Book 20:
77. This we forbear to take
account of after the history, for this reason, that the force of the speech
appears from the pain of the suffering. But because, as we have already often
said, blessed Job very frequently so relates things done, as to foretell things
to be done, this excellently agrees with the accents of Holy Church, who in her
weak members grievously feels the pain of the last persecution. And when others
die off from her, all the stronger ones are wrung with sorrow. For her outward
concern is earthly dispensing, but the interior is a heavenly charge. And so by
the name of the ‘skin’ the weak are denoted, who now do service in her to
exterior usefulness. While by the bones the strong are represented, in that in
them the whole jointing of her body is cemented. And therefore because either
being invited by bribes, or distressed by persecutions, many weak persons in
her fall from the standing of faith, and themselves after they have fallen
persecute her, what is it but that she suffers a ‘blackness of her skin,’ that
in those very ones she should afterwards appear foul, in whom she before shewed
fair. For whilst they who had been before accustomed to manage outward things
aright, afterwards rage against the Elect of God, as it were ‘the skin’ of the
Church has lost the hue of foregoing righteousness, in that it has come to the
blackness of iniquity. Which Jeremiah also bewails under the likeness of the
principal metal, saying, How is the gold become dim; how is the fine colour
changed? [Lam. 4, 1] The froward, therefore, when they go forth from her
sacraments, very often take a place of honour amongst the children of
perdition, so that the very persons should rage against Holy Church with
authority, who as it were in knowing despise this Church more cruelly. And
hence when he said, My skin is black, he added, upon me; because
those whom she before had as it were white as to the beautifulness of
righteousness, she afterwards carries ‘black’ the worse. But when ‘the skin’ is
turned to ‘blackness,’ the strong that are in her are consumed with jealousy of
the faith. And hence he fitly subjoins; And my bones are dried up with heat.
For in this way in the time before too that strongest bone of Holy Church,
Paul, burned with a certain dryness of weariness, when he said to some persons
on their falling; Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is offended, and I
burn not? [2 Cor. 11, 29] And so ‘the skin is made black, and the bones are
dried up with heat;’ because while the weak leap forth to iniquity, all the
strong are tortured with the fire of their zeal. (Gregory the Great, Commentary on
Job [Ancient Bible Commentary in English; trans. John Litteral;
Ashland, Ky.: Litteral’s Christian Library Publications, 2014], 417)
