Книга 14 [главы 18–19]

In which St. Gregory reveals the historical, allegorical and moral meanings of the eighteenth and nineteenth chapters of the book of Job. 1. In the previous part of this work we said that Almighty God, in order to correct the hearts of those who lived according to the law, brought forth the life of the blessed Job to testify to him who did not know the law and yet kept it, who fulfilled the commandments of life which he had not received in writing. This man's conduct is first exalted by the testimony of God towards him, and then put through suffering to prove it, by allowing the devil to plot against him, that he may prove by the trials of affliction how much he has accomplished before passing into a state of rest. The enemy of humanity, in his most malicious manner, knowing that this man's life deserved the commendation of God, still asked for proof of this. And when he could not succeed in the attempt to bring him to the ground, he struck him with many losses in what he possessed, and great losses; he even put his wife against him in order to destroy him through the hearth, whom he could not lead astray with all these torments. But while with the help of a woman he seduced the first man Adam, he could not do the same against this second man sitting on the dunghill, and he used another technique of temptation, and brought his friends, as if by way of consolation, to confuse the feelings in the sorrow of war, in order to achieve his evil success, at least with bitter words in the midst of disasters, from one whom by the disasters themselves he could not subdue. But the enemy, constructing these temptations with skill, deceived himself because, while philosophizing craftily against the holy man, with all the troubles and ruins that he brought to the holy man, he simultaneously provided him, as often happens, with the key to victory. For against torment he was strengthened by patience, against words - by wisdom, which was in the fact that he endured the lashes steadfastly, and restrained the stupidity of unhealthy advisers with wisdom. But while in these sufferings and truly wise speeches he shows us the image of the Holy Church, his friends, as we have often said, saying some things correctly and others foolishly, quite rightly represent heretics. For, being friends of a holy man, they say many things correctly against the wicked, but bearing similarities with heretics, very often they cross the line in words, and hit the chest of a holy man with the arrows of their words, and they themselves become tired of this struggle of theirs against his unbending spirit. Therefore, it is our important work to distinguish and accurately separate what is correct in their words spoken against the wicked, and what is foolishness in their words against blessed Job. Verses 1, 2. Then Bildad the Shebahite answered and said, to what extent will you utter such words? first understand, and then let us speak (Job 18:1–2) 571. Allegorical interpretation 2. All heretics think that in some things which she knows the Holy Church is full of pride, while there are some things which they think she does not even understand. Therefore Bildad the Sabhaite, as it were, claims that blessed Job is overwhelmed by pride when he declares that he does not seem to know “the limit of words.” But he gives an indication of how much pride he himself is filled with, which suggests that blessed Job is saying things that he does not understand; and since all heretics declare that they despise the assessment that the Holy Church gives them, it is further added: Verse 3. Are we therefore considered beasts, and detestable in your sight? (Job 18:3) 572. 3. It is natural for the human mind to assume that the work it does is done to itself. Thus they consider themselves despised, those who are accustomed to despise the righteous; and while in such things, for obvious reasons, the Church testifies against heretics that they are not rational, they imagine that she considers them “beasts” from her point of view. On this assumption that they are supposedly despised, they directly build their contempt, and point this Church to the abuse they have invented. Therefore he added: Verse 4 Why do you destroy your soul in your wrath? (Job 18:4) 573. 4. Heretics perceive both the strong feeling for the supremacy of truth and the spiritual grace of holy preaching not as something good, having weight and force, but as the madness of rage. This same fictitious rage they regard as “destroying the souls of the faithful,” because they imagine that the life of the Church is being destroyed by the same means by which they see it forced to fight against them. And then it continues: Should the earth be just for you? (Job 18:4) 574. 5. For they think that they themselves worship God everywhere, that they themselves have occupied the whole world. What then do they mean when they ask: should the earth be only for you? If not what they often say to believers, namely: “What if this thing you say is true, then the whole earth was given by God as a place of worship for Him, and it is already occupied by multitudes of us.” But the Holy Church declares that God cannot truly be served without being in it, and asserts that those who are without it will not be saved. But heretics, who are sure that it is possible for them to be saved even without it, on the contrary, claim that Divine Grace is given to them in any place. Therefore they say: Should the earth be only for you? those. “Is it true that anyone who is outside of you cannot be saved?” Therefore he added: And should the rocks move from their place? (Job 18:4) 575. 6. Heretics call “rocks” those persons who, from their point of view, stand out from other people in the loftiness of their thoughts, and whose glory is comparable to the glory of teachers. But when the Holy Church itself turns to the task of gathering together various erring preachers in the bosom of the right faith, what else is this if not “the removal of the rocks from their place,” because, acquiring a correct view of things, they bow in humility in it, those who previously stood rigidly in their wrong convictions? But the heretics are generally against this and oppose the rocks being moved from their places at her voice, because they abhor the fact that some, previously filled with false doctrine and therefore exalted in their thoughts, having come to her, begin to understand that the truth is in a humble spirit. 7. Now, it very often happens that heretics, when they see any persons in the bosom of the Holy Church being in hard labor or distress, exalt themselves in the presumption of righteousness, and everything unfavorable that they see happening to believers, they consider as a punishment for their iniquities, not knowing, undoubtedly, that the circumstances of real life do not in the least degree prove the value of a person’s behavior. For very often in this life, both bad things happen for good things, and good things happen for bad things, because in eternal compensation, true rewards await the good, and true punishments await the bad. Thus Bildad represents the heretics who exalt themselves on the basis of the luck of this life, and therefore boast against the background of the blows received by the blessed Job. And as if speaking with the voice of the righteous denouncing the wicked, he does not know how much he is mistaken in saying this against a righteous person. Therefore he continues, saying: Verse 5. Should not the light of the wicked be extinguished, and the flame of his fire cease to shine? (Job 18:5) 576. 8. If he says this in a description of real life, then he is mistaken; for very often, as the light of prosperity is visible to the wicked, so the darkness of shame and poverty is visible to the godly. But if his speech refers to the fact that the wicked meet with their end, he spoke the truth: Shall not the light of the wicked be quenched, and the flame of his fire cease to shine? But while this may justly perhaps be said in connection with a wicked man, it should never have been said against a holy man in the midst of trouble. But let's, given the strength of his pitching arm, show how hard he can throw the javelin. So let him say: Should not the light of the wicked be extinguished? For the wicked have their own “light,” that is, happiness in real life. But “the light of the wicked will fade away” because the happiness of their present life will quickly end along with life itself. Therefore he added: and the flame of his fire will cease to shine. 9 . For every wicked person has a “flame of his own fire,” which he kindles in his heart from the heat of temporary desires, since he now burns in lusts, and comforts his thoughts with the great flame of the varied flattery of the world. But if the fire does not have a flame, it does not shine and does not shed any light. And so the flame of his fire is the outer beauty or strength that comes from his self-immolation. For what he eagerly desires to receive, he very often wins, paying for it by destroying himself; whether this happens in the elevation of power, or in the increase of wealth, he, as it were, shines in external glory. But the flame of his fire ceases to shine because on the day of his departure, the flame that shone with temporary glory is removed, but he continues to burn in himself. And so the flame is removed from the fire when its external glory is separated from its internal combustion. And the righteous also have a flame of fire, but undoubtedly it shines brightly because their desires gave the light of good deeds. But the flame of the wicked does not shine, because they are directed towards what is evil and are forced to be in darkness. And from here it follows: Verse 6. The light in his tent will be darkened (Job 18:6) 577. 10. If we have often accepted the darkness of sadness, we can, quite rightly, accept the light of joy. But “the light in his tent is dimming” because in his conscience, which he has inhabited with evil, the joys that he had from temporary things come to an end. Therefore he immediately adds: And the lamp above him will go out (Job 18:6) 578. For, speaking in down-to-earth language, the lamp (Alfalfa) is the light in the earthen vessel, but the light in the earthen vessel is the delight of the flesh. And so “And the lamp above him will go out,” because when the punishment for his iniquities comes to a godless person, carnal delight comes to naught in his heart. And it is well said about this lamp that it is not just “his”, but precisely “above him”; for earthly pleasures possess the mind of a bad man and so fill and enslave him with delight that they are “above him,” and not just “him” or “next to him.” But the righteous, even if they have happiness in the present life, learn to humble themselves under it, so that, having rejoiced in good things, they may rise higher through an unchanging mind, and succeed in transferring the government of themselves to virtue. And so the “lamp” of the wicked man “will go out upon him,” because his joy quickly comes to an end, taking him entirely in this life, and the man who now wickedly allows himself great pleasures is bound by the punishment of grief hereafter. Therefore it is also rightly added: Verse 7. The steps of his strength will be shortened (Job 18:7) 579. 11. For now, as it were, he takes “steps of force” as often as he often takes violent actions over others, exercising his power. But “the steps of his strength will be shortened,” because his wickedness, which he satisfies now, will be bound by punishment in the near future. And then it continues: And his own plan will bring him down (Job 18:7) 580. 12. Every bad man now directs his plans to things that pass by, abandoning the things of eternity, and does what is wicked, mocking what is righteous. But when the Judge of the just and the unjust comes, every wicked man will be defeated by “his own plans,” because because he decided to follow the evil plans here, he will drown in the darkness of eternal sorrow. For the man whom temporary glory raised here will be brought down by eternal punishment hereafter. Anyone who revels in self-satisfaction here will fall into the torments of eternal punishment. And it often happens that the great prosperity of this life, which the wicked so readily covet, so influences his steps, that even when they have the mind to return to good works, they are scarcely able: for they have not the power to do what is right, and are afraid of disappointing other lovers of this world. Therefore it happens that because of this glory, which among the wicked comes from sin, these sins increase even further. Therefore Bildad rightly asserts when he adds: Verse 8. For he has put his foot in the net, and walks among the snares (Job 18:8) 581. 13. He who "puts his feet in the net" cannot pull them out, even when he understands it; so that he, the one who allows himself to fall down in the habits of sin, cannot rise immediately as soon as he wants to; he really walks among snares, entangling his steps even more as he walks, and when he tries to disentangle himself, he sees that he is tied and bound, and that he cannot. For it very often happens that a person, seduced by the luxury of this world, achieves in time both the glory and honor of it, and achieves the desired earthly result and rejoices that he has achieved this object that he so longed for; but having seen that the good things of this world are objects of desire only until one possesses them, and very often, when already possessed, they are worth nothing, he learns, through this achievement, that all that he sought is worth nothing. And, coming to his senses, he looks and seeks how to give up without sin what he received with sin; but everything that has entangled him holds him tightly, and he cannot escape from there, to which he came through sin, without further sins. And so he “put his foot in the net, and walks among the snares” because when he strives to give it up, he sees in the true light with what tight knots he is tied. For we do not even know how bound we are until we try to free ourselves and lift our feet from these nets. And therefore he adds, continuing: Verse 9. The noose will catch him by the heel (Job 18:9) 582; for in sin its end will quickly come. And because the enemy of humanity, when he binds the life of every person in sin, burns him after death, he rightly added: And thirst will burn him fiercely (Job 18:9) 583. 14. For our old enemy, when he entangles life in sin, thirsts to drink the death of the sinner. These same words, however, can also be understood in another sense. For the evil mind, when it sees that it has been led into sin, has a certain superficial thought of escaping from the snare of sin; but, fearing either the threat or the reproach of people, he chooses better to die forever than to go through small hardships over time, and will no longer completely renounce the evil ways in which he already feels himself once bound. And therefore, the one whose life is tightly bound in sin will be caught by the noose by the heel. But because in the same degree that he realizes that he is attached and bound to evil habits, he despairs of his return; and, being in despair, he henceforth kindles more violently the lusts of this world, desire flares up in him, and the mind, ensnared in previous sins, is inflamed by even the worst crimes. And therefore let it be added: And thirst will burn him fiercely. For there is a thirst in his mind that burns fiercely against him, and the more he is accustomed to doing evil, the more fire he burns to fall even lower in evil. For to the wicked man, “thirst” is the desire for the good things of this world. And therefore our Redeemer heals a man with dropsy in the house of a Pharisee, and about that moment when they spoke against greed, it is written: and the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard everything; and they laughed at Him (Luke 16:14) 584. What does it mean that a man with dropsy was cured in the house of a Pharisee, if not that the disease of one person's body is represented by the disease of the heart in others? For a man with dropsy, the more he drinks, the more he thirsts, and every greedy man also increases his thirst every time, for when he has received what he desires, he immediately begins to choke in even greater desire for another. For, having received, he wants even more, and his thirst only grows from drinking. And then it continues: Verse 10. Snares for him and snares on the road are secretly laid out on the ground (Job 18:10) 585. 15. Traps are secretly laid out on the earth when sin is hidden under earthly interests. For our enemy, in carrying out his deeds, reveals to the human mind great earthly benefits and hides the trap of sin that a person can bind his soul tightly; so he clearly sees only the desire that he has put in his heart, and does not see at all that he is putting his foot in the noose of sin. Trap (decipula) gets its name from the word to catch. And the “traps” are then “placed” by our old enemy “on the path”, when in the affairs of this world, to which the mind is inclined to follow them, it is caught in the net of sin, that mind which would not be so easily enticed if all this were visible. For in a trap that is correctly installed, the meat is clearly visible to those passing by, but not the trap itself. For as the bait of a snare is consumed with sin, so the prosperity of this world is consumed with wickedness; and therefore, when the greed of one's gaze intensifies by consuming goods, it is the same as if a trap, which is not visible, has caught the leg of the mind. Thus the honors, wealth, health and prosperity of temporary life are often set before the mind along with sin, and while the weak mind sees food as bait, and does not see the trap, through this meat, which it has seen and desired, it is caught tightly in sin, which it does not see. For there are kinds of good character traits that border on some bad qualities. For example, rigor and discipline can usually breed either cruelty or pride; and a soft and cheerful disposition can fall into alliance with lust and licentiousness. Therefore, the enemy of humanity tempts everyone personally, seeing exactly what bad qualities they are prone to through their good character traits. And he sets precisely those objects before the face to which he sees the mind most easily inclined, so that to the soft and cheerful he often proposes licentiousness, and sometimes vanity, but to the stern and hard he proposes pride or cruelty; and so he sets a trap precisely where he sees the path of the mind passing, i.e. It is there that he sets a dangerous trap through deception, where, as he has discovered, the “path” of a person’s thought will pass. And because everything that a bad person does, he is afraid to receive from others, too, and believes that all others in relation to him will do everything that he himself prepares for all others for whom he is capable, the following is rightly added: Verse 11. Terrors will terrify him on all sides (Job 18:11) 586. 16. For he imagines that all people should be the same towards him as he himself strives to be towards others. And what these fears lead to in his behavior is explained when he says: For if the “legs are entangled,” they cannot take free steps, and are unable to walk any path; for it is this confusion that delays them. Therefore, bad desires are entangled in abominable practices, and abominable practices are entangled in horror; and when horror already entangles their feet, they have no power to break free from the fetters and come to correct practice. And it often happens that a person is afraid to be good, so as not to suffer himself, being surrounded by the wicked, and remembering what he himself did in relation to the good; and while he is afraid to go through what he himself has done to others, he, frightened on all sides, full of apprehensions on all sides, caught in the trap of fear, entangles his feet. He is unable to do anything freely; and he loses his weak intention towards good practice, and continues to follow the path of evil that he has set in his heart. Verse 12. Let his strength be exhausted by hunger, and let hunger invade his side (Job 18:12) 587. 17. Following the manner of presentation of the Holy Scriptures, he tries to look like one who foresees the future, certainly not like one who curses, but like one who prophesies. Thus every man, because he is composed of soul and flesh, as it really is, is composed of strength and weakness. For that part in which he is endowed with the spirit of reasoning, he is rightly called “strong,” but since he is also of the flesh, he is at the same time weak. And so the “strength” of man is the reasoning soul, which is able to resist, thanks to this desire for evil, which attacks it. And therefore it was said by blessed Job: You strengthened him for a while, so that he could pass through the ages of ages (Job 14:20) 588, since from the reasoning of the soul of a person it comes that he must live forever. And so an evil person loses “strength from hunger” because his soul is not replenished with the power of inner food. God speaks about the same famine through the prophet: I will send a famine on the earth, not a famine of bread, not a thirst for water, but a thirst for hearing the word of the Lord (Am.8:11) 589. 18. And this is well added: hunger will invade his ribs. For the ribs form a kind of corset for the internal organs, which lie out of sight inside and must be protected by the strength of the ribs. And therefore, the “ribs” for everyone are the reflections of the mind that protect hidden thoughts. Therefore, "hunger invades the ribs" when all spiritual food is withdrawn, and the meditations of the mind fail, and can neither control nor guard its thoughts. “Hunger invades the ribs” of a crafty person when inner hunger weakens the thinking of the mind so much that he cannot control his thoughts at all. For when the deliberations of the mind become dull, the desires of the thoughts come forward to do things without restraint, just as when the ribs are weak, the entrails, which might lie healthy within, fall out. Therefore it happens that when thoughts are scattered without restrictions, the deceived mind follows the image of external glory, and is pleased that nothing restrains it in external beauty; The following words are rightly directed against this: Verse 13. Let it devour the beauty of his skin; and let the firstborn of death devour his hands (Job 18:13) 590. 19. “The beauty of his skin” is a temporary glory that is desired as something external, and is preserved as the beauty of the skin. But actions are quite rightly called “hands,” because the actions of the body are done with the hands. And what is death if not sin, which kills the inner life of the soul? Therefore it is written: Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection (Rev. 20:6) 591, because he must subsequently rise again joyfully in the flesh, who during this life was resurrected from the death of the soul. If sin is death, then “the firstborn of death” may quite rightly be a designation for pride; for it is written that pride is the beginning of all sins (Eccl. 10:13) 592. So, “Let it devour the beauty of his skin; and let the firstborn of death devour his hands,” because the glory or deeds of a bad man will be subject to pride. For he, perhaps, could have become glorified even in this life, and remained without sin, if he had not become proud. He might, even in the judgment of his Creator, have received high praise for some deeds, if before His eyes his pride had not crossed out those very deeds. Therefore, we often see rich people who could have wealth and fame without sin if they were in humility. But they exalt themselves in possessions, they boast of distinctions and glory, they despise the whole world, and place all their life's hope and faith in the abundance of earthly things. Therefore, a certain rich man said: Soul, you have put in a lot of good things for many years; rest, eat, drink, be merry (Luke 12:19) 593, and when the Supreme Judge sees these thoughts of their hearts, He throws them away for this self-confidence of theirs. Consequently, in this place it is also rightly added: Verse 14. Let his confidence be uprooted from his tent, and let death trample him like a king (Job 18:14) 594. 20. In this place, under the name “death,” we designated the enemy of the human race, who brought death, and of whom John said: and his name was death (Rev. 6:8) 595. And so this “death,” on the day of departure, therefore, “tramples down the evil man like a king,” because he brings upon the one whom he had previously deceived with gentle persuasion a severe punishment, and it is all the more cruel, the more he has bound him in bad deeds. And here, too, while he possesses the heart of a lost sinner, he “tramples” it as often as he often presses it with a feeling of delight, and, as it were, puts his feet on it with his tyrannical dominance. 21. But if in the name “death” we must understand not clearly the devil, but sin, as a result of which the lost meet the destruction of death, then indeed, such “death tramples the minds like a king” when sin does not meet resistance. For the temptation of sin cannot be far from a person while a person is in this life. But it is one thing to resist the sin that lures us, and another to be delighted with its tyranny over us. So, about the wicked man, because he does not know how to resist the persuasion of sin, and is not afraid to be subjugated by its dominion, it is rightly said: let death trample him like a king. For from the reign of this death Paul restrained the hearts of his disciples when he said: Let not sins reign in your mortal body (Rom. 6:12) 596 for he did not say, “Let it not be,” but he said, “Let it not reign,” for it is impossible that they should not exist at all, but it is possible that they should not reign in the hearts of good people. So, when sin strikes the heart of a bad man, he makes no attempt to resist, and falls under dominion, therefore let it be justly said: Let his confidence be uprooted from his tent, and let death trample him like a king. So, “his confidence will be uprooted from his tent” when a person who has already provided himself with many earthly things in this life will be reduced to nothing in an instant by death. And “death, like a king, tramples him” because here he is under the yoke of evil habits, and at the moment of his death, because he goes to punishment, he falls into the power of the devil. The same applies not only to deeds, but also to the state of mind of sinners; for, even if they do not have the opportunity to sin, the desire to do so still grips their mind. And while they always follow the devil in action, they doubly bind themselves to him in thought. So, there is first sin in thought, and then in deed. Whence he said to the daughter of Babylon: Come down and sit on the dust, O maiden, daughter of Babylon, sit on the earth (Isaiah 47:1) 597 whereas dust is always earth, earth is not always dust. What then should we understand by dust, if not thoughts that persistently and quietly fly up and blind the eyes? And what is meant by “earth” if not the earthly path of actions? For while the mind of a lost sinner first thought evil things, and then did them, of the daughter of Babylon who had gone from inward righteousness, he rightly said that first she must "sit in the dust," and after that "sit on the earth," because if she had not sunk in thought, she would never have passed on to evil works. And then it continues: Let his companions dwell in his tent, for he is not (Job 18:15) 598. 22. Those. in his mind the apostate angels dwell with the help of vile thoughts, and they are his companions, the one who is no longer “there” because he has departed from the Supreme Being, and every day he goes further and further “not to be” because he has fallen from the One who really is; and it is also rightly said about him that he “does not exist” because he has lost the goodness of being. However, while still setting out these thoughts about the bad man in detail, he adds by saying: Let brimstone be scattered throughout his dwelling (Job 18:15) 599. 23. What is “sulphur” if not fuel for fire, which, however, supports the fire so much that it gives off a very unpleasant odor. What do we mean by “sulfur” if not carnal sin, which, while filling the mind with evil thoughts, as a kind of bad impurity, kindles an eternal fire for it; and while she spreads a cloud of her stench upon the lost soul, she seems to provide fuel for the flame that will come after. For that brimstone signifies the sinfulness of the flesh, even the history of the Holy Scriptures has left evidence, which tells that the Lord “sent fire and brimstone to Sodom.” For He, when He decided to punish his carnal wickedness, by the very nature of the punishment highlighted the stain of his guilt: since the “sulphur” has a disgusting smell, and the fire burns; so, because they were burned in bad desires and in the foul odor of the flesh, He determined that they should perish in a combination of fire and brimstone; and in just punishment they realized what they had done in an unjust desire. And so this “sulphur will be scattered throughout the dwelling” of an evil person as often as the indulgence of the flesh will rule in him; and, while bad thoughts continually occupy him, and prevent him from bearing the fruit of good practice, this is rightly added: Verse 16. Let its roots dry up, and let its harvest be spoiled (Job 18:16) 600. 24. For what do we mean by “roots” that are hidden from our sight, and yet give birth to what is open to sight, if not thoughts, which, while they are not visible in themselves, produce visible effects? And, therefore, by “harvest” is signified the same visible practice, which is thus produced from the hidden root. And while every bad man first dries up in the thoughts of temptation, and then his good works wither away, he rightly said: Let his roots dry up, and let his harvest be spoiled, for while the wicked man sinks his thoughts into things below, and neglects to seek the joys of everlasting greenness, what is it but that he lets his "roots dry up"? Whose “harvest is spoiled” above the roots, because all his deeds are nothing from the point of view of the Judge above, even if they seem good in the eyes of man. Thus, the "roots" are at the bottom, and the "harvest" is at the top, because we, if we first put good thoughts here, we may one day deserve to receive the fruits of our good deeds in eternal reward; but every evil person, when he abandons good thoughts and directs himself forward to external things, then his roots dry up below, and his harvest spoils above, because he who persists in sterility here will not receive a reward there after this life. Verse 17. Let his memory disappear from the face of the earth, and let his name not be repeated in the streets (Job 18:17) 601. 25. It deserves our attention that Bildad the Shebahite so expresses himself against every one of the wicked, that his words are secretly directed also against the head of all the wicked; for the head of the wicked is the devil. And he comes in his own person in the last days into that vessel of destruction called "Antichrist," who will strive to spread his name far and wide, just as every evil man now strives to glorify himself, and to the memorial of his name strives to add the glory of praise, and rejoices in temporary recognition. Therefore let these words be understood both as referring to each of the wicked, and as pointing in a certain way to the head of the wicked himself. Therefore, let them say: Let his memory disappear from the face of the earth, and let his name not be repeated in the streets. For the word street (Platea from platuv - wide) comes in Greek from the word width, and so the Antichrist strives to establish glory about himself on earth and strives, if it were possible, to remain forever in temporary glory; he desires passionately that "his name shall be repeated in the streets" while he spreads the works of his wickedness far and wide. But while this evil is not allowed to be exalted for a long time, it must be said: Let his memory disappear from the face of the earth, and let his name not be repeated in the streets; that is, that he must quickly part with the glory of his earthly power, and lose all the pleasure of having his name spread far and wide in the very short moment of his prosperity. And then it continues: Verse 18. They will drive him out of the light into darkness (Job 18:18) 602. 26. He is expelled “from light into darkness” when, for the glory of this present life, he is doomed to eternal punishment. And hence he more explicitly added: For he is "driven out of the world" when the Supreme Judge appears, because he is taken out of this world in which he has become wickedly famous; and because, when the end of the world comes, he will be condemned along with all his followers, this is rightfully included: Verse 19. There shall be neither his seed nor his seed in the world, nor any remnant in his parts (Job 18:19) 603. For it is written that: The Lord Jesus will kill him with the Spirit of His mouth, and will destroy him by the appearance of His coming (2 Thess. 2:8) 604. So, while his wickedness will end with this world, “his descendants will not remain” because both he and his people will be punished along with him; and all the wicked, who, at his evil instigation, were born into bad deeds, by the brightness of the coming of the Lord will be struck to eternal destruction along with this their head. And “his descendants will not remain in the world,” because the strict Judge will put an end to lawlessness at the same time as the end of this world. And further it is further shown that these words should be understood directly as spoken about the Antichrist when he adds: Verse 20. In his days the last will be terrified, and the first will be terrified (Job 18:20) 605. 27. For he will fight the righteous with such immeasurable iniquity that even the hearts of the elect will be struck with no small fear. Therefore it is written: so that if it were possible, they would deceive also the elect (Matthew 24:24) 606, who, obviously, said this not at all because the elect must fall, but because they must tremble with terrible worries. Now, while the last elect and the first elect are described as maintaining the battle in righteousness against him, because both they who are to be found among the elect at the end of the world are destined to die in the death of the flesh, and those who came out of the past ages of the world, viz. Enoch and Elijah must be restored among men, and must be subjected to savage cruelty again in their mortal flesh. He unleashes his whole army against them with such terrifying force that: “In his days the last shall be terrified, and the terror shall seize the first,” because, although in regard to his being lifted up by the spirit of pride, they despise all his temporal power, but since they themselves are yet in mortal flesh, in which they may suffer temporary pain, they are of course afraid of the torment which they bear in humility; so that in them there is, at the same time, both constancy received from virtue, and anxiety emanating from the flesh; and, because they are among the elect, they cannot be overcome by temptations, but since they are only men in the flesh, they fear the very torments which they overcome. So let it be said: In his days the last will be terrified, and the first will be terrified. Because he will proclaim such signs, and do such cruel deeds, that he will make them terrified, whom he will find at the end of the world, and will penetrate with the pain of carnal death to the first fathers who will come to eradicate him. Therefore, while he has described many things pertaining to all the wicked, and to the head of the wicked, he immediately adds a general description: Verse 21. Surely these are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place for him who does not know God (Job 18:21) 607. 28. For he said above that he should be cast out of the light into darkness, and driven out of the world; and as if summarizing his sufferings, he added: Of course, these are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place for him who does not know God. For he who has now exalted himself from ignorance of God, then falls into his own habitations, when his own wickedness plunges him into misery; and one fine day he finds that his place is darkness, the one who, while he was enjoying false light here, took the place of another. For bad people, in everything they do in pretense, strive to win for themselves the name of the righteous, as if taking someone else’s place. But then they come to their place, when they are tormented in everlasting fire, as in the wilderness of their iniquity. For here, in everything they do, they serve their desire to receive praise, and by the semblance of good deeds, they open the bosom of the mind wide to greed. So let the wicked man go his way, and let him build his dwellings here below, let him spread the name of glory, let his estates multiply, and let him be comforted by the abundance of things, but when he is brought to eternal punishment, then surely he must know that “the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place for him who does not know God.” And so, although Bildad said what was right, he did not know who it was, in whose name he said it. But the heart of a good man suffers greatly when judgments are pronounced against him according to an unjust estimate. Therefore blessed Job answered directly: How long will you torment my soul and torment me with speeches? ( Job 19:1–2 ) 608 . Historical interpretation 29. The sayings of a holy man, as we have often said, should sometimes be understood as spoken from him personally, sometimes as spoken in the voice of the Head, and sometimes as spoken on behalf of the Universal Church. For the soul of the righteous is deeply saddened when these persons come out with harsh unjust sentences against goodness, who have not learned to lead a good life, and with the words of their mouths show the righteous that in fact they are their enemies. Therefore, to the friends of blessed Job, who, as we have often said, bear the image of heretics, he himself rightly answers: How long will you torment my soul and torment me with your speeches? For good people are “tormented” by the words of evil ones when they swell against them with words that lie low either in false faith or in bad habits. And then it continues: Behold, ten times have you put me to shame (Job 19:3) 609. 30. If we list sequentially all the speeches of Job's friends, we learn that they spoke to him five times. But for this reason, that he heard reproaches from them five times, and answered the reproaches himself five times, he says that he was put to shame ten times; because in this description we see that he received reproaches for no reason and suffered deeply, and uttered words of instruction in response to those who did not lend an ear, he was put to shame. So, while he listened to them in silence, and answering was not heard, the man suffered, who was silent obediently, and answered them, as it turned out, fruitlessly, experienced pain in his heart; and therefore he says further: what should I do? If I speak, my grief is not calmed; and although I hold on, it will not leave me (Job 19:4) 610. But if we accept these words as referring to the type of the Holy Church, it is well known that it is her great joy to preserve the covenants of the Ten Commandments; and the wicked “put her to shame ten times” because, being in the error of their evil principles, they forsake the covenants of the Ten Commandments, and put to shame the good as often as they often put themselves against the word of God in their actions. And then it continues: And you are not ashamed to oppress me (Job 19:3) 611. 31. There are some people whom a bad impulse suddenly calls upon to commit evil, but immediately respect for their neighbors stops them. And very often, because they are afraid of external shame, they return inside their hearts and condemn themselves; but if they are afraid to do what is evil because of human judgment, how much should they be afraid to even think and desire what is evil according to the judgment of God, who sees all things? And in the case of these individuals, they correct internal sin due to fear of external shame. But there are some who, as soon as they have despised God in their hearts, begin to despise the judgments of their neighbors even more, and all the evil that they do after this they do boldly without blushing; when such people are invited by internal evil to commit sin, external shame does not restrain them from doing so; as it was also said about a certain wicked judge, who did not fear God, was not ashamed (Luke 18:2) 612. Therefore, it is also said about some persons that they sin with shameless impudence: And they openly declare their sin, like Sodom (Is. 3:9) 613. Thus, very often such people are enemies of the Holy Church, people who are not restrained from doing evil things, either by the fear of God or by fear of human judgment; and this is well said by the blessed Job about them: And you are not ashamed to oppress me; for it is very bad to desire ungodly things, but even worse is not to be ashamed of things that are wicked and desirable. And then follows: Verse 4. And it shall come to pass that when I am truly ignorant, my ignorance will remain with me (Job 19:4) 614. 32. Heretics have such a trait in their behavior that they swell with the empty pretentiousness of their knowledge, consider the humble life worthless, and often ridicule the simplicity of those who believe righteously. On the other hand, the Holy Church, although she is truly wise in herself, maintains a low degree of self-esteem in humility, so as not to be proud of knowledge, and not to swell high because of the search for secret things, and not to try to penetrate into matters that are beyond her strength. To obtain true benefits, she does not want to know what she is not able to understand, and does not at all strive to boldly define what she does not know. As it is written: Just as it is not good to eat a lot of honey, so he who seeks greatness will be overloaded with glory (Prov. 25:27) 615. For, the sweetness of honey is pleasant, but if it is consumed in more quantity than can be, from the same source from which the eater received the pleasant taste, he receives the destruction of life, the “search for greatness” is also sweet; but he, who seeks it in order to plunge into it deeper than the knowledge of human nature allows, finds only disgrace, and this in itself strikes him, because, just as honey consumed in excess makes the overeater burst, so the seeker’s ability to understand bursts, being unable to retain knowledge. Now, when they say that something is “with us”, they mean something for us, supporting us; and on the other hand, when they say that something is “not with us,” they often mean something that is “against us”; so, because his own knowledge inflates the heart of the heretic, let blessed Job say both in his own name, and let him say in the name of the Universal Church: And it will come to pass that when I am really in ignorance, my ignorance will remain with me. As if this were said in response to the words of the heretics directly: “All your knowledge is not with you, since it works against you, as long as because of it you rise in foolish pride; but my ignorance is with me, because it is for me and supports me; because I do not dare to seek any thing pertaining to God in the pride of my heart, I keep myself in the truth in a spirit of humility.” And because these very things that heretics seek to know, they use only to promote self-delight, and in order to appear learned in contrast to the faithful and modest, he rightly added: But you are against me. 33. But perhaps we can consider these words more carefully if we point out how they apply to the friends of blessed Job personally. For they, when they saw the righteous man struck down by punishment, should have plunged into a deep consideration of their own inner state, not persecuted blessed Job with words of abuse, but mourned their own deeds; for they saw that if he was so struck, he who served like him, then what kind of punishment do they deserve, those who did not serve like him? And this is rightly said to them: But you are opposed to me; as if it were said to them in direct words: “You who saw my story happening to me should have aimed against yourselves.” For this is the order of becoming on the side of good, namely, that we should first take aim against ourselves, and only then against other wicked ones. For, if he is opposed to what is good, he becomes proud. Thus we aim against ourselves when, considering our own evil deeds, we strike ourselves with repentance, when we do not pity ourselves for all our sins, and are not partial in warm thoughts towards ourselves; and only if we first strictly guard against our evil in ourselves, is it only right that we should then take aim against evil in others also for their good, and that the evil which we punish in ourselves we should help to subdue in others too, calling them to repentance. 34. But the wicked know nothing about this, so they forsake themselves and attack the righteous; they justify themselves to themselves in the depths of their hearts with soft tenderness, and are set against the life of good people with heavy harshness, therefore now blessed Job rightly said to his friends, seeing them swelling against him, who are under distress: But you are set against me; that is, “you who deserve to be blamed reproach me with heavy speeches.” For he who does not judge himself first does not know how to judge another justly; and even if it happens that he has learned by hearsay how to judge fairly, he is still unable to judge fairly the merits of another, one who does not have within himself any rules of judging, which is generated by his false consciousness of his own innocence. Therefore it was said to certain persons acting deceitfully when they brought the adulteress to receive punishment: He who is without sin among you will be the first to throw a stone at her (John 8:7) 616 for they went to punish the sins of others, keeping their own; and therefore they are called upon in their conscience, that they should first correct their own faults, and then only reproach others. For example, when the tribe of Benjamin was deep in the guilt of carnal sin, all Israel united to punish the evil; but they asked the Lord for advice every time whether they should go to take revenge, and only this advice commanded them (Judges 20). And the people who followed the instructions of the voice of God at first fell over and over again, and only later, having struck the sinning tribe, they almost completely destroyed it. For the people, inflamed with a thirst to punish sin, were nevertheless first beaten; and only by accepting punishment did he have the opportunity to punish the sins of others; for those who were purified by punishment went forward to punish the evil of others. It follows from this that when the punishment of God’s Judgment is in a state of rest in relation to us, our own conscience must reproach itself, and of its own free will rise against itself, to the sorrow of repentance, not tune in to the good in ourselves, not be merciful to ourselves, but be adamant to ourselves. Thus, to the impudent people who reprove, he rightly said: But you are opposed to me and you accuse me with reproaches. All persons who believe in themselves consider temporary suffering a heavy reproach, and they think that every person, the more he is despised by God, the more he is scourged with the rod of affliction. For they themselves do not seek anything in principles, and do not seek anything in practice; but when they see someone suffering in this life, they imagine that person is condemned by God's punishment; therefore it is well said on this occasion in the voice of blessed Job: and you accuse me with reproaches (Job 19:5) 617. 35. For they, who knew him as a righteous person before his blows, now consider him unjust because of the very fact that he suffered under the blows, and therefore it very often happens that heretics, seeing people in the bosom of the Holy Church in suffering (for it is written about God: and he beats every son whom he receives (Heb. 12:6) 618 imagine that the sorrows of believers arise solely because of their sin, and consider themselves righteous because of hardness of heart because, being left in the thoughts of their evil ways without punishment, they become harsher. It continues: Verse 6. Know now, at least, that God did not punish me according to a fair trial (Job 19:6) 619. 36. Oh, how heavy the voice of a righteous man sounds when he suffers under the punishment inflicted! Here he is, not with pride, but with grief! But these are not at all the words of a former righteous man who retreated from the truth under the weight of grief; for, blessed Job, because he was meek in spirit, he does not sin even with a harsh word. For if we say that he stumbled in saying this, we will do the same thing as the devil did when he said: touch his bone and his flesh, and see if he will bless you before you (Job 2:5) 620. But then a serious question arises. If he did not sin by saying: Know now, at least, that God did not punish me according to a fair trial, then we seem to agree that God did something unjustly, which is also blasphemous to say; but if he committed a sin, then it turns out that the devil made what he wanted happen to him. And therefore we must see both that God acted justly in relation to the blessed Job, and also that the blessed Job in this description, namely, when he said: Know now, at least, that God punished me not according to a fair trial, also does not speak a lie, and that our old enemy, in relation to the fact that he promised a sin created by a blessed man, spoke a lie. For sometimes the words of a righteous man are misunderstood because they are not considered in their inner meaning. Thus blessed Job turned his eyes to his own life, and he, assessing the steps he had taken, saw that it was unjust for such a life to receive such blows as a punishment. And when he said that he had not suffered through a fair trial, he spoke in a humble voice, the same thing that God, by His secret decision, said in conversation with the eternal adversary: ​​you stirred Me up against him to pacify him without reason (Job.2:3) 621. For the same thing that God expresses when he says that he makes blessed Job suffer without cause, the same thing that blessed Job affirms again in his words when he says that he did not suffer due to a just judgment. Where then did he sin that confirmed the judgment of his Creator? 37. But perhaps someone will say that for us to speak well of ourselves, what the Judge may have said in secret about us, cannot be done without sin. But he whom the Judge praises is without doubt worthy of praise; and if he praises himself in his own person, his righteousness is henceforth no longer worthy of praise; and this is rightly said, because what a just Judge gives in an impartial verdict, a person risks saying about himself in the pride of his heart. But if he continues to hold himself in humility, and suddenly an accident or grief puts him in a situation where he has to say something praiseworthy and true about himself, he does not depart from the line of righteousness, because he does not diverge from the truth. 38. Therefore, for example, the Apostle Paul also set forth many brave things about himself for the edification of his disciples, but he did not commit a sin in revealing these things because, while setting forth undeniable facts with a humble mind, he did not depart from the path of truth; and thus let blessed Job, conscious that his life was righteous, say that he did not suffer from a just judgment; and again, he has not sinned, because his speech is not at odds with his Creator, because the one whom God Himself calls “smitten without cause” can say of himself that he did not suffer from a just judgment. But again another question arises, which I remember was already decided at the beginning of this work, namely, that while God Almighty does nothing without a cause, why does He testify that blessed Job is smitten without a cause? This is said to emphasize that our Creator, with all these many blows dealt to blessed Job, does not seek to put an end to the evil qualities in him, but wants to increase his merits. So it is right that He did to increase his rewards; but this seems unfair if we consider that these were punishments for sins. But, at this moment, blessed Job believes that by these disasters his sins were destroyed, and not that his merits were increased, and, therefore, he speaks of this as having been committed “not according to a fair trial.” He honestly weighs his life and the disasters that have befallen him: and, indeed, if his life and his disasters are weighed in the scales, they are not equal, but blessed Job, as I have already said, thinks of them as sent to him in anger for his life; but if the mercy of the Judge is seen and considered that by these disasters only the virtues of his life are enhanced, this is an equal, or even rather, merciful judgment. Therefore, Job said what was true just as much as he compared his life to punishment; but God does not upset Job with an unjust judgment, because He enhances his merits through punishment; and the devil does not achieve what he promised, seeing that blessed Job, even in words that sound hard, did not depart either from the truth or from a humble mind. But perhaps we will understand these words of blessed Job worse if we are not familiar with the decision of the Judge, who, pronouncing a sentence between the two parties, says to Job’s friends: you have not spoken of Me as truly as My servant Job (Job 42:7) 622. Who, then, will be so foolish as to assert that blessed Job was guilty of his manner of speaking, when it is declared of him that he spoke the truth in the very voice of the Judge? Only the one whom we quite rightly classify as the weak members of the Holy Church, who, in times of her disasters, weigh her merits and her punishments, and who believe that she either prospers unjustly or justly suffers, having no idea what justice is. Therefore this is well added in the voice of the blessed man: And he surrounded me with whips (Job 19:6) 623. 39. For it is one thing to be “smitten”, and another thing to be “surrounded” by scourges. Thus, we are struck with scourges, when even in our sorrows we have consolation received from other sources that have not been scourged. But when the scourges lie on us so that the soul can no longer take a breath in the consolation of something else, we are no longer only “struck”, but “surrounded” by the scourges, because we are surrounded in every possible way by sorrows on all sides. Thus, Paul was surrounded by disasters when he said: without there were attacks, within there were fears (2 Cor. 7:5) 624. He was surrounded by disasters when he said: in dangers from his fellow tribesmen, in dangers from the pagans, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the wilderness (2 Cor. 11:26) 625, and he also named other places that he so carefully listed to show that he had no peace anywhere. But when the Holy Church is "surrounded by the scourges" of her sorrow, all that is weak in her is knocked down by the fall of weak minds, because they begin to believe that they are neglected, insofar as they see that they are not quickly heard. And this is rightly added even further about them in the voice of a holy man: Verse 7. Behold, I cry out for wrongness, but I am not heard; I cry, but there is not one to Judge (Job 19:7) 626. 40. Almighty God, knowing what is in us, closes his ears so as not to hear the voice of mourning people, so that we prove the effectiveness of our good qualities and so that He adds us a reward for this; and also that our life may be purified by punishment, and that the peace of rest, which no one can find here anyway, may be granted afterwards in another place. But there are some of the believers who know nothing of that grace in the providential ordering, and these people, as now, say: Behold, I cry out of wrongness, but I am not heard; I cry, but there is not one to Judge; for it is said, “there is none to judge,” when He closes His eyes to judgment, for besides Him “there is none to judge” our cause against our enemy. And when the court's decision is postponed, this is what looks to us like the absence of a court; and here we see that, while the blessed Job was saying this, in fact the merits of the holy man and the punishments of his adversary were increased: so, it was this reprieve of the sentence that became the act of judgment. But the fact that God decides fairly is one thing, and the fact that the soul is bruised from disasters and cannot find an answer quickly is another. Therefore he adds even more about this suffering under disasters: Verse 8. He has blocked my way, so that I cannot pass, and He has put darkness in my ways (Job 19:8) 627. 41. He saw his path "blocked" by scourges, when anxiously wanting to move into a state of safety, he was unable to avoid disasters; and while he saw himself smitten, and had not yet found anything in his life to deserve such punishment, "in the way" of the heart he met the "darkness" of his own ignorance, because he could not understand the reason why he was so scourged. But this same statement, quite rightly, can also be applied to weak members of the Holy Church, who, remembering that they are guilty, retreat back from good practice, and, afraid of their own weakness, do not risk trying to create a strong good deed. For they are afraid to begin great works of good, who know that they are weak in their ways; and while they very often do not know what they should choose, they are, as it were, faced with "darkness laid in their ways." For the mind often so doubts its own deeds, not knowing what is virtue and what is guilt. Thus he finds "darkness in his path", one that, seeing the things he wants to do, does not know what he should choose. Therefore, seeing that there is sin often from weakness, and sometimes from ignorance, he said, in the person of members who are weak: he blocked my way, and I cannot pass. While in the face of those who see unclearly even a very good deed, which they should choose, let it be added: and He has put darkness in my ways. For this too is the punishment of sin, to see the good we ought to do, and yet be unable to do it; and again, a still worse punishment for sin is not even to see what we ought to do; and therefore against both of them he said in the voice of the psalmist: The Lord is my light and salvation; Who should I be afraid of? (Ps. 26:1) 628, for against the darkness of ignorance the Lord is “Light”, and against weakness - “Salvation”, since only He reveals what He desires to be done, and gives strength so that what He has revealed can be accomplished. Verse 9. He took off my glory and took the crown from my head (Job 19:9) 629. 42. There can be no doubt that all this relates directly to the person of the blessed man who is in the midst of sorrows; but since the words in the historical sense are clear and require no explanation, they must therefore be traced to their mystical meaning. Behold, he says: He has taken away my glory from me. Every man's glory is his righteousness. And just as clothing protects against cold, so also righteousness protects against death; therefore, righteousness is not incorrectly compared to clothing, when the prophet said: Your priests will be clothed with righteousness (Ps. 132:9) 630. But, seeing that in times of tribulation of the Holy Church these garments of righteousness, which cover it in the eyes of God, are lost from those of its members who walk weakly, let it be rightly said: my glory has been stripped from me, that is, righteousness was taken from the weak; but righteousness could never be taken from them if it had grown into the root of their hearts; it could only be taken away because it was thrown on them outwardly from above, like a garment. Here, too, the question naturally arises: how could they be called members of the Holy Church, those who could lose the righteousness to which they seemed to adhere? But we need to know that very often righteousness is taken away from weak members for a while, but when they then return to repentance in recognition of their guilt, they join the same righteousness that they previously lost, but much more firmly than before the loss. And this is further added: and he took the crown from my head. Just as the head is the beginning of all parts of the body, so the leading role of the inner man is performed by his mind. Now the crown is a reward for victory, which is established from Above, so that he who has established himself will be marked and strengthened; and because many people in the Holy Church, under the pressure of adversity, cannot stand it, they, as it really is, lose the “crown on their head,” for the “crown on their head” is a reward of the mind given from Above; for there are very many who, under the pressure of adversity, neglect to accept the thought of a future reward, and can no longer reach the completion of victory; from those who have “the crown taken from their head,” the heavenly spiritual reward is taken away by the purpose being taken away from the mind, and they are no longer humble and seek the eternal rewards which they formerly had in their hearts. 43. Or in another way, by the “head” of believers, quite rightly, one can understand the priests because they are the beginning for the members of the Lord; and therefore this is what the prophet calls them, saying “head and tail,” denoting by the name “head” the priests, and by the name “tail” the outcasts. Therefore, “the crown is taken from the head” when even they are denied a heavenly reward, those who seemed to play a leading role in this body of the Church; and it generally happens very often that when leaders fall, the worst happens to their army that followed them; and therefore, immediately after describing the troubles that persecute the leaders, and, speaking of the great sorrows that persecute the Church at some times, he added: Verse 10. He crushed me on all sides, and I left; and He crushed my hope as he tore out a tree (Job 19:10) 631. 44. The Church, as it were, is "destroyed on all sides," and is destroyed in its weaker members, when those that seemed strong are driven to destruction; and “the crown is taken from the head,” when the reward of eternity is neglected even by those who are installed at the head. And this is well added in regard to the fall of the weak: and He crushed my hope, as he tore out a tree; for a tree falls from the blow of the wind, and also he, who, under the horror of threats, falls into unrighteousness, what else is this if not a tree that, under the blow of the wind, has lost its stability in righteousness? For he lost hope in the wind, which yielded to the threats and persuasion of the wicked, and therefore parted with the eternal rewards which he had eagerly awaited; but it very often happens that a person, out of fear of disasters, abandons righteousness, but by God's decision, even having abandoned righteousness, he does not receive release from the punishments that he was afraid to receive, and he who was not afraid of the destruction of the soul, yielding to the fear of bodily destruction, still receives even greater troubles for the flesh than he feared. Therefore it is additionally added: Verse 11. His anger is kindled against me, and He considers me one of His enemies (Job 19:11) 632. 45. For we have been taught by an excellent preacher, who certifies that: God is faithful, who will not allow us temptation greater than we can bear, but with the temptation he will also give relief, so that we can bear it (1 Cor. 10:13) 633. Moreover, the Lord speaks through the prophet: for I have wounded you with the blows of the enemy, with severe punishment (Jer. 30:14) 634. Therefore, he who is so struck that his strength is overcome by the blow, the Lord no longer strikes him as His son for discipline, but as an enemy in indignation. Thus, when the scourges exceed the strength of our patience, what is really to be feared in this situation (though our sins do require it) is that we are already smitten, not as sons of our Father, but as enemies of the Lord; and besides, it very often happens that evil spirits also plant many bad things in the hearts of those who suffer, and among the scourges that strike outwardly, they strengthen bad thoughts in their hearts, weakened after the wrath of the Lord. Therefore it is rightfully added: Verse 12. His robbers gathered together and made their way through me (Job 19:12) 635. 46. ​​"His robbers" are evil spirits who are busy hunting for the death of people; and they “make their way” in the hearts of the oppressed, when, amidst the misfortunes to which men have been exposed externally, they do not cease to establish also bad thoughts within them; about which he further adds: And they sat around my tent (Job 19:12) 636. For they "are placed around our tent" when they surround the mind on all sides with temptations; and the majority of the wicked are prompted by them to at one time mourn temporal things, at another time to despair of not achieving eternal things, and to go with a head full of impatience and hurl words of blasphemy against God. However, these words, as we said earlier, also apply to the blessed Job, and must also be accepted historically. For he, while he passed before his eyes the troubles through which he had passed, judged himself not as a son who should be corrected, but as an enemy who had suffered in the calamity. Through whom even “robbers made their way,” because evil spirits received permission to strike him. For they had indeed surrounded his tent, for all his property and his children had been taken away, and his whole body was covered with bruises and wounds. But it is very remarkable that when he spoke of “robbers,” he added the word “His,” thereby clearly showing that these same robbers belonged to God; but at this point, if we make a distinction between the power and will of evil spirits, it becomes obvious why they are called "God's robbers." For evil spirits constantly want to do us harm; but at the same time, having their own evil will, they still have no power to do evil, except in cases where the Supreme Will gives them permission to do so; and while they of themselves do indeed desire to injure us unjustly, Almighty God enables them to punish only justly; so, while in their own will they are unjust, but subject to a just power, they are called "robbers," but "God's"; for they are directed from themselves to do evil unjustly, but are withheld from God, so that the things they desire they cannot do to those who are saved justly. But as we have often said, a holy man, in the midst of punishment, at one time speaks in his own name, at another time in the name of the Church, and sometimes in the name of our Redeemer, and very often describes his own circumstances in such a way that in the general outline he shows us the circumstances that belong to the Holy Church and our Redeemer. Let us therefore lay aside our concern for historical facts, and show in these things which he adds how he harmonizes them with the characteristics of our Redeemer. Verse 13, 14. He has removed my brothers far from me; and those who know me have truly distanced themselves from me. My loved ones have abandoned me and my acquaintances have forgotten me (Job 19:13–14) 637. 47. We will show this better if we put forward the testimony of John, who says: He came to his own, and his own did not receive him (John 1:11) 638; for “the brethren were far removed from Him,” and “those who knew Him were separated from Him,” whom the Jews, who kept the Law to prophesy, did not recognize when He came; therefore it is rightly said: My loved ones have left me and my acquaintances have forgotten me. For the Jews, “close” to Him in the flesh and “knowing” Him through the teaching of the Law, forgot Him, whom they predicted, because they sang of Him in the words of the Law, that He was destined to be Incarnate, but when He is Incarnate, they deny Him with words of unbelief. It continues: Verse 15. Those who live in my house and my maids consider me a stranger (Job 19:15) 639. 48. The inhabitants of God's house were priests, whose race (Origo), once established in the service of God, continued in that service. But "maidservants" rightly designate the souls of the Levites who ministered to the hidden parts of the tabernacle. Therefore let him say of the priests who serve diligently, and let him say of the Levites who visit the interior parts of the house of God: Those who live in my house and my maidservants consider me a stranger; for the Incarnate Lord, whom they had long foretold in the words of the Law, they refused to recognize and honor. And he shows even more clearly that He was not known or accepted by their evil will, when he adds: And I was a stranger in their eyes (Job 19:15) 640. 49. For our Redeemer, while He was not recognized in the synagogue, was found to be a “stranger” in His Own house, to which the prophet testified, saying: Why art thou, as a stranger on this earth, and as a passer-by who has come in by chance? (Jer.14:8) 641. For He was not heard as the Lord, and He was received not as the Owner, but as a “stranger,” and He as a passer-by who came in, because He led away very few from Judea, and, continuing to call the Gentiles, He finished in another place the journey that He began there; so He was a stranger in their eyes, because, while they thought only of the things that they could see, they were unable to perceive in the Lord what they could not see; for while they despised the flesh that was visible, they could not attain to the contemplation of the invisible Majesty; therefore let it be justly said: And I was a stranger in their eyes. About these same people he further rightly added: Verse 16. I called my servant, and he did not answer (Job 19:16) 642. 50. For who were the Jewish people if not a “servant” who always obeyed the Lord, not with the love of a son, but with the fear of a slave? Paul also told us about this: Because you did not receive the spirit of slavery, which binds again; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry: Abba, Father (Rom. 8:15) 643. So, the Lord “called” this “servant” because He sought to bring him to Himself both with gifts and with the voices of the ancient elders; but the people did not respond because they did not act in accordance with His gifts. For God calls us when He gives us His gifts. And we answer His call when we serve Him worthily in accordance with the gifts to which we have been awarded. And because He called this people with such an abundance of gifts, let it be said: I called my servant, and because even after such countless advantages, this people despised Him, let it be added: and he did not answer. And then it continues: I pleaded with him with my own lips (Job 19:16) 644. 51. As if he said directly: “Before My Incarnation, I gave so many commandments to this people through the mouth of the prophets, which are being fulfilled, and when the Incarnate One came to this people, I begged them with My own lips.” And therefore Matthew, when he spoke about the covenant received from Him on the Mount, says: and He opened His mouth and taught (Matthew 5:2) 645. It was as if he had said in simple words: “He opened his own mouth, He who before this opened the mouth of the prophets.” This was also said of Him with longing for His presence: let him kiss me with the kisses of His lips (Song. 1:1) 646; for, recognizing all the commandments which she had learned from His preaching, the Holy Church, as it were, received "kisses of the lips." It is also well said: “I begged”; for, having come in the flesh, while He spoke the commandments of life with humility, He, as it were, besought His servant, filled with pride, that he would come; and then he added the following: My wife shudders at my breath (Job 19:17) 647. 52. What does the “wife” of the Lord mean, if not the Synagogue, subordinate to Him in the Covenant of the Law, and having carnal perception? For, breathing is accomplished by the body and comes from the flesh, and unbelieving people saw only a carnal image in the Incarnate Lord, and the Synagogue took him for a simple person; and therefore His “wife trembles at His breath,” because the Synagogue is afraid to take Him for God, Whom it sees in the form of a man; and when she heard the words from the mouth of His body, she refused to perceive in Him the mystery of the Divine nature, and did not believe Him that He was the Creator, the one whom He had created; So, the carnal “wife shudders from the breath” of His body because, being given over to carnal feelings, she did not see the mystery of the Incarnation. And then it continues: I pleaded with the children of my womb (Job 19:17) 648. 53. God, Who is not limited by the body, is nevertheless often described as having body parts: eyes, womb, hands, etc., so that under the purpose of the body parts, His power and action are described. They speak of Him as having eyes, emphasizing that He sees all things; He is described as having hands to say that He created all things. By the womb is meant the offspring that is brought into this life; and what then should we understand by the “womb” of God, if not His Council, in which before time we were predestined, so that later in time we would be brought into the world? God, who abides for a time, "entreated the children of His womb" because those whom He created by the power of His Divine nature He humbly pleaded, being Incarnate. And because in the same flesh in which He appeared He was despised by them, this is added: Verse 18. Fools even despise me (Job 19:18) 649. 54. A wise person who has fallen away from faith in the truth can quite rightly be classified as a “fool”; when the Pharisees and lawyers despised the Lord, many of the common people also followed the example of their distrust, and, seeing that He was a man, despised the words of the Redeemer of the world. But often those who are poor among the common people are designated by the name fools; that is why Jeremiah also said: therefore I said, perhaps they are poor and foolish, because they do not know the way of the Lord, nor the law of their God (Jer. 5:4) 650. But leaving the rich and wise of the world, our Redeemer came to find the poor and foolish, therefore it is said here, as if in great grief: The foolish even despise me. As if it were expressed in direct speech: “Even those very persons despised Me, for whom I accepted foolishness, in order to save them by My preaching.” As it is written: For when the world through its wisdom did not know God in the wisdom of God, it pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believed (1 Cor. 1:21) 651. For the “Words” are the “Wisdom of God,” but the “foolishness” of this “wisdom” is called the Flesh of the Word; because the flesh itself cannot achieve the wisdom of God, through the foolishness of preaching, i.e. by the Incarnation of the Word, she can be healed. Therefore it is said: Fools even despise me. As if it were expressed in simple words: “Even those very ones despise me for whose sake I was not afraid to look stupid.” And while the Jewish people, when they saw the miracles of our Redeemer, for His miracles, they say: this is Christ (John 7:41 652, John 7:12 653); but when these people saw the weaknesses of His human nature, they, with contempt for Him as the Creator, declare: no, he is deceiving the people; therefore further it is rightly added: And when I went out from them, they spoke against me (Job 19:18) 654. 55. For the Lord, as it were, drew near to the hearts of the people as He performed miracles before them; and He seemed to “depart from them” when He showed them no signs; but they spoke against the Lord when they refused to give their faith to Him, even relying on miracles. But what is even more surprising is that He encountered such an attitude not from the common people, but from those very people who seemed to be teachers of the Law, who predicted Him, predicted that He was to be Incarnate according to the words of the prophecy, but, looking at Him Incarnate, they distanced themselves from Him out of unbelief. In relation to these people it is also added: Verse 19. Those who were once my counselors abhor me, and those whom I especially loved have turned away from me (Job 19:19) 655. 56. It is absolutely obvious to all people that God does not need advisers, Who is Himself a Teacher in wisdom for human advisers and teachers. About whom it is even more written: Who knew the mind of the Lord, or who was His counselor? (Isa.40:13) 656, but, just as bread or clothing is given to those who lack them, the Lord testifies of Himself that He Himself received advisers; This is said because when righteous advice is given to someone who does not know about it, He Himself also listens to this advice, the One of whom that person is a member. For all of us who are among the believers are members of our Redeemer; and just as He Himself feeds us with Himself in His generosity, so He Himself helps us with advice and teaching; So, the scribes and teachers of the Law, who were accustomed to instruct people in relation to life, who else were they if not “counsellors of the Redeemer” who was about to come? Who, nevertheless, when they saw the Lord Incarnate, separated many from faith in Him with their advice, although previously they seemed to teach many by the words of the prophets to believe in the mystery of His Incarnation; and because with God he is more in His love, who shows greater love for Him, then it is additionally added regarding these same teachers of the Law and the Pharisees: and those whom I especially loved turned away from me. It was at the instigation of unbelief that they turned away from faith in the truth, those who earlier, during the service in the works, preached and were the most beloved, turned away so much that they not only do not believe in God, but even persecute Him, and also lead ordinary people with them, and burned with cruelty so much that they led to His Passion; and these His Passions caused suffering to the hearts of His disciples. Therefore it is rightly added: Verse 20. My bones are stuck to my skin, my flesh is lost (Job 19:20) 657. 57. “Bones” denotes strength, and “flesh” denotes weakness of the body. Therefore, while Christ and the Church are one person, what do “bones” mean if not the Lord Himself? And what does “flesh” mean if not the saved disciples who were weak at the hour of His Passion? But the “skin,” which remains more open in the body than the flesh, what could it mean if not holy women who, in order to ensure the continuation of the body, served the Lord with external service? When His disciples preached the faith among the people, the flesh was close to His bones; and when the holy women prepared the external things that were needed, they, like “skin,” remained outside the body; but when it came to the hour of the Cross, great fear caused by the persecution of the Jews took possession of His disciples: they fled far, but the women remained close. So the “flesh,” as it were, “disappeared,” and “the skin of the Lord covered His bones,” because women remained next to His power when the disciples fled at the hour of the Passion. Peter was indeed present for some time, but being frightened, he denied Him. John also stood, to whom at that very time of the Cross it was said: Behold, thy Mother (John 19:27) 658, but he could not continue; and therefore it is written about him: and after Him came a certain young man, who had wrapped his naked body in linen cloth, but the soldiers seized him. And he, leaving the veil, ran away from them naked (Mark 14:51–52) 659; who, although afterwards, in order to hear the words of his Redeemer, returned to the hour of the Cross, was at first afraid and fled. But the women not only were not afraid and did not run, but even stood close and buried Him; and therefore, let them say: My bones are stuck to my skin, my flesh is lost; those. “They who followed Me and joined close to Me in My strength, disappeared with horror during My Passion; and those whom I appointed for external service joined in My Passion conscientiously and firmly to Me without fear.” And it is clearly implied that those words which follow are to be understood in a mystical sense: And my lips only remained near my teeth (Job 19:20) 660. 58. For what is “near our teeth” if not “lips”, even at a time when we do not suffer from disasters and sorrows? And what do “lips” mean, if not the ability to speak, and what do “teeth” mean, if not the holy Apostles? Who was installed in the body of the Church in order to bite the fleshly life for correction, and tear it to pieces due to its hardness and stubbornness? and therefore it was said to the first of the apostles, installed as a tooth in His Body: Slaughter and eat (Acts 10:13) 661. But because during His Passion these “teeth”, from the fear of death, lost the bite of correction, lost confidence in strength, lost the effectiveness of practices of all kinds, so that two of them, leaving after His death and resurrection, said: But we hoped that this should be the one who was to deliver Israel (Luke 24:21) 662, it is rightly said here: And the lips only remained near my teeth. They still talked about Him, but now they no longer completely believed in Him; so, “the lips only remained near my teeth,” because they parted with the effectiveness of good practice, and only retained the words about Him. They had lost the bite of correction, and only possessed speech. Thus, “the lips only remained near my teeth,” because they still knew how to talk about Him, but they were afraid to preach Him now or bite off the bad ways of the unbelievers. Having thus completed what he had spoken in the voice of the Head, blessed Job returns to his own words, saying: Verse 21. Have mercy on me, have pity on me, O you are my friends; for the hand of God has touched me (Job 19:21) 663. 59. The mind of pious people is accustomed to such a characteristic feature that, when it suffers from unfair treatment from enemies, it does not flare up in anger, but turns to prayer; after all, even wicked people, if they took the trouble to calm down, would rather choose prayer than anger; therefore he correctly said in this place: Have mercy on me, have pity on me, oh, you are my friends; for the hand of God has touched me. Especially see that he even calls those who insult him “friends,” because to pious minds, even those things that seem unpleasant are actually beneficial. For anyone who is guilty is transformed, mainly by the sweetness of goodness, to turn back. But they are “friends” simply because, persisting in wickedness towards a good person, they are, even against their will, “friends”, for if a good person has any sin, by their persecution they cleanse him even unconsciously. Let us also see especially that regarding those things which God has done in secret, the words of the blessed man are spoken openly with peace and serenity. After all, he was slain by Satan, but he does not believe that he was slain by Satan, he calls himself the one who has been “touched by the hand of God,” as Satan himself also said: but stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and see if he will bless You before Your face ( Job 2:5 ) 664 . For the holy man knew that in this very thing that Satan had done to him out of evil will, he received his power not from himself, but from the Lord. And then it continues: Verse 22 Why do you persecute me like God; and filled with my flesh? (Job 19:22) 665. 60. It is not contrary to piety for him to say that he is being persecuted by God. For it is a good pursuer; as when the Lord speaks about Himself through the mouth of the prophet: he who secretly slanderes his neighbor will persecute him (Ps. 100:5) 666. But when any saint suffers in punishment, he knows that he is experiencing persecution sent against the evil of which he was guilty because of his internal dispensation. But the wicked minds of the persecutors, when they want the power to punish, are inflamed against the life of the good, not with the fervor of purification, but with the heat of envy; but they do only what Almighty God really allows to be done; that is, on the one hand, God acts through them as agents, but, on the other hand, no one's will is authorized to act until Almighty God, in His love, for purification through punishment, allows the unjust wicked to rage in malice. And therefore it is said: why do you persecute me like God? he refers to them as external punishers who do not have an internal good goal, but carry out externally what God intended to be done, but they do not internally strive for what God wants, namely, that good people should be purified by punishment. This, however, can also be understood in another sense. For Almighty God punishes the evil qualities of others justly, since He has no evil qualities in Himself; but people, when they punish others for discipline, should so punish for the weakness of another, that they themselves, at the same time, learn and become accustomed to lower their eyes to their own weaknesses in order to consider themselves, and, striking others, see that they themselves also deserve punishment. And so he said, in this case: why do you persecute me like God? As if it were expressed in simple words: “You blame me for my weaknesses as if you yourself, like God, had no weakness in yourself.” Therefore, it should be taken into account that if we happen to spend a long time correcting a person whom the hand of God has not touched with the scourge of corrective punishment, our reproof must be harsh; but when the blows of correction fall on such a person from above, correction is no longer required from us, consolation is required from us, because if in his grief we add our reproaches, we thereby punish him for what he has already been punished for. 61. He also added well: and filled with my flesh? The mind that desires punishment for its neighbor certainly strives to be “filled with the flesh” of another. In addition, it is necessary to know that those who slander the life of another person are also, of course, “filled with the flesh” of another. Therefore Solomon said: Do not be with those who get drunk with wine in celebration; Do not eat with those who bring flesh for food (Proverbs 23:20) 667. For those “who bring flesh for food” are people who humiliate with their tongues, speaking about the bad qualities of their neighbors; and about the punishment of which it is added directly, that they are “given to the cups,” and who “contribute” will be destroyed, and “drowsiness will clothe them in rags.” They are "given over to cups" that revel in slandering another person's life; but those who “contribute” are those who add their word in order to eat another person. But those who are “given to the cup” and “do their part” will be destroyed, because, as it is written: every slanderer must be rooted out. version relates this quotation to either Prov.15:5 668 or Ps.100:5 669); but “drowsiness will clothe such people in rags,” because their death finds them despicable and empty of all good deeds, because they have been taken over by a painful habit (called here drowsiness) of raking up the misdeeds of other people’s lives. But all these terrible punishments to which blessed Job is subjected must not remain in silence, and the darkness of ignorance must not be kept from human knowledge; for they can be an edification to many for maintaining patience, even to those who, by grace from above, may already be familiar with the achievement of patience. And because blessed Job feels that his punishments will serve as an example, he immediately adds, saying: Verse 23, 24. Oh, that my words were now written down! Oh, if only they were recorded in a book with an iron chisel, and on a plate of tin, or were carved on flint! ( Job 19:23–24 ) 670 . (ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION) 62. While all that blessed Job suffered, the Jewish people were taught by the mighty commandments of the ancient Fathers, and they were revealed to be known, therefore they were written with “a chisel of iron and on a plate of tin.” But when the cruel hearts of the pagans were introduced to them, what do we see if not them “carved on flint?” For what is written on tin, simply because of the softness of the metal, is quickly erased; but it may be slower to carve on stone, of course, but it is unlikely that what is carved will be erased. Therefore, quite rightly, under the “plates of tin” Judea is represented, which immediately received the commandments of God, without difficulty, and lost them quickly; but also rightly, under the “flint” the pagan world is shown, which with great difficulty was able to receive the words of the sacred revelation, but after receiving it held them very tightly. Now, by the “iron cutter,” what else is meant if not the strong judgment of God? Therefore the prophet said: the sin of Judah is written with an iron chisel on a diamond claw (Jer. 17:1) 671. For the body ends in a claw, and a diamond is a very hard stone, such that it cannot be cut with iron. Therefore, the “iron chisel” means severe punishment, but the “diamond claw” means eternal punishment. Thus, the sin of Judah, as it is said, is written down with “an iron chisel on a diamond claw,” because the guilt of the Jews received a heavy sentence from God - an end that is endless. 63. Correctly, too, by “plate of tin” we understand those who are oppressed by the burden of greed, to whom the prophet said with reproof: O sons of men, how long is the burden in the heart! For tin, the nature of which gives it great weight, signifies the sin of the love of money especially strongly sprouted, which makes the mind weighed down with such weight that it never rises to aim at things higher. Hence it is written by Zechariah: lift up your eyes again and see what comes out. And I said what is this? And he said: This is the ephah (Latin amphora) that comes out. He also said that this is their eye throughout the whole earth. And there rose up there a talent of 672 lead, and there sat a certain woman in the midst of the ephah. And he said: This is iniquity; and he cast her into the midst of the ephah, and he cast a talent of lead upon her face (or into her mouth) (Zechariah 5:5–8) 673. And having said that he saw “ephah” and “woman” and “lead”, so that he could show in more detail what he saw and learned, he further adds about what was happening: And I lifted up my eyes and saw: behold, two women appeared, and the spirit was in their wings, for them there were wings like the wings of a vulture, and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and heaven, And I said to the Angel who spoke with me: where are they taking this ephah? And he said to make a house for her in the land of Shinar (Zechariah 5:9–11) 674. This testimony of the prophet that we have put forward as evidence will amount to nothing unless we also explain what is happening and what is described in these words. So, he says: lift up your eyes again and see what comes out; and I said what is this? And he said: This is the ephah that comes out. God, wanting to show the prophet by what sin the human race most of all falls away from Him, with the figure of the ephah, as it were, he designated the wide open mouth of greed. For covetousness, like an ephah, keeps the mouth of the heart open and gaping very wide. And he said: This is their eye throughout all the earth. We see many people who are foolish in understanding, and we see them deeply in bad practices, which the prophet also testifies, who says: they are wise in evil; but they have no knowledge of doing good (Jer.4:22) 675. So they are foolish in understanding, and in those things which they desire they are instigated by greed, and are blind to see good, instigated by examples of quick rewards that do evil. Hence it is rightly said about this greed, it is its eye throughout the world. And there the talent of lead was raised. What is the “talent of lead” if not the weight of the sin of that very greed? And behold, there sat a certain woman in the midst of the ephah. What is this woman? And so that we do not accidentally begin to doubt who she is, the Angel immediately reveals: And he said: this is lawlessness; and he threw it into the midst of the ephah. Wickedness is “thrown into the midst of the ephah,” because in covetousness there is always wickedness. And he cast talent lead on her face. The whole weight of lead is thrown on the woman’s face, because the wickedness of greed pushes down with the very weight of her own sin; for if he did not strive for things that are lower, he would never be disrespectful to God and neighbor. 64. Then I raised my eyes and saw: two women appeared, and the spirit was in their wings. What do we mean by these “two women” if not two main vices, i.e. pride and vanity, which, without any doubt, are united in wickedness? Who are also described as having "spirit in their wings" because they are subject to the will of Satan in their actions; for the prophet calls the “spirit” of the one Solomon speaks of: if the spirit in him, who is greater in power than you, rises up against you, then do not leave your place (Eccl. 10:4) 676; and about which the Lord speaks in the Gospel: When the unclean spirit comes out of a person, it walks in dry places (Matthew 12:43) 677. So, they have “spirit in their wings” because pride and vanity obey the will of Satan. “And they had wings like the wings of a kite.” The kite always attacks the chicken species. Thus, these women have “wings like the wings of a kite” because, of course, their deeds are like the deeds of the devil, who is always conspiring against the lives of the little ones. And they lifted up the ephah between earth and heaven. Pride and vanity are not in vain described in this way, for it is characteristic of them that everyone who is infected with them they raise in his eyes above the rest of their fellows: at one time in pursuit of the gifts of fate, at another time for the desires of dignity, a person whom they once received captive, they, as it were, raise to the height of veneration. And he, who is between earth and sky, can leave things below, but not so much as to reach what is above. 65. These women, who “lift up the ephah between earth and heaven,” this pride and vanity, so take the mind captive and elevate through the greed of honors, that, looking down on all their neighbors, people, as it were, actually leave things lower, and in proud boasting seek high things. But all such persons, while they fall into pride, immediately in the imagination place themselves above those with whom they are with, but at the same time in reality are immensely far from uniting with the inhabitants of the country above. Thus, the ephah is called “raised between earth and heaven” because all greedy persons, through pride and vanity, immediately despise their neighbors nearby, and never reach the things higher that are behind them; and therefore they are "between earth and heaven," because they do not adhere to the equality of brotherhood in this lower world by charity, and are unable to reach the world above by exposing and praising themselves. And I said to the angel who spoke with me: Where are they taking this ephah? And he said to make a house for her in the land of Shinar. That is, ephah has “a house built for it in the land of Shinar,” and Shinar means “a strong, unpleasant smell.” And just as there is a fragrance from virtue, as Paul testifies, who says: and makes manifest the fragrance of the knowledge of Himself, which we spread in every place; For we are the sweet aroma of Christ to God (2 Cor. 2:14–15) 678; So there is also the opposite meaning: a bad smell is from a vice. For greed is the root of all evil (1 Tim. 6:10) 679. And while every evil is born of greed, it is understandable that the house of greed should be in a place with a “bad smell.” Moreover, it is necessary to know that “Shennaar” is a very wide valley in which the Tower was begun, which was built by people who fell into pride, the Tower which, after the confusion of languages, was destroyed; and this tower was called Babel, precisely because of this very confusion of minds and tongues: and it is right that the “ephah” of greed is in “Babylon,” i.e. in “confusion” or “confusion” because everything bad has its origin from greed and wickedness, and these same greed and wickedness rightly have their home in a place of confusion. 66. We have said these things in a few words, of course, so that we may show that the weight of sin is revealed under the phrase "plate of tin." Nevertheless, all those words of blessed Job also apply to the Holy Church, which, keeping the two covenants of the Sacred Revelation, as it were, begs a second time that the words be written down, saying: Oh, that my words were now written down! Oh, if only they were captured in a book! And because she speaks with a strong word, at one time in hearts heavy with the weight of greed, at another time in cruel hearts, she “writes with an iron chisel on a plate of tin,” or, of course, “on flint.” We also often say correctly that blessed Job speaks on behalf of our Redeemer and His Church, and often we find many things that he speaks clearly about the Redeemer of us all, people. For, indeed, how can we believe that he teaches us any thing connected with Him, if he does not show us Him revealing Himself in words? But now let him tell us what he wants to say directly concerning Him, and let him leave no doubt in our minds. Verse 25. For I know that my Redeemer lives (Job 19:25) 680. 67. For he who does not say “Creator,” but says “Redeemer,” clearly speaks of Him, who, after He had created all things, appeared Incarnate among us to redeem us from a state of slavery, and His Passion freed us from eternal death; and note with what faith he himself speaks about the power of His Divine Nature, about which Paul said: although He was crucified in weakness, He lives by the power of God (2 Cor. 13:4) 681, he says: I know that my Redeemer lives. It’s as if he said directly: “The unbelievers know that He was scourged, suffered mockery and blows, was covered with a crown of thorns, covered with spittle, crucified, died. And I, with the firmness of faith, believe in His life after death; I confess with a firm voice that “my Redeemer lives,” He who died at the hands of wicked men.” And how, O blessed Job, through His Resurrection, you hope for the resurrection of your flesh, and declare it in open speech. Here it continues: And I must rise on the last day from the earth (Job 19:25) 682. 68. That is, the Resurrection, which He showed in His Person, He will one day show for us; and also, the Resurrection, which He showed in Himself, He promised us, because the members follow the glory of His Head. Thus our Redeemer passed through death, that we might not fear death; He shows us the Resurrection so that we can have firm hope that we are able to rise again. And His death did not last longer than three days, so that we would not despair over the necessity of death, since even His Resurrection was delayed; and this is rightly said of Him by the prophet: He will drink from the stream along the way; Therefore he will lift up his head (Ps.109:7) 683. He drank our sufferings from the stream because He accepted them in time, and not in an unchanging place; and drank “on the way” because He accepted death as if in a transitional state, i.e. for three days, and also because in the death that He met, He did not remain, like us, until the end of the world. So, while He rose again on the third day, the appearance of what, if not His Body, i.e. Churches, is He showing us? And He showed by example what He promised as a reward, so that believers would know that they too could hope for the reward of resurrection for themselves at the end of the world, just as He Himself was resurrected. Behold, because of the death of the flesh, we remain in the dust until the end of the world, but on the third day He blossomed in life from the dryness of death, so that by the very renewal of His flesh we might show the power of His Divine nature. Who also showed Moses the twelve rods placed in the tabernacle: when the priesthood of Aaron, who was of the tribe of Levi, was despised, and the tribe was found not worthy to offer burnt offerings, twelve rods according to the twelve tribes were ordered to be placed in the tabernacle, and behold, the rod of Levi blossomed and showed that the power was in Aaron's works. (Num. 17:8) 684. What does this sign show, what was it, if not that all of us who lie in the arms of death until the very end of the world are still, like the rest of the wands, in a state of sterility? But after a time, when all the rods remained in a state of dryness, the rod of Levi returned to flowering, in this body of our Lord, that is, our true Priest, having fallen into the dryness of death, after a time blossomed into the flower of the Resurrection. What is rightly shown under the blossoming of Aaron’s rod, if not the glory of the Resurrection of our Redeemer, Who arose from the tribe of Judah and Levi (Luke 1; 5:36), and appears to be an Intercessor on our behalf. And so, there you go! Aaron's rod blossomed after dryness, but the rods of the twelve tribes remain in a dry state, and in this it is already revealed that the body of the Lord lives after death, but our bodies remain without the glory of the resurrection until the end of the world. Therefore, he, carefully seeing this delay, says: And I must rise on the last (novissimo) 685 day from the earth. 69. Therefore we have the hope of our own resurrection when we see the glory of our Head. But let us say, perhaps, only in the secret thought of our hearts, that it was thus that He rose from the dead, namely, that, being God and man in the same Person, the death which was to His human nature He overcame by the Divine nature, while we who are mere men are unable to rise from the curse of death; and it was just that at this time of His resurrection the bodies of many saints were also raised up, that He might show us also an example of the resurrection of those who were, like us, of mere human nature; and by this He was able to give us a sure confirmation, even if man despaired of receiving it, that what God and Man manifested in His Person we may hope would happen in our own case: what we know happened in the case of those very men who were mere human beings. 70. But there are some who, noticing that the spirit is separated from the flesh, that the flesh turns into corruption, corruption into dust, and the dust is scattered into elementary parts that cannot even be seen by the human eye, despair of the possibility of resurrection, and, looking at the withered bones, they do not believe that they can put on flesh, and come to life again; but the person who loses faith in the resurrection of the body through obedience must, of course, come to this with reason. For what does the Universe do every day if it does not imitate in its elements our resurrection? Thus, at the end of the time of day, the temporary light seems to die, when, under the pressure of the shadow of the night, the light that was contemplated is withdrawn from sight, and then daily appears again, as it really is, when the light that was taken from our eyes at night is renewed anew. And in the change of seasons, we also see how trees lose the greenness of their foliage and cease to bear fruit; and suddenly, again, a kind of resurrection comes to the withered tree, and we see new leaves spring up, new large fruits grow, and the trees are clothed with renewed beauty; we constantly contemplate how from small tree seeds falling into moist soil, soon after this large trees arise, which, in turn, also give birth to leaves and fruits. Let us then consider a little the seed of any tree that is thrown into the ground, where is the tree in it that will sprout from it? Let's try to accept, if we are capable of it, where in this smallness of the seed that was buried in the ground is the huge tree that will continue from it? where is the crown in it? where is the bark? where is the green foliage? where is the abundance of fruit? Were any of these things visible in the seed when it was thrown into the ground? And yet, thanks to the secret Master of the ordering of all things, everything is in beautiful order, and in the softness of the seed is conceived the roughness of the bark, and in its tenderness is hidden the power of the tree trunk, and in the dryness is fertility. What is then surprising in the fact that from this dust, which for our eyes is scattered into the elements, He molds man again, He who then resurrects the largest trees from the best seeds? Seeing then that we were created as rational beings, we can gather the hope of our resurrection even from the mere contemplation of the objects of nature. But because this is somehow muted in us, the Savior’s grace came by example. For our Creator came, He took death upon Himself, He showed the Resurrection so that we would not lose hope of the Resurrection through His help and by His example; and thus let blessed Job say: I know that my Redeemer lives, and that I must rise at the last day from the earth. And let anyone who despairs of the possibility that the power of the Resurrection will come, blush at the words of a believing man standing in the midst of a pagan world, and let him understand what punishment he deserves if he still does not believe in his resurrection, who already now knows about the resurrection of the Lord, which took place, even if he believed in his own, he who was only waiting for the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, which is about to happen. 71. But look, I hear about the resurrection, and it is the resurrection that I seek. For I believe that I must rise again, and I wish that I might hear in what form I shall rise; for this is the thing I must know, whether I must rise again, perhaps in some other subtle or etheric body, or in the body in which I died. But if I resurrect in the etheric body, he, the one who was resurrected, will no longer be me. For how can this be a true resurrection if there is no true flesh there? so that the ordinary reasoning supposes that, if it is not actual flesh, surely it will not be an actual resurrection; for it can never justly be called “resurrection,” when what is raised is not what fell. But also for us, O blessed Job, you removed these clouds of apprehension, and while the grace of the Holy Spirit vouchsafed you, you began to speak to us in the hope of our resurrection, and showed in simple words whether our flesh would indeed be resurrected. And then follows: Verse 26. And I will be covered again by my skin (Job 19:26) 686. 72. While the "skin" is expressly named, all doubt about the true resurrection is removed; and our body is resurrected tangible, despite the fact that Bishop Eutychius of Constantinople wrote that in the glory of the resurrection it is intangible, and more subtle than wind and air; this is so only in the sense that indeed in this glory of the resurrection our body will be subtle in the power of its spiritual power, but, nevertheless, it will be felt in the reality of its nature; therefore also our Redeemer, when the disciples doubted His resurrection, showed them His hands and feet, and suggested that His bone and flesh should be touched, saying: Touch Me and consider; for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have (Luke 24:39) 687. And when, having come to the city of Constantinople, I presented before Eutyches this testimony of the truth from the Gospel, he said: “The Lord did this so that He could take away all doubts about the Resurrection from the hearts of the disciples.” To which I replied: “It is a very surprising thing that you assert, and that your doubts will arise precisely from the very thing by which the hearts of the disciples were cured of doubt.” For what could be worse than for us to doubt the truth of His flesh, because of the same thing by which His disciples were restored anew to faith from all doubts? For if He declares that He does not have what He shows, then from the same source from which the faith of His disciples is confirmed, ours is destroyed. And further he added, saying: “He had a body that was tangible; but after the hearts of those who doubted were confirmed that everything in the Lord’s body was perceptible, it was changed into a certain subtle matter.” To which I answered, saying: “This is written, knowing that Christ, having risen from the dead, dies no more, death no longer has dominion over him (Rom. 6:9) 688. If then there was something in the Body that was capable of being changed after His resurrection, contrary to the actual words of Paul, the Lord after His resurrection returned in death; and what fool would risk saying this, denying the true resurrection of His flesh? Then he objected to me, saying: “But it is written: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Cor. 15:50) 689, how then can one assume that the flesh really rises again?” And I answered: “In Holy Scripture, flesh sometimes means a certain nature, and sometimes means sin or corruption. For of the flesh by nature it is written: Behold, this is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh (Gen. 2:23) 690. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14) 691. But about the flesh, which means sin, it is written: My Spirit will not always abide in those people, because they are flesh (Gen. 6:3) 692. And, as the psalmist says: For He remembered that they are flesh, but a breath that goes away and does not return (Ps. 77:39) 693. That is why Paul said to his disciples: But you do not live according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:9) 694, and this does not mean that he wrote to these people to leave the flesh, but to subdue the movements of the fleshly passions, so that from now on, thanks to the gift of the power of the Spirit, they “were not in the flesh.” Therefore, in relation to what Paul says, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, the flesh is to be understood in reference to sin, and not the flesh in reference to nature. And therefore immediately further he directly reveals that he meant sin by the flesh, adding: And corruption does not inherit incorruption. Therefore, in this glory of the Heavenly Kingdom there will be flesh by nature, but not flesh by desire of the passions; and because the sting of death is overcome, it will remain in eternal incorruption. 73. To these words Eutyches directly replied that he agreed with them, but he still denied that the flesh could be resurrected as a tangible body. Who, in the treatise that he also wrote on the resurrection, based it on the words of the Apostle Paul when he says: What you sow will not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow the body, which should be, but bare grain (1 Cor. 15:36-37) 695, trying to show that the flesh will either be intangible, or will not be of itself, and, emphasizing that the holy Apostle, when teaching the glory of the resurrection, says that “you are not sowing the body, which should be.” But the answer to this can be given quickly. For the Apostle Paul, when he says: you do not sow the body, which should be, but bare grain, tells us what we see; namely, that grain which is sown without stem or leaves will grow into stem and leaves; so that he, intensifying the glory of the resurrection, does not at all say that the body lacks something, but says that what is not yet visible at the moment is already laid down. 74. After this, we were plunged into a long dispute on the subject, and even passed into great hostility, when the Emperor Tiberius Constantine, summoning us to himself for a personal audience, and finding out what the dispute was between us, and, having weighed the statements of both sides with his own statement, refuted the book which the bishop had written about the resurrection, and determined that it should be burned. Having left him, I was seized by a serious illness, and at the same time, the same illness and death from it overtook Eutyches. And when he died, I restrained others so as not to persecute his few followers, although I started it, I restrained them so as not to throw words at his ashes. But while he was still alive, and I too was suffering from a severe fever, some of my acquaintances went to him to greet him, and as I learned from them, he every time raised his hand to their eyes, saying: “I acknowledge that we must all rise again in this flesh,” who had previously been in the habit of denying it altogether. 75. But let us, putting these considerations aside, look every moment in the words of blessed Job that there will be a true resurrection and a true body in this resurrection; for behold, we are no longer able to doubt the hope of the resurrection, what he says: I must rise on the last day from the earth. Moreover, he removed all doubts about the true resurrection of the body, because he says: and I must be covered again by my skin. And he adds even more to finally remove the fears of our thoughts: And in my flesh I will see God (Job 19:26) 696. 76. Notice he talks about the resurrection, "skin", "flesh" in explicit words. What else remains for our minds to have reason to doubt? If this holy man, even before the Resurrection of the Lord took place, believed that the flesh was destined through time to be restored to its state, then what will be our guilt for our doubt that the resurrection of the flesh is true, even after we have received proof from our Redeemer? For if after the resurrection there is no tangible body, it is certainly not the person who dies who is resurrected: what is blasphemous to say; namely, to believe that it is I who dies, and someone else will rise again. Therefore I beseech you, blessed Job, to add as you think, and remove from us all grounds for doubt on this matter. And then follows: Verse 27. Whom I myself should see, and mine eyes will see, and not others (Job.19:27) 697. 77. For if, as some adherents of false opinions believe, after the resurrection there should be no tangible body, but some subtle invisible matter of the body will be called flesh, although it will not be the substance of flesh, then, of course, then one person dies, and the one who rises is quite another. But blessed Job destroys this statement with his true voice, in which he says: Whom I myself must see, mine eyes will see, and not others. But we, following the faith held by blessed Job, truly believe in the tangible body of our Redeemer after His Resurrection, and acknowledge that our flesh after the Resurrection will be at once the same and different: the same in nature, but distinguished by its glory, the same in its reality, but distinguished by its power. Thus, it will be in some way subtle because it will not be subject to decay, and will be tangible because it will not lose the essence of its true nature. But the holy man combines this confidence in the resurrection with the firm hope that he will receive it, and he waits for it. And then it continues: This is my hope laid in my breast (Job 19:27) 698. 78. For we hold nothing truer than that which is hidden and concealed in our bosom; and so he holds the hope embedded in his chest, because he placed there in advance the true faith of the hope of the resurrection. But while he made it known that the day of resurrection would come, he now, whether in his own name, or in the name of the Holy Universal Church, reproaches the works of the wicked, and predicts the Judgment that will come on the day of resurrection. For he immediately adds: Verse 28, 29. Why should you now say: let us pursue him, and look for the root of the word against him? Fly therefore from the face of the sword, for the sword is the avenger of wickedness; and I know that there is judgment (Job 19:28–29) 699. 79. For in the first sentence he denounced the works of the wicked, and in the next he made known the punishments that come from the Divine judgment. Thus he says: Why should you now say: let us pursue him, and look for the root of the word against him? Evil people because they hear the right things with a wrong perception, make reproaches and seek to find in the words of the righteous an opportunity for accusation, and what else do they do if not “look for the root of the word against him,” from which they can take the beginning of their speech, and, accusing him, expand the branches of the evil of idle talk? But when a holy man encounters such things in the hands of wicked men, he speaks not against them, but for them, and he feels sorrow, and rebukes that which wickedly feeds their hearts, and shows them this evil, that they may avoid it, saying: Fly therefore from the face of the sword, for the sword is the avenger of wickedness; and I know that there is judgment. Everyone who does evil things here shows that they are too indifferent to fear, as if they do not know that there will be a Judgment of God there. For if they knew that this is what they should be afraid of, they would never do what they are destined to be punished for. For there are very many who know that there is a final judgment, however, they know it as if in words, and, acting lawlessly, they testify that they do not know it. Because while he is not afraid of it as much as he should, it means that he does not yet know with what storm of horror it will come. For he who has understood and appreciated all the horror certainly fears whether he will be saved in the day of wrath. Moreover, to "fly from the face of the sword" means to appease a severe sentence before it is pronounced. For the Last Judgment cannot be prevented by salvation until the Decision. Now He is not visible, but He can be propitiated by prayers. But when He sits down on that terrible Judgment, He will be at the same time visible, but no longer able to appease Him; for for those deeds which He suffered from the wicked for a long time in silence, He will have to repay in anger. Therefore, it is necessary to fear the Judge now, while He has not yet carried out the decision, while He bears patiently for a long time, while He still endures the evil that He sees, for when He stretches out His hand in retribution of wrath, He will strike the more severely at the Judgment, the longer He waited until the Judgment. And Bildad the Shebahite answered and said, When will you put an end to such speeches? think about it, and then we’ll talk. Why should we be considered animals and be humiliated in your own eyes? O you who rend your soul in your wrath! Is it possible for you to let the earth become desolate and the rock to move from its place? ... Is it really possible for the earth to become empty for you ... ...and the rock move from its place? Yes, the light of the wicked will go out, and there will be no spark left from his fire. The light in his tent will be darkened, and his lamp will go out over him. ... and his lamp will go out over him. The steps of his power will be shortened, and his own plan will be overthrown. ... and will overthrow his own plan. for he will fall into the net with his own feet and will walk on the snares. The noose will catch his leg, and the robber will catch him. ...and the robber will catch it. The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they laughed at Him. Snares for him and traps on the road are secretly laid out on the ground. Terrors will frighten him from all sides and force him to rush here and there. His strength will be exhausted from hunger, and death is ready at his side. You push him to the end, and he leaves; you betray his face and send him away. Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the earth - not a famine of bread, not a thirst for water, but a thirst for hearing the words of the Lord. The members of his body will be eaten, the firstborn of death will eat his members. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection: the second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. the beginning of words from his mouth is stupidity, (and) the end of speech from his mouth is madness. and I will say to my soul: soul! you have a lot of good things lying around for many years: rest, eat, drink, be merry. His hope will be driven out of his tent, and this will bring him down to the king of horrors. And I looked, and behold, a pale horse, and its rider, whose name was “death”; and hell followed him; and power was given to him over the fourth part of the earth - to kill with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence, and with the beasts of the earth. Therefore, let not sin reign in your mortal body, so that you should obey it in its lusts. Come down and sit on the dust, O virgin, daughter of Babylon; sit on the earth: there is no throne, daughter of the Chaldeans, and in future they will not call you tender and luxurious. They will dwell in his tent, because it is no longer his; his dwelling will be sprinkled with brimstone. ... his dwelling will be sprinkled with brimstone. Its roots from below will dry up, and its branches from above will wither. The memory of him will disappear from the earth, and his name will not be on the square. They will drive him out of the light into darkness and wipe him off the face of the earth. Neither his son nor his grandson will be among his people, and there will be no one left in his dwellings. And then the wicked one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the revelation of His coming. Descendants will be horrified by his day, and contemporaries will be in awe. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Such are the dwellings of the wicked, and such is the place of him who does not know God. And Job answered and said: How long will you torment my soul and torment me with your speeches? Behold, you have disgraced me ten times already and are not ashamed to oppress me. If I really made a mistake, then my mistake remains with me. ...and don't be ashamed to crowd me. saying: in one city there was a judge who did not fear God and was not ashamed of people. The expression on their faces testifies against them, and they openly talk about their sin, like the Sodomites, they do not hide it: woe to their soul! for they bring evil upon themselves. Just as it is not good to eat a lot of honey, so seeking glory is not glory. When they continued to ask Him, He bowed down and said to them: He who is without sin among you, be the first to throw a stone at her. If you want to lord it over me and reproach me with my shame, For the Lord punishes whomever he loves; he beats every son whom he receives. then know that God has overthrown me and surrounded me with His net. But stretch out Your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, will he bless You? And the Lord said to Satan: Have you paid attention to my servant Job? for there is no one like him on earth: a blameless, just, God-fearing man who shuns evil, and is still firm in his integrity; and you stirred Me up against him in order to destroy him innocently. And it came to pass after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said unto Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath burneth against thee and against thy two friends, because ye have not spoken of Me so truly as My servant Job. For when we came to Macedonia, our flesh had no peace, but we were oppressed from everywhere: from outside - attacks, inside - fears. many times (was) on journeys, in dangers on rivers, in dangers from robbers, in dangers from fellow tribesmen, in dangers from pagans, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the desert, in dangers at sea, in dangers among false brothers, Here, I shout: insult! and no one listens; I cry, and there is no judgment. He has blocked my way, and I cannot pass, and has put darkness in my paths. Psalm of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life: whom shall I fear? He took away my glory from me and took the crown from my head. Your priests will be clothed with righteousness, and Your saints will rejoice. All around I have been ruined, and I am leaving; and like a tree, He plucked out my hope. He was kindled with His anger against me and considers me among His enemies. No temptation has befallen you other than that of man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but when you are tempted, He will also provide relief, so that you can endure it. all your friends have forgotten you and are not looking for you; For I have smitten you with the blows of the enemy, with a cruel punishment for the multitude of your iniquities, because your sins have multiplied. His armies came together and directed their way towards me and positioned themselves around my tent. ...and they sat around my tent. He has removed my brothers from me, and those who know me are alien to me. My loved ones have left me, and my acquaintances have forgotten me. He came to his own, and his own did not receive Him. Strangers in my house and my maids consider me a stranger; I became a stranger in their eyes. ... I became a stranger in their eyes. The Hope of Israel, its Savior in times of trouble! Why are you like a stranger in this land, like a passerby who came to spend the night? I call my servant, and he does not answer; with my lips I must plead with him. Because you did not receive the spirit of slavery (to) again (live) in fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry: “Abba, Father!” ... with my lips I must beg him. And He opened His mouth and taught them, speaking. May he kiss me with the kiss of his lips! For your caresses are better than wine. My breath is disgusting to my wife, and I must beg her for the sake of the children of my womb. ... and I must plead with her for the sake of the children of my womb. Even small children despise me: I rise, and they mock me. And I said (to myself): these may be the poor; they are foolish because they do not know the way of the Lord, the law of their God; For when the world through (its) wisdom did not know God in the wisdom of God, it pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. Others said: this is Christ. And others said: Will Christ come from Galilee? And there was a lot of talk about Him among the people: some said that He was good; and others said: no, but he deceives the people. ... I get up and they mock me. All my confidants abhor me, and those whom I loved have turned against me. Who understood the spirit of the Lord, and was His adviser and taught Him? My bones stuck to my skin and my flesh, and I was left with only the skin around my teeth. Then he says to the disciple: Behold, your Mother! And from that time on, this disciple took Her to himself. One young man, wrapped in a veil over his naked body, followed Him; and the soldiers seized him. But he, leaving the veil, ran away from them naked. ... and I was left with only skin around my teeth. And a voice came to him: Arise, Peter, kill and eat. But we hoped that He was the One who was to deliver Israel; but with all that, it is now the third day since this happened. Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, my friends, for the hand of God has touched me. Why do you persecute me like God, and cannot be satisfied with my flesh? He who secretly slanderes his neighbor I will drive out; I will not tolerate someone who is proud in his eyes and arrogant in his heart. Do not be among those who are drunk with wine, nor among those who are satiated with meat. A fool neglects his father's instruction; and whoever listens to reproof is prudent. Oh, if only my words were written down! If they had been inscribed in a book with an iron and tin chisel, they would have been carved in stone for eternity! The sin of Judah is written with an iron chisel, inscribed with a diamond point on the tablet of their hearts and on the horns of their altars. Here “talent” is an ancient unit of measurement. Talent (ancient Greek τάλαντον, lat. talentum) is a unit of mass and a monetary unit used in ancient times in Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. In the Roman Empire, a talent corresponded to a mass of water equal in volume to one standard amphora (that is, 1 cubic Roman foot, or 26.027 liters). Talent was the highest unit of weight in the table of Greek measures (the word τάλαντον actually meant “scales”; then “weight”). And the angel who spoke with me came out and said to me: lift up your eyes again and see what comes out? When did I say: what is this? He answered, “This is an ephah,” and said, “This is their image throughout all the earth.” And behold, a piece of lead rose up, and there sat a certain woman in the midst of an ephah. And he said, “This (woman) is wickedness itself,” and he threw her into the middle of the ephah, and threw a piece of lead into the hole of it. And I lifted up my eyes and saw: behold, two women appeared, and the wind was in their wings, and their wings were like the wings of a stork; and they lifted up the ephah and carried it between earth and heaven. And I said to the angel who spoke with me: Where are they taking this ephah? Then he said to me, “To build a house for her in the land of Shinar, and when everything is prepared, she will set up there on her foundation.” This is because My people are stupid and do not know Me: they are foolish children, and they have no sense; They are smart for evil, but do not know how to do good. If the boss’s anger flares up against you, then do not leave your place; because meekness covers even greater offenses. When the unclean spirit leaves a person, it walks through dry places, looking for rest, and does not find it. But thanks be to God, who always allows us to triumph in Christ and spreads the fragrance of knowledge of Himself to us in every place. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. for the root of all evil is the love of money, which, having given themselves over, some have strayed from the faith and subjected themselves to many sorrows. But I know that my Redeemer lives, and on the last day He will raise this decaying skin of mine from the dust. For, although He was crucified in weakness, He lives by the power of God; and we also, (though) weak in Him, will live with Him by the power of God in you. ... and on the last day He will raise this decaying skin of mine from the dust. He will drink from the stream along the way, and therefore will lift up his head. The next day Moses entered into the tabernacle of testimony, and behold, the rod of Aaron, from the house of Levi, blossomed, sprouted buds, produced flowers, and brought forth almonds. End, limit (lat.) – the last facet of something. in space or time, as well as the part or piece adjacent to this limit. and I will see God in my flesh. Look at My hands and at My feet; it is I Myself; touch Me and look at Me; for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have. knowing that Christ, having risen from the dead, no longer dies: death no longer has power over Him. But I tell you this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, and corruption does not inherit incorruption. And the man said, Behold, this is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she will be called woman, for she was taken from man. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father. And the Lord said: My Spirit will not forever be despised by men; because they are flesh; let their days be a hundred and twenty years. He remembered that they are flesh, breath that leaves and does not return. But you do not live according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. Reckless! what you sow will not come to life unless it dies. And when you sow, you do not sow the future body, but the naked grain that happens, wheat or something else; I will see Him myself; my eyes, not the eyes of another, will see Him. My heart melts in my chest! ... My heart melts in my chest! You should say: why are we pursuing him? It's as if the root of evil was found in me. Fear the sword, for the sword is the avenger of iniquity, and know that there is judgment.