But now they that are younger than I hold me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock.
All Commentaries on Job 30:1 Go To Job 30
Gregory The Dialogist
AD 604
15. All heretics when compared to the age of the Church Universal are fitly called ‘younger’ in time, because they went forth out of her, not she out of them. Whence it is rightly also said by John; They went out from us, but they were not of us: for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. [1 John 2, 19] For ‘they that are younger in time deride Holy Church,’ when they that went out from her, set at nought the words of her instruction; concerning whom it is further added;
Whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock.
Who is the ‘flock’ of Holy Church saving the multitude of the faithful? Or who else are called ‘the dogs’ of this flock, but the holy Teachers, who became the guardians of those believers? Which same whilst in behalf of their Lord they cried aloud, given up to daily and nightly watchings, uttered, so to say, loud barks of preaching. Concerning whom it is said to that Church by the Psalmist, The tongue of Thy dogs from the enemies by the same. [Ps. 68, 23] Since there are some that being recalled from the worshipping of idols are made the preachers of God. So ‘the tongue of the dogs’ of the Church goeth forth from enemies, because the Gentiles that are converted the Lord makes even preachers. Whence the slowness of the Jews, who refused to speak in God’s behalf by the Prophet upbraiding them is made matter of blame, where he says, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark. [Is. 56, 10]
16. Now we speak of the fathers of Heretics meaning those whom we style ‘Heresiarchs,’ by whose evil preaching, i.e. by the seed of speaking, the peoples following them were begotten in error. So then Holy Church ‘disdains to set the fathers’ of heretics ‘with the dogs of her flock,’ because the founders of erring tenets on trying she rejects, and contemns to number them among the true Fathers. Which persons though they seemed to have recalled some from the erroneousness of heathenism, to have trained the practices of some to the doing what is right, yet for this that they did not think right things of God, she does not ‘set them with the dogs of the flock,’ because she does not rank them with right preachers. For it is plain that Arius; Photinus, Macedonius, Nestorius, Eutyches, Dioscorus, Severus, and numbers like to these, endeavoured by teaching and persuading to appear fathers. But their errors the Holy Church Universal trying with strict severity, does not ‘number those persons among the keepers of’ her flock,’ whom she condemns as breaking up the unity of that flock. Of which same it is said to the Ephesians by the voice of Paul, For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. [Acts 20, 29] And because it sometimes happens that heretics in proportion as they fall away more into the erroneousness of misbelief, guard themselves the more fully in outward practising, so that they may appear to do great things above the rest of the world, the Holy Church Universal sets at nought all their works, which she observes do not come forth by the authority of faith.
