The Honey of Contemplation and the Blood of Justice
But friends. 'And provoke,' he says, through prayers and supplications, 'and say I will pray for my friend': 'Keep me, Lord, from the hand of a sinner' (Ps 118:4) and 'deliver me from an unrighteous man' (Ps 140:5) and 'do not deliver me into the hands of those who afflict me, because for your sake we are being killed all day long; we have been counted as sheep for the slaughter' (Ps 44:22).
Do not give sleep to your eyes, nor let a watchman stand over your eyelids. Sleep is sin in its activity; but drowsiness is the first unclean thought established in the soul. Therefore also before drowsiness, the Law prevents sleep: 'For it was said,' he says, 'to the ancients: You shall not murder' (Ex 20:13); but I say: You shall not be angry. And here, for it seems to me, the Law prevents sleep, but the Gospel of Christ prevents drowsiness, if indeed the one cuts off sin in its activity, while the other cuts off the evil first established according to the intellect.
Go to the ant, O sluggard, and observe its ways and become wiser than it (Prov 6:6); for even without a farmer being there, and not having one to compel him, and not being under a master, it prepares its food for the summer. Note here that it calls the natural and harmonious movement of the ant wisdom; for indeed the wiser is called wiser than the wise. And how could it not be under a master, if all things are slaves of God? Or is God ever called a master in two ways, as Creator and as known? Therefore also Paul writes: 'But now, having been freed from sin, having become slaves to God' (Rom 6:22), clearly according to virtue and knowledge, 'have your fruit unto sanctification, the end being eternal life.' And if the ant is unworthy of such an end, being irrational, it clearly is also free from such a slavery; so it is well said that the ant is not under a master according to this type of mastery, but is again under a master as having God as Creator.
Go to the bee... of which kings and commoners bring their labors for health. Through the ant, it seems Solomon outlines the practical way for us, but through the bee, he signifies the contemplation of events and of the one who did them, which both the pure and the impure, and the wise and the un-
They are brought toward the health of the soul. And it seems to me that the herald of these things holds the word of the matter, but the honey remaining to him is a symbol of their contemplation. For the herald will pass away: 'for the heaven and the earth, he says, will pass away' (Matt 24:35); but the honey will not pass away. For neither will the words of our Savior Christ pass away, concerning which Solomon says: 'Words sweet as honey are good, and their sweetness is healing to the soul' (Prov 16:24); and David: 'How sweet, he says, are your words to my throat, sweeter than honey to my mouth' (Ps 19:10).
The result of the labor is named labor. Until when, sluggard, will you lie down? When will you arise from sleep? This sleep only happens to a rational soul; for here it signifies wickedness and ignorance, of which watchfulness makes something 'like a sparrow chirping on a roof.' Poverty happens to you like an evil traveler, and want like a good runner. Poverty is a deprivation of knowledge; and want is a scarcity of virtues.
He himself blows with the eye, but it signifies the foot, and he teaches by blowing with the fingers. Beware here, lest the opponents, through such movements of the body, recognize their own thoughts being nourished in us, since we have believed only God to be the Knower of Hearts. An eye of insolence, an unjust tongue, hands pouring out righteous blood. Everyone who eats the flesh of Christ and drinks his blood acquires righteous blood, the deprivation of which is said to cause a rational soul to die; 'for the soul, he says, that sins shall die' (Ezek 18:4).
And if there is righteous blood, it is evident that there is also unjust blood, which those who devour the given food among the Ethiopians gather within themselves and are nourished by the bread of falsehood, consume. And those sacrificing to foreign gods consume their own righteous blood; but those offering themselves as a sacrifice to the only God destroy unjust blood. And certainly, the generation of righteous blood will follow the corruption of unjust blood, and the generation of unjust blood will follow the corruption of righteous blood. But this is destined to happen now; from the beginning it was not so; for righteousness did not come about through the corruption of wickedness, just as health does not come about through the corruption of disease, of the...
Greek
ἀλλὰ φίλους.» «Παρόξυνε δέ», φησίν, διὰ προσευχῶν καὶ δεήσεων, «καὶ τὸν φίλον σου ὃν ἐνεγυήσω» λέγων· «φύλαξόν με, κύριε, ἐκ χειρὸς ἁμαρτωλοῦ» καὶ «ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς ἀδίκου ῥῦσαί με» καὶ «ἕνεκα τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου μὴ παραδῷς με εἰς χεῖρας θλιβόντων με», «ὅτι ἕνεκέν σου θανατούμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν· ἐλογίσθημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς». 70 6, 4 μὴ δῷς ὕπνον σοῖς ὄμμασιν μηδὲ ἐπινυστάξῃς σοῖς βλεφάροις Ὕπνος μέν ἐστι ψυχῆς ἡ κατ' ἐνέργειαν ἁμαρτία· νυσταγμὸς δὲ τὸ πρῶτον ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ συνιστάμενον ἀκάθαρτον νόημα. ∆ιὸ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ νυσταγμοῦ ὁ λόγος τὸν ὕπνον κωλύει· «ἐρρέθη γάρ, φησί, τοῖς ἀρχαίοις· οὐ φονεύσεις· ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω· οὐκ ὀργισθήσῃ.» Καὶ ἐνταῦθα γὰρ φαίνεταί μοι τὸν ὕπνον κωλύων ὁ νόμος, τὸν δὲ νυσταγμὸν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἴγε ὁ μὲν περικόπτει τὴν κατ' ἐνέργειαν ἁμαρτίαν, τὸ δὲ τὴν κατὰ διάνοιαν πρῶτον συνισταμένην κακίαν. 71 6, 6 ἴθι πρὸς τὸν μύρμηκα, ὦ ὀκνηρέ, καὶ ζήλωσον ἰδὼν τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ γενοῦ ἐκείνου σοφώτερος· 6, 7 ἐκείνῳ γὰρ γεωργίου μὴ ὑπάρχοντος μηδὲ τὸν ἀναγκάζοντα ἔχων μηδὲ ὑπὸ δεσπότην ὤν, 6, 8.1 ἑτοιμάζεται θέρους τὴν τροφήν Σημειωτέον ἐνταῦθα ὅτι τὴν τοῦ μύρμηκος φυσικὴν καὶ ἐναρμόνιον κίνησιν σοφίαν καλεῖ· καὶ γὰρ ὁ σοφώτερος σοφοῦ σοφώτερος λέγεται. Πῶς δὲ καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὑπὸ δεσπότην, εἴγε τὰ σύμπαντα δοῦλα τοῦ θεοῦ; Ἢ μήποτε ὁ θεὸς δεσπότης λέγεται διχῶς, ὡς δημιουργὸς καὶ ὡς γινωσκόμενος. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος γράφει· «νυνὶ δὲ ἐλευθερωθέντες μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, δουλωθέντες δὲ τῷ θεῷ», δηλονότι κατ' ἀρετὴν καὶ γνῶσιν, «ἔχετε τὸν καρπὸν ὑμῶν εἰς ἁγιασμόν, τὸ δὲ τέλος ζωὴν αἰώνιον.» Εἰ δὲ τοῦ τοιούτου τέλους ἄμοιρός ἐστιν ὁ μύρμηξ, ἄλογος ὤν, δηλονότι καὶ τῆς τοιαύτης δουλείας ἐλεύθερος, καλῶς οὖν λέγεται μὴ εἶναι ὑπὸ δεσπότην ὁ μύρμηξ κατὰ ταύτην τὴν δεσποτείαν καὶ εἶναι πάλιν ὑπὸ δεσπότην ὡς δημιουργὸν ἔχων τὸν θεόν. 72 6, 8α.1 ἢ πορεύθητι πρὸς τὴν μέλισσαν ... 6, 8β.1 ἧς τοὺς πόνους 6 βασιλεῖς καὶ ἰδιῶται πρὸς ὑγείαν προσφέρονται ∆ιὰ μὲν τοῦ μύρμηκος ἔοικεν ὁ Σολομὼν τὴν πρακτικὴν ὁδὸν ἡμῖν ὑπογράφειν, διὰ δὲ τῆς μελίσσης τὴν θεωρίαν τῶν γεγονότων σημαίνειν καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ποιήσαντος, ἥντινα καὶ καθαροὶ καὶ ἀκάθαρτοι καὶ σοφοὶ καὶ ἀνόητοι πρὸς τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ὑγείαν προσφέρονται. Καὶ φαίνεται μέν μοι ὁ κηρὸς αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων λόγον ἐπέχειν, τὸ δ' ἐναποκείμενον αὐτῷ μέλι σύμβολον εἶναι τῆς θεωρίας αὐτῶν. Καὶ ὁ μὲν κηρὸς παρελεύσεται· «ὁ οὐρανὸς γάρ, φησίν, καὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσεται»· τὸ δὲ μέλι οὐ παρελεύσεται. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ λόγοι παρελεύσονται τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Χριστοῦ, περὶ ὧν λέγει ὁ Σολομών· «κηρία μέλιτος λόγοι καλοί, γλύκασμα δὲ αὐτῶν ἴασις ψυχῆς»· καὶ ὁ ∆αυίδ· «ὡς γλυκέα, φησί, τῷ λάρυγγί μου τὰ λόγιά σου, ὑπὲρ μέλι τῷ στόματί μου.» 73 Τὸ ἀποτέλεσμα τοῦ πόνου πόνον ὠνόμασεν. 74 6,09 ἕως τίνος, ὀκνηρέ, κατάκεισαι; πότε δὲ ἐξ ὕπνου ἐγερθήσῃ; Ὁ ὕπνος οὗτος μόνῃ πέφυκεν ἐπισυμβαίνειν ψυχῇ λογικῇ· σημαίνει γὰρ ἐνταῦθα κακίαν καὶ ἀγνωσίαν, ὧν ἡ ἀγρυπνία ποιεῖ τινα «ὡς στρουθίον μονάζον ἐπὶ δώματι». 75 6, 11 εἶτ' ἐμπαραγίνεταί σοι ὥσπερ κακὸς ὁδοιπόρος ἡ πενία καὶ ἡ ἔνδεια ὥσπερ ἀγαθὸς δρομεύς Πενία ἐστὶ στέρησις γνώσεως· ἔνδεια δὲ σπάνις τῶν ἀρετῶν. 76 6, 13 ὁ δ' αὐτὸς ἐννεύει ὀφθαλμῷ, σημαίνει δὲ ποδί, διδάσκει δὲ ἐννεύμασιν δακτύλων Προσεκτέον ἐνταῦθα μήποτε ἄρα διὰ τῶν τοιούτων κινημάτων τοῦ σώματος γινώσκουσιν οἱ ἀντικείμενοι τοὺς ἑαυτῶν λογισμοὺς ἐν ἡμῖν τρεφομένους, ἐπιδὴ καρδιογνώστην μόνον τὸν θεὸν πεπιστεύκαμεν εἶναι. 77 6, 17 ὀφθαλμὸς ὑβριστοῦ, γλῶσσα ἄδικος, χεῖρες ἐκχέουσαι αἶμα δίκαιον Πᾶς ὁ τρώγων τὰς σάρκας τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ πίνων τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ κτᾶται αἷμα δίκαιον, οὗ στερισκομένη λέγεται ἀποθνῄσκειν ψυχὴ λογική· «ψυχὴ γάρ, φησίν, ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα αὐτὴ ἀποθανεῖται.» Εἰ δέ ἐστιν αἷμα δίκαιον, ἔστιν δηλονότι καὶ αἷμα ἄδικον, ὅπερ συνάγουσιν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς οἱ κατεσθίοντες τὸ δεδομένον βρῶμα λαοῖς τοῖς Αἰθίοψιν καὶ τρεφόμενοι τῷ ἄρτῳ τοῦ ψεύδους. Καὶ οἱ μὲν θύοντες θεοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις τὸ δίκαιον ἑαυτῶν αἷμα καταναλίσκουσιν· οἱ δὲ ἑαυτοὺς θυσίαν προσάγοντες τῷ μόνῳ θεῷ τὸ ἄδικον διαφθείρουσιν αἷμα. Ἀκολουθήσει δὲ πάντως τῇ μὲν φθορᾷ τοῦ ἀδίκου αἵματος ἡ γένεσις τοῦ δικαίου αἵματος καὶ τῇ φθορᾷ τοῦ δικαίου αἵματος ἡ γένεσις τοῦ ἀδίκου αἵματος. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν νῦν γενέσθαι πέφυκεν, ἀπ' ἀρχῆς δὲ οὐχ οὕτως· οὐ γὰρ κατὰ φθορὰν κακίας ὑπέστη δικαιοσύνη, ὡς οὐδὲ κατὰ φθορὰν νόσου ὑγεία, τῶν
About this text
Evagrius's short notes on Proverbs, turning each proverb toward the fight against temptation.
Original English Translation of Evagrius Ponticus’s Scholia in Proverbia — new OET from PG 40 Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 40 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.