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Methodius of Olympus

Fragment 1

About this work

Author: Methodius of Olympus

I.

But, perhaps, since the friends of Job imagined that they

understood

the

reason

why

he

suffered

such

things

,

that

just

man

,

using

a

long

speech

to

them

,

confesses

that

the

wisdom

of

the

divine

judgment

is

incomprehensible

,

not

only

to

him

,

but

also

to

every

man

,

and

declares

that

this

earthly

region

is

not

the

fitting

place

for

understanding

the

knowledge

of

the

divine

counsels

.

One

might

say

,

that

perfect

and

absolute

piety

—

a

thing

plainly

divine

,

and

of

God

alone

given

to

man

,

is

in

this

place

called

wisdom

.

But

the

sense

of

the

words

is

as

follows

:

God

,

he

says

,

hath

given

great

things

unto

men

,

sowing

,

as

it

were

,

in

their

nature

the

power

of

discovery

,

together

with

wisdom

,

and

the

faculty

of

art

.

And

men

having

received

this

,

dig

metals

out

of

the

earth

,

and

cultivate

it

;

but

that

wisdom

which

is

conjoined

with

piety

,

it

is

not

possible

in

any

place

to

discover

.

Man

cannot

obtain

it

from

his

own

resources

,

nor

can

he

give

it

unto

others

.

Hence

it

was

that

the

wise

men

of

the

Greeks

,

who

in

their

own

strength

sought

to

search

out

piety

,

and

the

worship

of

the

Deity

,

did

not

attain

their

end

.

For

it

is

a

thing

,

as

we

have

said

,

which

exceeds

human

strength

,

the

gift

and

the

grace

of

God

;

and

therefore

from

the

beginning

,

partly

by

visions

,

partly

by

the

intervention

of

angels

,

partly

by

the

discourses

of

the

divinely

-

inspired

prophets

,

God

instructed

man

in

the

principles

of

true

religion

.

Nay

,

moreover

,

that

contemplative

wisdom

by

which

we

are

impelled

to

the

arts

,

and

to

other

pursuits

,

and

with

which

we

are

all

in

common

,

just

and

unjust

,

alike

endued

,

is

the

gift

of

God

:

if

we

have

been

made

rational

creatures

,

we

have

received

this

.

Wherefore

,

also

,

in

a

former

place

it

was

said

,

as

of

a

thing

that

is

of

God

bestowed

,

“

Is

it

not

the

Lord

who

teacheth

understanding

and

knowledge

?

”

Notes

2
Job xxi. 22; xxii. 2.