Job — Chapter 34

Pronuntians itaque Eliu audite sapientes

On Elihu's call for a shared judgment: "And Elihu continued and said: Hear my words, you wise men, and give ear to me, you who know; for the ear tests words as the palate tastes food. Let us choose what is right; let us know among ourselves what is good." Corderius notes that Elihu here addresses not just Job but the group of listeners, appealing to the wise among them to judge his arguments. On vv. 5-6: "For Job has said: I am righteous, and God has taken away my right; in spite of my right I am counted a liar; my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression" — Elihu summarizes Job's position accurately. On v. 7: "What man is like Job, who drinks up scoffing like water?" — Corderius notes Elihu is somewhat unfair here; Job has not been scornful of God but of the inadequate arguments of the friends. Nevertheless Elihu correctly identifies that some of Job's expressions went beyond what was strictly safe theologically. On v. 10: "Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong" — this is an axiom Corderius treats as the fixed theological point from which all theodicy must proceed.

Absit a Deo impietas et ab Omnipotente

On God's absolute justice: "Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong. For according to the work of a man he will repay him, and according to his ways he will make it befall him." Corderius treats this as a central axiom of natural theology and theodicy: God cannot do evil; his justice is the eternal standard against which all other justice is measured. On v. 13: "Who gave him charge over the earth, and who laid on him the whole world?" — Corderius develops the self-sufficiency of divine governance: God governs the world not because he was appointed by a superior (there is no superior) but because he is the Creator, and creation is inherently subject to its source. On v. 14-15: "If he should take back his spirit to himself, and gather to himself his breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust" — Corderius develops the doctrine of creatio continua (continuous creation): the world exists only because God continuously sustains it; if he withdrew his creative power for an instant, all would return to nothing.

Oculi enim ejus super vias hominum

On God's all-seeing justice: "For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps. There is no gloom or deep darkness where evildoers may hide themselves." Corderius develops the omniscience of divine justice: God's eyes penetrate all darkness; no wickedness can be concealed. He draws on Ambrose, Chrysostom, and Gregory. On v. 24: "He shatters the mighty without investigation and sets others in their place" — God's judgments on kings and nations may seem summary and unexplained to humans, but they are always perfectly just; the divine King acts with absolute knowledge of all circumstances. On v. 29: "When he is quiet, who can condemn? When he hides his face, who can behold him, whether it be a nation or a man?" — the hiddenness of God is itself a form of divine presence and governance; when God seems inactive, he is in fact allowing events to unfold toward his eternal purposes. Corderius cites Augustine: God writes straight with crooked lines; what seems to human observers to be divine silence is often the most profound divine speech.

Ipso enim concedente pacem quis condemnet

On divine governance and human accountability: "When he is quiet, who can condemn? When he hides his face, who can behold him, whether it is a nation or a man?" Corderius develops the theological mystery of divine hiddenness: when God withdraws visible intervention, the wicked prosper and the just suffer — yet this apparent withdrawal is itself a form of governance. He cites Gregory (Moral. XXVIII.11-15): God's silence before injustice is not complicity but patience; like a judge who allows a criminal to build up a greater case before sentencing, God allows wickedness to accumulate to its full measure. On vv. 33-37: "Will he then make repayment to suit you, because you reject it? ... For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God" — Elihu charges Job with compounding his errors by refusing to accept the correction that suffering was meant to deliver. Corderius defends Job: Elihu here oversteps; Job's persistence in proclaiming his innocence is not rebellion against God but fidelity to truth.