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Ἰώβ

Job

Translated by Christopher Babcock9 Dec 2002Vetting: high16 revisions

10 notes · 698 words
The really great and note-worthy struggler for truth, the first one who opened that universal gymnastic stadium, the man who overthrew the adversary in every round, the man who received the blows and bruises even down to the bone and remained unconquered. The one full of worms and crowned; the man whom not even death was strong enough to lay low and cover with dust, but who continued to stand like some statue immutable or (as one might say) untiring [and] unmalleable, throughout his life throwing down and dashing the adversary to pieces. This man was the first to trample down the Devil; this man took trophies of victory from the evil one, not by competing in the Nemean [Games] and the Olympian [Games] and the Isthmian [Games] and the Pythian [Games] and whatever [games] the Greek stories brag about, but competing so as to defend his children and property and cattle and servants and all the things having to do with life, the strong-souled man who looked upon the same houses which had become tombs of the corpses and common graves of his own children, whom the all-abominable one in one day and hour spread out in heaps as they were being fed well and dining together at the table, when [the all-abominable one] had shaken their house down on them,1 not two or three or four but ten,2 laying low all of them, both men and women. And even with these things the rage and malice of the adversary was not satisfied, until, having called forth the naked athlete himself to the dung-heap, he made him spotted all over with wounds3 and full of worms, making him a sight horrible and strange to everything under the sun, biting with his teeth and licking with his tongue the whole body of the blessed man for seven years: until the all-abominable one drew defeat upon himself and inherited a shameful end. You know the rest of the story and the prizes of this lover of wisdom. And you also have this man’s book, singing much more sweetly than the books of Homer and Plato the nightingale; not just narrating tales and sketches of others' sufferings -- either Achilles the Bold or the ever-crafty Odysseus, whose wounds became trophies and whose seductions of women became successes -- but narrating Satan smitten by some naked man, unarmed and alone, and the sympathizing of his friends with rhetoric and tears4 and natural histories of the whole of creation and the natures of living things, and birds, and other glorious narration. And narrating Satan himself in the likeness of a dragon5 -- crooked and twisted, with eyes bright as if dripping fire, and also the shared descent into Hades and the subterranean places of the dead, and again the redeeming of his righteous crown and children and entire property, taking many times more, and doubling his life-span.6 And with the names of his daughters being extraordinary -- not Leda or Europa or Antiope, whom Zeus highest of the gods deflowered, but taking the names of Day, Kasia,7 and Amalthea8, and being deemed more distinguished than all the women under the heavens.9 And, the greatest thing [that the daughters got was] the good lineage of Job, the prize-winner and crown-wearer, just as if [the daughters had] obtained by chance a token or a randomly selected lot. For this man alone, well-born of the people from the East, the illustrious and thrice-longed-for, this man earned, out of his own prizes, the best and most extreme: being resurrected together with Christ and beholding again this world with his body -- not like the fable of Herakles and Alkestis (wife of Admetus) whom, when she had died for her husband, the valiant fighter10 and man begotten over three nights raised up but then [he, Herakles] perished accidentally in the end by fire and by a woman -- but, by the ineffable power of our Savior, who disarmed Hades and carried off the dead from the subterranean parts, who took his seat at the right side of the Father with [the body] which he had assumed previously. And he rules over all the invisible and visible creation.

Greek original · Adler’s text

Ἰώβ, ὁ μέγας ὄντως ἐκεῖνος καὶ γενναῖος τῆς ἀληθείας ἀγωνιστής, ὁ πρῶτος ἀνοίξας τὸ γυμνικὸν ἐκεῖνο καὶ παγκόσμιον στάδιον, ὁ τὸν ἀντίπαλον πάσαις ταῖς πάλαις καταβαλών, ὁ μέχρι καὶ τῶν ὀστέων τὰς πληγὰς καὶ τοὺς μώλωπας εἰσδεξάμενος καὶ μείνας ἀήττητος, ὁ σκωλήκων πλήρης καὶ στεφανίτης· ὃν οὐδὲ θάνατος ἴσχυσε καταστρῶσαι καὶ κονίσαι τὰ ὄπισθεν, ἀλλ' ἔτι ἕστηκεν ὥσπερ τις ἀνδριὰς ἀπερίτρεπτος ἢ καὶ ἄκμων ἀνήλατος, δι' ὅλου τοῦ βίου καταπαλαίων καὶ καταράσσων τὸν ἀντικείμενον. οὗτος πρῶτος κατεπάτησε τὸν Διάβολον· οὗτος ἤρατο κατὰ τοῦ πονηροῦ νίκης τρόπαια, οὐ Νέμεα καὶ Ὀλύμπια Ἴσθμιά τε καὶ Πύθια καὶ ὅσα Ἑλληνικοὶ διακομπάζουσι λόγοι ἀγωνιζόμενος, ἀλλὰ πρὸ παίδων καὶ κτήσεως καὶ βοσκημάτων καὶ θεραπείας καὶ πάσης τοῦ βίου διαγωγῆς καὶ πτωμάτων οἰκίας τάφους τὰς αὐτὰς καὶ πολυάνδρια τῶν ἑαυτοῦ παίδων γεγενημένας ὁ καρτερόψυχος θεασάμενος, οὓς ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ὥρᾳ ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης εὐωχουμένους καὶ συνεσθίοντας κατέστρωσε σωρηδὸν ὁ παμμίαρος, ἐπισείσας αὐτοῖς τὸ δωμάτιον, οὐ δύο καὶ τρεῖς ἢ τέτταρας, ἀλλὰ δέκα τοὺς πάντας καὶ πάσας καταβαλών. καὶ οὐδὲ μέχρι τούτων ἡ λύσσα καὶ βασκανία ἠρκέσθη τοῦ ἀντιπάλου, ἕως αὐτὸν τὸν ἀθλητὴν γυμνὸν ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας ἐκκαλεσάμενος καὶ κατάστικτον ὅλον τοῖς ἕλκεσι καὶ πλήρη σκωλήκων ἀπεργασάμενος, θέαμα φρικτόν τε καὶ ξένον ὅλῃ τῇ ὑφ' ἡλίῳ κατέστησεν, ἔτεσιν ἑπτὰ τοῖς ὀδοῦσι δαρδάπτων καὶ τῇ γλώσσῃ λικμώμενος ὅλον τὸ σῶμα τοῦ μάκαρος· μέχρις ὅτου τὴν ἧτταν ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν ὁ παμμίαρος ἐπεσπάσατο καὶ τὴν αἰσχύνην τέλεον ἐκληρώσατο. ἔχεις τὸ λοιπὸν καὶ τούτου τοῦ φιλοσόφου τὰ ἔπαθλα. ἔχεις καὶ τούτου τὴν βίβλον πολὺ τῆς Ὁμήρου καὶ Πλάτωνος ἀηδόνος λιγυρώτερον ᾄδουσαν, οὐ μύθων καὶ παθῶν ἀλλοτρίων ὑφηγήσεις διαγορεύουσαν, ἢ τὸν θρασύτατον Ἀχιλλέα ἢ τὸν Ὀδυσσέα τὸν πολυμήχανον, ὧν αἱ σφαγαὶ τυγχάνουσι τρόπαια καὶ γυναικῶν φθοραὶ κατορθώματα, ἀλλὰ τὸν Σατανᾶν ὑπὸ γυμνοῦ τινος καὶ ἀόπλου καὶ μόνου καταρασσόμενον, καὶ φίλων συμπαθῶν δημηγορίας καὶ δάκρυα καὶ φυσιολογίαν ὅλης τῆς κτίσεως καὶ ζῴων καὶ ὀρνέων φύσεις καὶ λαμπρά τινα διηγήματα, καὶ αὐτοῦ δὲ τοῦ δράκοντος τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ σκολιοῦ καὶ πολλὰς ἔχοντος τὰς ἑλίξεις καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὡς πῦρ ἀποστίλβοντας· καὶ τὴν εἰς ᾅδου καὶ τῶν καταχθονίων τοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ συγκατάβασιν καὶ τὴν ἐξ ᾅδου καὶ τῶν νεκρῶν ἀναβίωσιν καὶ πάλιν τὸν δίκαιον στεφανίτην ἀναγορεύουσαν καὶ παῖδας καὶ κτῆσιν ὅλην πολυπλασίως λαμβάνοντα καὶ χρόνον ζωῆς διπλασιαζόμενον καὶ θυγατέρων ὀνόματα ἐξαλλάσσοντα, οὐ Λήδης ἢ τῆς Εὐρώπης καὶ Ἀντιόπης, ἃς ὁ τῶν θεῶν ὕπατος Ζεὺς διεκόρησεν, ἀλλ' Ἡμέρας τε καὶ Κασίας καὶ Ἀμαλθείας προσωνυμίας λαμβάνουσαι καὶ τὸ κριθῆναι πασῶν γυναικῶν τῶν ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐκπρεπέστεραι, καὶ τὸ δὴ μέγιστον τοῦ νικηφόρου καὶ στεφανίτου Ἰὼβ τὴν εὐγένειαν ὥσπερ τι γνώρισμα καὶ κλῆρον λαχούσας ἐξαίρετον. μόνος γὰρ οὗτος εὐγενὴς τῶν ἀφ' ἡλίου ἀνατολῶν, ὁ κλεινὸς καὶ τριπόθητος, ὁ τοῦτο κερδάνας τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ἄθλων τὸ τελευταῖον καὶ ἔσχατον, τὸ μετὰ Χριστοῦ συναναστῆναι καὶ τὸν τῇδε κόσμον θεάσασθαι πάλιν μετὰ τοῦ σώματος, οὐ κατὰ τὸν Ἡρακλέους μῦθον καὶ τὴν Ἀδμήτου Ἄλκηστιν, ἣν ὁ καλλίνικός τε καὶ τριέσπερος ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τελευτήσασαν ἤγειρε, κἂν ἔσχατον πυρός τε καὶ γυναικὸς γέγονε παρανάλωμα, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν ἄρρητον τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν δύναμιν, τοῦ τὸν ᾅδην σκυλεύσαντος καὶ τοὺς νεκροὺς ἐκ τῶν καταχθονίων ἁρπάσαντος, ὃς ἐκάθισεν ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ γεννήτορος μετὰ τοῦ προσλήμματος καὶ βασιλεύει πάσης ἀοράτου τε καὶ ὁρατῆς κτίσεως.

Betacode
*)iw/b, o( me/gas o)/ntws e)kei=nos kai\ gennai=os th=s a)lhqei/as a)gwnisth/s, o( prw=tos a)noi/cas to\ gumniko\n e)kei=no kai\ pagko/smion sta/dion, o( to\n a)nti/palon pa/sais tai=s pa/lais katabalw/n, o( me/xri kai\ tw=n  o)ste/wn ta\s plhga\s kai\ tou\s mw/lwpas ei)sdeca/menos kai\ mei/nas a)h/tthtos, o( skwlh/kwn plh/rhs kai\ stefani/ths: o(\n ou)de\ qa/natos i)/sxuse katastrw=sai kai\ koni/sai ta\ o)/pisqen, a)ll' e)/ti e(/sthken w(/sper tis a)ndria\s a)peri/treptos h)\ kai\ a)/kmwn a)nh/latos, di' o(/lou tou= bi/ou katapalai/wn kai\ katara/sswn to\n a)ntikei/menon. ou(=tos prw=tos katepa/thse to\n *dia/bolon: ou(=tos h)/rato kata\ tou= ponhrou= ni/khs tro/paia, ou) *ne/mea kai\ *)olu/mpia *)/isqmia/ te kai\ *pu/qia kai\ o(/sa *(ellhnikoi\ diakompa/zousi lo/goi a)gwnizo/menos, a)lla\ pro\ pai/dwn kai\ kth/sews kai\ boskhma/twn kai\ qerapei/as kai\ pa/shs tou= bi/ou diagwgh=s kai\ ptwma/twn oi)ki/as ta/fous ta\s au)ta\s kai\ polua/ndria tw=n e(autou= pai/dwn gegenhme/nas o( kartero/yuxos qeasa/menos, ou(\s e)n mia=| h(me/ra| kai\ w(/ra| e)pi\ th=s trape/zhs eu)wxoume/nous kai\ sunesqi/ontas kate/strwse swrhdo\n o( pammi/aros, e)pisei/sas au)toi=s to\ dwma/tion, ou) du/o kai\ trei=s h)\ te/ttaras, a)lla\ de/ka tou\s pa/ntas kai\ pa/sas katabalw/n. kai\ ou)de\ me/xri tou/twn h( lu/ssa kai\ baskani/a h)rke/sqh tou= a)ntipa/lou, e(/ws au)to\n to\n a)qlhth\n gumno\n e)pi\ th=s kopri/as e)kkalesa/menos kai\ kata/stikton o(/lon toi=s e(/lkesi kai\ plh/rh skwlh/kwn a)pergasa/menos, qe/ama frikto/n te kai\ ce/non o(/lh| th=| u(f' h(li/w| kate/sthsen, e)/tesin e(pta\ toi=s o)dou=si darda/ptwn kai\ th=| glw/ssh| likmw/menos o(/lon to\ sw=ma tou= ma/karos: me/xris o(/tou th\n h(=ttan e)f' e(auto\n o( pammi/aros e)pespa/sato kai\ th\n ai)sxu/nhn te/leon e)klhrw/sato. e)/xeis to\ loipo\n kai\ tou/tou tou= filoso/fou ta\ e)/paqla. e)/xeis kai\ tou/tou th\n bi/blon polu\ th=s *(omh/rou kai\ *pla/twnos a)hdo/nos ligurw/teron a)/|dousan, ou) mu/qwn kai\ paqw=n a)llotri/wn u(fhgh/seis diagoreu/ousan, h)\ to\n qrasu/taton *)axille/a h)\ to\n *)odusse/a to\n polumh/xanon, w(=n ai( sfagai\ tugxa/nousi tro/paia kai\ gunaikw=n fqorai\ katorqw/mata, a)lla\ to\n *satana=n u(po\ gumnou= tinos kai\ a)o/plou kai\ mo/nou katarasso/menon, kai\ fi/lwn sumpaqw=n dhmhgori/as kai\ da/krua kai\ fusiologi/an o(/lhs th=s kti/sews kai\ zw/|wn kai\ o)rne/wn fu/seis kai\ lampra/ tina dihgh/mata, kai\ au)tou= de\ tou= dra/kontos th\n ei)ko/na tou= skoliou= kai\ polla\s e)/xontos ta\s e(li/ceis kai\ tou\s o)fqalmou\s w(s pu=r a)posti/lbontas: kai\ th\n ei)s a(/|dou kai\ tw=n kataxqoni/wn tou= monogenou=s ui(ou= tou= qeou= sugkata/basin kai\ th\n e)c a(/|dou kai\ tw=n nekrw=n a)nabi/wsin kai\ pa/lin to\n di/kaion stefani/thn a)nagoreu/ousan kai\ pai=das kai\ kth=sin o(/lhn poluplasi/ws lamba/nonta kai\ xro/non zwh=s diplasiazo/menon kai\ qugate/rwn o)no/mata e)calla/ssonta, ou) *lh/dhs h)\ th=s *eu)rw/phs kai\ *)antio/phs, a(\s o( tw=n qew=n u(/patos *zeu\s dieko/rhsen, a)ll' *(hme/ras te kai\ *kasi/as kai\ *)amalqei/as proswnumi/as lamba/nousai kai\ to\ kriqh=nai pasw=n gunaikw=n tw=n u(po\ to\n ou)rano\n e)kprepe/sterai, kai\ to\ dh\ me/giston tou= nikhfo/rou kai\  stefani/tou *)iw\b th\n eu)ge/neian w(/sper ti gnw/risma kai\ klh=ron laxou/sas e)cai/reton. mo/nos ga\r ou(=tos eu)genh\s tw=n a)f' h(li/ou a)natolw=n, o( kleino\s kai\ tripo/qhtos, o( tou=to kerda/nas tw=n e(autou= a)/qlwn to\ teleutai=on kai\ e)/sxaton, to\ meta\ *xristou= sunanasth=nai kai\ to\n th=|de ko/smon qea/sasqai pa/lin meta\ tou= sw/matos, ou) kata\ to\n *(hrakle/ous mu=qon kai\ th\n *)admh/tou *)/alkhstin, h(\n o( kalli/niko/s te kai\ trie/speros u(pe\r tou= a)ndro\s teleuth/sasan h)/geire, ka)\n e)/sxaton puro/s te kai\ gunaiko\s ge/gone parana/lwma, a)lla\ kata\ th\n a)/rrhton tou= swth=ros h(mw=n du/namin, tou= to\n a(/|dhn skuleu/santos kai\ tou\s nekrou\s e)k tw=n kataxqoni/wn a(rpa/santos, o(\s e)ka/qisen e)k deciw=n tou= gennh/toros meta\ tou= proslh/mmatos kai\ basileu/ei pa/shs a)ora/tou te kai\ o(rath=s kti/sews.

Notes (10)

  1. Attributed in Kuster's edition (Paris 1700) to the same source as alpha 425.
  2. 1Job 1:19. ↩
  3. 2Job 42:13. ↩
  4. 3Job 2:7. ↩
  5. 4Job 2:12. ↩
  6. 5Job 41:1. ↩
  7. 6Job 44:10. ↩
  8. 7cf. kappa 451. ↩
  9. 8Job 42:14. ↩
  10. 9Job 42:15. ↩
  11. 10cf. kappa 233. ↩

References


M. Poliakoff, "Jacob, Job and Other Wrestlers," Journal of Sport History 11.2 (1984) 48-65

Linked from4 entries

Neighbouring entries

ι469ἸωάννηςIoannes, Joannes, Johnι470ἸώανοςIoanos, Ioasos, Jehoash, Joashι471ἸώβJobι472ἸωβηλαῖοςJubileeι473Ἰωγήshelter
Revision history16 revisions · last 10 May 2020
  1. more tweaks — Catharine Roth
  2. more tweaks — Catharine Roth
  3. more tweaks — Catharine Roth
  4. typos found by Ron Allen — Catharine Roth
  5. more tweaks — Catharine Roth
  6. another tweak — Catharine Roth
  7. more tweaks — Catharine Roth
  8. tweaked translation — Catharine Roth
  9. coding, deleted link — Catharine Roth
  10. cosmeticule — Catharine Roth
  11. tweaked tr; more keywords; cosmetics; raised status — David Whitehead
  12. another keyword — David Whitehead
  13. added note; cosmetics — David Whitehead
  14. modified translation — Catharine Roth
  15. Added bibliographical reference. — Gregory Hays
  16. added x-refs; cosmetics — David Whitehead
  17. Translated — Christopher Babcock

Cite this entry

“Job.” Suda On Line. Tr. Christopher Babcock. 9 December 2002. <https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-entries/iota/471>. Read at ReadSuda: <https://readsuda.org/iota/471>.

Translation by Christopher Babcock for Suda On Line, revised by Catharine Roth, David Whitehead, Gregory Hays, licensed CC BY-NC-SA 1.0. Shown unchanged, under the same licence, non-commercially. Licence & terms

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