THEOSISIreneus (Orda)
Job's expressions of anguish regarding his situation provoke a series of objections from his friends, leading to an extended discussion about the reasons behind his suffering. Eliphaz is the first to respond. After seeking permission to speak, he expresses his astonishment that a man who has frequently offered consolation to those in distress could now voice such intense grievances, given that his awareness of his own righteousness should give him hope for a favorable outcome. He draws on personal experience, asserting that innocence typically protects a person from calamity, while strength and brutality cannot shield one from divine judgment. From this, he concludes that if Job were genuinely virtuous, he would not endure such hardships.
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To bolster this argument, Eliphaz recounts a divine revelation he received during the night, which taught him that in the sight of God, who discerns faults even among the angels, no human is truly blameless. He further contends that mortals can face annihilation from God’s fury just as easily as a worm can be swept away by the wind. In the fervor of his discourse, Eliphaz seems to overlook the fact that all beings, in their respective orders, are created good, and that angels possess a form of relative perfection. Therefore, his assertion that angels are not free from faults is misguided, and it does not substantiate the claim that Job's suffering is due to inherent sinfulness. The Church Fathers, such as Athanasius and Chrysostom, provide insights regarding the fallibility of angels.