Scholia on Proverbs
It makes men, and anger is insolent; for this is the intoxication that is prone to arise from a boiling spirit. If the Nazirites abstain from wine according to the law, then it has been legislated that the Nazirites be excluded from anger.
The threat of a king does not differ from the anger of a lion; but he who is provoked by it sins against his own soul. Here Christ has been spoken of in opposition as a king; for he who sins against his own soul by being provoked by this one the king sins.
The one who insults while being lazy is not ashamed; likewise the one who borrows grain in a famine. If it is possible to borrow grain in a famine, it is also possible to borrow spiritual grain in the coming age from those who worked in the six years for their own land and who feed widows and orphans in the seventh year.
He who conducts himself blamelessly in righteousness will leave his children blessed, whom he has made manifest through virtue.
A lamp will be extinguished by one slandering a father or a mother; and the maidens of his eyes will see darkness. The same Christ is able, by intention, to be both father and mother; father to those possessing the Spirit through adoption, and mother to those needing milk and not solid food. For the Christ speaking in Paul became a father to the Ephesians, revealing mysteries of wisdom to them, and a mother to the Corinthians, giving them milk to drink.
A portion being studied in the first things will not be blessed in the last. 'It parches the throat for a time'; 'later indeed you will find it more bitter, like bile.'
Do not say: 'I will fight the enemy'; but endure the Lord, so that he may help you. Do not say, moved by pride: 'I alone will fight the enemies'; but endure the Lord, so that he may help you. And David says: 'I do not hope in my own bow, nor shall my sword save me' (Ps 118:71). And again: 'A false horse for salvation' (Prov 28:13) and 'Unless the Lord builds a house and guards a city' (Ps 127:1).
I think that what is called by some a 'great and small weight' is a great excess and deficiency; for both are evils.
The one who suffers well...
One who intends harm to another, but does not himself intend to allow others to rest, has a double measure, not obeying the commandment which says: 'Whatever you want men to do to you, do likewise to them' (Matt 7:12).
An ear that hears and an eye that sees are both works of the Lord. It is not the eye that sees badly that is the work of the Lord, but the one seeing; nor is it the ear that hears badly the work of the Lord, but the one hearing; and the same must be said concerning the other members of the body. Use this saying against those who slander us, insulting this body and the Creator.
Do not love to speak maliciously, so that you may not be caught; but open your eyes and be filled with bread. Through virtues we open the eyes of the soul; and through the wisdom of intelligible things we are filled with bread.
A double weight and a deceitful scale are an abomination to the Lord (Prov 11:1). The mind, which is naturally inclined to judge things rightly, but deviates by the inclination of self-will, calls a deceitful scale a 'deceitful scale.'
The steps of a man are directed by the Lord (Ps 37:23); but how can a mortal man understand His ways? A mortal man who has not died together with Christ cannot understand the ways of the Lord.
It is a quick snare for a man to sanctify his own things; for after praying, repentance happens. Repentance toward good things does not happen to the righteous, but to the unrighteous. Let the unrighteous not promise anything to God without careful consideration; for 'after praying, repentance happens.'
A wise man is a winnowing fan for an impious king and imposes a threshing floor upon them, separating the chaff from the wheat. 'Make them as a threshing floor' (Prov 3:10).
The light of the Lord is the breath of men, a lamp that searches the treasury of the belly. If the light of the Lord is the knowledge of the Lord, and the light of the Lord is the breath of men, then the knowledge of the Lord is the breath of men. He named the one who seems to be a lamp in ignorance, emptying the mind of good things and transforming himself into an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14).
To do justice and to speak truth pleasing to God rather than the blood of sacrifices. This saying casts out the sacrifice through irrational animals; for 'a sacrifice to God is a broken spirit' (Ps 51:17). Toward the crooked, crooked paths.
Greek
ἀνθρώπους ποιῶν, καὶ ὑβριστικὸν ἡ ὀργή· αὕτη γὰρ ἡ μέθη ἀπὸ ζέοντος τοῦ θυμοῦ πέφυκε γίνεσθαι. Εἰ δὲ οἴνου οἱ ναζιραῖοι κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἀπέχονται, θυμοῦ ἄρα τοὺς ναζιραίους ἐκτὸς εἶναι νενομοθέτηται. 207 20, 2 οὐ διαφέρει ἀπειλὴ βασιλέως θυμοῦ λέοντος· ὁ δὲ παροξύνων αὐτὸν ἁμαρτάνει εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν Ἐνταῦθα τὸν Χριστὸν ἄντικρυς εἴρηκε βασιλέα· ὁ γὰρ τοῦτον διὰ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν παροξύνων ἁμαρτάνει εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν. 208 20, 4 ὀνειδιζόμενος ὀκνηρὸς οὐκ αἰσχύνεται· ὡσαύτως καὶ ὁ δανιζόμενος σῖτον ἐν ἀμήτῳ Εἰ ἔστιν ἐν ἀμήτῳ σῖτον δανείσασθαι, ἔστιν καὶ ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τῷ μέλλοντι νοητὸν σῖτον δανείσασθαι παρὰ τῶν 17 ἐργασαμένων ἐν τοῖς ἓξ ἔτεσι τὴν ἑαυτῶν γῆν καὶ τρεφόντων ἐν τῷ ἑβδόμῳ ἔτει χήρας καὶ ὀρφανούς. 209 20, 7 ὃς ἀναστρέφεται ἄμωμος ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, μακαρίους τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ καταλείψει Οὓς κατ' ἀρετὴν δηλονότι γεγέννηκεν. 210 20, 9α κακολογοῦντος πατέρα ἢ μητέρα σβεσθήσεται λαμπτήρ· αἱ δὲ κόραι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ ὄψονται σκότος ∆ύναται ὁ αὐτὸς Χριστὸς κατ' ἐπίνοιαν καὶ πατὴρ εἶναι καὶ μήτηρ· πατὴρ μὲν τῶν πνεῦμα ἐχόντων υἱοθεσίας, μήτηρ δὲ τῶν δεομένων γάλακτος καὶ οὐ στερεᾶς τροφῆς. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ ἐν Παύλῳ λαλῶν Χριστὸς πατὴρ μὲν τῶν Ἐφεσίων ἐγίνετο, σοφίας αὐτοῖς ἀποκαλύπτων μυστήρια, μήτηρ δὲ Κορινθίων, γάλα ποτίζων αὐτούς. 211 20, 9β μερὶς ἐπισπουδαζομένη ἐν πρώτοις, ἐν τοῖς τελευταίοις οὐκ εὐλογηθήσεται «Ἣ πρὸς καιρὸν λιπαίνει» μερὶς «σὸν φάρυγγα· ὕστερον μέντοι πικρότερον χολῆς εὑρήσεις». 212 20, 9ξ μὴ εἴπῃς· τίσομαι τὸν ἐχθρόν· ἀλλὰ ὑπόμεινον τὸν κύριον, ἵνα σοι βοηθήσῃ Μὴ εἴπῃς καθ' ὑπερηφανίαν κινούμενος· ἐγὼ μόνος τοῖς ἐχθροῖς πολεμήσω· ἀλλ' ὑπόμεινον τὸν κύριον, ἵνα σοι βοηθήσῃ. Καὶ ὁ ∆αυίδ φησιν· «οὐκ ἐπὶ τῷ τόξῳ μου ἐλπιῶ καὶ ἡ ῥομφαία μου οὐ σώσει με.» Καὶ πάλιν· «ψευδὴς ἵππος εἰς σωτηρίαν» καὶ «ἐὰν μὴ κύριος οἰκοδομήσῃ οἶκον καὶ φυλάξῃ πόλιν». 213 20, 10 στάθμιον μέγα καὶ μικρὸν καὶ μέτρα δισσά, ἀκάθαρτα ἐνώπιον κυρίου καὶ ἀμφότερα Τὸν παρά τισι θρασύδειλον λεγόμενον στάθμιον μέγα καὶ μικρὸν εἶναι νομίζω καὶ καθόλου πᾶσαν ὑπερβολὴν καὶ ἔλλειψιν στάθμιον μέγα καὶ μικρὸν εἶναι νομίζω· ἑκάτερα γὰρ κακίαι. 214 Ὁ εὖ μὲν πάσχειν ὑφ' ἑτέρου βουλόμενος, αὐτὸς δὲ ὁμοίως ἄλλους ἀναπαύειν μὴ προαιρούμενος, μέτρα ἔχει δισσά, μὴ πειθόμενος τῇ ἐντολῇ τῇ λεγούσῃ· «πάντα ὅσα θέλετε ἵνα ποιῶσιν ὑμῖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, ταῦτα καὶ ὑμεῖς ὁμοίως ποιεῖτε αὐτοῖς.» 215 20, 12 οὖς ἀκούει καὶ ὀφθαλμὸς ὁρᾷ· κυρίου ἔργα καὶ ἀμφότερα Οὐχ ὁ κακῶς ὁρῶν ὀφθαλμὸς ἔργον ἐστὶ τοῦ κυρίου, ἀλλ' ὁ ὁρῶν· καὶ οὐ τὸ κακῶς ἀκοῦον οὖς ἔργον ἐστὶ τοῦ κυρίου, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀκοῦον· καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων δὲ μελῶν τοῦ σώματος ὡσαύτως λεκτέον. Χρήσῃ δὲ τῷ ῥητῷ τούτῳ πρὸς τοὺς κακηγοροῦντας ἡμῶν τοῦτο τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὸν δημιουργὸν ἐνυβρίζοντας. 216 20, 13 μὴ ἀγάπα καταλαλεῖν, ἵνα μὴ ἐξαρθῇς· διάνοιξον δὲ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου καὶ ἐμπλήσθητι ἄρτων ∆ιὰ μὲν τῶν ἀρετῶν ἀνοίγομεν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς· διὰ δὲ τῆς σοφίας νοητῶν πληρούμεθα ἄρτων. 217 20, 23 βδέλυγμα κυρίῳ δισσὸν στάθμιον καὶ ζυγὸς δόλιος οὐ καλὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ Ζυγὸν δόλιον λέγει τὸν νοῦν πεφυκότα μὲν δικαίως κρίνειν τὰ πράγματα, παρακλίνοντα δὲ τῇ τοῦ αὐτεξουσίου ῥοπῇ. 218 20, 24 παρὰ κυρίου εὐθύνεται διαβήματα ἀνδρί· θνητὸς δὲ πῶς ἂν νοήσαι τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ; Οὐ δύναται νοῆσαι τὰς ὁδοὺς κυρίου ὁ ἔτι θνητὸς καὶ μὴ συναποθανὼν τῷ Χριστῷ. 219 20, 25 παγὶς ἀνδρὶ ταχύ τι τῶν ἰδίων ἁγιάσαι· μετὰ γὰρ τὸ εὔξασθαι μετανοεῖν γίνεται Ἡ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς μετάνοια οὐ δικαίοις συμβαίνει, ἀλλὰ ἀδίκοις. Ἄδικοι δὲ μηδὲν ἀπερισκέπτως ὑπισχνείσθωσαν τῷ θεῷ· «μετὰ γὰρ τὸ εὔξασθαι μετανοεῖν γίνεται.» 220α 20, 26 λικμήτωρ ἀσεβῶν βασιλεὺς σοφὸς καὶ ἐπιβαλεῖ αὐτοῖς τροχόν Χωρίζων τὰ ἄχυρα ἀπὸ τοῦ σίτου. «Ποίησον αὐτοὺς ὡς τροχόν.» 221 20, 27 φῶς κυρίου πνοὴ ἀνθρώπων, ἡ λύχνος ὃς ἐρευνᾷ ταμίεια κοιλίας Εἰ τὸ φῶς τοῦ κυρίου ἡ γνῶσις τοῦ κυρίου ἐστί, τὸ δὲ φῶς τοῦ κυρίου ἡ πνοὴ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐστίν, ἡ ἄρα γνῶσις τοῦ κυρίου ἡ πνοὴ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐστίν. Τὸν δὲ ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ διάβολον φαίνειν δοκοῦντα λύχνον ὠνόμασεν ἐκκενοῦντα τὸν νοῦν τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ μετασχηματιζόμενον εἰς ἄγγελον φωτός. 222 21, 3 ποιεῖν δίκαια καὶ ἀληθεύειν ἀρεστὰ παρὰ θεῷ μᾶλλον ἢ θυσιῶν αἷμα Ἐκβάλλει τὸ ῥητὸν τοῦτο τὴν διὰ τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων θυσίαν· «θυσία γὰρ τῷ θεῷ πνεῦμα συντετριμμένον.» 223 21, 8 πρὸς τοὺς σκολιοὺς σκολιὰς ὁδοὺς 18
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.