and is patience, so that he became what he was called beforehand, or was called what he became. V. 2. And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters. Of Didymus. Here also the account of the children is honored in Scripture, and is in harmony with mystical words. For who does not know that the seventh numbering of the seven gifts signifies the whole, just as the third utterance looks to what is more perfect and more divine? so that we might learn that faith in the Trinity is the creator of the seventh [perhaps: of the week] grace, as if placing a certain head upon the virtues. V. 3. And that man was noble, of those from the rising of the sun. Of Didymus. According to the literal sense, then, he is called noble, of those from the rising of the sun, because of his kinship according to the flesh with Abraham; but according to the anagogical sense, the sons of light, and children of God through luminous works, are so called, these are they from the rising of the sun. For the just man acquires nobility, not from men, but from the light of the sun of righteousness, being illuminated by it. V. 6. And when the days of the drinking were completed, Job sent and purified them, rising early in the morning, etc. Of Didymus. And according to the one who said, From the night my spirit rises early to you, O God; and: O God, my God, to you I rise early, not for any other work did the blessed Job rise in the morning, but to God [perhaps: for God], offering [perhaps: to offer] a sacrifice for his children, according to their number; that is, for each one, and in an orderly manner; for nothing is confused in a serious matter. But also after this, he offered a calf for all of them in his own way, and making this a custom in the training of his children. Thus, then, he also purified them after the drinking was completed, with the perceptible purification, and showing the purifications that contribute to the mind. 39.1121 For he appears to be fulfilling the sacrifices prophetically both according to law and according to grace. According to law, the various ones; but according to grace, the one calf for sin. For such a sacrifice of grace foretold the truth, figuring the one sacrifice according to the flesh of the only-begotten Son of God. But if the calf offered for all signifies the Savior who for our sake endured the cross, consider and do not be amazed; for Job was not uninitiated in the advent of the Savior, he who says that he it is who is about to subdue the great sea-monster. V. 7. And the devil answered the Lord and said: Having gone around the earth and walked through what is under heaven, I am here. Of Didymus. But it must be noted that the earth and what is under heaven are different places; the earth being under heaven, but the places under heaven not in every case being earth. He goes around the earth, therefore, so that he might observe about which man he will make his request; but he walks through what is under heaven, delighting in the spiritual forces of wickedness, those who serve him for the most shameful things. But one should not be surprised if, being a subtle spirit, he traversed the aforementioned places; for God did not even rebuke him as one lying. However, the wicked one reveals the savage and inhuman quality of his character by so great a journey. For the words are of someone manic and wandering about in a frenzy; as it is also said somewhere else: That the

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Commentarii in Job (In Catenis)

39.1120 ΚΕΦ. Αʹ, στ. αʹ. Ἄνθρωπος τις ἦν ἐν χώρᾳ Τῇ Αὐσίτιδι, ᾧ ὄνομα Ἰώβ. ∆ιδύμου. Ὑψηλότερον δὲ, Αὐσῖτις βουλὴ ἑρμη νεύεται, κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα φωνὴν, ἐν ᾗ ᾤκει ὁ δί καιος. Ὀξύθυμος μὲν γὰρ μετὰ ἀβουλίας πράσσει· διὸ τυφλὰ παρ' αὐτῷ γεννᾶται, καθάπερ τοῖς κυσὶ, καὶ τὰ πράγματα καὶ τὰ ῥήματα· ὁ δὲ δίκαιος οὐδὲν ἀβούλως ποιεῖ, τῷ σοφῷ παραγγέλματι ἐκείνῳ πει θόμενος· Μετὰ βουλῆς πάντα ποίει. Τὸ δὲ Ἰὼβ ὄνομα ὑπομονὴ νοεῖται καὶ ἔστιν, ὡς γενέσθαι τοῦ τον ὃ προεκλήθη, ἢ κληθῆναι ὅπερ ἐγένετο Στ. βʹ. Ἐγένοντο δὲ αὐτῷ υἱοὶ ἑπτὰ καὶ θυ γατέρες τρεῖς ∆ιδύμου. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ ὁ τῶν παίδων κατά λογος τίμιος παρὰ τῇ Γραφῇ, καὶ λόγοις σύμφω νος μυστικοῖς. Τίς γὰρ οὐκ οἶδε τὴν ἑβδόμην ἀπ αρίθμησιν τῶν ἑπτὰ χαρισμάτων μηνύειν τὴν σύν οδον, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τὴν τρίτην ἐκφώνησιν, πρὸς τὸ τελειότερον ὁρᾷν καὶ θειότερον; ἵνα μάθωμεν τὴν ἐν Τριάδι πίστιν τῆς ἑβδόμης [ἴσ. ἑβδομαίας] χάριτος εἶναι δημιουργὸν, καθάπερ τινὰ κεφαλὴν ἐπιτιθεμέ νην ταῖς ἀρεταῖς. Στ. γʹ. Καὶ ἦν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνος εὐγενὴς, τῶν ἀφ' ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν. ∆ιδύμου. Πρὸς μὲν οὖν τὸ ῥητὸν, εὐγενὴς τοῦ ἀφ' ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν, λέγεται, διὰ τὴν κατὰ σάρκα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ οἰκειότητα· πρὸς δὲ ἀναγωγὴν, οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ φωτὸς, καὶ τέκνα Θεοῦ δι' ἔργων φωτεινῶν χρηματίζονται, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἀφ' ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν. Ὁ γὰρ δίκαιος εὐγένειαν κτᾶται, οὐκ ἀπ' ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης, καταλαμ πομένην. Στ. ςʹ. Καὶ ὡς ἂν συνετελέσθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ πότου, ἀπέστειλεν Ἰὼβ καὶ ἐκαθάριζεν αὐτοὺς, ἀνιστάμενος τὸ πρωῒ, κ. τ. λ. ∆ιδύμου. Καὶ κατὰ τὸν εἰρηκότα, Ἐκ νυκτὸς ὀρθρίζει τὸ πνεῦμά μου πρὸς σὲ, ὁ Θεός· καί· Ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ Θεός μου, πρὸς σὲ ὀρθρίζω, οὐ πρὸς ἕτερον ἔργον ὁ μακάριος Ἰὼβ τὸ πρωῒ ἀνίστατο, ἀλλὰ πρὸς Θεὸν [ἴσ. τῷ Θεῷ], ὑπὲρ τῶν παίδων θυ σίαν προσάγων [ἴσ. προσάξων], κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν αὐτῶν· ὅ ἐστι, καθ' ἕκαστον, καὶ εὐτάκτως· οὐδὲν γὰρ συγκεχυμένον ἐν σπουδαίῳ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο, ὑπὲρ πάντων μόσχον προσῆγε κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον τρόπον, καὶ τῇ τῶν παίδων ἀγωγῇ συνεθίζων. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ἐκαθάριζεν αὐτοὺς μετὰ τὸ συντελεσθῆναι τὸν πότον, μετὰ τῆς αἰσθητῆς καθάρσεως, καὶ τὰ συντελοῦντα πρὸς διάνοιαν καθάρσια παραδεικνύς. 39.1121 Φαίνεται γὰρ προφητικῶς καὶ κατὰ νόμον, καὶ κατὰ χάριν τὰς θυσίας πληρῶν. Κατὰ νόμον μὲν, τὰς διαφόρους· κατὰ χάριν δὲ, τὸν ἕνα μόσχον τὸν περὶ ἁμαρτίας. Καὶ γὰρ ἡ τοιαύτη θυσία τῆς χάριτος προεμήνυε τὴν ἀλήθειαν, τὴν μίαν τυποῦσα κατὰ σάρκα θυσίαν τοῦ μονογενοῦς Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἰ δὲ ὁ ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων προσαγόμενος μόσχος τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς σταυρὸν ὑπομείναντα Σωτῆρα δηλοῖ, συνεπίσκεψαι καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς· οὐ γὰρ ἀμύητος ἦν ὁ Ἰὼβ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίας, ὁ λέγων, ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ μέλλων τὸ μέγα κῆτος χειρώσασθαι. Στ. ζʹ. Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ διάβολος τῷ Κυρίῳ, εἶπε· Περιελθὼν τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσας τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανὸν, πάρειμι. ∆ιδύμου. Σημειωτέον δὲ, ὅτι διάφοροι τόποι ἡ γῆ καὶ ἡ ὑπ' οὐρανόν εἰσι· τῆς μὲν γῆς ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρα νὸν οὔσης, τῶν δὲ ὑπ' οὐρανὸν τόπων οὐ πάντως γῆς ὑπαρχόντων. Τὴν μὲν οὖν γῆν περίεισιν, ἵνα κατα νοήσῃ περὶ τίνος ἀνθρώπου αἰτήσει· τὴν δὲ ὑπ' οὐ ρανὸν ἐμπεριπατεῖ, εὐφραινόμενος τοῖς πνευματικοῖς τῆς πονηρίας, τοῖς ὑπηρετοῦσιν αὐτῷ πρὸς τὰ αἴ σχιστα. Οὐ δεῖ δὲ ξενίζεσθαι, εἰ λεπτὸν ὑπάρχων πνεῦμα, διέβη τοὺς προειρημένους τόπους· καὶ γὰρ οὐδὲ ὁ Θεὸς ὡς ψευδόμενον αὐτὸν ἤλεγξε. Τὸ μέντοι ἀνήμερον καὶ ἀφιλάνθρωπον τοῦ τρόπου, τῇ τοσαύτῃ περιόδῳ καταμηνύει ὁ πονηρός. Μανικοῦ γάρ τινος καὶ ὑπὸ ἐμπληξίας περινοστοῦντός ἐστι τὰ ῥήματα· καθὼς καὶ ἑτέρωθί που εἴρηται· Ὅτι ὁ