Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, and makes us wiser than the fowls of heaven?
All Commentaries on Job 35:11 Go To Job 35
Gregory The Dialogist
AD 604
27. The beasts of the earth are they, who seek the lowest things, from the habit of a carnal life. But the fowls of the heaven are they, who search into lofty things, with the eagerness of a proud curiosity. These degrade themselves, by their conduct, below what they are in themselves; these exalt themselves, by their enquiries, beyond what they are able. The pleasure of the flesh casts down those to the very bottom, the lust of curiosity exalts these, as it were, in things above them. To those it is said by holy Scripture, Be ye not as the horse, and the mule, which have no understanding. [Ps. 32, 9] The proud labour of these is blamed, when it is said, Seek not out the things that are higher than thou, neither search the things that are above thy strength. [Ecclus. 3, 21] To those it is said, Mortify your members which are upon the earth, fornication, lust, evil concupiscence. [Col. 3, 5] To these it is said, Let no man deceive you through philosophy and vain deceit. [Col. 2, 8] God teaches us, therefore, more than the beasts and the fowls of the air, because, while we understand what we are, neither does the infirmity of the flesh cast us down, nor does the spirit of pride raise us up. We do not, by sinking down, fall beneath the lowest things, nor are we puffed up, by pride, as to those above us. For he, who falls in the flesh, is overcome by the appetite of beasts, but he, who is exalted in mind, is raised up, like the fowls, as if with the wing of lightness.
28. But if we keep strict watch, that both humility of mind and chastity of body be preserved, we soon know that the one is preserved by the other. For pride has often been to many a seed-plot of lust; for, whilst their spirit raised them, as it were, on high, their flesh plunged them in the lowest depths. For they are first secretly raised up, but afterwards they fall openly; for while they swell in the secret motions of the heart, they fall with open lapses of the body. Thus, thus, elated, they required to be smitten with righteous retribution; in order that, since they set themselves above men by pride, they might be brought down, by their lust, even to a resemblance of beasts. For, man when he was in honour, understood not, he hath been compared to the senseless beasts, and made like them. [Ps. 49, 20] For the wing of knowledge had raised them, as it were, on high, of whom Paul said that which we before mentioned; Because, when they had known God, they glorified Him not as God, or gave Him thanks, but became vain in their thoughts. [Rom. 1, 21] But how they fell into bestial and more than bestial pleasure, he added, saying, God gave them up to the desires of their hearts, unto uncleanness. [ib. 24.] Lo! the flesh overwhelmed those, whom boastful learning had raised up, and, from the flying of birds, they fell beyond the appetite of beasts, and sank beneath themselves, by the very means by which they appeared to rise above themselves. We must take heed then, and the mind must be kept, with all care, from the swelling of pride. For our thoughts fly not in vain, before the eyes of God; and no moments of time pass in thought, without an abiding of retribution. God then beholds what elates the mind within; and therefore permits that which is to bring it down to gain strength without. That which is afterwards to be struck down without by the pollution of lust, is first raised up within us. Open punishment, namely, follows a secret fault, in order that our inward evils may be punished, by those from without, and that the heart, which was secretly pulled up, may fall openly. For hence it is said by Hosea, against the Israelites, The spirit of fornication is in the midst of them, and they have not known the Lord. [Hos. 5, 4] Who, in order to shew that the cause of lust sprung from the sin of pride, proceeded to say, And the pride of Israel will answer to his face. [ib. 5] As if he were saying, The sin, which through pride of mind lurked in secret, openly replied by the lust of the flesh. Wherefore the cleanness of chastity is to be preserved, by guarding humility. For, if the spirit is piously humbled before God, the flesh is not raised unlawfully above the spirit. For, the spirit holds the dominion over the flesh, committed to it, if it acknowledges the claims of lawful servitude to the Lord. For if, through pride, it despises its Author, it justly takes on itself a contest with its subject flesh. Whence also that first disobedient one, as soon as he had sinned through pride, covered his shameful parts. [Gen. 3, 7] For, because his spirit had put an insult on God, it soon experienced the insult of the flesh. And, because it refused to submit to its Creator, it lost its right over the subject flesh, which it used to rule: in order, namely, that the confusion of its own disobedience might redound upon itself, and that it might learn, when vanquished, what it had lost through pride.
29. Let no one, then, after he has begun to aim at things above him, consider, if overcome by carnal pleasure, that he is only then defeated, when he is openly overpowered. For, if the poison of lust frequently springs from the root of pride, the flesh then triumphed, when the spirit was secretly proud. The soul then fell, as to the beginning of its fault, into the wantonness of beasts, when, by raising itself, like the fowls, it soared higher than it ought. For it is hence, that long-maintained continence is suddenly broken through, hence, that virginity, though preserved even to old age, is frequently violated. For, since humility of heart is neglected, the righteous Judge despises even chastity of body, and at last proclaims, by an open sin, those to be reprobates, whom He endured in secret, though long ago rejected. For he, who has suddenly lost a long-treasured good, has retained, in himself within, another evil, from which a further evil has suddenly burst forth, by which he was, even then, estranged from God, though he shewed that he cleaved to Him by cleanness of body. Because, therefore, pride of mind leads to the pollution of the flesh, the heart of the reprobate is, from the flight of birds, plunged into the wantonness of beasts. But holy men, that they may not be carried down into the whirlpool of lust, through bestial appetite, carefully guard the thoughts of their mind from the flight of pride; and, that they may not sink, through folly, into the lowest depths, humbly keep down all their high notions. It is therefore rightly said, Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and instructeth us more than the fowls of heaven. Thou understandest, ‘this he also said not.’
30. He says, therefore, that he does not remember in tribulation, that he is superior to the beasts, and to the fowls. As if he were to say, Every one who is weak, does not strengthen himself when in perturbation, because he does not moderate himself, when in tranquillity; and he therefore knows not how to endure adversities, because, when prosperous, he knew not how to keep himself down in thought from the flight of birds, nor to raise up the motions of his flesh from the gluttony of beasts. But this was the more unfitly said to blessed Job, as his life is wonderfully kept in the mean, between things high and low. But it can also be understood in another way; Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and instructeth us more than the fowls of heaven. For as the life of men, still subject to the motions of the flesh, is signified by the word ‘beasts;’ so is the pride of haughty spirits set forth by the appellation ‘fowls;’ in order that earthly men may be designated by ‘beasts,’ but the devils by ‘fowls.’ Whence, when the Lord said that the seeds had fallen by the way side, He adds, The fowls of the air came and devoured them up; [Matt. 13, 4] signifying doubtless by fowls, the powers of the air.
31. But because holy persons neither follow the lowest examples of men, nor, again, are deceived by the subtlety of devils, they rise, by the virtue of their instruction, both above the beasts of the earth, and the fowls of heaven. For they are taught more than the beasts of the earth, because they despise whatever can be desired below: and they are instructed more than the fowls of the air, because they understand all the stratagems of unclean spirits. They are taught above the beasts of the earth, because they seek not any thing, which passes away in this life. They are instructed more than the fowls of the air, because they trample down even now, by the merits of their life, the powers of the air, which they still tolerate through the infirmity of the flesh. Paul had been already taught above the beasts of the earth, when saying, For many walk; and shortly afterwards, Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, who savour of earthly things. But our conversation is in heaven. [Phil. 3, 18-20] And again he knew that he was instructed above the fowls of the air, when he said, Know ye not that we shall Judge angels? [1 Cor. 6, 3] He perceived that the beasts were beneath him, because, namely, though still dwelling on earth, he was trampling down the habits of men, who engage in grovelling pursuits. And again he had surpassed the flying of fowls, by the dignity of his merits, because, when now about to enter heaven, he was not ignorant that we would judge Angels. In the one he was treading under the basenesses of the impure, in the other the loftinesses of the proud. For the minds of holy men despise all transitory objects, and behold every thing that is proud, and every thing that passes away, sink beneath them. And placed on a lofty eminence, they see all things the more subject to them, the more truly they submit themselves to the Author of all; and they transcend all things, just as they prostrate themselves in true humility before the Creator of all things. Let him say then, Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and instructeth us more than the fowls of the heaven. As if he were saying, The weak man, overcome by his cowardice, said not thus, and therefore the adversity of temptation smote him: because in the season of tranquillity he did not overcome all these transitory objects, by any perfection. For he would not dread the adversities of this life, if he had trampled even its prosperity under foot, by the merit of his perfection.
