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Commentarius in Job

OF OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS JOHN, ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE, CHRYSOSTOM, COMMENTARY ON THE

BLESSED JOB

It is fitting first to inquire when this man lived. Some say he was before Moses and fifth from Abraham, but others during the law. But let us not yet make a pronouncement, until we learn from the history itself whether he was in this time or in that. For this is no small matter for us in coming to know the man's virtue; for it is not the same thing to be such a man, so virtuous and wonderful, after having benefited from the Mosaic writings, as it is to display so much strength before this exhortation. For that the man was great, the facts themselves show, and God also shows it, saying: If Noah and Job and Daniel should stand, they shall not deliver their sons and their daughters. But for what reason does Moses not mention him? For what need was there to mention him, or for what reason? 2 But see how his forefather Esau did not harm him at all. Was he not from Abraham? Or rather, was he not from Jacob, but he even had a foreign land; do you see that God sent teachers to all? But look for me, how from the beginning the knowledge of God was everywhere evident. For you see that his friends also had a conception of God; who taught them? who proclaimed it? For indeed it seems to me he was before the law, and this is clear from the text itself, so that one might reasonably say that this book was first a teacher and preacher of the knowledge of God, but this is clear through his life and patience. And signs also had to happen in his case, so that in this way too the teacher might be perfect. For just as many signs occurred in the case of Abraham, so also here. And see how kings themselves come to be witnesses of the terrible things. For since after the infliction of the terrible things his change for the better was going to be unbelievable, for this reason He makes a long time pass and many to become spectators, and He seats him outside to be a spectacle for all who wished to see, so that, when He is about to change him for the better, no one may disbelieve that this was he. For just as He allowed Lazarus to be dead for four days, so that the resurrection might not be disbelieved, so also He allowed this one for a long time, at once showing his patience and at the same time confirming the wonder of the change. For those who had seen him in such a state, those who mocked him, these, seeing him changed afterwards, were no longer going to disbelieve that this was he. And just as then those who said in the case of Lazarus, that he already stinks, were taught the truth through the events, so indeed it also happened now. Do you see how God provides for men everywhere? When the Jews were in Egypt and this land was devoid of those who could set things right, they had the story of Job. For see him in wealth and poverty, being an example of both, neither puffed up by the one nor 3 humbled by the other, and before the law pursuing virtue as if with the law. For, it says, the law is not laid down for a righteous man. See the reasonings of nature shining; from where did this man know God? from where did he serve him so? from where did he flee error? from where did he show the evangelical way of life, from where such great patience? He learned nothing from anyone. How did he become such a man? Who taught him? Who instructed him? Do you see that Christ did not come as a teacher of anything new and strange? 1,1a There was a certain man in the land of Ausitis, whose name was Job. See the first encomium: he was a man. For this is indeed no small encomium, to be a man. In the land, it says, of Ausitis. And this is a great encomium. For to be in Arabia, where all were corrupt, where nothing

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Commentarius in Job

ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ ΑΡΧΙΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΥΠΟΛΕΩΣ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΥΣΟΣΤΟΜΟΥ ΥΠΟΜΝΗΜΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ

ΜΑΚΑΡΙΟΝ ΙΩΒ

Ἄξιον πρῶτον ἐπιζητῆσαι, πότε οὗτος ὁ ἀνὴρ γέγονεν. τινὲς μὲν οὖν αὐτόν φασι πρὸ τοῦ Μωσέως εἶναι καὶ πέμπτον ἀπὸ Ἀβραάμ, τινὲς δὲ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ. ἀλλὰ μηδέπω ἀποφαινώμεθα, ἕως ἂν ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς ἱστορίας μάθωμεν, εἴτε ἐν τούτῳ εἴτε ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ χρόνῳ ἦν. οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ τοῦτο μικρὸν ἡμῖν συντελεῖ πρὸς τὸ γνῶναι τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τὴν ἀρετήν· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἴσον ἀπολαύσαντα τῶν Μωσαϊκῶν τοιοῦτον εἶναι, οὕτως ἐνάρετον καὶ θαυμαστόν, καὶ πρὸ ταύτης τῆς παραινέσεως τοσαύτην ἐπιδείκνυσθαι τὴν ἰσχύν. ὅτι μὲν γὰρ μέγας ἦν ὁ ἀνήρ, καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ πράγματα δηλοῖ, δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ θεὸς λέγων· ἐὰν στῇ Νῶε καὶ Ἰὼβ καὶ ∆ανιήλ, υἱοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ θυγατέρας αὐτῶν οὐ μὴ ἐξέλωνται. τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν αὐτοῦ Μωσῆς οὐχὶ μέμνηται; ποία γὰρ ἦν ἀνάγκη μνησθῆναι ἢ τίνος ἕνεκεν; 2 σὺ δέ μοι θέα, πῶς οὐδὲν αὐτὸν ὁ πρόγονος παρέβλαψεν ὁ Ἠσαῦ. οὐκ ἦν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀβραάμ; μᾶλλον δέ, οὐκ ἦν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰακώβ, ἀλλὰ καὶ χώραν ξένην εἶχεν· ὁρᾷς, ὅτι πᾶσι διδασκάλους ἔπεμψεν ὁ θεός; σὺ δέ μοι βλέπε, πῶς ἄνωθεν ἡ γνῶσις τοῦ θεοῦ πανταχοῦ δήλη ἦν. ὁρᾷς γὰρ καὶ τοὺς φίλους αὐτοῦ ἔννοιαν ἔχοντας περὶ θεοῦ· τίς αὐτοὺς ἐδίδαξεν; τίς κατήγγειλεν; καὶ γὰρ ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ πρὸ τοῦ νόμου εἶναι, καὶ δῆλον αὐτόθεν, ὥστε εἰκότως ἄν τις εἴποι, ὅτι πρῶτον τοῦτο τὸ βιβλίον διδάσκαλός τις καὶ κῆρυξ ἦν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ γνώσεως, ἀλλὰ διὰ βίου μὲν καὶ ὑπομονῆς δῆλον. ἔδει δὲ καὶ σημεῖα γενέσθαι ἐπ' αὐτοῦ, ὥστε καὶ ταύτῃ ἀπηρτισμένον εἶναι τὸν διδάσκαλον. καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ πολλὰ γέγονε σημεῖα, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα. καὶ ὅρα, πῶς ἔρχονται βασιλεῖς αὐτοὶ μάρτυρες τῶν δεινῶν ἐσόμενοι. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μετὰ τὴν τῶν δεινῶν ἐπαγωγὴν ἤμελλεν ἄπιστος εἶναι ἡ πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον αὐτοῦ μεταβολή, διὰ τοῦτο πολὺν χρόνον ποιεῖ καὶ πολλοὺς γενέσθαι θεατάς, καὶ ἔξω αὐτὸν καθίζει πᾶσιν ἐσόμενον θέατρον τοῖς βουλομένοις ὁρᾶν, ἵνα, ὅταν αὐτὸν μέλλῃ πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον μετατιθέναι, μηδεὶς ἀπιστῇ, ὅτι οὗτος ἐκεῖνος ἦν. καθάπερ γὰρ τὸν Λάζαρον τεσσάρων ἡμερῶν ἀφῆκε γενέσθαι νεκρόν, ἵνα μὴ ἀπιστηθῇ ἡ ἀνάστασις, οὕτω καὶ τοῦτον πολὺν χρόνον εἴασεν, ἅμα μὲν τὴν ὑπομονὴν αὐτοῦ δεικνύς, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὸ θαῦμα πιστούμενος τῆς μεταβολῆς. οἱ γὰρ οὕτως αὐτὸν ἑωρακότες, οἱ διακωμῳδοῦντες, οὗτοι μετὰ ταῦτα μεταβληθέντα ἰδόντες οὐκέτι ἔμελλον ἀπιστεῖν, ὅτι οὗτος ἐκεῖνος ἦν. καὶ καθάπερ τότε ἐκεῖνοι οἱ εἰπόντες ἐπὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου, ὅτι ἤδη ὄζει διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐδιδάσκοντο τὴν ἀλήθειαν, οὕτω δὴ καὶ νῦν ἐγίνετο. ὁρᾷς, πῶς πανταχοῦ προνοεῖ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁ θεός; ὅτε ἦσαν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ ἔρημος ἦν αὕτη ἡ χώρα τῶν διορθούντων, εἶχον τὰ κατὰ τὸν ˉ̓Ιώβ. ὅρα γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐν πλούτῳ καὶ πενίᾳ ἀμφοτέρων παράδειγμα ὄντα, οὔτε ἐκεῖθεν φυσηθέντα οὔτε 3 ἐντεῦθεν ταπεινωθέντα, καὶ πρὸ νόμου ὡς μετὰ νόμον τὴν ἀρετὴν μεταδιώξαντα. δικαίῳ, γάρ φησιν, νόμος οὐ κεῖται. ὅρα τῆς φύσεως τοὺς λογισμοὺς λάμποντας· πόθεν οὗτος ἐπέγνω τὸν θεόν; πόθεν οὕτως ἐθεράπευσεν; πόθεν ἔφυγε πλάνην; πόθεν τὴν πολιτείαν τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν ἐπεδείξατο, πόθεν τὴν ὑπομονὴν τὴν τοσαύτην; οὐδὲν ἔμαθε παρ' οὐδενός. πόθεν ἐγένετο τοιοῦτος; τίς ἐδίδαξεν; τίς ἐπαίδευσεν; ὁρᾷς, ὅτι οὐδενὸς καινοῦ καὶ ξένου διδάσκαλος ἦλθεν ὁ Χριστός; 1,1a Ανθρωπός τις ἦν ἐν χώρᾳ τῇ Αὐσίτιδι, ᾧ ὄνομα Ἰώβ. ὅρα πρῶτον ἐγκώμιον· ἄνθρωπος ἦν. οὐ γὰρ δὴ μικρὸν ἐγκώμιον τοῦτο, τὸ ἄνθρωπον εἶναι. ἐν χώρᾳ, φησίν, τῇ Αὐσίτιδι. καὶ τοῦτο μέγα ἐγκώμιον. τὸ γὰρ ἐν Ἀραβίᾳ εἶναι, ἔνθα πάντες ἦσαν διεφθαρμένοι, ἔνθα οὐδὲν