Job 26 · The Lantern

Forsothe Joob answeride, and seide, Whos helpere art thou?

whether `of the feble, and susteyneste the arm of hym, which is not strong?

To whom hast thou youe counsel? In hap to hym that hath not wisdom; and thou hast schewid ful myche prudence.

To whom hast thou given counsel? perchance to him that hath not wisdom? To 'give counsel to one that is foolish' is an office of charity, to give it to one that is wise, of ostentation; but to give it to Wisdom Itself, of wrongmindedness; and because those who we have said bear the likeness of heretics, by their mode of speech, were administering to ostentation rather than to u…

Then, as for the favor which is shown to someone because of the defect of wisdom, we should consider that this favor is twofold. On the one hand, in that one gives counsel to someone about things to be done, and he speaks to this theme saying, "To whom have you given counsel?" Someone seems to give counsel to another when he defends his cause without reason.

Ether whom woldist thou teche? whether not hym, that made brething?

Whom wouldest thou have taught? Was it not Him Who made the breathway? By the 'breathway' we live, by prudence we are wise. But it is ours first to live, and afterwards to be imbued with wisdom; because in order that we have the power to be wise, it is first brought to pass that we should have being. He, then, Who bestowed life, the same doubtless gave prudence as well.

The other way of favoring against the lack of wisdom is to instruct the ignorant man concerning what he must know, and as to this he says, "Whom do you want to teach?", for you seemed to teach God when you brought his power against me, but he who is the cause of all human science does not need to be taught, and so he says, "Was he not the one who made the spirit," who created t…

Lo! giauntis weilen vnder watris, and thei that dwellen with hem.

"Behold, giants groan under the waters." After proposing the division that he made between power and wisdom, Job puts forward his evidence. He distinguishes the deep and the underworld.

Lo, the giants groan under the waters. For it was fitting that by rebuking he should first beat down the swelling of earthly wisdom, and by instruction afterwards pass on to words replete with mysteries. Thus by 'giants,' either apostate Angels, or all proud men may without objection be understood.

Then, lest Job seem to detract from the power of God in anything, he commends it as much more all encompassing than did Baldath, enumerating the many effects of divine power. He begins from those effects which God powerfully worked in the human race in the time of the flood.

Helle is nakid bifor hym, and noon hilyng is to perdicioun.

Which God stretchith forth the north on voide thing, and hangith the erthe on nouyt.

And with regard to the earth it is again written in Job: He that hangeth the earth upon nothing; meaning, that it had nothing underneath it. And David in harmony with this, when he could discover nothing on which it was founded, says: He that hath founded the earth upon its own stability, as if he said, it hath been founded by thee upon itself, and not upon anything else.

He stretcheth out the north over the empty place. [MYSTICAL INTERPRETATION] By the title of the 'north,' in Holy Writ the devil is used to be designated, who with the thought to bind up the hearts of the nations with the iciness of insensibility, said, I will sit also upon the mount of the Covenant, in the sides of the north.

Then he lists the effects of divine providence in natural things, and he begins from the two extremes, from earth and heaven. In each of these something appears instituted from divine power which exceeds human strength. As far as what appears to the senses, heaven seems to be extended above the earth like a kind of tent; earth to be under heaven like the floor of the tent.

`Which God byndith watris in her cloudis, that tho breke not out togidere dounward.

`Whych God holdith the cheer of his seete, and spredith abrood theron his cloude.

"He constrains the elements with his purposes hidden, stretching out his cloud upon them." Heaven is often called "the throne of God" in holy Scripture. Air is placed before the face of heaven. Therefore, he says that God, by containing the air and expanding the clouds, does not allow them to release rain, if not in the measure that he knows to be convenient and useful.

He holdeth back the face of His Throne, and spreadeth His cloud upon it. [LITERAL INTERPRETATION] In the face there is wont to be shewn forth acquaintanceship.

After rain falls from the clouds, some remnants of the vapors remain behind, from which the clouds are formed. These conceal heaven from our point of view which is like the throne of God, according to the last chapter of Isaiah, "Heaven is my throne." (66:1) Expressing this he continues, "He keeps hidden the face of his throne," for he holds back as though hiding the face of he…

He hath cumpassid a terme to watris, til that liyt and derknessis be endid.

He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the light and darkness come to an end. Because very often in Holy Writ, as we said above, by the name of 'waters' peoples are denoted; the Lord compasseth the waters with bounds; because He so tempers the knowledge of mankind: that until the successions of the changing seasons pass away, it cannot perfectly attain to the knowledge…

So God has gathered the waters that were spread on earth at the beginning and has imposed a limit on them. His command has surrounded them like a circle, so that they might not exceed it. He has set a "boundary between light and darkness." This means that he has ordered the light and the darkness to occupy their given times in good harmony and not to prevail on one another.

Then he shows the effect of divine power on the waters when he says, "He has circumscribed a limit on the waters"; for the waters according to the natural order of the elements should cover every place on the earth, but that some part of the earth remains uncovered by the waters is due to divine power, which has set out a boundary for the water covering the earth.

The pilers of heuene tremblen, and dreden at his wille.

In the strengthe of hym the sees weren gaderid togidere sudeynly, and his prudence smoot the proude.

His spiryt ournede heuenes, and the crokid serpent was led out bi his hond, ledynge out as a mydwijf ledith out a child.

These words eloquently signify the perceptible serpent that must be annihilated by Christ's death. He calls Satan a fleeing and deserting serpent in order to indicate his flight from the company of the heavenly powers, and also because he hoped to escape the punishment of his crime.

His Spirit garnished the heavens. [MYSTICAL INTERPRETATION] What 'heavens,' saving those concerning whom it is written, The heavens are telling the glory of God? Which 'heavens His Spirit garnished' then, when It 'filled' them.

Therefore, the spiritual gifts for the good angels were increased as he fell, and so he says, "his spirit has adorned the heavens," that is, he has adorned the heavenly spirits with the adornment of spiritual gifts.

Lo! these thingis ben seid in partie of `hise weyes; and whanne we han herd vnnethis a litil drope of his word, who may se the thundur of his greetnesse?

Job26