Moralia in Job 1149

V. 27. — Who takes away the stars of rain, and pours forth showers like torrents. The holy patriarchs and prophets were stars generating rain. — There are two kinds of the righteous in this life: one indeed of those who live well but teach nothing; the other of those who both live rightly and teach that same rightness — just as in the face of heaven some stars come forth which no rains follow, and others come forth which flood the parched earth with great showers. Therefore, as often as in holy Church certain men live rightly, but nonetheless know not how to preach that same rightness, they are indeed stars, but born in the dryness of the air; because by the example of living well they can shine to others, but by the word of preaching they cannot rain.

But when certain men in her both live rightly, and pour that same rightness into others by the words of preaching, they are as it were produced as stars in heaven to bring forth rains, which so shine by the merits of their life that they also rain by the discourse of preaching. Was not Moses a star of rain in this heaven, who, when he shone forth from on high, flooded the hearts of sinners — as it were the parched earth below — with the rain of holy exhortation unto the abundance of a harvest? Was not Isaiah shown to be a star of rain, who, in that he held the light of truth by foreseeing it, watered the dryness of the unbelieving by prophesying and announcing?

Were not Jeremiah and the other prophets, as if set in heaven, stars of rain, who, raised up on the summit of preaching, while they dared freely to rebuke the wickedness of sinners, as it were with drops of words pressed down by watering the dust of human blindness? Their souls indeed, taken up from this corruptible flesh, because from the present life they bear away the heavenly judgments, are as it were withdrawn like stars of rain from the face of heaven, and return to a hidden station, while, their courses accomplished, the souls of the saints are stored up in the treasuries of the inmost dispensation. These being withdrawn, the apostles were sent, who poured forth showers like torrents.

— But because the earth would grow parched if, the stars of rain being withdrawn, the heavenly streams should utterly cease, it is rightly said: Who takes away the stars of rain, and pours forth showers like torrents. For when he took away the prophets, in their place the Lord sent the apostles, who might rain like torrents, after that, the ancient Fathers being withdrawn, the outward precepts of the law had fallen silent. He hid, therefore, the stars of rain, and poured forth showers like torrents, because while he carried the preachers of the law to secret and inward things, through the sayings of those who followed a more abundant force of preaching flowed out. After the apostles, the holy Fathers increased sacred doctrine.

— By the stars of rain the holy apostles too may be designated, of whom, concerning reprobate Judea, it is said through Jeremiah: The stars of rain were withheld, and there was no latter rain (Jer. 3:3). The Lord, therefore, withdrew the stars of rain, and poured forth showers like torrents, because when he took away the apostles preaching from Judea, he watered the world with the doctrine of new grace. Both of which deeds can not inappropriately be understood in the Church, because when, their bodies being loosed, he bore back the souls of the apostles to the secret bosoms of the celestial ones, he as it were hid the stars of rain from the face of heaven.

But the stars of rain being taken away, he gave showers in the manner of torrents, because even when the apostles were led back to the heights, through the tongues of the expositors who followed he laid open, in more copious effusion, the long-hidden streams of divine knowledge. For what those spoke under brevity, these, by expounding, increased manifoldly. Whence also not undeservedly the very preaching of the expositors is compared to torrents: because while they gather the sayings of many who preceded, they themselves are more deeply dilated in what they build up. For while they join testimonies to testimonies, they as it were make torrents from drops. By whose words, while day by day the Gentile world is taught, because the mind of sinners receives heavenly knowledge, it is as if water standing on the earth shows forth torrents.

But let the expositors in no way prefer themselves in knowledge to those same apostles, though in expounding they speak more amply. For they ought unceasingly to remember through whom they received the discoveries of that same knowledge. Whence also it is fitly added: