§22## ΚΕΦ. ΚΒ΄. Πότερον οὐ Κύριός ἐστιν δ διδάσκων;
## Chapter 22 Is it not the Lord who teaches?
Ὑγιὲς δὲ τὸ δόγμα τοῦτο, ὅτι ἀληθινὸς διδάσκαλος ἀρετῆς οὐ δύναται εἶναι ἄνθρωπος· ὁ διδάσκων γὰρ ἄνθρωπον γνῶσιν, » καὶ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς ἀναγέγραπται, ὅτι οὐκ ἄλλος ἐστὶν ἀλλʼ ἢ Θεός.
And this dogma is sound, that a true teacher of virtue cannot be a human being; for "He who teaches man knowledge" is also written in the Psalms, that it is none other than God.
Διδάσκει δὲ Θεὸς, ἐλλάμπων τῇ ψυχῇ τοῦ μανθάνοντος ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν φωτίζων τῷ φωτὶ τῷ ἀληθινῷ τῷ ἑαυτοῦ λόγῳ.
And God teaches by shining into the soul of the one who learns from Him, and illuminating the understanding with the true light by His own Word.
Οὐκοῦν, κἂν ἄνδρες δίκαιοι ἡμᾶς διδάσκωσι, διδασκαλικὴν εἰληφότες χάριν, πάλιν ὁ Κύριός ἐστιν ὁ διʼ αὐτῶν διδάσκων ἡμᾶς· καὶ αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ συνιέναι καὶ διανοιχθῆναι τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν εἰς τὴν τῶν θείων μαθημάτων παραδοχὴν, κατὰ τὴν θείαν γίνεται χάριν.
Therefore, even if righteous men teach us, having received the grace of teaching, again it is the Lord who teaches us through them; and the very understanding and the opening of our hearts to the reception of divine teachings occur according to divine grace.
Ἢ λόγον σου ποιούμενος ἐλέγξει σε;
Or will He reprove you, taking account of you?
Πρὸς τοῦτο εἴποιμεν ἂν, ὅτι οὐ φροντίζων ὁ Θεὸς μήποτε αὐτός τι βλαβῇ, ἐλέγχει τὸν ἀσεβῆ· ἀλλὰ λόγον ποιούμενος τοῦ προνοουμένου καὶ εὐεργετῶν αὐτόν.
To this we might say, that God, not being anxious lest He Himself should be harmed in any way, reproves the impious; but taking account of the one who is cared for and doing good to him.
Ἠνεχύραζες τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου διακενῆς.
You took pledges from your brothers without cause.
Ὑπολαμβάνει δὲ τοῦτο περὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἐντεῦθεν, ὅτι ᾔδει αὐτὸν πλούσιον, καὶ ὑπώπτευεν ἀπὸ τοιούτων τινῶν πόρων πλουτεῖν αὐτόν· διό φησιν· « Ἠνεχύραζες διακενῆς· » τουτέστι μηδὲν ἐποφειλόμενος.
He supposes this concerning Job from this place, because he knew him to be rich, and suspected that he was rich from some such means; therefore he says: "You took pledges without cause"; that is, when nothing was owed.
Προσεπιτείνων δὲ πάλιν ἄλλην αὐτοῦ ἁμαρτίαν φησίν. Ἀμφίασιν δὲ γυμνῶν ἀφείλου.
And adding further another sin of his, he says: And you took away the clothing of the naked.
Ἔστι ποτὲ λαβεῖν ἀμφιάσματα, οὐ γυμνοῦ, ἀλλὰ πλουσίου, ἔχοντος ἀποκείμενα ἐνδύματα πολλά.
It is possible sometimes to take clothing, not of a naked person, but of a rich one who has many garments laid up.
Ἐὰν μέντοιγε χιτῶνα ἔχῃ τις ἔνα, καὶ τοῦτον τὸν χιτῶνα προφάσει τοῦ ἀπαιτεῖν τὸ ἐμὸν ἐκδύσω, μὴ ἐλεήσας ἐκεῖνον τὸν γυμνὸν, ἀμφίασιν τοῦ γυμνοῦ ἀφειλόμην.
If, however, someone has one tunic, and I strip him of this tunic on the pretext of demanding what is mine, not having pitied that naked person, I have taken away the clothing of the naked.
Πολλὰ δὲ τοιαῦτα ἐν ἡμῖν γίνεται, ὅταν δανείζωμεν, ὅταν προσοφειλέτας ἔχωμεν.
And many such things happen among us when we lend, when we have debtors.
Πολλάκις ὁ ὀφειλέτης ἡμῶν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν πένεται, μὴ δυνάμενος ἀποδοῦναι· καὶ ἡμεῖς, τὰ σπλάγχνα ἡμῶν ἀποκλείσαντες, καὶ μὴ βλέποντες, ὅτι γυναῖκα τρέφει, καὶ τέκνα, καὶ μόλις τρέφεται ἀπὸ τῶν ποριζομένων αὐτῷ ὀλίγων ὀβολῶν, ἀπαιτοῦμεν πικρῶς, ἔσθʼ ὅτε καὶ περισσὰ ἔχοντες παῤ ἑαυτοῖς.
Often our debtor is exceedingly poor, unable to pay; and we, having shut up our hearts, and not seeing that he supports a wife and children, and scarcely feeds himself from the few obols provided to him, demand bitterly, sometimes even when we ourselves have more than enough.
Ταῦτα οὖν λέγει ἐγκαλῶν τῷ Ἰὼβ, ὅτι, « Ἀμφίασιν γυμνῶν ἀφείλου. » Ἴσως δὲ καὶ τὸ μὴ δοῦναι τῷ γυμνῷ ἱμάτιον ἀφαίρεσιν ὀνομάζτι· ἀποστερητὴς γάρ ἐστι καὶ πλεονέκτης καὶ ὁ μὴ ἐνδύων τὸν γυμνὸν, καὶ ὁ μὴ τρέφων τὸν ἄρτου δεόμενον.
These things, therefore, he says, accusing Job: "You took away the clothing of the naked." And perhaps he also calls the failure to give a garment to the naked a taking away; for he who does not clothe the naked and he who does not feed the one in need of bread is a depriver and a covetous person.
Ἐθαύμασας δέ τινων πρόσωπα.
And you respected the persons of some.
Ἄλλο καὶ τοῦτο ἁμάρτημα· ἁμάρτημα γὰρ καὶ τὸ θαυμάζειν πρόσωπον.
This also is another sin; for to respect a person is also a sin.
Ὁ δεῖνα, ὅτι πλούσιός ἐστι, θαυμάζω αὐτοῦ τὸ πρόσωπον· τὸν δὲ πένητα καταπατῶ, ἐπειδήπερ ἀξίωμα οὐκ ἔχει.
Such a one, because he is rich, I respect his person; but the poor man I trample underfoot, because he has no dignity.
Ἔσται οὖν σοι ὁ παντοκράτωρ βοηθός.
Therefore the Almighty will be your helper.
Ὑγιὲς ἐνθάδε δόγμα ὁ Ἐλιφὰζ λέγει· οἴεται γὰρ τὸν Ἰὼβ διὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα πάσχειν, καὶ ὅτι ὑπομείνας καθαίρεται διʼ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πάσχειν· καὶ καθαιρόμενος, ὥσπερ χρυσὸς ἐν χωνευτηρίῳ, δόκιμος ἀποφαίνεται, πᾶν τὸ ἀλλότριον ἀποθέμενος, καὶ πάσης κακίας ἀμιγὴς γεγονώς.
Here Eliphaz speaks a sound dogma; for he thinks that Job suffers on account of his sins, and that by enduring he is purified through the suffering itself; and being purified, like gold in a furnace, he is proved approved, putting away everything foreign, and having become unmixed with any vice.
Φησὶν οὖν, ὅτι, ἑὰν καὶ σὺ ὑπομείνῃς τὰ συμβεβηκότα σοι, ἀποδώσει σε καθαρὸν ὥσπερ ἄργυρον πεπυρωμένον ὁ Θεός· καὶ καθαρὸς γενόμενος, παῤῥησίαν ἕξεις, ὡς ἀποθέμενος τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ ἱλαρῶς τὸ πρόσωπον ἐπαρεῖς εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, ἀκαταγνώστῳ συνειδότι τὰς ἱκετείας ποιούμενος· κἄν τι εὔξῃ καὶ ὑπόσχῃ τῷ Θεῷ, αὐτὸς ἐνισχύσει σε πρὸς πέρας ἀγαγεῖν τὰς πρὸς αὐτὸν ὑποσχέ σεῖς· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν « ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἐν ἡμῖν καὶ τὶ θέλειν καὶ τὸ ἐνεργεῖν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐδοκίας. » Ἀντὶ μέντοι τοῦ, « Δώσει δέ σοι ἀποδοῦναι τὰς εὐχὰς. Θεοδοτίων, « Καὶ ὁριεῖς ῥῆμα, καὶ σταθήσεταί σοι, » ἐξέδωκε· τουτόστιν, ἅπαν ὅ ἂν συντάξῃ καὶ τυπώσῃς, οὐ διαπεσεῖται· καὶ ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν, ἅπασάν σοι τὴν ἁρμόζουσαν δικαίῳ παρέξει διαγωγήν· καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοί σου κατευοδωθήσονται ὑπὸ τοῦ θείου ὁδηγούμεναι φωτός· ἢ καὶ αἱ πράξεις σου λαμπραὶ καὶ ἐπίδοξοι ἔσονται.
He says, therefore, that if you also endure the things that have happened to you, God will restore you pure like silver refined by fire; and having become pure, you will have confidence, as having put away your sins, and you will cheerfully lift up your face to heaven, making your supplications with an uncondemned conscience; and if you pray and promise anything to God, He Himself will strengthen you to bring to an end your promises to Him; for He is "the one who works in us both to will and to work for His good pleasure." Instead, however, of "And He will grant you to pay your vows," Theodotion rendered it: "And you will decree a word, and it will be established for you"; that is, everything whatsoever you command and shape will not fail; and to speak simply, He will provide you with all the conduct fitting for a righteous man; and all your ways will be guided prosperously, being led by the divine light; or also your actions will be bright and glorious.
Ὅτί ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτόν, καὶ ἐρεῖς· Ὑπερηφανεύσατο.
Because he humbled himself, and you will say: He was proud.
Ὡς μὲν περὶ ἑτέρου δοκεῖ λέγειν· πρὸς δὲ τὸν Ἰὼβ ὁ λόγος.
He seems to speak as if concerning another; but the word is addressed to Job.
Διὰ τοῦτο, φησὶν, ἔσται ταῦτα τῷ μετανοοῦντι, ὅτι ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτὸν, καὶ εἷπεν, ὅτι ἐνδίκως αὐτὸς ὑπέστη ἃ πέπονθεν, ἐτειδὴ ὑπερηφανεύεατο.
Therefore, he says, these things will be to the one who repents, because he humbled himself and said that he justly underwent what he suffered, since he had been proud.
Καὶ κύφαστα ὀφθαλμοῖς σώσει.
And He will save the one cast down in eyes.
Τουτέστι τὸν ταπεινόφρονα, τὸν κάτω βλέποντα διὰ τὸ δυσσυνείδητεν καὶ ἀπαῤῥησίαστον, καθάπερ ὁ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις δικαιωθεὶς τελώνης.
That is, the humble-minded, the one looking down on account of a guilty conscience and lack of confidence, just like the tax collector who was justified in the Gospels.