§9Maius sane patientiae certamen est, quando non uisibilis inimicus persequendo atque saeuiendo urget in nefas, qui palam et aperte a non consentiente uincatur, sed ipse diabolus, qui etiam per filios infidelitatis tamquam per sua uasa filios lucis insequitur, per se ipsum occulte occultus oppugnat, saeuiendo instans, ut contra deum fiat aliquid uel dicatur.
Indeed, the conflict of patience is greater when it is not a visible enemy who, by persecuting and raging, urges one into wickedness—who is openly and manifestly conquered by one who does not consent—but the devil himself, who also pursues the children of light through the children of unbelief as if through his own vessels, and secretly, being himself hidden, attacks by himself, pressuring with rage so that something may be done or said against God.
Talem illum Iob sanctus expertus est, utraque temptatione uexatus, sed in utraque stabilis patientiae robore et armis pietatis inuictus.
Holy Job experienced him as such, being vexed by both temptations, but in both remaining stable through the strength of patience and unconquered by the armor of piety.
nam prius inlaeso corpore cuncta quae habebat amisit, ut animus ante suae carnis cruciatum subtractis rebus, quas magni pendere homines solent, frangeretur et aduersus deum loqueretur aliquid his amissis, propter quae illud colere putabatur, percussus etiam omnium subita orbitate filiorum, ut quos singillatim susceperat, simul perderet, tamquam eorum numerositas non unde felicitas ornaretur extiterit, sed unde calamitas augeretur.
For first, while his body was uninjured, he lost all things that he possessed, so that before the torment of his own flesh, his mind might be broken by the withdrawal of those things which men are wont to value highly, and might speak something against God because of the loss of those things, for the sake of which he was thought to worship Him; being also struck by the sudden bereavement of all his children, so that those whom he had received one by one, he lost at once, as if their great number had not existed as a source from which his happiness might be adorned, but as a source from which his calamity might be increased.
ubi autem ista perpessus in deo suo mansit inmobilis, eius adfixus est uoluntati, quem non posset amittere nisi propria uoluntate; et pro his quae perdidit eum qui abstulit tenuit, in quo inueniret quod numquam periret.
But when, having endured these things, he remained immovable in his God, he cleaved to the will of Him whom he could not lose except by his own will; and instead of the things which he lost, he held fast to Him who took them away, in whom he might find that which would never perish.
neque enim ille abstulerat, qui nocendi habuit uoluntatem, sed ille, qui dederat potestatem.
For it was not he who had the will to do harm that had taken them away, but He who had given the power.
Aggressus est inimicus et corpus nec ea, quae homini extrinsecus inerant, sed ipsum iam hominem in qua potuit parte percussit.
The enemy attacked the body also, and struck not those things which belonged to the man from without, but now the man himself in that part in which he was able.
a capite usque ad pedes ardebant dolores, scatebant uermes, sanies defluebat: manebat in putri corpore animus integer horrendosque cruciatus carnis contabescentis inuiolata pietate et incorrupta patientia perferebat.
From head to foot pains burned, worms swarmed, corrupt matter flowed; yet in a decaying body the mind remained whole, and with inviolate piety and uncorrupted patience endured the horrendous torments of the wasting flesh.
aderat uxor nec ferebat opem aliquam uiro, sed in deum blasphemiam suggerebat.
His wife was present, yet she brought no help to her husband, but suggested blasphemy against God.
non enim eam diabolus, cum etiam filios abstulisset, tamquam nocendi inperitus reliquerat, qui quantum esset necessaria temptatori iam in Eua didicerat.
For the devil had not left her, when he had also taken away his children, as if he were unskilled in doing harm, since he had already learned in Eve how necessary she is to the tempter.
sed modo alterum Adam, quem per mulierem caperet, non inuenerat.
But this time, he did not find a second Adam whom he might capture through a woman.
cautior fuit iste in doloribus quam ille in nemoribus: ille uictus est in deliciis, iste uicit in poenis; consensit ille oblectamentis, non cessit iste tormentis.
This man was more cautious in his pains than that one in the groves; that one was conquered in delights, this one conquered in punishments; that one consented to pleasures, this one did not yield to torments.
aderant et amici, non ut in malis consolarentur, sed ut mala suspicarentur.
His friends were also present, not to comfort him in his evils, but to suspect evil.
neque enim eum, qui tanta patiebatur, innocentem esse credebant nec tacebat eorum lingua, quod illius conscientia non habebat, ut inter inmanes cruciatus corporis etiam falsis animus caederetur obprobriis.
For they did not believe that he who suffered such great things was innocent, nor did their tongue keep silent about that which his conscience did not hold, so that amid the immense torments of his body, his mind was also beaten by false reproaches.
at ille sustinens in carne dolores suos, in corde errores alienos coniugis corripiebat insipientiam, amicos docebat sapientiam, seruabat ubique patientiam.
But he, sustaining his own pains in his flesh and others' errors in his heart, corrected the foolishness of his wife, taught wisdom to his friends, and preserved patience everywhere.
§10Hunc intueantur, qui sibi ingerunt mortem, quando quaeruntur ad uitam et sibi auferendo praesentem abnegant et futuram.
Let those look upon him who inflict death upon themselves when they are sought for life, and by taking away the present life from themselves, deny also the future.
qui si ad Christum negandum uel aliquid contra iustitiam faciendum, sicut ueri martyres, cogerentur, omnia potius patienter ferre quam sibi inpatienter mortem inferre debuerunt.
And if they, like the true martyrs, were compelled to deny Christ or to do something against justice, they ought to have borne all things patiently rather than impatiently bring death upon themselves.
quod si fugiendorum malorum causa recte fieri posset, Iob sanctus se ipse perimeret, ut tanta mala in rebus suis, in filiis suis, in membris suis diabolicae crudelitatis effugeret.
But if that could rightly be done for the sake of avoiding evils, holy Job would have destroyed himself, so that he might escape so many evils of devilish cruelty in his possessions, in his children, and in his limbs.
non autem fecit.
But he did not do so.
absit enim, ut in se committeret ipse uir sapiens, quod nec mulier suggessit insipiens.
For far be it that he, a wise man, should commit upon himself that which not even his foolish wife suggested.
quia et si suggessisset, merito et hic illud audisset, quod audiuit suggerendo blasphemiam: locuta es tamquam una ex insipientibus mulieribus.
For even if she had suggested it, she would deservedly have heard in this case also what she heard when she suggested blasphemy: "You have spoken like one of the foolish women.
si bona percepimus de manu domini, mala non sustineamus? et ipsam quippe patientiam perdidisset, siue blasphemando, sicut illa uoluerat. siue se interficiendo, quod nec illa ausa fuerat dicere, moreretur atque esset inter illos de quibus dictum est: uae his qui perdiderunt patientiam. et augeret potius quam euaderet poenas, qui post sui corporis [mortem siue ad blasphemorum siue ad homicidarum uel etiam plus quam parricidarum supplicia raperetur.
If we have received good things from the hand of the Lord, shall we not sustain evil things?" And indeed, he would have lost patience itself, whether by blaspheming as she had wished, or by killing himself, which not even she had dared to say; he would have died and been among those of whom it is said: "Woe to those who have lost patience." And he would have increased rather than escaped punishments, who, after the death of his body, would be dragged away to the punishments either of blasphemers or of murderers, or even of those who are worse than parricides.
si enim parricida eo sceleratior est quam quilibet homicida, quia non tantum hominem, uerum etiam propinquum necat, inque ipsis parricidis, quanto propinquiorem quisque peremerit, tanto iudicatur inmanior: sine dubio peior est, qui se occidit, quia nemo est homini se ipso propinquior.
For if a parricide is so much more wicked than any ordinary murderer because he kills not only a human being but also a relative, and among parricides themselves, the closer the relative one has slain, the more monstrous he is judged: without doubt, he who kills himself is worse, because no one is closer to a man than himself.
quid ergo miseri faciunt, qui cum et hic sibimet ingestas et postea non solum inpietatis aduersus deum, sed etiam ipsius quam in se exercuerunt crudelitatis luant debitas poenas, insuper quaerunt et martyrum glorias? cum etiamsi pro uero Christi testimonio persecutionem paterentur et se interficerent, ne aliquid a persecutoribus paterentur, recte illis diceretur: uae his qui perdiderunt patientiam! quomodo enim iustum praemium patientiae redditur, si et inpatiens passio coronatur? aut quomodo innocens iudicabitur, cui dictum est: diliges proximum tuum tamquam te ipsum, si homicidium committit in se ipso, quod committere prohibetur in proximo?
What then are those wretched people doing, who, although they must pay the well-deserved punishments both for those things inflicted on themselves here and afterwards not only for their impiety against God but also for the cruelty itself which they exercised upon themselves, yet on top of this seek also the glories of martyrs? Since even if they suffered persecution for the true testimony of Christ and killed themselves lest they should suffer anything from the persecutors, it would rightly be said to them: "Woe to those who have lost patience!" For how is the just reward of patience rendered, if an impatient passion is also crowned? Or how shall he be judged innocent, to whom it is said, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," if he commits murder upon himself, which he is forbidden to commit upon his neighbor?