G. BONNEY

The Exegesis of Job 36:29-33 in the Moralia in Iob of

Gregory the Great IntroductionThe exegesis of the passage 36:29-33 in the Book of Job as foundin the Moralia in Iob of Gregory the Great contains a reference whichregards the Church's mission in Britain. We may well ask how comethis author, in the midst of his interpretation of the Book ofJob, suddenly mentions such a far off country such as that of theAngles?This article first of all examines a modern exegesis, according tothe historical-critical method, of the same passage of the Bookof Job, Job 36:29-33, and then afterwards this passage of Job,chapter 36:29-33 in the exegesis of Gregory the Great, 540-604, inthe Moralia in Iob. It will then consider the relationship of thisspiritual exegesis of the passage in Job to Gregory's mission tothe Angles and to what extent it further influenced Christianityin England.

1. The text of the LXXThe passage of Job 36:29-33 is situated in Elihu's fourth andfinal speech when he exhorts Job to behold the wonders of theuniverse by which God also communicates his word to men.The Greek text of this passage, Job 36:29-33, in the version ofthe LXX, is as following:29 kai. eva.n sunh/| avpekta,seij nefe,lhj ivso,thta skhnh/jauvtou/30 ivdou. evktei,nei evpV auvto.n hdw kai. r`izw,mata th/jqala,sshj evka,luyen31 evn ga.r auvtoi/j krinei/ laou,j dw,sei trofh.n tw/|ivscu,onti32 evpi. ceirw/n evka,luyen fw/j kai. evnetei,lato peri.auvth/j evn avpantw/nti33 avnaggelei/ peri. auvtou/ fi,lon auvtou/ kth/sij kai.peri. avdiki,ajA possible translation of this passage might be: 29. And even if one were to perceive that the spread of the cloudsis the same as that of his tent30. See he extends his light and has hidden the bottom of the sea.31. For by these he will judge the peoples and will give food to

he who is strong.32. He has concealed the light under his hands and given a commandabout it to that which he encounters.33. He will announce to his friend about this and a portion alsofor unrighteousness.In Ziegler's critical edition of LXX as in the NETS edition of Jobevery verse of this passage 29-33 is asterisked, that is to saythere are additions to the Old Greek. These asterisks in theHexapla text, which comes from Theodotion, explain the theology ofthe Book of Job according to the version of the LXX.1 A further difficulty to be observed is that there alsoseveral omissions in the Greek text, as a recent study has amplydemonstrated.2

2. An example of the historical critical exegesis of Job 36:29-33The majority of scholars who comment on the Bible, although theytake into consideration the Grek and Latin versions, areprincipally interested in the Masoretic text but even this is notwithout great textual difficulties. As Dhorme observes, in hiscommentary on the Book of Job, all those who have had anything todo with this book and its Hebrew text have encountered a certainnumber of difficulties that may not be attributed to anything elsebut the bad state of the text.3 So before examining the text of theMoralia it is interesting to give a very brief synthesis of thesalient points underlined by an exegete, M. Pope, who applies thehistorical critical method to the MT text of the passage, Job36:29-33.4 Since this exegete places verse 31 before verse 29, wefind the following translation :31. For with them he nourishes nations, gives them food inabundance.29. Can one understand the spreading clouds, the thundering fromhis pavilion?30. Lo Aliy spreads his light, the roots of the sea are histhrone.32. On his palms the lightning prances, He directs it with sureaim.33. Aliy speaks with his thunder, venting his wrath against evil.

1 See Septuaginta. Vetus Testamentum Graecum Auctoritate Academiae ScientiarumGottingensis editum, Göttingen, “Job [Iob]” (1982, J. Ziegler) 376-377. P. JohnGENTRY, “The Asterisked Materials in the Greek Job”, Society of BiblicalLiterature, Scholars Press, Atlanta, Georgia 1995; A. PIETERSMA, “A CriticalReview of J. Ziegler” ”Iob”, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1982 in JBL104 (1985) 305-311.

2 Cf. M. GOREA, Job repensé ou trahi? Omissions et raccourcis de la Septante, Paris 2007.3 Cf. P. DHORME, Le livre de Job, Paris 1926, p. CLII. The difficulties of this

particular passage are well illustrated in this commentary in pages 505-509.4 Cf. Job, Introduction, Translation, and Notes M. POPE, Anchor Bible, Garden

City, New York 1974, 227-277.

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31. Our exegete points out that this verse is out of place whereit stands but fits in with verse 28. The parallel of 31b showsthat it is a matter of God providing food for all. 29b. The word denotes loud noises such as the roar of the storm asin Job 30:22, shouting of a crowd Job 39: 7, Is 22:2, Zech 4:7.29b. There is an emendation to tašwît, bed or carpet. The term sukkāhas in Ps 18:12 is translated as "booth". 30a. The reading here is of "light" in the sense of lightning. Thepreposition cālāyw "upon it" may really be the ancient divine nameof Aliy, a title of Baal in the Ugaritic epic of King Keret. In verse 30b he says that the roots of the sea makes no senseand suggests that it refers to the storm god but also he mentionsthat other theories place the Ugaritic pantheon at the confluenceof subterranean seas.32a. The dark clouds, he adds, are the dwelling of the storm god.He also accepts the reading of "lightning" in verse 32. The verbkissāh "he covers" is the problem here. Dhorme's emendment of niśśā’"he lifts" is modified to mean the flickering action of the cloudto cloud lightning.32b. He translates this with "sure aim". Verses 29-32 are difficult and fragmentary, he observes, in theQumran Targum and the problems of correlation with MT are toocomplex to be considered in detail.33. The exegete states here that this verse is notoriouslydifficult. He suggests that miqneh " cattle" be changed to maqnî,one who incites to passion while cawlāh "evil" should be changed tocōleh, "one who rises". This exegete therefore, faced with an extremely fragmented anddifficult text, understandably dedicates most of his attention tothe textual philological problems of the pericope. He alsodelineates the religious-cultural substratum of Job's redaction soas to render clearly the literal sense of the passage in thehistorical period when it was written, namely that God, hererather similar to an ancient weather god, wields his absolutepower over the whole of creation. This scholar offers no spiritualinterpretation of the whole passage as regards Christ, the Churchand the sacraments. He likewise provides no moral oreschatological meaning for this passage.

3. The origin of the Moralia in IobGregory the Great was Pope from 590 until 604. We may presume froma letter of his that the Moralia were completed around 600, when thework was sent to Innocence, the prefect in Africa.5 In 591Gregory writes to Leandrus, a Spanish bishop who had request himto comment on Job, to inform him that the oral comments had beeninserted into a written text, which he could not send him for the

5 Cf. GREGORY, Registrum X,16, CCSL 140a, 845.

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moment because scribes were copying it.6 In the preface to theMoralia, which were begun in Constantinople while Gregory was papallegate there, he gives further details of how he had proceded fromthe oral explanation of the first parts, which some of his monkshad written down, and then, when he had time, he had written downthe rest. This probably took place around 587-590.7 The Moraliatherefore, originally oral and written only in parts, were notintended to be a systematic commentary. On the contrary, they werea spiritual reflection on the Scriptures and were definitely notdirected towards rudibus auditoribus.8 These latter comments and thestyle of the work induce us to surmise that it probably originatedfrom a monastic collatio, the lectio divina of a monastic community,conducted by the abbot for his monks.

4. Gregory and the re-evangelization of BritainGildas Sapiens, the pro-Roman Christian writer, in hislamentations over the decadence of the Christian faith in Britain,considers that the sins of the local populations and negligentpriests were responsible for the invasions of the Germanic tribesin Britain.9 These Saxon settlers, who subsequently rebelledagainst their paymasters and invaded the country, settled mainlyin the southern and eastern part of Britain; but the Saxons, asthe five different peoples were called, worshipped idols and mighthave remained such, had it not been for the inspiration of Gregoryto re-evangelize the whole country.10

In our specific examination of the exegesis of Job 36:29-33, wemay perceive that some of the ideas expressed in the exegesis ofJob 33:29-33, may be observed in his many letters concerning there-evangelization of Britain. For Gregory particularly insists onthe interior virtues of the missionaries, the priests and bishopsfor this work of re-evangelization. In the letter to AbbotMellitus, who was still in France, we may perceive how Gregory wasanxious that Mellitus should respect the culture and usages of thecountry he was about to visit.11 The Bishop of York, second only tothat of Canterbury in the hierarchy of this part of the Church inBritain, had to be a minister worthy of ordination.12 Gregory praises the ardour and zeal of Augustine in his letter to

6 Cf. GREGORY, Registrum I, 41, CCSL 140, 49.7 Cf. GREGORY, Moralia, praefatio, CCSL 143, 2-4.8 Cf. GREGORY, Registrum XII, 6, CCSL 140a, 975.9 Cf. GILDAS, De excidio et conquestu Britanniae, PL 69, 347-348. 10 Cf. GREGORY, Registrum VIII, 29.CCSL 140a, 550.11 Cf. GREGORY, Registrum XI, 56, CCSL 140a. 961-962.12 Cf. GREGORY, Registrum XI, 56, CCSL 140a, 961-962. Mellitus wasafterwards consecrated as Bishop of London, the ancient capital founded by theRomans in the early expeditions to Britain but Gregory conferred the pallium ofarchbishop of Canterbury on Augustine who had led the group of missionaries toBritain. We know this because on June 22nd 601 Gregory, in a letter addresed toAugustine, after praising his missionary efforts on behalf of the Angles,explains how he wishes his archbishop to organize this part of the Church inBritain.

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the kings of Gaul.13 Likewise he writes to the bishops in Gaul topraise Augustine's efforts in the evangelization of the Angles.14

He again praises Augustine's dedication to the mission in anotherletter to the bishops of Gaul. For, he says, «Even if thereligious are not lacking in anything to recommend them to priestswho are endowed with the love which is pleasing to God, just thesame, since the opportunity for writing to you has arisen, wethought of sending this letter to you, our brother in God, toinform you that the bearers of this letter, Augustine, servant ofthe Lord, whose great dedication we are certain of, together withother servants of God, were sent by me for the benefit, withGod's help, of the souls in that place. It is necessary that yourExcellency should help and comfort them with priestly care.15

Gregory thus exhorts the monks who are to accompany Augustine: Itis necessary, my beloved sons, for you to accomplish with greatdedication the task which you undertook with God's help, becauseit was better not even to have started a good task rather thanhave second thoughts after having started it. May the fatigue ofthe journey or the words of cursing men not deter you but may youcarry on in every moment and with great fervour in the task whichGod inspired you to begin since you know that a greater glory ofeternal retribution follows great labour.16

Yet Gregory does not hesitate to recommend Augustine to watchcarefully over the conduct of the bishops in Britain.17 Above all,he warns him not to fall into the sin of pride for the conversionof the Angles and all the miracles which the Lord has performedthrough his ministry of preaching in Britain and urges him toremain humble. For, says Gregory, with God's help you must judgeyour inner disposition and carefully distinguish who you are andhow much of God's grace exists among those people for whoseconversion you have received the gift of performing miracles. Thegift of miracles is given not to Augustine but so that those whoreceive them may be saved.18

5. The biblical text and the exegetical method used by Gregory As we may already observe from the Greek version of LXX, this partof Job's text presents serious textual and philological problemsin both the Hebrew and Greek versions.19 However, since before 394Jerome, by using the Greek texts of Aquila and Symmachus, hadtranslated the Book of Job from Hebrew into correct Latin,Gregory, at least in the passage examined in this article, more or

13 Cf. GREGORY, Registrum VI,51, CCSL 140, 423 -424.14 Cf. GREGORY, Registrum XI, CCSL 140a, 938.15 Cf. GREGORY, Registrum VI,52, CCSL 140, 425.16 Cf. GREGORY, Registrum VI, 53, CCSL 140, 426; Cf. Moralia in Iob, III, 13, CCSL

143, 128.17 Cf. GREGORY, Registrum XI, 56a. CCSL 140a, 961-962.18 Cf. GREGORY, Registrum XI, 36, CCSL 140a, 925-926.19 The difficulties for the translator of the Greek version of Job are clearly

illustrated in the New English translation of the LXX, Oxford 2007, 693.

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less follows the Latin version at his disposal. However, on otheroccasions we know that Gregory compared the version to that of theVetus and the Greek Septuagint for he complains about thetranslations of the Bible, which he says are too literal insense.20 Gregory's denial of his knowledge of Greek cannot be taken asstrictly accurate21 because his education had been that of othersof the senatorial class, that of the artes liberales, as may be observedfrom his linguistic competence in Latin and his knowledge ofclassical authors.22 In addition to this education, his stay inConstantinople, where he even takes part in a theological debatewith Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, must certainlyhave assured him competence in this language.23 He duly thanksEulogius of Alexandria for a codex of Eusebius of Caesarea.24 Healso receives and reads letters in Greek.25 He writes letters tothe Patriarch of Constantinople.26 Yet, like many others before him, such as Ambrose of Milan,27 he isobviously very wary of the beguiling influence which the elegantprose and rhetorical figures of Latin humanitas can still wield uponthose Christians who have received a similar education. He thusreproaches Desiderius of Vienne in Gaul for having taught grammar.The mouth which praises Jove, he says, cannot praise Christ.28

However, the preface of Moralia in Iob reveals more clearly howGregory is only preoccupied with the communication andcomprehension of the Bible. Despite the excellent version in Latinprepared by Jerome, he feared that the message of truth containedin the Bible could appear diminished when compared with therhetorical eloquence of classical antiquity.29

Gregory however, despite his knowledge of Greek, makes no mentionof the textual difficulties of this passage but proceeds directlytowards the exegesis of this passage. In the Letter to Leandrus

20 Cf. GREGORY, Registrum X, 21, CCSL 140a, 855.21 Cf. GREGORY, Registrum XII, 6, CCSL, 140a, 976.22 Cf. GREGORY, Dialogi III, 36, SCh 260, 60,36, 3, 408-409.23 Cf. GREGORY, Moralia XIV, 72-4, CCSL 143a, 742. 24 Cf. GREGORY, Registrum VIII, 28, CCSL,140a, 549.25 Cf. GREGORY, Registrum, X, 10, CCSL 140a, 836.26 Cf. GREGORY, Registrum VII,4, CCSL 140, 446.27 Cf. AMBROSE, Expositio evangelii secundum Lucam, SAEMO 11, II, 42:« Quanto magis nos

neglegere verba debemus, spectare mysteria, quibus vincit sermonis utilitas,quod operum miracula divinorum nullis venustata sermonibus veritatis suaelumine refulserunt? » pp. 184-185.

28 Cf. GREGORY, Registrum XI, 34, CCSL 140a, 922.29 GREGORY, Epistola ad Leandrum 5, CCSL 143, 10, 13: «Unde et ipsam loquendi autem,

quam magisteria disciplinae exterioris insinuant, servare despexi. Nam sicuthuius quoque epistolae tenor enuntiat, non metacismi collisionem fugio, nonbarbarismi confusionem devito, situs modosque etiam et praepositionum casusservare contemno, quia indignum vehementer existimo, ut verba caelestisoraculi restringam sub regulis Donati» 7.

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the Spanish bishop, he describes the Book of Job as obscure.30 Inthe same Epistola addressed to his companion in Constantinople,who had urged him to compose the Moralia, he also explains hismethod.31 Gregory, like the Fathers who preceded him, consideredthe unity of the Old and New Testament as the basis of his methodwhich is principally that of a search for the Holy Spirit as it isrevealed in the various senses of the Scripture. His exegesis istherefore extremely creative and much akin to the processdescribed by the prophet Jeremiah 23:29. “Is not my word like ahammer shattering rocks? The Sanhedrin 34a, interprets this as“from a single verse multiple senses arise.” The text of the Bibletherefore needs a careful patient reading of the words inisolation and in context in order to perceive its inner meanings.This ancient method, practised by the Jews and early Christianexegetes, acquired it theoretical foundations in the work ofOrigen and may be briefly summed up in the famous distich ofNicholas of Lyre.32 Gregory however, leads his monks to an everhigher level that of the meditation which leads to thecontemplation of the heart, as codified later on by the Prior ofthe Grande Chartreuse in 1174.33 So for Gregory, as for thepsalmist in Psalm 62:12 “One thing God has said; two things I haveheard”; the text is not immediately accessible or transparent andthe search for the Holy Spirit in these texts never ceases tounveil its meaning and consequently enrich our lives.34

6. Gregory's exegesis of Job 36:29-33 in the Moralia in IobThe edition used for the text of Moralia in Iob and other works ofGregory is that of Corpus Christianorum.35 The text in bold is theLatin version of the Bible used by Gregory. The text of hiscomments on Job is given in italics.

29 si voluerit extendere nubes quasi tentorium suum 30 et fulgurare lumine suo desuper, cardinesquoque maris operiet

30 GREGORY, Epistola ad Leandrum 2, CCSL 143: «mox vero in obscuro hoc opere » 2.31 GREGORY, ibidem 1: «Ut non sola verba historiae per allegoriarum sensus

excutem, sed allegoriarum sensus protinus in exercitium moralitatisinclinarem, adhuc gravius adiungentes, ut intellecta quaeque testimoniiscingerem et prolata tstimonia, si implicita fortasse viderenturinterpositione superadditae expositionis enodarem», 2.

32 NICHOLAS OF LYRE, Glossa ordinaria, PL 113, Prologus, 26-30, 28: «littera gestadocet, quid credas allegoria, moralis quid agas, quo tendas anagogia.»

33 Scala Paradisi, PL 40, 998-1004.34 Cf. GREGORY, Homilia in Hiezechihelem prophetam I,VII, 8-9, CCSL 142, 87-88: «Quo

enim spiritus legentis tendit, illuc et divina eloquia levantur, quia, si ineis altum quid videndo et sentiendo quaesieris, haec eadem sacra eloquiatecum crescunt, tecum in altiora ascendunt…Rotae enim spiritum sequuntur,quia verba sacri eloquii, ut saepe iam dictum est, iuxta sensum legentium perintellectum crescunt».

35 Cf. GREGORY, Moralia in Iob, CCSL 143b, 1344-1349.

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Extendit nubes Dominus, dum ministris suis viam praedicationis aperiens, eos in mundilatitudine circumquaque diffundit. Gregory begins in this way by placing verses 29-30 together butdeals with the first one separately.The author immediately provides the christological sense of thepassage. For he places it in a cosmic dimension where the Word ofGod, which had generated the whole of creation, is activelypresent. Gregory then indicates how this Word is incarnate in theperson of Jesus Christ and revealed to the world by means of hisministers. God, he says, spreads out the clouds while he opens upthe path of preaching to his ministers and he scatters them allaround the length and breadth of the world. The clouds thus, forGregory in this verse, acquire the spiritual sense of thepreachers of God's Church on earth.36

Quasi tentorium Et cum praedicatores sancti in mundo mittuntur, iter Deo faciuntHe also notes that the word “tent” is apt here since a tent isusually employed on journeys. For when God sends preachers intothe world they prepare the way for God. Gregory, now resorting tobiblical analogies, quotes a biblical parallel from Ml 3:1 whichis similar to the references in Mt 11:10; Lk 7:27: “ Look I shallsend my messenger to clear a way before me.” He also quotes fromPsalm 67:5: “Make a way which rises above the sunset”. And againfrom the same psalm “God when you set out at the head of yourpeople, when you strode over the desert, the earth trembled”.

Deus enim qui per semetipsum non localiter ubique est, praedicatores suos in mundipartes localiter ambulatGregory here asserts the transcendency of God. For God himself,says Gregory, who is not in one place but everywhere, by means ofhis preachers, walks in every part of the world. He then speaks ofdescribes how the grace of God inhabits the hearts of those whofollow Christ. So it is also said by the prophet: Et inambulabo in eis.Here he also quotes Lv 26:12: “I shall fix my home among you,” and1 Cor 6:19, “and that is what we are, the temple of the livingGod”. In fact, says Gregory, he acts through them, that is hisministers, while he freely imparts himself to their human heartswith their preaching. Along this path, these same hearts of thesaints, by which the Word is quietly protected as if it were on ajourney, are the tent of God, which reaches the minds of men bymeans of these hearts and effects that for which it was disposedand remains unseen. Hence because every synagogue is likewisecalled a tent, God laments to Jeremiah that the priests had ceasedfrom preaching saying: “no one is left to put up my tent again orhang the side-cloths”. Hence, says Gregory, its destruction ismentioned again in Lm 2:6: “He has wrecked his domain like a

36 Cf. GREGORY, Moralia in Iob XXVII, 19, CCSL 143b, 1344.

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garden and destroyed his tent”.

Quia enim in unius populi cultu tunc Dominus inter homines latuit, eumdem sibi populumtentorium vocavit. Unde et recte nunc nubes istae eius tentorium dicuntur, quia ad nosDeus per gratiam veniens, intra praedicatorum suorum mentes operitur Since God lay hidden among men in the cult of of one people, saysGregory, he calls his same people a tent. For this reason thoseclouds are now rightly called his tent because God comes to us bymeans of his grace and operates within the minds of the preachers.Gregory here refers not to the election of Israel but the newIsrael of the Church which is now God's tent.

An Paulus eius tentorium non eratHe gives the example of Paul. Was Paul not God's tent as he camefrom Jerusalem and from crossing Illyria to the hearts of men andGod remained quietly in his mind? The cloud was certainly the tentof God for men because by his preaching he imparted him to thosewho listened to him and invisibly kept him in his mind.37

Nubes eius Moyses exstititGregory also compares Moses to a cloud. Although before he hadbeen the leader of the people and remained forty years in thedesert in his search for higher things, he lived separated fromthe people. Yet he became the tent of God when he was sent toEgypt to call back the people. He took the invisible truth in hisheart when God almighty, who was manifest in his actions, layhidden in his heart. And being present everywhere and holding allin his hands, made the journey with his servant into Egypt.

Unde scriptum est: Iuit Deus in Aegyptum ut redimeret sibi populum.For this reason, says Gregory, quoting II Ki 7:23, it is written:Here he is said to go out, since all is held together by hisboundless presence because it is he who is everywhere present onaccount of his almightiness and almost places steps in the wayfrom the preaching. Yet, adds Gregory, the words are notsufficient for these holy preachers unless miracles are also addedto them.

et fulgurare lumine suo desuperQuid enim sentire fulgura, nisi miracula debemus ?At this point the thunder bolts also acquire a spiritual sensebecause Gregory, with the term miracula, refers to miracles and alsopossibly to the sacraments of the Church when he comments thus: Asif it were his tent, is correctly added, he says, for what must weimagine the thunder to be if not miracles? About which thepsalmist speaks in Ps 17:15.”You will multiply your lightning andconfound them”. By means of these clouds, says Gregory, hethunders from above with his light because by means of holypreachers he lights up the dimness of our indifference with

37 Cf. GREGORY, Moralia in Iob, XXVII, 19, CCSL 143b, 1345.

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prodigies. When these clouds rain down words, when with miraclesthey open up the strength of gleaming light, they convert even thefurthest ends of the world with heavenly love.

cardines quoque maris operietOmnipotens enim Deus coruscantibus nubibus maris operuitSince indeed, says Gregory, that which must take place we haveheard from the speeches of Elihu but we already perceive that Godis author of this achievment. For almighty God has opened thethreshold of the sea with glittering clouds because by means ofthe prodigies which spring forth from the preachers, he hasconducted faith to ends of the earth.38

Ecce enim paene cunctarum iam gentium corda penetravit; ecce in una fide orientislimitem occidentisque coniunxit; ecce lingua Britanniae, quae nihil aliud noverat, quambarbarum frendere, iam dudum in divinis laudibus Hebraeum coepit alleluia resonareHere Gregory brings forth a truly concrete example in support ofthe historical meaning of the whole passage and thus reflects: Forbehold he has penetrated the hearts of almost all peoples, beholdhe has united in one faith the boundaries of east and west. Beholdthe language of the Britons, which knew nothing else but abarbarous grinding tongue, has already begun to resound with theHallelujah of the Jews in praise of God. This passage of the Moraliais quoted at length at the beginning chapter of the HistoriaEcclesiastica of Bede who referred to Gregory as Apostolus noster.39

Clearly our author here makes a direct reference to the missionwhich he had sent to re-evangelize the land of the Britons and theAngles. Indeed he adds even more historical detail about thereligious situation in the land of the Angles.40 For he continues thus: see how the Ocean, which formerly swelledup, already lies in servitude beneath the feet of the saints. Itsbarbarian waves, which the princes of the earth had been unable todominate with the sword, the mouths of the God-fearing priestswith simple words bring those same waves together. Now theinfidel, who had in no way feared bands of fighting men, now as abeliever, in awe of the tongues of humble preachers. Because whencelestial words have been perceived and miracles have shone out,the virtue of divine wisdom is imparted to him, he is curbed bythe fear of God so much so that he is afraid to act ignobly and heonly desires to attain the grace of eternal life. For this reasonadds Gregory, it is appropriate to add the following verse 36:21.

31 per haec enim iudicat populos et dat escas multis mortalibus At this point Gregory connects the Word of God to the sacramentsof the Church, namely that of Penance and the Eucharist. Without

38 Cf. GREGORY, Moralia in Iob XXVII,xi-xii, CCSL143b, 1346.39 Cf. BEDE, Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum,II,1,5, vol. I, Lapidge (ed.) 2010,

164. 40 Cf. GREGORY, Moralia in Iob XXVII, 22, CCSL143b, 1346.

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doubt, he affirms, by means of these words of the preachers, thatis the throats of the preachers and by means of the lightning ofthe prodigies, God judges the peoples, because he calls theirfearing hearts to penance. For while they listen to celestialwords and await marvellous events, they soon return into theirhearts and thus afflicted on account of the evil they committed inthe past, they are in great fear of eternal torment. As long asthey listen to sublime words and they expect wonderful prodigies,they scrutinize their hearts soon after. In their anguish aboutthe evil deeds which they perpetrated beforehand they are greatlyafraid of eternal punishment. Elsewhere Gregory defines theScriptures as a letter from Almighty God to his creatures41 andspecifically affirms that men learn about God's heart in hisWord.42

Yet, he continues, by means of these same clouds, by which thisfear of eternal punishment is inflicted, nourishment is alsoprovided since this is the great office of the preachers so thatthey may know how to wear down the minds of the haughty. So thatthey may also nourish with a word of consolation, those mindswhich they know have been so worn down to the extent that evildoers are in fear of eternal punishment and those who haverepented may feed on the joy of heaven above. For this reason thisorder of service has been preserved, so that Elihu might speak inthis order. For by means of these clouds he judges peoplesbeforehand and afterwards he provides nourishment. Becauseundoubtedly God Almighty, by means of his preachers, firstsnatches us away from evil doing and afterwards in consolationnourishes us with hope. For, adds Gregory quoting from John 20:22-23, the formula of absolution used by Jesus, if this divineorder, by means of these clouds, did not act in this way, he wouldnever at all said of these clouds: “Accept the Holy Spirit. If youforgive anyone's sins they are forgiven; if you retain anyone'ssins they are retained”.Again, says Gregory quoting Mt 14:16, if he did not feed ourhungry hearts by these clouds, God would never have said to hisdisciples of the hungering peoples: "Give them something to eatyourselves". Because we thus believe that this came about then bytheir hands so that we might see that by means of their wordsthis takes place without ceasing every day. What is Peter talkingabout when he speaks in the Letters if not that our hungry heartsare ill satisfied by the nourishment of the word ? What else doesPaul, what does John mean, they who preach by means of the Lettersother that our minds may perceive the heavenly food and overcomethe disgust of hunger for it by which they perished?43

41 GREGORY, Registrum,V, 46, CCSL 140: « Quid autem est scriptura sacra nisi quaedam epistula omnipotentis Dei ad creaturam suam ?», 339.

42 GREGORY, ibidem, «Stude quaeso, et cotidie creatoris tui verba meditare; disce cor Dei in verbis Dei, ut ardentius ad aeterna suspires ut mens ad caelestia gaudia maioribus desideriis accendatur», 340.

43 Cf. GREGORY, Moralia in Iob, XXVII, xii, CCSL 143b, 1347.

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At his point Gregory repeats the entire biblical text of verses29-31 and exclaims here: it may well be said that :

Si voluerit extendere nubes quasi tentorium suum, et fulgurare lumine suodesuper, cardines quoque maris operiet. Per haec enim iudicat populos, et datescas multis mortalibus And if, says Gregory, referring to God and not Elihu, he were tosay openly that if he extends the saints of preaching in theirministry, he adds words to miracles and calls the ends of theworld to the faith, by means of which he judges the haughty firstand afterwards, with the nourishment of a word of consolation, hestrengthens the lowly in their hope.Yet since he spoke of givingnourishment to humans, it must be observed what he does not say,that is not to all but to many. Gregory then says, quoting 2 Thes3:2: because for example it is written, not everyone has faith.And, adds Gregory quoting Jn 8:47, to others it is said, Thereason why you do not listen is that you do not come from God.Gregory quotes from Jn 6:44, No one can come to me unless drawn bythe Father who sent me. His last quotation is from 2 Tm 2:19, orrather from Nb 16:5,26; the Lord knows who are his own. After allthese biblical probationes to support his interpretation he begins tospeak of the moral sense of the pericope:44

Unde in ipsa quoque sancta Ecclesia plurimi fidem tenent, et vitam fidei non tenentSo, he says, in the holy Church itself many have faith and do notlive a life of faith. They receive the sacraments of the Lord'shumility but they disdain to humble themselves by imitating theLord. They preach charming versions of the divine Word butinwardly they persevere in their immense pride. So here also,after the breadth of the Church has been indicated it is correctto add the phrase:

32a immanibus abscondit lucemHere the Latin version used by Gregory differs from that of theVulgata, which has in manibus. We thus find Gregory trying to dealwith the adjective immanibus and not a preposition and a noun evpi.ceirw/n as in the Septuagint version. This textual variationnaturally influences our author's interpretation of this verse forGregory at this point starts to expound the lengthy moral ortropological sense of verse 32a. The subject of human pride is aconstant feature of Gregory's thoughts.45

Immanes quippe sunt, qui se elatis cogitationibus extolluntHe thus interprets verse 32 in the following way: They arecertainly immensly proud those who exalt themselves with loftythoughts. They are those against whom Isaiah speaks in 5:21, "Woe

44 Cf. GREGORY, Moralia in Iob, XXVII, xii, CCSL 143b, 1347. 45 Cf. GREGORY, Moralia in Iob, 11, 2., CCSL 143a, 586 ; 11, 4, 587; 12, 54, 661;

12, 62, 667; 12,53, 660; 12, 60, 665; 23.1, CCSL 143b, 1144; 23, 7, 1148.

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to those who think themselves wise and believe themselvesenlightened". They are those against whom Paul says in Rm 12:16,"Do not congratulate yourselves on your wisdom". For,says Gregory,the light is hidden in these exalted people, because certainly theknowledge of truth is denied to them. Gregory now adds furtherbiblical parallels from Mt 11:25; Lk 10:21. It is for this thatthe Truth says of himself :"I bless you Father, Lord of heaven andearth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever andrevealing them to little children."For example, Gregory continues, he calls the haughty learned andclever. For he does not add : you revealed it not to fools but tothe little ones. He noted that haughtiness not shrewdnesscondemned them. So another time it is said: "The Lord looks afterthe little ones. And so that this same lowliness may bedemonstrated he adds: I was humiliated and he liberated me".Because, says Gregory, there are many in the Church who despisebeing lowly, they are also frightful instead of being humble andthey restrain themselves very little. Very often you may see themexalted by honours, enjoying the pleasures of life and aboundingin a multitude of possessions. These people often long fornothing else in particular than to dominate others and theyrejoice in being feared by many. They do not care about livingvirtuously and they desire the reputation of a righteous life.They seek adulation and they are puffed up by acclamations.Because they are visibly well provided with in their presentcircumstances they do not search for future joy. As numerousactivities take up their lives these people also show howalienated they are. Yet if some temptation should arise to faithbecause, particularly in this kind of exterior form they areaccordingly repressed, they defend it with words, with work andlay claim to the existence of the celestial home whichnevertheless they do not love.46

Gregory then provides three biblical exempla of the sons of Moses,Reuben and Gad, who ask their father for the land in Jazer andGilead as they do not wish to cross the Jordan, taken from Nm32:4.5, where the sons of Ruben and Gad, who owned very largeherds of cattle were loath to cross to the land which the Lord hadprepared for them on the other bank of the Jordan, in order tosupport the moral sense of this passage.47

He remarks how those who possess many herds of cattle, flee fromcrossing the Jordan because those who are very involved in theaffairs of this world do not search for a home in heaven. Yetfaith by its example rebukes those who observe according to theexterior form so that they may not grow lazy in the delights ofleisure and may not break down others from supporting toil andthe zeal of patience. Then he quotes Nm 32:6-7 when Moses reproaches the sons for not

46 Cf. GREGORY, Moralia in Iob XXVII, 24, CCSL 143b, 1348.47 Cf. GREGORY, Moralia in Iob XXVII, 25, CCSL 143b, 1349.

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wishing to accompany their brothers into battle. Perhaps Gregoryis also referring to those clerics who, not being true shepherdsto their flock, are unwilling to undertake missionary journies.Because they blush in not defending that which they confess, forthat same faith which they professed, they hasten to the contestbut they claim it for their neighbours but not for themselves.For this reason, says Gregory quoting Nm 32:16-17, where Reubenand Gad tell Moses that, although they are willing to cross theriver and fight for the others, they will leave their own familiesand flocks safely behind. In the same way, he notices some of thefaithful who are engaged in everyday occupations, are like thosewho pasture their flocks on the other bank of the Jordan, becausecontrary to the faith of their baptism in their minds and desires,they are slaves to ephemeral things. Those who, as we have said,when a temptation arises to their faith, are surrounded by arms ofdefence. They slay enemies by overcoming them with faith and theheritage of the promised land, that is they do not love the fruitof faith, just as they fight on its behalf so that they may laydown their pledges outside it. For if they have children outsideit, their affections do not inhabit it. So they return to flatland because they will be dispersed from the mountain tops almostas they will be from the hope of heaven and they nourish thebrutish animals outside the promised land since they elaborateirrational thoughts for feeding them with empty wishes. Becausethey ignore the brightness of eternal light, because they areblinded by transient cares and while they are haughty aboutearthly matters they exclude themselves from access to heavenlyones. So it is right, says Gregory, to add here that he hid thelight from the haughty. When heavenly grace directs its attentionto these haughty people it afflicts these same people who areoccupied in innumerable matters and some adversities in theirprosperity and introduces some useful tribulations so that theymay return with contrite heart and recognize how inanely they wereoccupied with ephemeral matters. For this reason, he continues, itis afterwards said that the light has been taken away and there isa nice addition of the phrase:

32b et praecipit ei ut rursus adveniat Quia veritatis lumen, quod elatis occupatisque mentibus absconditur, afflictishumiliatisque revelaturGregory here takes up an important theme of the Book of Job of thedialogues between Job, his friends and God which culminates inGod's theophany, and he applies it to Christ.The light of truth,he says, is revealed not when men's minds are engaged in importantaffairs but when they are afflicted and humiliated. The light infact draws near when the mind which has been afflicted puts upwith and recognizes that darkness which derives from thetribulations over mortal things. because he did not distinguishanything else from the interior light nor he did he see this lightbecause he had lost the light.

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This, says Gregory, is particularly understandable in the case ofthe Jews who dared to refuse our Redeemer because they were toohaughty. But this light was hidden from these proud people becausethe proud lost the light of truth while they persecuted it. Hequotes Is 10:22 as proof, "Israel, although your people are likethe sand of the sea, only a remnant will return". Then the light,adds Gregory, certainly turns back to them when they convert toconfessing the might of our Redeemer.48

Si autem manibusAt this point Gregory reflects on another reading of the text inverse 32. He might be comparing it with the Greek version of theSeptuagint because he notices the use of the dative case of manibusin verse 32a which he has already commented on above. He surmisesthat in the text the dative case could in no way be read as onenoun in manibus so that we must accept the two parts of the speech.He says it might be understood to mean that the light is hidden inthe hands as when some iniquitous men are rendered obscure bytheir deeds before a righteous judge. For as often as it falls soit may return because while sinners may realise that they cannotbe saved by their own strength, they accept the light and shinewith the rays of its inner protection. So that afterwards they maylove their heavenly home with greater ardour than the love bywhich they were previously inflamed for earthly things.

Sed haec cum de celesti patria loquimur But, says Gregory, who now begins the anagogical or eschatologicalmeaning of the passage, we are now speaking of our heavenly home.We hear that the processions of angels are endowed with wonderfulclarity, whose creator rules over all things, which he fills andrestores by his appearance. The light is its true heredity and inthat light there is no fault and we bring to mind ourselves. Wethink because we use our earthly limbs, we think because, born indarkness and foreign to the inner light, that insomuch as we havelived in evil and relied on corporal things, we have we spentour time further away from spiritual things. The heart is struckby this consideration and is ill aware that it is afraid and as ithears that of such a homeland it despairs of being a citizen ofit. So, concludes Gregory, this phrase is rightly added so that afrightened mind may be brought back to confidence. Thus anotherphrase about this light is added straightaway.

33 adnuntiat de ea amico suo quod possessio eius sit et ad eam possit ascendereThe friend of truth is the lover of righteous action. So the Truthsays to his disciples. Gregory quotes John 15:14: "You are myfriends, if you do what I command you." Gregory here insists againon the moral sense. Surely a friend, he says, is called thecustodian of the soul. So it is not amiss that he who relies onhis commandments to preserve his will is called his friend.

48 Cf. GREGORY, Moralia in Iob XXVII, 25, CCSL 143b, 1350.

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Gregory uses another biblical exemplum in Jn 15:15. Gregory saysthis what the Truth says again to his disciples. "I shall nolonger call you servants because a servant does not know hismaster's business". So therefore, affirms Gregory, from this lightof the heavenly abode God announces to his friend what is in hispossession. So that he may not despair in any way about thefragility of his weakness and because he was created and think whyhe has been created anew. But so that he may be even more surethat he possesses the clarity of that light when now he tramplesmore truly on the darkness of disquieting sins. So, says Gregory, it is right to add : he may ascend to it. Forwhat is more difficult for a man who bears earthly and weakmembers on earth than to ascend to the heights of heaven andpenetrate the hidden depths of superior spirits?

6. The exegesis of Job 36:29-33 and the new peoplesWe thus observe how Gregory, although he has some doubts aboutthe text in verse 36:32, presents us with what we might define asa specifically spiritual exegesis of Jb 36:29-33. The literalsense of the might of God the creator, as delineated in theuniverse, according to Gregory, also reveals the profoundlychristological sense of the entire pericope. For the clouds hereallegorically represent the ministers of the Word of God himself,who with the preaching of this Word, illuminate the darkness ofmens' hearts.Gregory then connects the passage to the Church and itssacraments, particularly that of Penance and the Eucharist for theWord of God, as proclaimed by his ministers. This, he says, bringsus to know the heart of God and has brought light even to a faroff country such as that of the Saxon tribes. Indeed it bringsthem into intimacy with his heart and grace. However, says Gregory, introducing the moral sense of the passage,not all the shepherds are willing to undertake this mission ofpreaching because many Christians are too engaged in the affairsof the world and not interested in preaching God's Word. They aretoo proud, although they profess to being Christians, to hearGod's voice.Finally he provides the anagogical aspect of the passage examined.These ministers are not really interested in eternal life, whileothers despair of ever being part of it. Humility and purity ofheart are the necessary virtues for these ministers to spread theWord of God.Above all Gregory seems to stress the importance of a missionaryChurch which is disposed to preach even to the tribes of thosepeoples who had hitherto remained outside the boundaries of theRoman Empire. For the historical circumstances in which this Popewas involved were those when the Roman Empire, in its efforts todefend the frontiers of the eastern part of its Empire, wereforced to neglect those of Western Europe. The migrating peoples

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from the north gradually encroached on territories which hadformerly been under Roman jurisdiction.49 The event of the sack ofRome by Totila in 546 and 550, the invasion of the Franks, theoccupation of Southern Italy by the the troups of Byzantium, theNorth by the Longobards were all indications that the Empire wasno longer able to maintain the imperium it had wielded forcenturies.50 Yet Gregory, despite the anxiety caused by these variousonslaughts on Italy, unlike many other Romans of his age, did notconsider these peoples solely as a threat to the Church. On thecontrary, since he saw them as persons who might be converted toChrist and dedicated a great deal of his pontificate to the taskof strengthening or spreading the Christian faith among them.In 597 Gregory despatched a group of forty which landed on theisle of Thanet. The arrival and activity of this group of men,headed by the monk Augustine, in Britain is well described inBede's same History together with his sentiments of gratitude tothis great Pope.51

7. Some conclusionsThe peculiar nature of the numerous monastic foundations inBritain, which were closely involved in the life outside themonasteries, rendered it extremely suitable for the continuationof Gregory's pastoral approach. For active ministry andcontemplative devotion thus became inextricably linked in early-Anglo-Saxon monasticism.52 Unfortunately however the lack ofwritten texts and the ignorance of the clergy hindered furtherevangelization until the foundation of the School at Canterburyand the monasteries of Weavermouth and Jarrow.The Venerable Bede particularly, 672-735, who called GregoryApostolus noster, 53 also envisaged the Church in the land of theSaxons, as Britain subsequently became known, as a missionary bodyof preachers.54 Bede therefore, while humbly acknowledging thetradition of the great Fathers of the Church, particularlyAmbrose, Augustine and Gregory, who had preceded him, continued tosearch for the various senses of the Scriptures in his works.55 Healso takes up Gregory's exegesis of the chariot in Ezechiel, andvisualizes the doctores and praedicatores as those who, like the wheels

49 Cf. For the details of these migrations see: P. HEATHER, Empires and Barbarians,.Migration, Development and the Birth of Europe, London 2009.

50 For the details of the relationship of the Roman Empire with the Germanicworld as a cause for its fall see: P. HEATHER, The Fall of the Roman Empire. A NewHistory, London 2006.

51 Cf. BEDE, Historia ecclesiatica gentis Anglorum I,23ss, vol. I, p. 94; 2,1, vol. I,164-181.

52 Cf. S. FOOT, Monastic Life in Anglo-Saxon England c.600- 900, Cambridge 2006, 286.53 Cf. BEDE, Historia Ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum II 2, vol. I, 164.54 Cf. G. BONNEY, Bede Comments on the "Magnificat", «Salesianum» 71 ( 2009) 51-78.55 Cf. BEDE, In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, CCSL 120, Prologus, 7.

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of the chariot, travel through the lands of the pagans to announcethe Gospel and administrate the sacraments to the non-Christians,as Augustine and Paulinus had done in England.56 Bede however goeseven further than Gregory for he attributes this same obligationeven to the laity.57 Above all, Bede, like Gregory, very muchinsists on the disposition of their hearts in their pastoralmission.58 The tradition of itinerant preachers continued right into theMiddle Ages in England, as did the use of allegorical exegesis,until the influence of the Reformers prevailed and the philosophyof John Locke finally removed the metaphysical basis for any suchspiritual interpretation of the Bible. Much later on, the methodof allegorical exegesis found fresh support in the works ofNewman, 1801-1890, who, as we know, dedicated much effort topreaching. Newman observes that, except for Augustine, for acertain period of Church history, there is no one great doctor andmoreover that Gregory has no place in dogma or philosophy.59

However, it is perhaps for this very reason that Newman, who wasprofoundly disappointed with post-enlightenment rationalism,inserted the phrase of Ambrose in De fide,1,5: non in dialettica complacuitDeo salvum facere populum suum on the frontispiece of his Grammar ofAssent.For as regards the literal exegesis of the school of Antioch, heremarks that those who retained the faith of the Church neverdispensed with the spiritual sense of the Scriptures60 and thatheresy such as Arianism, since it springs from worldliness,destroys the inner man, another constant feature of Gregory'spastoral preoccupations.61

Moreover in the Apologia he observes from his studies on the earlyChurch that the theological doctrines were consciously limited toexpressions of the divine mystery, the revelation, in humanlanguage, that is ecclesial doctrine. The mysteries of the Church,he says, are but the expressions in human language of truths towhich the human mind is unequal.62 The message which Gregory places in his comments on Jb 36 isechoed in the words of Benedict XVI in his message for the WorldMission Day of 2009. «The goal of the Church's mission is toilluminate all peoples with the light of the Gospel as theyjourney through history towards God so that they may reach theirfull potential and fulfilment». In the concluding lines of thisdocument the Pope, as Gregory before him in the fifth century,

56 Cf. BEDE, De Templo IV xiii, CCSL 119a, 217-218.57 Cf. G. CAPUTA, Il sacerdozio dei fedeli secondo San Beda, Città del Vaticano, 2002, 135.58 Cf. BEDE, De Templo III, xxii, 207, IV, xxiii, 218. Cf. GREGORY, Liber Regulae

Pastoralis II, 5, SCh 381, 200-202. 59 Cf. J.H. NEWMAN, Apologia pro vita sua, 296.60 Cf. J.H. NEWMAN, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, 344. 61 Cf. S. THOMAS, Newman and Heresy. The Anglican Years, Cambridge 1991, 43.62 Cf. J.H. NEWMAN, Apologia pro vita sua, 115.

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reasserts «that evangelization is primarily the work of theSpirit; before being action, it is witness and irradiation of thelight of Christ.».

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BibliographyAmbrose, Expositio evangelii secundum Lucam, Sancti Ambrosii Episcopi

Mediolanensis Opera 11, Milano, Roma 1978. Bede, In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, Corpus Christianorum Series Latina

120, Turnhout 1960.Bede, De Templo, Corpus Christianorum 119a, Turnhout 1969.Bede, Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, Torino, 2010.G.. Bonney, Bede Comments on the "Magnificat", « Salesianum»71 (2009) 51-

78.G.. Caputa, Il sacerdozio dei fedeli secondo Beda, Città del Vaticano 2002.P. Dhorme, Le livre de Job, Paris 1926.S. Foot, Monastic Life in Anglo-Saxon England c. 600-900, Cambridge 2006.P.J. Gentry, "The Asterisked Materials in the Greek Job", Society of Biblical

Literature, Atlanta, Georgia 1995.Gildas, De excidio et conquestu Britanniae, PL 69, 347-348.M. Gorea, Job repensé ou trahi? Omissions et raccourcis de la Septante, Paris

2007.Gregory the Great, Registrum I, Corpus Christianorum Series Latina,

140, Turnhout 1982.Gregory the Great, Registrum II, Corpus Christianorum Series Latina,

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143, Turnhout 1979.Gregory the Great, Moralia in Iob, Corpus Christianorum Series

Latina,143a, Turnhout 1979.Gregory the Great, Moralia in Iob, Corpus Christianorum Series

Latina,143b, Turnhout 1985.Gregory the Great, Dialogi, Sources Chrétiennes 260, Paris 1979.Gregory the Great, Homiliae in Hiezechihelem prophetam, Corpus

Christanorum Series Latina 142, Turnhout, 1971.Gregory the Great, Liber Regulae Pastoralis, Sources Chrétiennes 381,

Paris 1992. P. Heather, Empires and Barbarians. Migration, Development and the Birth of

Europe, London 2009.P. Heather, The Fall of the Roman Empire. A New History, London 2006.J. Newman, Apologia pro vita sua, London 1972.J. Newman, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Notre Dame

Indiana 1989.Nicholas of Lyre, Glossa ordinaria, PL 113, 26-30.M. Pope, Job, Anchor Bible, Garden City, New York, 1974.Septuaginta. Vetus Testamentum Graecum Auctoritate Academiae

Scientiarum Gottingensis editum, Gõttingen, "Job {Iob}" (1982,J. Ziegler) 376-377.

Scala Paradisi, PL 40, 998-1004. S. Thomas, Newman and Heresy. The Anglican Years, Cambridge 1991.The New English Translation of the LXX, NETS (A. Pietersma, B.Wright edd)

Oxford 2007.

AbstractThis article examines chapter 36:29-33 in the Moralia in Iob ofGregory the Great. First of all it briefly looks at an example ofthe historical-critical approach of this passage. It then analysesin greater detail, verse by verse, the spiritual exegesis of

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Gregory the Great. Finally it observes how this latter kind ofexegesis, which was continued in the work of Bede and the medievalchurchmen, was the way of interpreting the Word of God, until theReformers excluded the living tradition of the Church as theprincipal interpreter of the Scriptures.

G. BONNEYSalesian Pontifical University

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