Moralia in Job 123

Ibid. — And with his head shorn, falling to the earth, he adored. 57. As it were with head shorn he fell to the earth, when, the Jewish priesthood being rejected, He descended to the Gentiles. — What is signified by the cut-off hairs but the subtlety of the mysteries; what by the head but the summit of the priesthood? Whence also it is said to the prophet Ezekiel: Thou, son of man, take thee a sharp sword that shaveth hairs, and take it, and draw it over thy head and thy beard (Ezek. 5:1); namely, that by the prophet's deed the judgment of the Redeemer might be expressed, who, appearing in the flesh, shaved His head, because He took away the mysteries of His precepts from the Jewish priesthood; He shaved His beard, because, forsaking the kingdom of Israel, He cut off the beauty of its strength.

But what in this place is expressed by the earth, but sinful man? For to the first man that sinned it was said: Earth thou art, and unto earth thou shalt return (Gen. 3:19). By the name of earth, therefore, the sinful Gentile world is designated. For while Judaea believed itself just, it is plain how reprobate it deemed the Gentiles to be, as Paul testifies, saying: We are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles (Gal. 2:15). Our Mediator therefore fell to the earth as it were with head shorn, because, forsaking Judaea, when He took away His mysteries from her priesthood, He came to the knowledge of the Gentiles. For He shaved the hairs from His head, because He took away the mysteries of the Law from that His first priesthood; and He fell to the earth, because He gave Himself to the salvation of sinners;

and while He forsook those who seemed to themselves just, He took up those who both knew themselves to be unjust and confessed it. Hence He Himself also says in the Gospel: I am come into this world for judgment, that they who see not may see, and they who see may become blind (John 9:39). Hence also the pillar of cloud, which went before the people in the desert (Exod. 13:21), shone with the splendor of fire not in the day, but in the night; because, namely, our Redeemer, by the example of His own way of life, giving guidance to His followers, shone with no light for those confident of their own righteousness, but blazed with the fire of His love upon those who acknowledged the darkness of their sins. Nor let the mind judge it unworthy of the signification of the Redeemer that Job is said to fall.

For it is written: The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it fell in Israel (Isa. 9:8). Now Jacob is called the supplanter, but Israel one seeing God. And what is designated by Jacob but the Jewish people; what by Israel but the Gentile people? Because Him whom Jacob strove to supplant through the death of the flesh, this same One the Gentile world beheld as God through the eyes of faith. The word therefore sent to Jacob fell in Israel, because Him whom the Jew rejected as He came to him, this same One the Gentile people suddenly confessing found. For of the Holy Spirit it is written: The Spirit of the Lord fell upon them (Acts 10:44). 58. In what sense the Word of God or the Holy Spirit is said to fall.

— Now the Word of God, or the Holy Spirit, is said in Holy Scripture to fall, that His unexpected coming may be expressed. For that which rushes down or falls comes suddenly to the depths. To the Mediator, therefore, it was as it were to fall to the earth, to have come unexpectedly to the Gentiles with no signs going before. And it is well said that, falling, he adored; because, while He Himself took up the humility of the flesh, He poured into those who believe in Him the vows of humility. For He did it, because He taught it to be done; as also it is said of His Spirit: The Spirit Himself asketh for us with unutterable groanings (Rom. 8:26). For He who is equal does not petition, but is said to petition; because, namely, He makes those whom He fills to petition:

although this also our Redeemer showed in Himself, who entreated even the Father when He drew near to the Passion. For what wonder is it, if in the form of a servant He subjected Himself to the Father by entreating, in which form He also endured the hands of sinners even to the extremities of death? There follows: