約伯倫理 第 119 章

Verse 16. — And while he was yet speaking, another came, and said: The fire of God fell from heaven, and having touched the sheep and the servants, consumed them, and I alone escaped to bring you word. 51. The fire consuming Job's sheep and servants signifies the envy of the priests against Christ. Fire now torments the wicked through spite, afterward through vengeance. — All who held the office of preaching in the synagogue were rightly called 'heaven,' because they were believed, namely, to savor heavenly things. Whence also Moses, when he stirred up the priests and the people to the words of his admonition, said: Give ear, O heaven, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words from my mouth (Deut. 32:1, according to the Septuagint);

by 'heaven' signifying, namely, the order of the prelates, and by 'earth' the subject people. In this passage, therefore, by 'heaven' we not unfittingly understand the priests, or the Pharisees, or the doctors of the law, who, while before the eyes of men they attended to heavenly offices, seemed as it were to shine from above. But because these very men were greatly stirred up in the adversity of our Redeemer, fire as it were fell from heaven, when, to deceive the unlearned people, the flame of envy blazed forth even from those who were thought to teach the truth. For by the testimony of the Gospel we know that, envying the truth of the doctrine, they sought an opportunity for the Lord's betrayal; but fearing the people, they dared not make known what they were contriving.

Hence also it is written of him, that to dissuade the peoples they say: Has any of the rulers believed in him, or of the Pharisees? But this crowd, which knows not the law, they are accursed (John 7:48). But what do we take by the sheep and by the servants, if not certain innocent ones, yet still infirm? who, while they feared to endure the adversity of the Pharisees and rulers, were consumed by the burning of unbelief. Let it be said therefore: The fire of God fell from heaven, and having touched the sheep and servants, consumed them — that is, from the hearts of the prelates the flame of envy fell down, and set on fire whatever good was springing up among the peoples;

because while the wicked prelates exact their own honor against the truth, they subvert from all rectitude the hearts of their followers. Where also it is well added: And I alone escaped to bring you word; because, while the foretold cause of malice is fulfilled, the word of prophecy escapes the destruction of deceit, which says: And now fire consumes the adversaries (Isa. 26:11). As if it openly said: Fire not only afterward torments the wicked through vengeance, but even now burns them through spite, because those who are afterward to be punished with the retribution of chastisement, now afflict themselves with the torment of envy. The servant therefore alone flees back, and announces that the sheep and servants have perished by fire, while prophecy, forsaking the Jewish people, makes manifest that it spoke truly, when it said:

Zeal has laid hold of the untaught people. As if it openly said: While the people refused to examine the words of the prophets, but gave their credence to the words of the envious, they perished by the fire of zeal, because they burned themselves up in the flame of another's envy. There follows: