…are troubled by the threats concerning it. A
FRAGMENTS ON JOB
(From the Catena of Nicetas, ed. Yung, year 1637.)CAP. I. Vers. 1. *Homo quidam erat in regione Ausitide, cui nomen Job.* A Didymus. — Interpreting more sublimely, "Ausitis" in the Greek tongue signifies "counsel," in which the just man dwelt. For whoever is prone to anger acts without counsel: whence, like a puppy of a dog, he produces blind words and deeds. But this just man did nothing without counsel, obeying that prudent precept: "Do all things with counsel" (Eccli. XXXII, 24). The name of Job signifies "patience," and it is understood as if he had already become that which he was previously called, or that he was called what he subsequently became. B
VERS. 2. *Facti sunt autem ei filii septem, et filiæ tres.* Didymus. — The Scripture deems it worthy in this place that the list of children, which agrees with mystical reasons, be reviewed. For who does not know that the septenary number is an index of the seven gifts, just as the appellation of three is wont to be referred to that which is more perfect and divine? Truly, that we might know that the faith of the Trinity, as a sort of head placed over the remaining virtues, is the worker of the gifts. C
VERS. 3. *Et erat homo ille nobilis, inter eos qui a solis ortu.* Didymus. — It is said literally that he was noble among those of the east, because he was kin to Abraham according to the flesh; but as far as the anagogical sense is concerned, those who inhabit the east are called sons of light and children of God through their bright works. For the just man attains a nobility that shines, not from men, but from the splendor of the sun of justice. D
VERS. 5. *Et postquam consummati essent dies convivii, mittebat Job et purificabat eos exsurgens mane, etc.* Didymus. — Just as it is said: "My spirit watches for you from the night in the morning, O God" (Isa. XXVI, 9). And: "O God, my God, I watch for you from the light" (Ps. LXII, 1), so Job rose at daybreak for no other reason than to offer sacrifices to God for his children, according to their number; that is, for each one individually and in order; for the holy man did nothing in a confused manner. In addition to this, he immolated a calf for all of them in his own peculiar way, that he might also accustom his children to that discipline. Thus, therefore, when the feast was finished, he purified them; for along with the purification that falls under the senses, he also showed things that would conduce toward the cleansing of the soul. For prophetically…
and according to the law, and according to grace, he appears to be fulfilling sacrifices. According to the law, by offers of diverse sacrifices; but according to grace, by the one calf for sin. For such a sacrifice of grace gave a forewarning of the truth, prefiguring the one sacrifice in the flesh of the only-begotten Son of God. But if the calf brought on behalf of all signifies the Savior who endured the cross for us, consider it with me and do not be surprised; for Job was not uninitiated in the A advent of the Savior, he who said that he is the one who is about to overcome the great sea monster (Job III, 8).
Ver. 7. And the devil answering the Lord said: I am here, having gone about the earth and walked about the part under heaven.
Didymus. It is to be noted that earth and that which is under heaven are different places: the earth being under heaven, while places which are under heaven are not necessarily earth. He goes about the earth, so that he may contemplate concerning which man he might make a request; but he walks about the parts under heaven, rejoicing in the spirits of wickedness, who serve him for the most base things. And one should not be surprised if, being a subtle spirit, he passed through the aforementioned places; for God did not convict him as lying. Yet the wildness and inhumanity of his manner is signified by such a circuit by the wicked one. For the words belong to one who is manic and moving about from distraction; just as it is also said elsewhere: "Because your adversary the devil walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. 5, 8). For he fights and goes about being sleepless, leading on his friends and asking for the destruction of his enemies; for he does not have authority over us. And his words signify something of this kind: "Since," he says, "those of earth and those of the air are subjected to me, Job alone resists me; I have come to make a request against him."
Ver. 9. And the devil answered and said before the Lord.
Didymus. It is characteristic of those who are hostile to virtue not to consider the good things of their neighbors to be genuine, but rather to speak by way of slander, saying that this one is just on account of his inability to do evil; another is temperate on account of what is called stupidity; and another has no money and means of gain on account of being unsuited for them; and in general, no wicked person admits the virtue of anyone as genuine.
Ver. 11. But put forth thy hand, and touch all that he has, and see if he will not bless thee to thy face.
Didymus. The hand of God should be understood in different ways: either as the punishing power that serves for this purpose, which is also called a vessel of wrath according to the text, "Thy hand destroyed nations"; or as the protecting and defensive power, as in, "Thou hast fashioned me, and hast laid thy hand upon me" (Ps. cxxxviii, 5). Therefore, here, "Put forth thy hand," is said instead of, "Attack him with blows"; and "Touch all that he has" is said instead of...
"bring upon him grievous things." A We have, moreover, an example of this in the words, "Touch not my anointed ones" (Ps. civ, 15). For it does not forbid every simple touch, but the audacity of those who bring injury upon the saints. See, however, how craftily and with hypocrisy he does not say, "Permit me," but, "Do thou perform it." For he is well aware of his own feebleness, yet he is raving and arrogant, which is the height of madness. But do you note for me another malice and diabolical blindness: that he is willing to persuade the One who is alone good to do evil. And such is his excessive cruelty that it does not suffice for him to destroy a portion of his possessions or to slay some of his children, but he wishes to strip him of all his goods at once and suddenly. Wherefore he does not petition against the righteous man in part, but entirely, for his ruin, when he says: "Touch all that he has," having stripped him of every human hope, so that he may be a matchless example of bitterness and sorrows; for then his expression of a grateful soul will be worthy of admiration, when it will not have been proven false by the changes in times and circumstances. "If he will not bless thee to thy face," that is, if he will not then openly blaspheme thee and, becoming bold against thee, sharpen his tongue, as he would be unable to bear the magnitude of his calamities. B Here, therefore, instead of "he will curse" and "he will blaspheme thee," the devil said "he will bless thee," employing a more specious term, so that he might not bring a harsher expression before God, nor say that he would be an adversary to Thee, O God.
VERS. 12. *Then the Lord said to the devil: Behold, all things whatsoever are his, I give into thy hand, but touch not him.*
Didymus. For that which is said, "Behold, I give all into thy hand," is a demonstration that no one falls into temptations without divine permission. But that we may know that He also sets a limit to this permission, He adds, "But touch not him." From which it is clear that calamities do not happen by fate or by chance, but by divine permission.
*And the devil departed from the Lord.*
According to some, if the devil had not been outside of God, he would have done nothing against Job. And it is said of the devil more appropriately than of Cain: C"He went out from the presence of the Lord" (Gen. iv, 16), which indicates that he does not enjoy the vision of God. For he is of the number of those who are excluded outside, even if he came in a certain guise together with those who stand before God.
VERS. 13. *And it was as this day.*
Didymus. He consistently remembers the day and the gathering of the children, so that in this way the report of their death—who were extinguished suddenly at one moment of time by the fall of the house—might be credible.
VERS. 14. *And behold, a messenger came to Job, and said to him, etc.*
Didymus. It is worthy of note how those things which have happened suddenly, as reported, contain in their very account that which is bitter, and incline one to the utmost sadness. D Truly, even if they were enough to disturb, by reason of their suddenness...
yet they did not disturb the righteous man. For it is written somewhere in the Psalms concerning the holy man: "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings" (Ps. CXII, 7).
Vers. 16. *While he was yet speaking, there came another messenger, and said unto Job, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep
A and is experienced by those who have not known, but the one who has had that experience, and has had it before being deprived of it, possesses a fear of the passion mixed with perturbation; and after it has been snatched away, it brings bitter pains, since unbridled tranquility and a mind that cannot be instructed by discipline are gripped by wretched lamentations. Such was by no means the illustrious Job, that, I say, peerless treasure of patience and constancy, that supreme perfection of fortitude, that head of piety, and great exemplar of philosophy. For he knew how to bear both tranquility prudently and calamity with fortitude; for the philosophy and equanimity with which he was previously imbued were not in the least refuted by the wounds that subsequently followed. B For by what reason could that unbearable calamity appear as such to a man trained in the discipline of divine things and previously instructed in piety? For he who has learned to hold riches in common, grows rich in spending upon the needy, and fears not the loss of wealth; wherefore even when torn from them he does not bear it ill, but rather makes the calamity a cause of philosophy and equanimity; in prosperous affairs, moderation of character serves as a bridle, and in adverse ones, he does not allow himself to be broken or to yield, inasmuch as he is hedged about by divine protection. For he knows how to moderate both states with philosophy, whence he neither abuses magnificence for injury (for he possesses philosophy), nor is he submerged by calamities (for he practices patience); and the trial of the envious one becomes for him a way of salvation. For the adversary outwitted himself, opening a path for him toward the acquisition of goods from the very point whence he expected to overcome him; wherefore, the insidious wife is rebuked, and the utter ruin of the children does not in the least harm his piety, nor does the fire falling from heaven disturb his mind, preserved by the beneficence of God; nor do the frequent messengers of evils, and the wailing heard from every side, shake his constancy. For everyone who converses familiarly with God thinks little of things below and decaying. By so much the more is he made intimate with things above and abiding, by how much he is driven away from those present. For the spirit of wickedness and the rising of the storm do not know how to harm a righteous soul; for God guarded it, having measured the calamity; for those things which concerned the body he permitted to the tempter, for the testing of a sober judgment, but he preserved the mind impassible, with which he was about to do battle, and with which, having entered the lists, he won such great trophies.
VERS. 18, 19. *While he was yet speaking, there comes another messenger, saying to Job, Thy sons,* etc. D Didymus. Not in vain is it added, *while thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking,* but to intensify the suffering, and this the devil contrives, in order that the atrocious report of the things that have happened might cause the righteous man an incredible grief. For if this had happened while the children were sleeping, the ruin, being something without sensation, would have tortured Job's soul less; but the word *suddenly* is added, and it has emphasis, to signify that the matter had occurred in such a way that no opportunity of escape was granted to anyone.
A CAP. II, vers. 6. *And the Lord said to the devil: Behold, I deliver him to you; only keep his life* (Theodotion, however: *Do not touch his life*).
Didymus. And this indeed [was done] for our benefit, so that Job, as a character and model of fortitude, might be left inscribed as if upon a column, and might serve as a goal of such virtue, not only for the men of that age, but also for those who came after; and so it has come to pass. For it is permitted for us to hear that athlete and combatant saying: *I know that I shall appear righteous* (Job xiii, 8). But the Lord, in delivering him to the devil, says, *Only keep his life.* The meaning of these words seems to be this: We often see some people falling into a frenzy and insanity of mind because of hidden and secret causes which only God knows. Since, therefore, the devil was endeavoring to drive the righteous man into folly and a state of mental disorder, so that he might force him—even against his will—to utter impious and blasphemous words, therefore, God says, I deliver to you him whom you have requested, that his virtue may be the more attested, and you may be covered with greater shame; but beware, lest you introduce a torpor or pervert his ruling faculty; for this is not permitted to you, because while the sanity of his mind is preserved, his fortitude in enduring evils must be shown: but, as you requested, touch his flesh and his bones.
B vers. 9. *And after much time had passed, his wife said to him: How long will you endure, saying: Behold, I wait for a little time yet, expecting the hope of my salvation?*
Didymus. The devil, broken by so many incursions and battles, and no longer knowing what else to do, returns to the memory of his ancient fraud; and, drawing the mind of the woman toward himself by guile, he attempts through her to overthrow the athlete; and he prepares a third contest against him—a colloquy, namely, with her—in case he might by this method ensnare Job, just as Adam was led into deception by Eve. For when much time had passed, seeing that he could not shake the tower of piety, he persuades the wife to bring forth words of contempt.
C CAP. III, vers. 8. *But let him curse it who curses that day, he who is ready to overcome [the] great sea-monster.*
Didymus. The expression, *he who is ready to overcome*, is well spoken, manifesting the mystery concerning the Incarnation, which had not yet occurred then, but was to occur thereafter. For it was not fitting that it should be by the divinity alone that the devil, who had the power of death (Heb. ii, 14), should be abolished, but by the Word made man, from the seed of him whom the devil had deceived; for it would have been a matter for boasting for the wicked demon if He had subjugated him by the divinity alone. D Furthermore, the diverse appellations of the devil declare his diverse operations, not a manifold essence. For the devil is called adversary, evil, lion, dragon, serpent, beast, and sea-monster on account of the ways of his character, since he works his malice with manifold artifice: a fact which utterly overthrows the dogma of the Manichaeans.
A
CHAP. IV, verse 2. *Is word often had with you in distress? But who shall sustain the weight of your words?* Didymus. Or does the phrase *Is word often had with you in distress?* signify that you yourself have often used words with those who have fallen into grievous circumstances, and have brought them consolation in their distress—that is, in their calamities and tribulations—but that now your words, being full of contempt, no one can bear, and the harshness of your speech is so great that it rouses even one who would willingly keep silent to offer a refutation?
VERSE 10. *The strength of the lion, and the voice of the lioness, and the roaring of the dragons have been extinguished. The myrmecoleon has perished for want of prey, and the lion’s whelps have scattered from one another.* Didymus. He takes the natures of irrational animals which are not only useless to our own kind, but even treacherous to it, and proves that God destroys everything that is unjust and arrogant. Thus, he says, the roaring lion falls when God wills; the savage cry of the lioness, by which she terrifies the weaker beasts, is extinguished; the dragons are humbled; the myrmecoleon perishes, food not being provided for it; and the whelps of the lions have scattered from one another, not being sent forth into successions. As far as the history is concerned, since Eliphaz said that those who sow absurdities shall perish by the command of the Lord, he adds that the lion and the dragon will experience the same thing when God wills it. He, therefore, who maintains order among the irrational animals will much more preserve it among men. B
VERSE 17. *For what? Shall a mortal be pure before the Lord? Or shall a man be blameless by his own works?* Didymus. Do not say, he suggests, that you suffer these things because you are free from sins, since it is impossible for human life to conform to the perfect standard of the Law. For it happens through the weakness of nature that we fall into sins, sometimes willingly, but often also unwillingly. This, indeed, when it is examined, if judged with discernment, involves a reproof; for if he who falls into miseries and tribulations is afflicted on account of his sins, and there is no one who is free from stain, then surely no one will be free from tribulations. C
VERSE 8. *But I will call upon the Lord, the Master of all, who does great and unsearchable things, and glorious and extraordinary things, of which there is no number.* Didymus. Having blamed the foolish and set forth what he had to say regarding them, he now, from what he proposes, confesses God as the author of providence and the Creator. It is not unlikely for Eliphaz to possess such reasonings, being a man who excelled in the wisdom of human affairs. He disputes of invisible and visible things, speaking of those that are least trackable, the great and glorious, of rain and water; which water, if he distinguishes it from rain, he understands as the water that springs from fountains, torrents, and veins. D He says, therefore, that I do not offer glory, nor do I think as the impious do, but rather, understanding providence, and knowing God as Master
of all things, [and of] times, and places, and events, A I call upon Him, deeming it fitting, Who at various times works wonders, worthy of astonishment, for the benefit of men, the multitude of which it is not possible to recount even in words. He speaks of the providence that has occurred in every generation in a varied manner, both commonly toward all, and privately toward each individual. For just as it is not possible to find a number for the human race, so too is it impossible to attain to [an understanding of] the providence of God, as the reasons for the divine providence are impossible for men to comprehend.
VERS. 11. *Who sets the humble on high, and lifts up those who had perished.*
Didymus. He moves on also to the providence which concerns men, and being thus disposed toward God, he considers that He is accustomed to humble those from a high place, to make the poor wealthy, to make rulers out of subjects, and to restore health to the sick.
VERS. 17. *But blessed is the man whom the Lord reproves; and do not reject the instruction of the Almighty.* For He causes pain, and again He restores; He struck, and His hands healed.
Didymus. God reproves, and adds the correction of the scourge, not that He might destroy, but that He might save the one being disciplined; do not you, therefore, lose heart, but with thanksgiving embrace the reproof.
VERS. 18. *Six times He shall deliver thee out of distresses, and in the seventh, no evil shall touch thee.*
Didymus. According to the opinion of some, B these verses suggest that as long as anyone dwells in the world, which was created in the span of six days, he suffers the distresses and afflictions that are in it; for even if one should be a saint, he is still subject to the necessity of the body: but having transcended the world, and being established in the seventh-day rest, he will not feel any affliction; since even the one who possesses an unavaricious manner is not touched by loss. The sense, however, is of this sort: In the present age He will exercise you, and in the future He will glorify you. But it is not necessary that the history of events should be aligned with the contemplations in every detail.
VERS. 26. *And thou shalt come to the grave, as ripe corn that is harvested in its season; or as a heap of the threshing floor, gathered in at the proper time.*
Didymus. For this is what the gathered heap signifies: completion, that is, and perfection, and that the perfect man is thereafter in security.
CHAPTER VI, VERS. 5.
*What then? Does the wild ass cry out in vain, unless it seeks food? Or does the ox lift up its voice, when it has food at the manger?*Didymus. For the wild ass does not utter a voice in vain, but because it is in need of food; neither does the ox bellow, when food is lying at the manger; so do not blame me, if I cry out, according to your opinion, on account of grievous things, since [my] nature is weak. The righteous man says these things, [meaning] that just as the ass does not cry out in vain, or
the ox, but [does so] when its food fails; so too [would I not cry out], unless I had arrived at the extremity of evil, leading Eliphaz to not blame the one who is in pain, if he cries out. For the righteous man ought not to be devoid of feeling, even if he bears the things that afflict him with fortitude. For this is virtue, when someone, while receiving a perception of painful things, scorns the pains for the sake of God. A
VERS. 6. *Nunquid potest sine sale edi panis? aut est sapor in sermonibus vanis?*
Didymi. In respect to the sense, however: Every word which is deprived of action joined with virtue is empty and vain. This is confirmed by that [passage]: *For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power* (1 Cor. 4:20); our salvation does not consist in empty promises, but in an effective word. B
VERS. 15. *Propinqui mei non respexerunt me; tanquam torrens deficiens, aut sicut fluctus, transierunt me.*
Didymi. Certainly, those who appear to be friends, but on the approach of difficult times are exposed as having feigned friendship and having displayed it only by an external appearance, can be called a torrent and a wave due to their instability and perfidy. For just as a torrent presents the appearance of a perennial and ever-flowing river, and a wave, raised on high, would seem to the opinion of the inexperienced never to be brought down—yet filth and dryness prove the torrent to be temporary, and calm proves the wave [to be the same]—so too, the storm of time shows that those who falsely simulate friendship are very different from true friends. For the righteous, not in the least perverting the rule of friendship, are observed to guard a constant tenor of mind in both fortunes, prosperous and adverse, toward those whom they love; nor is it a wonder, since they extend charity even to their enemies, and behave peaceably toward those who turn away from peace. The wicked, however, hide what they are for a time, but in the adverse circumstances of their friends, having stripped off the mask, they are openly caught. This then happened to Job for the sake of testing, C perhaps even at the suggestion of the one who had demanded him for punishment, and who was persuading the friends to despise him on account of his miseries. Moreover, the absence of friends in bitter circumstances brings no little trouble. When the holy David was suffering this affliction, he sang: *I looked to the right and I saw, for there was no one who knew me* (Ps. CXLI, 5); and again, lamenting, he said: *I have been forgotten as one dead from the heart; I have become like a lost vessel* (Ps. XXX, 13).
VERS. 18. *Qui verebantur me, nunc irruerunt super me.*
Didymi. Perhaps he silently rebukes his friends, saying: Ignoring the cause of the evils which make an onslaught upon me, you insult me, and you dare to say such things as you would not have said before, out of reverence for me. It is also likely that many others likewise insulted him because of his calamity. D
A Ver. 21. *But now you also have risen up against me without mercy.* Didymus. One who admonishes those who have fallen into bitter straits for some reason that deserves censure does not argue against reason, moved by anger; for that is not his purpose, but rather to encourage them to fortitude and to bear it with a generous spirit. For to say, "Why did you sin?" increases sorrows rather than alleviating them. And indeed, they stood against him without mercy, because they were ignorant of the cause of the affliction, and they attempted to censure one who was not subject to censure.
Ver. 21. *So, seeing my wound, fear.* Didymus. The saint, indeed, correcting them by his own affairs, and taking the starting point of his exhortation from their own opinion, conducts himself with the greatest care and solicitude toward those who were ill-disposed toward him. For if everyone who sins falls into sorrows, and he who has fallen into them has suffered this because of sins, yet no one is clean from filth, you also, taught by the terror of my wound, learn to fear yourselves.
Ver. 24. *Teach me, and I will be silent; if I have erred in anything, tell me.* Didymus. And with this, too, the holy man instructs them with the greatest possible gentleness, as to how they should use words toward those who are in distress; for he says, "Teach me," that is, you ought to teach, not to censure at the wrong time; unless even that needs to be done for the sake of instruction, according to what is said by Paul: "Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching" (2 Tim. 4:2). B
Ver. 25. *For I do not seek strength from you, nor will your censure calm me with words; nor will I endure the utterance of your speech. But you fall upon an orphan, and you insult your friend.* Didymus. This too is a mark of fortitude. For many who are often established in distress, hearing burdensome words, grow weary and succumb; but the holy Job neither totally disregarded the censure from his friends nor their words (since he did not consider them strong enough to shake his mind, even from the beginning), but showing the absurdity of their vituperation and the vanity of the censure, he says, "Your censure will not calm me." For a word brought forth without deeds is unstable and unworthy of belief; otherwise, also, if it does not proceed from truth, it still possesses weakness; so that you, using such censure, will not stop me from speaking what is true, nor will you find me passing over your words in silence. C
Ver. 29. *Sit down, I pray, and let there be no injustice, and again, stand with the righteous. For is there anything wrong on my tongue, or does my throat not meditate on understanding?* Didymus. These words allow judgment to their discretion and at the same time ward off evils, while in speaking [they teach] leisure, attention, and examination; this is indicated by the words, "Sit down." D
A This is also said elsewhere: "Before thou hast examined, do not blame" (Eccl. 11:7). Great also is that which he added, "Let there not be injustice," for it is no small thing not to stumble in speech. Having exhorted them to attend with leisure and diligence to his examination—which he had expressed through the words, "Sit down, I beseech you, and let there not be injustice"—he then utters a word full of boldness, saying, "For there is no injustice in my tongue," silently condemning them, on account of the opinion which they fostered concerning him, namely, that he was suffering these things because of sins; and further suggesting to them that they were not dealing with a senseless man, so that by this means he might rouse them to the consideration of his state, and urge them to use it prudently and wisely.
CAP. VII, vers. 10. *If a man go down to the grave, he shall not come up any more, neither shall he return any more to his house, nor shall his place know him any more.* B
Didymus: Others, however, do not wish these things to have been said by Job as if to abolish the resurrection of the dead; but, first, to show the fragility of human life, and secondly, that he who has once died will not return to this corruptible life, nor will he discharge his customary duties. Wherefore, to those words, "He shall not ascend anymore from the grave," must be joined those, "He shall not return to his house"; as if he had said, He will indeed live again, but he will not return to his own house. This interpretation is indeed probable; but the former is truer, [suggesting] that the righteous man was ignorant of the mystery of the resurrection, whence he is the more worthy of admiration, because, hoping for nothing of the kind, he yet manifested the highest virtue in all things. C
CAP. VIII, vers. 11. *Shall the papyrus flourish without water? Or shall the reed-grass be raised up without drink? Further, etc.*
Didymus: If, however, one must comment on these matters more gracefully and elegantly: the hope of the impious does not truly center upon existing things. For hope in its general sense is nothing other than the expectation of good things; but he who fears also expects, yet not good things. For fear is the expectation of evils, but hope is the expectation of good things. Since, therefore, the impious expect things that do not exist, their hope vanishes; for they enjoy pleasurable things as though they were permanent, and place a vain hope in them. The righteous man, however, remaining in his virtue as in a house, will never find it deserted or uninhabitable, "For his righteousness remains for ever" (Ps. CXI, 3); but the wicked man, not cleaving to it, neither builds it up nor dwells in it. D Furthermore, the spider's web, woven by the help of nature, shows complexity, yet it is easily dissolved if touched by anything. The works of wicked men, therefore, and their whole manner of life, are like spiders' webs, which in no way subsist. For the thought of the impious (which is called a tabernacle), falling with a swift collapse, is dissolved with such ease, and reduced to nothing, that it seems never to have existed at all.
A Just as a marsh will not increase without water, so it is impossible for one who has not received in his mind the benefit of superior things to bring forth useful fruit. This statement will also befit human affairs, because they are watered by divine providence as if by water; if this does not come, they will have an easy and quick dissolution. For everything in life, whether small or great, is subject to providence; and it dries up if this does not watch over it.
VERS. 17. *In the congregation of stones he sleeps, and in the midst of flints he shall live; if he should swallow, the place will lie to him.*
Didymus. To speak more sublimely: A house is a craft-like assembly of stones, having union with one another: such also is virtue, and holiness, and the communion of the Holy Spirit B itself. But a pile of stones and a mixture of flints is something dissipated and dissolved, similar to wickedness, which acknowledges no union, but only confusion. Therefore, the entire conversation of the dissolute impious man is in a house of wickedness, being dissolved, like stones outside the building, which are utterly unfit for the building of the tower, according to the *Shepherd*; nor do they hear: "But you are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets" (Eph. 2:20).
VERS. 19. *And from the earth he shall cause another to sprout; for the Lord will not reject the innocent.*
Didymus. Continuing with the metaphor of plants, he has placed "he shall sprout." By "innocent" (*akakos*) in this place, he does not mean the simpleton, but him who lacks wickedness; for the word signifies both. For when he speaks of heretics, saying that "by their fair speech they deceive the hearts of the simple" (Rom. 16:18), he calls those "simple" who are naïve and slow of understanding; but when he says, "The simple and upright have adhered to me" (Ps. 25:21), he signifies the just. C Just as in this place, therefore, he says that the Lord indeed roots out the base man, but plants the innocent in his stead; for the former is punished. But if someone be pious, and abstains from inflicting evil upon others, even if he be tested in extreme circumstances, God nonetheless imparts to him the fullest measure of His own providence.
VERS. 21. *But He will not receive any gift of the impious. But He will fill the mouth of those who speak truth with laughter, and their lips with confession.*
Didymus. "Truth-tellers" are those who do not feign or disguise virtue, who do not pretend to temperance, but are truly temperate, pursuing the just in a just manner. Therefore, God will fill the mouth of these true ones with laughter, that is, with joy. Instead of "confession," others have said "exultation."
CAP. IX, VERS. 5. *Who brings mountains to old age, and they know not; who overturns them in wrath.*
Didymus. I know other "mountains" too, Moses and the prophets, as in "I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains" (Ps. 121:1). Christ makes the first Testament old, and the Jews do not perceive it, to whom it has been said: "If you believed Moses D
you would perhaps believe me" (John 5:46). He himself, according to the letter, overturned the mountains of Jerusalem and the sanctuary; he himself also obscures the sun and the stars with his own brightness. Good heavens! What things does a man sick and ulcerated say, having a potsherd and scraping away his pus, a man sitting on a dungheap! "Who leads mountains into old age, and they do not know it." A Let us see, therefore, of what sort these words are, and which mountains have grown old with age, and concerning whom that is to be understood, "And they do not know it." Jesus comes, who destroys the expectation according to the letter, and wipes out those who persist in it after grace; concerning whom the Apostle says, "But wrath has come upon them" (1 Thess. 2:16); for the old things have been destroyed; those things which pertain to the letter have taken on old age; those things which are of the spirit have been restored, so that we might serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter (Rom. 7:6). By his coming, Christ has done something B wonderful and contrary to the opinion of all: he has both made the same prophets old, and has made them new.
VERS. 6. "Who moves that which is under heaven from its foundations; but its columns are shaken."
Didymi. Some, however, speak more elegantly: The columns were the apostles of my Lord Jesus Christ; for these were shaken at the time when Jesus was suffering: "You will all be scandalized in me this night" (Mark 14:27). Earthquakes have indeed often occurred on the earth; but the earthquakes that occurred, both before Christ and after Christ, have shaken only a certain part of the earth; but at the time of my Lord Jesus Christ, not just a part of the earth was moved, but the whole earth was shaken from its very center. C
VERS. 7. "And he places a seal against the stars."
Didymi. It is reported, moreover, that at the time of the passion, during the three hours in which the sun failed, the stars appeared then too, just as in the night.
VERS. 13. "By him are bowed the sea-monsters which are under heaven."
Didymi. According to the letter, indeed: Sea-monsters and other poisonous beasts would not obey the command of man unless God had subjected them to him. According to the theory, however: He himself bowed and humbled the reprobate spirits (which are allegorically called sea-monsters, because they swim in the waves of the soul); for if they were not bent by God, the nature of man could not withstand them. D
VERS. 27. "For even if I have spoken, I will forget while I speak, bowing down my face I will groan, I am moved in all my limbs; for I know that you will not let me go guiltless."
Didymi. From these things, the moderation of the holy man, and his signal equanimity, is manifested. For although he had said (cap. 13), "I shall appear righteous," nonetheless he had it explored and persuaded that, just as before God the explorer the stars are not pure, so neither was he. Therefore he says, "If you will want to examine me diligently (for you are God), you will not let me go guiltless."
CAP. 10, VERS. 8. "Your hands have fashioned me, and have made me."
Didymus. There is a distinction between "fashioned" and "made." For the body was fashioned out of pre-existing earth or from a woman, but the soul was made out of no pre-existing matter; for as it is incorporeal, so also is it indivisible. A VERS. 14. "For if I sin, you watch me; and from my iniquity you have not made me guiltless." Didymus. He says this with good reason. For since he understands the God of the universe to be his creator and providential governor, he speaks in logical sequence of His long-suffering; he knows, according to the blessed David, that He does not bring wrath upon us every day (Ps. VII, 12), but watches the sinner, not wanting him to sin; according to that, "He does not desire the death of the sinner, but rather repentance" (Ezech. XVIII, 23). As for the words, "You have not made me guiltless," others have rendered it: "You will not make me guiltless, You will not cleanse me." VERS. 15. "For if I act impiously, woe is me; and if I be righteous, I cannot look up." Didymus. Perhaps he implies something of this kind: Whether I sin by the liberty of my own will, woe is me; or whether I suffer as from the lapse of Adam, with the debt also derived to us by succession, even so I cannot look up as one clean of every stain. For some sins arise from the liberty of our own will, which possess punishment as their companion, while others flow from our parents, to which purgation is owed. VERS. 18. "Why then have you brought me out from the womb, and I have not died? And eye had not seen me, and I had been as if I had not been. For why have I not been translated from the womb to the grave?" Didymus. See, however, that recalling the temptations that were falling upon him, he runs back to the primary cause of evils, that is, the transgression of the commandment, and generation from corruption; nowhere, however, does he complain indignantly against the first creation of man. But he deems it grievous to experience corruption of life, making mention of the womb and belly; for by our transgression we have brought this miserable life upon ourselves. VERS. 21. "Suffer me to rest a little, before I go whence I shall not return." Didymus. He puts these things forward in the manner of a prayer. For the distresses that were pressing upon him were not insignificant, nor did he bear his torments without a sense of pain; for if he had not perceived the sense of pain, he would not have shown himself a brave man. D He teaches, however, by his supplication—which is offered with thanksgiving—that he endured his torments by divine power; "Grant me," he says, "a respite from my pains, I who am to last for a brief time, and am to perish into eternity"; for this is what is meant by "to go whence I shall not return." He teaches also a most excellent principle, namely, that he who has once departed this life does not return again to this life, as they fable who have prodigiously invented the transmigration of bodies. Afterwards, he recounts the evils of Hades, that we may understand from what things our Savior has delivered us, saying to those who are in bonds, "Come forth," and to those who are in darkness, "to be revealed" (Isa. XLIX, 9).
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CHAP. XI, verse 8. Sublime is heaven, and what wilt thou do? And deeper than those which are in hell, what knowest thou? Or longer than the measure of the earth, or the breadth of the sea?
*Didymus.* By all these things he wishes to show that the knowledge of men has a limit and a measure, and is unable to attain to the judgments of God. "And now indeed," he says, "heaven is [so], and things deeper than hell, and longer than the earth, and the breadth of the sea; say something about them, if thou canst." He implies perhaps that even if someone should set out to speak about the earth, the sea, and the heaven, he is ignorant of the things beyond them.
*Verse 12. But man in vain swims with words, and a man born of a woman is like a solitary wild donkey.*
*Didymus.* Comparing the infallibility of divine knowledge with the concepts of men, he says that they swim in vain, because they are unable to encompass the whole of God's knowledge with their reasoning. By the "solitary wild donkey," using a hyperbolic form of speech, he sets before our eyes the extreme dullness of their understanding in the apprehension of God's judgments.
CHAP. XII, verse 4. For a just and blameless man became a mockery.
*Didymus.* It must be observed, however, that when Job says lesser things, he attributes them to himself (for he is not disposed towards empty ostentation through pride); but when he reviews greater things, he refers his discourse to the whole race; just as he says here almost as much as, "Let not the righteous be mocked; for they suffer adversities for as long as it seems good to God." B
CHAP. XIII, verse 3. Nevertheless, I will speak to the Lord.
*Didymus.* After he had accused his friends as being deceived, showing his confidence and freedom of speech, he says that he would address the Lord.
*Verse 4. But you are unjust physicians, and all of you are healers of evils.*
*Didymus.* An unjust physician is, as is obvious to all, one who applies to the sick remedies other than those which are beneficial; this happens in two ways, either from the physician's lack of experience, or from his depravity. But these men who are being rebuked, from ignorance rather than from wickedness, thinking that they were bringing words of consolation, said to Job that he was suffering because of his sins. They were, therefore, unjust in that they were ignorant of the cause of the evil. But by the phrase, "All of you are healers of evils," he is perhaps speaking against those who, puffed up by their own opinion, thought they could heal the adversities that had befallen others.
*Verse 6. Hear therefore the rebuke of my mouth, and attend to the judgment of my lips.*
*Didymus.* Consider diligently what I am about to bring forward for your rebuke, and perceive whether I speak with judgment. He uses "mouth" and "lips" for discourse. The saint, however, rebukes as a saint, and judges as it is fitting for him. For the just man does not employ untimeous rebuke, nor does he do this deceitfully and falsely, but uses rebuke and judgment justly and lawfully; for the mouth of the just C
A meditates on wisdom, and his tongue speaks judgment (Ps. xxxvi, 30).
Verse 11. *But if you also secretly respect persons, will not his whirlwind shake you?* [Symmachus says: Will you secretly respect his person? Will not his agitation terrify you?] Fear, etc.
Didymus. The best judge is an examiner of things, not looking at the person of those being judged. For if those being judged are wealthy, or rulers, or for some other merit [or power] are superior, he does not regard their person, but the acts which he judges. For one must neither side with the rich man, nor by pitying the poverty of the poor, disregard justice; hence it is said, "Thou shalt not pity the poor in judgment" (Exod. xxiii, 3).
Verse 13. *Be silent that I may speak, and I shall rest from anger, taking my flesh in my teeth.*
Didymus. Perhaps he is in a way pacifying his friends. Since he had previously accused them of being comforters of evils (for they were not comforting as they ought, but rather stirring up the grief and pain of the one who was supposed to be comforted), he now says that he will "cease from the anger towards you," B by "taking my flesh in my teeth"; that is to say, I will no longer be angry with you, but with myself.
Verse 16. *And this shall turn out for me unto salvation; for deceit shall not enter before him.*
Didymus. In all this, it is the concern of the just man to teach his friends the cause of his hardships, so that he might win them over and prevent them from thinking contrary things. For he considered this to be salvation—that they should understand the reason for providence concerning him—which, when he wished to make manifest, he said, "I will rebuke"; for often "rebuke" indicates a demonstration. Therefore, wishing to present his own truthfulness and piety, he says, "What I speak, I speak with God looking on." For it is not possible for any deceit to happen to God, as though guile could enter before him. C
Verse 27. *And you have guarded all my works.*
Didymus. The blessed one, being holy, knows what was said by David, that God does not strictly observe all the iniquities of those who transgress; but again, teaching his friends the reason why he suffers (that it is for the struggle), he spoke the matter at hand, as though God had guarded and examined all his works, and thus brought the grievous things upon him, so that from this they might understand that the magnitude of such things brought upon him was not for the sake of sin, but for the sake of the struggle and the purpose of endurance.
Chapter XIV, verse 3. *Have you not also made an account of this, and have you made him come into judgment before you?*
Didymus. Perhaps in this place he makes manifest the providence concerning man, not as if he were spending D his life in the world rashly and by chance, but according to judgment
by divine will, not exceeding the limit foreordained by Him. These things, however, must be understood as not meaning that fate holds any dominion, but that the divine will arranges all things with limits and measures.
CAP. XV, vers. 7. A *What then? Was you the first man born?* etc. Didymus. When Eliphaz had brought forward the inscrutability of God’s judgments, thinking that by this reasoning he would impel the righteous man to conclude that he was suffering for no other cause than on account of sins (to which he himself was liable)—for he had neither heard the constitution of the Lord, nor had wisdom descended upon him so that he could understand why a righteous man suffers on account of sins—he reasonably makes him equal to all other men, because, clearly, he was ignorant of the magnitude of his virtue, and by this means he wished to eradicate the opinion of his righteousness from his mind.
CAP. XV, vers. 13. *What has thy heart dared? or what have thine eyes endured, that thou hast vented rage before the Lord, and brought forth such words from thy mouth?* B Didymus. For they considered that liberty of speech, which proceeded from supreme purity and integrity, as irascibility; which had indeed befallen them from the putrid and rancid foundation they had laid for themselves, considering the praiseworthy confidence of speech to be blasphemy. Therefore he says, "Whence have you taken such boldness, that you have lifted your eyes against God, and as if kindled with anger, have brought forth such words?"
VERS. 14. *For who, being a man, shall be without crime? or [who] as one about to be righteous, born of a woman?* C Didymus. It is characteristic of those who lack virtue to judge its acquisition to be difficult, and to be so affected in mind as if no one possessed it; just as the present Eliphaz says, led into error (as is likely) by the weakness of the body. For "who," he says, "being a man, can be blameless, or promise that he will be righteous, as you think yourself to be?"
VERS. 17. *But I will announce to you, hear me: what I have seen, I will announce to you, what the wise,* etc. D Didymus. Or perhaps, not with a disposition of mind joined with pride and arrogance, but because he thought him to be entangled in sins and therefore in need of his exhortation. And this man indeed seems (though by no means through divine knowledge, but through admiration of those who have excelled in prudence) to have brought forward something similar to that saying: "The whole world of wealth belongs to the faithful man, but not even an obol to the unfaithful." For although an unfaithful man may possess vast estates, he is not the master of his riches, but their slave; for he serves Mammon. And he subjoins what the old saying is, which he professes to have learned from the ancients.
VERS. 28. *Let him inhabit deserted cities, and enter into houses not inhabited: and what they have prepared, others shall take away.* Didymus. He signifies the utter desolation of the wicked,