Fathers

Loading…

What the Fathers say

Job 7:6

Western Saints

Gregory the Dialogist

My days are past more swiftly than a web is cut off by the weaver. By a very suitable image the time of the flesh is compared to a web. For as the web advances by threads, so this mortal life by the several days; but in proportion as it grows to its bigness, it is advancing to its cutting off. For as we have also said above, whilst the time in our hands passes, the time before us is shortened. …

Morals on the Book of Job, Book VIII ↗

Thomas Aquinas

The second is because the greater part of his life was already past and therefore very little time remained so he could not hope for a great deal of happiness during that time. Because of this he says, "My days have passed swifter than warp is cut off by a weaver." The life of man is in a certain sense like something woven. Just as a weaver weaving a warf joins threads to threads to arrive at the product of cloth, and when he makes a cloth he cuts it from the loom, so days are added to days to complete the life of man. …

Commentary on Job ↗