The Divine Economy and the Suffering of the Just

contrary to his courage

What is, is the absolute good to exist. For it is blessed to be outside of this life. To those who know, Jesus says: 'You are no longer of this world, but I have chosen you' (John 15:19). Therefore, it is better not to have even begun the path of such a way, even if it happens through divine economy. For it is good if no one in health needs a physician. Thus, not being in the same state follows, which also follows as something laborious and unpleasant, as it brings about: 'For he would have removed toil from my eyes' (Job 5:7). This indicates not only the one suffering and the toil surrounding him, but also that he saw many being led astray; for the eye of the righteous is weighed down by works being performed by the wicked. And the toil that encroaches upon life is not small. In injustice, all these things exist... [text garbled/unclear]... which would not happen if evil were not being done.

But even Habakkuk allows such a voice, saying: 'Why have you shown me troubles and pains, to make me see violence and unrighteousness?' (Habakkuk 1:2-3). 'Why did I not end in the womb, come out from the stomach and not immediately perish? Why did my knees meet, why did I suck breasts?' He avoids the economy intended for the benefit of others, as it seems, according to Jonah, to demand the teaching of God's judgments, which is a private matter of the righteous, not being completely ignorant, but so that others may learn this kind of speech being personified. For Jeremiah approaches thus: 'You are righteous, Lord, but I will speak judgments to you' (Jeremiah 12:1), which is indicative of knowing, concerning which he asks: 'Why does the way of the ungodly prosper?' (Jeremiah 12:1).

The judgment of God in reality receives much variety: the unrighteous being prospered, and the righteous being distressed and partaking of filth, as Jeremiah himself, being holy and having been sanctified from the womb, suffered so many things as to be cast into a pit of mire. But also Lazarus and the rich man—the one suffering evil, the other living with much ease—bring forth the precision of God's secret judgments (Luke 16:19-31). And this 'prospering' is called so as toward the glory of the many. Therefore, the saint is not vain-speaking, but asks so that it brings about the others learning such things. This also exists in what is said in one of the Psalms: 'How good to the...'

Greek

ἄστρα–ταὐτὰ ἄχρι τῆς συντελείας–πάσης ἐστὶν νυκτὸς καὶ οὐ τῆσδε μὲν τάδε, τῆσδε δὲ τάδε, ὥστε τὸ "ἐκείνης" προσκείμενον τῆς ἱστορίας ἡμᾶς ἀπάγει· οὐ γὰρ μία νὺξ ἰδικῶς ἕτερα ἄστρα ἔχει, ἵνα καὶ περὶ αὐτῶν λεχθῇ ὅπως σκοτωθῶσιν. ἄλλως δέ, πῶς οὐκ ἀπᾷδον ἀνδρὸς σοφοῦ τὸ εὔχεσθαι σκοτωθῆναι ἄστρα ἃ ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸ φαί νειν ἐποίησεν τοῦτό τε εὔχεσθαι διὰ τὰ περιστατικὰ τὰ αὐτῶι συμβάντα, ὅπερ τῆς ἀνδρείας αὐτοῦ ἐστιν καθαιρετικόν. διόπερ ἀνακτέον αὐτὰ κατὰ τὰ προ65 αποδοθέντα. εὔχεται οὖν ὁ ἅγιος μὴ αἱρετὰ λογίζεσθαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τὰ μὴ ὄντα αἱρετά. ἐπειδὴ αἱ ψυχαὶ αἱ φιλαμαρτήμονες ἔχουσί τινα τὰ πρὸς κακίαν χειραγωγοῦντα, ἢ διδασκαλίαν τῶν κακῶν ἢ λογισμοὺς εἰς ταῦτα ἄγοντας, ἅπερ φῶς ἀπ' αὐτοῦ λέγεται διὰ τὸ τρόπον τινὰ προκοπὴν εἰς κακίαν ἐνποιεῖσθαι, εὔχεται ταῦτα μὴ συνδραμεῖν μηδὲ ὑπόθεσιν εἶναι τοῖς ἐπὶ κακίαν χωροῦσιν, λέγων· "σκοτωθείη τὰ ἄστρα τῆς νυκτὸς ἐκείνης", νυκτὸς λέγων τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς εἰς τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην κατάστασιν. μηδὲν φαινέσθω ταῖς ψυχαῖς λαμπρὸν μηδὲ χειραγωγοῦν ἐπ' αὐτήν, ἵνα πολλῶν δεσμὸς γένηται κακῶν ἐν αὐτῇ. αὐτὴ μὴ ἔστω παράμονος ἀποστραφέντων αὐτὴν λοιπὸν τῶν λογικῶν διὰ τὸ ἀφώτιστον, ὅ ἐστιν διὰ τὸ μὴ 19 εὑρίσκειν ἢ ἐνγίνεσθαι τοιαῦτα ὑπεκκαύματα τὰ ἄγοντα ἐπ' αὐτήν. ἐν αὐτῆι δὲ ταύτῃ μηδὲ ἑωσφόρος γένοιτο λόγος δοκῶν εἶναι φωτεινὸς διὰ πιθανότητα τοῦ δεῖν ἀρέσκεσθαι τῇ ὁδῷ ταύτῃ. πολλάκις γὰρ ὁ φιλαμαρτήμων 66 ἐμμένει τῶι σφάλματι ἢ τὴν ἡδονὴν ἀποδεχόμενος ἢ λογισμοὺς πιθανοὺς ἀνακινῶν, ἐξ ὧν οἴεται μὴ σφάλλεσθαι. "ὅτι οὐ συνέκλεισεν πύλας γαστρὸς μητρός μου." τὸ αἴτιον τῆς ἀρᾶς νῦν φαίνεται λέγων, ὅπερ ο̣υ᾿̣κ̣ ἐπὶ τῆς αἰσθητῆς νυκτὸς ἁρμ̣ο´̣ζει, ἀλλὰ τῆς καταστάσεως ὡς ἔφαμεν τῆς ἐπὶ τὸν βίον ἀγούσης. εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἦν αὐτὰς οἴξασα, οὐδ' ἂν ἠνοίγοντο πύλαι γαστ̣ρ̣ὸς μητρός, ὅ ἐστιν οὐκ ἂν ἦν ὁ ἐπώδυνος οὗτος βίος οὐδὲ δι' ἁμαρτίαν τοιαύτης ···· ἐγεγόνει τὸ τοῦ γένους ἁμάρτημα. τούτου δ' ὑπάρχοντος οὐκ ἂν οὐδ' ὁ κατ' οἰκονομίαν κ̣····· · διάγων διὰ ταύτης τῆς καταστάσεως παρετείνετο, ἅπερ εἰ δὼς καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος ἔφασκεν· "κάλλιον ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι. τὸ δὲ ἐπιμένειν τῇ σαρκὶ ἀναγκαιότερον δι' ὑμᾶς", ὥστε τὸ μὲν διά τι, τὸ δὲ ἀπολύτως καλὸν ὑπάρχειν. μακάριον γὰρ τὸ ἐκτὸς εἶναι τοῦ ζῆν τούτου. τοῖς γοῦν γνωρίμοις ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγει· "οὐκέτι ἐστὲ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην ὑμᾶς." βέλτιον οὖν τὸ μηδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν πειραθῆναι τοιαύτης ὁδοῦ, κἂν δι' οἰκονομίαν 67 συμβαίνῃ. καλὸν γάρ, εἰ μηδεὶς ἐδέετο ἰατροῦ ὑγιὴς ὤν. οὕτω γὰρ ἠκολούθει τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἐν τῇ αὐτῆι καταστάσει, ᾗ ἀκολουθεῖ καὶ ἐπίπονα καὶ ἀηδῆ, ὡς καὶ ἐπιφέρει. "ἀπήλλαξεν γὰρ ἂν πόνον ἀπὸ ὀφθαλμῶν μου." οὐ μόνον τὸν θλίβοντα καὶ περιέχοντα αὐτὸν πόνον δηλοῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅτι εἶδεν πολλοὺς διαστρεφομένους· ὁ γὰρ τοῦ δικαίου ὀφθαλμὸς ἐκθέσμοις ἔργοις ἐνεργουμένοις ἀπὸ τῶν φαύλων βαρύνεται. καὶ αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ ἐπιχωρεῖν τῶι βίῳ πόνος οὐ μικρός. ἐν ἀδικίαι ταῦτα πάντα ἔχει ·····_6_ρ_̣_ε6να, ἅπερ ἤργει κακίας μὴ γινομένης. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Ἁμβακοὺμ τοιαύτην ἀφίησι φωνὴν λέγων· "ἱνατί μοι ἔδειξας κόπους καὶ πόνους, ἐπιβλέπειν ταλαιπωρίαν καὶ ἀσέβειαν;" "διὰ τί γὰρ ἐν κοιλίαι οὐκ ἐτελεύτησα, ἐκ γαστρὸς δὲ ἐξῆλθον καὶ οὐκ εὐθὺς ἀπωλόμην; ἱνατί δὲ συνήντησάν μοι τὰ γόνατα, ἱνατί δὲ μαστοὺς ἐθήλασα;" τὴν οἰκονομίαν τὴν διὰ τοὺς ὠφελουμένους ὡς ἔοικεν παραιτεῖται κατὰ τὸν Ἰωνὰν πρὸς τῷ καὶ διδασκαλίαν ἀπαιτεῖν τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ κριμάτων, 68 ὅπερ ἴδιόν ἐστιν τῶν δικαίων, οὐκ ἀγνοούντων παντελῶς, ἀλλ' ἵνα οἱ ἄλλοι μάθωσιν τὸ τοιο̣ῦτο εἶδος τῶν λόγων προσωποποιουμένων. ὁ Ἰερεμίας γοῦν προσάγει πεῦσιν· "δίκαιος εἶ, κύριε, πλὴν κρίματα λαλήσω πρὸς σέ", ὅπερ δεικτικὸν ὑπάρχει τοῦ εἰδέναι ἃ τούτοις γίνεται, περὶ ὧν ἐρωτᾷ· "τί ὅτι ὁδὸς ἀσεβῶν εὐοδοῦται;" τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ κρίμα τῶι ὄντι πολλὴν δέχεται ποικιλίαν ἀδίκων μὲν εὐθηνουμένων, δικαίων δὲ στενοχωρουμένων καὶ μυσαρῶν μετασχόντων, ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ Ἰερεμίας ἅγιος ὢν ὡς καὶ ἐκ μήτρας ἡγιάσθαι, παθὼν δὲ τοσαῦτα ὡς καὶ εἰς λάκκον βορβόρου ἐμβάλλεσθαι· ἀλλὰ καὶ Λάζαρος καὶ ὁ πλούσιος–ὁ μὲν κακοπαθῶν, ὁ δὲ ζῶν μετὰ πλείστης εὐπαθείας–τὸ τῶν ἀπορρήτων θεοῦ κριμάτων ἀκριβὲς ἐκφέρουσιν. "εὐοδεῖσθαι" δὲ τοῦτο καλεῖ ὡς πρὸς τὴν τῶν πολλῶν δόξαν. οὐκ ματαιολογῶν οὖν ἀλλ' ἐρωτῶν διὰ τὸ τοὺς ἄλλους μαθεῖν τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐπιφέρει ὁ ἅγιος. τούτου τοίνυν ὑπάρχει καὶ τὸ ἐν ἑνὶ τῶν ψαλμῶν λεγόμενον· "ὡς ἀγαθὸς τῷ

About this text

Didymus the Blind on Job.

Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.

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.