CC 20220801
Ælfric on the Book of Job - Old English Aerobics\nÆlfric's homily on the Book of Job is the first treatment in English of an Old Testament book whose compelling narrative and intensely lyrical meditation on the meanings of misfortune have influenced western authors as diverse as Geoffrey Chaucer, Franz Kafka and Toni Morrison. The early Middle Ages, informed by Gregory the Great's massive commentary, Moralia in Iob, understood Job as a prefigurement of Christ. Ælfric considers this figurative interpretation too difficult for the lay audience of this homily. Further, he worries here, as in some of his other writings, that laymen may pick up erroneous notions from an Old Testament text such as this, since we are not now permitted to practice some of the customs depicted, such as animal sacrifice. However, Ælfric, like many other authors, finds in Job an irresistible moral exemplar: in patiently bearing his afflictions without losing his faith, he teaches us to bear patiently the adversities that God sends upon us. Ælfric seems also to recognize in the Book of Job an opportunity to exercise his own considerable ability as a storyteller: whereas the original is a "wisdom book" in which the narrative component is subordinated to the long and meditative conversation between Job and his friends, Æfric's version has it the other way around. The meditative element has been radically abbreviated and now appears not so much as an exploration of the problem of evil, but rather as a justification of Job as an ideal servant of God.\nThis text belongs to a lengthy work called the Catholic Homilies, which presents two series of forty homilies each, most of them intended to be read on particular dates in the liturgical calendar. The homily on Job is the thirtieth in the second series, intended for the first Sunday in September. For a scholarly edition of the Catholic Homilies, with commentary and glossary, see Godden and Clemoes (1979-2000).\nDOMINICA .I. IN MENSE SEPTEMBRI. QUANDO LEGITUR IOB.\n Mīne ġebrōðra, wē rǣdað nū æt Godes ðēnungum be ðān ēadigan were Iob.  Nū wille wē ēow hwæt lȳtles be him ġereċċan, for ðan þe sēo dēopnys ðǣre race oferstīhð ūre andġit and ēac swīðor þǣra unġelǣredra.  Man sceal lǣwedum mannum secgan be heora andġites mǣðe, swā þæt hī ne bēon ðurh ðā dēopnysse ǣmōde ne ðurh ðā langsumnysse ġeǣðrytte.\n Sum wer wæs ġeseten on þām lande þe is ġehāten Hus; his nama wæs Iob.  Se wer wæs swīðe bilewite and rihtwīs and ondrǣdende God and forbūgende yfel.  Him wǣron ācennede seofan suna and ðrēo dohtra.  Hē hæfde seofon ðūsend scēapa and ðrēo ðūsend olfenda, fīf hund ġetȳmu oxena and fīf hund assan and ormǣte miċelne hīred.  Se wer wæs swīðe mǣre betwux eallum ēasternum, and his suna fērdon and ðēnode ǣlċ ōðrum mid his gōdum on ymbhwyrfte æt his hūse, and þǣrtō heora swustru ġelaðodon.  Iob sōðlīċe ārās on ðām eahteoðan dæġe on ǣrnemeriġen and offrode Gode seofonfealde lāc for his seofon sunum, ðȳ lǣs ðe hī wið God on heora ġeðance āgylton.  Ðus dyde Iob eallum dagum for his sunum, and hī swā ġehālgode.\n Hit ġelamp on sumum dæġe, ðā ðā Godes enġlas cōmon and on his ġesihðe stōdon, ðā wæs ēac swylċe se scucca him betwux.  Tō ðām cwæð Drihten, "Hwanon cōme ðū?"  Se sceocca andwyrde, "Iċ fērde ġeond þās eorðan and hī beēode."  Drihten cwæð, "Ne behēolde ðū, lā, mīnne ðēowan Iob, þæt nān man nis his ġelīca on eorðan, bilewite man and rihtwīs, ondrǣdende God and yfel forbūgende?"\n Swā stōd se dēofol on Godes ġesihðe swā swā dēð se blinda on sunnan.  Sēo sunne ymbscīnð þone blindan, and se blinda ne ġesihð þǣre sunnan lēoman.  God ġeseah ðone dēofol, and se dēofol swā ðēah wæs bedǣled Godes ġesihðe and his wuldres.  Eorðe is ġecweden Godes fōtsceamel, and sēo heofen is his ðrymsetl.  Nū stōd se sceocca swilċe æt Godes fōtsceamele upon ðǣre eorðan ðā ðā se ælmihtiga hine axode hwanon hē cōme.  Hē cwæð þæt hē fērde ġeond þās eorðan for ðan ðe hē færð swā swā Pētrus se apostol cwæð: "Bēoð sȳfre and wacole, for ðan ðe se dēofol ēower wiðerwinna færð onbūtan swā swā grymetende lēo, sēċende hwæne hē ābīte. Wiðstandað þām, strange on ġelēafan."\n Miċele wǣron þises mannes ġeearnunga þā se ælmihtiga be him cwæð þæt his ġelīca nǣre on eorðan.  Ġē magon ġehȳran sume his ðēawas, swā swā hē be him sylfum āwrāt.  Iob cwæð, "Iċ ālȳsde hrȳmende þearfan, and ðām stēopbearne þe būton fultume wæs iċ ġehēolp, and wydewan heortan iċ ġefrēfrode.  Iċ wæs ymbscrȳd mid rihtwīsnysse.  Iċ wæs blindum men ēage and healtum fōt and þearfena fæder.  Of flȳsum mīnra scēapa wǣron ġehlȳwde ðearfena sīdan, and iċ ðearfum ne forwyrnde þæs ðe hī ġyrndon, ne iċ ne ǣt āna mīnne hlāf būton stēopbearne, ne iċ ne blissode on mīnum meniġfealdum welum.  Ne fæġnode iċ on mīnes fēondes hryre, ne læġ ælðēodiġ man wiðūtan mīnum heġum, ac mīn duru ġeopenode symle weġfērendum.  Ne behȳdde iċ mīne synna, ne iċ on mīnum bōsme ne bedīġlode mīne unrihtwīsnysse."  Ne sǣde Iob ðis for ġylpe, ac for ðan ðe hē wæs eallum mannum tō bysne ġeset.\n Þus mǣrne man wolde se mānfulla dēofol þurh ðām micclum costnungum ðe hē him tō dyde fram Gode ġewēman, and cwæð tō Drihtne,  "Ne ondrǣt Iob on īdel God: þū ymbtrymedest hine and ealle his ǣhta, and his handġeweorc þū bletsodest, and his ǣhta wēoxon on eorðan.  Ac āstreċe hwōn ðīne hand and ġetill ealle ðā ðing þe hē āh, and hē ðē on ansȳne wyriġð."\n Drihten cwæð tō ðām sceoccan, "Efne nū ealle ðā ðing þe hē āh sindon on ðīnre handa būton ðām ānum, þæt ðū on him sylfum ðīne hand ne āstreċċe."  Ne derode Iobe nāht þæs dēofles costnung, ac fremode, for ðan ðe hē wæs fulfremedra on ġeðincðum and Gode nēar æfter þæs sceoccan ēhtnysse.\n Se dēofol ġewende ðā fram Godes ġesihðe and ācwealde ealle his ǣhta ānes dæġes.  Sum ǣrendraca cōm tō Iobe and cwæð, "Þīne syll ēodon and ðā assan wið hī lǣswodon; þā fǣrlīċe cōmon Sabei, and hī ealle ūs benāmon and ðīne yrðlingas ofslōgon, and iċ āna ætbærst þæt iċ ðē þis cȳdde."  Mid þām ðe se yrðling þis sǣde, ðā cōm sum ōðer and cwæð, "Fȳr cōm fǣrlīċe of heofenum and forbærnde ealle ðīne scēp and ðā hyrdas samod, and iċ āna ætwand þæt iċ ðē ðis cȳdde."  Þā cōm se ðridda ǣrendraca and cwæð, "Ðā Chaldeiscan cōmon on ðrim floccum and ūre olfendas ealle ġelæhton, and ðā hyrdas mid swurde ofslōgon. Iċ āna ætflēah þæt iċ ðē þis cȳdde."  Efne ðā ġȳt cōm se fēorða ǣrendraca inn and cwæð, "Ðīne suna and ðīne dohtra ǣton and druncon mid heora yldestan brēðer, and efne þā fǣrlīċe swēġde swīðliċ wind of ðām wēstene and tōslōh þæt hūs æt ðām fēower hwemmum þæt hit hrēosende ðīne bearn ofðrihte and ācwealde. Iċ āna ætbærst þæt iċ ðē þis cȳdde."\n Hwæt ðā Iob ārās and tōtær his tunecan and his loccas forċearf and fēol tō eorðan and cwæð,  "Nacod iċ cōm of mīnre mōdor innoðe, and nacod iċ sceal heonan ġewendan.  Drihten mē forġeaf ðā ǣhta, and Drihten hī mē eft benam; swā swā him ġelīcode swā hit is ġedōn. Bēo his nama ġebletsod."\n On eallum ðisum ðingum ne syngode Iob on his welerum ne nān ðing dysliċes onġēan God ne spræc.  Eal ðis dyde se ealda dēofol tō gremienne þone gōdan man, and symle hē lǣfde ǣnne cucenne him tō cȳðenne his ǣhta lyre, þæt his mōd wurde fram Gode āwend ðā ðā hē ðā unġelimp ġeaxod hæfde.  Þæt fȳr cōm ufan ðe þā scēp forbǣrnde, ac hit ne cōm nā of heofenum, þēah ðe hit swā ġehīwod wǣre, for ðan ðe se dēofol næs on heofenum nǣfre siððan hē ðanon þurh mōdiġnysse āfēol mid his ġefērum.  Eall swā dēð Antecrist ðonne hē cymð: hē āsent fȳr ufan swilċe of heofenum tō bepǣċenne þæt earme mancynn ðe hē on bið.  Ac wite ġehwā þæt se ne mæġ nān fȳr of heofenum āsendan se ðe on heofenum sylf cuman ne mōt.\n On eallum ðisum ðingum ne syngode Iob on his welerum.  On twā wīsan men syngiað on heora welerum, þæt is ġif hī unriht sprecað oþþe riht forsuwiað; ac Iob ne syngode on his welerum, for ðan ðe hē dyslīċe onġēan God ne spræc, ne ēac Godes herunge ne forsuwade.  Hē cȳdde þæt hē būton ġytsunge swā miċele ǣhta hæfde ðā ðā hē hī swā ēaðelīċe būton unrōtnysse forlēt.\n Eft siððan on sumum dæġe, þā þā Godes enġlas stōdon on his ġesihðe, þā wæs ēac se scucca him betwȳnan, and Drihten him cwæð tō,  "Hwæt lā, ne behēolde ðū mīnne ðēowan Iob, þæt his ġelīca nis on eorðan, and ġȳt hē hylt his unscæððiġnysse.  Þū āstyredest mē tōġēanes him þæt iċ ðearflēas hine ġeswenċte."\n Se scucca andwyrde, "Fel sceal for felle, and swā hwæt swā man hæfð hē sylð for his līfe.  Āstreċe nū ðīne hand and hrepa his bān and his flǣsc; ðonne ġesīhst ðū þæt hē ðē on ansȳne wiriġð."\n Drihten cwæð tō ðān scuccan, "Efne hē is nū on ðīnre handa; swā ðēah hwæðere heald his sāwle."  Ne ġeðafode God þis tō forwyrde þām ēadigan were, ac þæt hē wǣre tō bysne eallum ġelēaffullum mannum and wurde swīðor ġemǣrsod þurh his miċċle ġeðyld and earfoðnyssum.\n Ðā ġewende se dēofol of Drihtnes ġesihðe and slōh Iob mid þǣre wyrstan wunde fram his hnolle ufewerdum oð his ilas neoðewerde.  Iob sæt ðā sarlīċe eal on ānre wunde upon his mixene and āscræp ðone wyrms of his līċe mid ānum crocscearde.  His wīf him cwæð tō, "Ġȳt ðū þurhwunast on ðīnre bilewitnysse. Wyriġ God and swelt."\n Iob hire andwyrde, "Þū sprǣce swā swā ān stunt wīf.  Ġif wē gōd underfēngon of Godes handa, hwī ne sceole wē ēac yfel underfōn?"  On eallum ðisum ðingum ne syngode Iob on his welerum.  Se swicola dēofol ġenam þæt wīf him tō ġefylstan þæt hē ðone hālgan wer ðurh hī beswice swā swā hē ǣr Adam þurh Euan beswāc, ac se ylca God ðe ġeðafode þæt hē swā ġecostnod wǣre hēold hine wið þæs dēofles syrwungum and wið his sāwle lyre.\n Witodlīċe ðā ġeaxodon þrȳ cyningas ðe him ġesibbe wǣron eal his unġelimp and cōmon him tō of heora rīċe þæt hī hine ġenēosodon.  Heora naman wǣron ðus ġecīġde: Elifaz, Baldað, Sofar.  Hī ġecwǣdon þæt hī samod cumende hine ġenēosodon and ġefrēfrodon.  Hī ðā cōmon and hine ne oncnēowon for ðǣre ormǣtan untrumnysse, and hrȳmdon þǣrrihte wēpende.  Hī tōtǣron heora rēaf and mid dūste heora hēafod bestrēowodon and him mid sǣton manega dagas.  Hit wæs swā ġewuneliċ on ealdum dagum þæt ġif hwām sum fǣrliċ sār becōme, þæt hē his rēaf tōtǣre, swā swā Iob dyde and ēac ðās ðrȳ cyningas.\n Hī cōmon hine tō ġefrēfriġenne; ðā āwendon hī heora frōfer tō edwīte and hine mid heora wordum tiriġdon, swilċe hē for synnum swā ġetūcod wǣre, and cwǣdon,  "Wīte cōm ofer ðē, and ðū ātēorodest; sārnys ðē hrepode, and ðū eart ġeunrōtsod.  Hwǣr is nū ðīn Godes eġe and ðīn strencð?  Hwǣr is ðīn ġeðyld and ðīnra dǣda fulfremednys?  And mid manegum ðrafungum hine ġeswenċton.\n Iob cwæð, "Ealā, ġif mīne synna and mīn yrmð þe iċ ðoliġe wǣron āweġene on ānre wæġan, þonne wǣron hī swǣrran ġesewene ðonne sandcorn on sǣ.  Tō ðrēaġenne ġē lōgiað ēowere sprǣce, and ġē ðenċað tō āwendenne ēowerne frēond.  Mannes līf is campdōm ofer eorðan, and swā swā mēdġildan dagas, swā sind his dagas."  Hē cwæð þæt mannes līf wǣre campdōm ofer eorðan for ðan þe ǣlċ ðǣra ðe Gode ġeðīhð bið on ġewinne wið ðone unġesewenlican dēofol and onġēan his āgenum lustum þā hwīle ðe hē on līfe bið.  And swā swā se hȳrman his edlēanes anbidað, swā ġeanbidað se gāstlica cempa his edlēanes æt ðām ælmihtigan Gode.  Godes ġecorenan sind on ġewinne on ðyssere worulde, and ðā ārlēasan on hire blissiað, ac ðǣra rihtwīsra ġewinn āwent tō blisse and ðǣra ārlēasra bliss tō biterum sārnyssum on ðǣre ēċan worulde þe ġewelgað ðā þolmōdan.  Ealle ðās dēofles costnunga and ðǣra ǣhta lyre, his bearna dēað and his āgen untrumnys, his wīfes ġewitlēast and his frēonda edwīt ne mihton āwecgan Iob of his mōdes ānrǣdnysse ne fram his miċċlan ġelēafan ðe hē tō þān ælmihtigan Gode symle hæfde, ac se scucca wearð ġescynd þe hine beswīcan wolde.\n Iob cwæð eft, "Mīn flǣsc is ymbscrȳd mid forrotodnysse and mid dūstes horwum. Mīn hȳd forsēarode and is forscruncen. Mē habbað ġeswenċednysse dagas, and on niht mīn bān bið mid sārnysse ðurhðyd, and ðā ðe mē etað ne slāpað.  Iċ eom lāme wiðmeten and yslum and axum ġeanlīcod."  Eft hē cwæð, "Āra mē Drihten; ne sind mīne dagas nāhte."  Eft hē cwæð, "Iċ wāt sōðlīċe þæt mīn ālȳsend leofað, and iċ on ðām endenēxtan dæġe of eorðan ārīse, and iċ bēo eft mid mīnum felle befangen, and iċ on mīnum flǣsce God ġesēo, iċ sylf and nā ōðer.  Þes hiht is on mīnum bōsme ġelēd."\n Wē sǣdon ēow and ġȳt secgað þæt wē ne magon ealle ðās race ēow be endebyrdnysse secgan, for ðan ðe sēo bōc is swīðe miċel, and hire dīgele andġyt is ofer ūre mǣðe tō smēaġenne.  Ðā ðrȳ cyningas þā hæfdon langsume sprǣce wið þone ġedrehtan Iob and ġewendan him hām syþþan.  Ac God him ġespræc þā and cwæð þæt hē him eallum ðrim gram wǣre for þan ðe hī swā rihtlīċe ætforan him ne sprǣcon swā swā Iob his ðeġen.  God cwæð him tō, "Nimað ēow nū seofon fearras and seofon rammas and farað eft onġēan tō mīnum ðēowan Iobe, and ġeoffriað þās lāc for ēow.  Iob sōðlīċe mīn ðēowa ġebit for ēow, and iċ his ansyne underfō, þæt ēow ne bēo tō dysiġe ġeteald þæt ġē swā rihtlīċe tō mē ne sprǣcon swā swā mīn ðēowa Iob."  Hit wæs ġewuneliċ on ealdum dagum þæt man Gode ðylliċe lāc offrode on cucan orfe and ðā ācwealde, ac sēo offrung is nū unālȳfedliċ æfter Cristes ðrōwunge.\n Elifaz ðā and Baldað and Sofar fērdon onġēan tō heora mǣġe Iobe and didon swā swā him God bebēad, and Drihten underfēng Iobes ansȳne and heora synne ðurh his ðingrǣdene forġeaf.  Ðēah þe Iobes ansȳn wǣre atelīċe tōswollen, and his līc eal maðum wēolle, swā þēah is āwriten þæt se ælmihtiga underfēng his ansȳne þā þā hē for his frēondum ġebæd.\n Drihten ēac ðā ġeċyrde tō Iobes behrēowsunge ðā ðā hē for his māgum ġebæd, and hine ġehǣlde fram eallum his untrumnyssum, and his ǣhta him ealle forġeald be twyfealdum.  Be ðisum is tō understandenne þæt se ðe for ōðrum ġebit fremað him sylfum miċċlum, swā swā þæt hāliġe ġewrit seġð, þæt ðā ðā Iob for his frēondum ġebæd, þā ġeċyrde God tō his behrēowsunge and swā ēaðelīċe hine eft ġehǣlde swā hē hine ǣr ġeuntrumode.\n Iob hæfde ǣr his untrumnysse seofon ðūsend scēapa and ðrēo ðūsend olfenda, fīf hund ġetȳme oxena and fīf hund assan.  Him wǣron eft forgoldene fēowertȳne þūsend scēapa and six ðūsend olfenda, þūsend ġetȳme oxena and ðūsend assan, and Drihten hine bletsode swīðor on ende ðonne on anġynne.\n Hē hæfde seofon suna and ðrēo dohtra ǣr, and siððan eft eal swā fela.  Hwī nolde God him forġyldan his bearn be twyfealdum swā swā hē dyde his ǣhta?  Hē nolde for ðī þe his bearn nǣron forlorene swā swā his ǣhta wǣron.  His ǣhta wǣron ealle āmyrrede and his tȳn bearn ācwealde, ac ðā bearn wǣron swā ðēah ġehealdene on ðām dīgelan līfe betwux hālgum sāwlum, and hē for ðī underfēng þǣra bearna ġetel be ānfealdon for ðan þe ðā ōðre him wǣron ġehealdene ðe þurh þæs dēofles ēhtnysse ācwealde wǣron.\n Hwæt ðā Iobes ġebrōðra and ġeswustru and ealle ðā ðe hine ǣr cūðon cōmon him tō and hine ġefrēfrodon and his miċċlum wundrodon and him ġife ġēafon.  Nǣron ġemētte on ealre eorðan swā wlitiġe wimmen swā swā wǣron Iobes dohtra.  Hē sōðlīċe leofode æfter his swingle ān hund ġēara and fēowertiġ ġēara and ġeseah his bearna bearn oð ðā fēorðan mǣġðe.  On eallum his līfe hē leofode twā hund ġēara and eahta and fēowertiġ ġēara.  Hē wæs se fīfta man æfter Abrahame þām hēahfædere. On ðām tīman wæs swīðe langsum līf on mancynne.\n Ġif hwilċ ġelǣred man þās race oferrǣde oððe rǣdan ġehȳre, þonne bidde iċ þæt hē ðās scyrtinge ne tǣle.  Him mæġ his āgen andġyt secgan fullīċe be ðisum, and ēow lǣwedum mannum is ðis ġenōh, ðēah ðe ġē ðā dēopan dīgelnysse ðǣron ne cunnon.  Hit ġelamp ðus sōðlīċe be Iobe, swā swā hē sylf āwrāt, ac swā ðēah sēo gāstliċe ġetācnung þǣre ġereċċednysse belimpð tō Cristes menniscnysse and tō his ġelaðunge, swā swā lārēowas trahtnodon.  Ġif ūre ǣnigum sum unġelimp becume, ðonne sceole wē bēon ġemyndiġe þises mǣran weres, and ġeðyldiġe bēon on ðām ðwȳrnyssum þe ūs se ælmihtiga on besent, and habban māran care ūrre sāwle þonne ðǣre scortan ġesǣlðe þe wē sceolon forlǣtan.  Sȳ wuldor and wurðmynt ðām welwyllendan Scyppende ealra his wundra and his weldǣda, se ðe āna is God ā on ēcnysse. Amen.