Endurance as courage, the devil's illusions, and the changeable nature of created things
Athanasius continues his commentary on Job, explaining that Job's endurance was the mark of his courage, then describes how the devil deceives through illusions, and finally contrasts the changeable nature of created things with the unchangeable divine nature.
The tempter was pouring forth abundantly, and the one fighting was harsh; but the one being tempted appeared more courageous, conquering the assaults and attacks of the evil one by the greatness of his mind. The mark of courage is endurance. For by this each of the saints, bearing the painful and grievous things that happen in life, prevailed against the devil. The Spirit, wanting us to possess both, commands in the psalm: “Be strong, and let your heart be strengthened, and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 26:14 (Hebrew 27:14)). For the one who endures is courageous, and the courageous one would be enduring. Therefore blessed Job was strengthened through enduring, and through bearing his pains courageously he endured. He pushed away his wife, who had been deceived by the serpent and corrupted in her thoughts.
For since the inventor of evil is altogether a hater, and appearing only as one seeking whom he may seize and swallow, for this reason he hides and covers what he himself is. But by illusion he counterfeits the truth that all desire, and casts his own poison upon those who follow him. So he deceived Eve, not speaking his own words, but counterfeiting the words of God and corrupting their minds. So he subverted Job’s wife, persuading her to disguise herself in wifely love, but teaching her to blaspheme against God. So the deceiver plays with human beings through illusions, stealing and dragging each one into his own pit of evil.
“If he does not trust his own servants, and against his angels he has devised something crooked.” Athanasius. The nature of begotten and created things is changeable, since it is outside the being of God and came into existence from nothing. Therefore “every human being is a liar” (Psalm 116:11 (LXX 115:2)), and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The devil, being in the midst of the cherubim and having become a seal of likeness, fell from heaven like lightning (Luke 10:18). And we will judge angels (1 Corinthians 6:3)—those, clearly, who did not keep their own domain (Jude 6). And here, “if he does not trust his own servants,” simply shows that created things have such a nature and are changeable. Only the divine nature is unchangeable.
“By papyrus, and reed, and bulrush.” Perhaps through the reed and the papyrus Scripture hints at the worthlessness and poverty of the devil. “His inward parts are bronze shields.” Athanasius. Long ago the enemy was great in his scheming against human beings, and by his illusions he deceived many, and the detection of his deceit was difficult—so that the Spirit says about him: “Who will uncover the face of his garment?” (Job 41:13) and so on. For he did not appear as what he was, but he produced an illusion of himself corresponding to whatever he was scheming. Therefore many were deceived by him. But when the Savior came, then all his illusion was exposed. For the things he did of old that went unrecognized are now known by the grace of Christ, and the things by which he once deceived human beings are now trampled underfoot by them. For faith is stronger than every assault of the devil and madness of demons.
Greek
Καὶ πολὺς μὲν ἔῤῥεεν ὁ πειράζων, καὶ χαλεπὸς ἦν ὁ μαχόμενος· ἀνδρειότερος δὲ ἐφαίνετο ὁ πειραζόμενος, νικῶν τὰς ἐπιχειρήσεις καὶ προσβολὰς τοῦ πονηροῦ τῷ μεγέθει τῆς διανοίας. Γνώρισμα τῆς ἀνδρείας ἐστὶν ἡ ὑπομονή. Ταύτῃ γὰρ ἕκαστος τῶν ἁγίων φέρων τὰ συμβάντα ἐν τῷ βίῳ ἐπίπονα καὶ λυπηρὰ, ἴσχυε κατὰ τοῦ διαβόλου· ἅπερ τὸ Πνεῦμα θέλον ἡμᾶς ἀμφότερα κτᾶσθαι, προστάττει λέγον ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ· Ἀνδρίζου, καὶ κραταιούσθω ἡ καρδία σου, καὶ ὑπόμεινον τὸν Κύριον. Ὁ γὰρ ὑπομένων ἀνδρεῖός ἐστι, καὶ ὁ ἀνδρεῖος ὑπομονητικὸς ἂν εἴη. Διὸ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἰὼβ διὰ τὸ ὑπομένειν ἐκραταιοῦτο, καὶ διὰ τὸ ἀνδρείως φέρειν τοὺς πόνους ὑπέμεινε, καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα διωθεῖτο, ἐξαπατηθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τοῦ ὄφεως, καὶ φθαρεῖσαν τὰ νοήματα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὅλως ἐστὶ μισητὴς ὁ τῆς κακίας εὑρετὴς, καὶ μό νον φαινόμενος ζητῶν τίνα ἁρπάσει καὶ καταπιεῖ· διὰ τοῦτο ὃ μὲν ἔστιν αὐτὸς ὑποκρύπτει καὶ σκέπει· ὑποκρινόμενος δὲ τῇ φαντασίᾳ τὴν πᾶσι ποθουμένην ἀλήθειαν, τὸν ἴδιον ἰὸν ἐπιβάλλει τοῖς ἀκολουθήσασιν αὐτῷ. Οὕτω καὶ τὴν Εὔαν ἠπάτησεν, οὐ τὰ ἴδια λαλῶν, ἀλλ' ὑποκρινόμενος τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥήματα, καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτῶν παραποιῶν. Οὕτω καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ Ἰὼβ ὑπέβαλε, πείσας αὐτῇ ὑποκρίνεσθαι φιλανδρίαν, διδάξας δὲ βλασφημεῖν εἰς τὸν Θεόν. Οὕτω τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὁ δόλιος παίζει ταῖς φαντασίαις ὑποκλέπτων καὶ σύρων ἕκαστον εἰς τὸν ἴδιον τῆς κακίας βόθρον. Εἰ κατὰ παίδων αὐτοῦ οὐ πιστεύει, κατὰ δὲ ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ σκολιόν τι ἐπενόησεν. Ἀθανασίου. Ἡ δὲ τῶν γεννητῶν καὶ κτιστῶν φύσις τρεπτή ἐστι, ἅτε δὴ ἔξωθεν οὖσα τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐ σίας, καὶ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων ὑποστᾶσα Διὸ πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης· καὶ, πάντες ἥμαρτον, καὶ ὑστεροῦνται τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὁ δὲ διάβολος, ἐν μέσῳ τῶν χερουβὶμ ὢν, καὶ ἀποσφράγισμα ὁμοιώσεως γενόμενος, ἐξέπεσεν ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν ὡς ἀστραπή. Καὶ ἀγγέλους κρινοῦμεν, τοὺς μὴ τηρήσαντας δηλαδὴ τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀρχήν. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα, εἰ κατὰ παιδίων αὐτοῦ οὐ πιστεύει, καὶ ἁπλῶς τὰ κτίσματα τοιαύτην ἔχει τὴν φύσιν, καὶ τρέπεται. Μόνη δὲ ἡ θεία φύσις ἀναλλοίωτος. Παρὰ πάπυρον, καὶ κάλαμον, καὶ βούτομον. Τάχα δὲ διὰ τοῦ καλάμου καὶ τοῦ παπύρου τὴν εὐτέλειαν καὶ τὴν πενίαν τοῦ διαβόλου αἰνίττεται ἡ Γραφή. Τὰ ἔγκατα αὐτοῦ ἀσπίδες χάλκεαι. Ἀθανάσιος. Πάλαι μὲν οὖν πολὺς ἦν ὁ ἐχθρὸς πανουργευόμενος κατὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ φαντασίαις αὐτοῦ πολλοὺς ἠπάτα, καὶ δυσχερὴς ἦν ἡ τῆς ἀπάτης αὐτοῦ κατάληψις· ὥστε καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα λέγειν περὶ αὐτοῦ· Τίς ἀποκαλύψει πρόσωπον ἐνδύματος αὐτοῦ; καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Οὐ γὰρ ὅπερ ἦν, τοῦτο καὶ ἐφαίνετο, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ὃ ἐπανουργεύετο, πρὸς τοῦτο καὶ ἐφαντασίου ἑαυτόν. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ πολλοὶ ἠπατῶντο ὑπ' αὐτοῦ· ὅτε δὲ ἐπεδήμησεν ὁ Σωτὴρ, τότε ἡ πᾶσα φαντασία αὐτοῦ ἐδειγματίσθη· ἃ γὰρ ἠγνοεῖτο πάλαι ποιῶν, ταῦτα τῇ χάριτι τοῦ Χριστοῦ γινώσκεται, καὶ ἐν οἷς ἠπάτα πάλαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ἐν τούτοις ὑπ' αὐτῶν καταπατεῖται. Πάσης γὰρ διαβολικῆς ἐπιθέσεως καὶ μανίας δαιμόνων ἰσχυροτέρα ἡ πίστις.