Commentary on Job 1 part 19/19

Therefore he called the first one 'Day,' inasmuch as, from a certain deep night of the evils that had surrounded him, a bright day dawned for him, prosperity having been given to him from God.

As though he were now, at last, amid a certain fragrance and enjoyment of good things, so he named the second daughter thus.

And the third he called Horn of Amalthea.

As though all good things were now flowing to him from every side, so he named the third one thus.

For the men of old called abundance of good things 'the Horn of Amalthea.'

From what cause this arose, I am not able to say;

but the Greeks, fabricating myths, say that Amalthea was a certain goat, and that from the goat's horn flowed wine, honey, and milk, and whatever else one might desire.

But I, for my part, fashion a more plausible tale, so that it may resemble the truth:

For I say that the goat called Amalthea, digging up the earth with her horn, uncovered a hidden treasure, and the goatherd was immediately revealed as rich, though he had been poor; and thus 'the Horn of Amalthea' came to be named among men as a symbol of prosperity.

It is possible also to fashion countless other tales more plausible than the Greek ones, but those who are devoted to the truth have no leisure to give their attention to such things.

We know only this — that from ancient times 'the Horn of Amalthea' has been taken to signify unstinting abundance of good things; so that even if Scripture mentions sirens, or the valley of the Titans, or the Giants renowned from of old, we do not, simply because the Greeks tell myths about such things, reject the words of the sacred Scripture; rather, we leave to them their myths, fictions, and old wives' sophistries, while we everywhere lay hold of the truth, procuring for ourselves from all sides, out of the God-inspired Scripture, what is profitable to the soul.

But if one ought also to perceive something spiritual in these passages:

When the light-bearing Word of God rises in our hearts, day dawns upon us; and as we advance, we become a fragrance of Christ, concerning whom it is written:

'Myrrh and stacte and cassia breathe from your garments'; and as we grow and come to perfection, then 'the Horn of Amalthea' also comes to be ours — the abundance of spiritual gifts.

But if what is written also holds a more mystical meaning, we leave that to those able to look beyond, more deeply and more loftily.

And there were not found women more beautiful than the daughters of Job in all the land under heaven.

And this too is a father's happiness — to have children who are comely and fair of face.

For indeed Scripture also praises the appearance of Sarah, and of Joseph, and of David.

But understand beauty, as I mean it, also with reference to the soul, so that 'more excellent' is to be taken both of soul and of body.

'There were not found [women like them] in all the land under heaven':

That before the trials, in wealth; that in the very midst of the contests themselves; that after the trials.

For in these three seasons, having contended most excellently, he is said to have had three beautiful daughters — the historical sense remaining valid, while the account is also referred allegorically to the three seasons in which, having contended most excellently, he brought forth beautiful fruits and offspring that were renowned and known to all.

And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.

And Job lived after the affliction one hundred and seventy years, and all the years he lived were two hundred and forty-eight.

And Job saw his sons and the sons of his sons, to the fourth generation.

And Job died, old and full of days.

He received all the promises according to the law — he who carried the law written in his mind before ever hearing the law.

For he was a fulfiller of the law, even though not a disciple of it.

And it is written that he will rise again with those whom the Lord raises up.

For the ungodly shall not rise in judgment, nor sinners in the council of the righteous.

This is translated from the Syriac book.

And we accept these words, even if they do not belong to the whole fabric of the text, yet as having been woven into the book by one of the saints.

Nevertheless, we accept everything just as we have received the book from the fathers.

Dwelling in the land of Ausitis, on the borders of Idumea and Arabia.

Job's earlier name was Jobab; and having taken an Arabian woman as wife, he begot a son named Ennon.

We find instances of renaming among the saints, as Abram was named Abraham, and Peter, Cephas; so that this too is a sign of the lineage of holy Abraham — that Job was formerly called Jobab.

Since the text recalled Job's former name, it fittingly also mentioned his wife, the Arabian woman.

For he did not take another wife, as I suppose, but this was his first wife, from whom Ennon was born to him, whether he was one of the first children or of the second.

And if someone says that the first wife died without enjoying the good things, we reply that this befell her because she had said to Job:

'Say some word against the Lord, and die.'

But if this is the one who survived and did enjoy the good things, we say that, because she became more temperate through the righteous man's rebuke and did not answer back against his counsel, the enjoyment of the good things was granted to her as well.

Still, there is no need to labor over such fine points.

Now he was, on his father's side, the son of Zara, one of the sons of Esau, and on his mother's side descended from Bosorra, so that he was fifth from Abraham.

The genealogy is set down in Chronicles.

For from Abraham came Isaac, from him Esau, from whom Ragouel, and from him Zara, the father of Job.

Job, then, is fifth from Abraham, Abraham himself of course not being counted; hence we also say that he lived before the Law.

For Moses is found to be sixth from Abraham, thus:

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Levi, Kohath, Amram, Moses.

So either he is found to precede Moses by a generation, or, even if we grant that he was contemporary with Moses, he had not yet become a disciple of the Law.

This, then, is what we say, since it also seemed so to many who excelled in the church, and to the older commentators.

But if someone, out of contentiousness, says that he had heard the Law, then in this way too Job will appear all the more admirable: the Israelites did not keep the Law but even sacrificed to idols, whereas Job conducted his life in Idumea according to both the Law and the Gospel alike.

And these are the kings who reigned in Edom, a country over which he himself also ruled:

First, Balak son of Beor, and the name of his city was Denaba.

After Balak, Jobab, who is called Job.

After him, Asom, who was ruler from the region of Ausitis.

After him, Adad son of Barad, who struck down Midian in the plain of Moab, and the name of his city was Getthaim.

So you will also find it in Chronicles, such that when he says concerning himself that...

...but in very truth, that he was indeed a king.

And the friends who came to him were:

Eliphaz, king of the Themanites, of the sons of Esau; Baldad, ruler of the Sauchites; Sophar, king of the Minaeans.

Again, the text did well to mention the friends, as if saying:

The events concerning Job took place before these illustrious and undeniable persons.

For 'upon the word of two or three witnesses shall every word be established,' says Scripture.

This little work, then, brief as you bade, has been completed, O John and Julian, most God-fearing men, just as was also done for Ecclesiastes.

But as for you, do not cease bringing to us that unending debt — I mean prayers and love — being true disciples of the Son of love and fulfillers of the commandment that says:

'Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another' — which debt let us also not cease bringing to others and to all our brothers, through the well-accepted prayers of the blessed prophet and contender, the beautifully crowned and blameless Job, by the grace alone of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, with whom, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, honor, and might to the Father, unto the ages of ages.