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To: kosta50; Mad Dawg; Forest Keeper

Job is an interesting subject; one which has caused more than its share of trouble throughout the past 2 millenia, though to be honest, I think the problems have been more among the Westerners than among the Easterners. If one takes the OT completely literally, it can lead to problems. My experience is that Orthodoxy, as a general matter, looks at the OT as the story of the preparation of God’s people for the coming of Christ and to establish our place as human in Creation. In other words, its not about whether bats are birds. +Athanasius the Great gives us an example of what I am talking about in his “Life of Antony” (meaning +Anthony the Great) where speaking about Job at section 29 he says,

“’But if any one having in mind the history of Job should say, Why then hath the devil gone forth and accomplished all things against him; and stripped him of all his possessions, and slew his children, and smote him with evil ulcers? let such a one, on the other hand, recognise that the devil was not the strong man, but God who delivered Job to him to be tried. Certainly he had no power to do anything, but he asked, and having received it, he hath wrought what he did. So also from this the enemy is the more to be condemned, for although willing he could not prevail against one just man. For if he could have, he would not have asked permission. But having asked not once but also a second time, he shows his weakness and want of power. And it is no wonder if he could do nothing against Job, when destruction would not have come even on his cattle had not God allowed it. And he has not the power over swine, for as it is written in the Gospel, they besought the Lord, saying, “Let us enter the swine .” But if they had power not even against swine, much less have they any over men formed in the image of God.
30. ‘So then we ought to fear God only, and despise the demons, and be in no fear of them. But the more they do these things the more let us intensify our discipline against them, for a good life and faith in God is a great weapon. At any rate they fear the fasting, the sleeplessness, the prayers, the meekness, the quietness, the contempt of money and vainglory, the humility, the love of the poor, the alms, the freedom from anger of the ascetics, and, chief of all, their piety towards Christ. Wherefore they do all things that they may not have any that trample on them, knowing the grace given to the faithful against them by the Saviour, when He says, “Behold I have given to you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy .”’

See what I mean? Remember guys, Christianity arose in the East and spread to the West and sometimes thinking about the Faith in a Western way can lead one into dangerous, blind alleys. Orthodox Christians know Who Christ is and Who the Father and the Spirit are. None are the celestial game player of the OT but the stories teach us all sorts of valuable lessons about Who Christ is, what our position in Creation is, indeed what Creation itself is in its fallen state and what our created purpose is.


4,875 posted on 04/10/2008 3:39:59 PM PDT by Kolokotronis (Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated)
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To: Kolokotronis; Mad Dawg; Forest Keeper

Thank you Kolo for sharing the patristic writing of +Athanasius the Great on the Book of Job. However, it still doesn;t explain why was Job, blameless in God’s eyes like no other man on earth, subjected to such cruelty.


4,879 posted on 04/10/2008 8:50:38 PM PDT by kosta50 (Eastern Orthodox is pure Christianity)
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