The Diabolical Envy and the Human Mind
It is appropriate for anyone who intends to conduct an examination of a certain discourse to take the premises of the discourse into account, in what is now being composed, and especially since the presented book, being most useful, does not have an unapproachable intellect. For within it, the whole discourse concerning the judgments of God is moved by Job, and how nothing of the things happening occurs to men except by the concurrence of God (Job 29:22), and other dogmatic theorems—and even in the preceding discourse, things concerning patience and endurance and the attitudes of the indifferent—I say, goods and possessions and many children and good upbringing—to these are added the manifestation of free will and the teaching of various dogmas, as we see God giving them according to each of the matters, into which these things are. If, therefore, the premise is necessary, it is sufficient.
A change in the value of things appears to be a variation, this being of bodies decaying and increasing, and this being of a change occurring through choice. And as many as occur according to the body, they show neither an unseemly underlying substance nor a praiseworthy one. For no one is acceptable either in the decay of the body or in its increase; for these things are outside of what is up to us. But as many as are done by the one acting while the reasoning is moving volitionally, these show him either rejected or praiseworthy. And this follows those who change from wickedness to virtue or from virtue to wickedness.
So it has happened that a rational being became an apostate from God, 'having made a neck bowed before the Lord of all' (Job 29:22). And this is the devil, not having become a devil—for 'God did not make death' (Wisdom 1:13)—but perfect and virtuous—for 'God made all things very good' (Gen 1:31)—who, having fallen from the right state and blessedness, envies those turning toward this; for 'through the envy of the devil, death entered into the world' (Wisdom 2:24). For he reasons as an outcast toward himself that: it is necessary to obstruct the heavenly...
They are a polity, so that those whom I fell from might ascend. For he thinks the progress of men to be a private accusation, because he himself is the 'Morning Star' of the heavens and a star 'rising at dawn' that shines, but because he was preparing those who would be enlightened by the 'Sun of Righteousness' Mal 4:2, he fell from the heavenly regions. But these, as I see, hasten toward the visible polity, who have more inclination toward wickedness.
For 'carefully the mind of men is set upon evil things' 1 Cor 6:3, which the apostle wishes to demonstrate, saying: 'Shall we judge angels?' 1 Cor 6:3; meaning that we, living the heavenly life upon earth, judge those who do not guard their own order, just as the Ninevites judge the Jews for not having believed in the Savior, themselves having been persuaded by the preaching of Jonah concerning repentance. But also that which is said concerning the Queen of Sheba Matt 12:42 is a demonstration of the same mind; for a woman and a queen, standing far off and intending to travel through foreign districts, having surpassed all these things of Solomon's wisdom, she hastened to be obedient, the Jews having the teacher as a pledge and not wishing to be benefited by him, even though Solomon had more. For he was benefited having been instructed by him, but the Savior was shown to be a wonder-worker capable of persuading the most unbelieving ones by the benefit from the words and signs and wonders; for resurrections of the dead, openings of eyes to the blind, cleansings of lepers, and in general a healing of 'every disease and infirmity' Matt 9:35 was performed by him.
This, then, was the diabolical envy, because men were hastening to lay hold of those things from which he himself fell. Therefore also he does not neglect the influence against the race; for our 'adversary the devil walks like a lion seeking someone to devour' 1 Pet 5:8. In this way also, having cast a calculation of love of silver into Judah, he made him a traitor to the Savior, just as into a household.
Greek
Commentarii in Job 1 ὅπερ ἁρμόζει παντὶ προτιθεμένῳ ἐξέτασιν ποιήσασθα̣ι λόγου τινὸς τὰ εἰς τὴν ὑπόθεσιν προδιαλαμβάνοντι τοῦ λόγου, ἐν τοῖς νῦν ποιητέον, καὶ μάλιστα ε᾿̣π̣εὶ τὸ προκείμενον βιβλίον ὠφελιμώτατον ὑπάρχον οὐκ εὐκαταφρόνητον ἔχει τὴν νόησιν. κινεῖται γὰρ ἐν αὐτῳ῀̣ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰὼβ ὅλο̣ς ὁ περὶ τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ κριμάτων λόγος, καὶ ὡς οὐδὲν τῶν συμβαινόντων ἐπιπόνων ἀνθρώποις ἐκτὸς τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ συνχωρήσεως γίνεται, καὶ ἕτερα δογματικὰ θεωρήματα καὶ ἔτι ἐν τῷ προηγουμένῳ λόγῳ καρτερίας πέρι καὶ ὑπομονῆς καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀδιαφόρων καταφρονήσεως– χρημάτων λέγω καὶ κτημάτων καὶ πολυπαιδίας καὶ εὐπαιδίας–, πρὸς τούτοις καὶ τοῦ αὐτεξουσίου φανέρωσις καὶ τῶν ποικίλων δογμάτων διδασκαλία, ὡς καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν λογίων, εἰς ἃ ταῦτά ἐστιν, θεοῦ διδόντος ὀψόμεθα. εἰ δεῖ τοίνυν τῆς ὑποθέσεως, ἀρκτέον. διάφορος ἡ τῆς τι̣μῆς τῶν οὐσιῶν φαίνεται μεταβολή, τοῦτο μὲν σωμάτων φθειρομένων καὶ αὐξομένων, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ προαιρετικῆς συμβαινούσης μεταβολῆς. καὶ ὅσαι μὲν κατὰ σῶμα γίνονται, οὔτε μεμπτὸν ὑποκείμενον οὔτε ἐπαινετὸν δεικνύουσιν. οὐδεὶς γὰρ οὔτε ἐπὶ φθορᾷ σώματος οὔτε ἐπὶ αὐξήσει ἀποδεκτός· ἔξω γὰρ ταῦτα τοῦ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστιν. ὅσα δὲ λογισμῷ προαιρετικῶς κινουμένου 2 τοῦ ἐνεργοῦντος πράττεται, ταῦτα ἢ ψεκτὸν ἢ ἐπαινετὸν αὐτὸν δείκνυσιν. τοῦτο δ' ἀκολουθεῖ τοῖς ἐκ κακίας εἰς ἀρετὴν ἢ ἐξ ἀρετῆς εἰς κακίαν μεταβάλλουσιν. γέ γονεν τοίνυν λογικὴ οὐσία ἀποστάτις θεοῦ, "ἐνώπιον κυρίου παντοκράτορος τραχηλιάσασα". δ αὕτη δ' ἐστὶν ὁ διάβολος οὐ διάβολος γεγενημένη–"ὁ θεὸς" γὰρ "θάνατον οὐκ ἐποίησεν"–, ἀλλὰ τελεία καὶ ἐνάρετος–"πάντα" γὰρ "ὁ θεὸς καλὰ λίαν ἐποίησεν"–, ἥτις ἐκπεσοῦσα τῆς ὀρθῆς καταστάσεως καὶ μακαριότη̣τος φθονεῖ τοῖς ἐπὶ ταύτην τρεπομένοις· "φθόνῳ" γὰρ "διαβόλου θάνατος εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον". λογίζεται γὰρ ὡς ἔκβολ̣ος πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ὅτι· ἐμποδιστέον τοῖς οὐράνιον ἔχουσιν πολιτείαν, ὅπως μὴ ἐξ ὧν ἐγὼ ἐκπέπτωκα, οὗτοι ἀνέλθωσιν. ἰδίαν γὰρ κατηγορίαν οἴεται τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων προκ̣οπήν, διότι αὐτὸς μὲν "ἑωσφόρος" οὐρανῶν καὶ "πρωῒ ἀνατέλλων" ἀστήρ ἐστι καταυγάζων, διὰ δὲ τὸ παρασκευάζειν τοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ "ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης" φωτισθησομένους ἐξέπεσεν τῶν οὐρανίων χωρίων. οὗτοι δὲ ω̣·ι̣δ̣·α̣ τῆς ἐναρέτου πολιτείας σπεύδουσιν, οἵτινες πλείονα ῥοπὴν εἰς κακίαν ἔχουσιν. "ἐπιμελῶς" γὰρ "ἡ διάνοια τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔνκειται ἐπὶ τὰ πονηρά", 3 ὅπερ παραστῆσαι ὁ ἀπόστολος βουλόμενός φησιν· "οὐκ ἀγγέλους κρινοῦμεν;" δηλῶν ὡς ὅτι· ἡμεῖς οἱ τὸν οὐράνιον βίον ζῶντες ἐπὶ γῆς κατακρινοῦμ̣εν τοὺς τὴν ἰδίαν μὴ φυλάξαντας τάξιν, καθὰ καὶ Νινευῖται τοὺς Ἰουδαίους κατακρινοῦσι μὴ πεισθέντας τῷ ςωτῆρι, αὐτοὶ πεπεισμένοι τῶι κηρύγματι Ἰωνᾶ περὶ μετανοίας καταγγείλα̣ντος̣. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ περὶ τῆς βασιλίδος Σαβὰ λεγόμενον τῆς αὐτῆς διανοίας ἐ στι παραστατικόν· γυνὴ γὰρ καὶ βασιλὶς καὶ πόρρω καθεστῶσα καὶ διὰ ξένων τοπαρχιῶν διαβαίνειν μέλλουσα πάντα ταῦτα ὑπεριδοῦσα τῆς τοῦ Σολομῶνος σοφίας ἔσπευσεν εἶναι κατήκοος, τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐγγυ`̣ς ἐχόντων τὸν παιδευτὴν καὶ μηδὲν ἐθελόντων ἐξ αὐτοῦ ὠφεληθῆναι καίτοι πλεῖον ἔχοντος Σολομῶνος. ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ ἐξ αὐτοῦ σοφισθεὶς ὠφέλει, ὁ δὲ ςωτὴρ πρὸς τῇ ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων ὠφελίᾳ καὶ σημείων καὶ τεραστίων ἐπεδείκνυτο θαυματουργι´̣αν ἱκανὴν μεταπείθ̣ειν τοὺς σφόδρα ἀπιστοτάτους· νεκρῶν γὰρ ἀναστάσεις, τυφλῶν ἀναβλέψεις, λεπρῶν καθαρισμοὶ καὶ συνόλως "πάσης νόσου καὶ μαλακίας" ἴασις παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐπετελεῖτο. ὁ φθόνος οὖν ὁ διαβολικὸς οὗτος ἦν, ὅτι ἄνθρωποι τούτων ἐπιλαβέσθαι 4 ἔσπευδον, ὧν αὐτὸς ἐξέπεσεν. διὸ καὶ οὐκ ἀμελεῖ τῆς κατὰ τοῦ γένους ἐπηρείας· ὁ γὰρ "ἀντίδικος ἡμῶν 1 διάβολος ὡς λέων περιπατεῖ ζητῶν τίνα καταπίῃ". οὕτω καὶ τῷ Ἰούδᾳ λογισμὸν φιλαργυρίας ἐμβαλὼν προδότην αὐτὸν τοῦ ςωτῆρος πεποίηκεν, καθάπερ εἰς οἰκεῖον
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Job.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.