Книга 5 [глава 3, стихи 20–26, глава 4, глава 5, стихи 1–2]

Book five sets out the remainder of chapter three from verse 20, the entire fourth chapter, and the first two verses of the fifth. 1. The saints here are more afraid of prosperity than of disaster. – Divine judgments are very hidden, why in this life good people become bad, while bad people, on the contrary, become good, but they are even more hidden when good people feel good here and bad people feel bad. For when good people feel bad, and bad people feel good, perhaps this can be understood in such a way that if the good are punished here for their sins (if they are guilty), it is so that they are completely freed from eternal condemnation; and that bad people are allowed to possess the goods they desire in this life, in order to attract them to the final torment in eternity. Therefore, the rich man burning in the fire is told: “Child! Remember that you have already received your good things in your life, but Lazarus received your evil things” (Luke 16:25). But, on the other hand, when it is good here for the good and bad for the bad, it becomes very unclear whether the good receive the benefit so that they are inspired to grow towards something better, or whether secret justice judges that they here accept a reward for their deeds and are deprived of the rewards of the life to come. Or they are evil, because they undergo trials in order to be corrected and get rid of eternal punishment; or their punishments begin here, leading them ultimately to the final torment in hell. Since, in the face of Divine judgment, the human mind is obscured by a thick cloud of its uncertainty, holy men, when they see the goods of this world available (to them in abundance), are troubled by terrible suspicion. For they are afraid here to receive the fruits of their labors, they are afraid that Divine justice will see some hidden flaw in them and, having fulfilled their external gifts, will deprive them of their internal ones. Truly, when the silent ones think that they do good only to please the one God, and do not rejoice in the abundance of their prosperity, they are less inclined to fear the retribution of secret justice directed against them because of earthly prosperity, but, however, they bear the burden of success heavily, because it interferes with their inner plans. They painfully endure the temptations of real life, because they know that these things can prevent them from achieving what they internally desire. For in this world honor restrains more than contempt, and the greatness of prosperity weighs more than the inevitability of disaster. For indeed, when the outer man is subjected to deprivation, he is more easily freed from limitless inner desires. Indeed, through this the spirit, forced to obey many, is kept from achieving its own desires. Therefore, it turns out that holy men in this world are more afraid of prosperity than of disasters. For they know that the mind, when captivated by tempting pursuits, is willingly distracted by external things. They know that these secret thoughts deceive us so much that we do not notice how we are completely changing. They consider that there are eternal benefits to which they strive, and they understand that everything temporary, transitory, no matter how pleasant it may be, is nothing. And their mind has a hard time bearing all the blessings of this world, because it is wounded by the love of the highest happiness, and the more it sees how the sweetness of the present life soon tempts it to move away from eternal glory, the more it chooses to reject the present. Therefore, blessed Job, contemplating eternal peace, says: “The small and the great are equal there, and the servant is free from his master” 48 and immediately adds: Verse 20. Why was light given to the sufferer? 49 2. Contemplating the eternal, they avoid earthly well-being. – Sometimes in the Holy Scriptures prosperity is called light, while night refers to the misfortunes of this world. It is so well said through the Psalmist: “As is his darkness, so is his light” (Ps. 139:12). For this is why holy men despise the blessings of this world and endure its troubles, trampling them with the greatness of their minds, and, subjugating both prosperity and disaster, they say: “As is its darkness, so is its light.” It is as if they directly said: “Just as the sadness of it (this world) does not violate the strength of our aspirations, so its temptations do not damage them.” However, since well-being, as we said earlier, even if it does not yet weaken a good mind, worries holy men, for they see themselves as sufferers in the sorrow of this exile and avoid being distinguished in its prosperity. So it is well said today: “Why was light given to the sufferer?” For light is given to sufferers when they, contemplating the sublime, accept the radiance of fleeting happiness, and recognize themselves as unhappy in this journey. And although they cry bitterly because they are involuntarily moving away from their fatherland, they nevertheless force themselves to endure the hardships of honors. The love of eternal (goods) exhausts them, but the glory of temporal things favors them. When they see that it keeps them in the lowest, and that they cannot see the sublime, and that they support on earth, and that they lose from heavenly gifts, they bitterly lament their well-being. After all, even if they see that prosperity cannot completely overcome them, they, however, consider it necessary to distribute their thoughts between the love of God and their concerns. Therefore, when he says: “Why was light given to the sufferer,” he further adds: Verse 20. And life for the sorrowful in soul? 50 3. Here (filled with) sorrows are both the chosen and the corrupt, on an equal footing. – For all the elect are saddened in soul, because they, crying, do not stop punishing themselves, and they experience severe grief from the fact that they are far from their Creator and are still deprived of the joys of the eternal Fatherland. Solomon said well about their heart: “The heart knows the sorrow of its own soul, and its joy cannot accommodate a stranger” (Prov. 14:10) 51. And the hearts of the wicked also grieve, because they are overwhelmed by their own evil desires; but they do not know the same sorrow, since they cannot determine what they suffer, blinding themselves by their own will. On the contrary, the heart of the good knows its grief, because it, in contrition, realizes the grief of the exile in which it finds itself; it knows the silence it has lost and the confusion it has fallen into. But this heart, filled with grief, sometimes regains its joy and a stranger does not fit into its joy, because the one who now removes the heart from this sorrow through desires will then be removed from its inner triumph. 4. Who is dead to the world, and to whom the world is dead. – Thus, those whose souls are in sorrow wish to completely die to the world; and since they do not want anything in the world, they are no longer bound to the world by any obligations. It often happens that a person’s mind is no longer connected with the world, but, nevertheless, the world is tied to a person’s activities: although he has already died for the world, the world has not yet died for him. For the world, as if alive, looks at him, while he zealously directs all his efforts to succeed in his other affairs. Therefore, Paul, when he completely despises this world, and sees himself as such, for whom this world cannot be desired at all, breaking free from the chains of this life, he says well: “The world has been crucified to me, and I am unto the world” (Gal. 5:14). Without a doubt, the world was crucified for him because he was already dead and did not love it in his heart. But he, too, was crucified for this world, because he tried to show it that he himself was like a dead man, and could not want anything from it. For if the dead and the living are in the same place, although the dead does not see the living, however, the living sees the dead, but if both are dead, neither sees the other. So, if someone does not love the world, but, nevertheless, although he is loved by it against his will, just as a dead person does not see the world, the world sees him not yet dead. But if he does not linger in the love of the world, and is not again captivated by the love of the world, then both are dead to each other, because they do not rush towards each other, just as the dead do not pay attention to the dead. Because Paul did not seek the glory of the world, nor was he sought after by the glory of the world, he rejoiced that the world was crucified to him and he to the world. Since many strive (for this), but have not yet risen to the highest degree of dying, they, sighing, rightly say: “Why was light given to the sufferer, and life to the saddened soul?” Of course, life is given to those who grieve, when the glory of this world (is given) to those who mourn and groan (for it). Without a doubt, they are tormented by the greatest fear, because even if they do not connect with the world, they still fear their likeness to those to whom the world aspires, since if they did not live for the world in any way, then it would undoubtedly not love them. For the sea retains living bodies within itself, but immediately spews out the dead. Verse 21. Those who wait for death, and it does not come. 5. Those who strive to die for the world are often forced to fulfill everyday duties, but not without benefit for themselves and others. – For they wish to completely mortify themselves and separate temporary life from all glory; but often, according to the secret judgments of God, they either dominate the government or are forced to submit to the bestowed honors, but even in the midst of this they hope for complete mortification. But the death they expect does not come because their need for temporary glory is still alive, even if they do not want it, and they endure it out of fear of God. Inwardly, they restrain the longing for piety, but externally they fulfill the duties of the rank, as long as they do not deviate from perfection through effort, and do not contradict the economy of the Creator through pride. For wonderful Divine justice is accomplished when one who strives for contemplation with a perfect heart is burdened with human duties, so that his mind can benefit many weak people, and he then sees that through this his own imperfection is raised to the pinnacle of more perfect humility. Sometimes holy men therefore endure the damage of their desires in order to receive greater benefit and succeed in other transformations, and since they are not allowed to indulge only in what they desire, it is desirable that they carry along with them those with whom they communicate. Consequently, it turns out, according to the wondrous justice of the economy, that when they believe that they are most exhausted, then they are more enriched, and most successfully rise to the abode of the heavenly Fatherland. 6. Often God delays the fulfillment of godly desires in order for them to increase. – Sometimes they are less successful in achieving desires so that when the delay ends, they would open the wide depths of the mind to these desires; and could make up for those who were diminished. They strive to kill themselves in such a way that they can fully, if possible, contemplate the face of their Creator. But their desire is postponed in order to bring benefit; and through its slow execution is carefully nurtured to become greater. So the bride, sighing from the desire of her groom, exclaims well: “On my bed at night I sought him whom my soul loves, and I did not find him” (Ps. 3:1). The groom hides when they are looking for him, so that, not finding him, they search more passionately, and the bride suffers, searching, so that through her delay she will become more receptive and find what she was looking for in greater abundance. So blessed Job, when he says: “They wait for death, and it does not come,” and in order to satisfy the desire of those who are looking more carefully, he immediately adds: Right there. It's like digging for treasure. 7. They increase when the end is near. “For all those who seek to dig up treasures, when they have to dig deeper, are more inflamed by the work ahead, since the more they believe that they are approaching the hidden treasure, the more diligently they work at the excavations. So, those who strive for their complete mortification are similar to those who, digging, are looking for treasure; because the closer they get to the goal, the more ardent they become in their work. Consequently, they do not get tired of work, but acquire the skill of work; since they already see the approaching reward, and therefore they work hard, receiving more and more pleasure from work. Therefore, Paul said well to some treasure seekers: “Let us not forsake meeting ourselves together, as is the custom of some, but let us comfort one another, and all the more as you see that day approaching” (Heb. 10:25). Of course, consoling the worker is the same as being diligent in work, because relief for the worker is the vision of the one working together. Likewise, a traveler on the road, connecting with someone, although the road does not decrease, but, nevertheless, the work of the path is made easier by the complicity of his comrades. Therefore, Paul, when he wanted them to console themselves in their labors, added, “All the more, as you see the day approaching.” As if he said: “Labor increases because we are already approaching the reward for labor,” this is if you openly say: “Are you looking for treasures? But you must dig the more diligently the closer you get to the gold you are looking for.” 8. Dead to the world, they hide from everything earthly within themselves. – This place where it says: “They are looking for death, and it does not come, as if they were digging for treasure,” can be understood differently. Since we cannot die completely to the world if we do not hide from what is visible in the invisibility of our mind, those who strive to mortify themselves are rightly compared to those who dig for treasure. For we die to the world through invisible wisdom, of which it is said through Solomon: “If you seek it as money, and dig up for it as treasure” (Prov. 2:4) 52. For wisdom does not lie on the surface, but is hidden in the invisible. And then we approach wisdom when we leave the visible and hide in the invisible, if we seek the invisible, digging in the heart, in order to drive away from ourselves with the hand of holy prudence everything earthly that the mind thinks about, and to recognize the treasure of virtue that is hidden in us. For it is easy to find the treasure that is within us if we drive away from ourselves the burden of earthly thoughts that lead us to evil. Since he speaks of seeking death as a treasure, he rightly adds: Verse 22. They would have rejoiced beyond delight when they found the coffin. 9 . Divine contemplation is a tomb in which the mind, having died, finds peace from the world. – For just as a tomb is a place in which the body is hidden, so Divine contemplation is a kind of tomb of the mind in which the soul is hidden. For we seem to still live for the world when our mind wanders beyond its boundaries, but we die and hide in the tomb, when, outwardly mortified, we take refuge in secret inner contemplation. So holy men do not cease to mortify themselves, with the sword of holy words, from daring temporary desires, from disorderly disastrous worries and the cry of deafening shocks, and thus hide themselves inside, in the depths of the mind, before the face of God. Therefore, it is well said through the Psalmist: “You hide them under the cover of Your face from the bickering of people” (Ps. 30:21). Although this is achieved completely later, now it is achieved to a significant extent when they break free with pleasure from the confusion of temporary desires to internal ones, so that their whole mind strives for the love of God and is not overwhelmed by any useless worries. So Paul, through contemplation, saw as if dead and hidden in a tomb those disciples to whom he said: “For you are dead and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:4). So, he who seeks death rejoices when he finds a grave, since he strives to mortify himself, and rejoices greatly when he finds peace of contemplation, and, having died to the world, he can be hidden within in the bosom of love from all disorderly external phenomena. 10. The dead were once buried with wealth. – If you add the discovery of a grave to what is said about digging up treasure, you should understand that the ancients buried their dead with wealth. So, he who seeks a treasure rejoices when he finds a tomb, just as when we turn the pages of Holy Scripture, when we examine the examples of predecessors, seeking wisdom, we seem to receive joy from the tomb, because we find wealth of mind in the dead: since those who were completely dead to this world found peace in the mystery with wealth. Consequently, the one who, by the examples of the righteous, rises to the virtue of contemplation, becomes rich in the tomb. But when he says: “Why was light given to the sufferer?” , he anticipates learning this and goes deeper, saying: Verse 23. To the man whose way is hidden, and whom God has surrounded with darkness 53 . 11. He who does the right thing does not know whether he will continue to follow this path. – For a person’s path is hidden from him, even if he sees that everything is good in this life (for him), he still does not know the goal to which he strives. Even if he is already looking for heavenly things, and strives towards them with all his desires, he, however, still has no confidence whether he will remain in these desires. For by leaving behind sins we are directed towards godliness; and we know what we are leaving, but we do not know what we will achieve. We know what we were like yesterday, but we don’t know what awaits us tomorrow. So, a person’s path is hidden from him, since, while walking along the path, he, however, cannot foresee what final result he will come to. 12. God does not condemn anyone who does not know or reflect on what is right. - There is another concealment of our path; sometimes we do not know whether what we believe in will be justified in the test of the Strict Judge, for often, as we said, our deed is the cause of condemnation, and is considered to be success in virtue. They often think to appease the Judge, but provoke the Peace-loving One to anger; Solomon testified to this when he said, “There is a way that seems right to a man; but it finally brings him to death” 54 ( Prov. 14:12 ). Therefore, holy men, when they conquer evil, fear even the good they have done, so that at a time when they do not strive to do good, they would not be deceived by the imagination of deeds, and so that the destructive ulcer of rottenness could not hide under the guise of good delusion. For they know that they are still burdened with the burden of corruption and cannot accurately discern good; and when they come before the eyes of the final test, they fear for what they sometimes approved of in themselves. Although they desire the inner with all their minds, they are still worried with uncertainty about their affairs and do not know where they are going. So after it is said: “Why was light given to the sufferer?” , it is well added: “To a man whose way is hidden from him.” It is as if to say: “Why does one who does not know how the Judge will evaluate the path of his life that he is pursuing, receive success in this life?” And he adds well: “And God surrounded him with darkness.” Since man is surrounded by darkness, although he burns with desire for heavenly things, he does not know his own inner disposition. He is very afraid that something will confront him at the trial, something now hidden from him in the fervor of his desire for good. Man is surrounded by darkness because he is shrouded in the fog of his own ignorance. Isn’t he surrounded by darkness if he often forgets the past, does not know the future, and barely knows the present? The wise man saw himself surrounded by darkness when he said: “We understand with difficulty what is under our hands and what is in heaven—who has searched”? (Wis. 9:16). The Prophet saw himself surrounded by darkness when he could not penetrate into the inner disposition, saying: “And he made darkness his covering” (Ps. 17:12). For our Creator, since He cast us into this exile, hid His light from vision, hid Himself from our eyes as if in a dark shelter. 13. What is the reason for the crying of the saints? - Of course, when we diligently explore the darkness of our blindness, we excite the mind to cry. If he humbly remembers that he is deprived of light in the depths, then he mourns the blindness to which he is exposed externally. When he sees the blindness with which he is surrounded, he hurts himself with a fiery desire for the inner radiance and strikes himself with all the strength of zeal, and seeks the heavenly light, which he has lost by moving away from the Creator. It often happens that in this reverent lament the radiance of inner joy suddenly flares up and the mind, which previously lay in blindness, is kindled, revived by sighs, to the contemplation of the inner radiance. Therefore it is good to say further: Verse 24 Before I eat, I sigh. 14. The joy of contemplation often gives rise to tears. “For indeed, for the soul to eat means to be nourished by the contemplation of heavenly light. She sighs before she eats, because at first she is exhausted by the sighs of torment, and later she is satisfied with the renewal of contemplation. If she does not sigh, then she does not eat, because whoever does not humble himself in this exile through crying until he desires heavenly things will not know the joys of the eternal fatherland. Those who rejoice in poverty on this pilgrimage abstain from the food of truth. The one who eats sighs because he is touched by the love of truth and is nourished by the renewal of contemplation. Sighing, the Prophet ate when he said: “My tears were bread to me” (Ps. 14:4). For the soul is nourished by crying, when, weeping, it rises to heavenly joys, but inside it experiences the sorrow of its suffering, but it accepts the food of renewal, because the power of love flows through tears. Therefore, blessed Job, at the same time with the force of tears, also adds the following: Right there. And my cries are like rushing waters 55. 15. For what reason do saints cry and tremble? – When the waters flood, when they rise with a gust, they are strengthened by various bends and spill in all directions. While the elect represent the Divine judgment with the eyes of their minds, they tremble at what is hidden regarding their verdict; Hoping that they can go to God, they are, however, afraid that they may not reach Him. When they think about their past (deeds), mourning them, they are still afraid, because they do not know what awaits them in the future. They seem to gather streams of water towards themselves, which overflow in a cry of sorrow, as if approaching the shore. Consequently, the holy man sees how great the streams of thoughts are in tears of repentance and he calls these waves of sorrow rushing waters, saying: “And my cries are like rushing waters.” But sometimes the true righteous, as we said a little earlier, tremble when considering their good deeds, and indulge in uncontrollable crying because they think that they can cause dissatisfaction with some hidden mistake. When divine blows suddenly befall them, they suspect that they have offended their Creator in some way by not elevating deeds of piety to serving their neighbors, either because of weakness or sorrow. The heart turns to weeping as the body is held back from fulfilling its vow of service. And when they see that their reward does not increase, they are afraid that their accomplished deeds will not cause discontent. Therefore, blessed Job, when he says that his groans are like rushing waters, immediately adds: Verse 25. For the terrible thing that I was afraid of has come upon me, and the thing that I feared has come to me. 16. How much one should fear God's judgment. - So, the righteous are overwhelmed with fear and cry and torture themselves with great crying, because they are afraid of being abandoned; No matter how much they rejoice at their correction, however, this correction confuses their worried mind, so that the evil they endure becomes a merciful blow of instruction, and not a punishment of just vengeance. Contemplating this, the Psalmist says well: “Who knows the power of Your anger” (Ps. 89:11). Of course, the power of Divine wrath cannot be grasped by our minds, because His economy darkens our disposition, and often we think that He has abandoned us when He receives us; and when we believe that He accepts us, then He leaves us. And it often happens that what is considered anger turns out to be grace, and what is sometimes considered grace is anger. Some strikes correct, but some lead to a frenzy of resistance; and others are deceived by prosperity and diverted from madness; others are weakened because they are completely removed from the hope of any conversion. All vices lead to depths, but some return to them more easily in order to fall into even more shameful ones. And virtues always lead to heaven, but sometimes some imagine virtue as a matter of pride and through this they leave the path of ascension. So, since the power of Divine wrath is completely unknowable, one should be afraid in everything without interruption. Verse 26. Have I not hidden? Wasn't I quiet? Didn't I remain calm? 56 17. Those with power usually sin in thought, word, and deed. – Although we sin in thought, word and deed wherever we find ourselves, however, through these three the spirit is then irresistibly carried away when it is supported by the well-being of this world. For when he sees that his power surpasses others, then, reflecting, he proudly thinks about himself. And when no one resists the power of the voice, the tongue becomes more loose due to willfulness. And when he wants to do what he likes, he rightly believes that he is allowed to do whatever he wants. But when holy men are supported by the power of this world, they (subject) the mind to even greater education, since they know that they can more easily be convinced (to do) what is impermissible due to intemperance in power. They keep their hearts from contemplating their glory, their tongues from immoderate speech, their actions from restless wandering. For often those who have power are deprived of what they do justly, because they think proudly; when they believe that they are useful to everyone, they lose for themselves the great benefit of reward. For if someone’s deeds become more worthy, it is necessary that they always seem unworthy to him, so that these good deeds do not elevate the heart of the doer and, through exaltation, do not overthrow the doer to pride and do not harm him more than they help. For this is why the king of Babylon was turned into a foolish animal when he was secretly overwhelmed by an arrogant mind, saying: “Is this not Babylon that I have built”? (Dan.4:27). He ruined what was done because he did not want to humbly hide what he had done. And because he exalted himself in the pride of his mind above people, he lost the human mind that he had, just like all people. Often those who have power burst out with dishonor on their subordinates, and through the insolence of the tongue lose those who vigilantly served the government; they evaluate words without fear of the Judge, because whoever speaks absurdly to a brother without reason condemns himself to the fires of Gehenna (Matthew 5:22). Often those who have power, because they do not know how to restrain themselves in what is permitted, perish from illegal and restless deeds. For the only one who does not fall into unlawful (deeds) is the one who sometimes restrains himself from doing what is permissible. So Paul clearly showed that he limits himself in this way, saying: “Everything is lawful for me, but not everything is profitable” (1 Cor. 6:12). And in order to show and explain from this limitation how great the freedom of the mind is, he immediately adds: “Everything is permissible for me, but nothing should possess me” (ibid., 12). For when the mind is pursued by preconceived desires, it is forced to be a slave to those things by love of which it is conquered. But Paul, to whom everything is permitted, does not submit himself to any power, for in order to limit himself even from those who are permissible, who, while delighting, would squeeze him, he despises and defeats them. 18. How Job lived. - So, blessed Job, in order to inform us of how powerful he was, declares, saying: “Did I not hide”? For when we have power, we must reflect on the good and it must be invisible, since it can lead to arrogance; for the one who uses it to bring benefit must know what he can (do), but he must not know, so as not to become arrogant. Blessed Job in his speech shows what he really was like, and adds, saying: “Was I not quiet”? Showing what he was like, in relation to illegal deeds he also adds: “Didn’t I remain calm”? Silence and calm can be explored more thoroughly. For indeed, silence is the limitation of the mind from the voice of earthly desires. The power of great noise is confusion of the heart. 19. Those who are in charge, overwhelmed by temporary worries, in order to serve God, must move away from them. – Those who, in their power, place the noise of earthly affairs lower in relation to divine love, so as not to continually engage in low (deeds), and so that the heart does not completely fall away from the highest, rest in the same way. They know that the mind does not rise to the heavenly at all if it is constantly caught up in the disturbances of worries. For in order for a busy mind to reach God, even when free from worries, it must work to comprehend something. Well through the Psalmist it is said: “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 45:11); for whoever does not care to serve God hides the light of His vision from himself with his own judgment. Therefore, Moses says that fish that do not have feathers (scales) should not be eaten (Leviticus 11:12,13). Fish that have feathers tend to jump above the water. Only they alone pass like food into the bodies of the elect, and they (the saints), although they serve the low, know how to rise with leaps of the mind to the heavenly, so as not to remain forever in the abyss of worries, where the breath of the highest love, like a free wind, will never touch them. Consequently, those who are absorbed in temporary things then arrange the external well when they carefully strive for the internal; when they do not in any way like the noise of unrest, but find peace within themselves in the bosom of serenity. 20. How evil minds are overwhelmed by passions on all sides. How pious. – For evil minds do not cease to torment themselves, even when they are idle. For in their thoughts they are attentive to the images of those they love, and although outwardly they do nothing, inwardly they nevertheless work diligently under the burden of anxious peace. If control of things is sent to them, they completely surrender to it, and the temporary haunts them at every step, in all their thoughts. Pious minds do not strive for this when it is not there, and have a hard time enduring it when it is present, because they are afraid to go beyond themselves through external worries. This is well depicted by the life of the two brothers, about whom it is written: “And Esau became a man skilled in hunting, a man of the fields; And Jacob is meek, dwelling in tents” (Gen. 25:27, et seq.). Or as another translation says: “lived at home.” What is represented by the hunting of Esau, if not the life of those who follow the stream of external pleasures of the flesh? He is depicted as a farmer, because the lovers of this world cultivate the external ones as much as they leave their internal ones uncultivated. It is said that Jacob was a humble man, living in tents or in a house. Because without a doubt those who avoid being distracted by external worries become humble in thoughts and also dwell in their conscience. For to live in tents or in a house means to limit oneself to the secrets of the mind, and in no way to be dissipated through desire for external things, so as not to crave much outside and not to deviate from one’s own thoughts. So, the honest husband, burdened with prosperity, says: “Didn’t I hide it? Wasn't I quiet? Didn’t I remain calm?” . For, as we said above, holy men, when fleeting happiness favors them, ignore the light of the world, as if ignorant, and with bold steps trample on the external, which brings them further from the internal. They keep silence, since they do not (allow) any cry of evil deed to make loud noise. For all severity has its voice in the secret judgments of God. Therefore it is written: “The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great” (Gen. 18:20). They are truly at peace when they are not only not attacked by any earthly, temporary raging passions, but also avoid being overly absorbed by the necessary concerns of this life. 21. Why are the righteous continually attacked? “But in doing this, they still feel their father’s lashes, so that they become as much more worthy of the inheritance as he daily, as duty requires, by punishing them, cleanses them of even minor mistakes. They continuously perform righteous (deeds), but constantly endure severe (punishments), because often this our righteousness, brought to the test of Divine justice, turns out to be injustice, and turns out to be insignificant in the severity of the Judge, although it sparkled in the assessment of the doer. Therefore, Paul says: “For although I know nothing about myself,” he further adds: “Nevertheless I am not justified by this” (1 Cor. 4:4). Then, going deeper, he, indicating the reason why he does not become justified, says: “He who judges me is the Lord.” This is if you say: “Therefore I deny that the fact that I do not know anything about myself does not justify me, that I know that I will be more carefully tested by the One who will judge me.” Consequently, the external ones that are favorable must be ignored, those that make noise within must be restrained, and those that carry along with them as supposedly necessary must be rejected. And, however, with all this, we still must be afraid of the lashes of a strict test, because this improvement of ours does not happen without guilt (culpa), even if the Strict Judge rewards mercifully during a thorough test. 22. If the righteous endure so much, then what punishments await the unrighteous? - It’s good to add: “Misfortune has befallen.” Of course, with the art of great teaching, he who intends to talk about his punishments first mentions his good deeds, so that everyone can understand what awaits sinners in the future, if even the righteous are subjected to such strong blows here. For this is why Peter says: “It is time for judgment to begin at the house of God. And if the righteous can hardly be saved, then where will the dishonest and sinner appear? (1 Peter 4:17,18). So Paul, when he said many things in praise of the Thessalonians, further added: “So that we ourselves may boast about you in the churches of God, about your patience and perseverance, in all your sufferings and sorrows that you endure, as proof that there will be a righteous judgment of God” (2 Thess. 1:4). What if we say: “While you do such righteous (deeds), and, despite this, endure such cruel (punishments), what are you doing that is giving examples of the just judgment of God”? So from your punishment (poena) you should conclude how He strikes those with whom He is angry, if He subjects you to such suffering in which He rejoices; or how He will strike those whom He justly condemns, even if He tortures you in this way, whom He caresses without doubting piety. 23. The intention of Job's friends was pious, but their speech was rash. What were they supposed to do themselves? - So the first speech of blessed Job is over, the friends who came to console him out of pity use themselves to reproach him in turn; while they rush with words of rebuke, they abandon the goal of compassion for which they come. They do this not from bad intentions, but although they show love for the victim, they consider him to be the victim of only excessive severity; since their good intentions are accompanied by suspicious conversation, the intention of pity turns into the guilt of a crime. They had to balance who they spoke to and when. Of course, the one to whom they arrived was righteous and subject to the blows of God. Therefore, they should have understood and carefully examined his words based on the previous deeds of his life; and they should not have reproached him because of the real blows; but they fear for their lives. They were not to arouse the suffering righteous man against themselves by false reasoning, but were to join him in weeping and in no way show their wisdom in words, but let the tongue of consolation speak justly. And even if they perhaps felt the opposite, that is, that he was truly worthy, they should have spoken meekly, and not increased the wounds of the sufferer through immoderate words. 24. Often the worst do not like the words or deeds of the best. – For often the deeds and words of the best are not liked by the worst, because they cannot understand them: but because they cannot be truly understood, they should not be thoughtlessly condemned. Often something is done intelligently by the best, but the worst consider it a mistake. Many things are often said by the strong that are condemned by the weak because they do not understand it. This is well illustrated by the resisting bulls with which the ark of the covenant was tilted, after which the Levite, believing that it would fall, wanted to set it upright, but soon suffered the punishment of death (2 Samuel 6:7). For what is the mind of the righteous if not the Ark of the Covenant? This ark, which was carried by resisting oxen, tilts, because sometimes, even one who is a good commander, (when he sees) the subject peoples in unrest, is alarmed and, out of love alone, is inclined to govern with leniency. But in the fact that this happens in management, tilting the force is considered an inexperienced fall. Therefore, some who are inspired against this stretch out the hand of censure and, because of their frivolity, lose their lives. Consequently, the Levite, as if helping, extended his hand, but, having offended, lost his life, because while the weak condemn the deeds of the strong, they are rejected from participating in life. Sometimes holy men speak to the lesser out of condescension, and sometimes they actually open the highest to consideration; while the foolish know neither their strength, nor their forbearance, nor their greatness, they boldly reproach them. And what does it mean to want to distract the righteous from his indulgence, if not to support the tilted ark with the proud hand of censure? What does it mean to reproach a righteous person for speaking incomprehensibly, except to count the manifestation of strength as the fall of error? But he who arrogantly supports the Ark of God loses his life, because none of the saints in any way tries to correct what is right unless he has first tested himself. So the Levite is rightly called Uzzah, for this is translated as “mighty of the Lord.” Because the arrogant believe that they are strong in God (if not courageous in mind) and consider the actions or words of the best to be a sign of weakness. So, Job’s friends, while opposing him, supposedly defending God, in their pride violate the rules commanded by God. 25. If you don’t like something in these matters, you should not remain silent, but you should speak with great humility. – Indeed, when the deeds of the best displease the worst, this in no way disturbs the mind, which, revealing great humility, should not be kept silent. The speaker's pious intention truly conforms to the pattern of justice when it follows the path of humility. And, therefore, what we feel must be expressed freely, and what we say must be expressed humbly, so that the right thing we strive for does not turn into wrong because of arrogant expression. Paul said many things humbly to his hearers, but he took care with this approval of humility to pacify them even more humbly, saying: “I beseech you, brethren, accept this word of exhortation; But I have not written much to you” (Heb. 13:22). Saying goodbye to the saddened and groaning Ephesians in Miletus, he remembers his humility, saying: “Watch therefore, remembering that for three years I taught each of you day and night without ceasing” (Acts 20:31). In his letter to the same Ephesians, he says: “I therefore, a prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Eph. 4:1). Therefore, for this reason, the conclusion is drawn that if the teacher of the nations himself, preaching with authority, so meekly questions the disciples, then with how great humility should the student speak to the teacher, even if he thinks something correctly. From here everyone sees how to humbly say that he well understands those from whom he received examples of good living, if Paul placed himself with this word lower than those whom he himself called into life. 26. Not knowing how to speak humbly, Eliphaz neglects the rules of consolation. - Eliphaz, who speaks first of his friends, although he came to console out of pity, abandons meekness of speech, forgets the rules of consolation. While he forgets to keep the words, he goes so far as to reproach the unfortunate, saying: “The tiger perishes because it has no prey, the roar of the lion and the voice of the lioness, and the teeth of the lion’s cubs are scattered” (Job 4:11). By denoting blessed Job by the name of the tiger, he seems to indicate the vice of inconstancy; with the roar of a lion he denotes the fear of this husband, with the voice of a lioness - the talkativeness of his wife, and the scattering of the teeth of the lion's cubs - the wasteful gluttony of the children. Therefore, it is good that Divine judgment condemns the reasoning of friends who raised arrogant attacks, saying: “You have not spoken of Me so truly as My servant Job” (Job 42:7). 27. The judgments of Job's friends are ultimately condemned by God and used by Paul. “But I think we must ask why Paul uses their judgments with such insistence, if they are subject to the censure of the judgments of God?” After all, the words that he addresses to the Corinthians are the words of Eliphaz, as it is written: “I will entice the wise into their wickedness” 57 (1 Cor. 3:19; Job 5:13). Therefore, how can we not accept them as if they were wrong, if Paul proves them with authority? Or how can we consider them correct according to the testimony of Paul, if the Lord Himself determined them to be incorrect? But we can easily understand that both do not contradict each other if we examine the words of the Lord more carefully. So, undoubtedly, when he said: “You have not spoken so truly about Me,” he immediately added: “Just like My servant Job.” Therefore, it is obvious that some of their words are true, but in comparison with the best it is refuted. Truly, among others, which they speak unreasonably, they offer blessed Job many bold judgments, but in comparison with bolder words, their words lose the power of fearlessness. But on the other hand, much of what they say is surprising, if it were not said in hostility to the holy man. So, they are great in themselves, but since they seek to offend a righteous man, they lose the meaning of their greatness; and thus they throw the spear without a base, and it is thrown in vain to strike a solid rock, since, being blunted, it rebounds away and pierces the one by whom it was thrown. So, the words of Job’s friends, although in themselves are very strong, but, however, when they hurt the worthy life of the holy man, they dull all (mueronem) 58 sharpness. Consequently, since they were great in themselves, but in no way considered it necessary to oppose the blessed Job, Paul could use them with authority, appreciating their virtue. But the Judge condemns them, believing that they were said carelessly due to the nature of nature. 28. They are like heretics in that they have some that are correct and others that are incorrect. - But since we previously said that the friends of blessed Job adhere to the view of heretics, now we carefully trace how their words resemble the words of heretics. Indeed, some of them are quite correct, but the wrong ones slip between them. Likewise, heretics have this difference. To more easily seduce the listener's feelings, they mix good with evil. For if they always spoke evil, they would soon be convicted of their depravity, and would not seduce anyone at all, and would not achieve what they desired. On the contrary, if they always spoke correctly, they, of course, would not be heretics. But since they use both types in the art of seduction, they infect good with evil and, in order to make evil acceptable, they hide it under the guise of good. So one who wants to poison, holding out a cup of poison, smears the edge of the cup with the sweetness of honey, and at the first touch this sweetness of honey is felt, but it undoubtedly brings death to the one who consumes. So, heretics mix right with wrong in order to attract listeners to themselves by demonstrating imaginary good and by supporting evil to seduce them with hidden infection. But sometimes, however, corrected by the preaching and exhortation of the Holy Church, they save their consciousness from this contradiction. So Job’s friends offer a sacrifice of reconciliation through the hands of a holy man and are again called to the glory of the Supreme Judge. They are well indicated in the Gospel by the cleansing of ten lepers (Luke 17:15). For on a leper, one part of the skin becomes radiant, while the other part retains a healthy color. So, lepers represent heretics, because while they confuse right with wrong, they stain the healthy color. Therefore, in order to be saved, they shout well: “Jesus the Master.” For in these words they show themselves to be lost, and humbly call Him the teacher of salvation; and when they come to know the Teacher, the beauty of health immediately returns to them. But since in the preface we said little about the speeches of friends, then we will consider their words exactly. Next: Chapter 4. Verses 1, 2. And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: If we try to tell you, perhaps you will take it hard. 29. The words of heretics are at first gentle, then harsh. – We have already said what the translations of these names mean 59. Therefore, since we are in a hurry to achieve new things, we will not repeat what has already been stated. So, it should be noted that those who have the appearance of heretics begin to speak softly: “If we try to tell you, perhaps you will take it hard” 60. At the beginning of their speech, heretics are afraid to irritate their listeners; out of fear of those listening attentively, they avoid insults in order to take advantage of their negligence. And what they say at the beginning is almost always flattering, but what they add later is harsh. So now Job’s friends begin with meek and respectful speech, but soon move on to hurling bitter insults; so the roots of thorns are soft, but from this softness they give rise to those who hurt 61 . Next: Verse 2. But who can keep his intended word? 30. Some conceive evil words and express them, others, having planned them, restrain them, others do not even plan them. – There are three kinds of people who differ from each other to varying degrees in traits and properties. There are some who use evil words in speech and are not restrained from anger by any silence. And there are some who plot evil (words), but limit themselves to haughty silence. And there are some who are strengthened by the exercise of virtue and reach that height at which they do not have bad (words) even in their hearts, in order to curb them with silence. So it becomes clear which category Eliphaz belongs to. This is confirmed by the fact that he cannot keep his word. In this way he makes it clear that he knows that he intends his speech to cause insult. For he would like to hold back words that he could not stop if he did not foresee the wounds they would cause. For good men curb the flow of words with a bridle of reasoning, and carefully consider them, not giving free rein to the tongue, so as not to offend the conscience of the listeners with careless speech. Therefore, it is well said by Solomon: “Whoever lets out water is the source of 62 quarrels” (Prov. 17:14) 63. Of course, the waters are released when the flow of the tongue is given free rein 64 . And the one who releases water becomes a source of quarrel, for through the intemperance of the tongue the beginning of discord is established. So, evil men are both light in thought and swift in speech, and do not bother to be silent and think about what they say. But what a frivolous conscience conceives is immediately proclaimed by an even more frivolous tongue. Therefore now Eliphaz draws conclusions from his experience, and speaks hopelessly about everyone, saying: “But who can keep his intended word?” Next: Verses 3, 4. Behold, you have taught many and supported weary hands, your words have strengthened the fallen, and you have strengthened the trembling knees. 31. Job was so great that he who is about to reproach cannot remain silent and not praise him. – If a historical text is examined, the reader receives great benefit from the fact that quarreling friends, accusing blessed Job of shortcomings, reveal his virtues. For sometimes there is no stronger evidence of life than when one who intends to pronounce a reproach pronounces praise. But we consider the height that this man has reached, teaching the inexperienced, strengthening the weary, strengthening the wavering, amid the cares of home, amid the worries about children, amid the efforts of so many labors, he devotes himself to the instruction of others. Busy with all this, he suffered, but nevertheless voluntarily performed the duties of a teacher. He managed the temporary; preached the eternal; By his deeds he showed the righteousness of life to those who watched, and with his words he confirmed it to those who listened. But heretics, or any other evil people, when they notice the good of the righteous, turn it into a subject of criticism. So Eliphaz, praising Job, turns the praise into a reason for attacks against him. Following: Verse 5. But now trouble has come upon you, and you are faint; touched you and you lost heart. 32. The evil ones attack the lives of the good ones in two ways. – The evil ones attack the lives of the good ones in two ways. They slander that they either say something wrong or that they do not keep what they said. Therefore, blessed Job is later accused by his friends of what he says, but now he is scolded because what he said was true, but he did not keep it. Consequently, the unrighteous are condemned now by speech, now by deed, until the tongue of reproach is silenced, and life, condemned by the testimony of the same tongue, is forced to crime. It should be noted that at first they praise his speech, and then complain about the weakness of his life. So evil people, in order not to appear bad in public, sometimes speak good things about the righteous. But as we said, they immediately add this same good to many accusations and show that one should believe them on the basis of what they called prosperous. They present evil as something true as much as they, as if devotees, praised good. Consequently, they use the voices of benevolence in order to serve condemnation, and wound the lives of the just, while just a short time before they were pretending to protect. Often they at first despise their acquired good, but later, when it perishes, they are perplexed. Therefore, Eliphaz lists the virtues of the holy man, since he recognizes (them) as lost, and adds, saying: Verse 6. Where is your fear, your strength, your patience, and the perfection of your ways. 33. Four degrees of virtue. - He adds all this to the judgment, after he prefaces it by saying: “And now disaster has come upon you, and you are exhausted; touched you, and you lost heart." Consequently, he claims that everything that blessed Job had perished at the same time, and he condemns him for being confused by the blows. But it should be noted that although he condemns it inappropriately, he nevertheless speaks of virtue in the appropriate manner. He enumerates the virtues, and divides the life of blessed Job into four stages, combining strength with fear, patience with strength, and perfection with patience. Thus, the path to God begins with fear, but (then) fearlessness is achieved. Indeed, just as boldness on the path of the world gives rise to fearlessness, so boldness on the path to God gives rise to powerlessness; and just as fear on the path of the world gives rise to powerlessness, so fear on the path to God gives birth to fearlessness, so Solomon testifies, saying: “In the fear of the Lord is the hope of fearlessness” (Prov. 14:26) 65. For it is said that hope lies in the fear of God, because our mind comprehends the horrors of temporary things so much more powerfully than in these temporary things it submits itself to the Creator through fear. When he is established in the fear of God, he sees that he fears nothing outside, because while he unites with the Creator of all with rational fear, he rises above all by His power. Fearlessness is revealed only in adversity, and therefore patience is added immediately after fearlessness. Everyone demonstrates that he has achieved fearlessness to the extent that he endures the evil of others more steadfastly. For he who corrects the imperfections of others corrects himself less. Anyone who is unable to tolerate contradiction perishes, wounded by the sword of his own cowardice. Since perfection is born from patience, the perfection of (its) ways is added immediately after patience. For whoever can endure the imperfections of others is truly perfect. For the one who cannot tolerate the imperfection of others is a witness to himself that he has not yet achieved perfection. Therefore, in the Gospel the Truth says: “In your patience take possession of your souls” (Luke 21:19). For what does it mean to possess souls if not to live perfectly in everything, and to control all the movements of the mind out of strong virtue? Thus, the one who has patience has a soul, because he becomes strong in the face of adversity, restraining himself, he dominates himself. He who laudably subdues himself bravely reveals himself unbroken, because when he overcomes himself in his passions, he prepares himself to meet the unconquered. But since Eliphaz rebuked with insult, now, as if for encouragement, he adds, saying: Verse 7. Remember, did any innocent perish? Or where have the righteous been exterminated? 34. Often the innocent and righteous are tested and eradicated here. - Whether heretics, which, as we said, are the appearance of Job’s friends, or any bad (people), they expose as erratically as they encourage reproachably. For it is true what he says: “Has any innocent perished? Or where have the righteous been eradicated? For often here the innocent perish, and the righteous are completely uprooted, but, nevertheless, they, perishing, are preserved for eternal glory. For if no innocent perished, the Prophet would not have said: “The righteous perish, and no one considers (about it)” (Is. 57:1) 66. If God, because of foreknowledge, had not devoured the righteous, Wisdom would not have said about the righteous: “He is caught, lest evil change his mind” (Wisdom 4:11). If no just punishment were to befall, Peter would not have foreshadowed when he said: “The time is now for judgment to begin at the house of God” (1 Pet. 4:17). So, the truly righteous are those who, out of love for the heavenly fatherland, are ready to face all the disasters of real life. Those who are afraid to endure here for eternal blessings are obviously unrighteous. But Eliphaz does not believe that the righteous are uprooted or the innocent perish here because often those who serve God not for the hope of eternal blessings, but for an earthly reward, arrange for themselves what they strive for. And when they, being proud, proclaim earthly serenity, with all their deeds they show what they love. Next: Verses 8, 9. As I have seen, they cultivate wickedness, and sow grief, and reap it; they perish at the breath of God, and perish by the spirit of His wrath. 35. They sow sorrow and reap. Why God sometimes tolerates the evil, sometimes amazes. – To sow sadness means to speak a lie, to reap sadness means that what is said prevails. There is no doubt that those who do evil sow sorrow; reap sorrows when they are punished for this corruption. After all, the fruit of sorrow is the condemnation of the curse. But when it is immediately added that those who sow sorrows perish by the breath of God, and are destroyed by the spirit of His wrath, it is revealed that in this place the harvest of sorrow is not a punishment, but still the fulfillment of severity, since it is complemented by the punishment of destruction from the Spirit of God. Therefore, they sow sorrows and reap them here, because what they do is wickedness, and they prosper in this wickedness; The Psalmist also says about injustice: “His ways are defiled at all times; Your judgments are removed from his presence; he will rule over all his enemies” (Ps. 10:5). About this a little later it is added: “Under his tongue are burdens and suffering” (ibid., 7). Thus he sows sorrow when he does injustice; reaps sorrows when he grows stronger in his depravity. Therefore, how do those who are allowed to stay here for a long time more happily than justly perish from the breath of God? The Psalmist speaks about them again: “They are not in human work and are not subject to blows with (other) people” (Ps. 72:5). For this reason, Jeremiah says: “Why is the way of the wicked prosperous” (Jer. 12:1). For because it is written: “God is patient in retribution” (Sirach.5:4) 67, He often tolerates those whom He condemns forever, but sometimes, on the contrary, He quickly strikes when He resorts to this to console the cowardice of the innocent. Therefore, sometimes Almighty God allows the unjust to prosper for a long time so that the life of the righteous can be completely purified. So if now He struck down everyone who does evil, on whom would He then execute the final, highest judgment? But if He did not strike anyone at all, who would believe that God cares about human affairs? Therefore, sometimes He punishes the unjust to show that He does not leave evil unpunished. Sometimes, on the contrary, He endures evil for a long time in order to show those who contemplate the judgment for which He destined them. 36. When the judgment concerning the destruction of the wicked true and when false. - So, if this discussion about the extermination of the unjust does not speak about the extermination of everyone in general at the end of this century, then for the most part, without a doubt, it is deprived of the force of truth. But then it will be true when there is no longer a reprieve for injustice. This may be a more accurate way to understand that the innocent do not perish, and the just are not destroyed, because even if their flesh is exhausted, then before the gaze of the Eternal Judge it is restored to true well-being. And those who sow and reap sorrows perish by the breath of God; because the more they succeed here in depraved acts, so severely are they struck by the subsequent condemnation. But when he prefaces this judgment by (saying): “Remember,” it is clear that he remembers and makes explicit the past matter, but does not announce the future. Consequently, Eliphaz would have spoken more truly if he had believed that the unjust in general would be crushed at the final punishment. 37. Breathe is said to apply to when God takes vengeance. Then He Who is quiet in Himself perishing appears excited. – But what is signified by the breath of God must be examined more carefully. For when we breathe, we draw in the air from the outside into the inside, and we exhale the outside that was drawn in. Consequently, the breath of God signifies the retribution of vengeance, because He forms within Himself a council of judgment from external causes, and from an internal plan sends out judgment. God seems to breathe when he sees our external evil, and inside he arranges its condemnation. And again the spirit is sent out from within, like the breath of God, when He plots counsel within, and brings out the condemnation of damnation. It is so well said that those who sow sorrows are destroyed by the breath of God, since they do evil without, and therefore they are justly smitten within. Of course, when it is said that God breathes, and the spirit of His wrath is immediately added, then this very punishment can be designated by the name of His breath. For when we are angry, we are inflamed with the breath of rage. Therefore, to show God's thoughts of vengeance, He is said to breathe wrath; but this does not mean that He undergoes an alternation of inconstancy in His nature, but because of long-suffering, when punishment befalls the sinner, He, Who is in Himself peaceful, appears agitated by those who are perishing. The vicious mind, seeing the Judge hostile to his affairs, thinks that He is furious, because he is embarrassed before His gaze because of his guilt. But Eliphaz, after supposedly meekly admonishing him, openly adds words of reproach, saying: Verse 10. The roar of the lion, and the voice of the lioness, and the teeth of the lion's cubs are crushed 68 . 38. Eliphaz's words to Job are cruel. – For what is the roar of a lion, if, as we said a little earlier, not the severity of a man? What is the voice of a lioness if not the talkativeness of a wife? What do lion cubs call teeth, if not the gluttony of the offspring? For the fact that the children who feasted together died is indicated by the expression about teeth. The cruel Eliphaz, while everything is crushed, rejoices, as if making it clear that they were justly condemned. The harshness of his reproaches doubles when he adds: Verse 11. The tiger perishes without prey, and the lion's cubs are scattered 69. 39. The colors and swiftness of the tiger appropriately signify hypocrites. - For what does the name of the tiger mean, if not the inconstancy of blessed Job, or the fact that he is covered with spots of hypocrisy? For every hypocrite tries to appear fair, but cannot show himself pure in everything and everywhere; because while through hypocrisy he shows some virtues and secretly submits to vices, suddenly some hidden vices break out, and by revealing hypocrisy, like the image of a peel, they reveal their diversity from their confusion. It is mostly surprising that a man who is distinguished by such great virtues should still be tainted by such vicious acts? But, without a doubt, every hypocrite is a tiger, because while pure color comes from hypocrisy, it is colored by the blackness of vices. Often, while he is praised for the purity of selflessness, he is defiled by the baseness of greed. Often, while he exhibits the beautiful virtue of sedateness, he is covered with spots of licentiousness. Often he is clothed with the dignity of selflessness, but as if out of zeal for justice, he is darkened by brutal cruelty. Often selflessness, generosity and kindness are internalized as beautiful concepts, but are marked by the spreading darkness of pride. And thus it turns out that the hypocrite does not show a pure phenomenon in himself, just as a tiger cannot have one color. It is obvious that he is like a tiger in seizing his prey when he arrogates to himself the glory of human approval. For he becomes arrogant, rejoicing in the stolen goods, and as if he is satisfied with the spoils. The boasting of hypocrites is well called spoils. For prey is when someone else’s property is forcibly stolen. But every hypocrite, assuming the appearance of a righteous life, appropriates to himself the praise of the righteous, and, of course, takes someone else’s. So, Eliphaz, because he knew that blessed Job had done something worthy of praise during his prosperity, believes that when the blows followed, he was subjected to them because of hypocrisy, saying: “The tiger perishes without prey.” This is if you say without hesitation: “The variety of your hypocrisy is destroyed, because the flattery of praise is taken away; and your hypocrisy no longer has any prey, since it was defeated by the will of God, and does not have the approval of people.” 40. The antlion represents those who are fearful of the strong and courageous of the weak. – But the translation of the Seventy does not say “tiger”, but “the antlion dies because it has no prey” 70 . Of course, the antlion is a very small animal compared to the ant, but it hides under the sand and kills ants carrying grains and, having killed them, eats them. In Latin, antlion means either a lion of ants, or, at least, more accurately, both an ant and a lion at the same time. It is rightly called both an ant and a lion, because in comparison with winged or any other animals, it is an ant, but in comparison with ants it is a lion. For he devours ants like a lion, but is devoured by others like an ant. In this case, when Eliphaz says: “The antlion perishes,” what does he condemn in blessed Job under the name of the antlion, if not fear and courage? This is to say directly: “You are struck justly, because you were fearful before the brave, but bold before the subordinate.” This is to say directly: “Fear crushed you in front of the cunning, in front of the gentle, frivolity made you arrogant.” But the antlion no longer has prey, because your timid pride is pursued by blows and is kept from harming others. But since we said that the friends of blessed Job look like heretics, we must of necessity tell you how these words of Eliphaz can be understood allegorically. Verse 10. The roar of the lion, and the voice of the lioness, and the teeth of the lion's cubs are crushed. 41. The same circumstances are portrayed differently in Scripture. – Since the nature of every thing consists of diversity, in the Holy Scriptures, through one thing, various things can legitimately be depicted. Of course, the lion has strength, but also ferocity. Therefore, God is designated by strength, and the devil by ferocity. For for this reason it is said about God: “The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has overcome” (Apoc. 5:5). For this reason, it is said about the devil: “Your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The name of the lioness sometimes means the Holy Church, sometimes Babylon. For, since the Church is courageous in the face of adversity, she is called a lioness, which is confirmed by the words of blessed Job himself, who, declaring about Judea abandoned by the Church, says: “The sons of merchants did not trample it, and the lioness did not pass through it” (Job 28:8) 71. But sometimes the name lioness denotes a city of this world, that is, Babylon, which is embittered by wild cruelty against the lives of the innocent, which, combining with the ancient enemy, as with a fierce lion, receives the seeds of its perverted admonition and gives birth to vicious children, like the cruel cubs of a lion. Lion cubs are any vicious (people) produced by the seduction of evil spirits: they all together make up the city of the world, as we said - Babylon, this is not the lioness itself, but the cubs of the lioness. For just as the whole Church is called Zion, so the saints individually are called the sons of Zion, and the wicked are also called the sons of Babylon, and this Babylon itself consists of them all together. 42. Saints fear temptations; heretics do not care about their piety. - But while holy men are in this life, they watch themselves with sensitive caution so that the walking lion, hiding in ambush, does not approach them, that is, so that the ancient enemy, hiding under the guise of some virtue, does not strike them. They watch that the voice of the lioness does not disturb their ears, that is, that the glory of Babylon does not distract their feelings from the love of their heavenly fatherland; They take care that the teeth of lion cubs do not hurt them, that is, that the opinion of the vicious does not take root in the heart. But heretics, on the contrary, seem to be already calm about their holiness, because they assume that they surpass themselves by the good deeds of their lives. That is why it is now said: “The roar of the lion, and the voice of the lioness, and the teeth of the lion’s cubs are crushed.” This is as if we openly say: “We are not subject to any blows because we trample on the power of the ancient enemy, and the thirst for earthly glory, and all the temptations of the vicious by the superiority of the merits of our life.” Therefore it is also added: Verse 11. The tiger perishes without prey, and the lion's cubs are scattered. 43. Satan is correctly called a lion, a tiger, and an antlion. Heretics are proud, as if about the victory of Satan. – This name of a tiger means the same thing designated by the name of a lion. Of course, Satan is called a lion because of his cruelty, and because of the variety of his deceits he is aptly called a tiger. For he reveals himself to human sensations, sometimes as if he were lost, sometimes he appears as an angel of light. He either seduces the minds of fools with caresses, or hides in his slander under the guise of virtue. So, this monster, covered with such variegation, is rightly called a tiger, but as we said before, in the Seventy Interpreters it is called an antlion. It is clear that this animal hides in the dust in order, as we said, to kill the ants carrying grains, so, without a doubt, the fallen angel, cast down from heaven to earth, takes possession of the minds of the just, preparing for the resumption of good deeds, on the way to their accomplishment; and when he overcomes them by cunning, he kills them like ants carrying grains. He is rightly called the antlion, that is, the lion of ants, for, as we said, for ants he is a lion, but for birds he is an ant, because, undoubtedly, just as the ancient enemy is strong in relation to those who are inferior to him, so in relation to those who resist him he is weak. For if his slander finds a response, then no one can stop him, like a lion, but if resistance is shown to them, then he becomes small like an ant. Consequently, for some he is a lion, for others he is an ant; for carnal minds can hardly bear his cruelty, and as for spiritual ones, they trample his weakness under the foot of virtue. So, heretics, since they are proud of their supposed holiness, as if rejoicing, say: “the antlion,” or at least “the tiger died because it had no prey.” This is to say directly: “The ancient enemy has no prey in us, because through our many zeal he already lies defeated.” For this reason, he again acquires the name antlion, or tiger, which was already designated by the roar of a lion, but since this is said in joy, it is often repeated. Of course, when the soul rejoices, it strengthens its expressions. Therefore the Psalmist, in true joy, repeats this many times, because he knows that he has been heard, saying: “The Lord has heard the voice of my weeping; The Lord heard my prayer; The Lord accepted my prayer” (Ps. 6:9,10). 44. The saints rejoice with fear at the taming of vice. Hypocrites, when they conquer at least one (vice), (already) consider themselves perfect. - But holy men rejoice when they are freed from any vices, but in this rejoicing they are still troubled by great fear, because even if they have already escaped from the pressure of the storm, they know that they are still (are) on the dangerous waves of the fickle sea; and they rejoice in hope so much that they tremble with trembling; they tremble so much with trepidation that they rejoice at the pledge of hope. Therefore, the same Psalmist says: “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice in Him with trembling” (Ps. 2:11). But on the other hand, those who pride themselves on the hope of holiness, when they conquer any one vice, soon raise their minds to pride, and boast about the perfection of their entire life. And because they may have once escaped the danger of the storm, they forget that they are still swimming in the sea. They believe that they are great in everything, and they think that they have completely defeated the ancient enemy. They believe that everyone else is worse than them because they think that they are superior in wisdom to everyone else. Therefore it is added: Verse 12. Then they spoke to me a secret word. 45. Heretics try to imitate new and secret teachings, why? - Heretics pretend that they approve of the secret word in order to lead the minds of their hearers to reverence for their sermon. That is why they preach in secret, since their preaching seems holy only because it is incomprehensible. They avoid generally accepted knowledge, and in order not to appear equal to others, they always come up with new things that others do not yet know, so that they can boast of extraordinary knowledge before ignorant minds. They claim, as we said, that it is secret, that is, that they have the power to show a miracle in order to take possession (of those who listen). Therefore, in Solomon, a woman who has the image of heretics says: “Stolen waters are sweet, and hidden bread is more pleasant” (Prov. 9:17) 72. Therefore, here it is also added: “And like a thief, my ear received streams of his whispering” (Job.4:12). Heretics are surrounded by a stream of whispers like a thief, because they leave the glory of public knowledge, and do not pass through the door, while God, testifying, says: “Whoever does not enter into the sheepfold by the door, but sneaks in somewhere else, he is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1,2). So, the one who strives for the knowledge of His power and glory, but avoids the door of public preaching and looks for loopholes for vicious knowledge, is the one who, like a thief, picks up streams of whispers. But, since the thief and robber passes in another place, and loves darkness, and is afraid of bright light, it is rightly added: Verse 13. In the fear of night vision, when deep sleep usually covers people 73. 46. To show that what they teach is sublime, they immediately proclaim themselves to have achieved it. Soon they boast of extraordinary knowledge. – Often heretics, while trying to proclaim something higher, testify to themselves that they are expressing what is untrue. Naturally, in night vision it is not clear. Consequently, they admit that they feel the sounds of whispers in the fear of the night vision, since they claim to be discovering something higher, but they hardly know whether they can contain it within themselves. But here it should be noted how what can be understood by listeners is what they see unclearly. Surprisingly, it turns out that when they speak sublimely, they reveal stupidity and become entangled in the words of their exaltation. But how much they detract from extraordinary knowledge is made clear when it is further added: “When deep sleep usually takes hold of people.” This is to say openly on the part of the heretics: “When people do not care about the lower, we are awake to take possession of the higher; because we know what other people, inert in heart, cannot rise to.” This is to say even more directly: “Where other people’s feelings sleep, our mind becomes more attentive.” Sometimes, when they see that the listener despises them, they pretend that they themselves are afraid of what they say. Therefore it is added: Verse 14. Fear and terror seized me, and all my bones shook. 47. Now they pretend to be fearful. - For, since they strive to appear extraordinary in their teachings in front of others, they pretend that they are afraid of what they invent. And since it is easier to listen than to speak, they reinforce what they have said, as is well known, with daring examples that they themselves can hardly listen to. Therefore it is also added: Verses 15, 16. And when the spirit passed in my presence, the hairs of my flesh were ruffled; someone stood whose face I did not recognize. 48. Now they pretend to know the incomprehensible. – To show that they knew the incomprehensible, they say that the spirit did not stop in their presence, but passed by; they pretend to have seen an unknown face so that they can claim to have known someone whom the human mind cannot know. After this it is also added: Verse 16. An image was before my eyes, and I heard a voice like a still breath. 49. They cannot spiritually know God, but they are not always mistaken. Some things they say are true and sublime. – Often heretics imagine a God whom they cannot see spiritually and figuratively. And they claim that they have heard His voice like a quiet wind, because they rejoice in His mysteries, which must be known, as if they were closer to God than others. For they do not teach what God speaks publicly, but (teach) what is supposedly brought to their ears in secret. So, we say this to show what in the words of Eliphaz should be understood by the image of heretics. But the friends of blessed Job would not have been the friends of such a man if they had not clearly learned something of the truth, since, although they are mistaken in offensive attacks, they do not hesitate in the knowledge of the truth as a whole: we discussed these same words a little earlier, so that we could clearly discern how, through what they say, we can know the truth, how those who think correctly can speak truly. Sometimes heretics say something true and sublime, but not because they accepted it by inspiration from above, but because they learned it from competition with the Holy Church. They acquire them not to improve their conscience, but to boast of knowledge. Therefore, in most cases it happens that they know how to say sublime things, but they do not know how to live by what they say. Therefore, from the character of the heretics, or at least from the character of Job's friends, who, without a doubt, could experience with knowledge the truth that they are about to expound in teaching, it is obvious that they do not have a life of knowledge, but words. This is a teaching we have quickly passed over, but (now) we consider more carefully, so that while the words of Eliphaz are examined, it becomes clear how great was (his) knowledge. Although in this very knowledge he has not achieved humility, and appropriates to himself the benefit that belongs to everyone. For he says: Verse 12. Then they spoke to me a secret word 74. 50 The hidden word is the Son of God, or the speech of the Holy Spirit. Few will know this. It can be felt, but not expressed. – Undoubtedly, the hidden word is the invisible Son, about whom John says: “In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1). He himself indicates that It was hidden when he adds: “And the Word was with God, and God was the Word” (John 1:2). But this hidden word is spoken to chosen minds when the power of the Only Begotten Son is revealed to believers. The hidden word can also be understood as an appeal to inner inspiration, about which John says: “His anointing teaches you all things” (1 John 2:27). Of course, this inspiration lifts the human mind when it touches it, humbles worldly thoughts, inflames the desire for the eternal so that nothing else will bring him joy if it is not heavenly, and he will despise everything that is lower and comes from fallen human (nature). Hearing the hidden word means accepting with your heart the utterances of the Holy Spirit. Of course, they cannot be understood by those who are not capable of possessing them. Therefore, the voice of Truth speaks about these hidden sayings: “I will pray the Father, that he will give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever, the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive” (John 14:16). Just as this Comforter, after the Ascension of the Intercessor, there is another Comforter of the human race, invisible in Himself, and induces everyone whom He fills to desire the invisible. Since earthly hearts love only the visible, the world does not accept Him, because it does not rise to love the invisible. Because worldly minds, through lusts, go so far beyond the limits that they close their hearts to receiving Him. And since there are few in the human race who have been purified from the impurity of earthly desires, and by this purification have prepared themselves to receive the Holy Spirit, it is said that the word is hidden, because it is, no doubt, assimilated into the hearts of some, but remains unknown to the majority of mankind. This breath of the Holy Spirit is at least a hidden word, since it can be felt, but cannot be expressed by the sounds of speech. So, the divine breath lifts the mind silently, the hidden word is heard, because the word of the Spirit sounds quietly in the ears of the heart. Therefore it is added: Right there. And like a thief, my ear received streams of his whispers. 51. The spirit seeks a mind abstracted from the visible. In what different ways does God speak to him? – The ear of the heart receives the stream of heavenly whispers like a thief, because the breathing mind quickly and secretly learns the subtlety of inner speech. For if he does not hide from external desires, he will not achieve internal ones. And he hides in order to hear, and hears in order to hide; and withdraws from the visible in order to see the invisible, and, being filled with the invisible, completely despises the visible. It should be noted that he does not say: “Like a thief my ear received his whisper,” but “the streams of his whisper.” Of course, the whisper of a hidden word is the speech of inner inspiration. Streams of whispers mean the primary sources and reasons by which this inspiration is delivered to the mind. For God, when he secretly penetrates into us, seems to open the streams of His whisper, and thus reaches the ear of our perception. Sometimes He works with love, sometimes with fear. Sometimes He shows how insignificant the present is, and thereby arouses love for the desire for the eternal. Sometimes He first reveals the eternal, so that the temporal seems insignificant in comparison. Sometimes he shows us our sins, and this leads us to grieve even for the sins of others (people). Sometimes he brings to our gaze the sins of others, and through repentance miraculously corrects us from our depravity. So, to hear the streams of Divine whispers like a thief means to subtly and secretly cognize the images of the hidden Divine spirit. 52. God whispers because He does not fully reveal Himself. Through the amazing things He has done, He reveals Himself. – We can understand both whispers and streams of whispers differently. For he who whispers speaks in secret and does not make a sound, but imitates it. Since we, as long as we are burdened with the vicissitudes of the flesh, cannot see the radiance of Divine power, since there is nothing like the way He remains unchanged. For the gaze of our weakness cannot bear this, since the ray of His eternity shines unbearably upon us. For when Almighty God reveals Himself to us through the gap of contemplation, He in no way speaks, but whispers, because He, although He does not fully reveal Himself, nevertheless reveals something about Himself to the human mind. Then, when His true appearance is revealed to us, He will no longer whisper at all, but will speak. For this is what the Truth says in the Gospel: “We will see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). This is what Paul says: “Then I will know, just as I am also known” (1 Cor. 13:12). But now the Divine whisper reaches us in such great streams as there are many created things that are controlled by Providence. For when we understand everything created, we admire the Creator. For just as water, flowing quietly, tries to find streams, and, absorbing them, increases, and increases its waters as much as it finds wider streams; so we, while we diligently gather knowledge of Providence through the contemplation of His creations, we seem to discover for ourselves the streams of His whispers. Since through this we know what is created, we admire the power of the Creator; and through what becomes known to us, what is hidden is revealed to us. For He revealed Himself to us as if through sound; when He shows us His works, which we must consider, in which He, one way or another, reveals Himself, revealing to us how incomprehensible He is. For we cannot properly contemplate Him, we do not hear His voice, but we barely (hear) only a whisper. For, since we are not able to fully explore what is created, it is rightly said: “Like a thief, my ear received the streams of his whisper.” Deprived of the joys of paradise, and subjected to the punishment of blindness, we hardly catch the streams of whispers, because we evaluate even His amazing deeds hastily and superficially. One should know that the mind, contemplating His power, is as elevated as it abstains, fearing His justice. Therefore it is fair to add: Verse 13. In fear of the night vision. 53. The mind, rising higher to God, worries more about its affairs. This makes him fear and love God more. – The fear of night vision is the horror of secret contemplation. Since the human mind rises higher in order to contemplate the eternal, it becomes more worried and afraid for its worldly affairs, because these affairs differ from the light that shines on them; it so happens that when this light shines, it (the mind) fears more, because it better sees how much it has departed from the rule (measurement) of truth. His own well-being concerns him with great concern, although before he had not seen anything more reliable in this. No matter how much he grows in virtue, he still does not comprehend something significant from eternity, but still sees God through the darkness of the imagination. That's why we talk about night vision here. Of course, at night, as we said above, we see dimly, but during the day it is clear and confident. So, since the cloud of our perversity prevents us from contemplating the rays of the sun within (ourselves), and the unchanging light cannot penetrate to our weak eyes, we still see God as if in night vision, since, no doubt, we are covered with the darkness of imperfect contemplation. But, although the mind can imagine something (of this light), however, it is horrified by the contemplation of His greatness, and is even more afraid because it feels unable to follow this contemplation, and then, little by little, it returns (to the former), but even if it, being unable to feel His extraordinary sweetness, barely tastes it in a dim vision, it loves God more intensely. But since he will not reach even this pinnacle of relief unless he first decisively curbs the accumulation of obsessive carnal desires, it is rightly added: Verse 13. When deep sleep usually takes over people. 54. If you do not curb carnal desires, you will not achieve contemplation. The dream is understood in three ways. – Anyone who strives to please the world is like one who is awake; and anyone who, seeking inner peace, avoids the noise of this world, is like a sleeper. But it should be noted that sleep in Holy Scripture is understood figuratively in three ways. Sometimes it is the death of the flesh, sometimes it is the inertia of negligence, and sometimes, when earthly desires are overcome, it is a peaceful life. For example, the death of the flesh is indicated when Paul says: “I do not want you, brethren, to be ignorant of those who have fallen asleep.” And a little later: “Even so God will bring those who sleep with Jesus with Him” (1 Thess. 4:13,14). On the other hand, sleep signifies the inertia of negligence, when the same Paul says: “The hour has come for us to awaken from sleep” (Rom. 13:11). And again: “Wake up as you should, and do not sin” (1 Cor. 15:34). Sleep also depicts a serene life when the desires of the flesh are overcome, as the Book of Song of Songs says: “I sleep, but my heart is awake” (Ps. 5:2), because the holy mind knows that the internal is more important, and protects itself from the noise of worldly lust, and is as vigilant about the internal as it hides itself from external worries. This is well illustrated by the example of Jacob sleeping on the road (Gen. 28:11), who put a stone under his head and slept: he saw a ladder reaching from the earth to heaven, God being at the top of the ladder, and angels ascending and descending. Sleeping on the road means giving up the love of worldly things while still in this present life. To sleep on the road means to close the eyes of the mind from the desire for worldly things while the days are running out: The tempter opened the eyes of the first people, saying to them: “For God knows that in the day that you eat of them your eyes will be opened” (Gen. 3:5). Therefore, a little later it is added: “She took from the fruit and ate; and she gave it to her husband, and he ate, and the eyes of both of them were opened.” Of course, guilt (culpa) opened the eyes of lust that innocence had kept closed. To see angels ascending and descending means to contemplate citizens of the heavenly fatherland who are so strengthened in love for their Creator that they surpass themselves, and out of compassion and love descend to our weakness. 55. You cannot endure contemplation if you do not calm down from worldly affairs and practice virtue. – And it should be especially noted that he saw angels in a dream when he laid his head on a stone, because, resting from external affairs, he, of course, reached the internal, he looks out with his mind (and the mind is the most important property of a person) for the image of his Redeemer. Thus, to lay your head on a stone means to be firmly established in Christ with your mind. Those who have withdrawn from the activities of this life, but have not gained anything from eternal love, may sleep, but they will never be able to see the angels, because they do not want to lay their heads on the stone. For there are some who flee from worldly affairs, but do not acquire any virtues. They sleep out of laziness, not out of fatigue, and they do not see what is inside, because they rest their heads not on a stone, but on the ground. For the most part, it happens that they withdraw from external affairs and become more careless, and because of idleness accumulate many unclean thoughts within themselves. Therefore, the Prophet mourns the soul set in idleness when he says: “The enemies saw her and laughed at her Sabbath” 75 (Lamentations 1:7). The law prescribed rest on Saturday from external affairs. Consequently, the enemies laughed at the Sabbath when they saw that the evil spirit was lured into illicit thoughts by this idleness. Every soul, it is believed, can serve God by withdrawing from external actions, but it falls even more under their power if it thinks what is unlawful. But holy men sleep not from laziness in the affairs of the world, but from virtue, and they are more industrious in sleep than in wakefulness, because, leaving the affairs of this world, they surpass them, and daily wage a struggle against themselves, so that the mind does not freeze from negligence, so that it does not become cold in idleness and does not submit to impure desires, so that it does not boil over with more than necessary and good desires, so that, under the guise of considering itself, it does not would have lost interest in perfection. The one who does this, who completely avoids the rebellious lust of this world, and renounces worldly affairs completely, and through this focuses on virtues - while awake, he sleeps. For one cannot achieve internal contemplation unless one diligently avoids the external, which interferes with this. For for this reason the Truth Itself says: “No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). That is why Paul says: “No one, while serving God, binds himself to the affairs of this life, in order to please the one who accepted him” (2 Tim. 2:4). Therefore, God, exhorting, says through the Prophet: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 45:11) 76. Since it is in no way possible to achieve knowledge of the inner if one does not move away from outer confusion, then when it is said: “When deep sleep usually overtakes people,” there is a favorable moment for the Divine whisper and hidden word, because, of course, our mind is forcibly distracted from inner contemplation if it is not first calmed down from the raging of earthly desires. But the human spirit, supported by the instrument of its contemplation, fears for itself even more strongly, since it sees something more majestic above itself. Therefore, it is successfully added: 56. The more perfectly we contemplate the justice of God, the more we fear for our own. – What do bones mean, if not great deeds? It is said about them through the Prophet: “The Lord keeps all their bones” (Ps. 33:21). People often think that what they do has some significance because they have no idea about the severity and exactingness of the One who judges the inner. But when, through contemplation, they see that the heavenly things are becoming impoverished, they move away from this carelessness of their assumption, and tremble so much more strongly in the face of God, to the extent that they do not consider their good, for which they are famous, worthy of His testing. For for this reason he who succeeded in accomplishing great (deeds) and, being filled with the spirit, exclaimed: “All my bones will say: Lord! Who is like You? (Ps. 3:10). And also if you say: “My flesh has no words, because my weakness is completely silent before You; my bones proclaim the praise of Your greatness, since they also tremble from the contemplation of You, although I believed that they were the strongest in me.” For this reason, Manoah, frightened at the sight of the Angel, says: “We will die the death, because we have seen the Lord” (Judges 13:22). His wife immediately consoles him, saying: “If the Lord wanted to kill us, he would not have accepted burnt offerings and drink offerings at our hands” (ibid., 23). Why does the husband become fearful at the sight of an Angel, and the wife bold, if not because when the heavenly ones appear to us, the spirit is embarrassed by fear, but, however, anticipates what is expected in advance? For hope is aroused by the desire for more, and the spirit is confused because it sees heavenly things for the first time. So, since the sublime mind sees the greatest secrets of heaven, and shudders at the whole totality of human nature, it is rightly said: “Fear and horror seized me, and all my bones shook.” Also, if we say directly: “When I recognize the hidden inner grace, I tremble before the Face of the Judge, although I considered myself strong.” Of course, contemplating Divine justice, we rightly fear even those deeds that we have done worthily. For when our righteousness is compared with the eternal rules of the stern Judge, it, with many of its twists and turns, turns out to be different from (true) internal righteousness. Therefore, Paul, when he saw that he had “bones” of virtues, and, however, even these bones of his would be crushed under strict testing, says well: “It means very little to me how you or other people judge me. But I don’t judge myself either; for I know nothing about myself” (1 Cor. 4:3). But since he heard streams of Divine whispers, and his bones shook, he immediately added: “But by this I am not justified: the Lord is my judge” (ibid., 4). Likewise, if you say: “I remember that I did what was right, but, however, I do not hope for merit, because our life is brought to His test, during which both our strength and bones shake.” 57. The beauty of contemplation does not last long. – But when the mind is held in contemplation, when, transcending the limitations of the flesh, it tries through the power of speculation to explore a certain inner freedom and serenity, it cannot remain outside itself for long, because even if the spirit lifts it to the highest, the flesh holds it back with the weight of perversity. Therefore it is added: Verse 15. And when the spirit passed in my presence, the hairs of my flesh were ruffled 77 . 58. Although we perceive the invisible, we do so hastily. – The Spirit passes in our presence, and this means that we perceive the invisible, but not yet thoroughly, but hastily. Of course, the mind does not remain long in the sweetness of inner contemplation. Because he, amazed by the immensity of the light, returns back. When he tastes inner sweetness, he flares up with love and tries to rise above himself, but, exhausted, little by little he returns to the darkness of his weakness. When he achieves great virtue, he discovers that he cannot see what he loves so much, but, however, he would not love so much if he saw a little. So the spirit does not stop, but passes on, because our contemplation with amazement discovers the heavenly light, but soon hides it from our weakness. So, since if someone achieves virtue in this life, he still experiences the torment of his perversity: “For the corruptible body burdens the soul, and this earthly church suppresses the over-anxious mind” (Wis. 9:15), then it is rightly added: “The hair of my flesh is tousled.” 59. No one here is so perfect unless he always prunes what grows. – Hairs of flesh are manifestations of human perversity. The hairs of the flesh are thoughts about the previous life, which we cut off from the mind so that it does not feel any pain from their loss. It is well said by Moses: “The Levites shall shave all the hairs of their flesh” (Numbers 8:7). "Leviticus" is translated as "chosen one." Consequently, the Levite must shave all the hairs of the flesh, since the one who is elected to serve God must appear before the eyes of God cleansed of all carnal thoughts, and not show a beautiful image of the soul, as if disfigured by hair. But, since we said that one way or another, virtue increases from a holy lifestyle, however, there is still something from the previous life in it, and this must be endured. Therefore, the Levites are also commanded to shave their hair and not pull it out 78 . Since the hair is shaved off, the roots remain in the flesh, and the hair grows again only to be cut off again, because although the excesses of thoughts are removed with great diligence, they cannot be removed completely. For the flesh always gives rise to excesses, which the spirit always cuts off with the sword of care. But, however, we see them in ourselves more clearly when we reach the heights of speculation. Therefore it is truly said here: “And when the spirit passed in my presence, the hairs of my flesh were ruffled.” 60. The mind more decisively cuts off attachments and, as a result, imprints the Spirit, but this does not last long. – The human mind, raised to the pinnacle of contemplation, suffers so much more from useless (thoughts) as it sees more clearly what it loves; and when he reaches the beauty that he contemplates above himself, he decisively condemns in himself what he previously serenely supported out of weakness. When the spirit passes, the hairs of the flesh tremble with the force of repentance, useless thoughts disappear, so that nothing lax, nothing depraved remains. The severity of internal testing inflames the mind against itself. And when that impermissible thing that appears in the heart is cut off with constant severity, then, for the most part, it happens that the mind, revived, spreads the rays of its speculation more widely, and almost captures the spirit that is passing through. Even when contemplation causes the spirit to stand still, the power of the Divine is not fully revealed, because His immensity exceeds (even) the increased and sublime human power. Therefore, it is well added: “Someone was standing whose face I did not recognize.” Verse 16 Someone stood whose face I did not recognize. 61. Through the Fall, man became completely carnal and does not think without carnal images. Whoever knows his soul without them, then also knows God. – We don’t say “Someone” unless we want to, or at least we can’t name it (exactly). But in this place it says “Someone,” and the meaning is clearly shown when it is immediately added: “Whose face I did not recognize.” The human soul, cut off from the joys of paradise by the sin of the first people, lost the invisible light and completely surrendered to the love of the visible; and she is as blinded in internal contemplation as she is ugly on the outside. Therefore, it turns out that she knows only that, so to speak, that she knows through the touch of her fleshly eyes. For man, if he wanted to keep the commandment, would be spiritual even in the flesh, but through the Fall he became carnal even in his mind, and he thinks only about what he brings to the soul through material images. The mind becomes coarse to perceive the inner grace, and with wonder continuously contemplates the essence of the sky, earth, water, animals, and all visible things. And, since he can no longer rise to the sublime, he willingly finds himself among them. But when, through extraordinary efforts, he tries to rise from them, and this is very great, if the soul is encouraged to contemplate itself, at a time when bodily images are suppressed; if she thinks about herself without bodily ideas, then by this reflection (about herself), she acquires the power to contemplate the essence of eternity. 62. The human soul is very different from the Divine essence. And if he does not yet comprehend what God is, then, in any case, he can already distinguish Him from everything else. – In this way, the soul arranges for itself a kind of ladder, along which it ascends from the outside, and comes to itself, and from itself it goes to the Creator. When the mind, coming to its senses, leaves bodily images, it is not particularly elevated. But, although the soul is incorporeal, yet, since it is closely connected with the body, it is recognized that it is by nature limited by the position of the body. While she forgets what she knew, she knows what is unknown, remembers what she must forget, rejoices after sorrow, is condemned after joy, she, by this inconsistency, reveals how different she is from the essence of eternal immutability, which is always the same: everywhere present, everywhere invisible, everywhere great, everywhere incomprehensible, known by the thirsting mind without knowledge, heard without doubt, worshiped without movement, achieved without the body, not limited no place. When the mind, subject to bodily things, thinks about this essence, it must refrain from various fantastic images. When he drives them away from the eyes of his attention with the hand of discrimination, placing them below everything, then to a certain extent he already sees the heavenly. And if he does not yet understand this, then, undoubtedly, he can already distinguish it from everything else. Consequently, the mind, when trying to cognize the essence of the Divine, rushes to the unusual, and now it is rightly said: “Someone stood whose face I did not recognize.” 63. Standing is characteristic of God alone. - “Standing” is well said. For every creation, since it was created from nothing, gravitates towards non-existence, and cannot stand, but passes away. But a rational being created in the image of the Creator is established and does not pass into non-existence; the unreasonable is in no way established, but is subject to passing until it fulfills the beauty of the universe in the image of its service. For even if the heavens and earth hereafter remain in eternity, yet they are now heading towards non-existence, but for the benefit of those whom they serve, they continue to change for the better. Therefore, “standing” is characteristic of the Creator alone, before Whom everything passes, and by Whom some are kept from passing. Therefore, our Redeemer, since the height of His Divinity cannot be grasped by the human mind, having come to us in the flesh, created, born, died, buried, resurrected and returned to heaven, appears to us as if passing through. This is well noted in the Gospel when the blind man saw the light. While He walked, He allowed Him to be heard, but He stopped and healed His eyes. Of course, by the nature of human nature, He could pass, but He could also stand by the power of the Divine, which is present everywhere. So, it is said that God, passing by, hears the voice of our blindness, because He became man and had compassion on human weakness. Having stopped, He returned the light, since He illuminated the darkness of our weakness with the property of the Divine. Therefore, after it is said, “A spirit passed in my presence,” it is well added, “Someone stood whose face I did not recognize.” It’s like saying directly: “I didn’t see the one whose passing I felt.” Therefore, the one who passes is the same one who stands. For He passes because He can be known, but He stands because as far as He is known, it becomes clear that He is unchangeable. Since He Who is always One and the Same is quickly noticed, it turns out that only God stands and passes at the same time. Or at least “standing” means that He does not undergo any change, just as Moses is told: “I am who I am” (Ex. 3:14). James also hints at this, saying: “With whom there is no variation, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). But since everyone who by contemplation comprehends something from eternity contemplates it due to His co-eternal image, it is rightly added: Right there. His image is before my eyes. 64. We learn something about the Father because we see the Son. – Of course, the Son is the likeness of the Father, just as Moses points to the creation of man, saying: “And God created man, in the image of God he created him” (Gen. 1:27). And as someone wise said about this same Son through the expression of Wisdom: “He is a reflection of eternal light” (Wis.7:26) 79. And Paul says: “This being the brightness of his glory and the image of His hypostasis” (Heb. 1:3). Thus, when His eternity is known to the best of our ability, His Image appears before the eyes of our mind, because when we really go to the Father, we recognize Him because we saw Him through His image, that is, through the Son, and through this image, which was born without beginning, we, in a way, try to see Him Who has neither beginning nor end. Therefore, the same Truth in the Gospel says: “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). It's good to add: Right there. And I heard a voice like a quiet wind. 65. The voice of the Holy Spirit, and the quiet breeze and the strong wind. – For what is signified by the voice of a quiet wind, if not the knowledge of the Holy Spirit, Who, arising from the Father, and receiving from Him what belongs to the Son, subtly penetrates our weak consciousness 80? He, however, descending upon the Apostles, reveals himself through an external sound, through a strong wind, when it is said: “And suddenly there came a noise from heaven, as from a rushing mighty wind” (Acts 2:2). For the Holy Spirit, when He reveals Himself to human knowledge, is represented by the sound of a strong wind and the voice of a quiet breath, and it is obvious that He descends both strong and quiet: quiet because He tempers His glory so much that we can know it with our senses, strong because, even if He tempers His glory, however, by the splendor of His coming He confuses the blindness of our weakness. For with His appearance He meekly touches us, but even this terribly shocks our helplessness. 66. Quiet air - because here He is a saint in moderation. In contemplation the mind can see something perfectly, but not God. – Consequently, the voice of God is heard like a quiet breeze, because God, in this life, still does not reveal Himself to beholders, but slightly reveals His glory to the sore eyes of our mind. This is well illustrated (by the example) of the adoption of the law, when it is said that Moses ascends and the Lord descends onto the mountain (Ex. 24:1). Of course, the mountain is our contemplation, by which we ascend to the vision of what is beyond our weakness. But God descends to our contemplation, because when we achieve much, He reveals to our feelings something about Himself. If, however, little or nothing can be said about Him Who is always One and the same, and cannot be understood in part, it is nevertheless said that believers can partake of Him, while His essence in no way admits of division. But since, due to the limitations of our human nature, we cannot describe Him in perfect language, we, as if shackled by infantile impotence, speak about Him indistinctly. The fact that we, exalted in great contemplation, actually achieve something from the knowledge (beauty) of eternity, is evident from the words of Sacred History, when the glorious prophet Elijah is informed of the knowledge of God. When God promises that He will pass before him, saying: “Behold, the Lord will pass, and a great and strong wind will rend the mountains and break in pieces the rocks before the Lord”; He immediately adds: “But the Lord is not in the wind; after the wind is an earthquake, but not in the earthquake is the Lord; after an earthquake is fire, but not in the fire is the Lord; after the fire is a gentle wind” (1 Kings 19:11-12). The wind before the Lord tore apart the mountains and crushed the rocks, because the fear of His coming seizes us and overthrows the greatness of our hearts and softens our callousness. But it is said that God is not in the wind, not in an earthquake, and not in fire, but in the breath of a quiet breeze, because, of course, when the mind rushes to the greatness of contemplation, then whatever it is able to comprehend is still not God. But when he actually sees something subtle, it means that he hears about the incomprehensible essence of eternity. For we, as if we feel the breeze of a quiet wind, when we subtly taste the taste of boundless truth in a suddenly surging contemplation. Consequently, only then what we know about God is true when we understand that we cannot know anything about Him completely and completely. Therefore it is well added: “When Elijah heard this, he covered his face with his mantle, and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave” (ibid., 13). After the blowing of a quiet wind, the prophet covered his face with a mantle, because he knew how much ignorance covers a person even in this subtlest contemplation of truth. For covering the face with a mantle means that the mind does not want to seek the high because of the consciousness of its own weakness, and does not quickly open its eyes to understand what is beyond itself, but respectfully closes them before Him Whom it cannot comprehend. The one who does this is depicted standing at the entrance to the cave. For what is our cave, if not the abode of perversity, in which we are still held back due to decay? But when we begin to comprehend something from the concept of the Divine, it is as if we are already standing at the entrance to our cave. For, since we cannot go out completely, but, nevertheless, striving to know the truth, we already catch a certain breath of freedom. For standing at the entrance of the cave means beginning to ascend to the knowledge of the truth, overcoming the barriers of our perversity. That is why it is mentioned that the Israelites, when they saw the cloud descending from afar, stood at the entrance to their tents, because those who contemplate the coming of the Divine seem to be already leaving the abode of the flesh. For since the human mind, no matter how much it strives for virtue, barely knows the limits of the inner, it is now rightly said: “And I heard a voice like a quiet wind.” But, since Divine Providence reveals to us little about itself, but even this completely reveals to us the knowledge of our weakness, then the one who hears the voice of the quiet wind must say what he learned from this hearing (from what he heard). Next: Verse 17. Is man more righteous than God, and is man purer than his Creator? 81 67. Compared to Divine justice, human justice is injustice. Why it is necessary to curb complaints about God's blows. – Compared to Divine justice, human justice is injustice, because it is seen only when it shines in the dark, but is darkened when exposed to the light of the sun. Therefore, what did Eliphaz, engaged in contemplation, learn if not that man cannot justify himself before God? For we believe that what we do is externally just, but we know nothing about the internal, and we are blinded, as if exposed to sunlight. But when we cognize the inner with sin in half, we do not think so, because it is known that the more refined it is to judge the darkness, the more reasonable the brightness of the light. For if anyone sees the light, he knows what to think about the darkness. But he who has no idea about the brightness of light approves of darkness instead of light. It is good to add: “And is a man purer than his Creator”? Whoever complains about the blows is different from the one who blames the justice of the Striker. Therefore, the husband who complains of lashes considers himself purer than his Creator; without a doubt, he puts Him below himself if he refutes His judgment about himself with grief. Therefore, in order for a person not to dare to condemn the Judge of sin, he must humbly think about the Creator of all things, because He who miraculously created man out of nothing does not strike what is created mercilessly. Eliphaz knew this when he heard a voice like a quiet wind. For in contemplation he learned about the greatness of God, and how humbly one should fear when one receives punishment. And the one who tastes the higher endures the lower with equanimity, because inside he sees completely what the price of what he does outside is. For he who does not know the rule of supreme justice rightly thinks badly of himself; and often a tree appears straight if it is not measured with a ruler, but when it is put against a ruler, it is revealed how crooked it is, since, undoubtedly, justice reveals what the deceived eye approves. So, Eliphaz, since he saw the highest, expresses a strict judgment about the lower. And although he denounces blessed Job unfairly, he, however, correctly describes the nature of creation, in comparison with the Creator, saying: Verses 18, 19. Behold, He does not trust His servants; and He sees shortcomings in His Angels; even more so in those who live in churches made of clay, the foundation of which is dust, which are destroyed more quickly than moths. 68. For what reason is the angelic nature changeable, and if it became unchangeable? The fall of angels causes people to distrust their own weakness. Mol, lust. – Even if the angelic nature is established in the contemplation of the Creator, and remains unchanged in this contemplation, however, since it is created, it itself undergoes an alternation of variability. But to change means to move from one (state) to another, and therefore to be essentially impermanent. For every thing tends to become different as much as it is subject to the movements of impermanence. Incomprehensible nature alone, in its state, does not know movement, and since it is always the same, it does not know change. For, if the angelic essence were alien to the movement of variability, being created good by the Creator, it would in no way fall from the height of its bliss to evil spirits. But Almighty God created the nature of the highest spirits to be good, but changeable, so that those who do not want to remain could fall away, and those who remain in service, as a result of choice, could already remain more worthily, and therefore they would begin to have more honor before God, in order to stop the movement of their variability with the desire to remain unchanged. Consequently, since the angelic nature itself is changeable, but it is obvious that it overcomes this changeability, binding itself with the chains of love for Him Who is always One and the Same, it is now rightly said: “Behold, He does not trust His servants.” And further evidence of this variability is added when it is added about the falling away of the angels: “And He sees faults in His Angels.” From their fall, Eliphaz gains a good knowledge of human weakness, when he immediately adds: “Much more so in those who dwell in churches of clay, whose foundation is dust, who are destroyed quickly by moths.” Of course, we live in churches made of clay, because we are in bodies made of earth. Seeing this, Paul says well: “We have this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Cor. 4:7). And again: “For we know that when our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a dwelling from God (in heaven), a house not made with hands” (2 Cor. 5:1). The foundation, dust, is the essence of the flesh. The psalmist alarmedly noticed this in himself when he said: “My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret, and my essence was in the depths of the earth” (Ps. 139:15) 82. Moths appear from clothes, and when they appear, they spoil the very clothes from which they appeared. The flesh is a kind of clothing of the soul, but, of course, this clothing has a special moth, which is born from carnal lust, which is destroyed. For our flesh is, as it were, corrupted by this own moth, since corruptible flesh gives birth to lust, and through this leads itself to destruction. A person is as if devoured by moths when he is exhausted by what he generates within himself. This is to say directly: “If that spirit, which was not burdened with any weakness of the flesh, could not remain unchanged, then how do people frivolously think that they can remain in goodness unchanged, when the weakness of the flesh, burdening them, squeezes them, and thereby prevents them from understanding the highest, and they, through the flaw of perversity that they have in themselves, decay in relation to internal renewal”? 69. Angels are teachers, and no matter how holy they are, they are not without guilt. Moths do damage without making a sound. Those who are unjust do not care if they harm themselves. – Angels can also be understood as holy teachers, since the Prophet says: “For the mouth of the priest shall keep knowledge, and the law shall be sought at his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord” (Mal. 2:7). However, no matter how great the virtue with which they shine cannot be completely without vice, while they walk the path of real life, because their procession inevitably comes into contact either with the impurity of illicit deeds, or with the dust of thoughts. But, on the contrary, those who rejoice in this seductive life of the flesh live in churches made of clay. Paul despises dwelling in churches of clay when he says: “But our dwelling is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20). Therefore it is said: “Behold, He does not trust His servants; and He sees shortcomings in His Angels; even more so in those who live in churches made of clay, the foundation of which is dust, which are destroyed as quickly as moths.” It is as if we were to say directly: “If people who, while proclaiming the eternal, arm themselves against the temporal, and cannot travel the path of real life without contagious contact, then what inconvenience can be endured by those who rejoice in the pleasure of being in the abode of the flesh?” For He does not trust His servants either, because when the mind rushes to the sublime, it is distracted by thoughts about its flesh; so often the spirit, while thirsting for the inner and looking only at heaven, is suddenly overcome by carnal pleasure, and, torn away from itself, lies exhausted, and the one who rejoiced at having conquered weakness in himself suddenly groans, stung by a wound. Consequently, depravity is also present in the angels, since even those who proclaim the truth are sometimes tempted (subreptio) by the evil life. Therefore, even those who have pious intentions against the world are struck by its unrighteousness, then what blows will be subject to those who, due to the enjoyment of weakness, are struck by its arrow? They are well depicted as if eaten by moths. Of course, moths cause damage without making a sound (at the same time). Likewise, the minds of the unjust, because they do not care to consider their losses, destroy integrity as if they were ignorant. For they lose innocence in the heart, truth in the mouth, self-control in the flesh, and as time passes, they lose life itself. But while they are captivated by all the desires of temporary worries, they do not notice at all that they are losing all this in themselves. Consequently, they are as if eaten by moths, as they suffer the pain of sin without a sound, and are unaware of the damage done to their innocence and life. Therefore it is good to add: Verse 20. From morning to evening they fall apart 83. 70. The unrighteous have not changed their perverted minds lately either. – The sinner is destroyed from morning to evening, while he inflicts wounds on himself by committing injustice from the beginning of his life to the end (of it). For the evil always, due to the increase in wickedness, intensify the blows against themselves to which they are subjected in order to fall into the abyss. The Psalmist says well about them: “Men of blood and deceit will not half their days” (Ps. 54:24). To make half the days, undoubtedly, means to separate the time of life spent badly in lusts, and turn to the cry of repentance, and thus turn it to good use. But the wicked will never live out their days, because they do not change their corrupt mind even in the last days. Paul warns against this, saying: “Treasuring the time 84 because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16). Of course, we cherish the time when we restore the old life that we ruined with licentiousness. Right there. And because no one understands, they will perish forever 85. 71. They cannot know His punishments, and what reward awaits the righteous. “It is obvious that none of those who are destroyed from morning to evening, and none of those who perish, or those who imitate the evil morals of those who perish, understand this. Therefore, in another place it is written: “The righteous die, and no one takes it to heart, and men of mercy are admired from the earth and no one understands” (Is. 57:1). Consequently, the unjust, while they seek only the temporary, do not try to know the best benefits that await them in eternity; when they see the sorrow of the righteous, but do not allow the reward of sorrow for their deeds, they stretch their foot into the abyss, because of their own free will they close their eyes from the light of understanding. For, deceived by irrational pleasures, while they see that what they love is transitory, they do not realize that they become alien to themselves and are cast down to eternal (punishment). In the morning, prosperity can also be indicated, and in the evening, the disaster of this world. From morning to evening, the wicked are destroyed, because they perish, rejoicing in prosperity, and cannot withstand disaster, but are driven to madness by it. Whether they consider prosperity as a means of relief, or disasters as the healing of their wounds, their guilt (culpa) from morning to evening will in no way be reduced. 72. Those who correctly enjoy both prosperity and disaster. “But since in no way are the multitudes of the human race simply left to all rush to destruction, there are some who despise the pleasures of this life, even if they are at hand. They understand that they are transitory and trample on them out of love for eternity. And when they take the first step on this path of prudence, then they go to the highest with a more vigorous step, so that they not only despise everything temporary, since it quickly passes, but they do not strive to cling to it, even if they could have them always; and they avoid love for beautiful creatures, since they direct the feet of their hearts to the Creator of this beauty. There are some who love the good of this life, but, however, they will not achieve them in any way: they crave temporary things with all their desires, but cannot achieve them in any way. The heart, if I may say so, attracts them to the world, but the world pushes them towards the heart. And indeed, it often happens that, broken by these disasters of theirs, they come to consciousness, and returned to themselves, they see how meaningless what they were looking for, and immediately turn so much against this stupid desire that they mourn it; and the more foolishly they labored for temporal things, over which they now grieve, so much more strongly do they (now) desire heavenly things. Therefore, after the description of the evil ones it is added: Verse 21. Those who were abandoned will be taken from them 86 . 73. The world despises them, but God chooses them. – Who do we consider abandoned, if not despised by this world? While the present age selects them for vain glory, it seems to leave them as completely worthless and unworthy. But it is said that those abandoned by the world will be accepted by God, because He deigned to choose those despised by this world, to which Paul testifies: “There are not many of you wise according to the flesh, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the strong things” (1 Cop. 1:23-27). This is well indicated in the book of Kings by the Egyptian youth, tired of the journey, whom the Amalekite left sick on the road. David found him, fed him with food, and made him the leader of his journey. He pursued the Amalekites, surprised them while they were feasting, and completely destroyed them (1 Samuel 30:13). For why was the Egyptian youth abandoned by the Amalekite on the road, if not because the lover of the present age, covered with the blackness of his sin, is often abandoned by this very age as soon as he stops, struck by misfortune, being unable to flee with it? But David finds him, just as our Redeemer, with a truly strong hand, sometimes finds someone despised by the glory of the world, and out of His love brings him back. He feeds him with food, for he encourages him with the word of wisdom. He chooses him as the leader of the journey, because he makes him his preacher. And the one who could not follow the Amalekite becomes the leader of David, because the one whom the world abandoned as unworthy not only returns back and accepts God into his mind, but also becomes a preacher, that is, he leads Him into the hearts of others. It is obvious that with this leader David finds the Amalekites feasting and destroys them, because Christ, with such preachers whom the world did not want to have as fellow travelers, destroys the rejoicing of the world. So, since for the most part, God chooses those whom the world forsakes, it is now rightly said: “Those who were forsaken will be taken from them.” Next: Right there. They die without achieving wisdom 87 . 74. It is the custom of Scripture, after mentioning something else, to return to the subject previously considered. - Why does he first mention the destruction of the wicked, saying: “And because no one understands, they will perish forever,” and immediately adds about the elect of God: “Those who were abandoned will be taken from them,” and further, which does not apply to these very elect: “They die without attaining wisdom.” For if they are removed by God from the wicked, then how is it said of them that they die without attaining wisdom? Of course, it is the custom of Holy Scripture, when talking about something, to insert a remark on another subject, then again return to what happened before. For, after he said: “And because no one understands, they will perish forever,” he soon adds about the lot of the elect, saying: “Those who were left behind will be taken from them.” And again, directing his eyes to the death of the already mentioned wicked ones, he unexpectedly adds: “They die without achieving wisdom.” This is if you say: “Those about whom I said that they would perish because they do not understand, without a doubt they die without achieving wisdom.” But sometimes we can better show the custom of the holy language if we consider another example like this. Thus, the Apostle Paul, when instructing his beloved disciple in the organization of the rites of the Church, said that no one should be randomly elevated to sacred degrees: “Lay hands hastily on anyone, and do not become a participant in the sins of others; keep yourself pure” (1 Tim. 5:22). Further, returning to the words about the weakness of his body, he says: “From now on, drink more than just water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach, and your frequent ailments” (ibid., 23). And he immediately adds, saying: “The sins of some people are obvious and directly lead to condemnation, and some are revealed later” (ibid. 24). Consequently, how does what he added about the hidden and obvious sins of some people relate to the fact that he forbade drinking water out of weakness, if not by the fact that he inserts a remark about his weakness, but then returns again to what he said before: “Do not lay your hands on anyone hastily, and do not become a participant in the sins of others”? For this shows with what care and care he must examine these sins, when, after an interjection about the burdens of infirmity, he added the exhortation to discern that in some the sins become obvious, while in others they are hidden, saying: “The sins of some people are obvious and directly lead to condemnation, and some are revealed later.” Therefore, in this position, Paul does not agree with the words that he added about the weakness of Timothy, but in it he returns to what he said before this retreat, so in this place, where Eliphaz says of the elect: “Those who were forsaken will be taken away from them,” and immediately adding: “They die without gaining wisdom,” he returns to what he quoted above, saying: “And because no one understands, they will perish forever.” 75. Both the wicked and the chosen die, but some in wisdom, others in foolishness. “The wicked despise the elect because they achieve invisible life through visible death. It is well said about them now: “They die without achieving wisdom.” This is if it were said directly: “They avoid death and wisdom in the same way, for they abandon wisdom completely, but are not saved from the snares of death.” Whenever they intended to die, they could live while dying, but they fear the death that must come, and therefore they lose both life and wisdom. The righteous, on the contrary, die in wisdom, because they absolutely do not want to avoid death, for it follows the truth, and they do not try to remove it. They endure it with peace of mind, turning the punishment of the race into an instrument of virtue, in order to receive life through what it should end in punishment for the first sin. But since Eliphaz rightly opposed the evil ones, but considering blessed Job worthy of blame, he filled himself with the arrogance of wisdom. Therefore, after expressing such great justice, he added words of ridicule, saying: Chapter 5. Verse 1. Call if there is one who answers you 88. 76. What does it mean to call on God, and how does God answer? – For often Almighty God does not heed the prayer of one in distress, if he, while in prosperity, despised His commandments. Therefore it is written: “Whoever turns away his ear from hearing the law, his prayer is an abomination” (Prov. 28:9). To cry out means for us to pray to God with humble supplication; To answer for God means to give fulfillment to prayers. Therefore, he says: “Call if there is one who answers you.” This is to say directly: “No matter how much you, unfortunate one, scream, you do not have God answering you, because the voice does not find in misfortune the One whom the mind despised in serenity.” So he, ridiculing, adds: Right there. And to which of the saints will you turn 89? 77. This is if, despising, he said: “You cannot find any of the saints to be your helpers in misfortune, because you did not want to have them as partners in joy.” After ridiculing Job, he immediately adds reasoning, saying: Verse 2: So anger kills a fool, and envy kills a child 90. 78. Eliphaz speaks truly, but Job speaks falsely. The guilt (culpa) of anger 91 is as great as it is defilement. - Of course, this judgment would be correct if such great patience had not been brought against the husband. But we discuss what is said, although the listener rejects it out of his virtue, in order to show how just what is predicted would be if it were not unjustly directed against blessed Job, as it is written: “But you, the Lord, judge with leniency” (Wis. 12:18). We must know in the highest degree that whenever we restrain the violent movements of the soul by the virtue of meekness, we are trying to restore the likeness of the Creator. For when anger breaks the silence of the mind, it becomes confused, and, tormented and alarmed, remains in contradiction with itself, deprived of the inner strength of similarity. Therefore, we must understand how great is the guilt of anger, due to which, since meekness is lost, the likeness of the highest image is damaged. Wisdom is lost through anger, so that what should be driven out is no longer noticed, as it is written: “Wrath rests in the bosom of a fool” (Eccl. 7:10). For when anger by agitation confuses the mind, it certainly darkens the light of understanding. Life is lost because of anger, even if it seems that wisdom is still preserved, as it is written: “Anger destroys even those who understand” (Prov. 15:1), because a troubled spirit, of course, does not comprehend anything, even if it can still understand something rationally. Justice is abandoned in anger, as it is written: “For the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God” (James 1:20), because an agitated mind hardens the judgment of its reflection, and considers everything right that arouses rage. Because of anger, the charm of social life is lost, as it is written: “Do not make friends with an angry person and do not associate with a hot-tempered person, lest you learn his ways and bring a whip upon your soul” (Prov. 22:24-25). And also: “Who can live with a person whose spirit is susceptible to anger?” (Prov.18:14). Therefore, he who does not restrain himself by the power of human reason must live alone, like a beast. Because of anger, harmony is upset, as it is written: “A zealous husband gives birth to quarrels. And an angry man digs up sins” (Prov. 15:18). Of course, an angry person digs up sins, because even the bad ones whom he incites to discord, he makes even worse. Because of anger, the light of truth is lost, as it is written: “Let not the sun go down on your anger” (Eph. 4:26), because when anger envelops our mind in the darkness of confusion, God hides the ray of His knowledge from it. Because of anger, the purity of the Holy Spirit is driven out, about which, according to the ancient translation, it is written: “On whom will My spirit rest, if not on those who are humble and quiet and fear My words”? (Isa.66:2) 92. Consequently, if anger drives away the silence of the mind, it fills the abode of the Holy Spirit, and by His withdrawal it empties the spirit, which soon comes to obvious madness, and is destroyed to the ground by its internal thoughts. 79. The image of an angry man is depicted in bright colors. “For from being inflamed by the torment of one’s anger, the heart beats, the tongue becomes confused, the face glows, the eyes become wild, and friends cease to recognize. At the same time, the mouth emits a cry, but the feeling does not know what it is saying. Therefore, the one who is obsessed with it for a long time does not know what he is doing. Therefore, it often happens that anger makes its way to the hands, and since the mind retreats far, it becomes stronger, the spirit can no longer restrain itself, since it has acquired a different strength. Fury, holding the captive mind inside, like the mistress of the members, makes them produce blows outward. Sometimes she does not use her hands, but turns her tongue into an arrow of slander. For a perverted person asks with prayers for the death of his brother, and wants God to do what he himself is either afraid to do or is ashamed. And it turns out that he commits murder with desire and word, even if he keeps his hands from killing his neighbor. Sometimes anger forces the agitated mind to show calmness, as if out of prudence, and does not come out through the tongue, but flares up even more inside, so that everyone who is angry avoids conversation with his neighbors, and by saying nothing, he does not show how hostile he is. Sometimes this prudence of severity is portrayed through a strict management order, however, if the image of prudence is carefully maintained within. Sometimes, while the agitated spirit is restrained from habitual speech, due to the passage of time, it completely moves away from love for others, and sharper impulses come to mind, and new reasons arise that irritate more, and then in the eye of the angry one the straw turns into a log, and anger is replaced by hatred (odium). Often anger, locked inside the mind, flares up even more strongly in silence, and silently forms loud words, and the mind inspires itself with words that embitter it, and it, agitated, responds even more severely, as if setting itself the goal of a test. Solomon hints at this when he says: “The expectation of the wicked is wrath” (Prov. 11:23) 93. So it turns out that the agitated spirit in silence perceives even greater noise, and the flame of suppressed anger exhausts it even more. Therefore, a certain sage before us said: “The thoughts of an angry person are poisonous offspring, they devour their own mother - the mind” 94. 80. Four images of burning with anger. – But you should know that anger inflames some people more quickly, but also leaves them easier. Others are difficult to arouse, but hold on longer. For, indeed, some are like burning reeds; when they make a loud noise, they seem to produce the sound of a crackling fire. They quickly generate fire, but immediately burn out and turn into smoldering ash. Others are like the heaviest and strongest trees. They catch the fire with difficulty, but, however, once it flares up, it is very difficult to extinguish it, and since they more slowly arouse themselves to harshness, they retain the fire of rage in themselves longer. But there are others who are worse, both those who are engulfed in the flames of rage more quickly, and those who are more difficult to extinguish it. Others flare up slowly and go out quickly. Of course, in these four types, the reader definitely learns that the last approaches the ideal of peace to a greater extent than the first, and that the third surpasses the second in evil. But what good is it if we have said how rage (iracundia) seizes the mind if we do not show how it should be curbed? 81. Anger is controlled in two ways. – For in two ways you can curb anger and wean your spirit from it. The first is that the mind, before starting to do anything, must weigh all the humiliations that it may suffer, and, thinking about the reproaches of its Redeemer, prepare itself for disaster. Naturally, one who has prudently foreseen what (might) happen strengthens himself with foresight. For he who does not foresee anything is overtaken by disaster, just as a sleeper is attacked by enemies, and the enemy kills him more quickly because he strikes the one who does not offer resistance. For whoever, due to anxiety, anticipates imminent disaster, expects an enemy attack, as if awake in an ambush, and therefore energetically prepares for victory, since the enemy thinks to capture him suddenly. Consequently, the spirit, before starting any business, must carefully consider everything that could happen that could be disastrous, so that, reflecting on this, it is always protected from it by the armor of patience (patientia), and whatever approaches, the one who foresees will overcome, and what is approaching will be considered profit. The second way to maintain meekness is that when we see the sins of others, we think about our own transgressions, in which we excel others. Of course, when we contemplate our own weakness, we can justify the evil of others. For he who reverently remembers that he may have done something for which he must suffer, patiently bears the injury inflicted. And it is as if fire is extinguished by water, when rage rises in the soul, and the mind remembers its guilt (culpa), since it is ashamed of not abstaining from sins, when it remembers that it has often (itself) sinned either against God or against its neighbor. 82. One anger comes from intemperance, the other from jealousy. The first blinds the eyes, the second so excites that it leads to clearer vision. – First of all, it should be well known that one type of anger comes from intemperance, and the other from jealousy. One is born from vice, the other from virtue. For if no anger arose from virtue, then the passion of Phinehas would not have been tamed by the sword of Divine punishment. Since Eli did not have this anger, he inevitably aroused movements of Divine vengeance against himself. For, since Eli was indifferent to the vices of his subordinates, that is why the anger of the Eternal Ruler kindled against him. The Psalmist says about this: “When you are angry, do not sin” (Ps. 4:5). Of course, those who want to be angry solely with themselves, and not with their neighbors who sin, misunderstand this passage. For if we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves, then we should be angry at the mistakes of our neighbors as at our own shortcomings. Solomon says about this: “Anger is better than laughter, because through the sadness of the face the spirit of the sinner is straightened” (Eccl. 7:4). The Psalmist speaks about this again: “My eyes are darkened with anger” (Ps. 6:8). Of course, the anger that comes from vice blinds the eyes of the mind, but the anger that comes from jealousy excites, for contemplation is dissipated, since it cannot be perceived by a restless heart when the spirit is shaken by just jealousy. For zeal for justice causes anxiety in the mind, clouds its vision, and in its excitement it does not see the highest, which it clearly discerned when it was calm. But afterwards he returns back to the highest, from which he retreated, so as not to see for the time being. For zeal for justice reveals the eternal a little later in silence more abundantly, because due to excitement it hid it for some time. And since the mind does not see, it is excited, and thus it rises to become clearer to see what is more true: thus the ointment is applied to the eye of the weak, and sight is completely lost, but a little later, having lost it for a while, it regains it again with confidence. Excitement is never combined with contemplation, for a disturbed mind has no power to see what it can hardly notice when calm, because the ray of the sun is not distinguished when clouds cover the face of the heavens, and a disturbed source does not reflect the image of the one looking into it, because it twitches with ripples and therefore distorts the image, but, being calm, shows it in its true form, 83. One must be careful not to let anger, which comes from jealousy, dominate the overheated mind. – But when the spirit is aroused by jealousy, we must take every possible care so that anger, which rises as an instrument of virtue, does not rule over the mind, and does not dictate as if it were a master, but like a servant, ready to provide services, standing behind the mind, in no way ahead. For he is then more strongly aroused against vices when, enslaved, he serves reason. Although anger can arise from jealousy, if it is immoderate, it overcomes the mind, and then completely refuses to serve reason, and shamelessly expands itself to the extent that it considers intolerance of vice a virtue. Therefore, one who is excited by zeal for justice, first of all, must beware that anger does not become the master of the mind, but, observing time and measure in exposing sin, skillfully limit the impulses of the excited spirit with reasoning, restrain jealousy, and put passionate emotions under the power of equanimity. So it turns out that the avenger punishes others more justly if he first becomes the victor of himself. Since he wants to correct the misdeeds of those who sin, then before correcting them, he must grow in patience, reason beyond his ardor, and not retreat, excited by zeal for justice, far from justice itself. But since we said that even praiseworthy zeal for the good darkens the eyes of the mind, now it is rightly said: “So anger kills a fool.” This is if it were directly said: “Anger that comes from jealousy confuses the wise, but anger that comes from vice kills the foolish, because the first is limited by reason, while the second unreasonably dominates the subjugated mind.” It's good to add: Right there. And envy kills the baby. 84. An envious person envyes because he considers himself lesser. “For we cannot help but be envious if we consider someone better than us.” Consequently, the baby is the one who is killed by envy, because he testifies to himself that he is less than the one he envies. So the crafty enemy, out of envy, took possession of the first man, for when he lost bliss, he felt himself lesser in relation to his immortality 95 . So Cain fell into committing fratricide (Gen. 4:5-7), because his sacrifice was rejected, he became angry because he put himself above the one whose sacrifice God accepted: he does not want him to be better than him, and kills him so that he does not exist at all 96. So Esau sought to persecute his brother (Gen. 25:34, 27:41), because he had lost the blessing of the birthright, however, he himself sold it for the sake of eating lentils, and then mourned, since he became smaller than the one he was born before. So the brothers sold Joseph to the passing Ishmaelites (Gen. 37, 27, 28), because, having learned the secret of the revelation, they tried to resist his success so that he would not become better than them. So Saul pursued David's subordinate by throwing a spear (1 Samuel 18:11). Because he felt that he was increasing every day in the achievement of virtue, and was afraid that he would not become stronger than him. So, the one who is killed by envy is an infant, because if he did not feel less, he would not grieve for the good of another. 85. The ancient serpent, in envy, consumes and spews out all its poison. Description of envy. – But in the midst of this, one must know that, although through every sin that is committed, the poison of the ancient enemy penetrates into the human heart, however, in this shamelessness, the serpent uses all its means and emits the infection of malice. Without a doubt, it is written about this: “Through the envy of the devil, death entered the world” (Wis. 2:24). For when the corruption of envy has damaged the conquered heart, even outward manifestations proclaim how strongly madness will hold the spirit. Of course, the complexion becomes pale, the eyes become depressed, the mind is inflamed and the limbs become cold, rage arises in the thoughts and gnashing in the teeth. And when hatred, growing, hides in the recesses of the heart, a hidden ulcer bores the consciousness with blind sadness. It does not want to rejoice in anything of its own, because the torment it inflicts on itself wounds the languid mind, tormenting it because of the happiness of others. And as much as the structure of someone else’s business is raised to a height, the deeper the foundation of the mind is undermined by envy. And because others succeed, the mind falls into a more difficult state, and in this fall even what was considered to be well done is destroyed. Therefore it is well said through Solomon: “Life of the flesh, health of the heart; envy is rottenness of the bones” (Proverbs 14:30). For what is signified by the flesh, if not a certain weakness and delicacy? And what do the bones signify, if not great deeds 97? And it often happens that some who have true integrity of heart seem weak in some of their affairs. Others perform great deeds before human eyes, but inside, however, they wither away from the infection of envy in relation to the good of others. Therefore, it is well said: “Life of the flesh, health of the heart; envy is rotting bones,” because if the integrity of the mind is maintained, even if they are weak on the outside, they become stronger over time. And it is rightly added: “Envy is rotting bones,” because through the vice of envy, even great deeds perish in the eyes of God. For the fact that bones decay means that even some great works perish. 86. The weakening and death of envy is imperfect and perfect love for eternity. - But why do we say all this about envy if we do not communicate in any way about how it is expelled? For it is difficult not to envy one who covets what belongs to another, because whatever temporary thing is acquired becomes less valuable in proportion as it is distributed among many. And therefore envy torments the mind of the one who desires them. For what he covets the other either steals completely or takes something from the total amount. Consequently, he who wishes to be completely free from the ulcer of envy must love that inheritance which does not limit the number of joint heirs, which is one for all, and everything for one. It is served as abundantly as the number of those receiving it increases. Consequently, the weakening of envy is an increasing desire for inner sweetness, and its complete death is perfect love for eternity. For the mind, when it refrains from striving for things, loves its neighbor as much as it sees damage to itself in his success. If he is completely inflamed with love for the heavenly fatherland, then he is completely confirmed in love for his neighbor, without any envy, for when he does not desire anything earthly, then there is nothing that would contradict his love for his neighbor. Of course, what is love if not another eye of the mind? If he becomes covered with the dust of earthly love, then soon his vision is damaged and, dulled, moves away from (the vision of) the inner light. But, since the one who loves earthly things is a baby, and the adult is the one who strives for the eternal, this can be understood accordingly: “Envy kills the baby,” because he does not yet die from the disease of the plague, if he has not yet become weak in desires. In the Slavic Bible: “There are small and great there, and the servant do not fear his master.” In the Slavic Bible: “Because light was given to those who are in sorrow.” In the Slavic Bible: “And belly for the souls that are in sickness.” In the Slavic Bible: “The heart of a husband is sensitive to the sadness of his soul: when he is having fun, annoyance will not be mixed in.” In the Slavic Bible: “And if you have sought it as if it were silver, and if you have tried it as if it were a treasure.” In the Slavic Bible: “For there is rest in death for the husband, whose hidden path is, for God shut around him.” In the Slavic Bible: “...to the bottom of hell.” In the Slavic Bible: “I am overcome with fear.” In the Slavic Bible: “Never resign yourself, keep silent, keep quiet, and find me wrath.” In the Synodal Bible: “I have no peace, no joy: misfortune has befallen me.” The text given by St. Gregory: “Comprehendam sapientes in astutia eorum” differs from the Vulgate version: “Qui adprehendit sapiens in austitia eorum.” The last part of the phrase in the Latin text: ...cunctum sui acuminis mueronem retundunt. The meaning of the word "mueronem" is uncertain. We are talking about the meaning of the names of Job's friends, but in this book we do not find an interpretation of their translation. As can be seen from the text, it was placed in previous books. In the Slavic Bible: “Food in abundance was said to be in your labor, but whoever will endure your heaviness.” According to the Vulgate, and St. Gregory we read: “Qui dimittit aquam, caput est jurgiorum”, it seems that the word “caput” in this context is better translated as “source”. In the Slavic Bible: “Power gives words the beginning of truth; poverty is led by straightening and abuse.” The same interpretation is found in the Pastoral Rule: “To shed water means to give freedom to the tongue in the heat of speech.” The rule is pastoral or about pastoral service. (St. Gregory the Great - Dvoeslov). Per. from lat. David Podgursky. Kyiv. 1872. P. 66. In the Slavic Bible: “In the fear of the Lord is the hope of strength.” In the Slavic Bible: “You see how the righteous perish, and no one accepts it in his heart.” In the Slavic Bible: “The Lord is long-suffering.” In the Slavic Bible: “The strength of a lion, the voice of a lioness, and the joy of the serpents is extinguished.” In the Slavic Bible: “The wicked perished, having no food, and left the Lvov skims to each other.” In the Septuagint: “Μυρμηκολέων ώλετο παράτό μή έχειν βοράν.” St. Gregory bases his interpretation on a comparison of the text of the Latin Bible with the text of the Septuagint, but, as is known, he did not know Greek. Perhaps he used the services of monks who accompanied him to Constantinople and knew Greek. In the Slavic Bible: “And no sons of majesty walked on it, and no lion passed through it.” In the Slavic Bible: “Touch the sweetness of the hidden bread and drink the sweet water of the Tatba.” In the Slavic Bible: “With fear and a voice at night, fear attacks people.” In the Slavic Bible: “If the verb had been true in all your words, no evil would have come upon you from them. My ear will not accept wonderful things from him.” This verse differs from the corresponding one in the Synodal Bible. The latter version is more consistent with the Vulgate. In the Slavic Bible: “When he saw him, he laughed at his deportation.” In the Slavic Bible: “Be abolished and understand that I am God.” In the Slavic Bible: “And you will find spirit on my face: I am afraid of power and flesh.” In another of his works, namely “The Pastoral Rule or on Pastoral Ministry” (Regulae Pastoralis Liber) St. Gregory gives a slightly different interpretation. He interprets a verse from the book of the prophet Ezekiel that is different in meaning regarding the Levites: “let them not shave their hair, and let them not grow their hair, but let them cut their hair and cut it.” In the Slavic Bible, the last part of the verse reads like this: “the covering covers its heads.” In the passage cited, hair has a similar interpretation: “And the hair on the head represents, as it were, external evaporations of the thoughts of the mind; and just as these hairs, growing on our head in an incomprehensible and elusive way for us, express concerns about real life, so these same concerns, sometimes appearing without an urgent need and without encountering any opposition, as if without any of our participation, intensify in us,” but the duties of the Levites are considered by the saint in relation to the flock, which is clear from the following: “Therefore, it is commanded to them: “but when they cut their hair, let them prune them,” that is, so that they satisfy the everyday needs of both themselves and their neighbors as much as the needs require, and cut off any excess.” The rule is pastoral or about pastoral service. (St. Gregory the Great - Dvoeslov). Per. from lat. David Podgursky. Kyiv. 1872. P. 66. In the Slavic Bible: “Radiance is the ever-present light.” The question of how St. taught. Gregory about the personal properties of the Third Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity, was studied by the publishers of his works, Benedictine monks from the congregation of St. Mavra. In the Preface to the Dialogues they outlined the results of their studies. By the way, here we read: “...how alien was St. Gregory, the error of the Greeks about the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father is clearly evident from the symbol that he confessed at the beginning of his pontificate, as well as from many places in his “Moral Interpretations on the Book of Job.” Quote by: Uspensky F. Church and political activity of Pope Gregory 1 - Dvoeslov. Kazan, 1901. P. 94. It is to this place that the Benedictine monk refers to in confirmation that St. Gregory adhered to the doctrine of the Filioque. In the Slavic Bible: “What more; food a person will be clean before God; or a man without blemish in his deeds.” In the Slavic Bible: “My bone is not hidden from Thee, which Thou hast created in secret, and my composition in the depths of the earth.” In the Slavic Bible: “And from morning even until evening no one cares.” In the Slavic Bible: “Time redeems.” In the Slavic Bible: “I can’t help myself, I’m lost.” In the Slavic Bible: “Dkhnu bo na nya, and izskhosha.” In the Slavic Bible: “And having no wisdom, I perished.” In the Slavic Bible: “Call if anyone hears you.” In the Slavic Bible: “Or whom will the angel see from the saints”? In the Slavic Bible: “Anger kills the foolish, but zeal kills the erring one.” A similar discussion about anger is found in the already mentioned work of St. Gregory's Pastoral Rule or on pastoral service. Per. from lat. David Podgursky. Kiev, 1872. pp. 106–107. In the Slavic Bible: “And to whom will I look but to the meek and silent and trembling of my words”? Slavic Bible: “Every simple soul is blessed: but an ardent husband is unbecoming.” It remains unknown where the St. was taken from. Gregory this quote. The note to the Latin text placed in the Patrology of Min says: Subsequens autem testimonium frustra quaesivimus in libris Ecclesiastici (726D) et Sapientiae quos laudare solet Gregorius sub nomine cujusdam sapientis, that is, confirmation of this place was unsuccessfully tried to be found in the books of Ecclesiastes and Wisdom, belonging to Solomon. In the already mentioned translation of the Pastoral Rule (Regula Pastoralis Liber) there is a place where St. Frigory cites a quotation according to him that belongs to Solomon, which in fact belongs to Jesus, the son of Sirach: “(child), do nothing without advice, and when you do it, do not repent” (Sir. 32.21). Regarding this passage, the author provides the following note: “It is remarkable that St. Gregory directly attributes the book of the Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach (Ecclesiasticum) to Solomon, while in other places almost everywhere he calls its writer only quidam sapiens (a certain sage). View Part. 1. Elav. 4. Part. II. Elav. 6. of the same treatise and in many places of his Moralia Lib. 7. paragraph 45. Lib. 20. paragraph 51. Lib. 27. paragraph 53. et caet. He also names the writer of the book of the Wisdom of Solomon (Ecclesiastem). View Lib. 19. 26. There are two more places in the same part of the treatise (see. chapters 23 at the end and chapters 32 at the beginning), where in the text itself this Ecclesiasticus, as the writer of the book, is called quidam sapiens, and in the notes - Solomon. Therefore, in the time of St. Gregory, the book of the Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach was also attributed to Solomon, although of course erroneously. View Sire. 40, 29. Decree. op. pp. 139–140. A similar interpretation: “For this spirit of malice, having lost heaven, envied man, created for heaven, and, having perished himself, further aggravated his condemnation by destroying man.” The rule is pastoral or about pastoral service. (St. Gregory the Great - Dvoeslov). Per. from lat. Daeida Podgursky. Kyiv. 1872. P. 112. “So, if Cain had not been jealous of Abel, whose sacrifice was accepted by God, but his was rejected; then he would not have dared to kill his brother... This means that envy was the germ of fratricide; and Cain, seeing Abel exalted and himself humiliated, tried in any way to get rid of him. It does not prevent the envious from pointing out that this internal infection with which they are consumed kills and destroys in them everything that is good in them, as is confirmed by the following words of Scripture: “Life of the flesh, health of the heart; envy is rotting bones.” Right there. pp. 112–113. “What does flesh mean here, if not weakness and cowardice? And what is meant by bones, if not deeds in which there is firmness and strength?”, and further until the end of the chapter. Right there. pp. 113–114.