The Devil's Assault and Job's Desolation

the external possession

Regarding the angels, the pattern follows. Of the history, it is this: 'The devil went out from the Lord' (Job 1:7). Having gone out, he does not wait, but immediately performs the work of the temptation, surrounding him with a total-body wound, intending by the blow to dissolve the tone of his virtue. By mentioning the extremes, he shows that he also touched the middle parts.

'And he took a potsherd, that he might scrape the sores' (Job 2:8). The verse signifies the wilderness and his helplessness, because no one was present with him while he was nursing, but also because the wife was absent due to her haste toward work, from which both she and he were perhaps being nourished; for in the following, the woman saying to him, 'And I, a wanderer and a vagabond, receiving place from place and house from house, when will the sun set?' signifies the wilderness. To such an extent was his body dissolved, so as to be reduced to sores. Therefore, with the potsherd, he scraped himself while being sick in soul and unbending.

'And he sat on the ashes outside the city' (Job 2:8). It is probable that in those cities they did not permit one having such a body to live. Therefore, outside the city on the ashes he sat, and he perceives the continuous change, from what prosperity and enjoyment he has changed into what kind of wickedness under the tempter, so as to be a stranger and to sit on the ashes, without a household being with him, nor even a friend or even the wife herself, as was previously stated; for she does not seem to be acting toward him without distinction, as we have placed it.

'And after a long time having passed, his wife said to him: How long will you endure saying this?' (Job 2:9). 'Behold, I wait for a little more time, expecting the hope of my salvation. For behold, your memorial is being blotted out from the earth, sons and daughters, whom I labored for in vain with pains in childbirth. But you yourself sit in the rot of worms, staying awake through the night. And I, a wanderer and a vagabond, receiving place from place and house from house, when will the sun set, so that I may rest from the labors and the pains that now seize me? But say one word to the Lord and end.' The devil, having become weary from so many blows and being unable to cast him down from the loss of his property and of the...

Greek

ὅπερ πιθανὸν μὲν καὶ ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πλεῖστον, οὐ μὴν ἐπὶ πάντων ἀληθές· πολλοὶ γὰρ ὑπὲρ χρημάτων ἐκινδύνευσαν. εὐτελίζων δὲ ὁ φιλόκακος διάβολος τὴν ἀνδρείαν τοῦ μακαρίου καὶ βουλόμενος ἐπενεγκεῖν αὐτῶι καὶ κατὰ τοῦ σώματος ἅπερ ἐπήνεγκεν, εὐκαταφρόνητον εἶναί φησιν τὴν τῶν ἔξωθεν κτῆσιν κρύπτων κακοήθως, ὅτι ὑπὲρ τέκνων μύριοι ἀπολέσθαι ηὔξαντο· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ οἱ πόλεμοι τὴν σύστασιν ἔχουσιν ὑπὲρ τῶν τέκνων γενόμενοι· ἕκαστος γὰρ προβόλιον τῶν ἰδίων παιδίων ἱστάμενος ὑπερκινδυνεύει τούτων. ἀλλ' ὁ ἀντικείμενος πόθῳ τοῦ 43 κακῶσαι τὸν Ἰὼβ καὶ περὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀλλόκοτον φθέγγεται. διόπερ ὡς καὶ πρότερόν φησιν· "ἀλλὰ ἀποστείλας τὴν χεῖρά σου ἅψαι τῶν ὀστέων αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν σαρκῶν αὐτοῦ· εἶ μὴν εἰς πρόσωπόν σε εὐλογήσει." οἶδεν γὰρ εἴπερ καὶ ἐξέπεσεν, ὅτι εἰ μὴ θεὸς ἐπιτρέψῃ, οὐδὲν αὐτὸς κατά τινος δύναται, τῆς ἐπιτροπῆς οὕτω νοουμένης, ὅτι σοφῶς γίγνεται ἅτε παρὰ θεοῦ γιγνομέ νη. "εἶπεν δὲ ὁ κύριος τῶι διαβόλωι· ἰδοὺ παραδίδωμί σοι αὐτόν, μόνον τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ διαφύλαξον." ἐπιτρέπει καὶ τοῦτο ὁ κύριος πρὸς ἡμετέραν ὠφελίαν, ἵνα χαρακτὴρ καὶ τύπος ἀνδρείας καθάπερ ἐν στηλογραφίαις ὁ Ἰὼβ τεθεὶς σκοπὸς τῆς τοιαύτης ἀρετῆς καὶ τοῖς τότε καὶ τοῖς μεταγενεστέροις ὑπάρξῃ, ὃ καὶ γέγονεν. αὐτοῦ γὰρ ἔστιν τοῦ ἀθλητοῦ καὶ ἀγωνιστοῦ ἀκοῦσαι λέγοντος· "οἶδα, ὅτι δίκαιος ἀναφανοῦμαι." παραδιδοὺς δὲ ὁ κύριός φησιν· "μόνον τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ διαφύλαξον", ὅπερ νοηθείη οὕτως· παρακοπὰς πολλάκις κα̣ι`̣ τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ διαστροφὰς ἔν τισιν ὁρῶμεν γιγνομένας, δι' οὓς πάλιν οἶδεν λόγους ὁ τὸ κρυπτὸν ἐπιστάμενος θεὸς τούτων οὕτω παραδοθέντων. ὅ φησιν οὖν ὁ κύριος, τοῦτό ἐστιν· μὴ κάρον αὐτῷ καὶ διαστροφὴν τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ ἐρ44 γάσῃ, ἀλλὰ σαρκῶν ἅπτου καὶ ὀστέων ὧν καὶ ἐξῃτήσω. εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ «μὴ ἀποκτείνῃς αὐτὸν» κεῖται τό· "μόνον τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ διαφύλαξον", συνεπίσκεψαι. "ἐξῆλθεν δὲ ὁ διάβολος ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ ἔπαισεν τὸν Ἰὼβ ἕλκει πονηρῶι ἀπὸ ποδῶν μέχρι κεφαλῆς." πᾶς ἁμαρτωλὸς ἔξω θεοῦ ἐστιν, προηγουμένως δὲ ὁ διάβολος ὡς ἀρχέκακος. εἴρηται δὲ περὶ τούτου καὶ πρότερον. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐν τῶι διηγήματι εἴρηται, ὡς "ἦλθεν ὁ διάβολος μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων", ἀκολούθως προσάγεται τὸ σχῆμα. τῆς ἱστορίας ἔχεται τό· "ἐξῆλθεν ὁ διάβολος ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου." ἐξελθὼν δὲ οὐκ ἀναμένει, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς ἐνεργεῖ τὸ τῆς ἐξαιτήσεως ὁλοσωμάτωι τραύματι περιβαλὼν αὐτόν, προσβολῇ βουλόμενος τὸν τόνον τῆς ἀρετῆς αὐτοῦ διαλύσειν. τῶν δ' ἄκρων μνημονεύει δηλῶν, ὅτι καὶ τῶν μέσων ἥψατο. "καὶ ἔλαβεν ὄστρακον, ἵνα τὸν ἰχῶρα ξύῃ." τὴν ἐρημίαν καὶ τὸ ἀβοήθητον αὐτοῦ σημαίνει ὁ στίχος μηδενὸς παρόντος αὐτῷ τοῦ νοσηλεύοντος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς γυναικὸς ἀπούσης διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸ ἔργον σπουδήν, ἐξ οὗ καὶ αὐτὴι καὶ αὐτὸς ἴσως ἐτρέφετο· ἐν γὰρ τοῖς ἑξῆς ἡ γυνὴ λέγουσα πρὸς αὐτόν· "κἀγὼ πλανωμένη καὶ λάτρις τόπον ἐκ τόπου καὶ οἰκίαν ἐξ οἰκίας προσδεχομένη τὸν ἥλιον πότε δύσεται" τὸ εἰρημέ45 νον παρίστησιν. εἰς τοσοῦτον αὐτῷ τὸ σῶμα διελέλυτο, ὥστε εἰς ἰχῶρας ἀναλύεσθαι. δι̣ὸ τῷ ὀστράκωι ἔξυεν αὐτὸς τῆι ψυχῇ ἄνοσος ὢν καὶ ἀκαμπής. "καὶ ἐκάθητο ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας ἔξω τῆς πόλεως." εἰκὸς ὅτι ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν ἐκείναις οὐκ ἐπέτρεπον τὸν ἔχοντα τοιοῦτον σῶμα διάγειν. διόπερ ἔξω τῆς πόλεως ἐπὶ κοπρίας 13 ἐκαθέζετο καὶ θεωρεῖ τὴν ἀθρόαν μεταβολήν, ἐξ οἵας εὐετηρίας καὶ διαγωγῆς εἰς ποίαν μετέβαλεν ὑπὸ τοῦ πειράζοντος κακοπραγίαν, ὥστε καὶ ἔξοικος εἶναι καὶ ἐπὶ κοπρίας καθέζεσθαι, οὐ συνόντος οἰκείου, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ φίλου οὐδ' αὐτῆς τῆς γυναικός, ὡς προείρηται· οὐδὲ γὰρ φαίνεται ἀδιαθέτως ἔχουσα πρὸς αὐτόν, ὡς παρεθέμεθα. "χρόνου δὲ πολλοῦ προβεβηκότος εἶπεν αὐτῶι ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ· μέχρι τίνος καρτερήσεις λέγων· ἰδοὺ ἀναμένω χρόνον ἔτι μικρὸν προσδεχόμενος τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς σωτηρίας μου; ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἠφάνισταί σου τὸ μνημόσυνον ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, υἱοὶ καὶ θυγατέρες, ἐμῆς κοιλίας ὠδῖναι καὶ πόνοι, οὓς εἰς τὸ κενὸν ἐκοπίασα μετὰ μόχθων. σὺ δὲ αὐτὸς ἐν σαπρίαι σκωλήκων κάθῃ διανυκτερεύων αἴθριος. κἀγὼ πλανῆτις καὶ λάτρις τόπον ἐκ τόπου καὶ οἰκίαν ἐξ οἰκίας προσδεχομένη τὸν ἥλιον πότε δύσεται, ἵνα ἀναπαύσωμαι 46 τῶν μόχθων καὶ τῶν ὀδύνων αἵ με νῦν συνέχουσιν. ἀλλ' εἶπόν τι ῥῆμα εἰς κύριον καὶ τελεύτα." ἀτονήσας ἐκ τῶν τοσούτων προσβολῶν ὁ διάβολος καὶ μὴ δυνηθεὶς αὐτὸν καταβαλεῖν ἐκ τῆς ἀφαιρέσεως τῆς περιουσίας καὶ τῆς τῶν

About this text

Didymus the Blind on Job.

Catalogue & scope

Khazarzar scan

Witnesses

Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)

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