Moralia in Job 171

Verse 13. — And they sat with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights. Through feigned humility they attempt to persuade proud things. — In the day we recognize the things we see; but in the night, either by blindness we discern nothing, or by uncertainty we are darkened. By day, therefore, intelligence is designated; by night, ignorance. And by the number seven the sum of universality is expressed. Whence it is that in no more than seven days is all this transitory time consummated.

What is it, then, that blessed Job's friends are said to have sat with him seven days and seven nights, if not that the heretics — whether in those things in which they understand the true light, or in those in which they suffer the darkness of ignorance — feign to condescend, as it were, to holy Church in her weakness, and prepare for her, under the appearance of blandishments, the deceits of deception? And although, whether in those things which they understand, or in those which they cannot understand, they are swollen and turgid with the tumour of pride and esteem themselves great in their own eyes, yet sometimes they bow before holy Church for appearance's sake; and while they soften their words, they pour in poison. To sit upon the ground, therefore, is to show something of the image of humility;

so that, while they exhibit humble things, they may persuade the proud things which they teach. They sit with us on the ground when they agree with us concerning the incarnation. — But by the earth may be designated the very incarnation of the Mediator. Whence it is also said to Israel: Ye shall make me an altar of earth (Exod. xx, 24). For to make an altar of earth to God is to hope in the incarnation of the Mediator. For then is our gift accepted by God, when upon this altar our humility, that is, upon the faith of the Lord's incarnation, has placed whatever it does. Upon the altar of earth, therefore, we place the offered gift, if we make our acts solid by faith in the Lord's incarnation.

But there are certain heretics who do not deny that the Mediator's incarnation took place, yet either think otherwise concerning the divinity that He possesses, or differ from us regarding the very manner of the incarnation. Those, therefore, who together with us bear witness to the true incarnation of the Redeemer, sit upon the earth as it were together with Job. And they are described as sitting upon the earth for seven days and seven nights, because whether in the fact that they understand something of the fullness of truth, or in the fact that they are blinded by the darkness of their own foolishness, they cannot deny the mystery of the incarnation. To sit therefore upon the earth with blessed Job is to believe, together with the holy Church, in the true flesh of the Redeemer.

When friends are silent, opponents become adversaries.—Sometimes indeed heretics rage against us even with punishments, sometimes they pursue us with words alone, sometimes they harass us who are at peace, but sometimes, if they see us keeping silence, they too fall quiet; and to the silent they are friends, but to those who speak they are adversaries. Hence, because blessed Job had not yet said anything by way of discourse to them, it is rightly added: And no one spoke a word to him. For we have adversaries who are silent, if we neglect by preaching to beget sons of the true faith. But if we begin to speak what is right, we soon feel grievous insults from their reply;

they immediately spring into hostility, and against us they burst forth in a voice of grief, because forsooth they fear lest the voice of one who speaks rightly should draw upward to the heights the hearts which the weight of foolishness presses down among the lowest things. Because therefore, as we have said, our adversaries love us when we are mute but hate us when we speak, it is rightly said concerning the silent Job: