Commentarii in Job In Catenis

CHAPTER 1, verse 1. There was a certain man in the land of Ausitis, whose name was Job. From Didymus. More profoundly, Ausitis is interpreted as "counsel" in the Greek tongue, in which the righteous man dwelt. For the irascible man acts with counsel-lessness; therefore both his deeds and his words are born blind in him, as in dogs. But the righteous man does nothing without counsel, obeying that wise precept: Do everything with counsel. And the name Job is understood and is "endurance," so that he became what he was called, or was called what he became. Verse 2. And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters. From Didymus. Here too the number of the children is honored in Scripture, and is in accord with mystical words. For who does not know that the seventh enumeration signifies the gathering-together of the seven gifts, just as the third utterance points to the more perfect and more divine vision? So that we may learn that the faith in the Trinity is the creator of the seventh grace, as a kind of head placed upon the virtues. Verse 3. And that man was well-born, of those from the rising of the sun. From Didymus. According to the literal sense, then, he is said to be well-born of those from the rising of the sun, because of his kinship in the flesh to Abraham; but according to the higher sense, the sons of light, and those who are called children of God through luminous works, these are those from the rising of the sun. For the righteous man acquires nobility, not from men, but from the light of the sun of righteousness, being illumined. Verse 6. And when the days of the drinking-feast were completed, Job sent and purified them, rising early in the morning, etc. From Didymus.

And according to him who said, "My spirit rises early to you from the night, O God," and, "O God, my God, I rise early to you," the blessed Job did not rise early in the morning for any other work, but for God, offering sacrifice for his children according to their number—that is, for each one, and in good order; for nothing is confused in a diligent man. But even after this, he offered a calf for all in his own manner, and accustomed them to the conduct of his children. Thus indeed he also cleansed them after the drinking was completed, along with the perceptible purification, and showing forth the purifications that contribute to understanding. For he appears prophetically, both according to the law and according to grace, to fulfill the sacrifices—according to the law, the various ones; according to grace, the one calf for sin. For such a sacrifice prefigured the truth of grace, typifying the one sacrifice in the flesh of the only-begotten Son of God. But if the calf offered for all signifies the Savior who endured the cross for our sake, consider it and do not marvel; for Job was not uninitiated into the coming of the Savior, who says that he is the one who will subdue the great sea monster. Verse 7. And the devil answered the Lord and said, "Having gone around the earth and walked about the places under heaven, I am present." From Didymus. But it should be noted that the earth and the places under heaven are different places; for the earth is under heaven, but the places under heaven are not entirely earth. He goes around the earth, then, in order to understand concerning which man he will ask.

But he walks about under heaven, rejoicing in the spiritual things of wickedness, in those who serve him for the most shameful ends. And one should not be surprised if, being a subtle spirit, he has passed through the places just mentioned; for not even God reproved him as though he were lying. Yet the savage and inhuman character of his manner the evil one makes plain by so great a circuit. For the words are those of a madman, one who roams about in frenzy; as also it is said elsewhere: That our adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour. For he wages war without sleep, and goes around, subduing some as friends and demanding others as enemies; for he does not have authority over us. And his words intend something like this: "Since," he says, "earthly and aerial beings are subject to me, Job alone resists; I have come to demand him." Verse 9. But the devil answered and said before the Lord. From Didymus. It is characteristic of those who are hostile to virtue not to reckon the good things of their neighbors as genuine, but to speak slanderously, saying that this man is righteous through inability to do wrong; this man is temperate through what is called foolishness; another has no money or means of gain through being unsuited to these things; and in general, no base person accepts anyone's virtue as genuine. Verse 11. But send forth your hand and touch all that he has, and surely he will bless you to your face. From Didymus. The hand of God must be understood in various ways: either as the punitive and ministering power for this purpose, which is also called a vessel of wrath, according to the text, Your hand destroyed nations;

or the guarding and protective power, as in the passage, "You formed me, and you laid your hand upon me." Here, then, the phrase "Send forth your hand" is spoken in place of "seize him with a striking blow"; and "Touch him" is in place of "attach yourself to him, bring grievous affliction upon him." We have an example of this also in the passage, "Do not touch my anointed ones." For it does not forbid simple contact, but the boldness of acting against the saints to their harm. Observe how craftily and with hypocrisy he does not say, "Permit me," but "You do it." For he is conscious of his own weakness, and yet he rages and boasts, which is the height of folly. And observe for me yet another wickedness and diabolical blindness, that he wishes to persuade the only good one to do evil; and in his great cruelty he is not content to destroy a part of his substance, or some of his children, but wishes to leave him at once bereft of all things; therefore he asks for the righteous man not partially but wholly, saying, "Touch all that he has," strip him of every human hope, let him be an incomparable image of afflictions and lamentations. For then both his thankfulness and his good disposition will be admired, in no way convicted by the changes. "If he will not bless you to your face," that is, if he will not then openly blaspheme you, and, emboldened against you, sharpen his tongue, unable to bear the magnitude of his calamities. And here, then, in place of "he will curse and blaspheme you," the devil spoke, using the more euphemistic term, so that he might not bring forth the harsher word against God, nor say that he would be in opposition to you, to God. St. 12.

Then the Lord said to the devil, "Behold, all that he has I give into your hand, but do not touch him himself." Of Didymus. For the phrase "Behold, I have given all into your hand" is indicative of the fact that no one falls into temptations apart from divine permission. But in order that it may be made clear that he grants permission also by measure, he adds, "But do not touch him himself." From this it is evident that circumstances happen neither by fate nor by chance, but by God's permission. And the devil went out from the Lord. According to some, if the devil had not been outside of God, he would not have wrought the things against Job. And the phrase "He went out from the face of the Lord" is used more properly of this one than of Cain; which shows that he is one who cannot be present before God. For this one is always among those outside, even if he came with pretence along with those who stand before God. Verse 13. "And it was as this day." Of Didymus. Consistently he also mentions the day, and the gathering of the children, so that in this way the account of their death also may be credible, since they died all at once, at one and the same time, by the collapse of the house. Verse 14. "And behold, a messenger came to Job, and said to him," etc. Of Didymus. It is worth observing how the things of the report, having happened all at once, and from

The narrative contains something heavy and a tendency toward overwhelming grief. But even if these things were sufficient to disturb him because of the suddenness of the calamity, the righteous man was nevertheless not disturbed. At any rate, it is said in one of the psalms concerning the saint: "He will not be afraid of evil tidings." Verse 16. While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said to Job, "Fire fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and consumed the shepherds likewise, and I alone escaped and came to report to you." Of Didymus. For the devil does not have the authority to bring fire down from heaven, but this happened by divine judgment, so that God, who had given him authority over Job's possessions, might demonstrate to Satan that the blessed man does not care for human things, even if he weaves many schemes. And yet, even if the saint, having accurately grasped the doctrines of truth, knew that the permission of temptations had not come about without God, still what was happening was sufficient to bring him the greatest grief, because of those who would be scandalized, as though God too were moving against him. For that the raiders came and drove off the livestock and slaughtered the servants, the simpler sort could have reasoned was by the law of war and not from God; but when fire was reported to have come down from heaven, there was a danger that one of the weak might think that virtue was nothing wonderful, and that it was from God punishing the one who possessed it. But even when this happened, the saint did not weaken; hence, in reference to the athlete's unyielding endurance, the words "While this one was speaking, this one also came" are most clearly spoken [that is, to be made evident].

For so that he might give the wrestler no relief from his labors, but might disturb the righteous man by the continuity of the report, and might prepare him, like a ship, to become submerged in his sufferings by the successive waves, he sends the bitter arrows of calamities against him thick and fast. The very worker of evils, the very messenger, the very one struck the livestock, and he himself announces the blow, and this in unbroken succession, so that the hearer might not even catch his breath. St. 17. While this one was still speaking, another messenger came and said to Job, "The horsemen made three companies against us, and surrounded the camels, etc. Of Didymus. To hear also about the slaughter of the children and to bear it manfully—this demonstrates the courage and endurance of the righteous man. And it is clear that all these things happened in a single moment, since the sons did not even hear of what had befallen them; for the Scripture noted that they were dining at the house of their elder brother. These things were sufficient to bring into a state of shock and to disturb those who do not reckon the successive turns and changes of affairs, those who try to hold on to things not their own, whose possession is more painful even than the first deprivation. For already some, having encountered the suddenness of the reversal, have even endangered their very sound mind, being so captured by the passion as even to have loved things worthy of hatred and flight. For he measures out their despondency by the untestedness of their great cheerfulness. For that which has not come into possession is also untested by grief; but that which has come into experience, even before deprivation, has fear of suffering as its housemate, and after deprivation bears sharp pains.

For unbridled cheerfulness, and a mind untrained, is captured by final lamentations. But Job, the renowned, was not such—the wondrous thing of endurance, the highest limit of courage, the sum of piety, the great example of philosophy. For he knows how to bear both cheerfulness with self-control and misfortune nobly. For the philosophy that came before is in no way refuted by the blows that came after. And how would the suffering have become unbearable for one educated in divine things and well trained beforehand in piety? For he who has been taught to hold wealth in common grows rich through the expenditures of those in need, and does not shrink from deprivation; therefore he is not vexed when it departs, but has made the suffering rather an occasion for philosophy, and putting a bridle on pleasant things through the moderation of his character, and not enduring to yield to painful things, as one also guarded from above. For philosophy knows how to be self-controlled in relation to either change; whence he neither grew insolent in extravagances (for he is rich in philosophy), nor is he sunk in misfortunes (for he practices endurance), and the trial of the envious one becomes for him a road of salvation. For the enemy escaped his own notice, opening a road for him from that very quarter toward the acquisition of good things, from which he expected to capture him; therefore also a plotting wife living with him is exposed, and the utter destruction of children does not harm his piety, and fire flowing from heaven does not trip up his mind, since it is saved by God; and the continuous reports of evils, and the wailings from every side, do not shake his endurance.

For everyone who converses with God cares little for the things below and subject to corruption. And to the same degree that he is driven away from present things, he is made more closely akin to the things above and enduring. For the spirit of wickedness, and the uprising of the surge, does not know how to harm a righteous soul; for God was guarding it, having measured out the calamity: all the things concerning it he allowed to the tempter, for the refutation of sober reasoning, but he kept the mind impassive, which he was also going to war against, and having arrayed himself against it, he won the trophies of such great victories. St. xviii, xix. While this one was still speaking, another messenger comes, saying to Job, Of your sons, etc. Of Didymus. It is not in vain that there is added, Of your sons and your daughters eating and drinking, but for the intensification of folly, the devil also working this out, so that the announcement of what had happened, becoming heavy, might produce excessive grief in the saint. For if it had happened while the children were sleeping, reckoning the fall to be unfelt, he would not have been so grieved; but there is added, suddenly, expressive of the fact that no one was able to escape, the matter having happened in this way.

CHAPTER 2, VERSE 6. And the Lord said to the devil: Behold, I deliver him to you; only preserve his soul (but Theodotion: you shall not touch his soul). From Didymus. This too is for our benefit, so that Job, set as a mark and type of courage, as it were in a written monument, might be an example of such virtue both for those of that time and for later generations; and so it has come to pass. For it is possible to hear the athlete and contestant himself saying: I know that I shall appear righteous. And the Lord, when delivering him, says: Only preserve his soul. This may be understood as follows: we often see derangements and distortions of the governing faculty occurring in certain people, for reasons that God, who knows hidden things, knows. Since, then, the devil was eager to drive the righteous man into madness and alienation of mind, so as to involve him, even unwilling, in words of blasphemy, he says: Behold, I deliver to you him whom you requested, so that he may be approved the more and you may be put to shame; only do not bring upon him stupefaction and distortion of the governing faculty. For this is not permitted to you, so that with his reason sound he may display courage in his sufferings, but touch his flesh and bones, as you requested. VERSE 9. And when much time had passed, his wife said to him: How long will you endure, saying: Behold, I wait yet a little time, awaiting the hope of my salvation? From Didymus. The devil, having grown weak from so many assaults and having nothing further he could do, comes to the remembrance of his ancient plot, and having drawn away the mind of the little woman, he attempted through her to shake the athlete.

And third, he weaves for him a wrestling match, as it were, namely her conversation, perhaps so that through her he might deceive Job, as he also deceived Adam through Eve. For when much time had passed, since he himself had not been able to shake the tower of piety, he persuades the woman to bring forward words of negligence. CHAPTER 3, VERSE 8. But may he curse her, the one cursing that day—the one who is about to subdue the great sea monster. From Didymus. And well is it said, "the one who is about to subdue," signifying the mystery of the incarnation, as not yet having happened then, but about to happen. For it was not fitting that the bare divinity abolish [or: be abolished] the devil who holds the power of death, but through the temple of the Word [or: of the Word made man] having come from the seed of the one deceived by the devil. For it was a boast for the evil one, if he had subdued him by bare divinity. And the various names of the devil reveal his various activities, not his essence. For he is called devil, and adversary, and evil one, and lion, and dragon, and serpent, and beast, and sea monster, on account of his manner, working his wickedness in various ways—which is destructive of the Manichaean doctrine. CHAPTER 4, VERSE 2. Has it not often been spoken to you in toil? And who will endure the strength of your words? From Didymus. Either the phrase "Has it not often been spoken to you in toil?" means that you yourself also often used words to certain people who had fallen into distressing circumstances, and you brought them consolation in toil, that is, in misfortunes and afflictions.

But now no one is able to bear your words, which are filled with contempt, but the harshness of your speech stirs up even one who wishes to be very quiet to contradiction. St. 10. The strength of a lion, and the voice of a lioness, and the pride of dragons has been quenched. The ant-lion has perished because it has no food; and the cubs of lions have left one another. Of Didymus. He takes the nature of irrational beasts, which is not at all useful to our race, but even treacherous, and he establishes that God destroys everything unjust and arrogant. Therefore, he says, the lion that cannot be withstood perishes whenever God wills; and the savage voice of the lioness is quenched, through which she terrifies the weaker of the beasts; and the dragons have been brought low; and the ant-lion has failed, since food was not supplied to it; and the cubs of lions have left one another, they are not passed on to successors. According to the historical sense, however, since Eliphaz said that those who sow improper things will perish by the command of the Lord, he added that both lion and dragon will suffer the same, if God wills. He, therefore, who preserves good order even among irrational creatures, much more among men. St. 17. For what? Will a mortal be pure before the Lord? Or, from his works, will a man be blameless? Of Didymus. You would not say this, he says, as though you were outside of sins, that you have suffered these things; since it is not even possible for human nature to live in accordance with the exactness of the laws. For sometimes we fall into voluntary sins, but often also into involuntary ones, because of the weakness of nature. This, however, being persuasive, if it were examined according to the meaning, has its refutation.

For if the one who falls through sin is oppressed by grievous troubles, and no one is pure, then no one will exist outside of troubles. St. 8. But I will call upon the Lord, the Master of all, who does great and unsearchable things, glorious and wondrous, of which there is no number. Of Didymus. Having accused the foolish and said what he said concerning them, he now confesses God to be the provider and, through the things set forth, the creator. Nor is it unlikely that he held these opinions, being a man wise in human affairs. He also has an opinion concerning things invisible and visible, speaking of things unsearchable, great, and glorious—of rain and water; and if he should distinguish this water from the rain, he would be speaking of that which is from springs, torrents, and veins. He says, then, that I do not hold the opinion, nor think, as the impious do, but knowing providence, and knowing God to be Master of all—of times, places, and affairs—I call upon him, considering this fitting, who at the proper times works wonders, and

Things worthy of amazement, for the benefit of human beings, whose number cannot be recounted even in speech. And he speaks of the providence that becomes varied in each generation, both commonly toward all and individually toward each. For just as it is not possible to find the number of human beings, so neither is it possible to attain to the providence of God. St. 11. The one who makes the lowly high, and raises up the lost. Of Didymus. He passes over also to the providence that concerns human beings, and this too he holds concerning God, that he himself humbles from on high, making the poor rich, subjects rulers, and the sick healthy. St. 17. But blessed is the man whom the Lord has reproved; and do not reject the admonition of the Almighty. For he himself causes pain, and again restores; he struck, and his hands healed. Of Didymus. God reproves, and brings the admonition of the scourge, not in order to destroy, but in order to save the one being disciplined; and you therefore, not letting go of your resolve, receive the reproof with thanksgiving. St. 18. Six times he will deliver you from necessities, and in the seventh no evil shall touch you. Of Didymus. According to some, the verses suggest that as long as one is under the world that was made in six days, he endures the griefs and afflictions in it; and even if one is holy, he has the necessity of need from the body; but having transcended the world and come to be in the sabbath rest, he will not perceive affliction; since also loss does not touch the one whose manner is free from love of money. And the meaning is such: In the present age he will train you, and in the age to come he will glorify you.

It is not necessary to level the histories with the contemplations in sequence. Verse 26. You shall come to the grave like ripe grain harvested in its season, or like a heap of the threshing floor gathered in at the hour. Of Didymus. For this is what the gathered heap signifies: the fulfillment and perfection, and that the perfect man is henceforth truly in safety. Chapter 10, verse 5. For what? Does the wild ass bray in vain, unless it is seeking food? Or does the ox low, when it has its food at the manger? Of Didymus. For the wild ass does not utter its voice in vain, but when it is in need of food; nor does the ox bellow when foods lie at the manger; so do not blame me either, if I cry out, according to your supposition, because of distressing things, since nature is weak. And the righteous man says these things, that just as the ass or the ox does not cry out in vain, but when the foods fail, so neither would I have been disheartened, unless I had been driven to the extremity of evil, urging Eliphaz not to reproach the suffering man if he cries out. For the righteous man must not be without feeling, even if he bears his afflictions steadfastly. For this is virtue, when one receives perception of painful things and yet despises the pains for God's sake. Verse 6. Will bread be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in empty words? Of Didymus. As for the meaning: every word is empty and vain that is deprived of virtuous action. The supporting evidence for this is, For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power—not in empty promises, but in a word that works the things of salvation. Verse 15. My closest kin did not look upon me.

Like a winter torrent that fails, or like a wave, they passed me by. From Didymus. And those who seem to be friends, when a time of affliction comes, are exposed as lying about their friendship and merely putting on a show—such a one might be called a winter torrent and a wave, because of his instability and untrustworthiness. For just as the winter torrent gives the impression of a native and ever-flowing river, and the wave, swelling to a crest, seems to the inexperienced as though it could never be brought low—but the drought proves the winter torrent to be temporary, and the calm proves the same of the wave—so also a storm of circumstance shows that those who play-act the part of friendship are very much the opposite of true friends. For the righteous, the firmness they have toward those they love, they manifest keeping it both in ease and in adversity, not distorting the boundary of friendship; and it is no wonder, seeing that they even extend love to their enemies, being peaceable among those who hate peace. But the base hide what they are up to a point, yet they are caught out in circumstances, stripping off the mask of love. This, then, was happening to Job at that time for his testing; and perhaps the one who asked for him was also suggesting this, persuading even his friends, because of his suffering, to despise him. And it is no small grief in times of affliction—the absence of friends. Enduring this affliction, holy David also sang: I looked to the right and I watched, and there was no one who recognized me. And again, lamenting, he said: I was forgotten like a dead man from the heart, I became like a lost vessel. Verse 18.

Those who once stood in awe of me have now fallen upon me. From Didymus. Perhaps then he gently reproves his friends, because, ignorant of the cause of the calamities, you set upon me, daring to say such things as you did not say before, out of reverence for me. And it is likely that many others also assailed him because of his misfortune. Verse 21. But you also have come upon me mercilessly. From Didymus. And one who admonishes those who have fallen into blameworthy guilt with stern words does not reprove them, being moved according to reason; for this is not the aim; but rather to urge them on to courage, so as to bear up nobly. For to say, Why then did you sin? is more burdensome than to lighten their pains. For in truth they stood by him mercilessly, from having gone astray concerning the cause of the calamity, and because they tried to reprove one who was not subject to reproof. Verse 21. So that, seeing my wound, you should fear. From Didymus. And the saint deals most solicitously even with those who are wrongly disposed toward him, correcting both himself and them, and taking the starting point of his exhortation from their own judgment. For if everyone who sins falls into stern words, and he who has fallen into this suffered it because of sins, and no one is clean from defilement, then you also should fear, receiving fear from our wound. Verse 24. Teach me, and I will be silent; if I have gone astray in anything, tell me. From Didymus. And in this too the saint instructs them with the greatest gentleness of all, how they ought to use words toward those in distress; for he says, Teach me, that is, You ought to teach, not to reprove unseasonably.

Unless one must also do this for instruction, even the saying spoken by Paul: Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. St. 25. For I do not ask for strength from you, nor will your reproof stop me with words; for I will not endure the utterance of a word from you. Except that you fall upon the orphan, and you leap upon your friend. From Didymus. This too is a matter of courage. For many in circumstances, often hearing burdensome words, grow weary; but the saint received neither the reproof from friends at all, nor the words as something to be slighted, not accepting them in the first place as able to shake him, but showing the irrationality of the rebuke against him and the vanity of the reproof, he says, that Your reproof will not stop me. For a word offered without deeds is unreliable and untrustworthy; and otherwise, if it does not proceed truthfully, it has weakness besides; so that even you, employing such a reproof, do not stop me from speaking the truth, nor will you find me at rest in the face of your words. St. 29. Sit down now, and let there be no injustice, and again come together with the righteous. For there is no injustice in my tongue, or does my throat not meditate understanding? From Didymus. These things are directive and tolerant, teaching one to speak with leisure, and attention, and examination; which is made clear by Sit down. This is also said elsewhere: Before you examine, do not blame. Great indeed

And the command, Let it not be that there be injustice; for it is no small thing not to stumble in word. And having exhorted them to devote themselves to the examination concerning him, which he explained through the words, Sit down now, and let it not be that there be injustice; then he brings forward a word that may be spoken with boldness, saying: For there is no injustice in my tongue; gently distinguishing them [or: provoking them] [variant: condemning them] from the opinion they held concerning him, as though he had suffered on account of sin; and in another way hinting to them that they are not dealing with something unintelligent [or: a thing], so that from this he might stir them up to the consideration concerning him, so as to use this wisely and intelligently. Chapter 7, verse 10. For if a man goes down to Hades, he shall no more come up, nor shall he return to his own house, nor shall his place know him any more. Of Didymus. But others [variant: some] say that he does not say this to dissuade [or: to take away] the resurrection; but first, showing the perishable nature of human beings; then, that the one who has once died will not return to this corruptible life, nor will he be recognized as doing his customary deeds; so that to the words, He shall no more come up from Hades, one must join, He shall not return to his own house; so that he may say that he will indeed come to life again, but he will certainly not return to his own house. But this interpretation is plausible, while the former is truer, that the righteous man was ignorant of the things concerning the resurrection; whence he is also more to be marveled at, because, hoping for nothing of that sort, he nevertheless achieved the highest virtue. Chapter 8, verse 11. Will the papyrus flourish without water? or will the bulrush be exalted without drink? while it is still, etc. Of Didymus. But if one must also discuss these things more elegantly:

Truly, the hope of the ungodly is not concerned with things that have real existence. For hope is nothing other than, by its very kind, the expectation of good things; and the one who fears also expects, but not good things. For fear is the expectation of evils, while hope is the expectation of good things. Since, then, the ungodly expect things that have no real existence, their hope perishes. For as long as they remain, they enjoy pleasures, and in these they have a vain hope. And the righteous man, remaining in his own virtue as in a house, will never have such a house uninhabited; for his righteousness remains forever. But the worthless man, not holding fast to it, does not build it, nor does he remain in it. Again, the spider displays its variegated work, constructed from a natural web, but it is very easily dissolved when someone touches it. The works of the worthless, then, and the constitution of their way of life, resemble a spider that has no real existence. For the very easily collapsing device of the worthless, called a tent, is so easily captured as not even to seem ever to have existed. Just as without water a marsh will not be multiplied, so it is impossible for one who does not receive in his mind the benefit of better things to bring forth useful fruit. And the saying will also fit human affairs, that just as these are watered by providence as by water, when it does not come upon them, they will have an easy and effortless dissolution. For everything in life, whether small or great, is under providence; and it dries up if providence does not watch over it. St. xvii. He sleeps upon a gathering of stones, and he shall live in the midst of pebbles; if he swallows, the place shall deceive him. Didymus. But to speak more profoundly:

A house is a composition of stones according to craft, having unity with other stones; such is virtue, and holiness, and the very participation in the Spirit. But a scattered thing—the gathering of stones and the mixing of pebbles—is akin to evil, which has no unity but disorder. The ungodly man, then, has his whole manner of life in a house of evil, dissolved, like the stones outside the building, which do not fit the building of the tower, according to the Shepherd; nor do they hear: But you are being built up on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Verse 19. And from the earth another shall spring up; for the Lord will surely not reject the innocent. Of Didymus. Having dwelt on the change of plants, he has used the word "spring up." And here he calls "innocent," not the simple-minded man, but the one who has no evil; for the name signifies both. For when he says concerning the heretics that Through smooth speech they deceive the hearts of the innocent, he calls the simple-minded, those slow in understanding, "innocent"; but when he says, The innocent and upright clung to me, he means the righteous. Just as, then, he says here also, that the Lord uproots the worthless man and plants the innocent in his place; for that one he punishes. But if anyone be pious and abstain from evil against others, even if he be reckoned among the last, at any rate he imparts to him the greatest share of his own providence. Verse 21. And he will not accept any gift of the ungodly. But the mouth of the truthful he will fill with laughter, and their lips with confession. Of Didymus.

That one is true who does not play the hypocrite nor counterfeit virtue, who does not put on a show of temperance but is temperate, pursuing what is just justly. Therefore God will fill the mouth of these true ones with laughter, that is, with exultation. But instead of confession, others have said shouting. CHAPTER 9, verse 5. He who makes old the mountains, and they do not know, he who overturns them in anger. Of Didymus. I know also other mountains, Moses and the prophets: I lifted up my eyes to the mountains. Christ makes old the first Testament, and the Jews do not know it, to whom it was said: If you believed Moses, you would believe in me. The same one also overturned the mountains of Jerusalem that were according to the letter, and the sanctuary; the same one also dims the sun by his own brightness, and the stars. Alas! What things a man says who is sick and ulcerated, having a potsherd, and scraping off his discharge, a man sitting on a dung heap! He who makes old the mountains, and they do not know. Let us see, then, what these words are, and about what mountains being made old, and by whom, and they do not know. Jesus came, the one who overturns the interpretation according to the letter, and those who abide in it after grace, about whom the Apostle says: But wrath has come upon them. The things made old have been overturned; the things of the letter have grown old, the things of the spirit have been renewed, so that we serve in newness of spirit and not in oldness of letter. Jesus, when he came, did a paradoxical thing: the same prophets he both made old and renewed. Verse 6. He who shakes the world under heaven from its foundations; and its pillars are shaken. Of Didymus. But some, more elegantly,

The pillars of my Lord Jesus Christ were the apostles. For these were shaken at the time of the passion of Jesus: "All of you will be scandalized in me in this night." Earthquakes have often occurred on the earth; but the earthquakes that occurred both before Christ and after Christ were partial; but at the time of my Lord Jesus Christ the earthquake was not partial, but the whole earth was shaken from its very center. Verse 7. And he seals against the stars. Of Didymus. It is reported that at the time of the passion, during the three hours in which the sun failed, then also stars appeared, as in the night. Verse 13. Beneath him the sea-monsters under heaven were bent. Of Didymus. As for the literal sense: the sea-monsters were unsubdued by humans, and the other venomous beasts, unless he himself subjected them. As for the spiritual sense: the evil spirits, allegorically called sea-monsters, because they swim about the surges of the soul, he himself bent and humbled. For it is not in human nature, unless bent by God, to stand against them. Verse 27. For if I say, I will forget my speech, I will bow down with my face and groan, I am shaken in all my limbs; for I know that you will not let me go unpunished. Of Didymus. The moderation of the saint is recognized in these words, and great gratitude. For even if he said, "I will appear righteous," yet he knows and is persuaded that, as before God the examiner, the stars are not pure before him,

Not even he himself, obviously. Therefore he says, "Because you become my exact examiner (for you are God), you will not let me go unpunished." CHAPTER 10, VERSE 8. Your hands fashioned me and made me. Of Didymus. There is a difference between "you fashioned" and "you made." For the body was fashioned from the underlying earth, that is, from the woman; but the soul was made without anything underlying it beforehand; for as it is bodiless, so also it is indivisible. VERSE 14. For if I sin, you watch me; and from lawlessness you have not made me innocent. Of Didymus. And reasonably he says this; for since he knows the God of all to be his creator and provider, he accordingly also teaches about his longsuffering; for he himself also knows, according to the blessed David, that "He does not bring wrath upon each day," but watches over the one who sins, not wishing him to sin; [as it is written] "He does not wish the death of the sinner," as [he wishes] his repentance. And the phrase, "You have not made me innocent," the others said as "You will not acquit me," "You will not cleanse me." VERSE 15. For if I be impious, woe is me; and if I be righteous, I cannot lift up my head. Of Didymus. And perhaps he says something like this: Whether I sin by choice, woe is me; or whether [I sin] as from the transgression of Adam, the debt passing over to us by succession, again not even so shall I be able to lift up my head, as one who has been released from every stain. For of sins, some arise from our own choice, and to these punishment follows; others from our ancestors, and for these cleansing is owed. VERSE 18. Why then did you bring me out of the womb, and I did not die? And no eye saw me, and I became as though I had not been.

For why was I not carried off from the womb to the grave? Of Didymus. Observe that, having mentioned the trials that fell upon him, he runs back to the first cause of his sufferings, that is, the transgression, and his birth from corruption; and nowhere does he complain against the former making of man; but being tried—he regards this as the hardship of corruption in life, making mention of the belly and the womb. For we ourselves, by our transgression, brought in this painful life. Chapter 21. Leave me to rest a little, before I go whence I shall not return. Of Didymus. He brings these things forward in the manner of a prayer. For the griefs that press upon him are not small, nor did he bear his pains without feeling; for this would not have been manly, if he had not felt them. But he teaches that he also endured by the power of God, through what he prays, saying with thanksgiving: Grant me a respite from my labors, since I am temporary and destined to perish forever; for this is what is meant by "to go whence he shall not return." And he teaches a most noble doctrine [or: demonstration], that one who has once departed from life no longer returns to this life, as those who monstrously invent metempsychoses mythologize. Then he recounts the evils in Hades, so that we may know from what sort of things the Savior freed us, when he said to those in bonds, "Come out," and to those in darkness, "Be revealed.

CHAPTER 11, verse 8. High is the heaven, and what will you do? And deeper than the things in Hades—what do you know? Or longer than the measure of the earth, or the breadth of the sea? Of Didymus. By all these things he wishes to show that the knowledge of men is measured, not reaching the judgments of God. And now at any rate, he says, heaven exists, and things deeper than Hades, and things longer than the earth, and than the breadth of the sea—say something about them, if you can. And perhaps he hints that even if one undertakes to speak about earth, and sea, and heaven, yet the things beyond those he does not know. Verse 12. But man vainly swims in words, and a mortal born of woman is like a wild ass's colt. Of Didymus. Comparing the firmness of the knowledge of God with the undertakings of men, he said that they swim in vain, being unable to encompass all the knowledge of God by reasoning. And through the wild ass he sets forth their great sluggishness toward the comprehension of the judgments, using hyperbole in his speech. CHAPTER 12, verse 4. For a just man and blameless has become a laughingstock. Of Didymus. And observe that when he speaks of the lesser things, he applies them to himself, for he is not given to pointing others out, on account of his freedom from vanity; but when he enumerates the greater things, he brings his speech to the general case; just as then even here he says almost exactly: Let not the just be laughed at, for they suffer to the extent that God wills. CHAPTER 13, verse 3. Nevertheless, I will speak to the Lord. Of Didymus. Having accused his friends as being mistaken, he says, I will speak to the Lord, showing his own great freedom of speech. Verse 4.

But you are unjust physicians, and all of you healers of evils. Of Didymus. An unjust physician is, in the obvious sense, one who applies remedies other than what is beneficial to the sick; and this happens in two ways, either from the physician's inexperience or from malice. But these men who are being reproved, from ignorance rather than from wickedness, were saying to Job, "You suffer because of sins," thinking to bring words of consolation. They are unjust, then, in that they do not know the cause. And the phrase "all of you healers of evils" would be spoken against those who think great things of themselves, as though they were able to heal the circumstances that befall others. Verse 6. Hear now the reproof of my mouth, and attend to the judgment of my lips. Of Didymus. Consider what I am about to say for your reproof, and understand whether I speak with judgment. And by "mouth" and "lips" he means speech. The holy man reproves as a holy man, and judges as is fitting for him. For the righteous man does not have an untimely reproof, nor does he do this falsely, but he employs reproof and judgment with discernment and lawfully; for the mouth of the righteous will meditate on wisdom, and his tongue will speak judgment. Verse 11. But if you shall secretly admire persons, will not his whirlwind terrify you? [But Symmachus: Will you not secretly be partial to his person? Will not his motion strike fear in you?] Fear, etc. Of Didymus. The best judge is an examiner of matters, and he does not look at the person of those being judged. For if those being judged are rich, or rulers, or preeminent in some other dignity [or authority], he does not look at their person, but at the deeds which he judges.

For one must not side with the rich, nor, pitying the poverty of the poor, overlook justice; therefore it is said, You shall not pity the poor in judgment. St. 13. Be silent, that I may speak, and I shall rest from my wrath, having taken up my flesh with my teeth. Of Didymus. Perhaps in a certain way he gives his friends some rest. For since he had accused them earlier as comforters of evils (for they were not comforting as they ought, but rather were stirring up the grief and pain of the one supposedly being comforted), now he says, I will cease from my wrath against you, having taken up my flesh with my teeth; that is, I will no longer be angry against you, but against myself. St. 16. And this shall turn out for me unto salvation; for no guile shall enter before him. Of Didymus. The righteous man has zeal throughout to teach his friends the cause of his hardships, so that he may gain them for not holding contrary opinions. For he reckoned this as salvation, that they should know the account of providence concerning this matter, which, wishing to make clear, he said the words, I will reprove; for often reproof signifies proof. Wishing, then, to establish his own truthfulness and his conscientiousness, he says, that What I say, I utter with God watching. For it is not possible for any deception to occur with God, so that guile should enter before him. St. 27. But you have guarded all my works. Of Didymus. The blessed man knows what was said by David, being himself holy,

Because God does not overlook all the lawless deeds of those who sin; but again, when he disciplines his friends, for the reason for which he suffers (that is, for the sake of struggle), he has spoken what lies before him, as though God had guarded all his works and examined them exactly, and so brought upon him grievous things; so that from this they might understand that the greatness of the many things brought upon him is not because of sin, but because of struggle and the aim of courage. CHAPTER 14, VERSE 3. Did you not also make a reckoning of this man, and did you not cause him to enter into judgment before you? Of Didymus. Perhaps here he also makes clear the providence concerning man, not as though he remained in his life at random and as it happened, but by the judgment of God [equal. not] overstepping the time appointed by him. But these things must not be said as though fate prevailed, but as though the will of God had ordered each thing by boundaries and measures. CHAPTER 15, VERSE 7. For what? Were you born the first of men? etc. Of Didymus. Eliphaz, then, setting forth the inscrutability of judgments, thinks from this to overturn the righteous man into thinking that he suffers for no other reason than because of sin, himself being caught in this [equal. these]. For neither had he himself heard a command of the Lord, nor had wisdom come to him, so as to have a judgment concerning the saint, that he suffers because of sin. But he makes him common to all men, reasonably, since he is ignorant of the greatness of his virtue, from this ostensibly overturning the righteous man's opinion of himself.

CHAPTER 15, VERSE 13. What has your heart dared, or what have your eyes brought forward? Because you have burst forth in anger before the Lord, and you have brought out from your mouth such words as these. Of Didymus. For they considered the boldness that comes from surpassing purity to be anger; which happened to them from their own rotten principle, which they themselves laid down for themselves, deeming the reasonable freedom of words to be blasphemy. Therefore he says, Why have I been so bold, that you even looked back at God, and as if in indignation against him you uttered such words? VERSE 14. For who being a mortal, that he shall be blameless? or as one who shall be righteous, born of a woman? Of Didymus. But it is peculiar to those who do not possess virtue to reckon the acquisition of it as difficult, and to be disposed as though no one possessed it; just as the one set before us also says, being tripped up through the weakness of the body, as is likely. For who, he says, being a man, is able to be blameless, or to promise, that I shall be righteous, as you consider yourself? VERSE 17. But I will announce to you, hear me; what things indeed I have seen I will announce to you, which the wise, etc. Of Didymus. Or perhaps not with a boastful intention, but with the thought that he himself was in sins, and for this reason needed his exhortation. And this man seems, even if not according to divine knowledge, yet by admiring those who surpass in understanding, to say something similar to the saying that states: To the faithful, the whole world of wealth, but to the unfaithful, not even an obol. For even if the unfaithful is possessed of many possessions, he is not master but slave of his wealth; for he serves Mammon. And what the old saying is, which he says he learned from the ancients, he adds. VERSE 28.

May he be driven to dwell in deserted cities, and may he enter into uninhabited houses; and what those men prepared, others shall carry off. Of Didymus. He speaks of the complete desolation of the impious, so that instead of cities being governed rightly and houses, they dwell in desolation because of poverty. For such a man, he says, having fallen from his own possessions and from all the power he had, will pursue the deserts; and it is a custom among fugitives to seize whatever places they chance upon for safety, in which, arriving, they might escape the danger at their feet. Therefore the impious man shall be in these places, paying the penalty worthy of the arrogance that came from his wealth, and the change of his former prosperity, and what was gathered with great toil shall pass over to strangers. Then he increases the punishment against the impious man, declaring not only that he does not become rich, but also assuring that he falls from his existing possessions; for he adds: CHAPTER 16, VERSE 7. For if I speak, I shall not feel pain from the wound; but if I keep silent, how am I less wounded? Of Didymus. Perhaps he wishes to display his genuine disposition toward his friends, that I care for your salvation; therefore even if I grieve, I employ exhortation. For if others also, grieving, are content with their own distresses, yet for me, he says, the salvation of friends must be preferred. VERSE 18. But there was nothing unjust in my hands, and my prayer was pure. Of Didymus. He says, it produces in me a worse despondency, and grieves me more, that I am conscious of nothing base in myself. For I know nothing, except that with right reasoning I made my supplications to God; therefore I am also astonished at the things for which I endure these things.

But mark that the prayer of the righteous man was pure and unmixed with any passion, not subject to distractions, nor dragged down by anxieties. Chapter 21, verse 3. Bear with me, and I will speak; and then you shall not laugh me to scorn. Of Didymus. That is to say, Bring my words to me, bear with me as I speak, considering that I do not employ reproof insolently, but for the sake of oversight.