THEOSISIreneus (Orda)
Job's lamentations regarding his situation provoke his friends to challenge him, leading to an extended discourse on the reasons behind his suffering. Eliphaz takes the lead in this debate. After seeking permission to speak, he expresses his astonishment that a man known for offering comfort to those in anguish could now unleash such intense grievances, especially when his own sense of righteousness should assure him of a bright future. He appeals to experience, asserting that innocence serves as a shield against calamity, whereas might and aggression cannot guard against the Lord’s anger. This brings him to the conclusion that if Job were genuinely upright, he would not be experiencing such hardships.
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To bolster his argument, Eliphaz recounts a profound revelation he received in a dream, imparting to him the truth that before God—who discerns faults even among angels—no one can be deemed innocent, and that mankind is as susceptible to divine wrath as a worm is to the gusts of the wind. In the fervor of his reasoning, Eliphaz seems to overlook that all created beings, each in their respective order, are inherently good, and that angels possess only a relative form of perfection. Therefore, his remark about angels lacking without blemish fails to support the notion that Job’s suffering is a result of his own sinfulness due to the inherent imperfections of mankind. The Church Fathers, such as Athanasius and Chrysostom, provide insight into the nature of angelic fallibility.