The distinction between medical help and malicious criticism
To save the lost who have come. Overthrowing nations and guiding them. Those who exercise foresight and say that God governs all things, a difference is brought forth; for some say that God governs in general, but not in particulars; and we also say this.
They also use such an example: the market-regulator, they say, exercises foresight for the city, making the crops abundant, but he does not carry out the other administration for the people of the city. And they say about a creator, that he creates the kinds of beings, but not the particulars. We also say this, hearing 'for you made me' (Ps 139:13) and 'your hands formed me and made me' (Ps 139:15) and 'before you formed me in the womb I knew you' (Jer 1:5), which they interpret regarding the manner of forming, stumbling upon this or that.
The 'overthrowing' therefore signifies this; for this is the word also applied to those inscribed in the constitution. What he says is that through the providence of God all things go well and in order, and even regarding the particulars, he does this; for this is most clearly shown from 'guiding them'. 'But not, but I will speak to the Lord, and I will contend against him, if he pleases' (Job 13:3). Having accused them as being mistaken, he says 'I will speak to the Lord', showing his own self-confidence. And 'I will contend against him' is instead of 'I will demonstrate my own position, if he wishes according to the hypothesis; for I know that he himself knows the cause of the harm'.
Similar to this is 'Do I now persuade men or God?' (Job 13:15) and 'The one who judges me is the Lord' (Job 19:25). It is not small, but perfect, and as God testified in the beginning 'righteous and blameless' (Gen 2:4), so to say 'I will speak to the Lord' and 'I will contend against him, if he pleases' is perfect. For apart from his will to do such a thing, which is not lawful. And you are all unjust physicians and healers of evils. An unjust physician is according to...
The readily available other aids are brought to those suffering, according to what is useful. This happens in two ways: either from the physician's abundance of resources or from ill-will. These ones who were rebuking Job said to him, more out of ignorance than out of malice, 'You suffer because of sins,' thinking they were bringing words of consolation; they were therefore unjust because they were ignorant of the cause. As for 'all are physicians of evils,' this might be said regarding those who think highly of themselves, as if they were able to heal what is happening to others by chance.
May you be struck deaf, and may it result for you in wisdom. He prays that they might have knowledge of the seasons, when it is necessary to speak and when it is necessary to be silent, having recognized that they stumble; for this shall be to them a beginning and a precursor of wisdom. For if they would learn that it is also possible to be afflicted in a different way in order that the present virtue might be revealed, wisdom shall be to them.
Textual gaps... as it is said in Proverbs: 'To a fool asking for wisdom, wisdom shall be reckoned.' For when anyone recognizes that there is need of students and of a teacher who enlightens, it shall result to him in wisdom. Just as he who is able to speak about wisdom and to teach is wise and a teacher, so also he who is able to ask what ought to be asked is in part wise. He called him 'foolish' not as being entirely lacking, but as having something lacking. Similar to 'may you be struck deaf' is 'the season to be silent'—and 'the season to speak.' 'Hear the rebuke of my mouth, and pay attention to the judgment of my lips.' He says mouth and lips instead of the word. But the holy one rebukes as holy and judges as becomes Him; he uses rebuke and judgment skillfully and legally; for the righteous does not have an untimely rebuke, nor does he do this falsely, but having judged. 'For the mouth of the righteous shall meditate on wisdom, and his tongue shall speak judgment. The law of God is in his heart, and...
Greek
σῶσαι τὸ ἀπολω#6λὸς ἐλήλυθεν". καταστρωννύων ἔθνη καὶ καθοδηγῶν #6αὐτά. τῶν τιθεμένων πρόνο̣ι̣αν καὶ λεγόντων θ̣εὸν διοικεῖν τὰ ὅλα διαφορὰ φε´̣ρεται· οἱ μὲν γὰρ λέγουσι τὸ καθόλου διοικεῖν θεόν, οὐ μὴν τὰ καθ' ἕκαστα· ἡ μεῖς δὲ καὶ τοῦτο λέγομεν. χρῶνται δὲ καὶ παραδείγματι τοιούτῳ· ὁ ἀγορανόμος, φασίν, προνοεῖται τῆς πόλεως, τὰ ὤνια δαψιλῆ ποιεῖ, τὴν ἄλλην διοίκησιν οὐ μέντοι φερε 336 ····· ····· ···· τῷ δήμῳ τῆς πόλεως. ····· και`̣ περὶ δημιουργοῦ φασιν ἐκεῖνοι, ὅτι τὰ γένη τῶν ὄντων δημιουργεῖ, οὐ μέντοι τὰ καθ' ἕκαστα. ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ τοῦτο λέγομεν ἀκούοντες τοῦ "ὅτι σὺ ἐποίησάς με" καὶ "αἱ χεῖρές σου ἔπλασάν με καὶ ἐποίησάν με" καὶ "πρὸ τοῦ με πλάσαι σε ἐν κοιλίᾳ ἐπίσταμαί σε", ὃ ἐκεῖνοι φέρουσι̣ν ἐπ̣ὶ τὸν τρόπον τῆς πλάσεως̣, οὐ μὴν τόνδε ἢ τόνδε σφαλλόμενοι. τὸ «καταστρωννύειν» οὖν τοῦτο δηλοῖ· αὕτη γὰρ ἡ λέξις καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐνγραφομένων τῇ πολιτείᾳ παραλαμβάνεται. ὃ λέγει ἐστὶν ὅτι προνοίᾳ θεου῀̣ εὖ καὶ τεταγμένως ἅπαντα ···εῖται καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν καθ' ἕκαστα τοῦτο ποιῶν· τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῦται μάλιστα ἐκ τοῦ "καθοδηγῶν αὐτά". οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλ' ἐγὼ πρὸς κύριον λαλήσω, ἐλέγξω δὲ ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ, #6ἐὰν βούληται. αἰτιασάμενος αὐτοὺς ὡς σφαλλομένους φησὶν ὅτι "πρὸς κύριον λαλήσω" τὸ εὐπαρησίαστον ἑαυτοῦ δεικνύς. τὸ δὲ "ἐλέγχω ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ" ἀντὶ τοῦ «ἀποδείκνυμι τὰ κατ' ἐμαυτόν, εἰ καθ' ὑπόθεσιν ἤθελεν· οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι αὐτὸς τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς κακώσεως ἐπίσταται». ὅμοιον τούτῳ τὸ "ἄρτι γὰρ ἀνθρώπους πείθω ἢ θεόν;" καὶ τὸ "ὁ δὲ ἀνακρίνων με κύριός ἐστιν". 337 οὐ μικροῦ δὲ ····· ····· ····· ἀλλὰ τελείου καὶ ὡς ὁ θεὸς ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐμαρτύρησεν "δικαίου καὶ ἀμέμπτου" τὸ λέγειν "πρὸς κύριον λαλήσω" καὶ τὸ "ἐλέγξω δὲ ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ, ἐὰν βούληται". χωρὶς γὰρ τῆς αὐτοῦ βουλήσεως ποιῆσαι τοιοῦτό #6τι οὐ θεμιτόν. ὑμεῖς δέ ἐστε ἰατροὶ #6ἄδικοι καὶ ἰαταὶ κακῶν πάντες. ἄδικος ἰατρός ἐστι κατὰ τὸ πρόχειρον ὁ ἄλλα βοηθήματα παρὰ τὰ συμφέροντα προσάγων τοῖς κάμνουσιν. διττῶς δὲ τοῦτο γίνεται, ἢ ἐξ ἀπειρίας τοῦ ἰατροῦ ἢ κακοηθείας. οὗτοι δὲ οἱ ἐλεγχόμενοι ἔλεγον ἐξ ἀμαθίας μᾶλλον ἢ ἐκ κακουργίας τῷ Ἰὼβ ὅτι «δι' ἁμαρτήματα πάσχεις», οἰόμενοι παρακλήσεως προσάγειν λόγους, ἄδικοι οὖν κατὰ τὸ ἀγνοεῖν τὴν αἰτίαν. τὸ δὲ "ἰαταὶ κακῶν πάντες" εἴη ἂν #6λέγων κατὰ τῶν οἰομένων μεγάλα περὶ ἑαυτῶν ὡς δυναμένων ἰάσασθαι τὰ περιστατικῶς ἑτέροις συμβαίνοντα. εἴη δὲ ὑμῖν κωφεῦσαι, καὶ ἀπο#6βήσεται ὑμῖν εἰς σοφίαν. εὔχεται αὐτοὺς καιρῶν ἐπιστήμην ἔχειν ὅτε δεῖ λαλοῦντας καὶ ὅτε δεῖ σιωπῶντας, ἐγνωκότας ὅτι σφάλλονται· τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτοῖς σοφίας ἀρχὴ καὶ προοίμιον γενήσεται. εἰ γὰρ μάθοιεν, ὅτι ἔστι καὶ ἑτέρως θλίβεσθαι ὑπὲρ τοῦ 84 ἀναφανῆναι τὴν ἐνοῦσαν ἀρετήν, σοφία αὐτοῖς ἔσται. 338 ····· ····· ·····υ̣σ̣ιν φρονη ····· ····· ···α̣ι̣ τὸ ἐπέχειν πε····· ····· ···, καθὰ ἐν Παροιμίαις λέγεται· "ἀνοήτῳ ἐπερωτήσαντι σοφίαν σοφία λογισθή σεται." ὅταν γ̣άρ τις ἐπιγνῷ, ὅτι χρῄζει παιδευμα´̣των καὶ διδασκάλου τοῦ φωτ̣ίζοντος, ἀποβήσεται αὐτῷ εἰς σοφίαν. ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ λέγειν δυνάμενος περὶ σοφίας καὶ διδα´̣σκ̣ειν σοφός ἐστι καὶ διδάσκαλος, οὕτως ἀπὸ μέρους σοφός ἐστιν ὁ δυνάμενος ἐρωτῆσαι ἃ δεῖ ἐρωτῆσαι. "ἀνόητον" δ' αὐτὸν εἶπεν οὐχ ὡς πάντῃ ἐστερημένον, ἀλλ' ὡς ἔχοντά τι ἐλλεῖπον. ὅμοιον τῷ "εἴη δὲ ὑμῖν κωφεῦσαι" τὸ "καιρὸς τοῦ σιγᾶν" – – – #6επι "καιρὸς" δὲ "τοῦ λαλεῖν". ἀκούσατε ἔλεγχον στόματός μου, κρίσιν δὲ χειλέων μου προσέχετε. στόμα καὶ χείλη ἀντὶ τοῦ λόγου φησίν. ἐλέγχει δὲ ὁ ἅγιος ὡς ἅγιος καὶ κρίνει ὡς πρέπει αὐτῷ· ἐπιστημονικῶς καὶ νομίμως χρῆται τῷ ἐλέγχῳ καὶ τῇ κρίσει· οὐ γὰρ ἄκαιρον ἔλεγχον ἔχει ὁ δίκαιος οὐδὲ ψευδῶς τοῦτο ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ κεκριμένως. "στόμα γὰρ δικαίου μελετήσει σοφίαν καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα αὐτοῦ λαλεῖ κρίσιν. ὁ νόμος τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτοῦ 339 ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Job.
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.