Moralia in Job 47

13. The saints, like stars, illumine the night of the present life. — But it is pleasant amid these things to behold the wondrous works of divine dispensation, how, to illumine the night of the present life, all the stars come in their turns into the face of heaven, until at the night's end the Redeemer of the human race, as the true morning star, arises. For the space of night, while it is lit by the courses of stars departing and succeeding, is passed through with the great beauty of heaven. In order therefore that the ray of the stars, put forth in its own time and changed one after another, might touch the darkness of our night: to show forth innocence, came Abel; to teach purity of action, came Enoch; to intimate the long-suffering of hope and of work, came Noah;

to manifest obedience, came Abraham; to demonstrate the chastity of married life, came Isaac; to intimate the endurance of toil, came Jacob; to render the grace of good recompense for evil, came Joseph; to show forth meekness, came Moses; to fashion confidence against adversities, came Joshua; to show forth patience amid scourges, came Job. Behold how shining are the stars we discern in heaven, that we may walk the journey of our night with unstumbling foot of work.

For as many righteous men as divine dispensation exhibited to the knowledge of men, it sent as it were so many stars into the heaven over the darkness of sinners, until the true morning star should arise, who, announcing to us the eternal morning, would shine forth from His divinity more brightly than the other stars. 14. All foretold Christ, most of all Job. — Whom all the elect, while by living well they go before Him, both by deeds and by voices they promised in prophesying. For there was no righteous man who did not exist as a herald of Him by figure. It was fitting, indeed, that all should show forth in themselves the good from whom both all were good, and which they knew to profit all. Whence also it had to be promised without ceasing, which was given both to be received beyond estimation, and to be held without end;

so that all ages together might tell what the end of the ages would bestow in the common redemption. Whence it was necessary that even blessed Job, who brought forth so great mysteries of His incarnation, should signify by his conversation Him whom he was to declare by voice; and by the things he endured should show forth what He was to suffer; and should predict the sacraments of His passion so much the more truly, in that he prophesied these not by speaking only, but also by suffering. [Old XI.] But because our Redeemer showed Himself one person with the holy Church, which He assumed—for of Him it is said, 'Who is the head of us all' (Ephesians 4:15); and of His Church it is written, 'The body of Christ, which is the Church' (Colossians 1:24)—

whoever signifies Him in himself designates Him now from the head, now from the body, so that he may hold not only the voice of the head, but also of the body. Whence also the prophet Isaiah, expressing the words of that same Lord, says: 'As a bridegroom He has set a mitre upon me, and as a bride He has adorned me with an ornament' (Isaiah 61:10). Since therefore He Himself is the bridegroom in the head, He Himself is the bride in the body, it is necessary that when sometimes something is said of the head, it should gradually and suddenly pass over also to the voice of the body; and again, when something is said of the body, it should suddenly ascend to the voice of the head. [Old XII.] Blessed Job, therefore, intimates the type of the Redeemer to come with His body;

but his wife, who provokes him to curse, designates the life of carnal men; who, placed within the holy Church with uncorrected morals, in that by faith they are near to the good, do by their life the more grievously oppress them; because, while as faithful they cannot be shunned, they are the worse tolerated by the faithful, the more inwardly they are borne. 15. The friends of Job foreshadow heretics. — But his friends, who while they counsel inveigh against him, express the figure of heretics, who under the appearance of counselling carry on the business of seducing. Whence also they speak to blessed Job as it were on behalf of the Lord, yet nonetheless are not approved by the Lord; because, namely, all heretics, while they strive to defend God, offend Him. Whence it is openly said to them even by the same holy man:

'I desire to dispute with God: showing you first to be forgers of lies, and cultivators of perverse doctrines' (Job 13:3-4). It is established, therefore, that they, whom the holy man reproves as serving the cult of perverse doctrines, bear by their erring the type of heretics. [Rev. VII.] But every heretic, in that he is seen to defend God, opposes His truth, the Psalmist attesting, who says: 'That thou mayest destroy the enemy and the defender' (Psalm 8:3). For he is an enemy and a defender, who assails the God whom he preaches.