The Nature of Wickedness and the Office of the Bishop

They wander about in ignorance, for the light has emanated from within themselves, even as He declared: An unconsuming fire shall fall upon him. Regarding the hidden meaning, this unconsuming fire refers either to the conscience or to the judgments that await the righteous in the future. He says that the man shall be consumed by fire so that it may be said he is not even worthy of a burial.

This is the portion assigned to the impious man by the Lord, and it is a possession held by those under the bishop. Through this, divine justice is set in motion against him, whether he is one who, though circumcised, acted impiously toward God through Christ, or whether he is a paradoxical person; regardless, the declared portion belongs to the impious. Consider who the bishop mentioned here was. It is said that God is the Bishop, and the bishops of God strive to imitate His likeness in every way, being good and noble. Just as one who imitates a royal icon is honored for the excellence of his imitation and for the beauty he adds to it, so too is the blessed bishop who has perceived the true Bishop and follows Him with zeal. Such a man becomes like God among men; or, alternatively, he is one who possesses a bishop who truly makes him a bishop in Christ Jesus, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Their children also play, taking up the psaltery and the lyre, finding joy in the sound of psalmody. Indeed, even their foolish children engage in such play, for they sing the psalms of Valentinus and the hymns of Basileidus, finding delight in the melody of their songs.

Is not the Lord the one who imparts understanding and knowledge? Let us observe what Eliphaz says to the righteous man. After Job has spoken, Eliphaz rushes to join the argument, saying: I also know that God alone is wise, and that through certain words one impious man is corrected while another is punished. I also know that God is the giver of good things, as you have said, whereas evil brings about punishment. This doctrine is healthy. Knowledge is the comprehension of those who possess such a theory, while understanding is the power of distinction.

Is it not possible that your wickedness is great and your sins are beyond counting? It is therefore expected that I should say you have not become unrighteous by mere chance because you suffer such things as no other wicked man does; rather, you have fallen into these circumstances because you possess a greater wickedness than others. Wickedness is an evil disposition of the soul, such as grief, anger, or disordered desire, whereas sin is the actual exercise of that disposition. Therefore, he first mentioned wickedness and then sin—the former being a great state and the latter being innumerable acts. I see many sinners, yet none have fallen into such profound depths as you have. It is probable that because of your countless sins and your multitude of faults, these things have befallen you. You were defrauding your brothers through usury, and you were stripping the naked of their clothing. Let us take heed, O engravers, that we never defraud others through lending. These words are useful, for they allow us to speak truthfully about sins as they occur among men according to reason. Eliphaz assumes this regarding Job because he knew Job was wealthy and suspected he might have acquired his riches through improper means; thus he says: You were defrauding by lending, meaning you left nothing unpaid. If I lend money but, distrusting the borrower, I take a pledge of great value as security, that is not true lending. But if I demand and seize a pledge by lending because I slander him, claiming he cannot pay his debts, then I am lending. He adds another suspected sin: it is possible to take garments not from the naked, but from the rich who have many clothes lying around. Yet, if a man has only a single tunic and I use that as a pretext to demand my property, I strip him; having no pity for the naked man, I have deprived him of his clothing. Many such things occur among us when we lend or visit debtors. Often the debtor falls into such excess that he cannot pay, and we, becoming hardened and pitiless, fail to see that a woman must feed children on the few coins provided, and we demand payment bitterly even when we ourselves live in abundance. Such bitter demands occur...