Moralia in Job 167

In the same place and verse 11. — In all this Job did not sin with his lips, neither did he utter any foolish thing against God. Now when Job's three friends heard of all the evil that had befallen him, they came every one from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. In Job's friends the heretics are foreshadowed. — In the preface of this work we said that Job's friends, although they come to him with a good intention, nevertheless therefore bear the likeness of heretics, because by speaking indiscreetly they slip into fault. Whence it is also said to them by the same blessed Job: I desire to reason with God, first showing you to be forgers of lies, and cultivators of perverse doctrines.

So holy Church, throughout all this time of her pilgrimage set in affliction, while she endures wounds, while she grieves at the falls of her members, moreover endures under the name of Christ the enemies of Christ. For to the augmenting of her grief, the heretics also come together in contention, and pierce her through, as with certain javelins, with their irrational words. The place whence pride came. — And it is well said: They came from their own place. For the place of heretics is pride itself; because unless they first swelled in heart, they would not come to the contests of depraved assertion. For thus the place of the wicked is pride, just as, on the contrary, humility is the place of the good. Of which it is said through Solomon:

If the spirit of one having power rise up against thee, leave not thy place (Eccles. x, 4). As if he plainly said: If thou considerest the spirit of the tempter to prevail against thee in anything, do not relinquish the humility of penance. And that by our place he meant the humility of penance, he shows by the following words, saying: For healing shall make the greatest sins to cease (in the same place). For what else is the humility of lamentation, if not the medicine of sin? The heretics therefore come from their own place, because they are moved out of pride against holy Church. The names of Job's friends signify the action of heretics. — Whose perverse action also is gathered from the very interpretation of their names.

For they are called Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar; and, as we said above, Eliphaz is interpreted 'contempt of God.' For unless they despised God, they would in no way hold perverse opinions concerning him. Bildad, however, is interpreted 'oldness alone.' For while they truly refuse to be conquered, and by perverse zeal seek to be victors, they neglect the conversation of the new life; and it is out of oldness alone that they aim at what they intend. Zophar, moreover, means 'scattering the watchtower.' For those who are established in holy Church humbly contemplate with true faith the mysteries of their Redeemer; but while the heretics come with false allegations, they scatter the watchtower, because they bend down the minds of those whom they draw to themselves from the intention of right contemplation.

The curiosity, loquacity, and hypocrisy of heretics are designated by the places of Job's friends. — And the places from which they come are well described as suited to the deeds of heretics. For they are called Temanite, Shuhite, Naamathite. For Teman is interpreted 'the South'; Shuah, 'speaking'; Naama, 'comeliness.' But who does not know that the South is a hot wind? The heretics therefore, because they more ardently desire to be wise, are eager, as it were, to be hot more than is necessary. For the sloth of torpid coldness, and again the restlessness of immoderate curiosity, accord with intemperate heat. Because therefore they desire to receive the heat of wisdom more than they ought, they are said to come from the South.

From this heat of immoderate wisdom Paul had taken care to temper the minds of the faithful, when he said: Not to be more wise than it behoveth to be wise, but to be wise unto sobriety (Rom. xii, 3). Hence it is that David smote the valleys of the salt-pits (2 Kings viii, 13), because plainly our Redeemer, by the examination of his severity, extinguishes in those who think perverse things of him the folly of immoderate savour. Shuah, however, means 'speaking.' For they desire to have heat not that they may live well, but that they may speak loftily. From Teman therefore and Shuah, that is, from heat and loquacity, they are said to come, because, in that they show themselves students of the Scriptures, they lack only the words of loquacity, but not the bowels of charity.

But Naama is interpreted 'comeliness.' For because they desire not to be learned but to seem so, from the words of erudition they take on the appearance of those who live well; and through the heat of loquacity they display in themselves an image of comeliness, so that by the comeliness of the tongue they may easily persuade perverse things, whereby they cunningly conceal from the senses the foulness of their life. Nor are the very names of the places set forth in a disordered narration. For first Teman is placed, afterward Shuah, and then Naama; for first the disordered heat kindles them, then the sheen of loquacity raises them up, and then at last hypocrisy shows them comely to men.