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*H And it came to pass, when on a certain day the sons of God came, and stood before the Lord, and Satan came amongst them, and stood in his sight,
Ver. 1. Day. Job had been under trial for some time, perhaps a year. C.
*H That the Lord said to Satan: Whence comest thou? And he answered, and said: I have gone round about the earth, and walked through it.
Ver. 2. Through it. Seeking whom he might devour. 1 Pet. v. 8. H.
*H And the Lord said to Satan: Hast thou considered my servant, Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a man simple and upright, and fearing God, and avoiding evil, and still keeping his innocence? But thou hast moved me against him, that I should afflict him without cause.
Ver. 3. Simple. Plain-dealing, mild, and without guile. S. Greg. W. — Without cause. This may form a new sentence. H. — Thy proposal and attempts are vain. C. — Job has not deserved this treatment. S. Chrys. &c.
*H And Satan answered, and said: Skin for skin; and all that a man hath, he will give for his life:
Ver. 4. Skin: a proverbial expression, denoting that a man will part with any thing sooner than his life, (C.) or health. H. — Satan hints, that if those inestimable blessings should be endangered, (C.) Job would shew his real sentiments. H. — Skin was formerly used instead of money, at Sparta. Senec. Ben. v. 14. &c. Yet perhaps not in the time of Job.
* Summa
*S Part 3, Ques 124, Article 4
[II-II, Q. 124, Art. 4]
Whether Death Is Essential to Martyrdom?
Objection 1: It seems that death is not essential to martyrdom. For Jerome says in a sermon on the Assumption (Epist. ad Paul. et Eustoch.): "I should say rightly that the Mother of God was both virgin and martyr, although she ended her days in peace": and Gregory says (Hom. iii in Evang.): "Although persecution has ceased to offer the opportunity, yet the peace we enjoy is not without its martyrdom, since even if we no longer yield the life of the body to the sword, yet do we slay fleshly desires in the soul with the sword of the spirit." Therefore there can be martyrdom without suffering death.
Obj. 2: Further, we read of certain women as commended for despising life for the sake of safeguarding the integrity of the flesh: wherefore seemingly the integrity of chastity is preferable to the life of the body. Now sometimes the integrity of the flesh has been forfeited or has been threatened in confession of the Christian faith, as in the case of Agnes and Lucy. Therefore it seems that the name of martyr should be accorded to a woman who forfeits the integrity of the flesh for the sake of Christ's faith, rather than if she were to forfeit even the life of the body: wherefore also Lucy said: "If thou causest me to be violated against my will, my chastity will gain me a twofold crown."
Obj. 3: Further, martyrdom is an act of fortitude. But it belongs to fortitude to brave not only death but also other hardships, as Augustine declares (Music. vi). Now there are many other hardships besides death, which one may suffer for Christ's faith, namely imprisonment, exile, being stripped of one's goods, as mentioned in Heb. 10:34, for which reason we celebrate the martyrdom of Pope Saint Marcellus, notwithstanding that he died in prison. Therefore it is not essential to martyrdom that one suffer the pain of death.
Obj. 4: Further, martyrdom is a meritorious act, as stated above (A. 2, ad 1; A. 3). Now it cannot be a meritorious act after death. Therefore it is before death; and consequently death is not essential to martyrdom.
_On the contrary,_ Maximus says in a sermon on the martyrs that "in dying for the faith he conquers who would have been vanquished in living without faith."
_I answer that,_ As stated above (A. 2), a martyr is so called as being a witness to the Christian faith, which teaches us to despise things visible for the sake of things invisible, as stated in Heb. 11. Accordingly it belongs to martyrdom that a man bear witness to the faith in showing by deed that he despises all things present, in order to obtain invisible goods to come. Now so long as a man retains the life of the body he does not show by deed that he despises all things relating to the body. For men are wont to despise both their kindred and all they possess, and even to suffer bodily pain, rather than lose life. Hence Satan testified against Job (Job 2:4): "Skin for skin, and all that a man hath he will give for his soul" [Douay: 'life'] i.e. for the life of his body. Therefore the perfect notion of martyrdom requires that a man suffer death for Christ's sake.
Reply Obj. 1: The authorities quoted, and the like that one may meet with, speak of martyrdom by way of similitude.
Reply Obj. 2: When a woman forfeits the integrity of the flesh, or is condemned to forfeit it under pretext of the Christian faith, it is not evident to men whether she suffers this for love of the Christian faith, or rather through contempt of chastity. Wherefore in the sight of men her testimony is not held to be sufficient, and consequently this is not martyrdom properly speaking. In the sight of God, however, Who searcheth the heart, this may be deemed worthy of a reward, as Lucy said.
Reply Obj. 3: As stated above (Q. 123, AA. 4, 5), fortitude regards danger of death chiefly, and other dangers consequently; wherefore a person is not called a martyr merely for suffering imprisonment, or exile, or forfeiture of his wealth, except in so far as these result in death.
Reply Obj. 4: The merit of martyrdom is not after death, but in the voluntary endurance of death, namely in the fact that a person willingly suffers being put to death. It happens sometimes, however, that a man lives for some time after being mortally wounded for Christ's sake, or after suffering for the faith of Christ any other kind of hardship inflicted by persecution and continued until death ensues. The act of martyrdom is meritorious while a man is in this state, and at the very time that he is suffering these hardships. _______________________
FIFTH
*H And the Lord said to Satan: Behold, he is in thy hand, but yet save his life.
Ver. 6. Life. Afflict him with any species of illness; but do not kill him, (C.) nor inspire him directly with wicked thoughts. Grot.
*H So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with a very grievous ulcer, from the sole of the foot even to the top of his head:
Ver. 7. Ulcer; the leprosy: and even with that species which is called the venereal disease, which may be contracted without any crime. Job was afflicted with a complication of the most painful and disgraceful disorders. Pineda. C.
*H And he took a potsherd and scraped the corrupt matter, sitting on a dunghill.
Ver. 8. Potsherd. His nails were worn, and poverty had left him nothing else. — Dunghill. Heb. "ashes." H. — S. Chrysostom represents this place as visited by pilgrims, instructive and more brilliant than any throne. Hom. 5. ad Pop. Ant. — Sept. add, "upon the dung, without the city: and after a long time had elapsed, his wife also said to him, How long wilt thou wait, saying: Lo, I will still tarry a little while, expecting the hope of my salvation? For behold thy memory is perished from the land, thy sons and daughters, the pains and labours of my womb, whom I brought forth in labour and sorrow, to no purpose. But thou sittest in the open air, the night long, amid the corruption of worms, while I wander like a slave, seeking for one place and house after another, in expectation of the sun setting, that my labours may cease, and the sorrows which now surround and hold me fast. But speak thou some word to (or against) the Lord, and die." H. — This addition has been omitted in the Comp. edition, to make it like the Vulg. (C.) though it is found in all the Greek copies (Nobilius) and fathers, and also in several Latin Bibles. It seems, however, to be only a gloss of some transcriber. The devil had not destroyed this wife, as she would prove one of his most powerful auxiliaries. C.
*H And his wife said to him: Dost thou still continue in thy simplicity? bless God and die.
Ver. 9. Bless. She speaks with cruel irony. C. — Curse God, that he may take away (S. Basil) thy miserable life; or, after taking this revenge on such unjust treatment, put an end to thy own existence. Beza and Amama excuse this woman, though condemned by Job. They pretend that she only meant to insinuate, like the rest of his friends, that he must be guilty of some grievous crime, which she urges him to confess, giving glory to God, before it be too late. H.
*H And he said to her: Thou hast spoken like one of the foolish women: If we have received good things at the hand of God, why should we not receive evil? In all these things Job did not sin with his lips.
Ver. 10. Foolish. The same word often means impious, (C. i. 22.) and ignorant, (H.) or "delirous." Aquila. Ps. xiii. 1. — Lips. The Jews assert, without reason, that he was guilty in his heart. C.
*H And when they had lifted up their eyes afar off, they knew him not, and crying out, they wept, and rending their garments, they sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
Ver. 12. Heaven. This denoted mourning or indignation. Jos. vii. 6. Acts xxii. 23.
*H And they sat with him on the ground seven day and seven nights and no man spoke to him a word: for they saw that his grief was very great.
Ver. 13. Seven days, &c. They sat with him for a good part of the day, and of the night, during seven days: and spoke nothing all that time that could give him any uneasiness. Ch. M. Olympiad. — They mourned for him as if he had been dead. Their mutual grief was too great for utterance. But the text seems to intimate that they remained with Job, all this time. Scultet. C. — Their design in coming was really to afford him consolation; but being under a mistake, respecting the conduct of Providence towards mankind, (C.) they erred involuntarily, (T.) and by attempting to prove their assertions, as if none but criminals could be so grievously afflicted, they eventually insulted the holy man. Tob. ii. 15. — They argued on the principle, "that under a just God no one is miserable, unless he have deserved it;" not reflecting that God sometimes puts his best servants to the trial, that their merit and glory may increase. Notwithstanding their piety and learning, they became therefore the devil's most powerful agents unawares: (C.) and though they were not properly heretics, as they acquiesced when better informed, they were a figure of them, by drawing from many undeniable truths false inferences, and by a parade of learning, and of new things. S. Greg. Mor. iii. 24. and v. 18. — They also judged rashly of Job's secret behaviour. W.