Life of the Holy and Righteous and Much-Suffering Job (St. Justin Popovich)

By St. Justin Popovich

Righteous Job was from the tribe of Abraham, and lived in the land of Uz, in Arabia. Job was a man of truth, blameless, just, and godly, and he shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He also had seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and very many servants; and his works were great in the earth; with nobility and honor he was the greatest of all men in the East. His sons gathered themselves together, and gave feasts at home every day, and called their three sisters to eat and drink with them. The sons of Job lived in such love and harmony with each other that, although they lived in separate houses, they never liked to eat or drink without each other. So, one day they had lunch together with the eldest brother, and the next day with the other brother, and thus having celebrated in seven days, they started again from the eldest. And their feasts were moderate and honorable, neat and quiet, without drunkenness, disorder and noise. This is because their good and righteous father would not allow gatherings, in which the sin of overeating, drunkenness and indecency would have a share, but he would surely forbid them. But he, seeing their good nature and meekness and so much mutual love that is rarely found among siblings, did not forbid them feasts but enjoyed it. And when they had prepared a feast for seven days, Job sent to them, admonishing them and advising them to examine their conscience carefully, whether they had sinned against the Lord in word or thought, because righteous Job feared God very much, fearing not with the fear of a slave but with the fear of a son of love, and he took care of himself and all his house, so that nothing would be done that would anger the Lord God.

The Bright Example of the Much-Contested Job (Elder Ephraim of Arizona)

By Elder Ephraim of Arizona

Today our Orthodox Church celebrates the holy and much-contested Job, the righteous Job. Why? Because he contested much, he was in many contests. He received many crowns, he brought many victories. Where? In the sea of life. And we see in his biography, that this Saint, in the time he lived, in those years when there was no Orthodox Church, Christ had not come down, God the Word had not incarnated, the world did not see the life of Christ, no one saw God in the flesh, they did not see His miracles, they saw nothing. And yet, with a simple faith in the Creator, in the Maker, he became the Great Atlas of God. With a simple faith, seeing the creation, the operation of creation, he saw the upper world, the stars, the seasons and everything he saw working perfectly, from time immemorial, without anything created going astray from its creation, not in the slightest. How is it possible, he said, for material things to be made with such science and to function with such scientific precision without a Creator? Reason, conscience, made him submit to unwavering faith. With this awareness, of faith in the Creator, he became a great believer. Establishing his faith on these things and hitting rock bottom, he was confronted by the great Dragon, the deceitful Devil.

Homily on the Value of Patience (St. John Chrysostom)

Homily on the Value of Patience

By St. John Chrysostom

(Traditionally read on the Saturday of Souls before Pentecost)

If we want to speak about patience, we must speak of the righteous Job. Job was a God-fearing man with many children and enormous wealth. His name was known throughout the eastern parts of the world. Everyone held him in high esteem and admiration. Unexpectedly, he lost everything: his wealth, his children, and his health. From the height of fortune he fell into the depth of misfortune; from distinction to unimportance. Not only did he have to deal with extreme poverty, a serious illness, the anguish due to the death of his children, the ruthlessness of the bandits, and the ungratefulness of his friends, but he also had to contend with ridicule and slander. All possible misfortunes fell upon him. Worse of all, he was unprepared for them. Whoever is born and grows up in poverty is accustomed to enduring difficulties and prepared to live in deprivation. Similarly, whoever loses some of his children, no matter how much he grieves for their death, still finds consolation in the children that remain.

Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki, Greater than Righteous Job (St. Gregory Palamas)

By St. Gregory Palamas

What we said of Job from the land of Uz could refer to Demetrios at that time, that "there was none like him in the earth" (Job 1:8). In fact, even Job himself, of whom it is written that there was none like him among men (Job 2:3 LXX), did not resemble Demetrios, who was holy in every way.

Job, in an earlier time, had certainly been blameless, righteous and God-fearing, just as Demetrios was later shown to be. But Job could not be praised for virginity, whereas virginity marked out Demetrios as victoriously crowned from his youth, superior to human nature, and a match for the angels who surround God. And whereas Job's body was severely wounded in his fight against evil (Job 2:8, 13), Demetrios struggled with evil to the point of shedding his last drop of blood.

Prophet Job Resource Page

Holy Prophet Job (Feast Day - May 6)

Verses

Although dead your manly rock is unforgettable,
And how Job will I hide the rock in the netherworld of forgetfulness?
On the sixth much-enduring Job was enwrapped in death's cloud.

 

Synaxarion of the Holy Prophet Job 

 

The Story of Righteous Job the Long-Suffering 

 

Righteous Job the Much-Suffering as a Model for our Lives 

 

May: Day 6: Holy and Righteous Job the Much-Suffering

 

Prologue in Sermons: January 24 

 

Holy and Righteous Job the Much-Contested in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church 

 

Stories from the Old Testament: Job 

 

Homily on the Value of Patience (St. John Chrysostom)  

 

The Lesson of the Dunghill of Job According to St. John Chrysostom 

 

Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki, Greater than Righteous Job (St. Gregory Palamas)

 

Homily for the Thursday After the Sunday of the Paralytic - Let Us Imitate the Long-Suffering Job (St. Luke of Simferopol)

Life of the Holy and Righteous and Much-Suffering Job (St. Justin Popovich)

 

A Homily on the Long-Suffering and Patient Job (St. Nikolai Velimirovich)

 

Righteous Job the Much-Suffering as a Model of Patience and Faithfulness for Saint Iakovos Tsalikes

 

The Bright Example of the Much-Contested Job (Elder Ephraim of Arizona)

 

Job Was Faithful Because He Was Not Bound To This World

Synaxarion of the Holy Prophet Job

On the sixth of this month [May], we commemorate the Holy Righteous, Much-Suffering and Prophet Job.

Verses

Although dead your manly rock is unforgettable,
And how Job will I hide the rock in the netherworld of forgetfulness?
On the sixth much-enduring Job was enwrapped in death's cloud.

Job was from the land of Ausis, on the borders of Idumea and Arabia, and was a descendant of one of the sons of Esau, the first-born child of Isaac, so that he was the fifth from Abraham. His father was Zare and mother Bosorrha, and his name before was Jobab. He had prophesied for forty-five years, and lived one thousand nine hundred and twenty-five years before the coming of Christ.

The Lesson of the Dunghill of Job According to St. John Chrysostom

"And then Job sat on a hill of dung, and scratched his sores with a shell" (Job 2:8).

By St. John Chrysostom

(From Homilies 4 & 5 on the Statues)

- Adam was in Paradise, but when he was supine, he was supplanted! Job sat down on the dunghill, yet, since he was vigilant he prevailed! Yet how much better was Paradise than a dunghill! Still the excellency of the place benefited in no degree the inhabitant; forasmuch as he had betrayed himself; as likewise indeed the vileness of the place did to one no injury, who was fortified on every side with virtue.

Synaxarion of the Great Martyr Eustathios, With Theopisti, Agapios and Theopistos

On the twentieth of this month, we remember the Holy Martyr Eustathios and those with him, Theopisti his wife, and Agapios and Theopistos his sons.

Verses

Eustathios burns with his offspring in a bronze ox,

And you, O Word, save the whole race.

On the twentieth Eustathios with his wife and his sons were burned.

This Great Martyr of Christ, Eustathios, was a most illustrious general of Rome, during the reign of Emperor Trajan in the year 100. He was famously recognized by others for his virtue, his way of life and thought, and he was merciful and compassionate to the poor. He was first called Plakidas, and his wife was Tatiani.

Righteous Job the Much-Suffering as a Model for our Lives

Righteous Job the Much-Suffering (Feast Day - May 6)

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

The righteous Job came from the ancient city of Ausis, which was located in Arabia, near Damascus. He is known for his admirable patience in the temptations and tribulations he encountered, hence the well-known phrase "Job-like patience", which indicates his great patience in the difficulties and sorrows of life.

He was richly blessed by God with material wealth, but also through childbearing, having seven sons and three daughters. But God allowed all of his children to die together, to lose all his material goods, and then be infected with an incurable disease that tormented him throughout his body. His wounds were full of pus, that smelled bad and hurt, which is why he would scratch them with a shell while sitting on manure far from his home and people. But, despite his great sorrow and physical pain, he continued to glorify God. To his wife, who urged him to blaspheme God in order to end his life, he responded: "Why do you speak like a senseless woman? If we accept what is good from God, should we not endure what is evil?" Then he said: "The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away: as it seemed good to the Lord, so has it come to pass; blessed be the name of the Lord."