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Fragments on Job FRAGMENTS ON THE BLESSED JOB.

PROLOGUE

That the book is useful to everyone, in every form and way of life and circumstance, to man and woman, to older and younger, to private citizen and ruler, to rich and poor, to the one thriving in favorable circumstances, and to the one oppressed by adverse ones, it is possible to get the proof from close at hand. For this wonderful and great man, renowned throughout the whole world, the athlete and victor of piety, who went through all the contests, who set up countless trophies against the devil, this man became rich and poor, glorious and despised, with many children and childless, in royal courts and on a dunghill, in splendid robes, and after that in a fount of worms; he enjoyed countless services, and after this endured countless insults, with servants rising up against him, friends reproaching him, a wife plotting against him. All things flowed away from him as from springs [perhaps, flowed in], an abundance of money, greatness of power, splendor of glory, security of peace, honor, and service, and health of body, and good order of children. There was nothing grievous, he possessed wealth with security, and unfailing prosperity; and very reasonably so; for God had walled him in on all sides; but later all those things flew away, and countless storms 64.508 encamped in his house, and all of them successive and continuous, and all with excess; for all his possessions were snatched away at once, and his children were buried by an untimely and violent death, slaughtered at the table and the banquet, not by knife and sword, but by an evil spirit that collapsed the house. And after this, his wife was armed, and brought her contrivances against the righteous man; and friends and servants, some spat in his face, while others stepped on him and leaped upon him; and he was cast out of every house, and his dwelling place was the dunghill, and he teemed with springs of worms from all over, and the man of adamant was drenched with blood and gore, and taking a potsherd he scraped away the discharge, becoming his own executioner. And pains, successive and unbearable, and night more difficult than day, and day more burdensome than night, and all things were cliffs and reefs; and there was no one to comfort him, but those who trampled on him were countless; but nevertheless in so great a storm, and in waves so unspeakable, he stood nobly and unswervingly. And the reason was that he rightly considered the nature of things, and knowing their changeableness, he foresaw the future, and while faring well, he did not discount the possibility of despair; for this reason he was moderate even in his successes. Not only of endurance and patience, but also of the other virtues, this much-suffering man is set forth as an example to those who pay attention; of courage and fortitude, in temptations; of not being insolent, but of being gentle, and moderate, and sociable with cheerfulness, in wealth and power; of moderation, in pleasures; and of justice, in judgments and transactions; and above all, of concord, and of the chief of virtues, love; for he achieved every virtue with fitting exactness. Take up this image that has been sketched, and fix it in your conscience; if you are in despondency, flee to it for refuge; if you are in wealth, take the remedy from here, so that you are neither submerged by poverty, nor puffed up by wealth; if you should lose children, you have from here your consolation; for here you will find the excess both of the misfortunes and of the fortitude; if you should fall into sickness, consider the springs of worms, and you will bear all things gently; if a friend should plot against you, again the

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Fragmenta in Job FRAGMENTA IN BEATUM JOB.

ΠΡΟΟΙΜΙΟΝ

Ὅτι δὲ παντὶ χρήσιμον τὸ βιβλίον, ἐν ἰδέᾳ πάσῃ καὶ βίων καὶ περιστάσεων, ἀνδρὶ καὶ γυναικὶ, πρεσβυτέρῳ καὶ νέῳ, ἰδιώτῃ καὶ ἄρχοντι, πλουσίῳ καὶ πένητι, τοῖς δεξιοῖς εὐθηνουμένῳ, καὶ τοῖς ἀριστεροῖς πιεζομένῳ, ἐγγύθεν ἔστι λαβεῖν τὴν ἀπόδειξιν. Ὁ γάρτοι θαυμαστὸς καὶ μέγας οὗτος ἀνὴρ, ὁ πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀοίδιμος, ὁ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀθλητὴς καὶ στεφανίτης, ὁ διὰ πάντων τῶν ἄθλων ἐλθὼν, ὁ μυρία κατὰ τοῦ διαβόλου τρόπαια στήσας, οὗτος ἐγένετο πλούσιος καὶ πένης, ἔνδοξός τε καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητος, πολύπαις τε καὶ ἄπαις, ἐν βασιλικαῖς αὐλαῖς καὶ ἐν κοπρίᾳ, ἐν λαμπρᾷ στολῇ, καὶ μετ' ἐκείνην ἐν πηγῇ σκωλήκων· μυρίας ἀπήλαυσε θεραπείας, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα μυρίας ὑπέμεινεν ὕβρεις, οἰκετῶν ἐπανισταμένων, φίλων ὀνειδιζόντων, γυναικὸς ἐπιβουλευούσης. Πάντα αὐτῷ καθάπερ ἐκ πηγῶν ἀπέῤῥει [ἴσ. ἐπέῤῥει], χρημάτων περιουσία, δυναστείας μέγεθος, δόξης περιφάνεια, εἰρήνης ἀσφάλεια, τιμὴ, καὶ θεραπεία, καὶ σώματος ὑγίεια, καὶ παίδων εὐκοσμία. Οὐδὲν ἦν λυπηρὸν, παρῆν αὐτῷ πλοῦτος μετὰ ἀσφαλείας, καὶ εὐημερία ἀδιάπτωτος· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως· ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς πανταχόθεν αὐτὸν ἐτείχισεν· ἀλλ' ὕστερον πάντα ἐκεῖνα ἀπέπτη, καὶ μυρίοι χειμῶνες κατ 64.508 εσκήνουν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν ἐκείνου, καὶ πάντες ἐπάλληλοι καὶ συνεχεῖς, καὶ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς ἅπαντες· τὰ γὰρ αὐτῷ ὄντα πάντα ἀθρόον ἡρπάζετο, οἵ τε παῖδες κατεχώννυντο ἀώρῳ καὶ βιαίῳ θανάτῳ ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης καὶ τοῦ συμποσίου κατασφαγέντες, οὐ μαχαίρᾳ καὶ ξίφει, ἀλλὰ πνεύματι πονηρῷ τὴν οἰκίαν καταδήσαντι. Καὶ γυνὴ μετὰ ταῦτα ὡπλίζετο, καὶ τὰ μηχανήματα προσῆγε τῷ δικαίῳ· καὶ φίλοι καὶ οἰκέται, οἱ μὲν ἐνέπτυον εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον, οἱ δὲ ἐπέβαινον καὶ ἐνήλλοντο· καὶ οἰκίας ἐξεβάλλετο πάσης, καὶ ἐνδιαίτημα αὐτῷ ἡ κοπρία ἦν, καὶ πηγαῖς σκωλήκων ἔβρυε πανταχόθεν, καὶ αἵματι καὶ ἰχῶρι κατεῤῥεῖτο ὁ ἀδάμας, καὶ λαβὼν ὄστρακον ἐξέχεε τοὺς ἰχῶρας, δήμιος αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ γινόμενος. Καὶ ὀδύναι ἐπάλληλοι καὶ ἀκαρτέρητοι, καὶ νὺξ ἡμέρας χαλεπωτέρα, καὶ ἡμέρα νυκτὸς φορτικωτέρα, καὶ πάντα κρημνοὶ καὶ σκόπελοι· καὶ ὁ μὲν παρακαλῶν, οὐδεὶς, οἱ δὲ ἐπεμβαίνοντες, μυρίοι· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐν τοσούτῳ χειμῶνι, καὶ κύμασιν οὕτως ἀποῤῥήτοις, ἔστη γενναίως καὶ ἀπεριτρέπτως. Τὸ δὲ αἴτιον, ὅτι τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων φύσιν καλῶς ἐλογίζετο, καὶ τὴν τούτων εἰδὼς μεταβολὴν, προωρᾶτο τὸ μέλλον, καὶ πράττων καλῶς, τὴν ἀθυμίαν οὐκ ἀπηλπίζετο, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν ταῖς εὐπραξίαις ἐμετρίαζεν. Οὐ μόνον δὲ φερεπονίας καὶ ὑπομονῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἄλλης ἀρετῆς, ὁ πολύτλας οὗτος τοῖς προσέχουσιν ὑπόδειγμα πρόκειται· ἀνδρείας μὲν καὶ καρτερίας, ἐν πειρασμοῖς· τοῦ δὲ μὴ ὑβρίζειν, ἀλλὰ πραεῖς εἶναι, καὶ μετρίους, καὶ κοινωνικοὺς μετὰ ἱλαρότητος, ἐν πλούτῳ καὶ δυναστείᾳ· σωφροσύνης δὲ, ἐν ἡδοναῖς· καὶ δικαιοσύνης, ἐν δίκαις καὶ συναλλάγμασι· καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν, ὁμονοίας, καὶ τοῦ κεφαλαίου τῶν ἀρετῶν, τῆς ἀγάπης· πᾶσαν γὰρ ἀρετὴν μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης ἀκριβείας κατώρθου. Ταύτην τὴν εἰκόνα τὴν ὑπογραφοῦσαν ἀναλαβὼν, ἔμπηξον τῷ συνειδότι τῷ σῷ· κἂν ἐν ἀθυμίᾳ ᾖς, πρὸς αὐτὴν κατάφευγε· κἂν ἐν πλούτῳ, τὸ φάρμακον ἐντεῦθεν λάμβανε, ὥστε μήτε πτωχείᾳ βαπτισθῆναι, μήτε πλούτῳ φυσηθῆναι· κἂν παῖδας ἀποβάλῃς, ἔχεις ἐντεῦθεν τὴν παράκλησιν· τὴν γὰρ ὑπερβολὴν ἐνταῦθα εὑρήσεις καὶ τῶν συμφορῶν καὶ τῆς καρτερίας· κἂν νόσῳ περιπέσῃς, ἐννόησον τὰς πηγὰς τῶν σκωλήκων, καὶ οἴσεις ἅπαντα πράως· κἂν φίλος ἐπιβουλεύσῃ, πάλιν τὸν