The Unannounced Struggle of Job

Stripping oneself for the sake of virtue. One strips off the garment so that, like a naked athlete, he may grapple with the opponent and, through an unutterable struggle, be awarded the prize of righteousness. He who was clothed in righteousness stripped the garment; and the great singer of piety says: 'The Lord gave, the Lord took away; as it pleased the Lord, so it happened; blessed be the name of the Lord forever.' O generous soul! This voice became an arrow against the devil; he sent this voice out as arrows against the demons, shattering the phalanx of the adversaries. 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall depart.' This voice is apostolic, even before the apostolic ages: 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, naked I shall depart,' just as the Apostle says: 'We have brought nothing into the world'; it is clear that we are unable to bring anything out. The Lord gave, the Lord took away.

He was taken from all things, so that I may cut short the discourse, and the woman alone remained, the ancient instrument of the devil. The woman remained, not because the devil spared her, but because he kept her as a weapon for himself. For since he knew that through a woman he had brought the first man to trial, he guards the woman so that he may use a similar weapon for the attack. But there he found Adam, whereas here he does not find Adam. There he found Adam and Eve; but here he found Eve and does not find Adam. The woman says to him: 'How long will you endure?' These are truly the words of the devil. For the phrase 'How long' was the voice of one being tortured. I am being tortured, and you say, 'How long?' I am being struck, and you are indifferent to the wounds of the one being tortured? How long will you sit waiting day after day for salvation?

The devil willfully does not praise the virtue of the righteous man, but proclaims his endurance, because he was struggling in hope. 'How long?' Then see the wisdom of the writer. And having looked at her, he says, 'Job said.' He did not say, approaching her, but, having looked at her. Having looked, why? For did he not know his own wife? Did he not converse with her? Did he not beget children from her? Why then did he look? The 'looking' shows that he does not see her, but the one in her. Job looked at the devil; he saw the one speaking in the serpent, and now speaking in the woman. And he says: 'As one of the...

You spoke as a fool. Why did He not say, 'Like one of the impious,' or 'Like one of the atheists'? Perhaps He did not consider her an atheist, but rather one seized by folly. Otherwise, brothers, the designation of a fool is given primarily to the one denying God; for he says in his heart, 'There is no God.' To speak as one of the fools is like saying, 'As Eve spoke: If we received good things from the hand of the Lord, shall we not also receive evils?' O generous soul! Test his soul right there.

Job did not know that he was struggling for virtue; he did not know that he is crowned for endurance; but he simply thought the calamity was a divine act. He thought evils were coming, and thinking they were evils, he did not blaspheme as one would against evils. If, thinking they were evils, he struggled thus, would he not have struggled much more if he had known the crown? But why did God not say to him beforehand, 'See what you are doing; the devil is about to array himself against you, he is about to arm himself against you; struggle, be strong, so that he may not turn away your mind, so that he may not seize your thoughts, so that he may not besiege your soul; be strong, and do not think it easy for God to command the athlete to the wrestling match.'

For the Lord says to Peter, 'Peter, behold, Satan has demanded you, to sift you like wheat.' To the apostles, He announces the trials; but to Job, He does not announce the trials, nor the contest. Is this not injustice on the part of God? May it never be. He encourages some and abandons others. Why does He not say to him as He does to the apostles? Perhaps God knew the devil's malice, knew the envy, and knew the suspicion capable of blunting virtue.

If God had said to him, 'Watch yourself and struggle; if you endure to the end, I will give you twice what you have, you will inherit the kingdom of heaven, you will receive crowns of immortality, and the whole world will be full of praises of your body and your commendations'; if He had said these things, the righteous man would indeed have struggled, but the devil would have again found an opportunity; and if, having struggled, he had conquered thus, he would say to God, 'Did I not struggle for nothing? Promise me immortality, promise me a kingdom, promise me crowns.' Therefore, if having received the enjoyment of the temporal things, he was thought not to be righteous but merely a hireling; if he received the promise of the eternal things...