On Fruitlessness, Shame, and False Sustenance
He is named as such from the beginning. He slaughtered his own victims and poured his own wine into a bowl. The same food and meat are named as bread and milk and vegetables and wine. However, the foolish are said to partake as if it were her bread and as if it were poured wine. If this is so, how shall we understand that 'man ate the bread of angels' (1 Cor 10:3)? Spiritual knowledge is a bowl containing discourses concerning the incorporeal and the corporeal and judgment and providence.
If Paul the apostle is a servant of Christ, and Christ is wisdom, then Paul the apostle is a servant of wisdom. Likewise, we shall gather the word concerning the rest of the apostles and the prophets, having shown them to be servants of wisdom. Calling with a high proclamation to the bowl, saying: This proclamation alone is a high place of knowledge proclaiming God.
He did not say 'eat of my meats'; for 'solid food is for the mature' (Heb 5:13). One must not rebuke the evil, so that they may not hate you. It is not necessary to rebuke the evil ones who are sinning, but rather to discourse with them concerning the fear of God, which persuades them to depart from wickedness.
If 'to know the law is the work of a good mind,' and to do the commandment is the work of a good mind. However, to do the commandment comes before knowing the law, if it is the nature of knowledge to come after purification.
He who relies on falsehoods, he will shepherd winds; and he himself will chase flying birds, being carried about by every wind of teaching and having shipwrecked concerning the faith. For he left the paths of his own vineyard; he has gone astray from the axes of his own farm. For he left the vine that said: 'I am the vine, you are the branches' (John 15:5), and: 'My father is the farmer' (John 15:1).
Fruitlessness brings about wickedness and ignorance by its own hands. A foolish and impudent woman becomes lacking in shame, one who does not know shame; since shame is a teacher, it is said 'she does not know shame.' And David says that the fear of God is a teacher: 'Come, children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord' (Ps 138:14). But if fear and shame are natural passions of the soul, how are they teachers? Perhaps he calls the teaching about the fear of the Lord 'the fear of the Lord,' which teaches us that we must turn away from wickedness, as it is said, 'all shall turn from evil by the fear of the Lord' (Lk 6:27). Again, he calls 'shame' the discourses concerning repentance and shame that lead us to a sense of our own sins. Thus David says: 'I will behold the heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you established' (Ps 138:14), that is, I will behold the discourses concerning heavens, moon, and stars.
Seize the sweetness of hidden bread and the pleasantness of stolen water: 'Bread of lies will be sweet to them, and after this their mouth will be filled with pebbles' (Prov 9:17). But flee; do not linger in that place, nor fix your eye upon it. It is not necessary to linger the mind with worthless thoughts; 'for no one carries fire in his bosom and burns his clothes' (Lk 6:3). And do not drink from a foreign spring or a foreign well. Just as with God there is a spring of life, so with the devil there is a spring of death. If the spring of God is a spring of virtue and knowledge, then clearly the spring of the devil is a spring of wickedness and ignorance. Likewise, one must consider this regarding rivers, wells, waters, and rains.
Lawless treasures will not profit, but righteousness will rescue from death: 'Lawless treasures will not profit,' which they have stored up upon the earth, 'where moth and worm destroy, and where thieves break in and steal' (Matt 6:19).
Greek
ἕξεως ὀνομάζων αὐτόν. 9 103 9, 2.1–2 ἔσφαξεν τὰ ἑαυτῆς θύματα, ἐκέρασεν εἰς κρατῆρα τὸν ἑαυτῆς οἶνον Ἡ αὐτὴ τροφὴ καὶ κρέας ὀνομάζεται καὶ ἄρτος καὶ γάλα καὶ λάχανα καὶ οἶνος. Πλὴν οἱ ἄφρονες ὡς ἄρτων αὐτῆς λέγονται μεταλαμβάνειν καὶ ὡς οἴνου κεκερασμένου. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, πῶς νοήσωμεν τὸ «ἄρτον ἀγγέλων ἔφαγεν ἄνθρωπος»; 104 Κρατήρ ἐστιν γνῶσις πνευματικὴ τοὺς περὶ ἀσωμάτων καὶ σωμάτων καὶ κρίσεως καὶ προνοίας περιέχουσα λόγους. 105 9, 3.1 ἀπέστειλεν τοὺς ἑαυτῆς δούλους Εἰ Παῦλος ὁ ἀπόστολος δοῦλός ἐστι Χριστοῦ, ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς σοφία ἐστίν, Παῦλος ἄρα ὁ ἀπόστολος δοῦλος σοφίας ἐστίν. Ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ τῶν προφητῶν τὸν λόγον συνάξομεν, δούλους τῆς σοφίας αὐτοὺς ἀποδείξαντες. 106 9, 3.2 συγκαλοῦσα μετὰ ὑψηλοῦ κηρύγματος ἐπὶ κρατῆρα λέγουσα Τοῦτο τὸ κήρυγμα μόνον ἐστὶν ὑψηλὸν τόπους γνώσεως κηρῦσσον θεοῦ. 107 9, 5 ἔλθατε, φάγετε τῶν ἐμῶν ἄρτων καὶ πίετε οἶνον ὃν ἐκέρασα ὑμῖν Οὐκ εἶπεν τῶν ἐμῶν κρεῶν· «τελείων γάρ ἐστιν ἡ στερεὰ τροφή.» 108 9, 8.1 μὴ ἔλεγχε κακούς, ἵνα μὴ μισῶσίν σε Οὐ δεῖ ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐλέγχειν τοὺς κακούς, μᾶλλον δὲ περὶ φόβου θεοῦ αὐτοῖς διαλέγεσθαι, ὅστις πείθει αὐτοὺς ἀποστῆναι κακίας. 109 9, 10α τὸ δὲ γνῶναι νόμον διανοίας ἐστὶν ἀγαθῆς Εἰ «τὸ γνῶναι τὸν νόμον διανοίας ἐστὶν ἀγαθῆς», καὶ τὸ ποιῆσαι τὴν ἐντολὴν διανοίας ἐστὶν ἀγαθῆς. Πλὴν πρότερον τὸ ποιῆσαι τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ γνῶναι τὸν νόμον, εἴπερ ἡ γνῶσις μετὰ τὴν κάθαρσιν προσγίνεσθαι πέφυκεν. 110 9, 12α ὃς ἐρείδεται ἐπὶ ψεύδεσιν, οὗτος ποιμανεῖ ἀνέμους· ὁ δ' αὐτὸς διώξεται ὄρνεα πετόμενα Παντὶ ἀνέμῳ τῆς διδασκαλίας περιφερόμενος καὶ ναυαγήσας περὶ τὴν πίστιν. 111 9, 12β ἀπέλιπεν γὰρ ὁδοὺς τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ ἀμπελῶνος· τοὺς δὲ ἄξονας τοῦ ἰδίου γεωργίου πεπλάνηται Ἀπέλιπεν γὰρ τὴν ἄμπελον τὴν εἰποῦσαν· «ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος, ὑμεῖς τὰ κλήματα», καί· «ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ γεωργός ἐστιν.» 112 9, 12ξ.3 συνάγει δὲ χερσὶν ἀκαρπίαν Ἀκαρπία ἐστὶ κακία καὶ ἄγνοια. 113 9, 13 γυνὴ ἄφρων καὶ θρασεῖα ἐνδεὴς ψωμοῦ γίνεται, ἣ οὐκ ἐπίσταται αἰσχύνην Ὡς διδακτῆς οὔσης τῆς αἰσχύνης, εἴρηται τὸ «οὐκ ἐπίσταται αἰσχύνην». Καὶ ὁ ∆αυὶδ τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φόβον διδακτὸν εἶναι λέγει· «δεῦτε γάρ, φησίν, τέκνα, ἀκούσατέ μου, φόβον κυρίου διδάξω ὑμᾶς.» Εἰ δὲ ὁ φόβος καὶ ἡ αἰσχύνη πάθη ψυχῆς ἐστι φυσικά, πῶς διδακτά ἐστιν; Ἢ τάχα φόβον λέγει κυρίου τὴν διδασκαλίαν τὴν περὶ φόβου κυρίου τὴν διδάσκουσαν ἡμᾶς ὅπως δεῖ ἀπὸ κακίας ἐκκλίνειν, εἴγε «τῷ φόβῳ κυρίου ἐκκλίνει πᾶς ἀπὸ κακοῦ». Καὶ πάλιν αἰσχύνην ὀνομάζει τοὺς περὶ μετανοίας καὶ αἰσχύνης λόγους τοὺς ἄγοντας ἡμᾶς εἰς συναίσθησιν τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ ∆αυίδ φησιν· «ὄψομαι τοὺς οὐρανούς, ἔργα τῶν δακτύλων σου, σελήνην καὶ ἀστέρας ἃ σὺ ἐθεμελίωσας», τουτέστιν ὄψομαι τοὺς λόγους τοὺς περὶ οὐρανῶν καὶ σελήνης καὶ ἀστέρων. 114 9, 17 ἄρτων κρυφίων ἡδέως ἅψασθε καὶ ὕδατος κλοπῆς γλυκεροῦ «Ἡδύνθη αὐτοῖς ἄρτος ψεύδους καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο πλησθήσεται τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν ψηφῖδος.» 115 9, 18α ἀλλὰ ἀποπήδησον, μὴ ἐγχρονίσῃς ἐν τῷ τόπῳ μηδὲ ἐπιστήσῃς τὸ σὸν ὄμμα πρὸς αὐτήν Οὐ δεῖ τὸν νοῦν ἐγχρονίζειν τοῖς φαύλοις νοήμασιν· «οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀποδήσει πῦρ ἐν κόλπῳ καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια οὐ κατακαύσει.» 116 9, 18ξ ἀπὸ δὲ ὕδατος ἀλλοτρίου ἀπόσχου καὶ ἀπὸ πηγῆς ἀλλοτρίας μὴ πίῃς Ὥσπερ παρὰ τῷ θεῷ ἐστιν πηγὴ ζωῆς, οὕτω καὶ παρὰ τῷ διαβόλῳ πηγὴ θανάτου. Εἰ δὲ ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ πηγὴ ἀρετῆς καὶ γνώσεώς ἐστιν πηγή, ἡ τοῦ διαβόλου πηγὴ δηλονότι κακίας καὶ ἀγνωσίας ἐστὶν πηγή. Ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ ποταμῶν καὶ φρεάτων καὶ ὑδάτων καὶ ὑετῶν νοητέον. 117 10, 2 οὐκ ὠφελήσουσιν θησαυροὶ ἀνόμους· δικαιοσύνη δὲ ῥύσεται ἐκ θανάτου «Οὐκ ὠφελήσουσι θησαυροὶ ἀνόμους», οὓς ἐπὶ γῆς ἐθησαύρισαν, «ὅπου σὴς καὶ βρῶσις ἀφανίζει καὶ ὅπου κλέπται διορύσσουσι καὶ κλέπτουσιν». 118 10, 3
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.