Chapter I.
Many, even wise, are moved when they see the unjust prospering here and the just being afflicted, which is the subject matter of the following books: that for the same reason Job's ignorant friends argued that he was afflicted with punishments because of the crimes he had committed.
1. Our discussion was about the intercession of the saints, and how fragile and weak the human condition is, which has no stability anywhere except in divine protection: today we must take this into consideration, as it greatly affects the common people, and even the wise are often troubled; when they see the unjust prospering, and the just frequently afflicted in this world. Truly, this is a slippery place, where even the saints could hardly maintain a firm belief. And indeed, David himself, who had said in the past: You have revealed to me the hidden wisdom (Psalm 50:8). However, he later affirmed himself and searched for the path of perfect reason. Even holy Job, along with his three old friends who came to console him, struggled in speech with this opinion (Job chapters 4 and following). Therefore, let us bring forth the arguments of both. They are deserving of teaching us how to live, for they have deserved to please God more by being placed in adversity. Let us listen, therefore, to both in their proper order.
2. The holy Job had been strongly rebuked by Eliphaz the king of the Themanites, and by Baldad the tyrant of the Sabeans, and by Sophar the king of the Minaeans, because he endured such great punishment only because of his sins. For, with their weak understanding, they did not realize that the Lord had allowed him to be tested, so that as a champion of Christ, he could become more glorious and reach the crown through trials. Therefore, they did not see the great mystery of wisdom; with the fear of narrow-mindedness, lest they appear to accuse God of injustice by afflicting the innocent with punishment, they turned Job's meritorious suffering into punishment; saying that the entire life of the wicked is lived in hardship (Job 15:20), and that unjustly gathered riches are vomited out (Job 20:15); all the heavy things that a man suffers on earth, he suffers because of his own sins: even if he is prosperous, his prosperity cannot last, but quickly vanishes like a dream, and his place is not found; however, the joy of the wicked leads to a more severe downfall (Ibid. 5); and so, even the holy Job, having been changed from prosperity to adversity, fell from the highest to the lowest because of his sins: he was accused by those who claimed to be innocent; for the fate of the wicked is such that when the Lord's wrath comes upon them, it joins in causing them pain and the destruction of their home (Ibid. 28 and 29).