The Imperfection of Human Righteousness

For if a man wishes to rouse himself toward comprehension, the precision of the spoken word flees from him. This is similar to the saying: 'A deep depth, who will find it?' 'But I heard a wind and a voice.' For one using understanding receives certain wonderful things and echoes of the administration from God.

And he cannot grasp it entirely, and most certainly not; for if Paul, speaking in Christ, says: 'O the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and untraceable his ways' (Rom 11:33), how much more will the one imposing human reasonings be at a loss toward comprehension? 'For what? Will a mortal be clean before the Lord or blameless because of his works?' (Job 4:7). We assume they have human understanding, and in those who preceded Job's friends. For it is not a small sign of understanding to leave lands behind, being kings, and to come because of sympathy for Job, even while they say as if they have not departed from sins.

However, though they use human reasonings, they are indeed certain. For as has been said before, setting one cause for the inductions, they think that Job also suffered because of sin, proceeding to this from a plausible word, understanding the weak nature of human intellect. Therefore also Eliphaz says regarding the things before him: 'For what? Will a mortal be clean before the Lord or blameless because of his works?' (Job 4:7). This, indeed, would be plausible if he were examining according to his own concept, and it holds the rebuke. For if the one falling into bitter afflictions is so because of sin, no one has been clean, no one has existed apart from bitter things.

But these things this man says, while divine discipline teaches, how even wicked men, being in all things in sins, led their lives without restraint. Of whom the rich man who with Lazarus was rejoicing every day, clothing himself brilliantly in fine linen and purple, remained in most pleasant living until his last breath, while the righteous Lazarus was testified to not having had rest there. But also the one who heard: 'Fool, this night they take the soul from you. But what you have prepared, to whom will it be?' (Luke 16:20) is written to have not been left without sharing. And this the divine word teaches, even if he also said this humanly, that

A pure person is not entirely contrary to the Lord. This is shown by the saying, 'his stars are not pure before Him' (Job 9:3), and by the Psalms: 'No living thing shall be justified before You' (Ps 143:4). For he did not say, 'no one is justified,' but rather, 'before You.' For you will find that all are lacking when they are toward God, and they do not possess righteousness in excess.

For Moses, even though he says he is 'instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians,' says: 'I am not able to speak before the yesterday and before the third and from when You began to speak to your servant' (Ex 4:10). For in the presence of the divine weight, he seems to be lesser. Or he says something else: 'But I am another kind of man.' But even Abraham, the 'friend of God,' having been humbled, says: 'Since I have begun to speak to my Lord, I am dust and ashes' (Gen 18:27). He does not utterly dishonor himself, but speaks thus from when he began to speak to God.

And 'mortal' and 'man,' if said by Eliphaz from a parallel passage, we, applying a more precise word to the discourse, say that 'mortal' is such as is subject to a woman. For 'man' is not said of every human. 'If he does not believe according to his children, but regarding his angels he thought somewhat crookedly, he struck those dwelling in clay houses, from which we ourselves are from the same clay, in the manner of chaff. And from morning until evening they are no longer.'

He wants to lead the proof from the greater thing and make it certain that every man is under sin, saying that even the children of God are not believed by Him, which is to say: they are not as if they were unshakeable. 'But regarding his angels he thought somewhat crookedly' of those having sinned. And if this is so, much more according to those dwelling in clay houses. Since they have happened to be from the same clay, He will not spare those sinning, sending the punishments to them in the manner of chaff, who also will not endure His judgment many times from morning until evening.

But indeed this is the most complete understanding of the things said; for if anyone were to seek whence this man has this impression concerning the departed angels, through whom he says God thought somewhat crookedly, it would be said to this: that while being a sensible man, he knew that the angels are not naturally good, but are liable to change. And it is not incongruous for him even from the demonized...