The brevity of human life and the deceptive nature of eloquence

He endured by the power of God, through which he prays thankfully. Paul also says these things: 'Not I, but the grace with me' (2 Cor 12:9). He wishes to set forth 'before having gone from whence one does not return' (Job 14:6). So it is not because of himself... but because he wished to instruct his friends with these things, who indeed set forth those standing upon the trivialities as bad, and those being delivered as serious. He wished to be fully assured of the judgment concerning himself.

It is not necessary to consider that Job denies a resurrection of the dead, but rather in this way: 'from whence one does not return' (Job 14:6)... in bitter life; for he knew that he would be raised incorruptible. Into a land of darkness and gloom, into a land of eternal darkness, where there is no light and one cannot see the life of mortals. And while experiencing pains, the most manly man was preaching concerning the coming age; in this way, he was not denying a resurrection when he said, 'before I had gone from whence I do not return' (Job 14:6).

And a land of gloom and darkness of eternal darkness, where there is no light nor the life of mortals, the Saint says he first gives to himself the lesser things; for he was not saying he was in the 'kingdom of the heavens' (Matt 13:43) and in the land of your promises, O God; he happened to be among the lesser ones. Then he wishes for those who hear to be instructed concerning the judgment, that a correction of actions had not yet occurred. It should be noted that he often says the name of the earth and also a bad disposition. By this is shown the 'you have sunk into the seat' and the 'they shall enter into the lowest parts of the earth.' They called upon the... upon the earthly ones. This fits those 'bearing the image of the swine.'

It is often said that the earth is the soul, but when it has virtue, it is good, and when it is stony and thorny, it is bad. Toward those loving the pleasure in this life, he says the heavy thing: 'there is no light nor to see the life of mortals.' Having understood, Sophar the Minean says: he who speaks much and is heard, or even the eloquent man, thinks himself to be righteous. Not having the proper reverence concerning the Saint, they were more impudent or offered it to him as fitting, thinking it was for him to speak much, since they did not know the purpose of the things being announced. And speaking much is judged not from the multitude...

Regarding the words: for there is a time when... of the things... it has; but when things are said differently, which happens... with five words... gapped. By using an attack against him as if he were saying much, it also appears probable that 'or he who is eloquent is thought to be righteous'. For many of those committing sin, by making the words impressive through the words themselves, think they are hiding sins by the probability of the words, wanting to deceive regarding the difficulty of the things done to them; but such is not the righteous Job testifying toward God. It was not appropriate, therefore, as it was said, that they approached him because they considered the sin of the cause of the things coming upon him to be the reason; through which error... he is taunted, that even if he... the words... he is not righteous for this reason.

Blessed, a child of a woman, short-lived. He uses a probable word now, but the appropriate knowledge of the man is left behind. He says, therefore, that even if someone is eloquent and through the probability of the words brought forth by himself is thought to be righteous, he must recognize that he is short-lived. Even if someone is blessed by God and thought to be long-lived—for they thought a man blessed to be long-lasting and for many years—yet even this one is short-lived as regards the coming age; in order to show him, desiring, that he does not have precise knowledge of the things, for being short-lived according to men. And this is evident from the following things being brought forward: and 'a child of a woman' signifies the man circumspectly.

We have this said by the Lord: 'No one is greater among the children of women than John' (Matt 11:11). Graciously, the arguments for this set forth Jesus apart from the children of women through a woman because he is the Virgin; and graciously we shall say that in his words... 'having come from a woman' signifies here the female of the name of the woman. And in reality, the human time is short; and of this is the sign said by Paul: 'If in this life we have only hoped, we are more to be pitied than all men' (1 Cor 15:19). For this is the life of the composite man. But if one approaches the life coming through the intellect, he will not be short-spirited by...