Job’s answer; the pilot in storm and calm; every human calamity

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—to finish the telling, she brings the shameless counsel. She does not even say openly, "Blaspheme." Evil advisers dare not introduce counsel uncovered. What are you saying, woman? One ought to propitiate and reconcile — and you advise provocation? If God did these things, entreat him; do not blaspheme. And how is it clear that I die as a beloved one? See how she held blasphemy: as if she thought it could bring death on her at once.

"If we received good things from the Lord’s hand, shall we not also bear the bad?" Struck from every side, the blessed man stood more securely. Countless arrows did not make him yield; he emptied the devil’s quiver and did not fall. Like an excellent pilot he was not sunk when the sea raged, and not careless when it was calm; in both seasons he kept the same skill. Wealth did not puff him up, poverty did not crush him; fair weather did not leave him slack, and nearly total ruin did not shake his courage. Let rich and poor hear: the story helps both prosperity and calamity. Handling both weapons, the contestant of piety — crown-bearer of the inhabited world — raised a trophy in each and met every kind of demonic war.

As a soldier trained for night fighting, walls, land, sea, bow, spear, sling, and javelin conquers everywhere, so this noble man bore every trial with courage: poverty, hunger, disease, pain, loss of children, friends, enemies, wife, and servants. No human calamity failed to empty itself into that body; still he rose above every net and higher than the devil’s reeds. More marvelous still: everything came at once, in excess, under one blow — not little by little. Other people rarely meet all together. Poverty may leave health; poverty and disease may still leave a consoling wife as a harbor; if not such a wife, still not one advising ruin; if children die, not all at once; if at once, not by such a death; if by such a death, still comforting friends; if not comforters, still not insulting; if insulting, still not servants reproaching and spitting in the face; if that, still not such disease on a dunghill without shelter or a hand stretched out. Job endured all of it.

"Each came from his own country: Eliphaz king of the Temanites, Baldad tyrant of the Saucheans, Sophar king of the Minaeans." Friendly presence; friendly exhortation. Name-glosses: Eliphaz — "God scattered me," or "contempt of my God"; Teman — their eclipse; Sophar — watcher or contempt; Baldad — aging and glorious; Saucheans — idle talk. The three friends, hearing all the evils that had come on him, came each from his own land. Why so late? First, they lived in different countries; after a long time many perhaps heard, but the

Greek

διηγήσασθαι, τότε τὴν ἀναίσχυντον ἐπιφέρει συμβουλήν. Καὶ οὐδὲ αὐ τῷ φανερῶς εἶπε, Βλασφήμησον. Οἱ γὰρ πονηρὰ συμ βουλεύοντες οὐ τολμῶσιν ἀνακεκαλυμμένην εἰσά γειν τὴν συμβουλήν. Τί λέγεις, ὦ γύναι; ∆έον ἐξι λεώσασθαι, δέον καταλλάξαι, παροξῦναι μᾶλλον παρ αινεῖς; Εἰ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ταῦτα ἐποίησε, παρακαλέσαι αὐτὸν, οὐ βλασφημῆσαι δεῖ. Πόθεν δὲ δῆλον, ὅτι καὶ ἐρώμενον τελευτήσω; Πλὴν ὅρα ὅπως εἶχε περὶ τῆς βλασφημίας ἡ γυνή. Ὥσπερ παραχρῆμα αὐτὴν θάνατον ἐπάγειν ἱκανὴν ἡγεῖτο. Στ. ιʹ. Εἰ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐδεξάμεθα ἐκ χειρὸς Κυ ρίου, τὰ κακὰ οὐχ ὑποίσομεν; Ὁ γὰρ μακάριος οὗτος, πανταχόθεν βαλλόμενος, ἀσφαλέστερον ἵστατο, καὶ μυρία βέλη δεχόμενος, οὐκ ἐνεδίδου. Ἀλλ' ἐκένωσε μὲν τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν βελοθή κην, αὐτὸς δὲ οὐ κατέπεσεν, οὐδὲ ὑπεσκελίσθη. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἄριστος κυβερνήτης, οὔτε μαινομένης τῆς θα λάσσης, καὶ τῶν κυμάτων διεγειρομένων κατεποντί ζετο, οὔτε γαλήνης οὔσης ῥᾳθυμότερος ἐγίνετο. Ἀλλ' ἐν ἑκατέρᾳ τῇ τῶν καιρῶν διαφορᾷ ἴσην τὴν ἑαυτοῦ τέχνην διετήρησε. Καὶ οὔτε πλοῦτος ἑαυτὸν ἐφύ σησεν, οὔτε πενία ἐταπείνωσεν, οὔτε, κατὰ ῥοῦν τῶν πραγμάτων φερομένων, ὕπτιος ἦν καὶ ἀναπεπτωκὼς, οὔτε, ὅλης σχεδὸν τῆς οἰκείας ἀνατραπείσης, καὶ πανολεθρίας γενομένης, διεταράχθη, καὶ τὴν ἀνδρίαν ἤλεγξε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ. Ἀκουέτωσαν πλούσιοι, ἀκουέτω σαν πένητες· ἑκατέροις γὰρ τὸ διήγημα χρήσιμον, καὶ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἡ ἱστορία λυσιτελής· καὶ τοῖς ἐν εὐημερίᾳ, καὶ τοῖς ἐν συμφοραῖς. Ἑκάτερα γὰρ τὰ ὅπλα μεταχειρίσας ὁ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀγωνιστὴς, ὁ τῆς οἰκουμένης στεφανίτης, ἐν ἑκατέροις τὸ τρόπαιον ἔστησε· καὶ πρὸς πᾶν εἶδος πολέμου τοῦ δαίμονος 17.64 ἐπελθόντος ἐκείνου, πρὸς ἅπαντα παρετάξατο, καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν ἀνεκηρύττετο. Καὶ καθάπερ στρατιώτης γεν ναῖος, καὶ εἰδὼς νυκτομαχεῖν, τειχομαχεῖν, πεζομα χεῖν, ναυμαχεῖν, καὶ τοξεύειν, καὶ δόρυ σείειν, καὶ σφενδόναις καὶ ἀκοντίοις, καὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ μάχης περιγίνεσθαι τῆς ἐναντίων καὶ πανταχοῦ κρα τεῖν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ γενναῖος ἐκεῖνος ἅπαντα πειρα σμὸν μετὰ πολλῆς ἤνεγκε τῆς ἀνδρίας, τὸν ἀπὸ πε νίας, τὸν ἀπὸ λιμοῦ, τὸν ἀπὸ νόσου, τὸν ἐξ ὀδύνης, τὸν ἀπὸ παίδων ἀπωλείας, τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν φίλων, τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν, τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς γυναικὸς, τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκετῶν. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἀνθρωπίνη συμφορὰ, ἣ μὴ εἰς τὸ σῶμα ἐξεκενώθη ἐκείνου. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἁπάντων ὑπερηνέχθη τῶν δικτύων, καὶ ὑψηλότερος γέγονε τῶν τοῦ διαβόλου καλάμων. Καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστότερον, ὅτι καὶ πάντα αὐτῷ, καὶ πάντα μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς, καὶ πάντα ὑφ' ἕν. Μὴ γὰρ τοῦτο ἴδῃς, ὅτι τοσαῦτα ἔπα θεν· ἀλλὰ πρόσθες, ὅτι οὐδὲ κατὰ μικρὸν, οὐδὲ ἐκ διαστήματος, ἀλλ' ὑφὲν καὶ ὁμοῦ. Οὐ μικρὰ δὲ αὕτη πειρασμῶν προσθήκη. Τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἄλλων ἕκαστος ἀνθρώπων πρῶτον μὲν οὐδεὶς ἂν εὑρεθείη πάντα ὑπο μείνας ὁμοῦ, ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ πενίᾳ παλαίει, ὅμως ὑγείας ἀπολαύει· εἰ δὲ καὶ πενίᾳ καὶ νόσῳ περιεπάρη, ἀλλὰ γυναικὸς πολλάκις ἀπήλαυσε παραμυθουμένης τὰ δει νὰ, καὶ ἀντὶ λιμένος αὐτῷ γινομένης. Εἰ δὲ μὴ γυναι κὸς ἀπήλαυσε τοιαύτης, ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτω συμβουλευ θείσης ὀλέθρια, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ τοὺς παῖδας ἀθρόον ἀπώλεσεν ἅπαντας· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀθρόον, ἀλλ' οὐ τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ τελευτῆς· εἰ δὲ καὶ τοιούτῳ [τρόπῳ] τελευτῆς, ἀλλὰ φίλους ἔσχε παρακαλοῦντας· εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἔσχε πα ρακαλοῦντας, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ οὕτως ἐπεμβαίνοντας· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐπεμβαίνοντας, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ οἰκέτας ὀνειδί ζοντας· εἰ δὲ καὶ ὀνειδίζοντας, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐμπτύοντας· εἰ δὲ καὶ εἰς τὸ πρόσ ωπον ἐμπτύοντας, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ νόσῳ τοιαύτῃ περιε πάρει, ἀλλὰ δωματίου καὶ σκέπης ἀπήλαυσε, καὶ οὐκ ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας ἐκάθητο· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας ἐκάθητο, ἀλλ' ἔσχε τοὺς χεῖρα ὀρέγοντας· εἰ δὲ μὴ ἔσχε τοὺς χεῖρα ὀρέγοντας, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ ἐπεμβαίνοντας. Οὗτος δ' ἅπαντα ταῦτα ὑπήνεγκεν. Στίχ. ιαʹ. Παρεγένοντο ἕκαστος ἐκ τῆς ἰδίας χώ ρας πρὸς αὐτὸν, Ἐλιφὰζ ὁ Θαιμανῶν βασι λεὺς, Βαλδὰδ ὁ Σαυχέων τύραννος, Σωφὰρ Μιναίων βασιλεύς. Φιλικὴ μὲν ἡ παρουσία σου, φιλικὴ δὲ ἡ παρ αίνεσις. Ἐλιφάζ· Θεός με διέσπειρεν, ἢ, Θεοῦ μου φαυλισμός. Θαιμὰν, ἔκλειψις αὐτῶν. Σωφὰρ, σκοπὸς, ἢ φαυλισμός. Βαλδὰδ, παλαίωσις, καὶ ἐπίδοξος. Σαυχαίων, ἀδολεσχία αὐτῶν. Στίχ. ιαʹ. Ἀκούσαντες δὲ οἱ τρεῖς φίλοι αὐτοῦ τὰ κακὰ πάντα, τὰ ἐπελθόντα αὐτῷ, παρε γένοντο ἕκαστος ἐκ τῆς ἰδίας χώρας πρὸς αὐτόν. Ἐάν τις ζητῇ, διὰ τί μετὰ τοσοῦτον χρόνον οἱ φί λοι παραγεγόνασιν, ἐννοείτω πρῶτον μὲν, ὅτι δια φόρους ᾤκουν χώρας, καὶ μετὰ πλεῖστον χρόνον πολλοὶ μὲν ἤκουσαν ἴσως, τὸ δὲ

About this text

Origen of Alexandria, Enarrationes in Job (Greek).

Original English Translation of Origen’s Enarrationes in Job — new OET from PG 17 Greek.

Catalogue & scope

Khazarzar scan

Witnesses

Copy-text PG 17 (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.