Lecture 1 — Introduction

^1:1^ There was a man in the Land of Hus whose name was Job. He was a man without guile and upright, and he feared God and turned away from evil.

^1:2^ There were born to him seven sons and three daughters.

^1:3^ His property was seven thousand sheep and three thousand camels; five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred she-asses and a great number of servants. So this man was accounted great among all the peoples of the East.

^1:4^ His sons used to go and hold banquets in each other’s houses, each one on his appointed day. And they would send and invite their sisters to eat and drink wine with them.

^1:5^ When the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send for them and purify them; and rising at dawn, he offered burnt holocausts for each one. For Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and blessed God in their hearts. Job did this every day.

1. There was a man in the land of Hus. As was said above, because the whole intention of this book is ordered to showing how human affairs are ruled by divine providence, a kind of history is put first, in which the numerous sufferings of a certain just man are related as the foundation of the whole debate. For it is affliction like this which seems most of all to exclude divine providence from human affairs.

First, therefore, the person of this man is described as to his sex when the text says, there was a man. This sex is found stronger in suffering troubles. He is also described as to his land of origin when the text continues, in the land of Hus, which is situated in the East. His name is given next, whose name was Job. These two things seem to have been put in the text to suggest that this is not a parable but recounts a real deed.

2. His virtue is then described and in this he is shown to be free from sin, lest anyone think that the adversities which are set down in the account afterwards happened to him because of his sins. One should note that a man sins in three ways. There are certain sins in which he sins against neighbor, like murder, adultery, theft and the like. There are certain sins in which he sins against God, like perjury, sacrilege, blasphemy and the like. There are sins in which he sins against himself, as St. Paul says in Corinthians, he who fornicates, sins against his own body (1 Cor 6:18). One sins against his neighbor in two ways: either secretly, by fraud, or openly, by violence. But this man did not deceive his neighbor by fraud, for the text says, he was without guile. Being without guile is properly opposed to fraud. Nor did he render violence against anyone, for the text continues, and upright. For uprightness properly belongs to justice, which consists in the mean between good and evil, as Isaiah says, the way of the just is upright; you make straight the path the righteous walk (Isa 26:7). The text clearly indicates that he did not sin against God openly when it continues, and he feared God, which designates his reverence for God. The fact that he also did not sin against himself is shown when the text puts, and turned away from evil, because he regarded evil with hatred for his own sake, not only for the sake of the harm of his neighbor or the offense of God.

3. When both the person and the virtue of this man have been described, then his prosperity is shown so that the adversity which follows may be judged to be more grave because of the prosperity which precedes it. At the same time, this also demonstrates that not only spiritual goods but also temporal goods are given to the just from God’s first intention. But the fact that the just are sometimes afflicted with adversities happens for some special reason. Hence, from the beginning, man was so established that he would not have been subject to any disturbances if he had remained in innocence. Now, after the good firmly held in one’s own person, an element of temporal prosperity consists in the persons who are kin to a man, and especially in the children born to him, who are in a certain sense a part of their parents. Therefore, Job’s prosperity is first described in terms of the fertility of his children when the text says, there were born to him seven sons and three daughters. The number of the men is fittingly greater than the number of women because parents usually have more affection for sons than for daughters. This is both because what is more perfect is more desirable (men are compared to women as perfect to imperfect) and because those born males are usually of more help in managing business than those born females.

4. Next, Job’s prosperity is shown as to the great number of his riches, especially his animals. For near the beginning of the human race, the possession of land was not as valuable as the possession of animals, because of the small number of men. This was especially true in the East, where even up to the present there are few inhabitants in comparison with the extent of the region. Among the animals, those are placed first which are especially useful for providing food and clothing for the human person, namely sheep, and so the text continues, his property was seven thousand sheep. Next, those animals are placed which are most useful as beasts of burden, camels. So the text adds, and three thousand camels. Third, those which serve for the cultivation of the fields are placed, and the text expresses this, saying, five hundred yoke of oxen. Fourth, those animals which men use for transportation are placed, and so the text says, and five hundred she-asses, from which mules are bred, which the ancients used especially as mounts. All other species which serve the same purposes are classed under these four types of animals; for example, all those animals necessary for food and clothing are classed under sheep, and so on for the rest. Since men who have great wealth need a large number of servants to administer it, the text fittingly adds, and a great number of servants. Consequently, his prosperity is established in terms of his honor and reputation which was known far and wide, and this is what the text means by saying, so this man was accounted great among all the peoples of the East; that is, he was honored and respected.

5. To praise Job even more, the discipline of his house is described next, which was free from those vices which wealth usually produces. For very often, great wealth produces discord, and so Genesis says that Abraham and Lot could not live together, to avoid the quarreling which arises from an abundance of possessions (cf. Gen 13). Also, men who have a lot of possessions, because they love what they possess in an inordinate way, frequently use them more sparingly. As Ecclesiastes says, there is another evil which I see under the sun, and which happens frequently among men: a man to whom God gave wealth, possessions and honor so that his soul lacks nothing he desires. Yet God does not give him power to consume it (Eccl 6:1‑2). The house of blessed Job was free from these evils, for concord, laughter, and just frugality were there, which the text expresses, saying, his sons used to go and hold banquets in each other’s houses, each one on his appointed day. This charity and concord existed not only among the brothers, but extended even to the sisters, who often are despised by their brothers because of the pride which wealth generally produces, so the text adds, and they would send and invite their sisters to eat and drink with them. At the same time, the text also shows in this the confidence which Job had about the chastity of his daughters, for otherwise they would not have been allowed to go about in public, but would have been kept at home; as Sirach wisely says, do not forget to keep a firm watch on your daughter lest she [abuse] herself when she found the opportunity (Sir 26:13).

6. Just as frugality and concord flourished in Job’s house, so a holy solicitude for the purity which riches frequently destroy or diminish flourished in Job himself. As Deuteronomy says, he waxed fat, and kicked, and further on, and he forsook the God who made him (Deut 32:18). He was so solicitous for his purity that he removed himself completely from those things which could defile it. This is shown in the text already quoted, that he feared God and turned away from evil (Job 1:1). But he was also solicitous for the purity of his sons, even though he permitted them to have banquets as an indulgence to their age. For some things can be tolerated in young people which would be reprehensible in mature people. Because at banquets men either can never avoid unseemly humor and inordinate speech, or they offend in their immoderate use of food, he showed a remedy of purification to his sons, whom he did not keep away from these banquets, and so the text says, and when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send for them and purify them.

Since there were seven sons and each one held a banquet on his own appointed day, days of banqueting are said to run their course because the feasts would use up each of the seven days of the week in turn. Afterwards, like in a circle or in cycles, the day returned to the beginning in the banquets just as in the days of the week. One should note, however, that although Job indulged his sons in allowing them to have feasts, he did not himself participate in their banquets because he preserved his maturity. So the text says, he would send for them, but not that he would go himself. The manner of this purification by which he sanctified them through an intermediary can be understood in two ways: he either had them instructed with beneficial warning, so that if they had done anything wrong at the banquets, they would correct it, or else, that they would perform some rite of expiation in which they could satisfy for these kinds of faults, as there were sacrifices and the oblation of first fruits and tithes even before the Law was given.

7. Now, at banquets, men not only incur impurity sometimes in the ways already mentioned, but also immerse themselves in more serious sins, even to holding God in contempt; when because of moral depravity their reason is dulled and they are separated from reverence for God; as Exodus says, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play (Exod 32:6), that is, to fornicate and to sacrifice to idols. So Job not only assisted his sons by sanctifying them against their light faults, but he was also eager to add a remedy by which they might be pleasing to God even against their graver sins. And rising at dawn he offered holocausts for each one. In these words, the text shows the perfection of his devotion both as to time, because he rose at dawn as the Psalm says, in the morning, I will stand before you (Ps 5:5), and so on; and as to the manner of offering because he offered holocausts which were completely burned to the honor of God. No part of this offering remained for the use of the offerer or for the one for whom it was offered, as was the case in peace offerings or sin offerings, for the burnt offering is like something completely consumed (Lev 1:9). As to the number of the burnt offerings, he offered holocausts for each one of his sons, for each sin must be expiated by suitable satisfactions.

8. Now, the text adds the reason for the offering of the holocausts, saying, for he said, namely Job in his heart, not certain but doubtful about the sins of his sons, it may be that my sons have sinned, in word or deed, and blessed God in their hearts.

This can be understood in two ways.

In the first way, the text may be understood as a unified whole. For although to bless God is good, yet to bless God about the fact that a man has sinned means that one’s will agrees with the sin. He is blameworthy for this, as we read in Zechariah against some men, feed the flocks doomed to slaughter, which they killed who took possession, they did not grieve and sold them, saying: Blessed be the Lord, we have become rich (Zech 11:4‑5).

In another way, it may be understood divided. In this way they blessed means they cursed. For the crime of blasphemy is so horrible that pious lips dread to call it by its own proper name, and so they call it by its opposite. Holocausts are fittingly offered for the sin of blasphemy, because sins committed against God must be expiated by a mark of divine respect.

9. Now when divine worship is rare, men usually celebrate it more devoutly; but when it is frequent, it annoys them. This is the sin of acedia; namely, when someone is saddened about spiritual work. Job was not indeed subject to this sin, for the text adds, Job did this every day, maintaining an almost steadfast devotion in divine worship.