Exposition on Proverbs

Expositio in Proverbia

Origen of Alexandria · c. 230–250 AD · PG 13

Expositio in Proverbia Unit 1 opening§1

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1Exposition on Proverbs. From Origen’s explanations of the Proverbs of Solomon.

17.161 A proverb is a hidden saying whose meaning is shown through another saying that is clear. For this reason Solomon reigned in Israel: to know wisdom and training. Wisdom is spiritual knowledge. It holds the discourses about God, about beings without bodies, about judgment, and about providence; or it is what unveils contemplation of ethics, of the natural order, and of theology. Or again, wisdom is knowledge of bodies and of beings without bodies, and of the judgment and providence contemplated in that field. Training is a moderated handling of the passions, seen in the passionate or irrational part of the soul. And anyone who practices theology with intensity has come to know wisdom.

That means the criterion must be upright and undistorted. Someone who does not know righteousness cannot settle disputes rightly. Solomon himself would not have judged the two prostitutes rightly if he had not kept the exact accounts of what is just. We judge uprightly and without distortion when we obey virtue and condemn vice. There are three criteria in us: sense, reason, and mind. Sense deals with what can be sensed; reason with words and thoughts; the mind with contemplation of what is intelligible. Just as the mind reaches sensible things through the senses, so through the virtues it contemplates intelligible things. That is why wise Solomon teaches us that the mind also holds the place of sense.

Those who take vice to themselves despise wisdom by being evil. Lacking the fear that begins sense, they become senseless and despise wisdom—how? By neither practicing it nor pursuing it. Everyone who does base things hates the light. Wisdom is not dishonored by its own nature, but by their ignorance. The pious choose training so that, once the soul is purified, they may receive the wisdom that will not enter a soul skilled in evil. Those without the fear of God—which makes the beginning of sense—are senseless toward wisdom and training and despise both, like those who refuse the Old Testament and accuse the Creator of harshness.

Just as “head” and “neck” here point to the mind, so “crown” and “collar” here signify knowledge. For this is the Holy Spirit’s habit: under many names he has named God and his angels, and also the mind, virtue, knowledge, ignorance, vice, the devil, and the devil’s angels. He does not set the names down simply, as some think. They mark different operations—God working toward us through angels, we working in him, and demons working toward us. Those who share the same vice become co-heirs with the opposing powers. What is “common” is what does not belong to the one God. See the wicked agreement, and the ruin that follows.

A “net” is eternal chastisement and a many-branched punishment that the just Judge brings upon unclean souls for the destruction of wings that grew badly. The winged ones are we human beings, who have the power to fly upward if we will. “Going out” here names the soul that has left vice and ignorance. Such was Israel’s going out after their birth from God’s judgment and teaching. He also calls that same soul “broad”: “Widen your mouth,” he says, “and I will fill it”; and Paul writes to the Corinthians, “be enlarged also yourselves.” By a soul that goes out in this way, wisdom is praised; and in a land broadened through the virtues, wisdom speaks with boldness. The tops of her walls mean extreme freedom from passion, if those who love the law liken a wall to themselves. For that wall David also prays when he says, “Let the walls of Jerusalem be built”—that is, the fallen walls of such a soul, clearly on account of the Uriah affair. How then, earlier—

Greek · §1

Expositio in Proverbia ΕΚ ΤΩΝ ΩΡΙΓΕΝΟΥΣ ΕΙΣ ΠΑΡΟΙΜΙΑΣ ΣΟΛΟΜΩΝΤΟΣ ΕΞΗΓΗΣΕΩΝ. 17.161 Παροιμία ἐστὶ λόγος ἀπόκρυφος δι' ἑτέρου προ δήλου σημαινόμενος. Τούτου χάριν ἐβασίλευσεν ἐν Ἰσραὴλ, τοῦ γνῶναι σοφίαν καὶ παιδείαν· ἡ σοφία ἐστὶ γνῶσις πνευμα τικὴ, τοὺς περὶ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἀσωμάτων, καὶ κρίσεως, καὶ προνοίας περιέχουσα λόγους, ἡ τὴν περὶ ἠθικῆς καὶ φυσικῆς καὶ θεολογικῆς ἀποκαλύπτουσα θεωρίαν. Ἢ ἡ σοφία ἐστὶ γνῶσις σωμάτων καὶ ἀσωμάτων, καὶ τῆς ἐν τούτῳ θεωρουμένης κρίσεως καὶ προνοίας· παιδεία ἐστὶ μετριοπάθεια παθῶν περὶ τὸ παθητικὸν ἢ ἄλογον τῆς ψυχῆς μέρος θεωρουμένη· καὶ θεολογῶν δέ τις ἐπιτεταμένως, ἔγνω σοφίαν. Τουτέστιν ὀρθὸν καὶ ἀδιάστροφον εἶναι τὸ κριτή ριον· ἀνεπιστήμων γάρ τις ὢν δικαιοσύνης, οὐκ ἂν διέλοι τὰς ἀμφισβητήσεις ὀρθῶς· οὐδὲ Σολομὼν γὰρ ἔκρινεν ὀρθῶς ταῖς πόρναις, μὴ σώζων ἀκριβεῖς τοῦ δικαίου τοὺς λόγους· ὀρθῶς δὲ καὶ ἀδιαστρόφως κρι νοῦμεν, εἰ πειθόμεθα μὲν ἀρετῇ, καταγινώσκομεν δὲ κακίας. Τρία δὲ κριτήρια ἐν ἡμῖν· αἴσθησις, λόγος, καὶ νοῦς· καὶ ἡ μὲν αἴσθησις, τῶν αἰσθητῶν· ὁ δὲ λόγος, 17.164 τῶν ῥημάτων καὶ τῶν νοημάτων· ὁ δὲ νοῦς, θεωρία τῶν νοητῶν. Ὥσπερ διὰ τῶν αἰσθήσεων ὁ νοῦς ἐπιβάλλει τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς, οὕτω καὶ διὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐποπτεύει τὰ νοητά· διόπερ καὶ αἰσθήσεως αὐτὸν λόγον ἐπέχειν ὁ σοφὸς Σολομὼν ἡμᾶς διδάσκει. Οἱ κτώμενοι κακίαν, τῷ κακοὶ εἶναι ἐξουδενοῦσι σοφίαν· καὶ μὴ ἔχοντες φόβον τὸν ποιοῦντα ἀρχὴν αἰ σθήσεως, ἀναισθητοῦσι καὶ ἐξουδενοῦσι σοφίαν· πῶς; τῷ μὴ πράττειν μηδὲ μετιέναι· πᾶς γὰρ ὁ τὰ φαῦλα πράττων, μισεῖ τὸ φῶς· ἀλλ' οὐ παρὰ τὴν οἰκείαν φύσιν ἀτιμάζεται, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ἄγνοιαν· ἀλλ' οἱ εὐσεβεῖς αἱροῦνται τὴν παιδείαν, ἵνα τὴν ψυ χὴν καθαρθέντες, εἰσδέξωνται τὴν εἰς κακότεχνον ψυ χὴν μὴ εἰσιοῦσαν σοφίαν· οἱ δὲ μὴ ἔχοντες φόβον Θεοῦ, τὸν ποιοῦντα ἀρχὴν αἰσθήσεως, ἀναισθητοῦσι σοφίας καὶ παιδείας, καὶ ἐξουθενοῦσιν ἀμφότερα· ὡς οἱ τὴν Παλαιὰν μὴ δεχόμενοι, καὶ τὸν ∆ημιουργὸν ὡς ὠμὸν διαβάλλοντες. Ὥσπερ ἡ κορυφὴ καὶ ὁ τράχηλος δηλοῖ ἐνταῦθα τὸν νοῦν, οὕτω καὶ ὁ στέφανος καὶ ὁ κλοιὸς ἐνταῦθα ση μαίνει τὴν γνῶσιν· αὕτη γὰρ ἡ συνήθεια τοῦ Πνεύ ματος τοῦ ἁγίου, πολλοῖς ὀνόμασιν ὠνόμασε τὸν Θεόν τε καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸν νοῦν, καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν, καὶ τὴν γνῶσιν, καὶ τὴν ἀγνωσίαν, καὶ τὴν κακίαν, καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν διάβολον καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ· οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ τίθησι τὰ ὀνόματα, ὥς τινες οἴονται· διαφόρων ἐνεργειῶν εἰσὶ γνωρίσματα· Θεοῦ δὲ διὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἡμῖν ἐνεργοῦντος, καὶ ἡμῶν ἐν αὐτῷ, δαιμόνων τε πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Οὗτοι συγκληρονόμοι τῶν ἀντικειμένων εἰσὶν, οἱ τῆς αὐτῆς αὐτοῖς κακίας μεταλαμβάνοντες κοινὸν δέ ἐστιν, ὃ μὴ τοῦ ἑνός ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ· ὅρα δὲ ὁμόνοιαν πο νηρὰν καὶ ὄλεθρον. ∆ίκτυόν ἐστι κόλασις αἰώνιος, καὶ πολυσχιδὴς τι μωρία παρὰ τοῦ δικαίου κριτοῦ ταῖς ἀκαθάρτοις προσαγομένη ψυχαῖς ἐπ' ἀπωλείᾳ τῶν κακῶς ἐκφύν των πτερῶν· πτερωτὰ δὲ, ἡμεῖς οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ δύ ναμιν ἐὰν θέλωμεν ἔχοντες τοῦ ἀναπτῆναι. Ἔξοδον νῦν ὀνομάζει τὴν ἐξελθοῦσαν ψυχὴν ἀπὸ κακίας καὶ ἀγνωσίας· τοιαύτη δὲ ἔξοδος τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσ ραὴλ, ἡ μετὰ τὴν ἐκ τῆς κρίσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ δι δασκαλίας γένεσιν γεγονυῖα· τὴν αὐτὴν δὲ ψυχὴν καὶ πλατεῖαν λέγει· «Πλάτυνον γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸ στόμα σου, καὶ πληρώσω αὐτό·» καὶ «πλατύνθητε, φησὶ, καὶ ὑμεῖς,» ἐν τῇ πρὸς Κορινθίους ὁ Παῦλος· καὶ ὑπὸ μὲν τῆς οὕτως ἐξερχομένης ψυχῆς, ὑμνεῖται ἡ σοφία· ἐν δὲ γῇ πλατυνομένῃ διὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν, παῤῥησίαν ἄγει. Ἄκρων δὲ τειχέων αὐτῆς, τὴν ἄκραν ἀπάθειαν λέγει· εἴπερ οἱ ἀγαπῶντες τὸν νόμον, παραβάλλουσιν ἑαυ τοῖς τεῖχος· ὑπὲρ οὗ τείχους εὔχεται καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ λέ γων· «Οἰκοδομηθήτω τὰ τείχη Ἱερουσαλὴμ,» τουτέστι τῆς τοιᾶσδε ψυχῆς τὰ καταπεπτωκότα, δηλονότι ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Οὐρίου προφάσεως. Πῶς οὖν ἔμπροσθέν

Unit 1 rem early§2

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2Solomon says: “Will the one who rejoices over a person who is perishing go unpunished?” Or perhaps wisdom rejoices the way she rejoiced over the ruin of Matthew the tax collector, and over the ruin of the robber who believed in Christ. In the one case wisdom destroyed the robber’s old life; in the other, the tax collector’s.

A “siege” is ethical teaching that tears down a soul badly built, under God’s siege. Just as infants stand between the just and the unjust, so all human beings stand between angels and demons—neither demons nor ranked as angels—until the completion of the age. He said they were wronging “infants,” of whom Christ said, “Do not cause one of these little ones to stumble.” The person free from passion rests without fear from every evil thought, and soon will lodge in the kingdom of God, because he heard and kept God’s commands and hoped in him.

In this way a person hides God’s command by doing it, or by doing it not for empty glory. That is why the demons, by not letting us do it, are said to snatch it away. Then you will understand how the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and how it becomes the broker of the knowledge of God—when in faith and longing you come to him as one in need. Wisdom and understanding must be there first if someone is to grasp the fear of the Lord. Bring this home to those who despise wisdom and understanding, yet want to take refuge in fearing God as if it were an easy thing.

If Christ does not rescue us, we will travel the bad road as if it were good. Holy people say all things that are faithful—but not everything is. The devil has nothing faithful, nothing worthy of trust. Here “man” means the devil, as in the Gospels, if a wicked man sowed the weeds. The greatest plot, it seems, is to fall in with a bad counsel and with crafty, insidious, wicked men. If that kind of counsel—crushed, that is, darkened—is a motion of the mind, how did it abandon the teaching of youth? How did it forget the divine covenant? He speaks to us of bad counsel as of a rational living being.

Or here “bad counsel” means the devil. For he counseled badly when he said, “I will set my throne above the stars, and I will be like the Most High.” He forgot the divine knowledge when he left the teaching of youth—and that “youth” shows his former state, in which he was also zealous. If she can make the young understanding where so much is hard to rein in when she is absent, she is far more useful to an elder. Those who are overtaken by years of life through the works of the coming ever-living life seize the straight paths of an untroubled and unbroken life. They are not overtaken by his compassions into the paths of that straight everlasting life.

For the Lord loves those who pursue righteousness, and the counsel of the evil one will not overtake them. But those who trust the devil do not seize the straight paths of life, nor will they turn back into the kingdom of God. The one who does not live lawfully forgets the law; the one who lives by it remembers it. The one who keeps God’s words is not only the one who does them, but also the one who advises others. The one who loses them is the one who will not practice them and who hinders others. For it is not the hearers of the law who will be justified.

Healing is the health that comes from virtue for your way of life; God’s grace and care belong to your thoughts and intentions. When the soul’s powers—that is, the virtues—receive care, then all my bones will say, “Lord, Lord, who is like you?” The memorial power of the soul, once it receives care, will surely say, “I remembered God and was glad.” Likewise the seeing power will say, “I considered your works and was amazed.” So too the desiring power: “Lord, before you is all my desire.” And the rational power: “I reasoned through the ancient days.” The same will follow for the other powers.

That is: for those who are willing, nothing is hard—not like the desire for money. A pure mind draws near to wisdom, because it knows the good; the unclean mind will be far from her. After the transgression Adam is forbidden to partake of this tree—if a tree of life is planted from the fruits of righteousness. And the tree of life is the wisdom of God. Every lawless person is justly forbidden to touch this tree. God founded the earth by wisdom; and through his sense the abysses were broken open, the

Greek · §2

φησιν ὁ Σολομών· «Ὁ δὲ ἐπιχαί 17.165 ρων ἀπολλυμένῳ οὐκ ἀθωωθήσεται;» Ἢ τάχα οὕτως χαίρει ἡ σοφία, ὡς ἐχάρη ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπωλείᾳ Ματθαίου τοῦ τελώνου, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ λῃστοῦ ἀπωλείᾳ πιστεύσαν τος τῷ Χριστῷ; τοῦ μὲν γὰρ, τὸν λῃστὴν ἡ σοφία· τοῦ δὲ, τὸν τελώνην ἀπώλεσε. Πολιορκία ἐστὶ διδασκαλία ἠθικὴ, τὴν κακῶς οἰκο δομηθεῖσαν ψυχὴν καταστρέφουσα ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ πολιορκίᾳ. Ὥσπερ τὰ νήπια μεταξὺ δικαίων καὶ ἀδίκων εἰσὶν, οὕτω καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι μεταξὺ ἀγγέλων τε καὶ δαιμόνων εἰσὶ, μήτε δαίμονες ὄντες μήτε ἄγγελοι χρηματίζοντες, μέχρι τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος· ἠδί κουν δὲ νηπίους, εἶπε, περὶ ὧν Χριστὸς ἔφη· Μὴ σκανδαλίσητε ἕνα τῶν μικρῶν τούτων. Ὁ ἀπαθὴς ἡσυχάζει ἀφόβως ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ λογισμοῦ, καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον κατασκηνώσει ἐν τῇ βασι λείᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ὡς ἀκούσας καὶ φυλάξας τὰ προσ τάγματα αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἤλπισεν ἐπ' αὐτόν. Οὕτως κρύπτει ἐντολὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ ποιῶν αὐτὴν, ἢ ὁ μὴ ἐπὶ κενοδοξίᾳ ποιῶν· ὅθεν καὶ οἱ δαίμονες ἐκ τοῦ μὴ συγχωρεῖν αὐτὴν ποιεῖν ἡμᾶς, ἁρπάζειν λέ γονται. Τότε συνήσεις πῶς ὁ φόβος τοῦ Κυρίου ἀρχὴ σοφίας ἐστὶν, καὶ πῶς τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ γνώσεως γίνεται πρόξε νος, ὅταν ἐν πίστει καὶ πόθῳ αὐτῷ ὑπάρχῃς προσ δεής· προϋπάρξαι δὲ δεῖ σοφίαν καὶ σύνεσιν, πρὸς τὸ δυνηθῆναι συνεῖναι φόβον Κυρίου· προσάξωμεν δὲ ταῦτα τοῖς τὴν σοφίαν καὶ σύνεσιν ἐξουθενοῦσι· κα ταφεύγειν δὲ βουλομένοις ἐπὶ τὸ φοβεῖσθαι τὸν Θεὸν, ὡς ἐπὶ εὐχερὲς πρᾶγμα. Χριστοῦ γὰρ μὴ ῥυομένου, ὡς ἀγαθὴν ὁδεύσομεν τὴν κακήν· ἅγιοι μὲν γὰρ πάντα λέγουσι πιστά· τὰ δὲ οὔ· ὁ δὲ διάβολος οὐδὲν πιστὸν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, πίστεως ἄξιον· ἄνδρα γὰρ νῦν τὸν διάβολον λέγει, ὡς ἐν Εὐαγ γελίοις· εἴ γε ἄνθρωπος πονηρὸς ἔσπειρε τὰ ζιζάνια· μεγίστη δὲ ὡς ἔοικεν ἐπιβουλὴ, τὸ περιτυχεῖν βουλῇ κακῇ, καὶ ἀνδράσι δολίοις καὶ ὑπούλοις καὶ πονη ροῖς. Εἰ ἡ ποιὰ βουλὴ συντετριμμένη ἤγουν ἐσκοτισμένη, νοῦ κίνησίς ἐστιν, πῶς αὕτη ἀπέλιπεν διδασκαλίαν νεότητος; πῶς δὲ καὶ θείας ἐπελάθετο διαθήκης; Ὡς γὰρ περὶ ζώου λογικοῦ, τῆς κακῆς βουλῆς ἡμῖν διαλέ γεται. Ἢ νῦν βουλὴν κακὴν τὸν διάβολον λέγει· οὗτος γὰρ κακῶς ἐβουλεύσατο, εἰπών· «Ἐπάνω τῶν ἄστρων θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου, καὶ ἔσομαι ὅμοιος τῷ Ὑψίστῳ·» ἐπελάθετο δὲ τῆς θείας γνώσεως, καταλιπὼν τὴν δι δασκαλίαν τῆς νεότητος· ἥτις νεότης τὴν προτέραν αὐτοῦ κατάστασιν δηλοῖ, καθ' ἣν καὶ ζηλωτὸς ἦν· εἰ δὲ νέους δύναται συνετίζειν ἔνθα πολὺ τὸ δυσήνιον, μὴ παρούσης· πολλῷ μᾶλλον πρεσβύτῃ ὠφέλιμος. Ὅσοι καταλαμβάνονται ὑπὸ ἐνιαυτῶν ζωῆς, διὰ τῶν ἔργων τῆς μελλούσης ἀειζώου ζωῆς, οὗτοι κατα 17.168 λαμβάνουσι τρίβους εὐθείας τῆς ἀταράχου καὶ ἀδια στάτου ζωῆς· οὐ καταλαμβάνονται ὑπὸ τῶν οἰκτειρ μῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς τὰς τρίβους τῆς εὐθείας ἀειζωΐας. – ∆ιώκοντας γὰρ δικαιοσύνην ἀγαπᾷ Κύριος, καὶ οὐ μὴ συγκαταλάβηται αὐτοὺς ἡ τοῦ πονηροῦ βουλή· οὐ κα ταλαμβάνουσι δὲ τρίβους εὐθείας ζωῆς· οὐδὲ μὴ ἀν τιστρέψουσιν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, οἱ τῷ δια βόλῳ πεποιθότες. Οὗτος ἐπιλανθάνεται τοῦ νόμου, ὁ μὴ νομίμως βιούς· οὗτος δὲ μέμνηται τοῦ νόμου, ὁ ζῶν κατ' αὐτόν· καὶ οὗτος τηρεῖ τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ μὴ μόνον ποιῶν αὐτὰ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλοις συμβουλευόμενος. Οὗτος δὲ ἀπόλλυσιν αὐτὰ, ὁ μὴ βουλόμενος πράττειν αὐτὰ, καὶ ἑτέρους κωλύων· οὐ γὰρ οἱ ἀκροαταὶ τοῦ νόμου δι καιωθήσονται. Ἴασις ἐστὶν ἡ ἐξ ἀρετῆς ὑγίεια τῇ πολιτείᾳ σου· ἡ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάρις καὶ ἐπιμέλεια τοῖς λογισμοῖς σου καὶ διανοήμασιν· ὅταν αἱ δυνάμεις τῆς ψυχῆς, ἤγουν αἱ ἀρεταὶ, ἐπιμελείας τύχωσι, τὸ τηνικαῦτα ἐροῦσι πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ μου· «Κύριε, Κύριε, τίς ὅμοιός σοι;» Ἐπιμελείας γὰρ τυχοῦσα ἡ μνημονευτικὴ δύναμις τῆς ψυχῆς, πάντως ἐρεῖ τό· «Ἐμνήσθην τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ εὐ φράνθην.» Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἡ ὀπτικὴ λέξει τό· «Κατενόη σα τὰ ἔργα σου, καὶ ἐξέστην.» Ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἡ ἐπιθυ μητική· «Κύριε, ἐναντίον σου πᾶσα ἡ ἐπιθυμία μου·» ἐρεῖ δὲ καὶ ἡ λογική· «∆ιελογισάμην ἡμέρας ἀρχαίας.» Κατὰ ταῦτα συμβήσεται καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων δυνά μεων. Τουτέστι τοῖς βουλομένοις οὐδὲν δύσκολον ἔχοι, κα θάπερ ἡ τῶν χρημάτων ἐπιθυμία· νοῦς καθαρὸς ἐγγί ζει σοφίᾳ· ἐπειδὴ τὸ εὖ γινώσκει· ὁ δὲ ἀκάθαρτος μα κρυνθήσεται ἀπ' αὐτῆς. Τούτου τοῦ ξύλου μετὰ τὴν παράβασιν ὁ Ἀδὰμ μεταλαμβάνειν κωλύεται· εἴπερ ἀπὸ καρπῶν δι καιοσύνης φυτεύεται δένδρον ζωῆς· τὸ δὲ δένδρον ζωῆς, ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφία ἐστί· δικαίως δὲ ἅψασθαι κεκώλυται τούτου τοῦ ξύλου πᾶς παράνομος. Ὁ Θεὸς τῇ μὲν σοφίᾳ καὶ τὴν γῆν ἐθεμελίωσε· διὰ δὲ τῆς αἰσθήσεως αὐτοῦ ἐῤῥάγησαν ἄβυσσοι, τὰ

Unit 1 rem mid§3

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3and the clouds ran with dews. So the “earth” he named here, holy Paul called breadth; and what are called heavens here, Paul in Ephesians calls height; and the abysses named in a figure he calls depth; the dewed clouds he calls length. All of these are symbols of rational natures, divided among worlds and body according to the analogy of their state. This also fits the Son of God now. But the faithful soul is also earth that bears a hundredfold. From the richness that is wisdom she becomes wise, while God founds her upon it. For he settles the gathering of teaching and makes a fastening from wisdom. And as she always advances, he makes her heaven—a purest creature, a dwelling of angels and of noetic essences—once she has received sense of what is and contemplates the exactness of things, as if the many-storied judgments of God.

Against wisdom alone the demons are powerless. They are not allowed to cast thoughts into the heart of the one who has been made wise. For the mind that competes for the contemplations of wisdom becomes unreceptive of unclean thoughts. A pure mind draws near to wisdom, because it knows the good; the unclean mind will be far from her. A stumbling-block for a rational nature is an unclean thought or false knowledge. But the one fenced round by God’s counsel does not stumble in these things.

Neither an assault of wicked thoughts, he says, will frighten the one who has become wise, nor will the impious who attack from outside tear down his power when they want to strip him of natural goods. No one can take what cannot be captured—and what is more arrogant than the impious person? Yet you will also overcome that many-formed beast if you are gentle and equitable, while the Lord is with you. From this we learn that mercy removes the fearful phantasms that meet us by night, or also in contemplation. And not only that: it also removes from those who think this way the wicked accusations at the departure and the harmful chastisements in the judgment. Gentleness, freedom from anger, long-suffering, and whatever naturally settles stirred wrath do the same—if fearful appearances usually arise from the turmoil of wrath.

Do not hold back from doing good not only with food for the needy, but also with the knowledge of God, with wisdom, and with the commandments. And whatever is dear to God and joins a person to him, do not hold back from doing that good to the one who needs you. This enmity toward the neighbor makes someone evil not only in body but also in soul. Ignorance of the Lord is in the houses of the impious, but knowledge of God is in the souls of the just. The dwellings of the just are blessed when Christ apportions the prizes to each according to their works; to the impious he apportions a curse and not a blessing.

Extreme vice raised to its end is called pride. The Lord arrays himself against the unjust as righteousness, against liars as truth, against the proud as humility. That is why he is a friend to those who think humble thoughts—for that is what “He gives grace to the humble” means—and against the proud he arrays himself. Those who have learned and taught godly wisdom will inherit heavenly glory. The impious raised dishonor for themselves before angels and human beings from Christ.

By “training” he means ethical virtue; by “thought,” divine knowledge. A “son of the virtues” is the one qualified according to them, who acts not for someone else’s sake but for virtue’s sake in what accords with it. “I grant you a good gift, the heavenly kingdom, if you do not abandon my law.” Note here that he names the mind a good gift, because of the one who takes gifts unjustly in the bosom and is not prospered. Those unjust gifts mean the affairs of the evil one; when the mind receives them, it is not prospered in its ways.

A crown of graces are God’s commandments, which give back the crown of the kingdom to those who do them. A crown of delight is the knowledge of God, which shields us and thrusts away every passionate thought and every false knowledge. These many ways lead into one way—the one who said, “I am the way.” He called many ways the virtues that carry a person to the knowledge of God. The years of life of the one who hears through the prophets of the heavenly Father will be multiplied, and who receives his words through the only-begotten Son, so as to be directed in the ways of righteousness of life and saved into the ever-living life. Of this

Greek · §3

δὲ νέφη ἐῤῥύησαν δρόσους· ἢν οὖν ἐνταῦθα γῆν εἶπε, Παῦλος ὁ ἅγιος πλάτος ὠνόμασε· καὶ τοὺς ἐνταῦθα οὐρανοὺς λεγομένους, ὕψος ἐκεῖνος ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἐφε σίους καλεῖ· καὶ τὰς λεγομένας τροπικῶς ἀβύσσους, ὀνομάζει βάθος· τὰ δεδροσωμένα νέφη, μῆκος κα λεῖ· ταῦτα δὲ πάντα λογικῶν ἐστι φύσεων σύμβολα, διαιρουμένων κόσμοις καὶ σώματι κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τῆς καταστάσεως· ἁρμόζει τοῦτο καὶ νῦν τῷ Υἱῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ πιστὴ, γῆ ἐστιν ἑκατονταπλασίον καρποφοροῦσα· αὕτη δὲ ἐκ τῆς πιότητος, ἥτις ἐστὶ σοφία, σοφή· θεμελιοῦντος αὐ τὴν ἐπ' αὐτῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἑδράζει γὰρ αὐτὴν τὴν συναγωγὴν τῆς διδασκαλίας, καὶ πῆξιν ἀπὸ σο φίας ποιούμενος· καὶ ἀεὶ προκοπτούσης, οὐρανὸν ἀπεργάζεται, καθαρώτατον κτίσμα, ἀγγέλων τε καὶ τῶν νοερῶν οὐσιῶν οἰκητήριον, λαβοῦσάν τε αἴσθη 17.169 σιν τοῦ ὄντος, καὶ κατανοοῦσαν τὴν τῶν πραγμά των ἀκρίβειαν, οἱονεὶ τὸ πολύμυθον τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ κριμάτων. Πρὸς μόνην τὴν σοφίαν ἀδυνατοῦσιν οἱ δαίμονες, λογισμοὺς ἐμβάλλειν εἰς τὴν καρδίαν τοῦ σεσοφισμέ νου μὴ συγχωρούμενοι· ὁ γὰρ νοῦς τοῖς τῆς σοφίας ἀντιποιούμενος θεωρήμασιν, ἀνεπίδεκτος γίνεται λογισμῶν ἀκαθάρτων. –Νοῦς καθαρὸς ἐγγίζει σο φίᾳ, ἐπειδὴ τὸ εὖ γινώσκει· ὁ δὲ ἀκάθαρτος μα κρυνθήσεται ἀπ' αὐτῆς. Πρόσκομμα λογικῆς φύσεώς ἐστι λογισμὸς ἀκά θαρτος, ἢ γνῶσις ψευδής· ὁ δὲ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ βουλῇ περιστοιχειούμενος, ἐν τούτοις οὐ προσκόπτει. Οὔτε ἔφοδος, φησὶ, πονηρῶν λογισμῶν φοβήσει τὸν γεγονότα σοφὸν, οὔτε ἀσεβεῖς ἔξωθεν ἐπιόντες τὴν αὐτοῦ καθαιρήσουσι δύναμιν, ἐρημῶσαι θέλον τες τῶν φύσει καλῶν· τὸν γὰρ ἀνάλωτον οὐδεὶς δυ νήσεται λαβεῖν· καίτοι, τί τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς αὐθαδέστε ρον; Ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοῦ φησι τοῦ παντοδαποῦ θηρίου περιγενήσῃ, πρᾶος ὢν καὶ ἐπιεικὴς, τοῦ Κυρίου ὄντος μετὰ σοῦ· ἐντεῦθεν δὲ μανθάνομεν, ὡς ἡ ἐλεη μοσύνη περιαιρεῖ φοβερὰς φαντασίας, νύκτωρ ἡμῖν συμβαινούσας, ἢ καὶ θεωρητικῶς· οὐ μόνον δὲ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ μεταστάσει πονηρῶν κατηγοριῶν, καὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ κρίσει βλαπτικῶν κολάσεων περιαιρεῖ τοὺς οὕτω φρονοῦντας· τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ ποιεῖ καὶ πραότας καὶ ἀοργησία, καὶ μακροθυμία, καὶ ὅσα πέφυκε κα ταστέλλειν τὸν θυμὸν ταρασσόμενον· εἴπερ ἐκ τῆς ταραχῆς τοῦ θυμοῦ τὰ φοβερὰ φάσματα εἴωθε γί νεσθαι. Οὐ μόνον τῶν ἐδωδίμων μὴ ἀπόσχῃ εὖ ποιεῖν ἐν δεῆ, ἀλλὰ καὶ γνώσεως Θεοῦ καὶ σοφίας καὶ ἐντο λῶν· καὶ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν Θεῷ φίλον καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν οἰκειοῦν, μὴ ἀπόσχῃ εὖ ποιεῖν τῷ ἐνδεομένῳ σου. Αὕτη ἡ πρὸς τὸν πλησίον ἔχθρα ἀπεργάζεταί τινα κακὸν, οὐ μόνον σωματικὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ψυχικόν. Ἄγνοια Κυρίου ἐν οἴκοις ἀσεβῶν, γνῶσις δὲ Θεοῦ ἐν ψυχαῖς δικαίων· ἐπαύλεις δικαίων εὐλογοῦνται, ὅταν ὁ Χριστὸς ἀπονέμῃ τὰ γέρα ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν· τοῖς ἀσεβέσι δὲ κατάραν καὶ οὐκ εὐλο γίαν. Ἡ ἄκρα κακία καὶ εἰς τέλος ἐπηρμένη, ὑπερ ηφανία καλεῖται· ἀντιτάσσεται δὲ Κύριος τοῖς μὲν ἀδίκοις, ὡς δικαιοσύνη· τοῖς ψεύσταις, ὡς ἀλήθεια· τοῖς δὲ ὑπερηφάνοις, ὡς ταπεινοφροσύνη· διὸ καὶ τοῖς ταπεινὰ φρονοῦσι φίλος ἐστί· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, ∆ίδωσι χάριν ταπεινοῖς· τοῖς δὲ ὑπερηφάνοις ἀν τιτάσσεται. ∆όξαν οὐράνιον κληρονομήσουσιν οἱ τὴν ἔνθεον σοφίαν μαθόντες τε καὶ διδάξαντες· ὕψωσαν δὲ ἑαυ τοῖς ἀτιμίαν οἱ ἀσεβεῖς ἐνώπιον ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀν θρώπων παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Παιδείαν, τὴν ἠθικὴν ἀρετὴν λέγει· ἔννοιαν, τὴν θείαν γνῶσιν· υἱὸς δὲ ἀρετῶν ὁ κατ' αὐτὰς πεποιω 17.172 μένος, ὃς οὐκ ἄλλου χάριν, ἀλλ' ἕνεκα τῆς ἀρετῆς τὰ κατ' αὐτὴν ἐνεργεῖ. ∆ῶρον ἀγαθὸν δωροῦμαι ὑμῖν, τὴν ἐπουράνιον βα σιλείαν, ἐὰν τὸν νόμον μου μὴ ἐγκαταλίπητε· ση μειωτέον δὲ ἐνταῦθα, ὅτι δῶρον ἀγαθὸν ὀνομάζει τὸν νοῦν, διὰ τὸν λαμβάνοντα δῶρα ἐν κόλπῳ ἀδίκως, καὶ μὴ κατευοδούμενον· ἐκεῖνα γὰρ δῶρα ἄδικα, τὰ πράγματα λέγει τοῦ πονηροῦ, ἅπερ ὁ νοῦς δεχόμε νος, οὐ κατευοδοῦται ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ. Στέφανος χαρίτων αἱ ἐντολαὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰσιν, αἵτινες τὸν στέφανον τῆς βασιλείας ἀντιπαρέχουσι τοῖς ποιοῦσιν αὐτάς· στέφανος δὲ τρυφῆς ἡ γνῶσις ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἥτις ὑπερασπίζουσα ἡμῶν, πάντα λογισμὸν ἐμπαθῆ, καὶ πᾶσαν γνῶσιν ψευδῆ ἀπωθεῖται. Αὗται αἱ πολλαὶ ὁδοὶ εἰς μίαν ἄγουσιν ὁδὸν, τὴν εἰποῦσαν· Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδός· πολλὰς δὲ εἴρηκεν ὁδοὺς, τὰς ἀρετὰς τὰς φερούσας ἐπὶ τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Πληθυνθήσεται δὲ ἔτη ζωῆς τοῦ ἀκούοντος διὰ τῶν προφητῶν τοῦ ἐπουρανίου Πατρὸς, καὶ δεχομένου διὰ τοῦ μονογενοῦς Υἱοῦ τοὺς λόγους αὐτοῦ, εἰς τὸ κατ ευθυνθῆναι ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς τῆς δικαιοσύνης τοῦ βίου, ὅπως ἀποσωθῇ εἰς τὴν ἀείζωον ζωήν. Τούτου

Unit 1 rem close§4

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4The place of the army is wickedness and false knowledge, and everything unacceptable to God. For the impious reasonings are enemies, killing souls. In his beloved ones the Lord gives sleep, but the impious are not his beloved ones, therefore to the impious the Lord does not give sleep. Hence it can also be persuasively shown that they are not by nature sleepers, the demons. Our virtues go before us and enlighten us in the present life, which is called night in relation to the coming day. Until the day is established in which the sun of righteousness rises. Or, until they establish us in safety, they do not depart, for this is characteristic of day, to disperse darkness. Which also Christ said: The one walking in the day does not stumble. On the contrary, the reasonings of the impious, since they did not know nor understand, wander in darkness. They stumble, but they do not have indulgence as those stumbling through ignorance, for they themselves have worked darkness. See how virtue even in darkness produced light, and wickedness even in light produced darkness. Neither the manner in which they sin do the impious know, nor do they know the cause, whence they stumble. But they do not even know this, that they transgress, which is a sign of the utmost wickedness. He calls the virtues springs, from which flows the living water of the divine words, which is the knowledge of Christ. And David: They appeared, he says, the springs of the waters, and the foundations of the world were uncovered, evidently by the visitation of our Savior Jesus Christ. Your eyes, he said, look straight ahead. This is the things which alone are dear to God, or the things made clear to us by the prophets concerning Christ alone and his disciples. And all things spoken by someone toward Christ, befitting him, and only him. This agrees with: Unless the Lord builds the house and guards the city, that is, unless the Lord gives us strength to direct the steps toward him, we labor in vain, we who do not call upon him in comfort, but undertake in arrogance. For the conspicuous prostitutes and the teachings of the heterodox deceive the innocent hearts through flattery. Therefore the greatest safety is not to take hold of the beginning, for having taken hold, it is difficult to escape. As far as their hearing, it is good. But the fat signifies the pleasure from which impurity is born, whose offspring, wickedness and ignorance. Of which nothing more bitter can be found in the events of the day of judgment. Hence we know that the spirited part dominates in the demons, for he says, unmerciful is the spirit, and their anger is sharp. For they hunt for destruction those who obey them, thus they honor those who honor them. Through wickedness the evil ones wear away the flesh of Christ, and they consume the blood, having considered it common. For he says, the one eating my flesh and drinking my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. But the one eating unworthily the body and drinking the blood of the Lord, eats and drinks judgment to himself. There was when there was no evil, and there will be when there will be no evil. For the seeds of virtue are inexhaustible. And this convinces me a little, and not yet completely in every evil having become, the rich one in Hades being judged by wickedness, and having pity on the brothers. And to pity, it obtains the finest seed of virtue. Knowledge and a spring is a well. For those who approach the virtues, it is considered to be a deep well. But to the apathetic and pure, a spring. Thus also the Savior sat by the well, the hour was about the sixth. Consider the well the divine knowledge, and not the well of water. Just as the spring is ready as it were, that is, the flowing water to the thirsty, so the well in labor to those who wish to draw. And just as the spring is unfailing in flowing, so the sensory writing has an unceasing course, and it is easy for the thirsty to grow old in God. And just as the well provides labor to those who draw, so the theoretical knowledge to those who wish through it to accomplish the virtues, of soul and body, to contemplate the divine things, and to counterfeit the kingdom of heaven. A woman here signifies the knowledge of God. This was given to us from youth. Whom Solomon in his youth teaching says, Son, lest an evil counsel seize you, speaking of the devil, as having counseled evil. She who has abandoned teaching.

But she who has abandoned teaching

Greek · §4

τοῦ στρατοῦ ὁ τόπος ἐστὶν ἡ κακία καὶ ἡ ψευδώνυμος γνῶσις, καὶ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν ἄδεκτον τῷ Θεῷ· πολέμιοι γάρ εἰσιν οἱ ἀσεβεῖς λογισμοὶ, ψυχὰς ἀπο κτείνοντες. Ἐν τοῖς ἀγαπητοῖς αὐτοῦ δίδωσιν ὁ Κύριος ὕπνον· οἱ δὲ ἀσεβεῖς οὐκ εἰσὶν αὐτοῦ ἀγαπητοί· τοῖς ἀσε βέσιν ἄρα οὐ δίδωσιν ὕπνον ὁ Κύριος· ἐντεῦθεν δὲ ἔστι καὶ πειθανῶς δεῖξαι, ὅτι οὐ καθεύδειν πεφύκασι δαίμονες. Προπορεύονται ἡμῶν αἱ ἀρεταὶ, καὶ φωτίζουσιν ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ, ὃς πρὸς τὸν μέλλοντα, ἡμέ ραν ὄντα, νὺξ λέγεται· ἕως κατορθώσει ἡ ἡμέρα ἐν ᾗ ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος ἀνατέλλει. Ἢ ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἕως ἡμᾶς ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ καταστήσουσιν, οὐκ ἀφίσταν ται· τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμέρας ἴδιον, τὸ σκότος διαλύειν· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ Χριστὸς ἔλεγεν· Ὁ περιπατῶν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ οὐ προσκόπτει· τοὐναντίον δὲ αἱ τῶν ἀσε βῶν· ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐκ ἔγνωσαν οὐδὲ συνῆκαν, ἐν σκότει διαπορεύονται· προσκόπτουσιν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔχουσι συγγνώμην ὡς ἀγνοίᾳ προσπταίοντες· αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἑαυτοῖς τὸ σκότος εἰργάσαντο· ὅρα δὲ ὡς ἡ μὲν ἀρετὴ καὶ ἐν σκότει φῶς ἐποίησεν· ἡ δὲ κακία καὶ ἐν φωτὶ σκότος. –Οὐδὲ τὸν τρόπον πῶς ἁμαρτά νουσιν, οἱ ἀσεβεῖς ἐπίστανται· οὐδὲ τὴν αἰτίαν γι νώσκουσι, πόθεν προσκόπτουσιν· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἴσασιν, ὅτι παρανομοῦσιν· ὅπερ ἐστὶν γνώ ρισμα τῆς ἐσχάτης κακίας. Πηγὰς λέγει τὰς ἀρετὰς, ἀφ' ὧν γεννᾶται τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ζῶν τῶν θείων ῥημάτων, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἡ γνῶσις τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ ὁ ∆αυΐδ· Ὤφθησαν γὰρ, φησὶν, αἱ πηγαὶ τῶν ὑδάτων, καὶ ἀνεκαλύφθησαν τὰ θεμέλια τῆς οἰκουμένης, παρὰ τὴν ἐπιδημίαν δηλονότι τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου, εἶπεν, ὀρθὰ βλεπέτωσαν, τουτ 17.173 έστι τὰ Θεῷ μόνα φίλα, ἤγουν τὰ παρὰ τῶν προ φητῶν ἡμῖν σαφηνισθέντα περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μόνου καὶ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ· καὶ ὅσα παρά τινος πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν οἰκειοῦντα λαληθείη καὶ μόνον. Συμφωνεῖ τούτοις τὸ, Ἐὰν μὴ Κύριος οἰκοδομήσῃ οἶκον, καὶ φυλάξῃ πόλιν· τουτέστιν ἐὰν μὴ Κύριος δώῃ ἡμῖν ἰσχὺν τοῦ κατευθῦναι τὰ πρὸς αὐτὸν δια βήματα, μάτην ἡμεῖς κοπιῶμεν, οἱ μὴ ἐν παρακλή σει αὐτὸν ἐπικαλούμενοι, ἀλλ' ἐν αὐθαδείῃ ἐπιχει ροῦντες. Στωμυλεύονται γὰρ αἵτε πρόδηλοι πόρναι, καὶ αἱ τῶν ἑτεροδόξων διδασκαλίαι, ἀπατῶσαι διὰ τῆς χρηστολογίας τὰς τῶν ἀκάκων καρδίας· μεγίστη οὖν ἀσφάλεια τὸ μὴ ἁλῶναι τὴν ἀρχήν· ἁλόντα γὰρ, δύσκολον διαφυγεῖν. Μέχρι μὲν τῆς ἀκοῆς αὐτῶν, τὸ καλόν. Σημαίνει δὲ τὸ λῖπος τὴν ἡδονὴν, ἀφ' ἧς τίκτεται ἡ ἀκαθαρ σία· ἧς ἔκγονον, κακία καὶ ἄγνοια· ὧν οὐδὲν ἔστι πικρότερον ἐν τοῖς γεγονόσιν εὑρεῖν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρί σεως. Ἐντεῦθεν γινώσκομεν ὅτι τὸ θυμικὸν μέρος ἐπι κρατεῖ ἐν τοῖς δαίμοσιν· Ἀνελεήμων γὰρ, φησὶ, θυ μὸς, καὶ ὀξεῖα ὀργὴ αὐτῶν· θηρεύουσι γὰρ εἰς ἀπώ λειαν τοὺς πειθαρχοῦντας αὐτοῖς· οὕτω γὰρ τιμῶσι τοὺς τιμῶντας αὐτούς. ∆ιὰ τῶν κακιῶν οἱ πονηροὶ κατατρίβουσι τὰς σάρκας τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τὸ αἷμα καταναλίσκουσι. κοινὸν αὐτὸ ἡγησάμενοι· Ὁ τρώγων γάρ μου, φησὶ, τὴν σάρκα, καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα, ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, κἀγὼ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν ἐν ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ· ὁ δὲ ἀναξίως ἐσθίων τὸ σῶμα καὶ πίνων τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Κυρίου, κρῖμα ἑαυτῷ ἐσθίει καὶ πίνει. Ἦν ὅτε οὐκ ἦν κακὸν, καὶ ἔσται ὅτε οὐκ ἔσται· ἀνεξάλειπτα γὰρ τὰ σπέρματα τῆς ἀρετῆς· πείθει δέ με καὶ οὗτος παρ' ὀλίγον, καὶ οὐ τελείως ἐν παντὶ κακῷ γεγονὼς ὁ πλούσιος ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ διὰ κακίαν κρινόμενος, καὶ οἰκτείρων τοὺς ἀδελφούς· τὸ δὲ ἐλεεῖν, σπέρμα τυγχάνει τὸ κάλλιστον τῆς ἀρετῆς. Ἡ γνῶσις καὶ φρέαρ ἐστὶ καὶ πηγή· τοῖς μὲν γὰρ προσελθοῦσι ταῖς ἀρεταῖς, βαθὺ φρέαρ εἶναι δο κεῖ· τοῖς δὲ ἀπαθέσι καὶ καθαροῖς, πηγή· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐκαθέζετο ἐπὶ τῇ πηγῇ, ὥρα ἦν ὡσεὶ ἕκτη· πηγὴν δὲ νόει τὴν θείαν γνῶσιν, καὶ οὐ τὸ φρέαρ τοῦ ὕδατος· ὥσπερ δὲ ἡ πηγὴ πρόκειται ἀκόπως, τουτέστι τὸ τρέχον ὕδωρ τοῖς διψῶσιν, οὕτω τὸ φρέαρ ἐν κόπῳ τοῖς θέλουσιν ἀντλεῖν· καὶ ὥσπερ ἡ πηγὴ ἄπαυστός ἐστι τοῦ ῥεῖν, οὕτως ἡ αἰσθητικὴ γραφὴ ἀένναον ἔχει τὸν δρόμον, καὶ εὔκολον τοῖς διψῶσι τὸν Θεὸν γεραίρειν· καὶ ὥσπερ τὸ φρέαρ κόπον παρέχει τοῖς ἀντλοῦσιν, οὕτω καὶ ἡ θεωρητικὴ γνῶσις τοῖς θέλουσι δι' αὐτῆς τὰς ἀρετὰς κατορθῶσαι, ψυχῆς τε καὶ σώματος, τά τε θεῖα ἐννοεῖν, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀντιποιηθῆναι. 17.176 Γυναῖκα ἐνταῦθα τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ γνῶσιν σημαίνει· αὕτη δὲ ἐκ νεότητος ἡμῖν ἐδόθη· ἥντινα ἀνωτέρω διδασκαλίαν ὁ Σολομῶν νεότητος λέγει· Υἱὲ, γάρ φησι, μή σε καταλάβῃ βουλὴ κακὴ (τὸν διάβολον λέγων, ὡς κακῶς βουλευσάμενον)· ἡ ἀπολιποῦσα διδασκα λίαν

Expositio in Proverbia Unit 2 opening§5

5Youth and the divine covenant forgotten; forgetfulness and neglect are secondary to knowledge acquisition; as the ultimate illness of health and the secondary death of life; simultaneously, the same knowledge is called mother, wife, and sister because the teacher begets through it, as Paul says of the Gospel to the Galatians; she is wife because she bears virtues and correct teachings with me, if wisdom begets prudence in a man; she is sister because we both come from the one God and Father; I said, he says, that wisdom is your sister; grace and friendship liberate; virtue and knowledge liberate the rational soul; for grace and friendship are virtue and knowledge; if the hind comes from friendship, the colt comes from graces; therefore the hind is the symbol of theory; the colt, of apathy; for the one is from virtues, the other from knowledge; it comes to pass naturally; the hind is the symbol of theory, of incorporeal things and of God’s knowledge; friendship is the love toward God and neighbor; the colt is apathy; theory concerning God’s knowledge naturally arises from virtues; love comes to pass naturally from wisdom; apathy comes from bodily virtues; she urges us always to associate with such graces; whoever associates with these will not only converse with God but become his housemate; the virtue of rational nature is called friendship and makes those who follow it through God’s knowledge friendly with God; in the friendship of virtue and the company of knowledge, the one who associates is many times among the benefited; some think this concerns external wisdom, which it is not good to linger over due to its deceits; others interpret this concerning wickedness and not being much toward it; thus it is impossible for a man to completely avoid evil thoughts, but not to linger in them is possible; those he calls embraces; every one who guarantees Christ the friend as justice and truth delivers his own soul to enemies, those accustomed to fighting men, through friendship with the Savior; friendship is spiritual, knowledge of God, by which the saints are called friends of God, as John the Baptist was friend of the bridegroom, Moses and the apostles; no longer, he says, do I call you servants, but friends; do you see struggle and vigilance?

sleep is the active sin of the soul; drowse is the first impure thought gathered in the soul; post-drowse is the inclination toward worse things; therefore the law forbids sleep, the Gospel forbids drowse, if the former cuts off active sin, the latter the first evil thought gathered by reason; it was said to the ancients, do not be angry; but I say to you, do not be provoked; note here that the harmonious motion of the ant’s nature is called wisdom; for the wiser of the wise is called wiser; how then is it not under a master, if all things are slaves of God?

or perhaps God is called master in two ways, as creator and as known; therefore Paul writes: now having been freed from sin, and having been enslaved to God (obviously according to virtue and knowledge), you have your fruit for sanctification, and the end eternal life; but if the ant, being irrational, lacks share in such end and knowledge, it is clear that it is also free from such servitude; well then it is said that the ant is not under master according to this lordship; but again it is said to be under lordship, under God, as under creator; through the ant Solomon seems to inscribe for us the practical way; through the fleecing, the theory.

Greek · §5

νεότητος, καὶ διαθήκην θείαν ἐπιλελησμένη· λήθη δὲ καὶ ἀπόλειψις, γνώσεως κτήσεως δεύτεραι· ὥσπερ καὶ ὑγείας νόσος ἐσχάτη, καὶ ζωῆς θάνατος δεύτερος· ἅμα δὲ καὶ τούτοις τε, ὅτι ὅπερ ἡ αὐτὴ γνῶσις, καὶ μήτηρ λέγεται καὶ γυνὴ καὶ ἀδελφή· μήτηρ μὲν, ἐπειδὴ ὁ διδάξας με, δι' αὐτῆς με γεγέν νηκεν, ὡς Παῦλος διὰ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου Γαλάτας· γυνὴ δὲ, ὅτι συνοῦσά μοι τίκτει τὰς ἀρετὰς καὶ δόγματα ὀρθά· εἴ γε ἡ σοφία ἀνδρὶ τίκτει φρόνησιν· ἀδελφὴ, ὅτι ἐγώ τε καὶ αὕτη ἐκ τοῦ ἑνὸς γεγόναμεν Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρός· Εἶπον γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν σοφίαν, σὴν ἀδελ φὴν εἶναι. Ἡ χάρις καὶ ἡ φιλία ἐλευθεροῖ· ἡ δὲ ἀρετὴ καὶ γνῶσις ἐλευθεροῦσι ψυχὴν λογικήν· ἡ χάρις γὰρ καὶ ἡ φιλία, ἀρετὴ καὶ γνῶσίς ἐστιν· εἰ δὲ ἔλαφος ἐκ τῆς φιλίας, ὁ πῶλος ἐκ τῶν χαρίτων γεννᾶται· ἡ οὖν ἔλαφός ἐστι τῆς θεωρίας σύμβολον· ὁ δὲ πῶλος, τῆς ἀπαθείας· ἡ μὲν γὰρ, ἐξ ἀρετῶν· ἡ δὲ, ἐκ τῆς γνώσεως γίνεσθαι πέφυκεν. –Ἡ μὲν ἔλαφός ἐστιν θεωρίας σύμβολον, σωμάτων καὶ ἀσωμάτων καὶ γνώσεως Θεοῦ· ἡ δὲ φιλία, τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν καὶ τὸν πλησίον ἀγάπης· ὁ δὲ πῶλος, τῆς ἀπαθείας· καὶ ἡ μὲν θεωρία τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν γνώσεως, ἐξ ἀρετῶν εἴωθε γίνεσθαι ψυχικῶν· ἡ δὲ ἀγάπη, ἐκ τῆς σοφίας γί νεσθαι πέφυκεν· ἡ δὲ ἀπάθεια, ἐκ τῶν τοῦ σώματος ἀρετῶν· παραινεῖ δὲ ἡμᾶς ταῖς τοιαύταις χάρισιν ἀεὶ προσομιλεῖν· ὁ δὲ τούτοις ἐμφιλοχωρῶν, οὐ μόνον τῷ Θεῷ προσομιλήσει, ἀλλὰ καὶ σύνοικος γενήσεται αὐτῷ. –Ἰδία τῆς λογικῆς φύσεώς ἐστιν ἡ ἀρετὴ, ἥτις καλεῖται φιλία, καὶ συμφιλιάζει τῷ Θεῷ τοὺς ἑπομένους αὐτῇ διὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ. –Ἐν γὰρ τῇ τῆς ἀρετῆς φιλίᾳ καὶ τῇ τῆς γνώσεως, ὁ συμπεριφερόμενος πολλοστός ἐστι τῶν ὠφελουμέ νων. Τινὲς μὲν τοῦτο περὶ τῆς ἔξωθεν σοφίας νομίζου σι λέγεσθαι, πρὸς ἣν χρονίζειν οὐ καλὸν διὰ τὰς ἐν αὐτῇ ἀπάτας· τινὲς δὲ περὶ τῆς κακίας καὶ τὸ μὴ πολὺν εἶναι πρὸς αὐτὴν, ἑρμηνεύουσιν οὕτως· ὅτι ἀδύνατον μὲν παντάπασιν ἀπέχεσθαι ἄνθρωπον πονη ρῶν λογισμῶν· μὴ ἐγχρονίζειν μέντοι ἐν αὐτοῖς, δυνα τόν· οὓς καὶ ἀγκάλας καλεῖ. Πᾶς ὁ τὸν φίλον τὸν Χριστὸν ἐγγυώμενος, ὡς δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἀλήθειαν, παραδίδωσι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, τοῖς εἰωθόσι πολεμεῖν τοῖς ἀνθρώ ποις, διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Σωτῆρα φιλίαν· φιλία γάρ ἐστι πνευματικὴ, γνῶσις Θεοῦ, καθ' ἣν καὶ οἱ ἅγιοι φίλοι Θεοῦ χρηματίζουσιν, ὡς ὁ Ἰωάννης ὁ Βαπτι στὴς φίλος ἦν τοῦ νυμφίου, Μωϋσῆς τε καὶ οἱ ἀπόστο λοι· Οὐκέτι γὰρ, φησὶν, ὑμᾶς καλῶ δούλους, ἀλλὰ φίλους. Ὁρᾷς ἀγῶνα καὶ ἀγρυπνίαν; Ὕπνος μέν ἐστι ψυ 17.177 χῆς ἡ κατ' ἐνέργειαν ἁμαρτία· νυσταγμὸς δὲ, τὸ πρῶτον ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ συνιστάμενον ἀκάθαρτον νόημα· ἐπινυσταγμὸς δὲ ἡ πρὸς τὰ χείρω ῥοπή· κωλύει οὖν ὁ μὲν νόμος τὸν ὕπνον· τὸν δὲ νυσταγμὸν τὸ Εὐαγγέ λιον· εἴ γε ὁ μὲν περικόπτει τὴν κατ' ἐνέργειαν ἁμαρ τίαν· τὸ δὲ, τὴν κατὰ διάνοιαν πρῶτον συνισταμέ νην κακίαν· Ἐῤῥέθη γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῖς ἀρχαίοις, Οὐ φο νεύσεις· ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν, Οὐκ ὀργισθήσῃ. Σημειωτέον ἐνταῦθα, ὅτι τὴν τοῦ μύρμηκος φυσι κὴν ἐναρμόνιον κίνησιν, σοφίαν καλεῖ· καὶ γὰρ ὁ σοφώτερος σοφοῦ, σοφώτερος λέγεται· πῶς δὲ καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὑπὸ δεσπότην, εἴ γε τὰ σύμπαντα δοῦλα τοῦ Θεοῦ; ἢ μήποτε ὁ Θεὸς λέγεται δεσπότης διχῶς, ὡς δημιουργὸς, καὶ ὡς γινωσκόμενος; ∆ιὸ καὶ Παῦ λος γράφει· Νυνὶ δὲ ἐλευθερωθέντες ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, δουλωθέντες δὲ τῷ Θεῷ (δηλονότι κατ' ἀρετὴν καὶ γνῶσιν) ἔχετε τὸν καρπὸν ὑμῶν εἰς ἁγιασμὸν, τὸ δὲ τέλος ζωὴν αἰώνιον· εἰ δὲ τοῦ τοιούτου τέλους καὶ τῆς γνώσεως ἄμοιρός ἐστιν ὁ μύρμηξ, ἄλογος ὢν, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ τῆς τοιαύτης δου λείας ἐλεύθερος· καλῶς οὖν λέγεται μὴ εἶναι ὁ μύρ μηξ ὑπὸ δεσπότην, κατὰ ταύτην τὴν δεσποτείαν· εἶναι δὲ πάλιν ὑπὸ δεσποτείαν λέγεται, ὑπὸ τὸν Θεὸν, ὡς ὑπὸ δημιουργόν. ∆ιὰ μὲν τοῦ μύρμηκος ἔοικεν ὁ Σολομῶν τὴν πρακτικὴν ὁδὸν ἡμῖν ὑπογράφειν· διὰ δὲ τῆς με λίσσης, τὴν θεωρίαν

Unit 2 rem early§6

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6The events signify also the one who made them, whom both pure and impure, wise and foolish, approach toward the soul’s health. The wax seems to me to hold the account of those things, while the remaining honey is a symbol of their contemplation. The wax will pass away, for heaven and earth will pass away, but the honey will not pass away, nor will the words of our Savior Jesus Christ pass away. Concerning which Solomon says: Honeycomb, good words; their sweetness is healing of the soul. And David says: Your words are sweeter to my throat than honey to my mouth. The result of the labor of the virtues and knowledge, he called labor. But kings and commoners, not those wearing a diadem or the poor in dung, he means those who have their mind toward God refined and strengthened by virtues, these he calls kings.

This sleep happens only to a rational soul, for it signifies here ignorance and lack of knowledge. Of which wakefulness produces something like a solitary sparrow on a roof. We must beware lest through such bodily movements the opponents come to know their own reasonings moving within us, since we have believed only God to be a discerner of hearts. Everyone who eats the flesh of Christ and drinks his blood acquires righteous blood. But a rational soul deprived of this blood is said to die. For the soul that sins, that one shall die. But if there is righteous blood, then certainly there is also unjust blood. Which those who eat the food given to the Ethiopians and nourished by the bread of falsehood gather within themselves. And those who sacrifice to other gods consume their own righteous blood. But those who offer sacrifice to the one God, they corrupt their unjust blood. Corruption will follow the unjust blood, but this must now happen from the beginning, not thus, for health of children is not by corruption of disease, nor are those born with health from the beginning. By slandering falsehood to each other, they bring themselves into discernments and lawsuits.

Or brothers are those who have the grace of adoption and are under the same father Christ. Whom the witness of injustice tries to divide, throwing disturbances and judgments among them. And 'he kindles,' as I think, is added because of the passionate reasonings, kindling anger indeed, and toward wrath and hatred desire toward shameful works. These reasonings the holy Paul also called burning arrows of the evil one, piercing the soul and working death. He commands to bring forward the mother, which is wisdom generating according to God. And yet it was necessary to say the father, for this one is more disposed toward agreeing with the son. But since it is not possible to know God before the theory of the events, therefore he commands to bring forward the mother and not the father, so that through the mother the son may see the father. For if she does not generate, he does not see the light, which is knowledge of him, God. That the commandment of the law is a lamp and light. And perhaps the lamp, the Old Covenant is that. For he was the lamp burning and shining. Light, the New Covenant. For I say, I am the light of the world. Conviction indeed of evils, education moreover of goods. For through the law comes knowledge of sin. For such is the pleasure of wickedness, as much as and one loaf.

If he is caught by true knowledge, he will renounce all false knowledge. The former thief, from lack of knowledge, from the senselessness caused by our Savior’s knowledge and wisdom. He is said to restore sevenfold, to praise God seven times a day. And giving all his sensible things to God, he will deliver himself from the things prepared by the devil and his angels for punishment. Everyone who shares in wickedness is an adulterer of the devil who first married wickedness, and having been a murderer from the beginning, and with him he brings about destruction of his own soul. Our sister wisdom is, because the Maker of the incorporeal nature Father, and he has made her. But wisdom here he speaks of not the Son of God, but the contemplation of bodies and incorporeals, and the judgment and forethought existing within her. He now calls the flesh of a human a door, for through it the evil one works deceits upon humans, to those wishing to walk the broad and spacious road, and leading away to destruction.

Greek · §6

τῶν γεγονότων σημαίνει καὶ αὐ τοῦ τοῦ ποιήσαντος, ἥντινα καὶ καθαροὶ καὶ ἀκάθαρ τοι, καὶ σοφοὶ καὶ ἀνόητοι, πρὸς τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ὑγείαν προσφέρονται· καὶ φαίνεται μέν μοι ὁ κηρὸς, αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων λόγον ἐπέχειν· τὸ δ' ἐναποκεί μενον αὐτῷ μέλι, σύμβολον εἶναι τῆς θεωρίας αὐ τῶν· καὶ ὁ μὲν κηρὸς παρελεύσεται· Ὁ οὐρανὸς γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσεται· τὸ δὲ μέλι οὐ παρ ελεύσεται· οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ λόγοι παρελεύσονται τοῦ Σω τῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· περὶ ὧν λέγει ὁ Σολο μῶν· Κηρία μέλιτος, λόγοι καλοί· γλύκασμα δὲ αὐτῶν, ἴασις ψυχῆς· καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ, Ὡς γλυκύτερα, φησὶ, τῷ λάρυγγί μου, τὰ λόγιά σου ὑπὲρ μέλι τῷ στόματί μου· τὸ δὲ ἀποτέλεσμα τοῦ πόνου τῶν ἀρε τῶν καὶ τῆς γνώσεως, πόνον ὠνόμασε· βασιλεῖς δὲ καὶ ἰδιώτας, οὐ τοὺς τὸ διάδημα ἔχοντας, ἢ τοὺς ἐν κοπρίᾳ πένητας λέγει, ἀλλὰ τοὺς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν τὸν νοῦν σεσοφισμένον καὶ ἐῤῥωμένον ταῖς ἀρεταῖς ἔχον τας, βασιλεῖς λέγει. Ὁ ὕπνος οὗτος μόνῃ πέφυκεν ἐπισυμβαίνειν ψυχῇ λογικῇ· σημαίνει γὰρ ἐνταῦθα [ἄγνοι]αν καὶ ἀγνω σίαν· ὧν ἡ ἀγρυπνία ποιεῖ τινα, ὡς στρουθίον μονάζον ἐπὶ δώματος. Προσεκτέον ἐνταῦθα μήποτε ἄρα διὰ τῶν τοιού των κινημάτων τοῦ σώματος γινώσκωσιν οἱ ἀντικεί μενοι τοὺς αὑτῶν λογισμοὺς ἐν ἡμῖν στρεφομένους· ἐπειδὴ καρδιογνώστην μόνον τὸν Θεὸν πεπιστεύκαμεν εἶναι. Πᾶς ὁ τρώγων τὰς σάρκας τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ πίνων τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ, κτᾶται αἷμα δίκαιον· οὗ στερι 17.180 σκομένη ψυχὴ λογικὴ, λέγεται ἀποθνήσκειν· Ψυχὴ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα, αὕτη ἀποθανεῖται· εἰ δέ ἐστιν αἷμα δίκαιον, ἔστι δηλονότι καὶ αἷμα ἄδικον· ὅπερ συνάγουσιν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς οἱ κατεσθίοντες τὸ δεδο μένον βρῶμα λαοῖς τοῖς Αἰθίοψι, καὶ τρεφόμενον τῷ ἄρτῳ τοῦ ψεύδους· καὶ οἱ μὲν θύοντες θεοῖς ἀλλο τρίοις, τὸ δίκαιον ἑαυτῶν αἷμα καταναλίσκουσιν· οἱ δὲ ἑαυτοῖς θυσίαν τῷ μόνῳ Θεῷ, τὸ ἄδικον διαφθεί ρουσιν αἷμα· ἀκολουθήσει δὲ πάντως τῇ μὲν φθορᾷ τοῦ ἀδίκου αἵματος· ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν πάντως νῦν πέ φυκε γίνεσθαι, ἀπ' ἀρχῆς δὲ οὐχ οὕτως· οὐ γὰρ κατὰ φθορὰν νόσου ὑγεία τῶν παίδων, μετὰ τῆς ὑγείας ἀπ' ἀρχῆς τικτομένων. ∆ιαβάλλων τὸ ψεῦδος ἀλλήλοις, αὐτοὺς εἰς διακρί σεις φέρει καὶ ἀντιδικίας· ἢ ἀδελφοί εἰσιν οἱ τὸ τῆς υἱοθεσίας ἔχοντες χάρισμα, καὶ ὑπὸ τὸν αὐτὸν ὄντες πατέρα Χριστόν· οὓς χωρίζειν ἐπιχειρεῖ ὁ μάρτυς τῆς ἀδικίας, ταραχὰς ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐμβάλλων καὶ κρί σεις· τὸ δὲ «ἐκκαίει,» ὡς οἶμαι, προστίθεται διὰ τοὺς ἐμπαθεῖς λογισμοὺς, ἀνάπτοντας θυμὸν μὲν, πρὸς ὀργὴν καὶ μῖσος ἐπιθυμίαν δὲ πρὸς αἰσχρὰς ἐργα σίας· τούτους τοὺς λογισμοὺς καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος ὠνόμασε τοῦ πονηροῦ βέλη πεπυρωμένα, τιτρώ σκοντα τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ θάνατον ἐργαζόμενα. Τὴν μητέρα ἐπάγεσθαι προστάσσει, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ σοφία γεννῶσα, ἡ μὲν κατὰ Θεόν· καίτοι ἐχρῆν αὐ τὸν εἰπεῖν τὸν πατέρα· οὗτος γὰρ πρὸς τὸ συνεῖναι τῷ υἱῷ μᾶλλον ἐπιτηδειότερος· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οὐ δυνατὸν, αὐτὸν γνῶναι τὸν Θεὸν πρὸ τῆς τῶν γεγονότων θεω ρίας, τούτου χάριν τὴν μητέρα καὶ οὐ τὸν πατέρα προστάσσει ἐπάγεσθαι· ἵνα διὰ τῆς μητρὸς ὁ υἱὸς ἴδῃ τὸν πατέρα· ἐὰν γὰρ αὐτὴ μὴ γεννήσῃ, οὐ βλέπει τὸ φῶς, ὅπερ ἐστὶ γνῶσις αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὅτι ἡ ἐντολὴ τοῦ νόμου λύχνος ἐστὶ καὶ φῶς· καὶ τάχα λύχνος, ἡ Παλαιὰ ∆ιαθήκη ἐστίν· ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ἦν ὁ λύχνος ὁ καιόμενος καὶ φαίνων· φῶς, ἡ Νέα ∆ιαθήκη· Ἐγὼ γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰμὶ τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου· ἔλεγχος μὲν τῶν κακῶν, παιδεία δὲ τῶν ἀγαθῶν· διὰ γὰρ νόμου ἐπίγνωσις ἁμαρτίας. Τοσαύτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἡδονὴ τῆς κακίας, ὅση καὶ ἑνὸς ἄρτου. Ἐὰν ἁλῷ ὑπὸ γνώσεως ἀληθοῦς, ἀποθήσεται πᾶ σαν γνῶσιν ψευδῆ, ὁ πρότερον κλέπτων, δι' ἔνδειαν γνώσεως, ἀπὸ τῆς μωρανθείσης ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν γνώσεως καὶ σοφίας· ἀποτίσειν δὲ λέγεται ἑπταπλασίονα, τὸ ἑπτάκις τῆς ἡμέρας αἰνεῖν τὸν Θεόν· καὶ πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτῷ αἰσθητήρια δοὺς τῷ Θεῷ, ῥύσεται ἑαυτὸν ἐκ τῶν ἡτοιμα σμένων τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ τιμω ριῶν. Πᾶς ὁ κοινωνήσας τῇ κακίᾳ, μοιχός ἐστι τοῦ διαβόλου τοῦ πρώτου γήμαντος τὴν κακίαν, καὶ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς γεγονότος ἀνθρωποκτόνου· καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ ἀπώλειαν τῇ ψυχῇ αὑτοῦ περιποιεῖται. Ἀδελφὴ ἡμῶν σοφία ἐστὶ, διότι ὁ ποιήσας τὴν 17.181 ἀσώματον φύσιν Πατὴρ, καὶ ταύτην πεποίηκεν· σο φίαν δὲ ἐνταῦθα λέγει οὐ τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὴν θεωρίαν τῶν σωμάτων καὶ ἀσωμάτων, καὶ τῆς ἐν αὐτῇ κρίσεως καὶ προνοίας ἐγκείμενα. Τὴν σάρκα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου θυρίδα ὀνομάζει νῦν· διὰ γὰρ ταύτης ὁ πονηρὸς τὰς ἀπάτας τοῖς ἀνθρώ ποις ἐργάζεται, τοῖς βουλομένοις ὁδεύειν τὴν πλα τείαν ὁδὸν καὶ εὐρύχωρον, καὶ ἀπάγουσαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀπώλειαν·

Unit 2 rem mid§7

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7Here one must pay close attention to what Solomon says concerning wickedness: that it is not wickedness itself which leads the human being, in the beginning, upon the broad way; nor does it compel one to travel upon the streets of its houses, or to draw near to its bedchamber, or to speak in the evening twilight. But if it sees someone yielding themselves to pleasures, then immediately the form of wickedness, appearing with a lascivious aspect, meets that person, or it causes the hearts of the young to leap forth. Those who wander in the broad places receive thoughts of adultery, fornication, and theft; but those who wander outside these places pursue unnatural pleasures, seeking to lie with males, and entertain fantasies of other forbidden things. Yet take heed lest this accusation be true even of holy men; and whoever does not remain still but wanders about will share in the guilt of the accusations leveled against the dishonored woman. Of these thoughts, some are pure, others impure; and of the lines, some are called straight, others crooked. Now an angle is a bent straight line; or, understood intellectually, the impure thought is an angle. Therefore, the fact that wickedness lies in wait against every angle signifies that, through all impure thoughts, it deceives the soul. By means of the saffron and the crocus and the rest, the deceptive conceptions, or the various passions, are signified. –Behold wickedness, which has no beginning from itself, but arises from the preludes of virtue; for to partake in common sacrifices is good. But when they have been subdued by them, then at times they send forth the poison, enumerating the objects of desire for those who are in love, all of which are sufficient to enchant,

Origen clarifies that the focus is not on one’s own nature, but on the foolishness of those who hear. According to reason, the κα κίᾱ (likely a textual variant or corruption for κακία, meaning wickedness) seeks to shame our person through things like cords, beds, coverings, saffron, and cinnamon. These items, he says, signify evil and diverse passions—pleasures devised by the inventors of evil. The long-delayed return over many days refers to Paul, who, having spiritually fixed his gaze upon the divine economy, declares as his final enemy the one to be destroyed: death. Solomon had already written of death as a man of wickedness, one who takes the silver of a balance in his hand and thereby grasps humanity; yet even if he returns to sinning, he does not foresee God’s wrath, because he bears with patience the race of humans. For if he had not foreseen the fear of God, he would have utterly destroyed all people by the roots. There are three kinds of skin afflictions: scabs, the white (likely vitiligo or leukoderma), and the so-called star-like eruption. The scab, when held without restraint regarding mixtures, makes sleeping difficult and causes oozing; it cries out, and in oozing, it sends forth blood from the eyes, and it brings forth offspring poorly and painfully. Indeed, the Scripture draws from the history of this creature: those who yield to wickedness become scab-covered and are likened to birds made like them through excess. There is also another kind of scab found in the sea, moving in herds here and there, which sailors, having entangled their multi-hook nets, catch; and it does not merely flee when seeing the caught prey,

But indeed another runs swiftly after another in order to catch game; in this way those who associate with wickedness appear, striving to overcome one another through pleasures, surrounding themselves with warlike death. Here he has spoken of the heart as virtue, either the one walking upon the heart or the one fashioned by God, the spiritual. Here wisdom has been taken as a kind of offspring of instruction and knowledge; for instruction and knowledge being advanced first, he adds: For wisdom is better than precious stones, as the abundance of instruction and knowledge is contained within wisdom, which is given through the Spirit, a discourse of wisdom; and this same thing is also called the spirit of sonship. It is to be noted that he calls injustice, insolence, and arrogance, the unjust, insolent, and arrogant person, naming them from the state of the hand’s disposition. This means, from me, the prudent and the secure; for where this is, there also that is; you see lifeless things of bodily nature placed everywhere and prevailing. Then, having also spoken of ruling through it, he adds what is much greater: for to rule thus, and to be able to lawfully use authority, is better; but some, while calling the holy and great ones kings, call tyrants those still fighting against the flesh and ruling over the passions. He introduces a greater love here, namely when it is not set against the same; for indeed, when the Savior says to Peter, Do you love me? the one addressing him knowing, gives the lesser to himself, that is, I love you; and upon hearing the third, Simon son of Jonah, do you love me? he understood that the lesser.

Greek · §7

ἐνταῦθα δὲ προσεκτέον τί φησιν ὁ Σολο μῶν περὶ τῆς κακίας· ὅτι οὐκ αὐτὴ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐν ἀρχαῖς ἐπὶ τὴν πλατεῖαν ἄγει· οὐδὲ ἀναγκάζει πορεύεσθαι διόδοις οἴκων αὐτῆς, ἢ προσεγγίζειν γω νίᾳ, ἢ λαλεῖν ἐν σκότει ἑσπερινῷ· ἀλλ' ἐὰν ἴδῃ τινὰ ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδιδόντα ταῖς ἡδοναῖς, εὐθὺς συναντᾷ αὐτῷ τὸ εἶδος ἔχουσα πορνικὸν, ἢ ποιεῖ τὰς νέων ἐξίπτασθαι καρδίας. Οἱ μὲν ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις ῥεμβόμενοι, μοιχείας καὶ πορνείας καὶ κλοπῆς λαμβάνουσι λογισμούς· οἱ δὲ ἔξω τούτων ῥεμβόμενοι, τὰς παρὰ φύσιν ἡδονὰς μετέρχονται, ἀρσενοκοιτεῖν ἐπιζητοῦντες, καὶ ἄλλων τινῶν ἀπαγορευομένων πραγμάτων φαντασίας λαμ βάνοντες· ὅρα δὲ μὴ κατηγόρημα εἴη τοῦτο καὶ ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν· καί τις μὴ ἡσυχάζων ἀλλὰ ῥεμβόμε νος, τοῖς κατηγορήμασι κοινωνήσει τῆς ἀτίμου γυ ναικός. Τῶν λογισμῶν, οἱ μὲν καθαροί εἰσιν, οἱ δὲ ἀκά θαρτοι· καὶ τῶν γραμμῶν αἱ μὲν εὐθεῖαι καλοῦνται· αἱ δὲ κεκλασμέναι· γωνία δέ ἐστι κεκλασμένη εὐθεῖα· ἢ γωνία νοητῶς ἐστιν ὁ ἀκάθαρτος λογισμός· τὸ οὖν παρὰ πᾶσαν γωνίαν ἐνεδρεύειν τὴν κακίαν, δηλοῖ τὸ διὰ πάντων τῶν ἀκαθάρτων λογισμῶν αὐτὴν ἐξαπα τᾷν τὴν ψυχήν. ∆ιὰ τῶν κειριῶν καὶ τοῦ κρόκου καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν, τὰ ἀπατηλὰ θεωρήματα, ἢ τὰ διάφορα πάθη σημαί νει. –Ὅρα τὴν κακίαν, οὐκ ἔχουσαν ἀφ' ἑαυτῆς ἀρχὴν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς προοιμιαζομένων· τὸ γὰρ κοινωνὸν λαβεῖν θυσίας, ἀγαθόν. Ὅτε δὲ αὐτοῖς κατεπάλαισε, τότε ἐνίησι τὸν ἰὸν, τὰ τοῖς ἐρῶ σιν ἐπιθυμητὰ καταλέγουσα, ἃ πάντα ἱκανὰ κατα γοητεῦσαι, οὐ περὶ τὴν οἰκείαν φύσιν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τὴν τῶν ἀκουόντων ἀφροσύνην· κατὰ δὲ διάνοιαν ἡ κα κία ζητεῖ τὸ πρόσωπον ἡμῶν καταισχῦναι, διὰ τῶν κειριῶν καὶ τῆς κλίνης, καὶ τῶν ἀμφιτάπων, καὶ τοῦ κρόκου, καὶ τοῦ κινναμώμου· ἅπερ κακὰ καὶ διάφορα πάθη σημαίνει ἡδονῶν παρὰ τοῖς ἐφευρεταῖς τῶν κακῶν γινόμενα. Τὸ δι' ἡμερῶν πολλῶν ἐπανήξει εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐ τοῦ πάνυ πνευματικῶς ἐνατενίσας τῇ οἰκονομίᾳ ὁ Παῦ λος, ἔσχατον ἐχθρὸν λέγει καταργεῖσθαι τὸν θάνατον· ὃν καὶ ἄνδρα εἶναι τῆς πονηρίας Σολομῶν προδιέ γραψε· τὸν ὡς βαλαντίον ἀργυρίου λαβόντα ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὑτοῦ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα, εἰ καὶ αὖθις ἐν τῷ ἁμαρτάνειν οὐ πάρεστι προβλέπειν τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φό βον· διότι κήδεται ἀνεχόμενος τοῦ γένους τῶν ἀν θρώπων· ἐπεὶ εἰ μὴ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον προέβλεπε, ῥυζηδὸν πάντας ἂν ἀπώλετο. Τῶν ἐῤῥωδιῶν τρία γένη εἰσὶν, ὅ τε κέμφος, καὶ ὁ 17.184 λευκὸς, καὶ ὁ ἀστερίσκος καλούμενος· τούτων ὁ κέμ φος ἀκρατῶς ἔχων περὶ τὰς μίξεις, χαλεπῶς εὐνάζε ται καὶ ὀχεύει, κράζει τε, καὶ ὀχεύων αἷμα ἀφίησιν ἐκ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, καὶ τίκτει φαύλως καὶ ὀδυνηρῶς· ἔοικε δὲ ἡ γραφὴ ἀπὸ τῆς ἱστορίας τοῦ ζώου τούτου, τοὺς πειθομένους τῇ πονηρίᾳ κεμφωμένους καὶ ἐξ ωμοιωμένους τῶν ὀρνέων δι' ἀκολασίαν· ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλο εἶδος κέμφου ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ κατ' ἀγέλας ἱπτά μενον ὧδε κἀκεῖσε· ὃ οἱ πλωτῆρες πολυάγκυστρον δελεάσαντες σχοῖνον, ἀγρεύουσι· καὶ οὐ μόνον οὐ φεύγει βλέπων τὰ θηρευθέντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλος ἄλλῳ προτρέχει ἀγρευθῆναι· οὕτως ἐοίκασιν οἱ τῇ κακίᾳ προσομιλοῦντες, ἄλλος ἄλλον νικᾷν σπεύδοντες διὰ τῶν ἡδονῶν, ἐπολέθρῳ θανάτῳ ἑαυτοὺς περιπείρουσιν. Καρδίαν ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἀρετὴν εἴρηκε, τὴν ἐπισυμ βαίνουσαν τῇ καρδίᾳ ἢ τὴν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ κτιζομένην τὴν πνευματικήν. Τὴν σοφίαν ἐνταῦθα ὡς γένος ἔλαβε τῆς παιδείας καὶ τῆς γνώσεως· παιδείαν γὰρ καὶ γνῶσιν προτά ξας, ἐπάγει· Κρείσσων γὰρ σοφία λίθων πολυτελῶν, ὡς τῆς παιδείας καὶ τῆς γνώσεως περισχομένης ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ, ἥπερ διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος δίδοται, λόγος σοφίας· τὸ δ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο λέγεται καὶ πνεῦμα υἱο θεσίας. Σημειωτέον ὅτι ἀδικίαν καὶ ὕβριν καὶ ὑπερηφα νίαν, τὸν ἄδικον ὑβριστὴν καὶ ὑπερήφανον λέγει, ἀπὸ τῆς χειρίστης ἕξεως ὀνομάζων αὐτόν. Τουτέστι παρ' ἐμοῦ τὸ εὔβουλον καὶ ἀσφαλές· ὅπου γὰρ τοῦτο, κἀκεῖνο· ὁρᾷς πανταχοῦ προτιθέμενα τὰ ἀσώματα τῶν σωματικῶν καὶ κρατοῦντα; Εἶτα εἰπὼν καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ βασιλεύειν δι' αὐτῆς γινόμενον, ἐπήγαγε καὶ ὃ πολλῷ μεῖζόν ἐστι· τοῦτο γὰρ βασιλεύειν, τὸ δύνασθαι δικαίως κεχρῆσθαι τῇ ἀρχῇ, βέλτιον· ἔνιοι δὲ, βασιλεῖς μὲν τοὺς ἁγίους καὶ μεγιστᾶνας· τυ ράννους δὲ, τοὺς ἔτι πολεμοῦντας τὴν σάρκα, καὶ τῶν παθῶν τυραννοῦντας. Μείζω φιλίας εἰσάγει τὴν ἀγάπην ἐνταῦθα, ἡνίκα μὴ κατὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ τάττεται· ἀμέλει τοῦ Σωτῆρος τῷ Πέτρῳ λέγοντος, Ἀγαπᾷς με; τὸν προσδιαλεγόμε νον εἰδὼς, τὸ ἧττον δίδωσιν ἑαυτῷ, τὸ, Ὅτι φιλῶ σε· τὸ δὲ τρίτον ἀκούσας, Σίμων Ἰωνᾶ, φιλεῖς με; ἐλυ πήθη ὅτι τὸ ἧττον

Unit 2 rem close§8

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8The third offering he made to him was this: only the wise man is truly rich and renowned, because within him lies the possession of many things and the offspring of wisdom. If one sows these into the spirit, they reap life. It seems he speaks of his own wealth when he says: You need no expense, no innovation, for your love toward me; it is enough to love only, and you will be loved in return. Moreover, what is wonderful—that righteousness resides in wealth—is also true with me, and this, along with all other things, is good. The substance that is God’s wisdom existed begotten before the ages and eternal before creation; but when it entered into relation with the generated, it became the beginning of God’s ways, the creative and providential. Thus the beginning is a spouse to the creations of which it is the beginning—that is, the relation toward the generated. But wisdom is eternal, substantially existing before the ages with God. Impiety is sin against God; and impious, too, is anyone who stores up punishment for his own soul, prepared for the impious.

Consequently, loving death belongs to those who hate wisdom, if wisdom is life. Taking hold of wisdom here doubly: I mean that which comes from the Holy Spirit, given in words and writing to the godly-minded, through which the knowledge of God was made known to the world. Likewise, the hypostatic Son and Word of God, who brought all things from non-being into being by his wisdom. The sacrifices he refers to are those prophets who were sealed and slaughtered by the praise of Christ, because they sifted them with the vessel of knowledge—the sweet understanding of him for the intelligent—saying: Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; for he himself slaughtered them and slays them, because he himself urges those who believe in him for himself, as he himself dies for you. If Paul the apostle is a slave of Christ, and Christ is wisdom, then Paul is a slave of wisdom. Likewise, we will gather the word of the remaining apostles and prophets, having shown themselves slaves of his wisdom. We ought not to reprove sinners, but to remind them of divine fear. Whoever turns them away from evil, or those who are evil returning from sin and wishing to come to repentance—be patient with evil ones blinding them, and do not rebuke for a single fault, lest they come to hatred from beginnings.

But when they become wise and strengthened, then rebuke. And Christ did not rebuke his disciples while they were young, because they were not the old ascetics ready for new wine. Or he calls foolish the senseless and stupid, or those entirely alien from divine teaching—whom we ought not to rebuke, but to admonish, to teach, and to instruct. And if indeed Ahab and Herod were rebuked, yet they had already shared in the divine law, even if they transgressed; therefore, these also ought to be reproved. Or it seems these things are said then to the most infantile, since why did John and Paul rebuke? One ought not to reprove sinners, for person-to-person reproof makes the sinner shameless; but we ought to do this among the wise and just. Between the one being reproved and the reprover, not upon many. Every wind of teaching turning about, having been shipwrecked concerning

Greek · §8

τρίτον αὐτῷ προσένειμε. Ὅτι μόνος ὁ σοφὸς πλούσιος καὶ εὐκλεής· ἔστι γὰρ ἐν αὐτῷ κτῆσις πολλῶν καὶ γεννήματα σοφίας· ἃ καὶ σπείρων εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα, θερίζει ζωήν· ἔοικε δὲ διὰ τοῦ ἑαυτῆς λέγειν τὸν πλοῦτον, τοιοῦτόν τι λέγειν, ὅτι Οὐ χρεία σοι δαπάνης, οὐδὲ καινοτομίας, εἰς τὸν πρὸς ἐμὲ ἔρωτα, ἀλλ' ἀρκεῖ τὸ φιλῆσαι μό νον, καὶ ἀνταγαπηθήσῃ. Ἀλλὰ μὴν, καὶ ὃ θαυμαστόν ἐστι, τὸ ἐν πλούτῳ εἶναι δικαιοσύνην, παρ' ἐμοὶ καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ἀγαθά. 17.185 Οὐσία οὖσα ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφία, πρὸ αἰώνων γεγένη ται, καὶ πρὸ κτίσεως ἀΐδιος ἦν· ὅτε δὲ σχέσιν πρὸς τὰ γεννητὰ ἐδέξατο, τότε ἀρχὴ τῶν ὁδῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ γέγονε τῶν ποιητικῶν καὶ προνοητικῶν· σύζυγος οὖν ἡ ἀρχὴ τοῖς κτίσμασιν ὧν γέγονεν ἀρχὴ, τουτ έστιν ἡ πρὸς τὰ γεννητὰ σχέσις· ἡ δὲ σοφία ἀΐδιος, οὐσιωδῶς πρὸ αἰώνων παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ ὑπάρχουσα. Ἀσέβεια μέν ἐστιν ἡ εἰς Θεὸν ἁμαρτία· ἀσεβεῖ δὲ καὶ εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ὁ σωρεύων κόλασιν τῇ ἑαυ τοῦ ψυχῇ, τὴν τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν ἡτοιμασμένην· ἀκόλου θον δὲ καὶ τὸ ἀγαπᾷν θάνατον τοὺς σοφίαν μισοῦντας, εἴπερ ἡ σοφία ζωή. Τὴν σοφίαν ἐνταῦθα δισσῶς ἐπιλαβεῖν, τὴν ἐκ Πνεύματος ἁγίου φημὶ ἐν λόγοις καὶ γραφῇ δοθεῖσαν τοῖς θεόφροσιν, δι' ἧς καὶ ἡ ἐπίγνωσις τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ κόσμῳ ἐγνωρίσθη· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τὸν ἐνυπόστατον Υἱὸν καὶ Λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὸν ἐξ οὐκ ὄντα εἰς τὸ εἶναι παραγαγόντα τὰ σύμπαντα τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Θύματα ἐνταῦθά φησι τοὺς ὅσοι προφῆται τῇ παρ αινέσει Χριστοῦ σφραγισθέντες καὶ σφαγιαζόμενοι, διὰ τὸ κιρνᾷν αὐτοὺς τῷ τῆς γνώσεως κρατῆρι τὴν ὡς οἶνον ἡδὺν ἐπίγνωσιν αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἐχέφροσι· λέγων, Μὴ φοβηθῆτε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτεινόντων τὸ σῶμα, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν μὴ δυναμένων ἀποκτεῖναι· καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς αὐ τοὺς ἐσφαγίασε, καὶ σφαγιάζει, διὰ τὸ παρακελεύειν αὐτὸς τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύοντας ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, ὡς αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἀποθνήσκει. Εἰ Παῦλος ὁ ἀπόστολος δοῦλος Χριστοῦ, ὁ δὲ Χρι στὸς σοφία ἐστὶ, Παῦλος γὰρ ὁ ἀπόστολος δοῦλος τῆς σοφίας ἐστίν· ὡσαύτως καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀποστό λων καὶ προφητῶν τὸν λόγον συνάξομεν, δούλους τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ ἀποδείξαντες. Οὐ δεῖ ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐλέγχειν τοὺς κακοὺς, ἀλλὰ περὶ θείου φόβου αὐτοὺς ὑπομιμνήσκειν, ὅστις αὐ τοὺς ἀποστήσει τῆς κακίας· ἢ κακοὺς τοὺς ἀπὸ ἁμαρ τίας ἐπιστρέφοντας, καὶ θέλοντας ἐλθεῖν πρὸς μετά νοιαν· ἀκμὴν δὲ κακοὺς ὄντας καὶ τυφλώττοντας ὑπόμενε· καὶ μὴ καθ' ἒν σφάλμα ἔλεγχε, ἵνα μὴ εἰς μῖσος ἐκ προοιμίων ἔλθωσιν· ὅταν δὲ γένωνται σο φοὶ, καὶ στερεωθῶσιν, ἔλεγχε. Καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς ἔτι νέους ὄντας, οὐκ ἤλεγχε, διὰ τὸ μὴ τοὺς παλαιοὺς ἀσκοὺς εὐθέτους εἶναι πρὸς νέον οἶνον. Ἢ κακοὺς λέγει τοὺς ἄφρονας καὶ μωρούς· ἢ τοὺς πάντη ἀλλοτρίους τῆς θείας διδασκαλίας, οὓς οὐκ ἐλέγχειν, ἀλλὰ νουθετεῖν, δεῖ καὶ διδάσκειν· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἠλέγχοντο Ἀχαὰβ καὶ Ἡρώδης, ἀλλ' ἤδη μετέσχον τοῦ θείου νόμου, εἰ καὶ παρέβησαν· διὸ καὶ τούτους δεῖ ἐλέγχειν. Ἢ ἔοικε ταῦτα πρὸς τοὺς τότε λέγειν, τοὺς νηπιωδεστέρους· ἐπεὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν ἤλεγχεν Ἰω άννης καὶ Παῦλος; –Οὐ δεῖ ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐλέγχειν τοὺς κακούς· ὁ γὰρ εἰς πρόσωπον ἔλεγχος, ἀναισχυν τότερον ποιεῖ τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα· χρὴ δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ σοφῶν καὶ δικαίων τοῦτο ποιεῖν· ἀναμεταξὺ μὲν τοῦ ἐλεγχομένου καὶ ἐλέγχοντος, οὐκ ἐπὶ πολλῶν δέ. 17.188 Ὁ παντὶ ἀνέμῳ τῆς διδασκαλίας περιφερόμενος, ναυαγήσας περὶ τὴν πίστιν, ὡς ὑπ' ἀνέμῳ ἑαυτόν τε καὶ ἄλλους ποιμάνας, ἀπώλεσεν· ἀπέλιπε γὰρ τῶν ἐντολῶν τὰς ὁδοὺς, τοῦ εἰπόντος, Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπε λος, ὑμεῖς τὰ κλήματα, καὶ ὁ Πατήρ μου ὁ γεωργός. –̔Ο μὴ συνάγων σὺν ταῖς ἀρεταῖς τὴν θείαν γνῶσιν, οὗτος οὐ συνάγει τῆς αἰωνίου βασιλείας τὴν ἀθάνα τον εὐκαρπίαν· ἀκαρπία δέ ἐστι κακία καὶ ἄγνοια. Τῶν ὡς ἄρτων ζωτικῶν, θείων λόγων ἡδέως ἅψα σθαι, καὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ κρυπτῇ τοῦ νοῦ θεωρίᾳ θείων νοημάτων. –Ἄρτοι εἰσὶ τῆς ψυχῆς αἱ ἀρεταὶ, αἵτι νες καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν προσετάγησαν παρ' ἡμῖν γίνεσθαι· τουτέστι νηστεία, ἐγκράτεια, προσ ευχὴ, καὶ τὰ ὅμοια· κρυφῇ δὲ, πρὸς τὸ μὴ θεαθῆναι αὐτὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Ἄνδρα, τὸν τοῦ λόγου πτωχεύσαντα· καὶ χεῖρας, τὰς τῆς σοφίας πράξεις. Ὁ νοήμων ὑπὸ τῶν θλίψεων καὶ τῶν συμφορῶν μὴ συγκαιόμενος, γεννήματα δικαιοσύνης φέρει· ὁ δὲ παράνομος, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν βελτιόνων διαφθείρεται. Παιδείαν ἀνεξέλεγκτον ὀνομάζει τὴν κακὴν τῆς ψυχῆς πολιτείαν, ἥτις καὶ ἀπωλείας καὶ πλάνης αὐτῇ γίνεται πρόξενος· ἡ δὲ ὁδὸς τῆς ζωῆς, οὐ μόνον ἐκ τῆς αἰωνίου, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ πάσης

Expositio in Proverbia Unit 3 opening§9

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9The wickedness of life oppresses the innocent; it protects the innocent. Yet He speaks of those who endure evil from some source, and who practice innocence in love. Or thus: Unexamined, possessing the pretense of piety but being untested and untried— for the one who is not examined, and who openly reveals his thoughts and reasonings to others, wanders in self-conceit. The covering, instead of not allowing to breathe. Or He speaks of enmity toward wickedness, by which we become enemies of God; and the enmity against God and mankind that arises in us by the evil one in the heart— the righteous indeed shake it off, while with their lips they praise God, whenever the evil one thus subdues them. For if we are enemies, says Paul, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son; but if the enmity is wickedness, then friendship is virtue and knowledge of God, by which we become friends of Him and of the holy powers; and upon this friendship, those who are His friends are also friends to one another. Lord, before You all my desire is, says David; that is, whatever is pleasing to God and harmonious with the just, one ought to desire, so that our prayer may become acceptable before God; but the ungodly is carried away in eternal destruction by desiring and doing what is not friendly to God. If the fear of the Lord adds days,

The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord; these days are parts of wisdom, made by the sun of righteousness. For one who presses forward adds knowledge and illuminations. Moreover, for such days David prays, saying: Do not bring me to the midst of my days. And these days, Abraham having fulfilled them, died old and full of days. And the Lord adds the divine visions as days to those who are in faith and fearing Him. But the years of the wicked, seen as foolish and devoid of divine grace, have been made little. He speaks of the lifetime of a man as an age, as Paul says: I will not eat meat for the age, lest I scandalize my brother. For that which is added to the constitution of his life, he has called an age. For the righteous does not sin in giving, being troubled by the evil one. But the wicked who sin will not only be cast out of the kingdom, but will dwell in fire and not on the earth. Instead, grace is an overflowing abundance; and the mouth of the pious now speaks the mind and the heart, as if singing hymns to God through the lips. But the mouth speaking evil of the wicked is turned away from God to become that of the evil one. See therefore what comes from that, and what from this. For having the goal toward the future, one certainly attains what was expected, having finished as the righteous. Or He leads us forward to the resurrection.

And concerning this, the existing things remain, and are not destroyed; but concerning that, even the existing things are extinguished. For in the present age alone they boast—of whom it has been said: "Their glory is in their shame." Not as if the righteous one were the subject of justice, saying, "Instead of him, the wicked is delivered up," but because the snare comes from the wicked against the righteous, the wicked falls into it while this one remains. The righteous is snatched away by God, but the wicked, having been abandoned, falls—according to the saying, "The sinner is caught in the works of his own hands." Or because the righteous is thought by some to be a man of sins, the wicked comes and does evil to the righteous; from the sins and the punishments that were to come, he has delivered himself, but for himself he has taken up the punishments. He is delivered over by himself through his own wickedness, as one who has given himself over to an unapproved mind. Either this is discernment concerning things to be done, or not; or so that they may manage their own lives—for it is a great and hopeless wave. For such people, driven about by every wind, suffer shipwreck concerning life or faith; and they fall like leaves from a tree, those who do not possess the wisdom of God. But if salvation is in counsel, and not merely in counsel, but also in much counsel,

Greek · §9

κακότητος τοῦ βίου δυσχερείας τοὺς ἀκάκους φυλάσσει· ἀκάκους. δὲ λέγει τοὺς κακῶς ἔκ τινος ὑπομένοντας, καὶ ἀκακίαν ἀσκοῦν τας ἐν ἀγάπῃ. Ἢ οὕτως. Ἀνεξέλεγκτος, ἡ πρόσχημα μὲν εὐσεβείας ἔχουσα, ἀγύμναστος δὲ οὖσα καὶ ἀνεξέ ταστος· ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἐλεγχόμενος, καὶ φανερῶν καὶ ἑτέροις τὰ φρονήματα καὶ τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς αὐτοῦ, πλανᾶται οἰήσει. Τὸ, καλύπτουσιν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐκ ἐῶσιν ἀνανεῦσαι. Ἢ ἔχθραν τὴν κακίαν λέγει, δι' ἧς ἐχθροὶ γινόμεθα τοῦ Θεοῦ· τὴν δὲ κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων ἔχθραν ἐγγινομένην ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ, αὐ τὴν μὲν ἀποσείονται οἱ δίκαιοι, τοῖς δὲ χείλεσι τὸν Θεὸν ὑμνοῦσιν, ὅταν οὕτως αὐτοῖς ὁ πονηρὸς ὑπο βάλλῃ· Εἰ γὰρ ἐχθροὶ ὄντες, φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος, κατ ηλλάγημεν τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τοῦ θανάτου τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ· εἰ δὲ ἡ ἔχθρα, κακία ἐστὶν, ἡ φιλία ἀρετὴ καὶ γνῶσις Θεοῦ, δι' ἧς φίλοι γινόμεθα αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν ἁγίων δυνάμεων· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς φιλίας ταύτης, οἱ ὄντες αὐτοῦ φίλοι, καὶ ἀλλήλων εἰσὶ φίλοι. Κύριε, ἐναντίον σου πᾶσα ἡ ἐπιθυμία μου, φησὶν ὁ ∆αυΐδ· τουτέστιν ὅσα τῷ Θεῷ ἀρεστὰ, καὶ δικαίοις ἁρμόζει, ἐπιθυμεῖν χρὴ, ἵνα δεκτὴ ἡ προσευχὴ ἡμῶν γένηται ἐναντίον τοῦ Θεοῦ· ὁ δὲ ἀσεβὴς, ἀπωλείᾳ αἰωνίᾳ περιφέρεται ἐν τῷ ἐπιθυμεῖν καὶ πράττειν τὰ μὴ Θεῷ φίλα. Εἰ φόβος Κυρίου προστίθησιν ἡμέρας, ἀρχὴ δὲ σο φίας φόβος Κυρίου, αἱ ἡμέραι αὗται, μέρη τῆς σοφίας εἰσὶν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης γινόμεναι· προ κόπτων γὰρ προστίθησι γνώσεις καὶ φωτισμούς· ὑπὲρ δὲ τοιούτων ἡμερῶν εὔχεται καὶ ∆αυῒδ λέγων· Μὴ 17.189 ἀναγάγῃς με ἐν ἡμίσει ἡμερῶν μου· ταύτας δὲ τὰς 17.189 ἡμέρας καὶ Ἀβραὰμ πληρώσας ἀπέθανε πρεσβύτε ρος καὶ πλήρης ἡμερῶν· καὶ τὰς θείας ὁράσεις ὡς ἡμέρας προστίθησι Κύριος τοῖς ἐν πίστει φοβουμένοις αὐτόν· τὰ δὲ τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἔτη, ἄσοφα ὁραθέντα καὶ θείας χάριτος ἄνευ, ὠλιγώθησαν. Αἰῶνα τὸν ἀνθρώπου βίον λέγει, ὡς ὁ Παῦλος· Οὐ μὴ φάγω κρέα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἵνα μὴ τὸν ἀδελφόν μου σκανδαλίσω· τὸ γὰρ συμπαρεκτεινόμενον τῇ συστάσει τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ, αἰῶνα ὠνόμασεν· Οὐκ ἐν δώσει γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ δίκαιος ἁμαρτῆσαι ἐνοχλούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ. Οἱ δὲ ἀσεβεῖς ἁμαρτάνοντες οὐ μό νον ἐκπεσοῦνται τῆς βασιλείας, ἀλλὰ τὸ πῦρ καὶ οὐ τὴν γῆν οἰκήσουσιν. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, χάριτος ἀνάπλεώς ἐστιν· εὐσεβοῦς δὲ στόμα νῦν τὸν νοῦν λέγει καὶ τὴν καρδίαν, ὡς διὰ τῶν χειλέων ὑμνοῦσαν τὸν Θεόν· τὸ δὲ λαλοῦν πονηρὰ στόμα τῶν ἀσεβῶν, ἀποστρέφεται ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς τὸ εἶναι τῷ πονηρῷ· ὅρα δὲ τί ἀπ' ἐκείνου, τί δὲ ἀπὸ τούτου. Ἔχων γὰρ πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα τὸν σκοπὸν, τυγχάνει πάντως ὧν προσεδόκησε τελευτήσας ὁ δίκαιος. Ἢ εἰς τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἡμᾶς παραπέμπει· καὶ ἐπὶ τούτου μὲν μένει τὰ ὄντα, καὶ οὐκ ἀφανίζεται· ἐπ' ἐκείνου δὲ καὶ τὰ ὄντα σβέννυται· ἐν γὰρ τῷ παρόντι μόνον αἰῶνι καυχῶνται· περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· Ὧν ἡ δόξα ἐν τῇ αἰσχύνῃ αὐτῶν. Οὐχ ὡς ὑποκειμένου τοῦ εὐσεβοῦς τῇ δίκῃ φησὶ τὸ, Ἀντ' αὐτοῦ παραδίδοται ἀσεβὴς, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἡ παγίς ἐστιν ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ κατὰ τοῦ δικαίου, τούτου ῥυο μένου περιπίπτει ταύτῃ ὁ ἀσεβής· ἐξαρπάζεται ὁ εὐσεβὴς ὑπὸ Θεοῦ, ὁ δὲ ἀσεβὴς ἐγκαταλειφθεὶς, περι πίπτει· κατὰ τὸ, Ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ συνελήφθη ὁ ἁμαρτωλός. Ἢ ἐπειδὴ ὁ δίκαιος ὑπό κειταί τισιν ὡς ἅνθρωπος ἁμαρτήμασιν, ἐλθὼν ὁ ἀσε βὴς καὶ κακοποιήσας τὸν δίκαιον, τῶν μὲν ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ τῶν κολάσεων τῶν μελλουσῶν ἐῤῥύσατο, εἰς ἑαυ τὸν δὲ τὰς τιμωρίας ἀνεδέξατο. Παραδίδοται δὲ ὑφ' ἑαυτοῦ ὑπὸ τῆς ἰδίας κακίας, ὡς παραδοὺς ἑαυτὸν εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν. Ἤτοι διάκρισις ἡ περὶ τῶν πρακτέων, ἢ μή· ἢ ὥστε τὸν ἑαυτῶν βίον οἰκονομεῖν· κλυδώνιον γάρ ἐστι μέγα καὶ ἀφόρητον· οἱ τοιοῦτοι γὰρ παντὶ ἀνέμῳ περιφερόμενοι ναυαγοῦσι περὶ τὸν βίον ἢ τὴν πίστιν, καὶ ὡς φύλλα δένδρου πίπτουσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οἷς μὴ ὑπάρχει σοφία Θεοῦ· εἰ δὲ ἡ σωτηρία ἐστὶν ἐν βουλῇ, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς βουλῇ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῇ, οὐκ

Unit 3 rem early§10

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10It follows, then, that no one is preserved in bodily things or in material possessions, nor even according to nature itself. This is because those who introduce or bring about natures—meaning, those who shape or define what things are by their essence—are the ones who determine preservation. At this point, the soul is directly called “body” by the one who speaks plainly. And Christ, too, in the Gospels, refers to the soul as a body—saying, “The lamp,” he declares, “the eye is the body of it.” He called the lamp the mind, for it is inherently receptive of knowledge. But the body, he says, is the spirited and passionate part of the soul—what some call the irrational part, and others, the emotional or suffering part of the soul. Now, the one who, from the things he makes and teaches, produces good outcomes—first, he gains knowledge of both intelligible and immaterial things in the life to come; and in the age to come, he obtains the kingdom of heaven, securing it for himself and for those who learn from him. He does not merely destroy his own body, but also the soul, along with those who follow him, in the fire of shared destruction. This man—this one who wrongly thrusts hand into hand with violence—is the teacher of evil deeds and false doctrines. But this other one—this one who sows righteousness—is the one who advances in speech concerning virtues and the knowledge of God. To those who sow for their own private gain, and who multiply their holdings, stand opposed those who gather and diminish—because those who sow for themselves are, in fact, those who sow into the spirit and reap life; but those who gather and diminish are those who sow into the flesh and thus gather corruption for themselves. The divine word is like grain: which the Jews, having hidden it away, left behind for the Gentiles. —And this is just like what our Savior says in the Gospels: “No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a bushel basket, but on the lampstand, so that it may give light to all in the house.”

Just as grain serves as nourishment for the body, so divine knowledge sustains the soul. Yet the one who possesses the sustenance of both body and soul but refuses to impart it, instead demanding payment from those who lack it, will be abandoned to the demons. Moreover, he writes a curse upon himself, declaring that he will stand under the judgment of the people of the angels and all the righteous on the day of reckoning, and thus he shall be accursed. The practical cultivation of virtues according to the Spirit is a spiritual craft; but the one who performs what is owed to God seeks out delightful companions—those willing to receive what is due to God—so that, just as he himself engages in exchange, they too may engage in mutual giving. As for those who seek not the good but the evil, they shall be left aside. This tree of life is the one planted in the midst of Paradise, whose fruit Adam was forbidden to touch after his sin, having cast away the seeds of righteousness from which the tree of life grows. Lest you remain silent toward me, says David, and I shall become like those who descend into the pit. A lawless person who falls silent will be forsaken by God—that is, hated and not shown mercy—when he renders the rewards due to those who have received the grace of his incarnate economy, as he says in the Gospels: “And grace for grace.” The wealth of the wicked is evil. But the righteous shall consume them, evidently through wholesome teaching; therefore, even in the age to come, having become fifteen cities, they shall inherit the heavenly inheritance which the impious, having surrendered themselves to impiety, were about to receive—but the righteous shall possess it, as Paul also says in 17:193: “But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and revelation and of God’s righteous judgment.”

The good one will act as an heir for those who obey him as sons obey their father, and he will adopt them into the heavenly kingdom. For they are invincible, just as weapons produce safety; for nothing evil can stand against wisdom, because it is an unconquerable weapon; only against this are the demons powerless. But to the foolish, both visible things and incorporeal things are entirely opposed. Here he speaks of the bodies as houses; for houses are the dwellings of souls, and they are owed by those who know piety and possess theoretical knowledge. The lawless must learn not only the knowledge of God, but also every commandment of the life-giving ones, so that, having become pure, they may see God with their intellectual eyes. For this is the blessed end, which every rational nature has preserved. And the houses of the righteous are ready to receive all, as the Lord commands. Now he has spoken of the intentions as the divine visions and the dispositions of the virtues, which he set against the ways of the bold-hearted mind. For from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, as the Lord said; not to do evil, but to do good, the good man intends in his mind. But the bold-hearted, acting and speaking like a fool, will be filled with scourgings, and with the loss of things, and finally will lose his own soul. Now he has spoken of the rebukes as the commandments; for these reprove us when we sin. And those who hate them,

Greek · §10

ἄρα ἐν σώμασιν ἢ χρήμασιν, οὐδὲ κατὰ φύσιν τις σώζεται· κατὰ τοὺς τὰς φύσεις εἰσάγοντας. Ἐνταῦθα τὴν ψυχὴν ἄντικρυς προεῖπεν σῶμα· καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς δὲ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις, σῶμα τὴν ψυχὴν ὀνομάζει· Ὁ λύχνος, λέγων, τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν ὁ ὀφθαλμός· λύχνον μὲν εἶπε τὸν νοῦν· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστι γνώσεως δεκτικός· σῶμα δὲ τὸ θυμικὸν καὶ ἐπι 17.192 θυμητικὸν μέρος τῆς ψυχῆς· ὅπερ τινὲς μὲν, ἄλογον· τινὲς δὲ, παθητικὸν μέρος καλοῦσιν. Ὁ δὲ ἐξ ὧν ἐποίει καὶ διδάσκει ἀγαθῶν, ἐντεῦθεν μὲν γνῶσιν σω μάτων καὶ ἀσωμάτων ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι δὲ βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν, περιποιεῖται ἑαυτῷ καὶ τοῖς μαθητιῶσιν· ἐξολλύει δὲ οὐ μόνον τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν, σὺν τοῖς πειθομένοις αὐτῷ, τῷ πυρὶ συναπόλ λυσιν. Οὗτος χειρὶ χεῖρας ἐμβάλλει ἀδίκως, ὁ κακῶν γινό μενος πραγμάτων καὶ δογμάτων διδάσκαλος· οὗτος δὲ σπείρει δικαιοσύνην, ὁ περὶ ἀρετῶν καὶ Θεοῦ γνώ σεως προϊέμενος λόγους. Τοῖς εἰς τὰ ἴδια σπείρουσι, καὶ πλείονα ποιοῦσιν, ἀντίκεινται οἱ συνάγοντες καὶ ἐλαττούμενοι· οἱ γὰρ τὰ ἴδια σπείροντες, εἰσὶν οἱ εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα σπείροντες, καὶ ζωὴν θερίζοντες· οἱ δὲ συνάγοντες καὶ ἐλαττού μενοι, εἰσὶν οἱ εἰς τὴν σάρκα σπείροντες, καὶ φθορὰν συνάγοντες ἑαυτοῖς. Σῖτος ὁ θεῖος λόγος, ὂν κατακρύψαντες οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, κατέλιπον αὐτὸν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. –Ὅμοιόν ἐστι τούτῳ καὶ τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις λεγόμενον· τὸ, Οὐδεὶς λύχνον ἅψας, τίθησιν αὐ τὸν ὑπὸ τὸν μόδιον, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τὴν λυχνίαν, τοῦ φαίνειν πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ· ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ σῖτος τροφή ἐστι τῷ σώματι, οὕτως ἡ θεία γνῶσις τῇ ψυχῇ· ὁ δὲ τὴν τῶν ἀμφοτέρων τροφὴν ἔχων καὶ μὴ παρέχων, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τούτων μισθὸν ἀπαιτεῖ τοῖς οὐκ ἔχουσι δοῦναι, ὑπολίποιτο αὐτὸν τοῖς δαίμοσιν. Γράφει δὲ καὶ δημοκατάρατον, ὅτι ὑπὸ τὸν δῆμον τῶν ἀγγέ λων καὶ πάντων τῶν δικαίων ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως, ἐπικατάρατος ἔσται. Τεκτονική ἐστι κατὰ πνεῦμα ἡ πρακτικὴ τῶν ἀγα θῶν ἀρετῶν ἐργασία· ὁ δὲ τὰ Θεῷ ἐποφειλόμενα πράττων, ζητεῖ θεαρέστους ἄνδρας, δεχομένους τὰς Θεῷ ἐποφειλὰς, ἵνα ὥσπερ αὐτὸς καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐμπο ρεύωνται· τοὺς δὲ μὴ τὰ καλὰ, ἀλλὰ τὰ κακὰ ζητοῦν τας, παρήσεται. Τοῦτο τὸ δένδρον τῆς ζωῆς ἐστι τὸ φυτευθὲν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ παραδείσου, οὗ ἅψασθαι μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐκωλύθη ὁ Ἀδὰμ, τὰ σπέρματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἀπο βαλὼν, ἀφ' ὧν φύεται τὸ δένδρον τῆς ζωῆς. Μήποτε παρασιωπήσῃς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, φησὶν ὁ ∆αυῒδ, καὶ ὁμοιωθήσομαι τοῖς καταβαίνουσιν εἰς λάκκον. Ἀνὴρ παράνομος παρασιωπηθήσεται ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τουτέστι μισηθήσεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐλεηθήσεται, ὅταν τὰ γέρα τοῖς τὴν χάριν τῆς ἐνσάρκου οἰκονομίας αὐτοῦ δεξαμένοις, ἀπονέμῃ, καθά φησιν ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις, Καὶ χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος. Πλοῦτος ἀσεβῶν κακία. Οἱ δὲ δίκαιοι ἐξαναλώσου σιν αὐτοὺς, δηλονότι διὰ τῆς ἀγαθῆς διδασκαλίας· τοίνυν καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι ἐπάνω πεντεκαίδεκα πόλεων γενόμενοι· τὴν γὰρ κληροδοσίαν τὴν οὐράνιον ἣν ἤμελλον ἀπολαβεῖν οἱ ἀσεβείᾳ αὑτοὺς ἐκδώσαντες, ταύτην κληρονομήσουσι δίκαιοι, καθὰ καὶ Παῦλός φη 17.193 σιν· Κατὰ δὲ τὴν σκληρότητά σου καὶ ἀμετανόητόν σου καρδίαν θησαυρίζεις σεαυτῷ ὀργὴν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως καὶ δικαιοκρισίας Θεοῦ. Ὁ δὲ ἀγαθὸς κληροδοτῆσαι ποιήσει τοὺς ὡς υἱοὺς πατρὶ πειθομένους αὐτῷ, καὶ τοὺς ἐκείνῳ υἱοθετή σει τὴν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν. Ὥσπερ ἀήττητά εἰσι, καθάπερ τὰ ὅπλα τὴν ἀσφά λειαν περιποιεῖ· οὐδὲν γὰρ πονηρὸν ἀντιστήσεται τῇ σοφίᾳ, διότι ὅπλον ἐστὶν ἀκαταμάχητον· μόνην γὰρ πρὸς ταύτην ἀδυνατοῦσιν οἱ δαίμονες· τῷ δὲ ἄφρονι τά τε ὁρατὰ καὶ ἀσώματα πάντα ἐναντία. Οἰκίας ἐνταῦθα τὰ σώματα λέγει· οἰκίαι γάρ εἰσι τῶν ψυχῶν· ὀφείλονται δὲ παρὰ τῶν τὴν θεοσέβειαν εἰδότων καὶ τὴν θεωρητικὴν γνῶσιν, οἱ παράνομοι τὴν θεογνωσίαν μαθεῖν οὐ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσαν τῶν ζωοποιῶν ἐντολῶν· ἵνα καθαροὶ γενόμενοι, ἴδωσι τὸν Θεὸν τοῖς νοεροῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ μακά ριον τέλος, ὅπερ πάσῃ φύσει λογικῇ τετήρηται· αἱ δὲ οἰκίαι τῶν δικαίων ἕτοιμαί εἰσιν εἰς δοχὴν πάντων, ὡς κελεύει ὁ Κύριος. ∆ιανοήματα νῦν εἶπεν τὰς θείας ὁράσεις καὶ τὰς ἕξεις τῶν ἀρετῶν, ἅσπερ ταῖς ὁδοῖς νοῦ θρασυκαρδίου ἀντέθεικεν· Ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ περισσεύματος τῆς καρ δίας λαλεῖ τὰ χείλη, εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος· οὐ γὰρ κακο ποιῆσαι, ἀλλ' ἀγαθοποιῆσαι ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἀνὴρ διανοεῖται· ὁ δὲ θρασυκάρδιος ὡς ἄφρων πράττων καὶ λέγων, ἐμ πλησθήσεται μαστίγων, καὶ πραγμάτων ἀφαιρέσεως, καὶ τέλος τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ ἀπολέσει. Ἐλέγχους νῦν τὰς ἐντολὰς εἶπεν· αὗται γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐλέγχουσιν· οἱ δὲ μισοῦντες αὐτὰς, καὶ

Unit 3 rem mid§11

11They die in the shame of their sins, and along with the evil they have invented, they will be dealt with wickedly. However, through those who pass by wickedness, the education of the innocent is recognized as blameless. Quietness is the abstinence from active evil and from seeing evils, which the good practice in stillness. But the eyes of the mind and body of the wicked are constantly contemplating evil throughout all time. Yet the prudent person is not in Hades with the sinners; rather, the ways of life, the thoughts of divine words and deeds—these the prudent person always does and teaches, so that, turning away with their disciples from Hades, they may be saved. Those who do not practice his commandments are his enemies; but they become his friends when they run to the righteous, confessing their wicked deeds. Having been moved by these things, just as those others, they will go on the life-giving ways. For Paul proclaimed: Those who once were enemies were reconciled to God through the death of his Son. Take heed that all enemies, through the righteous, become friends—so that Christ may say to all: No longer do I call you slaves, but friends. Again, there, wisdom is needed to make atonement; either the one who knows the words about punishment is an angel, or the wrath of God is spoken. The wise person in divine works and words, being of one mind with him, will not be startled by him. Nests of wisdom are the churches, or the tents of heavensdom is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Moreover, nests of understanding are better than silver, namely, the practical virtues: justice, knowledge, wisdom, self-control, courage, patience.

Unrebukeable gentleness, freedom from anger, mercy, and faith joined with hope and love: through these, as if climbing the rungs of a ladder, one may enter without hindrance into the dwellings of wisdom, those who wish to ascend and dwell there.

He speaks of discipline as the fear of God, fasting, self-control, vigilance, hymnody, and the discipline that comes upon us in sickness as a testing from God.

He calls rebukes the commandments of God, for these indeed rebuke us when we sin.

He says the ways here are the senses; and the one who guards them preserves his own soul from death toward life, for life is that which sustains all living things, and brings into being from non-existence the Holy Trinity, which causes to be. And the one who loves life, and ever strives to live in it, will refrain from his own mouth the words and works not of God, and will draw near to the knowledge of God.

God is life; and the source of His self-existent, triple-wisdom life is wisdom, knowledge, and the virtues; from this spring those who drink partake of immortality and eternal life; but for those who possess such a spring, there is an understanding of the words of life; yet the discipline of the foolish is folly, and the undisciplined discipline is folly.

He said that knowledge is recognition, because it recognizes all things; and the heart of the wise perceives what comes from its own mouth, both in bodily judgment and in incorporeal matters, and whatever they themselves do, they teach and practice.

The demons, learning words from the devil, attempt against the holy, and imagine themselves trying to separate them from knowledge.

This is her nature, by which she binds them in friendship with the heavenly powers; and the same thing, I believe, Solomon has indicated by this proverb, saying that the twisted man is Satan; but those going about bearing lamps of deceit—namely, the false teachers on his side—he calls evil demons; yet friends, namely, the holy ones, those who through knowledge are touching God and one another. A lawless man, the devil is; and he attempts to tempt the friends of God, and he leads them away to the ways of destruction and not of goodness; but when he has deceived any one of the holy ones, he establishes thoughts for his own eyes, and he considers them twisted, lest perhaps he should save the repentance of him whom he has hunted; and he nibbles with his lips upon his eyes all the evil thoughts, both renunciation and all pleasure of licentiousness; this one is a furnace of all wickedness, and he kindles within it the souls of those who are about to be destroyed; but of this furnace, the divine Spirit quenches the flame, shaking forth wisdom like dew; yet many still of those who are in it, wicked men, are accustomed to imitate their father, the devil. He has said here that the bosoms are the hearts of the unjust; but I think also that everywhere the bosom signifies either the mind, or knowledge; and the wicked indeed the devil embraces in his bosom, but the righteous the Lord. If every one who practices sin is a slave, and every one who departs from wickedness through virtue has held as masters the foolish demons—who also is the house of mysteries of God—

Greek · §11

τῇ αἰσχρότητι τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν συναποθνήσκοντες, σὺν τῷ πονηρῷ αὐτῶν ἐφευρετῇ πονηρῶς τακήσονται· ὑπὸ δὲ τῶν παριόντων τὴν κακίαν, γνωρίζεται τῆς ἀναμαρτησίας ἡ παιδεία τοῦ ἀκάκου. Ἡσυχία ἐστὶν ἀποχὴ κακίας ἐμπράκτου καὶ ὁρά σεων, ἣν οἱ ἀγαθοὶ ἡσυχάζουσιν· οἱ δὲ τοῦ νοὸς καὶ σώματος ὀφθαλμοὶ τῶν κακῶν, πάντα τὸν χρόνον ἐπι νοοῦνται κακά. Ὁ δὲ συνετὸς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ᾅδου τοῦ τῶν ἁμαρτω λῶν· ὁδοὶ ζωῆς, διανοήματα θείων λόγων καὶ ἔργων· ὁ δὲ συνετὸς ἀεὶ ταῦτα ποιεῖ καὶ διδάσκει, ἵνα σὺν τοῖς μαθητιῶσιν ἐκκλίνας ἐκ τοῦ ᾅδου σωθῇ. Οἱ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ μὴ πράττοντες, ἐχθροὶ αὐτοῦ εἰσιν· φίλοι δὲ αὐτοῦ γίνονται ἐπὰν τοῖς δικαίοις προσδράμωσιν, ἐξομολογούμενοι τὰς πράξεις αὑτῶν τὰς πονηράς· ἐξ ὧν ἐναχθέντες ὡς ἐκεῖνοι τὰς ζωοποιοὺς ὁδοὺς πορεύσονται· Παύλου κηρύξαντος, Οἵ ποτε ὄντες ἐχθροὶ, κατηλλάγησαν τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τοῦ θανάτου τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ· προσεκτέον ὅτι πάντες οἱ ἐχθροὶ, διὰ τῶν δικαίων φίλοι γίνονται· ἵνα καὶ πᾶσιν εἴπῃ Χριστός· Οὐκέτι ὑμᾶς καλῶ δούλους, ἀλλὰ φίλους. 17.196 Πάλιν κἀκεῖ τῆς σοφίας χρεία, ἵνα ἐξιλάσηται· ἢ ὁ τοὺς περὶ κολάσεως ἐπιστάμενος λόγους ἄγγελος, θυμὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγεται. Ὁ δὲ σοφὸς ἐν θείοις ἔργοις καὶ λόγοις, ὡς ὁμόφρων αὐτῷ ὢν, οὐ πτοηθήσεται αὐτόν. Νοσσιαὶ σοφίας εἰσὶν αἱ Ἐκκλησίαι, ἢ αἱ ἐν τῷ οὐ ρανῷ σκηναί· σοφία δὲ, Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱός ἐστιν. Νοσσιαὶ δὲ φρονήσεως αἱρετώτεραι ὑπὲρ ἀργύριον, αἱ πρακτικαὶ ἀρεταί· δικαιοσύνη, γνῶσις, σοφία, σωφροσύνη, ἀνδρεία, μακροθυμία, ἀνεξικα κία, ἀοργησία, ἐλεημοσύνη, πίστις σὺν ἐλπίδι καὶ ἀγάπῃ· δι' ἃς ὡς κλίμακος βαθμίδας, εἰς τὰς τῆς σο φίας σκηνὰς εἰσιέναι ἀκώλυτον τοὺς ἀνιέναι καὶ οἰκῆσαι βουλομένους. Παιδείαν λέγει φόβου Θεοῦ, νηστείαν, ἐγκράτειαν, ἀγρυπνίαν, ὕμνον, καὶ τὴν ἐν νόσοις πρὸς δοκιμὴν Θεοῦ ἐπερχομένην ἡμῖν παιδείαν. Ἐλέγχους λέγει τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ· αὗται γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἐλέγχουσιν ἁμαρτάνοντας. Ὁδοὺς ἐνταῦθα τὰς αἰσθήσεις φησίν· ὁ δὲ φυλάσσων αὐτὰς, τηρεῖ ἐκ θανάτου τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν πρὸς ζωήν· ζωὴ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ πάντα ζωοῦσα, καὶ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων εἰς τὸ εἶναι παραγαγοῦσα Τριὰς ἁγία· ὁ δὲ ἀγαπῶν τὴν ζωὴν, καὶ ἀεὶ ζῇν αὐτῇ ἐφιέ μενος, φείσεται στόματος αὑτοῦ ἐκ τῶν μὴ Θεοῦ λό γων καὶ ἔργων, καὶ τῇ γνώσει τοῦ Θεοῦ προσ έξει. Ζωὴ ὁ Θεός ἐστι· τῆς δὲ τρισσοφαοῦς αὐτοζωΐας ἡ πηγὴ, ἡ σοφία καὶ ἡ γνῶσις καὶ αἱ ἀρεταί εἰσιν· ἐξ ἧς πηγῆς οἱ πίνοντες, ἀθανασίας μετέχουσι καὶ ἀει ζωΐας· τοῖς δὲ κεκτημένοις τὴν τοιαύτην πηγὴν, ἔν νοια λόγων ζωῆς ἐστι· ἡ δὲ παιδεία ἀφρόνων, ἡ κα κία ἐστίν· ἡ δὲ ἀνεξέλεγκτος παιδεία, ἡ ἀφροσύνη ἐστίν. Τὴν γνῶσιν ἐπιγνωμοσύνην εἶπε, παρὰ τὸ τὰ πάν τα αὐτὴν ἐπιγινώσκειν τὰ πράγματα· ἡ δὲ καρδία τῶν σοφῶν νοεῖ τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἰδίου στόματος ἔν τε κρί σει σωμάτων καὶ ἀσωμάτων, καὶ ἅπερ αὐτοὶ ποιεῖν διδάσκουσι καὶ πράττουσιν. Λόγους οἱ δαίμονες παρὰ τοῦ διαβόλου μανθάνοντες, ἐπιχειροῦσι τοῖς ἁγίοις, καὶ πειρᾶσθαι χωρίζειν αὐ τοὺς ἐπινοοῦνται ἀπὸ τῆς γνώσεως, ἥτις πέφυκε συν άπτειν αὐτοὺς πρὸς φιλίαν ταῖς ἐπουρανίοις δυνάμε σι· τὸ δ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Σολομῶν ὡς οἶμαι διὰ ταύτης τῆς παροιμίας δεδήλωκε· σκολιὸν μὲν ἄνδρα λέγων τὸν Σατανᾶν· πορευομένους δὲ λαμπτῆρας δόλου τοὺς δι δασκομένους παρ' αὐτοῦ κακοὺς δαίμονάς φησι· φίλους δὲ, τοὺς ἁγίους, τοὺς διὰ τῆς γνώσεως ἁπτομένους τῷ Θεῷ καὶ ἀλλήλοις. Ἀνὴρ παράνομος ὁ διάβολός ἐστιν· ἀποπειρᾶται δὲ φίλους Θεοῦ, καὶ ἀπάγει αὐτοὺς ταῖς πρὸς ἀπώ λειαν ὁδοῖς καὶ οὐκ ἀγαθαῖς· ὅταν δέ τινα τῶν ἁγίων ἀπατήσῃ, στηρίξει νοήματα τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὑτοῦ, καὶ λογίζεται διεστραμμένα, μή πως σωθῇ μετανοή σας ὃν ἐθήρευσε· κνίζει δὲ τοῖς χείλεσιν αὑτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶν ἐκείνου πάντα τὰ κακὰ ἐνθυμήματα, ἀπόγνωσίν τε καὶ πᾶσαν ἡδονὴν ἀκολασίας· οὗτος κάμινός ἐστι 17.197 πάσης κακίας· καὶ φλέγει ἐν αὐτῇ τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ὀλι σθησομένων· ἀλλὰ ταύτης τῆς καμίνου ἐκτινάσσει τὴν φλόγα Πνεῦμα θεῖον, διασυρίζον σοφίαν δρόσου· πολ λοὶ δὲ ἔτι τῶν κατ' αὐτὴν πονηροὶ ἄνθρωποι, εἰώ θασι μιμεῖσθαι τὸν πατέρα αὑτοῖς διάβολον. Κόλπους ἐνταῦθα τὰς καρδίας εἴρηκε τῶν ἀδίκων· οἶμαι δὲ ὅτι καὶ πανταχοῦ ὁ κόλπος ἢ τὸν νοῦν, ἢ τὴν γνῶσιν σημαίνει· καὶ τοὺς μὲν πονηροὺς ὁ διάβολος ἐγκολπίζεται, τοὺς δὲ δικαίους ὁ Κύριος. Εἰ πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν δοῦλός ἐστι, πᾶς ὁ ἀποστὰς τῆς κακίας διὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς, τῶν δαιμόνων ἀφρόνων ὄντων δεσποτῶν ἐκράτησεν· ὃς καὶ οἶκος μυστηρίων Θεοῦ

Unit 3 rem close§12

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12It will be, according to the analogy of the feeding, that to each of the brethren is given spiritual knowledge; and so Paul, on the one hand, gave milk to drink to those in Corinth, on the other hand, nourished those in Ephesus with more solid food, speaking concerning height and length and width and depth; and by means of these distinctions he indicates the division of the rational nature, which division encompasses the discourses concerning God's judgment and providence, which discourses are very deeply rooted and lead away from the human condition. Furnaces are the trials; for by means of the trials God elects the warm and the sluggish hearts of the elect. The heretic obeys the tongue of the doctrines of the godless; but those of the Church do not even pay attention. By means of obeying, the voluntary is shown, as if erring into God's wise governance. –This one obeys the tongues of the lawless, he who receives unjust calculations from them and hastens to act according to them; concerning these the righteous is said not to pay attention, to see both the visible and the invisible, that is, not to nourish oneself further within. The faithful, he says, will see the words of this world, which they have figuratively presented as nourishment to the mind; but the unbeliever will not even know the word of any chance thing, on account of the uncleanness of his own soul; for that the wealth of the soul is the knowledge of God, Paul teaches, saying: You have been enriched in everything, in all knowledge and in all wisdom; but if anyone wishes to show that this conception is not this one of mine,

Let those who possess wealth speak of where they acquired their riches—the ones who wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and tormented; how, too, can the unbeliever not possess even a single obol, while many unbelievers, cloaked in great wealth, I mean kings and rulers of this world, abound in riches? Faithful lips declare the virtuous thoughts; but to the foolish, evil thoughts will be acceptable. For what partnership has righteousness with injustice? Unless, perhaps, one who has repented seeks discernment and faith. Through righteousness, we conceal iniquity; through self-control, we conceal intemperance; and again, through love, we conceal hatred; and through freedom from love of money, we conceal greed—yes, the greed quantified as 17.200. We also conceal arrogance through humility, and ferocity through meekness, as we seek spiritual friendship, which signifies holy knowledge; and according to Paul, certain ones among the saints are called fellow citizens, and natives of the heavenly Jerusalem, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. He says here that the body is the house of the soul; and again, the soul is the house of the mind; and the same mind is called the eye of the soul. But the one who has learned divine knowledge and wisdom, yet has surrendered himself to wickedness, and instead of good words brings forth evil ones, and is unwilling to turn back and be saved—such a person will not see wickedness and depravity depart from the house of his body; rather, they remain firmly entrenched within him, so that complete evil may come upon him, abiding immovable within him on the day of the Lord’s wrath.

The body formed from the earth by the Lord for us, he says, is a house here; and the one that will not be moved, that is, will not depart from its own house, is anger and tribulation, sent forth by men and demons by the Lord, against those who repay good with evil, to the good-doer himself, a human being.

If one who repays evil for evil is lawless, how much more so is one who repays evil for good? Such a one became Israel in the wilderness; to whom Moses says in Deuteronomy: “A crooked and perverse generation, do you repay the Lord thus?” Here he says the beginning is knowledge; and righteousness follows knowledge, for righteousness is begotten from knowledge; but deficiency is ignorance; and strife and battle, every wickedness, precedes ignorance, the wickedness.

Why then do you again accuse the poor? By leading us away from idleness; therefore authority does not come from the laying on of hands; hence, if you wish to walk with boldness, you must be just; and strife and battle precede deficiency, that is, the lack of virtue in those who do wrong.

Such is the one who says the bitter is sweet and the sweet is bitter; and who calls light darkness, and darkness light. Here riches are said to be wisdom and knowledge; but to the foolish, what has the learning of wisdom and knowledge come to? For as a vine cannot grow in thorns, so in folly wisdom cannot bear fruit; for riches are the foolish person’s, the things concerning each particular matter of his.

Greek · §12

γενήσεται, κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τῆς κα ταστάσεως, ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἀδελφῶν διδοὺς γνῶσιν πνευ ματικήν· οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος τοὺς μὲν ἐν Κορίνθῳ γα λαποτίζων, τοὺς δὲ ἐν Ἐφέσῳ τρέφων στερεωτέρᾳ τροφῇ, περὶ ὕψους καὶ μήκους καὶ πλάτους καὶ βά θους διαλεγόμενος· καὶ διὰ τούτων τῶν διαστημά των τὴν τῆς λογικῆς φύσεως σημαίνων διαίρεσιν, ἥτις τοὺς περὶ κρίσεως καὶ προνοίας τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγους ἐμπεριέχει, πάνυ βαθυτάτους ὑπάρχοντας, καὶ ἐκ φεύγοντας τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην κατάστασιν. Κάμινοι οἱ πειρασμοί· διὰ γὰρ τῶν πειρασμῶν κα θάρας καὶ ἀκηλιδώτους τὰς καρδίας τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν ὁ Θεὸς ἐκλέγεται. Ὁ αἱρετικὸς ὑπακούει γλώσσης τῆς τῶν ἀθέων δο γμάτων· οἱ δὲ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, οὐδὲ προσέχουσιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦ ὑπακούειν, τὸ ἑκούσιον δείκνυσιν, ὡς εἰς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφὴν διοίκησιν ἐξαμαρτών. –Οὗτος ὑπακούει ταῖς γλώσσαις τῶν παρανόμων, ὁ τοὺς ἀδίκους δεχό μενος παρ' αὐτῶν λογισμοὺς, καὶ σπεύδων ἐνεργεῖν κατ' αὐτούς· οἷς ὁ δίκαιος λέγεται μὴ προσέχειν, ὁρα τῶν τε καὶ ἀοράτων, τουτέστι μὴ ἐπὶ πλέον τρέφειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ. Ὁ πιστὸς, φησὶν, ὄψεται τοὺς λόγους τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, οὕστινας χρήματα τροπικῶς τοῦ νοῦ προσ ηγόρευσεν· ὁ δὲ ἄπιστος οὐδὲ τοῦ τυχόντος πράγματος γνώσεται λόγον, διὰ τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν τῆς ψυχῆς αὑ τοῦ· ὅτι δὲ πλοῦτος ψυχῆς ἡ γνῶσίς ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ Παῦλος διδάσκει λέγων τό· Ἐν παντὶ ἐπλουτίσθητε, ἐν πάσῃ γνώσει καὶ πάσῃ σοφίᾳ· εἰ δέ τις βούλοιτο δεῖξαι μὴ ταύτην τὴν ἔννοιαν εἶναι ταύτης τῆς παροι μίας, λεγέτω ποῦ εὐπόρησαν χρημάτων οἱ περιελ θόντες ἐν μηλωταῖς, ἐν αἰγείοις δέρμασι, κακουχού μενοι, θλιβόμενοι, στενοχωρούμενοι; Πῶς δὲ καὶ ὁ ἄπιστος οὐχ ἕξει ὀβολὸν, πολλῶν ἀπίστων περιβεβλη μένων πλοῦτον πολὺν, λέγω δὲ βασιλέων καὶ ἀρχόν των τοῦ κόσμου τούτου; Χείλη πιστὰ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς λογισμούς φησιν· ἄφρονι δὲ δεκτοὶ ἔσονται πονηροὶ λογισμοί· τίς γὰρ μετοχὴ δικαιοσύνῃ πρὸς ἀδικίαν; εἰ μή που μετανοήσας δέ ξηται φρόνησίν τε καὶ πίστιν. ∆ιὰ μὲν τῆς δικαιοσύνης, τὴν ἀδικίαν κρύπτομεν· διὰ δὲ τῆς σωφροσύνης, τὴν ἀκολασίαν· καὶ πάλιν διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης, τὸ μῖσος· καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀφιλαργυρίας, τὴν 17.200 πλεονεξίαν· κρύπτομεν δὲ καὶ διὰ τῆς ταπεινοφροσύ νης τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν, καὶ διὰ τὴν πραΰτητα, τὴν θρασύτητα· ζητοῦντες τὴν πνευματικὴν φιλίαν, ἥτις τὴν ἁγίαν γνῶσιν σημαίνει· καὶ παρὰ τῷ Παύλῳ δὲ συμπολῖται τινὲς τῶν ἁγίων λέγονται γεγονέναι, καὶ οἰκεῖοι τῆς ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἐποικοδομηθέντες ἐπὶ τῷ θεμελίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ τῶν προφητῶν. Οἶκον ἐνταῦθά φησι τῆς μὲν ψυχῆς, τὸ σῶμα· τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν πάλιν, οἶκον τοῦ νοῦ· ὁ δ' αὐτὸς πάλιν νοῦς, τῆς ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμὸς λέγεται· ὁ δὲ τὴν ἔνθεον γνῶσιν καὶ σοφίαν μαθὼν, ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἐκδοὺς τῇ κακίᾳ, καὶ ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν πονηροὺς λόγους ἐκφέρων, πρὸς δὲ τὸ ἐπιστρέψαι καὶ σωθῆναι μὴ βουλόμενος, τοῦ σωματι κοῦ οἴκου οὐκ ἀναχωρήσει ἡ κακία καὶ ἡ πονηρία· ἀλ λὰ μένουσιν ἑδραίως ἐν αὐτῷ, ἵνα τὰ τέλεια κακὰ ἐπέλθῃ, ἐν αὐτῷ ἀκίνητα μένοντα ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς Κυρίου. –Τὸ ἐκ τῆς γῆς παρὰ Κυρίου πλασθὲν ἡμῖν σῶμα, οἶκον ἐνταῦθά φησι· τὸ δὲ, οὐ κινηθήσεται, ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐκ ἀναχωρήσει ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου αὑτοῦ ὀργὴ καὶ θλίψις, διά τε ἀνθρώπων καὶ δαιμόνων ἐκπεμπόμενα παρὰ Κυρίου, κατὰ τοῦ ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν κακὰ ἀποδώσαν τος τῷ ἀγαθοποιῷ αὑτοῦ ἀνθρώπῳ. –Εἰ ὁ κακὰ ἀντὶ κακῶν ἀποδιδοὺς παράνομος, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ κακὰ ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν ἀποδιδοὺς παρανομώτερος; Τοιοῦτος δὲ ἐγένετο κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον ὁ Ἰσραήλ· πρὸς ὃν ὁ Μωϋσῆς ἐν τῷ ∆ευτερονομίῳ φησί· Γενεὰ σκολιὰ καὶ διεστραμμέ νη, ταῦτα Κυρίῳ ἀνταποδίδοτε; Ἐνταῦθα ἀρχὴν, τὴν γνῶσίν φησι· δικαιοσύνη δὲ ἕπεται τῇ γνώσει· ἐκ γὰρ τῆς γνώσεως ἡ δικαιοσύνη τίκτεται· ἔνδεια δέ ἐστι ἄγνοια· στάσις δὲ καὶ μάχη, πᾶσα κακία· προηγεῖται δὲ τῆς ἀγνοίας, ἡ κακία. Τί νος ἕνεκεν πάλιν τῶν πενήτων κατηγορεῖ; Ἀπάγων ἡμᾶς ἀργίας· οὐκ ἄρα ἀπὸ χειροτονίας ἡ ἐξουσία· ὥστε εἰ βούλει μετὰ παῤῥησίας βαδίζειν, δίκαιος ἔσο· προηγεῖται δὲ τῆς ἐνδείας στάσις καὶ μάχη, ἤτοι τοῖς ἀδικοῦσιν ἔνδεια ἀρετῆς. Ὅμοιός ἐστι τούτῳ ὁ λέγων τὸ πικρὸν γλυκὺ, καὶ τὸ γλυκὺ πικρόν· καὶ τὸ μὲν φῶς, ὀνομάζων σκότος, τὸ δὲ σκότος, φῶς. Χρήματα ἐνταῦθα τὴν σοφίαν καὶ τὴν γνῶσίν φη σιν· ἄφρονι δὲ, ἵνα τί ὑπῆρξεν ἡ τῆς σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως μάθησις; ὡς γὰρ ἄμπελον ἀδύνατον ἐν θα λάσσῃ γενέσθαι, οὕτως ἐν ἄφροσιν ἡ σοφία ἀρετὴν καρπώσασθαι· χρήματα γὰρ ἄφρονός ἐστιν, αἱ περὶ καθ' ἕκαστα αὐτοῦ πράγματα

Expositio in Proverbia Unit 4 opening§13

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13Foolishness: for by these things one becomes heartless and unable to acquire wisdom. In every matter, whoever exalts himself will be humbled, for the Lord opposes the proud. And the one who twists the learning of God’s things will fall into evil concerning judgment. Here he speaks of the beloved Christ, who, because of his love for humanity, became human. No longer do I call you servants, he said to the disciples, but friends. And in every season, may Christ abide with you as a friend. But if those who are children of Christ are mutually friends, then the gentle and the righteous are also brothers to one another, being born of the Spirit of adoption. For this reason they are begotten by wisdom, so that they may lead people from wickedness to virtue and from ignorance to the knowledge of God. This is the fickle person, easily turned from virtue to wickedness, yielding to evil reasonings. Here he calls God Father, and his love for humanity Mother, who has begotten him in the flesh and made him endure suffering for our sake. But our God and Father does not rejoice over a son adopted yet untaught in God’s wisdom and knowledge, but rather over one who abandons himself to wickedness and malice. However, a wise son brings joy to his mother, the love of God, who draws us to God and the Father as weaned sons, longing for the spiritual, solid nourishment, so that just as the Son of God, Jesus Christ, has become our brother by likeness, we too may conduct ourselves in deed and word. Moreover, our mother is the Church, whom God and the Father have joined to himself by the Holy Spirit as a wife; for she continually bears sons and daughters for him. And indeed, over those who are being instructed in God’s knowledge and wisdom, both our Father God and the Mother Church rejoice; but over the uninstructed, she deeply grieves and sorrows, as if we were unwilling to turn back and be saved.

But rather to persist in wickedness. Here the face of contemplation is spoken of: for contemplation is the understanding of an intelligent man, wisdom and knowledge and righteousness; but the intellectual eyes of the foolish, and within the body in the extremity of wickedness and depravity. Wrath is sent forth against the foolish son by God and the Father on the day of judgment; but to the Church which has begotten by the Spirit, and to the choir of the holy, grief will certainly be upon the destruction of the foolish son; and that whereas the wise son has both begetter and mother, the foolish has only the begetter; for the mother and the begetter are one, but the begetter is not always also a mother; for if the begotten perishes in wickedness and ignorance, the begetter remains, but the mother does not; because even the begotten has not partaken of the Spirit of adoption; likewise also concerning sensible mothers it will be thought, and concerning the death of the sensible: we shall call the mother and the begetter, but no longer the mother of the dead child. One transgresses by taking away the righteous man’s due, or by perverting his disciples toward injustice, and sins; for having possession of them, he has suffered loss; for they do not seek our things, but us; and he calls powerful those who reign in Christ. The one led by the foolishness of demons has no need of God’s wisdom or knowledge; for he has loved darkness more than light; and even if he rejoices in foolishness, he thinks he needs no wisdom. As water makes plants grow, so the word of a man established in virtues refreshes the virtues, and bears aloft toward God those who wish to become wise; and he speaks of a river leaping forth, the ineffable grace of the wisdom of the all-holy Spirit, the ever-flowing wisdom of the triune divine unity. The one who receives and acts upon the existing wickedness of the devil, in contemplation and speech, whose persons he admires as the face of the impious; but the just in judgment, and in word concerning bodies, it is not good to reject the holy.

Greek · §13

ἀφροσύναι· διὰ ταύτας γὰρ καὶ ἀκάρδιος γεγονὼς, κτήσασθαι σοφίαν ἀδυνα τεῖ. –Ἐν παντὶ πράγματι, πᾶς ὁ ὑψῶν ἑαυτὸν τα πεινωθήσεται· ὅτι Κύριος ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται· ὁ δὲ σκολιάζων τοῦ μαθεῖν τὰ πράγματα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς κακὰ περὶ τὴν κρίσιν. Ἐνταῦθα φίλον τὸν Χριστόν φησιν, ὃς διὰ τὴν πρὸς ἄνθρωπον φιλίαν, ἄνθρωπος γέγονεν. Οὐκέτι γὰρ λέγω ὑμᾶς δούλους, εἶπεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς, ἀλλὰ φίλους· ἐν παντὶ δὲ καιρῷ ὁ Χριστὸς συνυπαρχέτω σοι φίλος εἰ δὲ οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ υἱοὶ, ἀλλήλων εἰσὶ φίλοι· οἱ ἄγ γελοι καὶ οἱ δίκαιοι ἄνθρωποι, ἀλλήλων εἰσὶν ἀδελ 17.201 φοὶ, τῷ τῆς υἱοθεσίας γεννώμενοι πνεύματι· τούτου γὰρ χάριν καὶ γεννῶνται ὑπὸ τῆς σοφίας, ἵνα ἀνθρώ πους ὁδηγήσωσιν ἀπὸ κακίας εἰς ἀρετὴν, καὶ ἀπὸ ἀγνωσίας εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν Θεοῦ. Οὗτός ἐστιν εὐμετάβολος, ὁ ῥᾳδίως ἀπὸ ἀρετῆς ἐπὶ κακίαν μεταβαλλόμενος, τοῖς πονηροῖς λογισμοῖς συν απαχθείς. Πατέρα ἐνταῦθα τὸν Θεόν φησι· μητέρα, τὴν φι λανθρωπίαν αὐτοῦ· ἣ καὶ πεποίηκεν αὐτὸν σαρκω θῆναι, καὶ πάθη ὑπομεῖναι δι' ἡμᾶς· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ ἡμῶν, οὐκ εὐφραίνεται ἐπὶ υἱῷ υἱοθετηθέντι μὲν, μὴ πεπαιδευμένῳ δὲ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν, ἀλλὰ κακίᾳ καὶ πονηρίᾳ ἑαυτὸν ἐκδόντι· υἱὸς δὲ φρόνιμος εὐφραίνει τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ, τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν· ἣ καὶ προσάγει ἡμᾶς αὐτῷ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρὶ, ὡς υἱοὺς ἀπογαλακτισθέντας, καὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς στερεᾶς τροφῆς ἐφιεμένους· ἵν' ὡς καθ' ὁμοιότητα ἀδελφὸς ἡμῖν γεγονὼς ὁ Υἱὸς αὐ τοῦ Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς πράξει καὶ λόγῳ πολιτευώμεθα· ἔστι δὲ μήτηρ ἡμῶν καὶ ἡ Ἐκκλησία, ἣν τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ ἑαυτῷ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ ἡρμόσατο εἰς γυναῖκα· τίκτει γὰρ ἀεὶ δι' αὐτῆς ἑαυ τῷ υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας· καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τοῖς πεπαιδευ μένοις τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ γνῶσιν καὶ σοφίαν, εὐφραίνεται καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἡμῶν Θεὸς, καὶ ἡ μήτηρ ἡ Ἐκκλησία· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῖς ἀπαιδεύτοις, πάνυ μὲν κήδεται καὶ λυπεῖ ται, ὡς μὴ θελόντων ἡμῶν ἐπιστρέψαι καὶ σωθῆναι, ἀλλὰ τῇ κακίᾳ προσμένειν. Πρόσωπον ἐνταῦθα τὴν θεωρίαν φησί· θεωρία γὰρ νοημάτων συνετοῦ ἀνδρὸς, σοφία καὶ γνῶσις καὶ δι καιοσύνη· οἱ δὲ νοεροὶ ὀφθαλμοὶ τοῦ ἄφρονος, καὶ ἐν σώματι ἐν ἄκρᾳ κακίας καὶ πονηρίας. Ὀργὴ τῷ ἄφρονι υἱῷ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς ἐκπέμπεται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως· τῇ δὲ Ἐκκλη σίᾳ τῇ γεννησαμένῃ τῷ Πνεύματι, καὶ τῇ τῶν ἁγίων χορείᾳ, ὀδύνη τότε πάντως ἔσται ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπωλείᾳ τοῦ ἄφρονος υἱοῦ· καὶ ὅτι ὁ μὲν φρόνιμος υἱὸς καὶ τεκοῦσαν ἔχει καὶ μητέρα· ὁ δὲ ἄφρων μόνην τεκοῦσαν· ἡ γὰρ μήτηρ καὶ τεκοῦσα· ἡ δὲ τεκοῦσα, οὐ πάντως ἔσται καὶ μήτηρ· ἐὰν γὰρ ἀποθάνῃ τὸ τεχθὲν ἐν κακίᾳ καὶ ἀγνωσίᾳ, τεκοῦσα μὲν ἔστι, μήτηρ δὲ οὐκ ἔστι· διότι μηδὲ τοῦ τῆς υἱοθεσίας μετέσχηκε Πνεύματος τὸ τεχθέν· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν μητέρων νοηθήσεται, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ θανάτου τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ· τὴν γὰρ μητέρα ἐροῦμεν καὶ τεκοῦσαν· οὐκέτι δὲ μητέρα τοῦ παιδὸς ἀποθανόντος. Πλημμελεῖ τις, τοῦ δικαίου τὸ δίκαιον ἀφαιρῶν, ἢ διαστρέφων αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἀδικίαν τοὺς μαθητὰς, ἁμαρτάνει· κτῆσιν γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἔχων, ἐζημίωται· οὐ γὰρ ζητοῦσι τὰ ἡμῶν, ἀλλ' ἡμᾶς· δυνάστας δὲ λέγει τοὺς ἐν Χριστῷ βασιλεύοντας. Ὁ ἀγόμενος τῇ τῶν δαιμόνων ἀφροσύνῃ, οὐ χρείαν ἔχει σοφίας Θεοῦ ἢ γνώσεως· διότι ἠγάπησε μᾶλλον 17.204 τὸ σκότος ἢ τὸ φῶς· κἂν ἀφροσύνῃ χαίρει, οἴεται μὴ χρείαν ἔχειν σοφίας. Ὥσπερ τὸ ὕδωρ ζωογονεῖ τὰ φυτὰ, οὕτως ταῖς ἀρεταῖς ἀνδρὸς ἐστομωμένου λόγος ἀναψύχει, καὶ πρὸς Θεὸν πτεροῖ τοὺς ἐθέλοντας σοφισθῆναι· ποταμὸν δὲ ἀναπηδῶντά φησι, τὴν ἀνεκδιήγητον τῶν χαρίτων σο φίαν τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος, τὴν ἀείῤῥυτον σοφίαν τῆς τρισσοφαοῦς ἑνιαίας Θεότητος. Ὁ τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν τῷ διαβόλῳ κακίαν ἀποδεχό μενος, καὶ κατ' αὐτὴν ἐνεργῶν θεωρίᾳ καὶ λόγῳ, οὗ τος θαυμάζει τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς· τὸ δίκαιον δὲ ἐν κρίσει, ἐν λόγῳ τε σωμάτων, οὐ καλὸν ἐκκλῖναι ὅσιον. Ἡ

Unit 4 rem early§14

14Boldness, by withdrawing the soul from gentleness, gives it over to death. It is not the fear of God that brings the lazy to repentance, but the fear of demons; for they stir them up to abhorrence. Or it is the fear of the Lord, which separates them from laziness and rouses them from evil through good works unto repentance. The soul and body are androgynous— the one soft, the one poured out, the one neither able to teach itself nor willing to learn from others. Or the fear of evil drives back those who hesitate toward virtue, who lack the forward-looking resolve. A man whose choice is feminine will not possess the nurturing virtue; they will hunger when, seeing the kingdom from the opposite side, they are tormented in the trial. The abundance of the knowledge of the Lord, and the active power of the Word, he calls strength; for he alone knows what was before, what is now, and what will be. He himself commanded, saying, “Let there be light,” and heaven, earth, and all that is in them were brought into being from non-existence. These things reveal him as Lord and God alone. By means of a righteous life, the just run toward him; by means of contemplation, they are exalted. Or, from the things that are made, or from their greatness, it is evident that God is almighty. We must use this word toward those who have not received knowledge from God, yet endeavor to teach others; for David says, “When I hear your praise, I will then declare your marvels to others,” and Solomon says—

What your eyes have seen, say this: for many, having failed to attain virtue themselves, do not merely encourage others to succeed, but they also compel and urge them on. Here he speaks of a man as God: for he who subdues his own anger in judgment, keeping himself under control by observing God’s commandments, likewise applies this to sensible things. Just as our Lord is said to become a stumbling stone to the rebellious and a rock of offense to those who fall away, so too the faint-hearted stands against those who sin; indeed, the faint-hearted may be called the wicked one, and every demon that has fallen from virtue and knowledge. Therefore, the upright life he has declared to be the dwelling of humanity, which one enlarges and provides with what is worthy of God’s fullness—this he calls the throne of rulers, or rather, of the holy powers. For the mind is an excellent habit, either restraining or restraining the one who sits, keeping them immobile. Understanding puts an end to folly, for it is the allotment of the rational nature; and among the powers, it determines what comes to be and what is done. For the one who possesses divine understanding, all things yield; or he speaks here of the counter-arguments raised by the demons against us, those opposed to virtue, seeking to separate us from God—these the lot of understanding keeps from us, and it sets the ruling demons to retreat, as one allotted to God, from himself and from others, as one possessing divine understanding. Or he speaks of the soul as receptive to life and death, from which the self-determining power is shown in the fruits of the present and the future, whether one enjoys them well or badly.

He who finds good wisdom finds God’s grace. –He who holds onto wickedness is foolish and impious, as though he were the inventor of it, like the devil. The wealth of knowledge and wisdom adds to us many joyful gatherings; but the unclean person, whom the poor man claims, is separated from the angel given to him from childhood. For spiritual friendship is virtue and knowledge of God, by which we are joined in friendship with the holy powers—if indeed those who repent become joy to the angels. Thus too the Savior calls friends those who were once servants, having deemed them worthy of His greater contemplation; thus also Abraham, enriched in knowledge, sets before his friends who appear at noon that mystical table which he himself has prepared. But Saul, too, is separated from his former friend because of his wickedness; for it is written: “And the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.” And the spirit of the Lord says to the angel: “For He makes His angels winds, and His ministers a flame of fire.” That the angels are entrusted with humanity, the Lord teaches in the Gospels, saying: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven always behold the face of My Father who is in heaven.” And again Jacob says: “Your angel, the one who delivers me from all evil.” Those who ignore the words concerning judgment and providence blaspheme the Creator; they are false witnesses.

Greek · §14

θρασύτης, ἀπὸ τοῦ πράου χωρίζουσα τὴν ψυχὴν, τῷ θανάτῳ δίδωσιν. Ὀκνηροὺς εἰς μετάνοιαν καταβαλεῖ οὐ φόβος Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ὁ τῶν δαιμόνων· διεγείρουσι γὰρ αὐτοὺς εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν· ἢ ὁ τοῦ Κυρίου [φόβος], χωρίζων αὐτοὺς τοῦ ὀκνηροῦ, καὶ διεγείρων αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῆς κακίας δι' ἔργων ἀγαθῶν εἰς μετάνοιαν· ἀνδρόγυνος δέ ἐστι ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα, ὁ ἐκκεχυμένος, ὁ μαλακὸς, ὁ μήτε διδάσκειν δυνάμενος ἑαυτὸν, μήτε μανθάνειν παρ' ἑτέ ρων βουλόμενος· ἢ τοὺς ὀκνοῦντας πρὸς ἀρετὴν ὁ τῶν κακῶν φόβος προκαταβάλλει, τὸ παραθαῤῥῦνον πρὸς τὸ μέλλον οὐκ ἔχοντας· ἀνὴρ δὲ τὴν προαίρεσιν θῆλυς, οὐχ ἕξει τὴν τρέφουσαν ἀρετήν· πεινάσουσι δὲ, ὅτε ἐξ ἐναντίας ἴδωσι τὴν βασιλείαν, ἐν τῇ βασάνῳ βασανιζόμενοι. Τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ τὸ ἐνερ γητικὸν τοῦ Λόγου, ἰσχύν φησιν· αὐτὸς γὰρ μόνος γινώσκει τὰ πρῴην, καὶ τὰ ἐνεστῶτα, καὶ τὰ μέλ λοντα· αὐτὸς καὶ ἐνετείλατο εἰπὼν, γενηθήτω φῶς οὐρανὸς, καὶ γῆ, καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρήχθησαν· αὐτὰ δὲ δείκνυσιν αὐτὸν Κύριον καὶ Θεὸν μόνον εἶναι· καὶ διὰ μὲν τοῦ ὀρθοῦ βίου προστρέχουσιν αὐτῷ οἱ δίκαιοι, διὰ δὲ τῆς θεωρίας ὑψοῦνται· ἢ ὅτι ἐκ τῶν κτισμάτων, ἢ τῆς μεγα λοσύνης αὐτῶν, φανερόν ἐστιν ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς παντοδύ ναμος. Χρηστέον τούτῳ τῷ ῥητῷ πρὸς τοὺς μὴ λαβόντας μὲν γνῶσιν παρὰ Θεοῦ, διδάσκειν δὲ ἄλλους ἐπιχει ροῦντας· ὁ γὰρ ∆αυΐδ φησι· Τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι μὲν φω νῆς αἰνέσεώς σου, καὶ τότε διηγήσασθαι ἄλλοις τὰ θαυμάσιά σου· καὶ ὁ Σολομῶν φησι· Ἃ εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου, λέγε· πολλοὶ γὰρ καὶ ἀρετῆς μὴ ἀπαρξάμενοι, ἄλλους κατορθῶσαι οὐ μόνον παραινοῦ σιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ βιάζονται καὶ παρακελεύουσιν. Ἄνδρα ἐνταῦθα τὸν Θεόν φησι· τὸν γὰρ θυμὸν αὐ τοῦ τὸν ἐν τῇ κρίσει καταπραΰνει ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν, ὁ θερα πεύσας αὐτὸν ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς αὐτοῦ· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν· ὥσπερ δὲ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν πάρ δαλις ἀπορουμένη λέγεται γίνεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς πλημ μελοῦντας, καὶ πέτρα σκανδάλου πρὸς τοὺς ἀπι στοῦντας, οὕτω καὶ ὀλιγόψυχος ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτά νουσι· δύναται δὲ ὀλιγόψυχον λέγειν καὶ τὸν πονηρὸν, καὶ πάντα δαίμονα ἀρετῆς ἐκπεπτωκότα καὶ γνώ σεως. 17.205 Τὸν βίον τὸν ὀρθὸν τοίνυν εἶπεν δόμα ἀνθρώπου, ὅστις αὐτὸν πλατύνει καὶ παρέχει τοῦ πληρώματος ἄξιον τοῦ Θεοῦ· ὅπερ καθέδραν δυναστῶν ὀνομάζει, ἤγουν τῶν ἁγίων δυνάμεων· νοῦ γὰρ καθέδρα ἐστὶν ἕξις ἀρίστη, δυσκίνητον ἢ ἀκίνητον διατηροῦσα τὸν καθεζόμενον. Ἄνοιαν παύει γνῶσις· αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ὁ κλῆρος τῆς φύσεως τῆς λογικῆς· καὶ ἐν δυνάσταις ὁρίζει γί νεσθαί τι, καὶ ποιοῦσι· τῷ γὰρ γνῶσιν ἔχοντι θείαν, κλίνονται πάντες· ἢ ἀντιλογίας ἐνταῦθα τοὺς ἐκ τῶν δαιμόνων καθ' ἡμῶν ἐγειρομένους λογισμούς φησι, τοὺς τῇ ἀρετῇ ἀντιπάλους, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ χωρίσαι ἡμᾶς σπεύδοντας· παύει δὲ ταύτας ἀφ' ἡμῶν ὁ τῆς γνώ σεως κλῆρος, καὶ τοὺς δυνάστας δαίμονας ὁρίζει ἀνα χωρεῖν, ὡς κεκληρωμένος τῷ Θεῷ, ἐξ αὐτοῦ τε καὶ ἄλλων ὡς θείαν γνῶσιν ἔχων. Ἢ τὴν ψυχὴν λέγει, ζωῆς καὶ θανάτου δεκτικὴν, ἀφ' ὧν τὸ αὐτεξούσιον δείκνυται τῶν νῦν τε καὶ τῶν μελλόντων τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτῆς ἀπολαῦσαι καλῶν τε ἢ κακῶν. Ὃς εὗρε σοφίαν ἀγαθὴν, εὗρε χάριτας Θεοῦ· –Ὁ κατέχων κακίαν, ἄφρων καὶ ἀσεβὴς, ὡς ἐφευρετὴς αὐτῆς διάβολος. Πλοῦτος γνώσεως καὶ σοφίας προστίθησιν ἡμῖν ἀγ γέλους πολλούς· ὁ δὲ ἀκάθαρτος, ὃν πένητά φησι, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ δοθέντος αὐτῷ ἐκ παιδὸς ἀγγέλου χωρίζεται· ἡ γὰρ πνευματικὴ φιλία, ἀρετή ἐστι καὶ γνῶσις Θεοῦ, δι' ὧν συναπτόμεθα πρὸς φιλίαν ταῖς ἁγίαις δυ νάμεσιν· εἴγε οἱ μετανοοῦντες ἄνθρωποι, χαρᾶς αἴ τιοι γίνονται τοῖς ἀγγέλοις· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ φίλους καλεῖ, τοὺς δούλους ποτὲ, τῆς μείζονος αὐτοῦ θεωρίας καταξιώσας· οὕτω καὶ Ἀβραὰμ πλουτίσας ἐν γνώσει, τὴν μυστικὴν ἐκείνην παρατίθησι τράπεζαν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν μεσημβρίαν φανεῖσι φίλοις αὐτοῦ· Σαοὺλ δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὑπάρχοντος φίλου διὰ τὴν κακίαν χωρίζεται· γέγραπται γάρ· Καὶ ἀπέστη πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἀπὸ Σαούλ· καὶ πνεῦμα πονηρὸν παρὰ Κυρίου ἔπνιγε τὸν Σαούλ· καὶ πνεῦμα Κυρίου λέγων τὸν ἄγγελον· Ὁ ποιῶν, γὰρ, φησὶ, τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύ ματα, καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πῦρ φλέγον· ὅτι δὲ ἄγγελοι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐμπεπίστευνται, δι δάσκει ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ὁ Κύριος, Ὁρᾶτε, λέγων, μὴ καταφρονῆτε ἑνὸς τῶν μικρῶν τούτων, ὅτι οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτῶν διὰ παντὸς βλέπουσι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς· καὶ πάλιν ὁ Ἰα κώβ· Ὁ ἄγγελός σου ὁ ῥυόμενός με ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν κακῶν. Ὅσοι τοὺς περὶ κρίσεως καὶ προνοίας ἀγνοοῦντες λόγους, τὸν δημιουργὸν βλασφημοῦσι, μάρτυρές εἰσι ψευδεῖς·

Unit 4 rem mid§15

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15They will not go unpunished who persist in wickedness on the day of judgment; and those who, again, are overwhelmed by their own passions and consider virtue unattainable, these unjustly accuse the one who gave the law. The base do not honor worth but repay fear with flattery, being sycophants who show partiality; but the true person will not flatter evil, but will expose it. Everyone who hates their poor brother, according to the saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," will be far from the love of God and the angels; or, everyone who hates their brother who is poor in virtue, and alienates themselves from the friendship toward the passions, will be cut off from life. —He has called the knowledge of God a good conception, and to those who know it, the pure in heart, he is accustomed to draw near; but the one who obeys these things for the sake of learning is prudent and will find it. —One who does much evil through deeds and words accomplishes wickedness, which is every sin; but the one who crafts destruction with words against people, and blasphemies against God, will not be saved. Neither sensual pleasure nor bodily profit benefits the fool; for he will trample the former underfoot, being a swine devoted to pleasure, and under the influence of sensual indulgence his flesh will be moved to passions, and he will hurl blasphemies against God; even if he comes from slavery to freedom, he will do this. If one boasts rightly, they boast in the Lord; and our Lord is wisdom, so the one who boasts rightly boasts in wisdom; therefore the boast of the long-suffering and merciful one,

Wisdom and knowledge belong to him, yet they come upon the lawless, delivering them from wickedness—now possibly, in the age to come necessarily. Our Lord is fire consuming and a lion enraged; toward those who sin, he burns and devours, as wood, grass, and reed, the flesh marshaled against the Spirit; but light and dew are for those who persevere, showing them the words of what has happened, and quenching the fiery darts of the evil one, and cooling the heat arising from action. He called the unclean soul a companion; and of her, he declared the wages, the condition, from which pure prayers do not arise. To teach sons about virtue and the knowledge of God belongs to the fathers; but to give wisdom to the children belongs to the Lord, for he speaks of wisdom as a woman in these things: “Be enamored of wisdom, and she will keep you; honor her, that she may embrace you.” The commandments, as toward the God who enjoins them, are called commandments; but as toward the mind journeying within them, they are called ways; and the one who guards keeps the soul from death toward life, his own soul; but the one who is careless will encounter the endless death. Thus it is with sensible things; yet as much as the sun exceeds the moon in excellence, so much does the one who shows mercy to the poor in virtue and who recalls them through the Lord’s instruction and admonition exceed, and to give a gift to God, he has named the purity of the heart; for, according to analogy, we are deemed worthy of knowledge by God through our dispassion.

What he says amounts to this regarding the things of life: I believe, however, that great loss consists in the deprivation of the contemplation of events that have occurred; and the addition to the soul consists in the obliteration of natural conceptions concerning God, with the soul utterly falling into irrationality. And the Savior also says in the Gospels: What will it profit a person if they gain the whole world but forfeit their soul and suffer loss? Here, the destruction reveals the ignorance of both bodily and incorporeal things; and the loss presents the ultimate irrationality. If the fear of the Lord is life for a person, and the fear of the Lord is wisdom and instruction, then the life of the person is therefore wisdom and instruction. Therefore, to know wisdom and instruction is to know Christ and his teaching. Thus, the fearless person will be in wickedness and ignorance, in which Christ is not present. Those who live in wickedness and ignorance do not seek the fear of God within themselves, nor do they hope for mercy upon themselves; and Christ is not in them, because they do not will to have him. The one who does not live rightly hides his unjust hands within his soul, unwilling to cultivate his own earth, that is, his body; nor does he wish to be filled with spiritual things. For the practical virtues have their reason in the hands, those which bring the bread to our mouths—the bread that came down from heaven and gives life to the world through inspired wisdom and knowledge. If the wrath of dragons is their wine,

Greek · §15

οὐκ ἀτιμώρητοι δὲ διαμένουσιν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως· καὶ ὅσοι πάλιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων παθῶν ἐν οχλούμενοι νομίζουσιν ἀκατόρθωτον εἶναι τὴν ἀρετὴν, οὗτοι τῷ δεδωκότι τὸν νόμον ἐγκαλοῦσιν ἀδίκως. Οἱ χυδαῖοι οὐ τὸ ἀξίωμα τιμῶντες ἀποδιδόασι τὸν 17.208 φόβον, ἀλλὰ κόλακες ὄντες προσωποληπτοῦσιν· ὁ δὲ ἀληθὴς ἀνὴρ οὐ κολακεύσει τὸ κακὸν, ἀλλ' ἐλέγξει. Πᾶς ὃς μισεῖ τὸν πτωχὸν ἀδελφὸν, κατὰ τὸ, Μακά ριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βα σιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ ἀγάπης Θεοῦ καὶ ἀγγέλων μακρὰν ἔσται· ἢ πᾶς ὃς ἀδελφὸν ἀρετῆς πτωχὸν ὄντα μισεῖ, καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὰ πάθη φιλίας μακρύνεται τοῦ βίου. –Ἀγαθὴν ἔννοιαν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ γνῶσιν ὠνόμασε, καὶ τοῖς εἰδόσιν αὐτὴν τοῖς καθαροῖς τῇ καρδίᾳ, εἴωθε τούτοις ἐγγιεῖν· ὁ δὲ πειθόμενος τού τοις εἰς μάθησιν, φρόνιμός ἐστι, καὶ εὑρήσει αὐτήν. –̔Ο πολλὰ κακοποιῶν δι' ἔργων καὶ λόγων, τελε σιουργεῖ κακίαν, ἥ ἐστιν πᾶσα ἁμαρτία· ὃς δὲ τε λεσιουργεῖ κατὰ ἀνθρώπων λόγους εἰς ἀπώλειαν, καὶ βλασφημίας κατὰ Θεὸν, οὐ σωθήσεται οὗτος. Οὔτε ἡ κατὰ ψυχὴν τρυφὴ, οὔτε ἡ κατὰ σῶμα συμφέρει τῷ ἄφρονι· τὴν μὲν γὰρ καταπατήσει τοῖς ποσὶ, χοῖρος φιλήδονος ὤν· ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς αἰσθητῆς τρυ φῆς ἡ σὰρξ αὐτοῦ πρὸς πάθη κινηθήσεται, καὶ κατὰ Θεοῦ βλασφημίας ῥίψει· εἰ καὶ ἀπὸ δούλων ἐλεύθε ρος, τοῦτο ποιήσει. Εἰ ὁ καυχώμενος ὀρθῶς, ἐν Κυρίῳ καυχᾶται, ὁ δὲ Κύριος ἡμῶν σοφία ἐστὶν, ὁ καυχώμενος ὀρθῶς, ἐν σοφίᾳ καυχᾶται· τὸ καύχημα τοίνυν τοῦ μακροθύ μου καὶ ἐλεήμονος, ἐστὶν ἡ σοφία καὶ ἡ γνῶσις αὐ τοῦ· ἐπέρχεται δὲ τοῖς παρανόμοις ἀπαλλάττων αὐ τοὺς κακίας, νῦν μὲν ἐνδεχομένως, ἐν δὲ τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι ἀναγκαίως. Ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν πῦρ μὲν καταναλίσκον καὶ λέων ὀργιζόμενος· πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας κατακαῖον καὶ ἀναλίσκον, ὡς ξύλα χόρτων καλάμην, τὴν στρα τευομένην σάρκα κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος· φῶς δὲ καὶ δρόσος πρὸς τοὺς κατορθοῦντας, δεικνὺς αὐτοῖς τῶν γεγονότων τοὺς λόγους, καὶ κατασβεννύων τὰ πεπυ ρωμένα βέλη τοῦ πονηροῦ, καὶ περιψύχων τὸν ἐκ τῆς πράξεως συμβαίνοντα καύσωνα. Τὴν ἀκάθαρτον ψυχὴν, ἑταίραν ὠνόμασε· καὶ ταύ της τὸ μίσθωμα, τὴν κατάστασιν εἴρηκεν αὐτῆς, ἀφ' ἧς οὐ καθαραὶ γίνονται προσευχαί. Τὸ μὲν διδάσκειν τοὺς υἱοὺς περὶ ἀρετῆς καὶ γνώ σεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, τῶν πατέρων ἐστίν· τὸ δὲ σοφίαν δοῦναι τοῖς παισὶ, τοῦ Κυρίου ἐστί· γυναῖκα γὰρ ἐν ταῦθα τὴν σοφίαν λέγει· ἐράσθητι γὰρ, φησὶ, τῆς σο φίας, καὶ τηρήσει σε· τίμησον αὐτὴν, ἵνα σε περι λάβῃ. Αἱ ἐντολαὶ, ὡς πρὸς μὲν τὸν ἐντειλάμενον Θεὸν, καλοῦνται ἐντολαί· ὡς δὲ πρὸς τὸν ὁδεύοντα νοῦν ἐν αὐταῖς, καλοῦνται ὁδοί· καὶ ὁ μὲν φυλάσσων, τηρεῖ ἐκ θανάτου πρὸς ζωὴν τὴν ψυχὴν ἑαυτοῦ· ὁ δὲ κα ταφρονῶν, τὸν ἀπέραντον θάνατον θανεῖται. Ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν αἰσθητῶν οὕτως ἔχει· ὅσον δὲ ὁ ἥλιος τῆς σελήνης ὑπερφυὴς, τοσοῦτον ὁ ἐλεῶν τοὺς ἐν πτωχείᾳ ἀρετῶν καὶ ἀνακτώμενος αὐτοὺς ἐν παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ Κυρίου· δόμα δὲ διδόναι τῷ Θεῷ, τὴν 17.209 καθαρότητα τῆς καρδίας ὠνόμασε· κατὰ ἀναλογίαν γὰρ τῆς ἀπαθείας ἡμῶν καταξιούμεθα γνώσεως ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὃ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστι περὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ βίῳ· ἐγὼ δὲ νομίζω, τὴν μὲν πολλὴν ζημίαν, στέρησιν περιέχειν τῆς θεωρίας τῶν γεγονότων· τὴν δὲ προσθήκην τῆς ψυχῆς, ἀφανισμὸν τῶν φυσικῶν περὶ Θεοῦ ἐννοιῶν, παντάπασιν αὐτῆς εἰς ἀλογίαν καταπεσούσης· καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ δὲ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις φησί· Τί ὠφεληθήσεται ἄνθρωπος, ἐὰν τὸν κόσμον ὅλον κερδήσῃ, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἀπολέσῃ καὶ ζημιωθῇ; Ἐνταῦθα ἡ ἀπώ λεια τὴν ἄγνοιαν σωμάτων καὶ ἀσωμάτων ἐμφαίνει· ἡ δὲ ζημία τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀλογίαν παρίστησιν. Εἰ φόβος Κυρίου εἰς ζωὴν ἀνδρὶ, φόβος δὲ Κυρίου σοφία καὶ παιδεία, ἡ ζωὴ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἄρα σοφία ἐστὶ καὶ παιδεία· τὸ οὖν γνῶναι σοφίαν καὶ παιδείαν, γνῶναί ἐστι τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίαν· ὁ οὖν ἄφοβος ἔσται ἐν κακίᾳ καὶ ἀγνωσίᾳ, ἐν αἷς οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ Χριστός· οἱ οὖν ἐν κακίᾳ καὶ ἀγνωσίᾳ ζῶντες, οὐκ ἐπισκέπτονται ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸν φόβον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὸ ἔλεος ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς μὴ ἐλπίζοντες· οὐδὲ Χριστός ἐστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς, παρὰ τὸ μὴ θέλειν αὐτούς. Ὁ μὴ ὀρθῶς βιοὺς, κρύπτει ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ τὰς χεῖρας ἀδίκως, τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γῆν ἐργάσασθαι μὴ βου λόμενος, τουτέστι τὸ σῶμα· μηδὲ ἐμπλησθῆναι ἄρ των ψυχικῶν· αἱ γὰρ πρακτικαὶ ἀρεταὶ, χειρῶν ἔχουσι λόγον, αἱ τὸν ἄρτον τῷ στόματι ἡμῶν προσφέρουσαι, τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν οὐρανῶν καταβάντα, καὶ ζωὴν διδόντα τῷ κόσμῳ δι' ἐνθέου σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως. Εἰ θυμὸς δρακόντων ὁ οἶνος αὐτῶν, ἀκόλαστον δὲ ὁ

Unit 4 rem close§16

16Wine, therefore, the unrestrained anger is; making men unrestrained; and wrath is insolent: for it arises from boiling anger. But if, according to the law, the Nazirites abstain from wine, then it has been ordained by law that the Nazirites are to be outside anger. Here Christ is plainly called a king: for the one who provokes him through sins, sins against his own soul. Just as the foolish man is not ashamed of disgrace, so the one who borrows grain to sow in an unplowed field: already, because it will be repaid from his farm to the lender, even if the borrower should happen to die. — If it is possible to borrow grain in an unplowed field from those who have worked their own land in the six years, that is, from those righteous ones and prophets who shone in the six ages before Christ’s presence, to imitate their virtues, those who also nourish in the seventh year the widow and the orphan, in order to repay them in the kingdom of heaven the reward of the manifestation of virtues, having become firstfruits of the virtues. Those whom, clearly by virtue, someone has begotten, will leave to those who come after an icon and a blessing; and the unblemished one will leave righteousness of nurture until the end. For elsewhere it was said that the one who speaks evil ceases; but also Christ: and the one who reviles the Church will be deprived of the faith, which was to him light before the slander; and he would also speak concerning the outer darkness; therefore it has been said concerning the future: and Christ himself, father and mother, is able to be spoken of: father indeed of those who have the Spirit of adoption; mother however of those who need milk and not solid food.

And indeed, the Christ who speaks in Paul—though He is the one speaking—was made a father to the Ephesians, revealing to them the mysteries of wisdom; and He became a mother to the Corinthians, nourishing them with milk. The pleasure discovered among us that comes from evil, which he says is assigned as a portion in the first things, at first delights your palate, but later you will find it more bitter than gall. Do not speak, moved by pride: “I alone will wage war against my enemies”; but wait for the Lord and call upon Him, that He may help you. Do not rely on yourself as if you could act without the Lord; for He says through David that apart from Him there is no helper: “I do not trust in my bow.” Regarding sensible things, we say that a large and small weight exists—among which are gold, silver, bronze, lead, and whatever else is weighed. Measures, however, are those things measured in vessels: grain, wine, oil, and legumes. Furthermore, the person called bold yet timid by some, I consider to be a large and small weight. Moreover, universally, every excess and deficiency—this is a large and small weight; for both are vices, and measures are doubled. Furthermore, the one who wishes to suffer well at the hands of others, yet himself does not choose to similarly relieve others, possesses double measures—namely, not obeying the command that says: “Whatever you wish that people would do to you, you also do to them.” Not the ear that hears badly is the work of the Lord, but the one who attends to good things; and not the eye that sees badly is the work of the Lord, but the one who sees and imagines divine things.

For whoever hears the Lord and observes his commandments performs the work of the Lord. The same principle applies to all parts of the body. You should employ this statement against those who accuse us, saying that our body and the God within us are engaging in insolence. This means: do not sleep excessively, but remain wakeful, so that you may not be cast into Gehenna. Do not slander. Through the virtues, open the eyes of your soul. Through wisdom, be filled with heavenly bread. To weigh oneself against the works of the Lord and also 17.213 of the devil’s works is an abomination to the Lord. Yet the Lord calls a balance-scale the mind, which is naturally endowed to judge rightly the things that occur, but which is inclined by the impulse of self-will through friends or riches. Do not hasten, he says, toward the promise before God, lest the need, or the desire of the greater abundance, seize you and begin to repent, and you insult God by preferring something else to him. For repentance upon good things does not happen to the just, but to the unjust. The unjust, therefore, should not make any promise to God without careful consideration, for after praying, repentance arises. –To hastily dedicate oneself to the Lord, which is to sanctify something of one’s own, and then immediately afterward to change one’s mind, is a snare to the man. Christ is the winnower of the godless. He will come upon the godless like a lion upon prey. Or a winnowing fan, which separates the chaff from the grain, he will apply to them.

Greek · §16

οἶνος, ἀκόλαστος ἄρα ὁ θυμὸς, ἀκολάστους ποιῶν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους· καὶ ὑβριστικὸν ἡ ὀργή· γίνεται γὰρ ἀπὸ ζέοντος θυμοῦ· εἰ δὲ οἴνου οἱ Ναζαραῖοι κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἀπέχονται, θυμοῦ ἄρα τοὺς Ναζαραίους ἐκτὸς εἶναι νενομοθέτηται. Ἐνταῦθα τὸν Χριστὸν ἄντικρυς εἴρηκε βασιλέα· ὁ γὰρ τοῦτον διὰ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν παροξύνων, ἁμαρτάνει εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν. Ὥσπερ ὁ ἄφρων τὸ ὄνειδος οὐκ αἰσχύνεται, οὕτως ὁ δανεισάμενος σῖτον σπεῖραι ἐν ἀμητῷ· ἤδη ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ γεωργίου αὐτοῦ ἀποδοθήσεται τῷ δανείσαντι, κἂν τύχῃ ἀποθανεῖν τὸν δανεισθέντα. –Εἰ ἔστιν ἐν ἀμη τῷ σῖτον δανείσασθαι παρὰ τῶν ἐργασαμένων ἐν τοῖς ἒξ ἔτεσι τὴν ἑαυτῶν γῆν, τουτέστι παρὰ τῶν τῆς πρὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας ἐν τοῖς ἒξ αἰῶσι λαμψάντων δικαίων καὶ προφητῶν τὰς ἀρετὰς μιμήσασθαι, τῶν καὶ τρεφόντων ἐν τῷ ἑβδόμῳ ἔτει χήραν καὶ ὀρφα νοὺς, εἰς τὸ ἀνταποδοθῆναι αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν τὸν μισθὸν τῆς ἐνδείξεως τῶν ἀρετῶν, ὡς ἀπαρχὴ γεγονότες τῶν ἀρετῶν. Οὓς κατ' ἀρετὴν δηλονότι γεγέννηκέ τις, εἰκόνα 17.212 καὶ μακαρισμὸν καταλείψει τοῖς μετέπειτα ὁ ἄμω μος, καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἀνατροφῆς ἕως τέλους. Τελευτᾷν γὰρ εἶπεν ἀλλαχοῦ τὸν κακολογοῦντα· ἀλλὰ καὶ Χριστός· Καὶ ὁ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν κακολο γῶν, στερηθήσεται τῆς πίστεως, ἥτις ἦν αὐτῷ φῶς πρὸ τῆς διαβολῆς· λέγει δ' ἂν καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἐξωτέρου σκότους· διὸ καὶ ἐπὶ μέλλοντος εἴρηται· καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς δὲ, πατὴρ καὶ μήτηρ δύναται λέγε σθαι· πατὴρ μὲν τῶν ἐχόντων πνεῦμα υἱοθεσίας· μήτηρ δὲ τῶν δεομένων γάλακτος καὶ οὐ στερεᾶς τροφῆς· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ ἐν Παύλῳ λαλῶν Χριστὸς, πατὴρ μὲν τῶν Ἐφεσίων ἐγίνετο, σοφίας αὐτοῖς ἀποκαλύπτων μυστήρια· μήτηρ Κορινθίων, γάλα ποτίζων αὐτούς. Τὴν ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐφευρεθεῖσαν ἡμῖν ἡδονὴν, ἣν μερίδα φησὶν ἐν πρώτοις, πρόσκαιρον μὲν λι παίνει σὸν φάρυγγα, ὕστερον μέντοι πικρότερον χολῆς εὑρήσεις. Μὴ εἴπῃς καθ' ὑπερηφανίαν κινούμενος· ἐγὼ μό νος τοῖς ἐχθροῖς πολεμήσω, ἀλλ' ὑπόμεινον τὸν Κύ ριον καὶ ἐπικαλοῦ, ἵνα σοι βοηθήσῃ· μὴ θάῤῥει σαυτῷ ὡς χωρὶς Κυρίου δυνάμενος· ὅτι γὰρ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστι βοηθὸς, λέγει ∆αυΐδ· Οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ τόξῳ μου ἐλπιῶ. Ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν αἰσθητῶν, στάθμιον μέγα καὶ μικρόν φαμεν εἶναι, ἐν οἷς χρυσὸς, ἄργυρος, χαλκὸς, μέ ταξα, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα σταθμίζονται· μέτρα δὲ τὰ ἐν ἀγγείοις μετρούμενα, σῖτος, οἶνος, ἔλαιον, καὶ ὄσπρια· ἄλλως τε δὲ τὸν παρά τισι θρασύδειλον λε γόμενον, μέγα καὶ μικρὸν εἶναι στάθμιον νομίζω· καθόλου δὲ πᾶσαν ὑπερβολὴν καὶ ἔλλειψιν· τοῦτο στάθμιον μέγα καὶ μικρόν ἐστιν· ἑκάτερα γὰρ κακίαι, καὶ μέτρα δισσά· ἄλλως τε καὶ ὁ εὖ μὲν πάσχειν ὑφ' ἑτέρων βουλόμενος, αὐτὸς δὲ ὁμοίως ἄλλους ἀνα παύειν μὴ προαιρούμενος, μέτρα ἔχει δισσά· μὴ πειθόμενος τῇ ἐντολῇ τῇ λεγούσῃ· Πάντα ὅσα θέ λετε ἵνα ποιῶσιν ὑμῖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ ὑμεῖς ὁμοίως ποιεῖτε αὐτοῖς. Οὐχὶ τὸ κακῶς ἀκοῦον οὖς, ἔργον ἐστὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐπὶ καλοῖς προσέχον· καὶ οὐχὶ κακῶς ὁρῶν ὀφθαλμὸς, ἔργον ἐστὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀλλ' ὁ ὁρῶν καὶ φανταζόμενος τὰ θεῖα· ὁ γὰρ ἀκούων τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ βλέπων τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, ἔργον ἐστὶ τοῦ Κυρίου· καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων μερῶν τοῦ σώματος ὡσαύτως λεκτέον· χρήσῃ δὲ τῷ ῥητῷ τούτῳ πρὸς τοὺς κατη γοροῦντας, ἡμῶν τοῦτο τὸ σῶμα, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἐν υβρίζοντας. Τουτέστι μὴ κάθευδε πολλὰ, ἀλλ' ἄγρυπνος ἔσο· ἵνα μὴ ἐξαρθῇς εἰς τὴν γέενναν, μὴ καταλάλει· καὶ διὰ μὲν τῶν ἀρετῶν, ἄνοιγε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς σου· διὰ δὲ τῆς σοφίας, νοητῶν ἐμπλήσθητι ἄρτων. Τὸ σταθμιεῖν ἑαυτόν τις ἐπὶ τοῖς τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ 17.213 τοῦ διαβόλου ἔργοις, βδέλυγμα Κυρίῳ· ζυγὸν δὲ δό λιον λέγει τὸν νοῦν, τὸν πεφυκότα μὲν δικαίως κρί νειν τὰ πράγματα, παρεκκλίνοντα δὲ τῇ τοῦ αὐτεξου σίου ῥοπῇ διὰ φίλους ἢ χρήματα. Μὴ ταχέως, φησὶν, ἐπὶ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν κινοῦ, ἵνα μὴ τῆς χρείας σε πολλάκις, ἢ τῆς τοῦ πλείονος ἐπιθυμίας ἑλούσης, ἄρξῃ μετανοεῖν, καὶ ὑβρίσῃς Θεὸν, προτιμήσας αὐτοῦ ἕτερον· ἡ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς δὲ μετάνοια, οὐ δικαίοις συμβαίνει, ἀλλὰ ἀδίκοις· ἄδικοι δὲ μηδὲν ἀπερισκέπτως ὑπισχνείτω σαν τῷ Θεῷ· μετὰ γὰρ τὸ εὔξασθαι, μετανοεῖν γίνε ται. –Τὸ ταχὺ συντάξασθαι τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τὸ ἁγιάσαι τι τῶν αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ θᾶττον μετα μεληθῆναι, παγίς ἐστι τῷ ἀνδρί. Λικμήτωρ ἀσεβῶν ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν· ἐπιβαλεῖ δὲ τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν ὥσπερ λέων θήρας· τροχὸς δὲ, ἅλωνος χωρίζων τὰ ἄχυρα ἀπὸ τοῦ σίτου· ἢ τροχὸν ἐπιβαλεῖ τὴν

Expositio in Proverbia Unit 5 opening§17

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17An absurd punishment. The mind is the storehouse of the belly, the heart, and knowledge; in it are laid up all divine teachings as well as impious doctrines. Just as one who lights a lamp seeks to find something among the things stored in the pantries, so the Lord, with the light of His knowledge, searches the storehouses of human words and deeds. To those people who know the Lord’s knowledge, it is light for them. Therefore, if the Lord’s light is the Lord’s knowledge, and the Lord’s light is the breath of humanity, then the Lord’s knowledge is the breath of humanity. The demon who appears in ignorance, pretending to be something, He has named a lamp that empties the mind of good knowledges and transforms itself into an angel of light. Since, however, the Lord’s light was not chosen to be known or walked in by them, the impious reckoned ignorance as light. If they indeed held ignorance as light, then clearly they also practiced the works invented by the demon of ignorance; those who journeyed with his ignorance will be with him into the ages of ages. But those who are with the Lord’s knowledge will be with the Lord. He casts out this statement regarding the sacrifice offered through irrational beasts; for a sacrifice to God is a spirit broken in pieces. If holy and right works are the Lord’s works, and one of His works is the mind,

The mind was rightly created by God, pure and upright, and we are obligated to preserve it in that state against the evil influences that come upon us. He set the defiled and common house in opposition to the open-air corner; but if the defiled and common house is wickedness, then the open-air corner is virtue—the very angle of virtue. This is the practice of contemplation in action, touching and enlightened by the sun of righteousness. Paul also spoke well when he called the high priest of the Jews a defiled wall, to be struck blind by God. Likewise, the Savior in the Gospels called the Pharisees defiled tombs. And well did he say in verse 17.216, upon the corner: “Here lies the stone rejected by the builders, which has become the cornerstone; and this is Christ.” Now, what is common is what does not belong to the one God. Secret giving is when the right hand acts and the left hand does not know; it stirs up a strong wrath against itself on the day of judgment, the one who withholds aid from the needy. The synagogue of the giants is wickedness and ignorance; for the giants are the demons. This means that the one who strays from the path of righteousness will find rest in great sins. It is better to be solitary than to keep company with such as these; and David says: “In a desolate, impassable, and waterless land, thus have I appeared before you in the holy place.”

The earth is now a desert where virtue dwells in the soul, uninhabited by the old human passions that once dwelled there—those corrupting impulses that once ruled according to the former deceitful desires. For this reason, the devil finds no rest in it, since he wanders wearily through waterless places seeking repose, yet finds none; for he is king over all who dwell in the waters, that is, over those who rest and indulge in carnal pleasures. Again: the paths of wisdom are the sheltered dwellings of her house. If this is so, then surely the warlike, gossiping, wrathful woman is wickedness itself—the kind that makes the one who lives with her become warlike, gossipy, and irritable. Wisdom of the Lord rests in the heart of a righteous, wise person; but foolish men slander her in order to destroy her. Wisdom is a fortified city, within which the wise dwell, tearing down reasonings and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God—of which the fortified cities, says the text, are those souls subdued and conquered by impious demons and wicked men, who exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. When the wise man ascends this stronghold and sees their supposed security, he, by means of such wisdom, surrounds and overthrows it. He who guards mouth, tongue, mind, passion, and desire preserves his soul from the anguish of judgment. He himself is…

Greek · §17

ἀναπόδιστον τιμωρίαν. Ταμιεῖα κοιλίας ἐστὶν ὁ νοῦς, ἡ καρδία, καὶ ἡ γνῶ σις, ἔνθα πάντα τὰ θεῖά τε καὶ ἀσεβῆ ἐναποτίθενται διδάγματα· ὥσπερ δέ τις λύχνον ἅψας, τῶν ἐν τοῖς ταμιείοις κειμένων εὑρεῖν τι βούλεται, οὕτως ὁ Κύ ριος τῷ φωτὶ τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ ἐρευνᾷ τὰ ταμιεῖα τῶν ἐν λόγοις καὶ πράξεσιν ἀνθρώπων· τοῖς δὲ τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ Κυρίου ἐπισταμένοις ἀνθρώποις, φῶς ἐστιν αὐτοῖς· εἰ οὖν τὸ φῶς τοῦ Κυρίου, ἡ γνῶσις τοῦ Κυρίου ἐστὶ, τὸ δὲ φῶς τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ πνοὴ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἄρα ἡ γνῶσις τοῦ Κυρίου πνοὴ τῶν ἀν θρώπων ἐστί· τὸν δὲ ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ διάβολον φαίνειν δο κοῦντα, λύχνον ὠνόμασεν ἐκκενοῦντα τὸν νοῦν τῶν ἀγαθῶν γνώσεων, καὶ μετασχηματιζόμενον εἰς ἄγγε λον φωτός· ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ φῶς τοῦ Κυρίου, οὐχ εἵλαντο γνῶναι οὐδὲ πορεύεσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ, τὴν ἄγνοιαν ὡς φῶς ἐλογίζοντο οἱ ἀσεβεῖς· εἰ δὲ τὴν ἄγνοιαν ὡς φῶς εἶχον, δηλονότι καὶ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ τῆς ἀγνοίας ἐφευρε τοῦ διαβόλου ἔπραττον· οἱ δὲ τῇ ἀγνοίᾳ αὐτοῦ συμ πορευθέντες, σὺν αὐτῷ ἔσονται εἰς αἰῶνας αἰώνων· οἱ δὲ τῇ γνώσει τοῦ Κυρίου, σὺν τῷ Κυρίῳ. Ἐκβάλλει τὸ ῥητὸν τοῦτο τὴν διὰ τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων θυσίαν· θυσία γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ πνεῦμα συντετριμ μένον. Εἰ ἁγνὰ καὶ ὀρθὰ ἔργα Κυρίου, ἓν δὲ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ἐστι καὶ ὁ νοῦς, ὀρθὸς ἄρα ἐκτίσθη καὶ ἁγνὸς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ νοῦς, καὶ ὀρθὸν ὀφείλομεν διαφυλάτ τειν αὐτὸν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐκ τῶν ἐπερχομένων ἡμῖν παρὰ τοῦ πονηροῦ κακῶν. Τὸν οἶκον τὸν κεκονιαμένον καὶ κοινὸν, τῇ ὑπαί θρῳ γωνίᾳ ἀντέθεικεν· εἰ δὲ ὁ οἶκος ὁ κεκονιαμένος καὶ κοινὸς, ἡ κακία ἐστὶν, ἡ ὕπαιθρος γωνία ἡ ἀρετή ἐστιν γωνία τοίνυν ὕπαιθρός ἐστιν, πρᾶξις θεωρίας ἐφαπτομένη, καὶ φωτιζομένη ὑπὸ τοῦ τῆς δικαιοσύ νης ἡλίου· καλῶς δὲ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος τὸν ἀρχιερέα τῶν Ἰουδαίων, τοῖχον εἶπε κεκονιαμένον τυφθησόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις τοὺς Φα ρισαίους, τάφους εἶπε κεκονιαμένους· εὖ δὲ καὶ τὸ 17.216 ἐπὶ γωνίας εἶπεν, ἔνθα ὁ λίθος κεῖται ὁ ἀποδοκιμα σθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν οἰκοδόμων, καὶ γενόμενος κεφαλὴ γω νίας, ὅς ἐστι Χριστός· κοινὸν δέ ἐστιν, ὃ μὴ τοῦ ἑνός ἐστι Θεοῦ. ∆όσις λάθριός ἐστιν, ὃ ποιεῖ ἡ δεξιὰ, μὴ γινώσκει δὲ ἡ ἀριστερά· θυμὸν ἐγείρει κατ' αὐτοῦ ἰσχυρὸν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως, ὁ τῶν πρὸς τοὺς ἐνδεεῖς δώ ρων φειδόμενος. Ἡ συναγωγὴ τῶν γιγάντων, ἡ κακία καὶ ἡ ἀγνω σία ἐστίν· γίγαντες δὲ οἱ δαίμονες· τουτέστιν ἐν μεγάλαις ἁμαρτίαις ἀναπαύσεται ὁ πλανώμενος ἐξ ὁδοῦ δικαιοσύνης. Ἀγύναιον εἶναι κρεῖττον, ἢ τοιαύτῃ συνεῖναι· καὶ ὁ ∆αυΐδ φησιν· Ἐν γῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ ἀβάτῳ καὶ ἀν ύδρῳ, οὕτως ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ ὤφθην σοι· ἔρημος τοί νυν γῆ ἐστιν ἡ ἀρετὴν ἔχουσα ψυχὴ, καὶ μὴ ἔχουσα τοὺς παλαιοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐνοικοῦντας, τοὺς φθειρο μένους κατὰ τὰς παλαιὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης· διὸ οὐδὲ εὑρίσκει ἐν αὐτῇ ἀνάπαυσιν ὁ διάβολος· εἴγε δυσχερῶς δι' ἀνύδρων τόπων ζητῶν ἀνάπαυσιν, καὶ οὐχ εὑρίσκει· αὐτὸς γὰρ βασιλεύς ἐστι πάντων τῶν ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι, τουτέστι τῶν ἐν ἀναπαύσει καὶ ἀπο λαύσει σαρκικῶν ἡδονῶν. Καὶ πάλιν· Τῆς σοφίας στεγναὶ αἱ διατριβαὶ οἴκων αὐτῆς· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, οὐκ οῦν καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἡ μάχιμος καὶ γλωσσώδης καὶ ὀργί λος, ἡ κακία ἐστὶν, ἥτις τὸν συζῶντα αὐτῇ ποιεῖ μάχιμον καὶ γλωσσώδη καὶ ὀργίλον. Σοφία Κυρίου ἀναπαύσεται ἐν καρδίᾳ δικαίου σοφοῦ· ἄφρονες δὲ ἄνδρες διαβάλλουσιν αὐτὴν τοῦ φθεῖραι. Ἡ σοφία ἐστὶ πόλις ὀχυρὰ, ἐν ᾗ οἱ σοφοὶ κατοι κοῦσι, λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες, καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ. –Πόλεις ὀχυράς φησιν τὰς ὀχυρωθείσας καὶ κατακρατηθεί σας ψυχὰς ὑπὸ τῶν ἀσεβῶν δαιμόνων καὶ πονηρῶν ἀνθρώπων, τῶν ἐπαιρομένων κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ· ὧν τὸ ὀχύρωμα ἐπιβὰς ὁ σοφὸς, καὶ τὴν δο κοῦσαν ἀσφάλειαν αὐτῶν, τῇ οὕτως σοφίᾳ περιφρα χθεὶς καθεῖλεν. Στόμα καὶ γλῶσσαν καὶ νοῦν, θυμὸν καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν ὃς φυλάσσει, διατηρεῖ ἐκ τῆς ἐν κρίσει θλίψεως τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ. Αὐτός ἐστι διαφόρως

Unit 5 rem early§18

18One who devises schemes in his mind: bold, indeed, is the one who undertakes anything without fear; self-willed, the one who desires to act freely without examination; boastful, the one who exalts himself beyond what he truly possesses in dignity; a plague, the one who, while destroying himself, also transmits harm to others—for such a one is destructive in nature, so as to spread wickedness to others as well; and whoever cherishes grudges is lawless. For there is also a good desire: the angels, therefore, are those who never at any time desire evil desire; the demons, those who continually desire evil things; human beings, those who at times desire, and at times do not desire; and the one who desires the whole day through, instead of throughout the whole of life—such is also the meaning of, “In the fear of the Lord, be vigilant all the day,” in place of “throughout the whole of life.” He says the horse is the mind, the one engaged in battle against the devil, and opposing him; for, he says, “You shall mount upon your horses,” and “your horsemanship shall be salvation,” and concerning the Lord upon Paul: “That you may stand firm in my name,” he says. He named the virtue signified by a familiar name a good name; for this too is good—the name, which possesses a good meaning. Thus, we do not praise the unjust woman called Justice, but the one who possesses justice, even if injustice is thought to be hers; and above silver and gold, heavenly wisdom. They meet one another: the rich, by means of acts of mercy, purges his anger and acquires love; but the other, through poverty, is taught humility of mind. For the one wishes to be instructed; the other, to give instruction—so that the one may be joyful, the other merciful. He who possesses wisdom and the fear of the Lord shall inherit heavenly life, glory, and wealth.

For Noah possessed every generation; Abraham possessed these as well; and those who were taught by Peter also possessed them. In the age to come, those who have been enriched in every way, in all knowledge and wisdom, will rule over the ungrateful and the deprived of this wealth—but as for who are the servants and who are the masters, it is not necessary to make this public, because the discourse concerning them is mystical and profound; and even to make it explicit, they demonstrate the instability of human life. Yet even in oligarchies, the rich rule over the poor; and otherwise, those who possess knowledge rule over those who are not such; and the faithful from among the Gentiles, to the Israelites to whom they had previously lent, now lend teaching—but formerly they had lent to many nations and ruled over them; now, however, since the kingdom has been taken from them, the reverse has come to pass. God loves the cheerful man in the commandments, and the giver in acts of mercy, as Paul also says: “He who shows mercy, in cheerfulness”; and the Lord brings to completion the vanity of works through virtue and through knowledge. Human gifts—namely, the virtues of the soul—He names, by means of which, conquering the devil, one provides oneself as precious to God, and deprives oneself of the soul from those demons who have acquired it. He desires that the person be cast out from the habit of the hand by means of spiritual teaching, with which he once had contentiousness; and the demon, being a plague of the soul, must be chased forth—for if he dwells within it, through impurity he dishonors all the right reasonings.

For indeed, the apostle shows that the soul is like a council, bringing in thoughts either as accusers or as those making a defense; for he says, "Between one another, the thoughts are either accusing or defending." And where there is accusation and defense, there is also a council. But also, the plague dishonors all as a tyrant, or as one who wishes to establish his own customs, casting out the customs of others in disgrace, whom he has cast out from a spiritual system; and not only will he himself be cast out, but also those associated with him—quarrels, contentions, battles, and all that produces plague. The Lord who guards our souls also shepherds our spiritual knowledge, coming down and saying, "I am the good shepherd, whom the lawless one dishonors." But if Christ is indeed king of those who are ruled, and shepherd of the flock, then he will one day be alone king of the flock, when those worthy of the royal dignity pass into the royal state. Our enemy, the devil, walks about like a lion seeking whom he may devour; whom the timid, fearing, takes up into the labor of virtues. But if the lion is on the paths of justice seeking to seize someone, that one is the devil; and in the broad ways leading to destruction, with his phalanx of demons, he himself slays those who obey him. The devil is a deep pit; but the one hated by the Lord, who does not attend to himself securely—yet Job was not hated by the Lord, but was undergoing trial.

Greek · §18

ἐπινοούμενος· θρασὺς μὲν γὰρ, ὁ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν ἀφόβως ἐπιτελῶν· αὐθάδης, ὁ ἀνεπικρίτως ἐλευθεριάζειν βουλόμενος· ἀλαζὼν, ὁ μείζοσιν ἑαυτὸν ἤπερ ἔχει σεμνύνων· λοιμὸς, ὁ πρὸς τῷ ἑαυτὸν καταβλάπτειν, καὶ ἑτέροις μεταδιδούς· το σοῦτον γάρ ἐστι βλαπτικὸς, ὡς καὶ ἄλλοις μεταδι δόναι κακίας· ὃς δὲ μνησικακεῖ, παράνομος. Ἔστι γὰρ καὶ ἀγαθὴ ἐπιθυμία· ἀγγέλων μὲν οὖν τὸ μὴ ἐπιθυμεῖν ποτε ἐπιθυμίας κακίας· δαιμό νων δὲ τὸ ἀεὶ κακὰς ἐπιθυμεῖν· ἀνθρώπων, τὸ ποτὲ μὲν ἐπιθυμεῖν, ποτὲ δὲ μή· τὸ δὲ ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἀντὶ δι' ὅλου τοῦ βίου· τοιοῦτόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ, Ἐν φόβῳ Κυρίου ἴσθι ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἀντὶ τοῦ δι' ὅλου τοῦ βίου. 17.217 Ἵππον λέγει τὸν νοῦν, τὸν πολεμούμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου, καὶ ἀντιπολεμοῦντα· Ἐπιβήσῃ γὰρ, φη σὶν, ἐπὶ τοὺς ἵππους σου· καὶ ἡ ἱππασία σου, σωτηρία· καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Παύλου ὁ Κύριος· Τοῦ βα στάσαι τὸ ὄνομά μου, φησί. Τὴν σημαινομένην ἀρετὴν ὑπὸ οἰκείου ὀνόματος, ὄνομα εἶπε καλόν· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι καὶ καλὸν τὸ ὄνο μα, ὅπερ ἔχει τὸ σημαινόμενον ἀγαθόν· οὕτως οὐδὲ τὴν ἄδικον γυναῖκα ∆ικαιοσύνην καλουμένην ἐπαινέ σομεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἔχουσαν τὴν δικαιοσύνην, κἂν ἀδικία νομίζηται· ὑπὲρ δὲ ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον, σοφία θεϊκή. Συναντῶσιν ἀλλήλοις, ὁ μὲν πλούσιος διὰ τῶν ἐλεη μοσυνῶν καθαιρῶν τὸν θυμὸν, καὶ κτώμενος τὴν ἀγάπην· ὁ δὲ, διὰ τῆς πενίας τὸ ταπεινοφρονεῖν δι δασκόμενος· τὸν μὲν γὰρ, θέλει παιδεύεσθαι· τὸν δὲ, μεταδιδόναι· ὥστε τὸν μὲν εὐχάριστον εἶναι, τὸν δὲ ἐλεήμονα. Ζωὴν καὶ δόξαν καὶ πλοῦτον οὐράνιον κληρονομή σει ὁ σοφίαν καὶ φόβον Κυρίου ἔχων· πάσας γὰρ τὰς γενέσεις ἔσχε Νῶε· ταύτας Ἀβραάμ· ταύτας καὶ οἱ παρὰ Πέτρου μαθητευθέντες. Ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τῷ μέλλοντι οἱ ἐν παντὶ πλουτισθέν τες, ἐν πάσῃ γνώσει καὶ σοφίᾳ, ἄρξουσι τῶν ἀκα θάρτων καὶ ἐστερημένων τούτου τοῦ πλούτου· τίνες δὲ οἱ οἰκέται καὶ τίνες οἱ δεσπόται, οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον δημοσιεύειν, διὰ τὸ εἶναι τὸν περὶ αὐτῶν λόγον μυ στικὸν καὶ βαθύτερον· καὶ πρὸς ῥητὸν δὲ δείκνυσι τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου βίου τὸ ἄστατον· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ὀλιγαρχίαις οἱ πλούσιοι τῶν πτωχῶν ἄρχουσιν· καὶ ἄλλως οἱ γνῶσιν ἔχοντες, τῶν μὴ τοιούτων ἄρχουσιν· καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν πιστοὶ, τοῖς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, οἷς ἐκέλευον πρόσθε, διδασκαλίαν δανείζουσι· καίτοι πρότερον ἔθνεσιν ἐδάνειζον ἐκεῖνοι πολλοῖς, καὶ τού των ἦρχον· νῦν δὲ τῆς βασιλείας ἀπ' αὐτῶν ἀρθεί σης, ἔμπαλιν γέγονε. Τὸν ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς ἱλαρὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ ἐν ἐλεημο σύναις δότην, ἀγαπᾷ ὁ Θεός· καθὼς καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησιν· Ὁ ἐλεῶν, ἐν ἱλαρότητι· τὴν δὲ ματαιότητα τῶν ἔργων διὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ὁ Κύριος καὶ τῆς γνώσεως, συντελεῖ. ∆ῶρα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὰς τῆς ψυχῆς ἀρετὰς ὀνομά ζει, δι' ὧν νικῶν τὸν διάβολον, τίμιον ἑαυτὸν παρέχει τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἀφαιρεῖται τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἀπὸ τῶν κτησαμένων αὐτὴν δαιμόνων. Τῆς χειρίστης ἕξεως τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐκβάλλεσθαι βούλεται διὰ πνευματικῆς διδασκαλίας μεθ' ἧς εἶχε φιλονεικίας· καὶ λοιμὸν δὲ τὸν διάβολον ὄντα τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκδιώκεσθαι δεῖ· ἐὰν γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ καθίσῃ, διὰ τῆς ἀκαθαρσίας πάντας τοὺς ὀρθοὺς λογισμοὺς ἀτιμά ζει· συνέδριον γὰρ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος δεί κνυσι, δι' ὧν λογισμοὺς κατηγοροῦντας, ἢ καὶ ἀπο λογουμένους εἰσάγει· Μεταξὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀλλήλων τῶν λογισμῶν κατηγορούντων ἢ καὶ ἀπολογου μένων· ὅπου δὲ κατηγορία καὶ ἀπολογία, ἐκεῖ καὶ 17.220 συνέδριον· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ λοιμὸς ἀτιμάζει πάντας ὡς ὑβριστής· ἢ ὡς τὰ ἴδια συστῆσαι βουλόμενος, τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἀτίμως ἐκβάλλει· ὃν ἔκβαλε ἐκ συστήματος πνευματικοῦ· καὶ οὐ μόνον αὐτὸς ἐκβληθήσεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ συνόντα αὐτῷ, ἔριδες, φιλονεικίαι, μάχαι, καὶ ὅσα λοιμὸν ἀποτελεῖ. Ὁ διατηρῶν τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν Κύριος, οὗτος καὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς ἡμᾶς γνώσεως ποιμαίνει, συγκατα βαίνων καὶ λέγων· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς, ὃν ἀτιμάζει ὁ παράνομος· εἰ δὲ βασιλεὺς μὲν ἔστι τῶν βασιλευομένων ὁ Χριστὸς, ποιμὴν δὲ ὁ προβάτων, ἔσται ποτὲ μόνος βασιλεὺς τῶν προβάτων, εἰς τὸ βα σιλικὸν μεταβάντων ἀξίωμα. Ὁ ἐχθρὸς ἡμῶν διάβολος ὡς λέων περιέρχεται ζητῶν τίνα καταπίῃ· ὅντινα φοβούμενος ὁ ὀκνηρὸς, πρὸς τὴν ἐργασίαν τῶν ἀρετῶν ἀναδύεται· εἰ δὲ λέων ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς τῆς δικαιοσύνης ζητεῖ θηρεῦσαί τινα, ὅς ἐστιν ὁ διάβολος· ἐν δὲ ταῖς πλατείαις ταῖς πρὸς τὴν ἀπώλειαν φερούσαις, μετὰ τὴν φάλαγγα τῶν δαιμό νων αὐτοῦ, αὐτὸς φονεύει τοὺς αὐτῷ πειθομένους. Βόθρος βαθὺς ὁ διάβολός ἐστιν· ὁ δὲ μισηθεὶς παρὰ Κυρίου, ὁ μὴ ἑαυτῷ προσέχων ἀσφαλῶς· ὁ δὲ Ἰὼβ οὐ μισηθεὶς ὑπὸ Κυρίου, ἀλλὰ δοκιμῆς

Unit 5 rem mid§19

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19Grace is for the one whose mouth has fallen into iniquity; but the one hated by the Lord is left in the pit to the end, being a lover of pleasure in the knowledge of sin. The rod from the root of Jesse, which is Christ, is far from the heart of the fool; he shepherds his people, the young Israel, in the pasture of his own sheep. Just as the devil slanders us before God, taking from us virtues which he did not give us, so we slander him, taking from him evils which we did not give him. And inasmuch as we receive evils from him, we receive them as from a poor man among virtues; and inasmuch as we give our virtues to him with a lessening of ourselves, we give them as to a rich man in wickedness. But perhaps, he says, as one giving little to a ruler, from whom the slanderer gains more by accusing the greater, he gains more and damages his own soul. The one who attends to the all-wise words of God and does what he commands has established his heart and knows that they are good; this one hears the words of God, the one who does what is commanded by them. For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law will be justified. But if you set your heart to know and to do, he will make known to you his way, saying: I am the way and the truth. The one who enlarges his heart through purity will understand the words of God, both the practical and the sophistical.

And the theological as well: for all treatment according to Scripture is divided into three parts, into the ethical, the physical, and the theological. And to the first part belong the Prooemia; to the second, Ecclesiastes; to the third, the Song of Songs. These, when understood through purity, are inscribed in the heart, so that you may be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, whether to learn or to refute. And you too shall ask questions of those who are able to be questioned. But do not force the one who is being led on in knowledge. Therefore he adds: And do not despise the weak in the gates. Those who accept vain reasonings, and in this way honor the wicked, let them strive with all their power, by means of good reasonings, to repay the worse. For if they are not able to do this, they will take the couch that is under the ribs of the soul, that is, virtue. The one who transfers the boundaries of piety makes it either superstition or impiety; and the one who transfers the boundaries of courage makes it either rashness or cowardice. Likewise also concerning the other virtues, and concerning the dogmas, and concerning faith itself, this must be understood. But especially must this be observed concerning the Holy Trinity. For the one who does not theologize about the Holy Spirit dissolves baptism; and the one who also names certain others as gods brings in a multitude of gods; or even the familial arrangements concerning each thing, and for this reason it is necessary to remain, not to move them. Here he declares the devil to be a potentate; but his tables are false testimonies.

Insults, slander, evil counsel, shameful desires, and every satanic practice—these the Evil One sets before you; perceive them with your intellect, and place upon them the discernment of your mind, which is your hand. Know that you must prepare yourself for such things, for they ought to stand beside you on the Day of the Lord, when He renders to each according to his works. But if you are insatiable, and reach for the lofty, the greater, and the more abundant—those things which are divine and of God—do not crave the provisions of the Evil One; for these are held fast to a fleeting life, which is falsehood. Yet you must perceive the Divine Scripture intellectually and spiritually; for the knowledge gained through historical sensation is not true. If you seek to draw the divine mind toward the literal, according to outward vision alone, you, being unstable, will depart to your own house—namely, the vision fitting to it—having wings constructed for you by the Holy Spirit who precedes you, which wings are the spiritual gifts; thus you soar high above it, as it were, into the ether. Therefore, not to comprehend the literal beyond measure, but to cling to it without satiety, is a life of falsehood. If the slanderer eats the grain of impiety and is made drunk by lawless wine, you must not dine with him; you ought not to be impious and lawless. For these vices defile spiritual knowledge. Do not speak, says he, that which is prudent—meaning deep and mysterious—for you must not cast pearls before swine. Do not transgress the eternal boundaries of godliness.

Greek · §19

χάριν εἰς τὸ τοῦ παρανόμου πέπτωκε στόμα· ὁ δὲ μισηθεὶς ὑπὸ Κυρίου, εἰς τέλος καταλιμπάνεται ἐν τῷ βόθρῳ, φι λήδονος ὢν ἐν γνώσει ἁμαρτίας. Μακρὰν ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας τοῦ ἄφρονός ἐστιν ἡ ῥάβδος ἡ ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ ὁ Χριστὸς, ὃς ποιμανεῖ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν νέον Ἰσραὴλ ἐν τῇ νομῇ τῶν ἑαυ τοῦ προβάτων. Ὥσπερ ὁ διάβολος συκοφαντεῖ ἡμᾶς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, λαμβάνων παρ' ἡμῶν τὰς ἀρετὰς, ἃς μὴ δέδωκεν ἡμῖν, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς συκοφαντοῦμεν αὐτὸν λαμβά νοντες παρ' αὐτοῦ τὰς κακίας ἃς μὴ δεδώκαμεν αὐτῷ· καὶ καθὸ μὲν λαμβάνομεν παρ' αὐτοῦ τὰς κακίας, ὡς παρὰ πένητος ἐν ἀρεταῖς λαμβάνομεν· καθὸ δὲ τὰς ἀρετὰς ἡμῶν διδόαμεν αὐτῷ ἐπ' ἐλαττώσει ἡμῶν, ὡς πλουσίῳ ἐν κακίᾳ διδόαμεν· μήποτε δὲ, φησὶν, ὡς ὀλίγα διδοὺς ἄρχοντι· παρ' ᾧ συκοφαντεῖ τὰ πλείω κερδαίνων, πλέον καὶ βλάπτεται τὴν ψυχήν. Ὁ τοῖς πανσόφοις λόγοις προσέχων τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ποιῶν τὰ προστασσόμενα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, οὗτος ἐπέστησε τὴν καρδίαν, καὶ ἔγνω ὅτι καλοί εἰσιν· οὗτος ἀκούει τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγων, ὁ ποιῶν τὰ προστασσόμενα ὑπ' αὐτῶν· Οὐ γὰρ οἱ ἀκροαταὶ τοῦ νόμου δίκαιοι παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ, ἀλλ' οἱ ποιηταὶ τοῦ νόμου δικαιωθήσον ται. Ἐὰν δὲ ἐπιστήσῃς σὴν καρδίαν τοῦ γνῶναι καὶ ποιῆσαι, γνωρίσει σοι τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ τὴν εἰποῦσαν· Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια. Ὁ πλατύνας διὰ τῆς καθαρότητος τὴν καρδίαν αὑ τοῦ, νοήσει τοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγους, τούς τε πρακτι κοὺς, καὶ τοὺς σοφιστικοὺς, καὶ τοὺς θεολογικούς· πᾶσα γὰρ ἡ κατὰ τὴν Γραφὴν πραγματεία, τέμνεται τριχῶς, εἰς ἠθικὴν καὶ φυσικὴν καὶ θεολογικήν· καὶ ἀκολουθεῖ τῇ μὲν πρώτῃ, αἱ Προοιμίαι· τῇ δὲ δευ τέρᾳ, ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστής· τῇ δὲ τρίτῃ, Ἄσμα ᾀσμάτων· 17.221 ἅπερ νοηθέντα διὰ καθαρότητος ἐναπογράφεται τῇ καρδίᾳ, τοῦ ἀποκρίνασθαί σε, ὡς ἕτοιμον εἶναι πρὸς ἀπολογίαν παντὶ τῷ ἐπερωτῶντί σε λόγον περὶ τῆς ἐν σοὶ ἐλπίδος· εἴτε διὰ τὸ μαθεῖν, εἴτε διὰ τὸ ἀντιτιθεῖναι· ἀντερώτα δὲ καὶ σὺ τοὺς δυναμένους ἐρωτᾶσθαι· μὴ μέντοι βιάζου τὸν ἐν γνώσει πε νόμενον· διὸ ἐπάγει· Καὶ μὴ ἀτιμάσῃς ἀσθενῆ ἐν πύλαις. Οἱ τοὺς φαύλους ἀναδεχόμενοι λογισμοὺς, καὶ ἐν τού τῳ τιμῶντες τὸν πονηρὸν, σπουδαζέτωσαν ὅση δύναμις διὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν λογισμῶν ἀποδιδόναι τοὺς χείρονας· ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ ἰσχύσωσι τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, λήψονται τὸ στρῶ μα τὸ ὑπὸ τὰς πλευρὰς τῆς ψυχῆς, τουτέστι τὴν ἀρετήν. Ὁ μετατιθεὶς τὰ ὅρια τῆς θεοσεβείας, δεισιδαιμο νίαν ἢ ἀσέβειαν αὐτὴν ἀποδείκνυσι· καὶ ὁ μετατιθεὶς τὰ ὅρια τῆς ἀνδρείας, θρασύτητα ἢ δειλίαν αὐτὴν ἀπεργάζεται· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀρετῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν δογμάτων, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῆς τῆς πίστεως νοητέον· μάλιστα δὲ τοῦτο τηρητέον ἐπὶ τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος· ὁ γὰρ μὴ θεολογῶν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, δια λύει τὸ βάπτισμα· ὁ δὲ καὶ ἄλλους τινὰς ὀνομάζων θεοὺς, δῆμον εἰσάγει θεῶν· ἢ καὶ τὰς περὶ πράγμα τος ἑκάστου πατρικὰς διατάξεις, καὶ τούτου χάριν μένειν ὀφειλούσας, μὴ μετακινεῖν δεῖ. ∆υνάστην ἐνταῦθα τὸν διάβολόν φησιν· τράπεζαι δὲ αὐτοῦ εἰσι ψευδομαρτυρίαι, λοιδορίαι, καταλαλιαὶ, συμβουλίαι κακαὶ, ἐπιθυμίαι αἰσχραὶ, καὶ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν σατανικὸν ἐπιτήδευμα· ταῦτα δὲ παρατιθέμενά σοι ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ, νοητῶς νόει, καὶ ἐπίβαλε τὴν διά νοιάν σου, ὅ ἐστιν ἡ χείρ· εἰδὼς ὅτι τοιαῦτά σε δεῖ παρασκευάσαι, οἷα καὶ συμπαρεστάναι σοι ὀφείλουσιν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ Κυρίου, ὅτε ἀπονέμει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ· εἰ δὲ ἀπληστότερος εἶ, καὶ ὀρέγῃ τῶν ὑψηλῶν καὶ πλειόνων καὶ μειζόνων, ἅτινά εἰσι θεῖα καὶ Θεοῦ, μὴ ἐπιθύμει τῶν τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐδεσμάτων· ταῦτα γὰρ ἔχεται ζωῆς προσκαίρου, ὅ ἐστι ψευδοῦς· δεῖ δὲ τὴν θείαν Γραφὴν νοητῶς νοεῖσθαι καὶ πνευματικῶς· ἡ γὰρ κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν αἰσθητὴ γνῶσις, οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθής. Ἐὰν ἑλκῦσαι τὸν θεῖον νοῦν πρὸς τὸ ῥητὸν κατὰ τὴν ἔξω μόνον ὅρασιν ἐθελήσῃς, ἀσύστατος ὢν εἰς τὸν ἴδιον οἶκον ἀποφοίτα, ὅς ἐστι τὸ κατάλληλον αὐτοῦ θεώρημα· πτέρυγας ἔχων τὰς ὑπὸ τοῦ προεστηκότος αὐτοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος κατασκευασθείσας αὐτῷ, αἵπερ εἰσὶ τὰ πνευματικὰ χαρίσματα· ἄπεισιν οὖν ὑψηλὸς ὑπὲρ αὐτὸν ὡς εἰπεῖν τὸν αἰθέρα· τὸ οὖν μὴ ὑπεράνω 17.224 χωρεῖν τοῦ ῥητοῦ, ἀλλ' ἀπλήστως ἔχειν πρὸς αὐτὰ, ζωῆς ἐστι ψευδοῦς. Εἰ ὁ βάσκανος σῖτα ἀσεβείας ἐσθίει, καὶ οἴνῳ πα ρανόμῳ μεθύσκεται, οὐ δεῖ δὲ συνδειπνεῖν τούτῳ· οὐ χρὴ ἄρα εἶναι ἀσεβῆ καὶ παράνομον· αὗται γὰρ αἱ κακίαι λυμαίνονται γνῶσιν πνευματικήν. Μηδὲν λέγε συνετὸν, φησὶ, τουτέστι βαθὺ καὶ μυστι κόν· οὐ δεῖ γάρ σε βαλεῖν τοὺς μαργαρίτας ἔμπροσθεν τῶν χοίρων. Ὅρια αἰώνια θεοσεβείας μὴ μέταιρε·

Unit 5 rem close§20

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20Do not enter the land of those who have orphaned themselves from God, who hold wickedness as a possession of demons, from whom they were deprived of the heavenly Father; for the Lord who redeems them from the surpassingly brilliant light out of darkness is mighty. A righteous son will ponder his lips with wisdom, and wisdom will speak with him and remain with him; but the twisted one will fall away from her. If one turns away from evil by the fear of the Lord, he rightly urges us through all of life to turn away from every evil. Every person drunk in wickedness, and the one who from wisdom prostitutes himself into ignorance, will become impoverished from divine grace; and he will not put on the wedding garment—every one who in the demonic night is drowsy with sleep, but instead, wearing his flesh as a ragged and torn garment, he will torment himself with the fire of Gehenna. One of the elders said: the soul is the mother of the mind, speaking of the soul as the passive part of the soul—anger and desire—for through practical virtues he advances the mind into light; for by courage and self-control we acquire wisdom and knowledge of God, which are virtues of anger and desire; he might also say that the mother is the ancient Covenant, which is not to be despised. Here, concerning the teachers, he says of their writings: but those who made them and taught them, and who made the journey toward heaven, he called wanderers; for many have taught, but they did not make their journey toward heaven, because they did not guard it; for the one who converses in walks—that is, who acts and teaches—walks worthily of the calling to which he was called by God.

Sin is like a bowl when it exists only in thought, but when it is carried out in action, it becomes like a cup that holds the deed. The overreaching part, however, is what cooks call the pestle: it strikes many blows against the substance it hits, yet it does not open the place it strikes. To His disciples, the Lord says: Knock, and it shall be opened to you. A mind that receives a foreign thought or teaching will dwell on evil reasoning; but the one who guards himself will inherit life as an inheritance. How dreadful is insensitivity to pain! Then you will say, while being struck in the conscience, that you did not strive to attain the rewards of old age, nor to be freed from torments; they mocked me, 17.225—that is, they insulted me—but I, desiring not to know when the dawn of the soul comes, nor when the recognition of sin arrives. The house of virtues, built with divine wisdom, is constructed and, with understanding, the fear of God and knowledge, is set upright. The one concerning faith, or any of the virtues that are shipwrecked, is an unskilled pilot heading into battle against opposing forces, both in theology and in virtue; but the one who sails with skill in warfare seems to possess the mind on earth that anticipates God’s help, a counseling heart, the heart that does all things with counsel; and it is possible to say the same thing regarding every virtue: for there is also shipwreck concerning temperance, and concerning love, and concerning greed, and concerning every single doctrine, which likewise happens to the catholic and apostolic Church; but if, with skill in warfare, one must fight against the opponents, then our life upon the earth is like a naval battle; for if we wish, we overwhelm them in prayer of the heart and in reason directed toward God, composed and ordered.

If we do not wish to resist, we are swept away like those who drift upon the waters; and if we are also made to war against them, even if their war is great and fierce, it amounts to nothing; we shall fortify ourselves solely by fasting and self-control, and we shall cut them off and their weapons as a spider severs its web; and if we also hearken to the voice of the Lord, wherever two or three are gathered—heart, mind, and soul— they shall agree together in being contained within His bounds, and the Lord will be with us. For all that God does, when we understand it, and all that He teaches, when we put it into practice, in no way transgress His word; the gates of wisdom are the practical deeds, and the contemplation of the mind, through which the wisdom of God enters; they do not turn aside, neither to the right nor to the left, because they reckon themselves to be in councils discerning good and evil; and they counterfeit the good, while they approach the evil. To those who do not wish to be instructed by the wisdom and knowledge of God, through the present death the eternal stands opposed; the foolish one is he who has been sweetened in the wisdom of God, then forsaken it, and now joins himself to folly; therefore he also perished with his sins; but if virtue diminishes wickedness, then wickedness is clearly destroyed by virtue; and this will come to pass in the age to come, until wickedness ceases; for what is defiled will be, instead of corrupted, destroyed; and impurity is destroyed either by practice or by severe chastisement. It is necessary to use this saying toward those who have been deemed worthy of divine things.

Greek · §20

εἰς δὲ γῆν τῶν ἀπορφανισάντων ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, κτῆμα δὲ δαιμόνων τὴν κακίαν ἔχοντας, μὴ εἰσέλθῃς, δι' ἣν ἐστερήθησαν τοῦ ἐπουρανίου Πατρός· ὁ γὰρ λυτρού μενος αὐτοὺς Κύριος ἐκ τοῦ ὑπερλάμπρου φωτὸς ἀπὸ σκότους, ἰσχυρός ἐστιν. Υἱὸς ὀρθὸς ἐνδιατρίψει τὰ χείλη αὐτοῦ σοφίᾳ, καὶ ἡ σοφία πρὸς αὐτὸν συλλαλήσει καὶ διαμενεῖ· ὁ δὲ στρεβλὸς ἐκπεσεῖται ἀπ' αὐτῆς. Εἰ τῷ φόβῳ Κυρίου ἐκκλίνει τις ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καλῶς παραινεῖ διὰ πάσης τῆς ζωῆς ἐκκλίνειν ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ. Πᾶς ὁ ἐν κακίᾳ μέθυσος, καὶ ὁ ἐκ σοφίας πρὸς ἀγνωσίαν καταπορνεύων, πτωχεύσει ἐκ θείας χάριτος· καὶ οὐκ ἐνδύσεται ἔνδυμα τοῦ γάμου πᾶς ὁ ἐν τῇ δαι μονιώδει νυκτὶ ὑπνώδης, ἀλλὰ τὴν ὡς ῥάκος τετραυ ματισμένην σάρκα διαθλίβων γεέννης φλόγα. Ἔφη τις τῶν γερόντων, τὴν ψυχὴν εἶναι μητέρα τοῦ νοῦ, ψυχὴν λέγων τὸ παθητικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς, θυμόν τε καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν· διὰ γὰρ τῶν πρακτικῶν ἀρετῶν εἰς φῶς προάγει τὸν νοῦν· διὰ γὰρ ἀνδρείας καὶ σωφρο σύνης κτώμεθα σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν Θεοῦ, αἵπερ εἰσὶν ἀρεταὶ θυμοῦ καὶ ἐπιθυμίας· λέγει δ' ἂν ἴσως μητέρα καὶ τὴν παλαιὰν ∆ιαθήκην οὐ καταφρόνητον. Ἀνθρώπους ἐνταῦθα, τῶν διδασκάλων τὰς συγγρα φάς φησι· τοὺς δὲ ποιήσαντας καὶ διδάξαντας, καὶ τὴν πορείαν πρὸς οὐρανοὺς ποιησαμένους, περιπά τους ὠνόμασε· πολλοὶ γὰρ διδάξαντες, οὐ πρὸς οὐρα νὸν τὴν πορείαν ἐποιήσαντο, ὅτι οὐκ ἐφύλαξαν· ὁ γὰρ ὁμιλῶν ἐν περιπάτοις, τουτέστι ποιεῖν τε καὶ διδά σκειν, ἀξίως περιπατεῖ τῆς κλήσεως ἧς ἐκλήθη ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἡ μὲν κατὰ διάνοιαν ἁμαρτία ἔοικε φιάλῃ· ἡ δὲ κατ' ἐνέργειαν, ποτηρίῳ· ὕπερον δέ ἐστι, τὸ παρὰ τοῖς μαγείροις λεγόμενον τριβεύς· πολλὰ γὰρ κρούει τοῦτο τὸ ὕπερον, καὶ οὐκ ἀνοίγει τὸν τόπον ὃν κρούει· τοῖς δὲ μαθηταῖς ὁ Κύριός φησι· Κρούετε, καὶ ἀνοι γήσεται ὑμῖν. Νοῦς δεξάμενος ἀλλότριον νόημα ἢ μάθησιν, μελε τήσει λογισμοὺς κακούς· ὁ δὲ τηρήσας ἑαυτὸν, κληρο νομήσει ζωήν. ∆εινὸν ἡ ἀναλγησία· εἶτα ἐρεῖς τυπτόμενος τὴν συν είδησιν, οὐκ ἐπόνεσα φροντίσαι τῶν μὲν γερῶν τυχεῖν, ῥυσθῆναι δὲ τῶν βασάνων· ἐνέπαιξάν μοι, 17.225 τουτέστι προσωνείδισάν μοι· ἐγὼ δὲ θέλων οὐκ ᾔδειν πότε ὄρθρος ψυχῆς, καὶ ἐπίγνωσις ἁμαρτίας. Ὁ οἶκος τῶν ἀρετῶν μετὰ θείας σοφίας οἰκοδομεῖ ται, καὶ μετὰ συνέσεως φόβου Θεοῦ καὶ γνώσεως ἀνορθοῦται. Ὁ περὶ τὴν πίστιν, ἤ τινα τῶν ἀρετῶν ναυαγῶν, ἀκυβέρνητος πρὸς πόλεμον τῶν ἀντικειμένων δυνά μεων, τῇ τε θεολογίᾳ καὶ ταῖς ἀρεταῖς· ὁ δὲ μετὰ κυβερνήσεως πολεμῶν, ἔοικεν ἐπὶ γῆς νοῦν ἔχειν προηγεῖται δὲ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ βοηθείας, καρδία βουλευ τικὴ, ἡ πάντα μετὰ βουλῆς ποιοῦσα· δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ πάσης ἀρετῆς τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο εἰπεῖν· ἔστι γὰρ καὶ περὶ σωφροσύνην ναυάγιον, καὶ περὶ ἀγάπην, καὶ φιλαργυρίαν, καὶ περὶ ἕκαστον δὲ δόγμα ὁμοίως τῆς καθολικῆς καὶ ἀποστολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας συμβαίνει ναυ άγιον· εἰ δὲ μετὰ κυβερνήσεως πολεμεῖν δεῖ τοῖς ἀντικειμένοις, ναυμαχίᾳ παραπλήσιος ἡμῖν ἐστιν ὁ βίος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· ἐὰν γὰρ θέλωμεν ἡμεῖς, ποντίζομεν αὐτοὺς ἐν προσευχῇ καρδίας, καὶ διανοίᾳ πρὸς Θεὸν τετραμμένῃ· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ θέλωμεν, ποντιζόμεθα· ἐὰν δὲ καὶ πολεμούμεθα ὑπ' ἐκείνων, εἰ καὶ πολὺς καὶ σφοδρὸς ὁ πόλεμος αὐτῶν, οὐθέν ἐστι· νηστείᾳ μόνον καὶ ἐγκρατείᾳ περιφράξωμεν ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ ὡς ἀράχνην αὐτούς τε καὶ τὰ ὅπλα αὐτῶν συγκόψομεν· ἐὰν δὲ κα τὰ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου φωνὴν, ὅπου εἰσὶ δύο ἢ τρεῖς, ἡ καρδία, ὁ νοῦς, καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ, συμφωνήσουσι δὲ ἐν ἐν τολαῖς αὐτοῦ περιέχεσθαι, ὁ Κύριος μεθ' ἡμῶν. Πάντα γὰρ ὅσα πράττει ὁ Θεὸς νοοῦντες, καὶ ὅσα διδάσκει πράττοντες, κατ' οὐδὲν παραβαίνουσι τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ· πύλαι δὲ σοφῶν αἱ πρακτικαί εἰσιν ἀρε ταὶ, καὶ ἡ τοῦ νοῦ θεωρία, δι' ὧν εἰσέρχεται σοφία Θεοῦ· οὐκ ἐκκλίνουσι δὲ, οὔτε δεξιὰ οὔτε ἀριστερὰ, ὅτι λογίζονται ἐν συνεδρίοις εἶναι καλοῦ καὶ κακοῦ· καὶ τοῦ μὲν καλοῦ ἀντιποιοῦνται, τὸ δὲ κακὸν προσ ακοντοῦσιν. Τοῖς μὴ θέλουσιν ὑπὸ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν παιδευθῆναι, διὰ τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος θανάτου συν αντᾷ ὁ αἰώνιος· ἄφρων δέ ἐστιν ὁ γλυκανθεὶς μὲν ἐν σοφίᾳ Θεοῦ, εἶτα καταλιπὼν αὐτὴν, τῇ δὲ ἀφροσύνῃ συνάξει· διὸ καὶ συναπέθανεν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις· εἰ δὲ ἀρετὴν ἡ κακία μειοῖ, καὶ τὴν κακίαν δηλονότι ἡ ἀρετὴ διαφθείρει· τοῦτο δὲ γενήσεται ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι, ἕως ἂν ἐκλίπῃ ἡ κακία· τὸ γὰρ ἐμμολυνθήσεται, ἀντὶ τοῦ, διαφθαρήσεται· διαφθείρεται δὲ ἡ ἀκαθαρσία, ἤτοι ὑπὸ πρακτικῆς, ἢ ὑπὸ δριμείας κολάσεως. Χρηστέον τούτῳ τῷ ῥητῷ πρὸς τοὺς καταξιωθέντας θείας

Expositio in Proverbia Unit 6 opening§21

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21That they may not neglect the instruction, for many are being led away by wickedness into death; and those who are being killed in innocence unto death, you shall not spare to buy with your own blood; but if you give money or a beneficial word when asked, and if you say, 'I do not know this person,' you will be convicted of lying, and you will be guilty of two things—falsehood and murder; for the One who fashions breath also knows all things that He gives to each according to their nature: good to the good, and evil to the evil. For it is evident that reward is not according to quantity; for the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed. But if anyone wishes to take hold according to quantity, let them suppose the recompense in proportion to each one's power, as also the gifts of the Spirit are given according to the proportion of faith. He who eats honey is the one who is benefited by the divine Scriptures; but the one who casts out the words from the things from which holy prophets and apostles have taken them, in doing and teaching, chews wax; and while eating honey is for the one who desires all things, eating wax is for the pure alone; or let honey be called the allegory, and wax, the literal exposition and investigation, in order to possess the hidden and deeper mind; for there is honey in the wax; and let the throat be the nourishing power of the soul, by which foods are conveyed into the belly; if therefore you accomplish these things—both those according to thought and those according to history—they will be to you a sensation of the wisdom itself, these wise doctrines; for if you find the spiritual mind of the Scripture, your end will be good, as it is said: 'Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints'; do not abandon the hope for the future; do not prefer the devil to the righteousness of God, which the just possess; and do not let yourself be fed by deadly foolish reasonings, which is the belly; do not betray God for the sake of pleasure; for this one is the pasture of the righteous.

And he will not leave you. God indeed turns away his wrath from the one who has fallen, having shown mercy to him; but he is angry with the one who rejoices over the downfall of his enemy. For everyone who exults over a soul perishing is like the devil, who does not desire that all people be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. And indeed the Lord has commanded in the Gospels that we should pray for our enemies, that is, for all people. But the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, is not fleshly, that is, not perceptible to the senses. Now whoever is delivered to it while stumbling, their bones shall be broken by blows from above; and their bones shall be consumed by burning fire. Or whoever is delivered to it for repentance, shall be broken by the word of his wisdom like grain, so that he may become sweet bread. –The sword of God destroys those who are corrupted and worn away by the lusts of deceit, utterly consuming them. Or those who come from wickedness to the knowledge of God, it strips bare by the nerves from their evil deeds, so that, having put off the old man, they may clothe themselves with the new man created according to God, who is also impervious to demons, having been cleansed by the Lord, and abstaining from every wickedness. For he adds that they may become impervious like young eagles; or because those who have been burned and reduced to ashes ultimately become impervious to the eagles. For indeed, my words have been surrounded, and so on. –Who gathered the winds in his bosom? The swift mind of the wind has gathered faith from the east and west, north and sea, in the knowledge of God, and has given them spiritual contemplation to store up in the virtues. For the knowledge of God is the bosom of God, in which he embraces and prevails over all the godly, just as one might embrace gold in one’s bosom. –He who gathered from the east and west, north and sea, all the earthly nations, and condensed them by the virtues in the faith directed toward him, Christ God,

Greek · §21

γνώσεως, ἵνα μὴ ἀμελῶσι τῆς διδασκαλίας, πολλῶν ἀπαγομένων ὑπὸ τῆς κακίας εἰς θάνατον· τοὺς δὲ κτεινομένους ἐξ ἀκακίας εἰς θάνατον, μὴ φεί σῃ πρίασθαι τῷ ἰδίῳ αἵματι· ἐκπριοῦ δὲ, διδοὺς χρήματα ἢ λόγον ὠφέλιμον, ἐὰν δὲ εἴπῃς οὐκ οἶδα τοῦτον, ἐλέγξει σε ψευδόμενον, καὶ ἔσῃ ἔνοχος δυσὶν, ἤγουν ψεύδει καὶ φόνῳ· ὁ γὰρ πλάσας πνοὴν, αὐτὸς 17.228 οἶδε πάντα ὅσα ἀποδίδωσιν ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὸ ποιόν· ἀγαθὸν ἀγαθῷ, καὶ πονηρῷ πονηρά· ὅτι γὰρ οὐ κατὰ τὸ ποσὸν, δῆλον· Οὐ γὰρ ἄξια τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν δόξαν· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ ποσοῦ τις ἐκλαβεῖν ἐθέλοι, κατ' ἀναλογίαν τῆς ἑκάστου δυνάμεως τὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν οἰέσθω· ὡς καὶ τὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος χαρίσματα κατ' ἀναλογίαν τῆς πίστεως δίδοται. Ἐσθίει μέλι ὁ ἀπὸ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν ὠφελούμε νος· ὁ δὲ ἀπ' αὐτῶν ἐκβάλλων τῶν πραγμάτων τοὺς λόγους, ἀφ' ὧν εἰλήφασιν ἅγιοι προφῆται καὶ οἱ ἀπό στολοι, ἐν τῷ ποιεῖν τε καὶ διδάσκειν, τρώγει κη ρίον· καὶ τὸ μὲν μέλι φαγεῖν, τοῦ βουλομένου παν τός· τὸ δὲ κηρίον, μόνου τοῦ καθαροῦ· ἢ καὶ μέλι ῥητέον τὴν ἀλληγορίαν· κηρίον δὲ, τὴν ῥητὴν ἐπί σκεψιν καὶ ἱστορίαν, πρὸς τὸ ἔχειν τὸν ἀποκεκρυμ μένον νοῦν καὶ βαθύτερον, ἔνεστι γὰρ τῷ κηρίῳ μέλι· φάρυγγα δὲ τὴν θρεπτικὴν τῆς ψυχῆς δύναμιν, δι' ἧς αἱ τροφαὶ παραπέμπονται εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν· ἐὰν οὖν ταῦτα κατορθώσῃς, τά τε κατὰ διάνοιαν, καὶ τὰ καθ' ἱστορίαν, ἔσονταί σοι αἰσθήσει τῆς σοφίας αὐτὰ τὰ σοφὰ δόγματα· ἐὰν γὰρ εὕρῃς τὸν πνευματικὸν τῆς Γραφῆς νοῦν, ἔσται καλὴ ἡ τελευτή σου, ὡς λεχθῆ ναι· Τίμιος ἐναντίον Κυρίου ὁ θάνατος τῶν ὁσίων αὐτοῦ· οὐκ ἀποβαλεῖς δὲ τὴν εἰς τὸ μέλλον ἐλπίδα. Μὴ προτιμήσῃς τὸν διάβολον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύ νης, ἣν οἱ δίκαιοι νομεύονται· μηδὲ ἀπατηθῇς μω ρολογίαις θανατηφόροις χορτάσαι σου τὴν καρδίαν σου, ὅ ἐστι κοιλία. –Μὴ ἕνεκεν ἡδονῆς προδῷς τὸν Θεόν· οὗτος γὰρ νομὴ δικαίου, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐγκατα λείψῃ σε. Ἀποστρέφει μὲν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν θυμὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ πεσόντος, ἐλεήσας αὐτόν· ὀργίζεται δὲ τῷ ἐπαρθέντι ἐπὶ τῷ πτώματι τοῦ ἐχθροῦ αὐτοῦ· πᾶς γὰρ ὁ ἐπιχαί ρων ἐπὶ ἀπολλυμένῃ ψυχῇ, ὅμοιός ἐστι τῷ διαβόλῳ τῷ μὴ θέλοντι πάντας ἀνθρώπους σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν· καὶ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις νενομοθέτηκεν εὔχεσθαι ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἡμῶν, ἤγουν τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἡ μάχαιρα δὲ τοῦ πνεύματος, ἥ ἐστι ῥῆμα Θεοῦ, οὐ σαρκίνη, ἀντὶ τοῦ οὐκ αἰσθητή· ὃς δ' ἂν παραδοθῇ πταίσας αὐτῷ, συντριβήσεται ὀστᾶ ὑπὸ ὑπέρου τυπτόμενα· καὶ ἀφανισθήσεται ὀστᾶ ὑπὸ πυρὸς καυσούμενα· ἢ ὃς δ' ἂν παραδοθῇ αὐτῷ εἰς μετάνοιαν, συντριβήσεται τῷ λόγῳ τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ ὡς σῖτος, εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι αὐτὸν ἡδὺν ἄρτον. –Τοὺς φθειρομένους καὶ παλαιωθέντας ἀνθρώπους κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης, ἀναλίσκει ἡ μάχαιρα τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς ἀφανισμὸν παντελῆ. Ἢ τοὺς ἐκ κακίας εἰς θεογνωσίαν ἐλθόντας ἀνθρώπους, σὺν νεύροις ἀναλί σκει ἐκ τῶν πράξεων τῶν πονηρῶν· ἵνα ἀποθέμενοι 17.229 τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἐνδύσωνται τὸν νέον τὸν κατὰ Θεὸν κτισθέντα, ὃς καὶ ἄβρωτός ἐστι δαίμοσιν, ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου καθαρισθεὶς, καὶ ἀπεχόμενος πάσης κα κίας· ἐπάγει γὰρ, ὥστε ἄβρωτα εἶναι νεοσσοῖς ἀετῶν· ἢ καὶ ὅτι συγκαέντα καὶ τεφρωθέντα λοιπὸν ἄβρωτα γίνεται τοῖς ἀετοῖς· περιπεφράσθαι γὰρ τοὺς ἐμοὺς λόγους, κ. τ. λ. –Τίς συνήγαγεν ἀνέμους ἐν κόλπῳ; Τὸν ταχύτερον ἀνέμου νοῦν ἡ πίστις συνήγαγεν ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν καὶ δυσμῶν καὶ βοῤῥᾶ καὶ θαλάσσης ἐν τῇ γνώσει τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ δέδωκεν αὐτοῖς θεωρίαν πνευ ματικὴν ἐναποθεῖναι ταῖς ἀρεταῖς· ἡ γὰρ γνῶσις ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ, κόλπος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν, ἐν ᾧ ἐγκολπίζεται καὶ περικρατεῖ πάντας τοὺς θεόφρονας, ὥσπερ τις χρυσὸν ἐν κόλπῳ. –Ὁ ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν καὶ δυσμῶν καὶ βοῤῥᾶ καὶ θαλάσσης συναγαγὼν πάντα τὰ γηγενῆ ἔθνη, καὶ πυκνώσας αὐτὰ ταῖς ἀρεταῖς ἐν τῇ εἰς αὐτὸν πίστει, Χριστὸς ὁ Θεὸς,

Unit 6 rem early§22

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22And one who stores away the heavenly water—the flowing water that comes from the fountain of life, that is to say, knowledge and wisdom, as Christ himself declares: “Whoever drinks of this water will never thirst again”—and also, “Whoever believes in me, from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” This one steals knowledge, not the one who receives what was beforehand prepared, but the one who takes away knowledge from false pretense. For indeed, all who have believed in Christ, receiving teachings from the holy prophets and apostles, are not called thieves of alien doctrines; for one steals another’s teachings in order to fill a hungry mind—but this was done before the appearance of the Savior. Now, however, Paul says: “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him work honestly, so that having acquired knowledge, he may share it with those in need.” For what is not ours and yet is ours, that we should steal it, we who have believed in Christ? For all things are ours, and we are Christ’s, through whom all things were made; and Christ is God’s. Therefore, banish the understanding of evil, do not again yield to wickedness; for everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin, and sin is now called the devil, the one who actively works iniquity. The offspring of evil, etc.—slander defiles the mind that utters it, and the mother of that, namely the soul, is not treated kindly. Vainglory makes the one who possesses it think himself just, without considering evil, though often he only does good things. Arrogance causes the one who possesses it to overlook poor friends.

Parents should, in like manner, dispense harsh foods to their children, so that the righteous and godly may be abhorred by them; they should be placed under restraint, and the parent himself should rise above such indulgence. For anger possesses entirely the one who harbors it, seeking nothing else but to compel evil-doing and punishment, to slander and insult, and never ceasing to act as a false accuser. Whoever conceives and carries out evil in action and thought, who corrupts his own mind or watches over another person with intent to harm, shall be accursed among the peoples of the angels and hateful among those of the nations who have been saved, when all shall become one flock and one shepherd. But those who reprove and correct through open confession of their own deeds, and who reflect upon the counsels of the better mind, shall be revealed as lofty before the Lord, proclaimed upon all things. Upon them shall come, in the present age, the good blessing of their works and the intellectual contemplation of wisdom; but in the age to come, the apportionment from the Lord. The one who walks behind the commands of God is built up in righteousness and holiness; for with wisdom a house is built, the soul and body prepared for the indwelling of God. Yet wisdom will not enter into a soul skilled in evil. For just as thorns destroy or livestock perish when there is no one to cleanse and guard, so too the foolish: wickedness is the goad that drives one toward those who beforehand prepare the way to the kingdom. A bulwark is an impassivity of the rational soul, composed of practical virtues; yet it is torn down and obliterated by the foolish person’s choice. Corruption loves these things: sordid gain, lust, and the harlot woman.

Indeed, these things have neither end nor satiety; there are three things that will be filled, and the fourth—she has not found it sufficient to say it is enough—namely, Sheol and the love of a woman, and the earth that is not satisfied with water; and fire, and water, they did not say, "It is enough." It continually receives the seeds, whatever you may cast down, and it longs for them. Thus, death and fire, upon the things they long for, they destroy. Such a thing is also poverty; these matters are consuming. Such a thing also is sloth and idleness. For perhaps someone wonders, why does Sheol not have satiety, even though it consumes humanity? For this reason, he says, these things also do not have satiety, nor do they stand still anywhere. But observe what has committed fornication with Sheol. These ravens—mystically they feed the righteous, but they punish the wicked, plucking out the eyes of injustice—because they laughed at the Father of all and God, and they dishonored the gracious knowledge that bore them. For the eye of the Father is the law given to us in righteousness by Him. And those who pluck out the eyes of the impious, He called ravens; but those who devour him entirely, He named eagles, because He trusts the former for partial purification, the latter for complete purification. For God wills even the impious to be saved. The rooster, the bird among us, is called "unwearied." And beside the females that associate with it, they are known as such; and the flocks of birds gather around it, perhaps because it circles around all.

Greek · §22

καὶ τὸ ἐπουράνιον ὕδωρ ἐναποθέμενος· τὸ ῥέον ἐκ τῆς πηγῆς τῆς ζωῆς, του τέστι τὴν γνῶσιν καὶ τὴν σοφίαν, καθὼς αὐτὸς ὁ Χριστός φησιν· Ὁ πίνων ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος τούτου, οὐ μὴ διψήσῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· καὶ, Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, ποταμοὶ ῥεύσουσιν ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ὕδατος ζῶντος. –Οὗτος κλέπτει γνῶσιν, οὐχ ὁ τοῦ προλαβόντος λαμβάνων, ἀλλ' ὁ ἐκ τῆς ψευδωνύμου ὑφαιρούμενος γνώσεως. Καὶ γὰρ πάντες οἱ πεπιστευ κότες Χριστῷ, ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν καὶ ἀπο στόλων λαμβάνοντες θεωρήματα, οὐ λέγονται κλέ πται ἀλλοτρίων θεωρημάτων· κλέπτει γάρ τις ἀλλό τρια θεωρήματα, ἵνα νοῦν ἐμπλήσῃ πεινῶντα· ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐγένετο· νυνὶ δὲ Παῦλός φησιν· Ὁ κλέπτων, μηκέτι κλεπτέτω, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐργαζέσθω δικαιοσύνην, ἵνα γνῶσιν κτησάμενος, μεταδῷ καὶ τῷ χρείαν ἔχοντι· τί γὰρ ὃ μή ἐστι καὶ ἔστιν ἡμέτερον, ἵνα κλέψωμεν οἱ πεπιστευ κότες Χριστῷ; πάντα γὰρ ἡμῶν ἐστιν· ἡμεῖς δὲ Χρι στοῦ, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο· Χριστὸς δὲ, Θεοῦ· –Φυ γόντα νοῦν τὴν κακίαν, μὴ πάλιν παραδῷς τῇ κακίᾳ· εἴπερ πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, δοῦλός ἐστι τῆς ἁμαρτίας· ἁμαρτία δὲ νῦν ὀνομάζεται ὁ ἐνεργῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν διάβολος· –Ἔκγονον κακὸν, κ. τ. λ. Ἡ βλασφημία τὸν αὐτὴν ἐκφέροντα νοῦν καταρᾶται· τὴν δὲ τούτου μητέρα, ἤγουν τὴν ψυχὴν, οὐκ εὐλο γεῖ. –Ἡ κενοδοξία τὸν αὐτὴν ἔχοντα ὑποβάλλει καὶ χλευάζει, δίκαιον ἑαυτὸν λογίζεσθαι, μὴ ἐννοῶν τὰ κακά· ἀλλὰ πολλάκις μόνον καλὰ ποιεῖν. –Ἡ ὑπερ ηφανία τὸν κεκτημένον αὐτὴν ποιεῖ παρορᾷν φίλους πτωχοὺς, γονεῖς ὡσαύτως βρώματα οἰκτρὰ ἀποσεί εσθαι, τοὺς δικαίους καὶ εὐσεβεῖς βδελύττεσθαι, τοὺς ὑπὸ χεῖρα ὑποσκελίσαι, καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπεραναβῆναι. – Ὁ θυμὸς πάντα τὸν ἔχοντα αὐτὸν, οὐδὲν ἄλλο, ἢ ὅτι κακοποιεῖν καὶ ποιναλίζειν βιάζεται, καταλαλεῖν τε καὶ ὑβρίζειν, καὶ συκοφαντεῖν οὐ παύεται. Ὁ τὸν πράξει καὶ θεωρίᾳ κακῶς ἐννοοῦντα, καὶ τελεσιουργοῦντα νοῦν ἑαυτοῦ, ἢ ἄλλον τινὰ τῶν ἀν θρώπων ἐφορώμενος, ἐπικατάρατος ἔσται παρὰ τοῖς τῶν ἀγγέλων λαοῖς, καὶ παρὰ τοῖς τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν σε σωσμένοις μισητὸς, ὅταν πάντες μία ποίμνη γενή 17.232 σεται καὶ εἷς ποιμήν· οἱ δὲ ἐλέγχοντες καὶ φρα τριοῦντες δι' ἐξαγορεύσεως τὰς ἑαυτῶν πράξεις, καὶ τὰς τοῦ βελτίονος νοῦ ἐνθυμήσεις, φανοῦνται ὑψηλοὶ παρὰ Κυρίου, ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἀνακηρυττόμενοι· ἐπ' αὐτοὺς δὲ ἥξει, ἐν μὲν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι ἡ ἀγαθὴ εὐλογία τῶν πράξεων τῶν ἔργων, καὶ ἡ νοητὴ τῆς σοφίας θεωρία· ἐν δὲ τῷ μέλλοντι, ἡ παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου διανομή. Ὁ πορευόμενος ὄπισθεν τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ προσταγ μάτων, ἀνοικοδομεῖται εἰς δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἁγιασμόν· μετὰ γὰρ σοφίας οἰκοδομεῖται οἶκος, ὁ ἐν ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι εἰς κατοίκησιν Θεοῦ· εἰς δὲ κακότεχνον ψυ χὴν οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται σοφία. Εἴ τε γὰρ ἄκανθαι, εἴτε κτήνη, ἀπόλλυσιν αὐτὸ, ἐὰν μὴ εἴη ὁ περικαθαίρων καὶ φυλάττων· ὡσαύτως καὶ ἄφρων· ἡ κακία ἐστὶν ὁ νύσσων αὐτὸν εἰς τὰ τὴν βασιλείαν προξενοῦντα. Φραγμός ἐστιν ἀπάθεια ψυχῆς λογικῆς, ἐκ τῶν πρακτικῶν ἀρετῶν συνεστῶσα· κατασκάπτεται δὲ καὶ ἀφανίζεται τῇ τοῦ ἄφρονος προαιρέσει. Ἡ φθορὰ ταῦτα ἀγαπᾷ τὰ πράγματα, ᾅδην, ἔρωτα, καὶ γυναῖκα πορνικήν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ταῦτα πέρας οὐδὲ κόρον ἔχει· τρία δέ ἐστιν ἃ καὶ πλησθήσεται· καὶ ἡ τετάρτη, οὐκ ἠρκέσθη εἰπεῖν ἱκανόν· ᾅδης καὶ ἔρως γυναικὸς, καὶ γῆ οὐκ ἐμπιμπλαμένη ὕδατος· καὶ ὕδωρ, καὶ πῦρ, οὐκ εἶπον ἀρκεῖ· ἀεὶ τὰ σπέρματα δέχεται, οἷα ἐὰν καταβάλῃς, ἐφίεται· οὕτω καὶ ὁ θά νατος καὶ τὸ πῦρ, ἐφ' οἷσπερ ἐφίεται, διαφθείρει· τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ ἡ πενία· ἀναλωτικὰ ταῦτα τὰ πρά γματα· τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ ὁ ὄκνος καὶ ἡ ἀργία· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ θαυμάζει ἴσως τις, διὰ τί κόρον οὐκ ἔχει ὁ ᾅδης, καίτοι δαπανῶν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, διὰ τοῦτο, φησὶν, οὐδὲ ταῦτα κόρον ἔχει, οὐδὲ ἵστανταί που· ὅρα δὲ τίνα παρέβαλε τὴν πορνείαν τῷ ᾅδῃ. Οὗτοι οἱ κόρακες, τοὺς μὲν δικαίους τρέφουσι μυ στικῶς, τοὺς δὲ ἀδίκους κολάζουσι, τοὺς τῆς ἀδικίας ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐξορύττοντες· διότι τοῦ πάντων Πατρὸς καὶ Θεοῦ κατεγέλασαν, καὶ τὴν γεννῶσαν αὐτοὺς ἀρ χαίαν γνῶσιν ἠτίμασαν· ὀφθαλμὸς δὲ τοῦ Πατρός ἐστιν, ὁ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ δεδομένος ἡμῖν παρ' αὐτοῦ νόμος· καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἐξορύσσοντας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς, κόρακας εἶπεν· τοὺς δὲ ὅλον αὐτὸν κα τεσθίοντας, ὠνόμασεν ἀετοὺς, διὰ τὸ τοὺς μὲν τὴν μερικὴν, τοὺς δὲ τὴν καθόλου κάθαρσιν πεπιστεῦσθαι· θέλει γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς σώζεσθαι. Ὁ ἀλέκτωρ τὸ ὄρνεον παρ' ἡμῖν ἄλεκτα λέγεται. Παρὰ δὲ ταῖς συνούσαις αὐτῷ θηλείαις γνωριστά· πα ρέπονται δὲ αὐτῷ αἱ τῶν ὀρνίθων ἀγέλαι, διὰ τὸ πά σας ἴσως περινοστεῖν τῇ περὶ

Unit 6 rem mid§23

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23He rejoices in pleasure; yet he is of good courage and turns himself wholly toward love in all things. Thus, the orders of the angels submit to the God of all, not only in fear but also in love, when He wills to perceive them as they obey His command and act upon it. Likewise, it is natural for the souls of the righteous to be so disposed: for all who place themselves under His command do not merely desire to know the mysteries and depths hidden in the Scriptures, which He approves of being known, but also whatever is destined to occur in human life—whether brought about by men or demons, whether through mental vision, by the grace of the divine Spirit granting foreknowledge, or through angelic instruction, or through the revelation of a vision. Here he calls the righteous "powers," those who possess strength against demons and passions, which he terms "spirit." Let them not drink from the cup that intoxicates the mind and clouds the senses with the harsh wine of heretics, which contains some knowledge contrary to the wisdom of God; lest, having drunk, they forget God’s wisdom and be unable to judge rightly or perceive the theory of knowledge, and thus fail to help themselves and the weaker in soul. To those who mourn in sin and ignorance, give them to drink from the Lord’s vineyard unto intoxication—that is, fasting, prayer, self-control, confession, and all things that bring joy to the soul; but to those in positions of authority, let them drink the pains of sin unto satisfaction, so that, having drunk, they may forget the demonic poverty. For the one who is intoxicated by the knowledge of the Lord forgets the practice of sorrows. He calls the poor the one deprived of knowledge.

Now then, concerning the corrupt and impure nature brought about by sin: the one who, through the spiritual word, puts to death the old man corrupted by deceitful desires, establishes his own mind in righteousness. This mind is said to be the throne of God, for wisdom and understanding have no other natural dwelling place but here; they do not sit elsewhere by nature. And righteousness, if not grounded in rational nature, cannot truly exist. All these things—the spiritual word, the renewed mind, righteousness, wisdom, understanding—are none other than Christ himself. You must be what you appear to be; do not pretend. Do not boast, but remain silent among the wise and listen attentively to the elders. Do not say, “I will set my throne above the stars, and I will be like the Most High.” Do not crave the chief seats, but fix your gaze on the lowest place. For it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be told, “Take the lowest place,” and be sent away in shame before the powerful. Do not pretend to be wise, nor deem yourself just. It is better that good things be spoken of you than that you speak them yourself. Therefore, God exalted him highly and bestowed on him the name above every name. He speaks of what has come before: our friend is God, who, because of his friendship toward us, became human. For he himself said to the disciples, “I no longer call you servants, but friends.” When a friend rebukes you, Christ says, because of this sin, avoid it; do not despise the rebuke, but withdraw and return to the original sound judgment—that is, to God’s loving kindness. He says, give thanks for God’s commandments; and friendship, he says, is the love toward God and neighbor. Let the one who loves God keep these commands within himself, so that he may not become twofold in distress before God.

When each receives what is due according to their worth, the Savior also says in the Gospels to the Jews who believed in him: If you remain in my word, you are truly my disciples, and the truth has freed you from the curse of the law. Therefore, if friendship liberates, and the Savior liberates, and Christ is both truth and friendship, it follows that all who possess knowledge of Christ are friends to one another. Thus, concerning this friendship alone, those who are friends of the same person are friends, and others are also friends. The one who has been taught about the virtues and practices them guards his own possessions in a harmonious and mutually beneficial way. Place a precious sardius stone into a golden earlobe, and the wisdom of the Lord into an understanding that is impassive yet obedient to the Lord. Just as water flowing from snow in a dry place under heat brings benefit and refreshes the scorched, so God acts upon those who receive his knowledge, wisdom, and commandments. And just as snow melts under heat, so too does the counsel of the just dissolve the wickedness of the soul. As winds and clouds guide sailors upon the sea to prevent shipwreck, so the false knowledge of those in God’s wisdom prevents them from perishing along with those who boast in it. As bones give strength and security to the body, so the virtues have grown naturally within the soul. Yet these bones are shattered if not guarded against sins; some have called the spirited soul weak, for it breaks its own spiritual bones before God.

Greek · §23

αὐτὸν ἡδονῇ· εὔψυχος δέ ἐστι πάσαις αὐτὸς εἰς ἀγάπην· οὕτως τῷ πάντων Θεῷ αἱ τῶν ἀγγέλων τάξεις, οὐ μόνον φόβῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ 17.233 ἀγάπῃ ὑπείκουσιν, ὅτε θέλει αὐτὸς νοεῖν αὐτὰς τὸ πρόσταγμα αὑτοῦ καὶ ποιεῖν· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ περὶ ταῖς τῶν δικαίων ψυχαῖς πέφυκεν· ὅσαι γὰρ ὑπό κεινται τῷ προστάγματι αὐτοῦ, οὐ μόνον τὰ ἐν ταῖς Γραφαῖς ἐναποκείμενα μυστήρια καὶ βάθη εὐδοκεῖ γινώσκειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅσα ἐν τῷ βίῳ πέφυκε γίνεσθαι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, παρὰ ἀνθρώπων τε καὶ δαιμόνων, ἢ δι' ὁράσεως νοὸς, χάριτι θείου Πνεύματος παρέχει πρόγνωσιν, ἢ δι' ἀγγέλου μύησιν, ἢ δι' ὁράματος ἀπο κάλυψιν. ∆υνάστας ἐνταῦθα τοὺς δικαίους φησὶν, οἵτινες κατὰ τῶν δαιμόνων καὶ τῶν παθῶν τὴν δύναμιν ἔχον τες, ἥντινα θυμὸν ἐκάλεσε· μὴ πινέτωσαν ἐκ τοῦ τὸν νοῦν μεθύσκοντος, καὶ τὰς φρένας θολοῦντος ὀξώδους οἴνου τῶν αἱρετικῶν, τοῦ κατὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίας γνώσεώς τι ἔχοντος· ἵνα μὴ πιόντες, ἐπιλά θωνται τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίας, καὶ ὀρθὰ κρίνειν καὶ νοεῖν τὴν θεωρίαν τῆς γνώσεως, οὐκέτι οὐ μὴ δύναν ται ἑαυτούς τε καὶ τοὺς ἀσθενεστέρους ὠφελεῖν κατὰ ψυχήν. Τοῖς ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ὀδυνωμένοις καὶ ἀπογνώσει, δότε ἐκ τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος τοῦ Κυρίου πιεῖν εἰς μέθην, τουτέστι νηστείαν, προσευχὴν, ἐγκράτειαν, ἐξομο λόγησιν καὶ πάντα ὅσα εἰς εὐφροσύνην ψυχῆς· τοῖς δὲ ἐν ἀρχαῖς, ὀδύνας τῆς ἁμαρτίας πιεῖν εἰς κόρον, ἵνα πιόντες ἐπιλάθωνται τῆς δαιμονιώδους πενίας· ὁ γὰρ μεθυσθεὶς ἀπὸ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Κυρίου, ἐπιλαν θάνεται τὴν πρᾶξιν τῶν ὀδυνῶν. Πένητα λέγει τὸν ἐστερημένον τῆς γνώσεως, ἀσθε νῆ δὲ τὸν ἀκάθαρτον ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις. Ὁ λόγῳ πνευματικῷ τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀπο κτείνων, τὸν φθειρόμενον κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης, κατορθοῖ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ τὸν αὐτοῦ νοῦν, ὃς λέγεται θρόνος εἶναι Θεοῦ· οὐδαμοῦ γὰρ πέφυκεν ἀλλαχοῦ καθέζεσθαι σοφία καὶ γνῶσις. καὶ δικαιο σύνη, εἰ μὴ ἐν φύσει λογικῇ· ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστός. Οἷος εἶ, τοιοῦτος φαίνου, καὶ μὴ ἀλαζονεύου, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ σοφῶν σίγα, καὶ ἐπὶ πρεσβυτέρων ἀκροαοῦ· μὴ εἴπῃς, Ἐπάνω τῶν ἄστρων θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου, καὶ ἔσομαι ὅμοιος τῷ Ὑψίστῳ· μὴ ἔρα τῶν πρωτείων τῆς προκαθεδρίας, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἔσχατον τόπον ἀπόβλεπε· κρεῖσσον γὰρ ῥηθῆναί σοι, Ἀνάβηθι πρός με, ἢ πρὸς τὸν ἔσχατον τόπον ἀποδοθῆναί σε μετ' αἰσχύνης ἐν προσώπῳ δυνάστου· μήτε γὰρ φρόνιμον ἑαυτὸν κή ρυττε, μήτε δίκαιον λογίζου· κρεῖσσον γὰρ ῥηθῆναι περὶ σοῦ· ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ὑπερύψωσε, καὶ ἐχαρίσατο αὐτῷ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα. Ὀπίσω λέγει τὰ προγεγονότα· φίλος δὲ ἡμῶν ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, ὃς διὰ τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς φιλίαν ἄνθρωπος γέγονεν· εἴρηκε γὰρ αὐτὸς πρὸς τοὺς μαθητάς· Οὐκέτι λέγω ὑμᾶς δούλους, ἀλλὰ φίλους. Ἡνίκα ἄν σε ὀνειδίζῃ ὁ φίλος, ὁ Χριστὸς λέγει, διὰ τὴν 17.236 ἁμαρτίαν, ταύτης ἀπέχεσθαι, μὴ καταφρόνει, ἀλλ' ἀναχώρει καὶ ὑπόστρεφε πρὸς τὴν πρώτην σωφροσύ νην, τουτέστι πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν. Χάριν, τὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐντολάς φησι· φιλίαν δὲ, τὴν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ πλησίον ἀγάπην. Ὁ δὲ ἀγαπῶν τὸν Θεὸν τηρησάτω αὐτὰς ἐν ἑαυτῷ, ἵνα μὴ ἐπονεί διστος γένηται παρ' αὐτῷ, ὅτε τὰ κατ' ἀξίαν ἑκάστῳ ἀπονέμῃ· καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις πρὸς τοὺς πε πιστευκότας αὐτῷ Ἰουδαίους φησίν· Ἐὰν ὑμεῖς μείνητε ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τῷ ἐμῷ, ἀληθῶς μαθηταί μου ἐστέ· καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια ἠλευθέρωσεν ἐκ τῆς κατάρας τοῦ νόμου· εἰ οὖν ἡ φιλία ἐλευθεροῖ, καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐλευθεροῖ· Χριστὸς δέ ἐστιν ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ φιλία, ὅθεν καὶ πάντες οἱ ἔχοντες γνῶσιν Χριστοῦ, φίλοι ἀλλήλων εἰσίν· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτης μόνον τῆς φι λίας οἱ τοῦ αὐτοῦ φίλοι, καὶ ἄλλων εἰσὶ φίλοι. Ὁ διδαχθεὶς περὶ τῶν ἀρετῶν, καὶ ταύτας ἐνερ γῶν, τὰ ἑαυτοῦ φυλάσσει εὐσυναλλάκτως. Ἔμβαλε σάρδιον πολυτελὲς εἰς ἐνώτιον χρυσοῦν, καὶ σοφίαν Κυρίου εἰς νοῦν ἀπαθῆ καὶ εὐήκοον Κυρίῳ. Ὥσπερ τὸ ἐκ χιόνος ἐκρέον ὕδωρ ἐν ἀμητῷ κατὰ καῦμα ὠφελεῖ, καὶ ἀναψύχει καύσωνα, οὕτως ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τοῖς δεχομένοις τήν τε γνῶσιν καὶ σοφίαν, καὶ τὰ προστάγματα αὐτοῦ· καὶ ὥσπερ χιόνα τήκει καύσων, οὕτω κακίαν ψυχῆς, δικαίου παραίνεσις. Ὥσπερ ἄνεμοι καὶ νέφη πλωτῆρσιν ἐπιφανέστα τοι τοῦ μὴ ναυαγῆσαι, οὕτω τοῖς ἐν σοφίᾳ Θεοῦ ἡ ψευδὴς γνῶσις, τοῦ μὴ σὺν τοῖς καυχωμένοις ἐν αὐ τῇ ἀπολέσθαι. Ὥσπερ τῷ σώματι τὰ ὀστᾶ ἰσχὺς καὶ ἀσφάλεια ῥώμης, οὕτω τῇ ψυχῇ αἱ ἀρεταὶ πεφύκασι· συντρί βει δὲ ταῦτα τὰ ὀστᾶ μὴ παραφυλασσομένη ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις· τινὲς δὲ τὴν θυμώδη ψυχὴν ὠνόμασαν μα λακὴν, ἥτις συντρίβει τὰ ἑαυτῆς πρὸς Θεὸν πνευμα τικὰ ὀστᾶ, τὰ

Unit 6 rem close§24

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24He says they are by nature saying: "Lord, Lord, who is like you?" The way of evil is wickedness itself; and the foot of the lawless is iniquity itself. And it will perish on the day of judgment: a habit formed by the way, and an energy by the foot, will be perceived. Just as vinegar in a wound that has the beginning of corruption is incongruous, though it is food for sweetness, so the contemplation and conversation of a woman scatter the heart of the one who gives himself over to virtue and has a beginning. For what falls upon the heart is a passion, which is wickedness; and by its absence, some are called apathetic. –Grief is a corrupt privation of corrupt pleasure; but grief is also a praiseworthy privation of virtues and the knowledge of God. He says here that bread is the solid nourishment of the soul’s commandments; and drink, that it signifies divine knowledge; and coals of fire, that they are the gifts of the all-holy Spirit, which inflame and purify the wrinkles of men; for a coal of fire touched the lips of Isaiah’s seraphim at one time; and the one who has been cleansed, learns fieriness, and cries out to all: for by this kindness and beneficence, purifying oneself, the ruling part, you will make the fiery graces of the Holy Spirit compel him, not only to take hold, but also to make him your zealous worker in every good work, as if he had become your familiar friend before God in all things. He said the devil is a shameless person, stirring up the soul toward evil, and raising up, like northern clouds, evil thoughts against the soul; but everywhere Solomon says the tongue is the mind: therefore this person ought to be ashamed in judgment, which is not good.

Here then falls a righteous mind in the presence of Satan, accepting a corrupt line of reasoning, or a false doctrine. And one who turns away from the fountain of wisdom, rejecting its knowledge, and purifies the notions of the mind—these are called falls, and these are called risings, and these are called seats, and these are called standings, and these are called walks, and some of them are called stumbling blocks; and others are called hard and soft, and fragrant and foul, and sweet and bitter, and smooth and straight, and scholia. And again, some of its parts are called thorns and thistles, and others are called light and darkness, and life and death; and still others are called sickness and health, and again they are named falsehood and truth; and many other names does Scripture assign, both to the soul and to its notions. But a few things out of many are to be said: these are mind, soul, heart, man, male, female, slave, servant, father, son, spirit, eye, mouth, lips, tongue, larynx, belly, bosom, arm, finger, nostril, sheep, goat, shepherd, and many other names of the soul, which it is not now possible to set forth in detail. Counsel he spoke of here as the inclination of the heart toward the better: when someone does not call upon the divine help of God within himself, and forms a plan to do something good after reflection, but instead begins arrogantly and boastfully—it will not be completed, but rather what he undertakes will come to misfortune, because he has not surrounded himself with the divine aid of God for counsel.

Here he says the horse refers to the swift man who is receptive to learning, wisdom, and justice; but he is goaded by means of enigmas. The donkey, however, is pricked with a goad; the slow one among these hard sayings is pricked, instilling fear in them. But to the foolish nation, it is said they shall be struck with a rod, for he sets boundaries over the faithless servants or those under authority; the rod, after all, is a symbol of correction. From his own feet, etc. Here he says the feet are the servants; and shame comes upon the master from them, when he sends a message by a foolish messenger, or by counsel, or wisdom, or embassy, or alliance, or sympathetic words. For the foolish are defeated in all things; and indeed the Lord says in the Gospels: Do not give what is holy to dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine. 17.240 Remove the foolish man’s evil way, and make his false knowledge long departed from him. Whoever gives knowledge to the foolish is like one who binds an honorless stone in a sling with gold; or like one who binds a precious stone in a sling and hurls it at stone-throwers. If the ecstasy of the foolish is shattered—by which they were estranged from God—then, having become clean again, they draw near to God; for all flesh shall see the salvation of God. But take heed here: that the souls purged of wickedness, he has called the flesh of the foolish; and so the Lord says: My spirit shall not remain in man forever, because they are flesh. The one who casts off,

Greek · §24

πεφυκότα λέγειν· Κύριε, Κύριε, τίς ὅμοιός σοι; Κακοῦ ὁδὸς, ἡ κακία ἐστί· καὶ ποῦς παρανόμου, ἡ παρανομία ἐστίν· ἀπολεῖται δὲ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρί σεως· ἕξις διὰ τῆς ὁδοῦ, καὶ ἐνέργεια διὰ τοῦ ποδὸς νοηθήσεται. Ὥσπερ τὸ ὄξος ἐν ἕλκει τοῦ ἀρχὴν σῆψιν ἔχοντος ἀσύμφορον, καίτοι βρώματος ὄντος εἰς ἡδύτητα, οὕτω γυναικὸς θεωρία καὶ ὁμιλία καρδίαν σπαράσσει τοῦ πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἑαυτὸν ἐκδόντος καὶ ἀρχὴν ἔχοντος. Τὸ γὰρ προσπίπτον τῇ καρδίᾳ πάθος, ἡ κακία ἐστίν· ἧς κατὰ στέρησίν τινες ἀπαθεῖς ὀνομάζονται. –Λύπη ἐστὶ φθαρτὴ στέρησις φθαρτῆς ἡδονῆς· λύπη δέ ἐστιν ἐπαινετὴ στέρησις ἀρετῶν καὶ γνώσεως Θεοῦ. Ἄρτον ἐνταῦθα τὴν στερεὰν τῶν ἐντολῶν τῆς ψυ χῆς τροφήν φησι· πόμα δὲ, τὴν θείαν γνῶσιν δηλοῖ· ἄνθρακας δὲ πυρὸς τὰς τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος δωρεὰς, τὰς φλογιζούσας καὶ καθαιρούσας τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ῥυτίδας· ἄνθρακι γὰρ πυρὸς τῶν Ἡσαΐου σεραφεὶμ θίγει χειλέων ποτέ· ὁ δὲ καθῃράμενος, ∆ι 17.237 καιοσύνην μάθετε, πᾶσιν ἐκραύγαζε· διὰ γὰρ ταύ της τῆς χρηστότητος καὶ εὐποιίας καθαρίζων αὑτοῦ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν, τὰς πυρφόρους χάριτας τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ποιήσεις αὐτὸν βιασθῆναι, οὐ μόνον προσ λαβέσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ζηλωτήν σου αὐτὸν ἐργάσῃ ἐν πάσῃ ἀγαθοεργίᾳ, ὡς προξένου σου γεγονότος αὐτοῦ ἐν πᾶσι τῷ Θεῷ φίλοις. Τὸν διάβολον εἶπε πρόσωπον ἀναιδὲς, ἐρεθίζοντα τὴν ψυχὴν πρὸς κακίαν, καὶ ἐγείροντα, ὡς βοῤῥᾶς νέφη, λογισμοὺς τῇ ψυχῇ πονηρούς· πανταχοῦ δὲ ὁ Σολομῶν γλῶσσαν τὸν νοῦν λέγει· τοῦτο οὖν τὸ πρόσ ωπον αἰδεῖσθαι ἐν κρίσει οὐ καλόν. Ἐνταῦθα οὖν πίπτει δίκαιος νοῦς ἐνώπιον τοῦ Σατανᾶ, λογισμὸν ἀκάθαρτον, ἢ ψευδὲς δόγμα ὑποδε ξάμενος· τὴν δὲ πηγὴν τῆς σοφίας φράσσοι τις ἀπο στρεφόμενος τὴν γνῶσιν αὐτῆς, καὶ τὴν διέξοδον τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀποῤῥυπῶν τὰ δὲ νοήματα τοῦ νοῦ, τὰ μὲν πτώματα λέγονται, τὰ δὲ ἐγέρσεις, τὰ δὲ καθέδρα, τὰ δὲ στάσις, καὶ ἄλλα περίπατος, καί τινα αὐτῶν προσκόμματα ὀνομάζεται, καὶ ἄλλα σκληρὰ καὶ μαλακὰ, καὶ εὐώδη καὶ δυσώδη, καὶ γλυ κεῖα καὶ πικρὰ, καὶ λεῖα καὶ ὀρθὰ, καὶ σχολιά· καὶ πάλιν, τὰ μὲν αὐτοῦ καλεῖται ἄκανθαι καὶ τρίβολοι, τὰ δὲ φῶς καὶ σκότος, καὶ ζωὴ καὶ θάνατος· τὰ δὲ, νόσος καὶ ὑγίεια, καὶ ἄλλα πάλιν ὀνομάζεται ψεῦ δος καὶ ἀλήθεια, καὶ πολλὰ ἕτερα ὀνόματα τίθησι Γραφὴ, κατά τε τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τῶν νοημάτων αὐτῆς. Ὀλίγα δὲ ἐκ πολλῶν ἐστιν εἰπεῖν· ἔστι δὲ ταῦτα· νοῦν, ψυχὴν, καρδίαν, ἄνθρωπον, ἄνδρα, γυναῖκα, δοῦλον, οἰκέτην, πατέρα, υἱὸν, πνεῦμα, ὀφθαλμὸν, στόμα, χείλη, γλῶσσαν, λάρυγγα, κοιλίαν, κόλπον, βραχίονα, δάκτυλον, μυκτῆρα, πρόβατον, ἔριφον, ποιμένα, καὶ ἄλλα πλείονα ὀνόματα τῆς ψυχῆς, ἃ οὐ δυνατὸν νῦν παραθέσθαι κατ' εἶδος. Βουλὴν εἶπεν ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον ῥοπὴν τῆς καρδίας· ὅταν τις οὐκ ἐπικαλούμενος τὴν βοή θειαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν ἑαυτῷ, εἰς βουλὴν ποιήσῃ τι ἀγα θὸν μετὰ σκέψεως, ἀλλὰ αὐθαδῶς καὶ ἀλαζονευόμε νος ἄρξηται· οὐ τελεσθήσεται δὲ, ἀλλὰ συμπτωθήσε ται ὃ ἐπιχειρεῖ, ὅτι οὐ περιετείχισεν ἑαυτὸν τῇ βοη θείᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς βουλήν. Ἵππον ἐνταῦθά φησι τὸν ταχὺν εἰς μάθησιν σο φίας, καὶ δικαιοσύνης δεκτικὸν ἄνθρωπον· δι' αἰνι γμάτων δὲ μαστίζει· ὄνῳ δὲ κέντρον· τὸν βραδὺν ἐν τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις σκληροῖς κεντᾷν, φόβον ἐμποι οῦντας· ἔθνει δὲ ἄφρονι ῥάβδῳ τύπτεσθαι, τοὺς ἀναι σθήτους οἰκέτας ἢ ὑποχειρίους ὁρίζεται· ἡ ῥάβδος γὰρ σύμβολόν ἐστι κολάσεως. Ἐκ τῶν ποδῶν αὑτοῦ, κ. τ. λ. Πόδας ἐνταῦθα τοὺς οἰκέτας φησίν· ὄνειδος δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν ὁ δεσπότης ἑαυτῷ ποιεῖται, ὁ ἀποστέλλων λόγον δι' ἀγγέλου ἄφρονος, ἢ βουλῆς, ἢ σοφίας, ἢ πρεσβείας, ἢ συμ μαχίας, ἢ λόγων συμπαθείας. Ὁ γὰρ ἄφρων ἡττᾶ ται ἐν παντί· καὶ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις φη σίν· Οὐ δεῖ τοῖς κυσὶ διδόναι τὰ ἅγια, οὐδὲ βάλ λειν τοὺς μαργαρίτας ἔμπροσθεν τῶν χοίρων. 17.240 Περίελε ἄφρονος ὁδὸν κακὴν, καὶ γνῶσιν ψευδῆ μακρὰν ποίησον ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Ὁ μεταδιδοὺς ἄφρονι γνῶσιν, ὅμοιός ἐστι τῷ λί θον ἄτιμον ἐν σφενδόνῃ χρυσῇ προσπήξαντι· ἢ λί θον ἔντιμον ἐν σφενδόνῃ λιθοβολούσῃ λιθάσαντι. Ἐὰν συντριβῇ ἡ ἔκστασις τῶν ἀφρόνων, καθ' ἣν ἐξέστησαν Θεοῦ, πάλιν καθαροὶ γενόμενοι προσέρ χονται τῷ Θεῷ· Πᾶσα γὰρ σὰρξ ὄψεται τὸ Σωτή ριον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Προσεκτέον δὲ ἐνταῦθα, ὅτι τὰς πα χυνθείσας ψυχὰς ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας, σάρκας ἀφρόνων ὠνόμασεν· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Κύριός φησιν· Οὐ μὴ κατα μείνῃ τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς σάρκας. Ὁ ἀποβαλὼν,

Expositio in Proverbia Unit 7 opening§25

25He says, examining his own wickedness and turning back to him, then turning again to him, he is like a dog eating its own vomit; just as was the wife of Lot, and she turned back toward what the unclean spirit had caused her to turn toward. This saying must be used against those who are reckoning some of the unworthy among the priesthood, or in the lot; for no one among us has established the justice and liberty of the Church; but it is either ours, or Christ’s, through which He judged Himself justified to be given over to slaughter, and His blood was poured out on her behalf; thus also every one who desires to undertake the oversight of the Church’s households must surrender himself, and seize the collar of the evil one, and liberate those under his wickedness, and bring them into the full knowledge of Christ. As fire in wood, so in evil thoughts the anger that is directed toward the passions of the mind blazes and burns; but where there is no double-mindedness, that is, no divided soul, but either to God or to mammon, stillness will come from it, the one over the other; either the commandment of God, having conquered, the evil one will be subdued, and he will make peace with wickedness; but if one chooses both, and falls out of life, and will be deprived of temporary things. The lips here he says are the thoughts; but the one who does not open the lips of the mind against the evil, confessing to God the evils which he has sown against God, but conceals them, covers his heart with grief, not thinking through folly that he has sin in these things; not knowing the God’s good compassion; for to those who thus endure and proclaim these things to Him, He awards crowns as if they were contending in each struggle through Him. He mocks, instead of rejoicing, he has taken; for a cheerful soul, delighting in the knowledge of the Scriptures, rejoices in being filled; but an impure soul, and the false knowledge, surely believes it to be true. Or the place of the heart, virtue and knowledge, from which a man, having been estranged, falls into wickedness and ignorance, and becomes a slave of sin, doing it; inasmuch as he is rational,

His place is virtue. An untroubled mind delights in varied pleasures—wisdom, knowledge, and hymnody; but a mind troubled by passion is shattered in ignorance and wickedness, and comes to a fall that is incurable and great. God is our friend and the friend of our forefathers, and of those who come after us; for he himself said, “They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and have hewn for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns.” Here Christ is our brother according to grace; but to enter your brother’s house without the commandments he has given us, in order to gain authority to enter his house—that is, to enter the kingdom of heaven—do not attempt it unhappily regarding these things; for such was the one who entered the wedding feast without a wedding garment; having been bound hand and foot, he was cast out of the wedding. Our brother here is the choir of angels; for according to the nature of the angels, before the transgression and fall, the devil was of the angels and of us; but God is our friend; and it is better to dwell with our true and genuine God, who is near and most closely present, than with one who has made himself far from himself a devil, as if submitting to a brother, in order to perish together with him. The one who joins with me through true knowledge is superior to the one who joins with me only through nature. The house of man is virtue; if therefore one does not attend to it with diligence, in the time of trials he falls from it. Here the fig tree is the righteousness of God, which those who plant it in themselves and in others, and who transmit it as a graft, shall eat its fruit by the hand of the Lord, the only just one, and shall contend for righteousness; and to those who guard his righteousness together with themselves, he appoints, assigning righteousness, the righteousness that also justifies angels, in the brilliant splendor of the unchanging righteousness; but whoever guards the word of the Lord, guards the Lord in his own heart as unchangeable from him; and he shall be honored not only from here on by

Greek · §25

φησὶ, κακίαν αὑτοῦ, καὶ πρὸς αὐ τὴν πάλιν ἐπιστρέψας, ὅμοιός ἐστι κυνὶ ἐσθίοντι τὸν ἴδιον ἐμετόν· οἷα ἦν ἡ τοῦ Λὼτ γυνὴ, καὶ πρὸς ὃν τὸ ἀκάθαρτον πνεῦμα ἐπέστρεψεν. Χρηστέον τούτῳ τῷ ῥητῷ πρὸς τοὺς ψηφιζομένους τινὰς τῶν ἀναξίων ἐν ἱερωσύνῃ, ἢ ἐν κλήρῳ· οὐ γὰρ ἐκ τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς τις τὴν δικαιοκρισίαν καὶ ἐλευθε ρίαν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐποιήσατο· ἢ ἡμετέρα ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ Χριστοῦ, δι' ἣν ἔκρινε δικαιώσας ἑαυτὸν σφαγῇ δοθῆναι, καὶ χυθῆναι τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς· οὕτω καὶ ὁ πᾶς τις Ἐκκλησίας οἴακας ἐγκεχειρίσθαι ἐπιθυμῶν, ὀφείλει ἑαυτὸν ἐκδοῦναι, καὶ τῆς κέρκου τοῦ πονηροῦ κρατῆσαι, καὶ τοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν αὐτοῦ κα κίαν ἐλευθερῶσαι, καὶ εἰς τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπίγνωσιν προσαγαγεῖν. Ὥσπερ ἐν ξύλοις τὸ πῦρ, οὕτως ἐν πονηροῖς λο γισμοῖς θάλλει καὶ καίει ὁ πρὸς τὰ πάθη τοῦ νοῦ θυμός· ὅπου δὲ οὐκ ἔστι δίθυμος, τουτέστι δίψυχος, ἀλλ' ἢ τῷ Θεῷ, ἢ τῷ μαμμωνᾷ, ἡσυχασθήσεται ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὸ ἓν τοῦ ἑτέρου· ἢ τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόσταγμα νικῆσαν, τὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ τακήσεται, καὶ τῇ κακίᾳ προσειρηνεύσει· ἐὰν δὲ τὰ δύο ἕλοιτο, καὶ τῆς ζωῆς ἐκπέσοι, καὶ τῶν προσκαίρων στερηθήσεται. Χείλη ἐνταῦθα τοὺς λογισμούς φησιν· ὁ δὲ τὰ χείλη τοῦ νοῦ μὴ ἀνοίγων κατὰ τοῦ πονηροῦ, πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐξομολογούμενος τὰ κακὰ, ὅσα ἐνσπείρειεν αὐτῷ κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ κρύπτει, λύπῃ καλύπτει ἑαυτοῦ καρδίαν, ἐξ ἀφροσύνης μὴ νομίζων ἔχειν ἁμάρτημα ἐν τούτοις· οὐκ εἰδὼς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐ σπλαγχνίαν· ὅτι μᾶλλον τοῖς οὕτως ὑπομένουσι καὶ ἐξαγγέλλουσιν αὐτῷ ταῦτα, στεφάνους ἀπονέμει ὡς καθ' ἑκάστην ἀθλοῦσι δι' αὐτόν. Ἐμπαίζει, ἀντὶ τοῦ χαίρει, ἔλαβε· ψυχὴ γὰρ κα θαρὰ, κατατρυφῶσα τῆς γνώσεως τῶν Γραφῶν, χαίρει ἐμπιπλαμένη· ψυχὴ δὲ ἀκάθαρτος, καὶ τὴν ψευδώνυμον γνῶσιν, ἀληθῆ πάντως νομίζει. Ἢ τόπος καρδίας, ἀρετὴ καὶ γνῶσις, ἀφ' ὧν ἀπο ξενωθεὶς ἄνθρωπος πίπτει εἰς κακίαν καὶ ἀγνωσίαν, καὶ γίνεται δοῦλος τῆς ἁμαρτίας ποιῶν αὐτήν· καθὸ γὰρ λογικός ἐστι, τόπος αὐτοῦ ἡ ἀρετή. 17.241 Νοῦς ἀπαθὴς ποικίλοις τέρπεται, σοφίᾳ καὶ γνώ σει, καὶ ὑμνῳδίᾳ· νοῦς δὲ ἐμπαθὴς, ἐν ἀγνωσίᾳ καὶ κακίᾳ καταῤῥήγνυται, καὶ εἰς πτῶμα ἔρχεται δυσ ίατον καὶ μέγα. Φίλος ἡμῶν καὶ τῶν πρόπαλαι πατέρων, καὶ τῶν μεθ' ἡμᾶς, ὁ Θεός ἐστιν· αὐτὸς γὰρ εἶπεν· Ἐμὲ ἐγκατέλιπον πηγὴν ὕδατος ζῶντος, καὶ ὤρυξαν ἑαυτοῖς λάκκους συντετριμμένους. –Ἐνταῦθα ἀδελφὸς ὁ Χριστός ἐστι κατὰ χάριν· εἰς δὲ τὸν οἶ κον τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου, ἄνευ τῶν ἐντολῶν, ὧν ἡμῖν δέδωκεν, εἰς ἐξουσίαν τοῦ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ, τουτέστιν εἰς τὴν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν, μὴ εἰσέλθῃς ἀτυχῶν τούτων· τοιοῦτος γὰρ ἦν καὶ ὁ εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὸν γάμον, μὴ ἔχων ἔνδυμα γάμου· δεθεὶς δὲ χεῖρας καὶ πόδας ἐξεβλήθη τοῦ γάμου. –Ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν ἐνταῦθα ὁ τῶν ἀγγέλων χορός ἐστι· κατὰ γὰρ τὴν τῶν ἀγγέλων φύσιν πρὸ τῆς παραβάσεως καὶ πτώσεως ὁ διάβολος τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ ἡμῶν ὑπῆρχε· φίλος δὲ ἡμῶν ἐστιν ὁ Θεός· κρεῖσσον δὲ τῷ ἐγγυ τέρῳ καὶ ἀληθινῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν καὶ φίλῳ ἐγγὺς καὶ πλησιεστέρως οἰκεῖν, ἢ τῷ μακρὰν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἑαυτὸν ποιήσαντι διαβόλῳ, ὡς ἀδελφῷ ὑπείκειν, εἰς τὸ συναπολέσθαι αὐτῷ. –Κρείσσων ὁ συναπτόμενός μοι διὰ τῆς ἀληθοῦς γνώσεως, ὑπὲρ τὸν συναπτόμε νόν μοι μόνον διὰ τῆς φύσεως. Τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οἶκος, ἡ ἀρετή· ἐὰν οὖν μὴ σπου δαίως ταύτης ἐπιμελῆται, ἐν καιρῷ πειρασμῶν ἐκ πίπτει αὐτῆς. Συκῆ ἐνταῦθα ἡ δικαιοσύνη ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν, ἣν οἱ φυτεύοντες ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ ἑτέροις μετάφυτα δι δόντες, τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς φάγονται ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου τοῦ μόνου δικαίου καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην βραβεύσαν τος· καὶ τοῖς τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ φυλάξασι σὺν ἑαυτῷ συντάττων, ἀπονέμει δικαιοσύνην, τὴν καὶ ἀγγέλους δικαιοῦσαν, ἐν τῇ ἀτρέπτῳ τῆς δικαιο σύνης λαμπρότητι· ὃς δὲ φυλάσσει τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου, τὸν Κύριον φυλάσσει ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὑτοῦ ἀχώριστον εἶναι ἀπ' αὐτοῦ· τιμηθήσεται δὲ οὐ μό νον ἐντεῦθεν ὑπὸ

Unit 7 rem early§26

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26Not only the angels, but also in the future time are under the Creator of the angels. For example, one does not drive away folly by dishonoring the fool, but by teaching him what disgrace folly brings upon itself; for indeed, confrontation directed at the person makes the sinner even more shameless. Of the words of God, some are written for the life of sons, others for the service of attendants. If one is courageous in impieties, then one is also courageous in virtues; and if the courageous person in impieties falsely accuses the poor, the courageous person in virtues encourages the poor. Therefore, everyone who comforts the poor in impieties, conspiring against them, slanders them before God—that is, opposes them with accusations—so that they may perish together with him. The lavish rain does not only destroy the fruits, but also lays waste the face of the earth, which bears the fruits; yet there is also a gentle rain, which makes the face of the earth healthy and nurtures and causes to grow the fruits within it. Thus, the lavish rain, by destroying the fruits, kills people, while the gentle rain, through the fruits, brings forth life. There is also a law that is lawless, and a law that is just. The lawless law destroys those who obey it; but the just law not only grants longevity of days, but also becomes a foretaste of the kingdom of heaven for those who submit to it, because it belongs to God. And everyone who loves God loves his law and keeps its precepts; and everyone who keeps the law attains divine possession and knowledge of God. But if those who love the law build walls for themselves, now the wall signifies insensibility and the knowledge of God.

These things alone by nature guard the rational nature. If wealth is the wickedness of the godless, and wise men shall destroy it, it is clear that the righteous and the wise destroy wickedness, through spiritual instruction leading the impure toward virtue. The law does not abhor anyone’s prayer, but the One who gave the law, God, regards the one who turns away his ear and causes the law not to hear as abhorrent. And Paul says: Foreseeing the future, Scripture instead says, “The One who gave Scripture foreknew the future.” The things sown in his heart by the evil one, if he does not declare them to the Lord God or to a God-loving person, will not prosper in the victory over the evil one; but the one who declares them shall be beloved by God and His angels. And James says: Confess your sins to one another, that you may be healed. And the Psalmist says: I will declare my iniquity before me to the Lord, and You forgave the wickedness of my heart. The revenues of the evil king are wickedness and false doctrines; for these things draw near to him those who are ruled by him. Moreover, those who obey the evil one falsely accuse God, because they are subject not to God but to His enemy, the devil. Since God hates the devil because of his evil works, He again, through His own works, exposes humanity to God. And the one who hates to wrong his own soul shall live the long time of the endless age. A man here, a murderer of the devil, he says:

He who becomes surety for injustice guarantees the presence of Satan. When one promises to Satan to deliver the fruits of iniquity—know that a lawless nation is the doctrine of demons, to which the educated son does not submit; by "son" he means the intellect. The one who suspends the mind from slipping into the wickedness of the evil nation, as if placing a savage collar upon it, prepares to receive an incorruptible world from the hand of the Lord as a private treasure for his soul. The one who cleanses himself from passions and labors to keep God’s commandments shall be filled with the bread of life—wisdom and divine knowledge. But the one who wastes leisure in neglecting God’s commandments shall be filled with poverty. Now the merciful, in the age to come, shall be shown mercy by God and become angels; they shall rule over the scoffers and the wealthy impious. Such a dignity the Lord also promised to give His disciples: to seat them on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. A throne is where the mind sits, full of spiritual knowledge, gathering those who have strayed from piety. To judge here means to teach. As also, "Open your mouth with God’s word, and judge all things soundly," means "teach." Moreover, know this: the merciful who overcomes the scoffer shall not himself become a scoffer, but will make the scoffer more merciful. If the impious cease to be impious, they shall become just; for the present destruction is the abolition of impiety.

Greek · §26

τῶν ἀγγέλων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλ λοντι ὑπὸ τοῦ τῶν ἀγγέλων δημιουργοῦ. Οἷον, οὐκ ἀτιμάζων τὸν ἄφρονα ἀποστήσεις τῆς ἀφροσύνης, ἀλλὰ διδάσκων αὐτὸν ὁποίας ἀτιμίας ἡ ἀφροσύνη γίνεται πρόξενος· ὁ γὰρ εἰς πρόσωπον ἔλεγχος, ἀναισχυντότερον ποιεῖ τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα. Τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥημάτων, τὰ μὲν εἰς υἱῶν ζωὴν, τὰ δὲ εἰς θεραπόντων γέγραπται. Εἰ ἔστιν ἀνδρεῖος ἐν ἀσεβείαις, ἔστιν ἀνδρεῖος καὶ ἐν ἀρεταῖς· καὶ εἰ ὁ ἀνδρεῖος ἐν ἀσεβείαις συκο φαντεῖ πτωχοὺς, ὁ ἀνδρεῖος ἐν ἀρεταῖς παρακαλεῖ πτωχούς· οὐκοῦν πᾶς ὁ παρακαλῶν πτωχοὺς ἐν ἀσε βείαις συμπράττειν, συκοφαντεῖ αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, τουτέστιν ἀντιδιαβάλλει, ὅπως συναπολεσθῶσιν αὐτῷ. Ὁ λαῦρος ὑετὸς οὐ μόνον τοὺς καρποὺς ἀπόλλυσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς, τὸ τοὺς καρποὺς δι δοῦν, ἐξεδαφίζει· ἔστι δὲ καὶ ὑετὸς εἰρηνικὸς, ποιῶν 17.244 εὐθαλὲς τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς, καὶ τρέφων καὶ ζωο γονῶν τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ καρπούς· καὶ ὁ μὲν λαῦρος, διὰ τὴν ἀπώλειαν τῶν καρπῶν ἀποκτείνει τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ὁ δὲ εἰρηνικὸς, διὰ τῶν καρπῶν ζωο γονεῖ. Ἔστι καὶ νόμος παράνομος, καὶ νόμος δίκαιος· καὶ ὁ μὲν παράνομος τοὺς αὐτῷ πειθομένους ἀπο λεῖ· ὁ δὲ δίκαιος οὐ μόνον μακρότητα ἡμερῶν δωρεῖ ται, ἀλλὰ καὶ βασιλείας οὐρανῶν πρόξενος γίνεται τοῖς αὐτῷ ὑπείκουσιν, ὅτι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστι· πᾶς δὲ ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὸν Θεὸν, ἀγαπᾷ τὸν νόμον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ποιεῖ τὰ τοῦ νόμου· πᾶς δὲ ὁ ποιῶν τὸν νόμον, ἀπά θειαν κτᾶται καὶ γνῶσιν Θεοῦ· εἰ δὲ οἱ ἀγαπῶντες τὸν νόμον, παραβάλλουσιν ἑαυτοῖς τεῖχος, νῦν τεῖχος τὴν ἀπάθειαν σημαίνει καὶ τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἅπερ μόνα πέφυκε φυλάσσειν τὴν φύσιν τὴν λο γικήν. Εἰ πλοῦτος ἀσεβῶν κακία, ἄνδρες δὲ σοφοὶ ἀπο λέσουσιν αὐτὸν, δῆλον ὡς κακίαν ἀπολλύουσιν οἱ δί καιοι καὶ σοφοὶ, διὰ τῆς πνευματικῆς διδασκαλίας τοὺς ἀκαθάρτους πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἐπανάγοντες. Οὐχ ὁ νόμος βδελύσσεταί τινος τὴν προσευχὴν, ἀλλ' ὁ δεδωκὼς τὸν νόμον Θεὸς, τοῦ ἐκκλίνοντος τὸ οὖς αὑτοῦ, καὶ μὴ εἰσακούειν ποιοῦντος τοῦ νόμου· καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησι· Προειδοῦσα δὲ ἡ Γραφὴ τὸ μέλλον, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ὁ τὴν Γραφὴν δεδωκὼς προῄδει τὸ μέλλον. Ὁ τὰ ἐνσπειρόμενα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ κακὰ, μὴ ἐξαγγέλλων αὐτὰ Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἢ θεοφιλεῖ ἀνθρώπῳ, οὐκ εὐοδωθήσεται ἐν τῇ κατὰ τοῦ πονηροῦ νίκῃ· ὁ δὲ ἐξαγγέλλων ἀγαπη θήσεται ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ· καὶ ὁ Ἰάκωβός φησιν· Ἀλλήλοις ἐξαγγέλλετε τὰ παραπτώματα ὑμῶν, ὅπως ἰαθῆτε· καὶ ὁ Ψαλμῳδὸς εἶπεν· Ἐξαγορεύσω κατ' ἐμοῦ τὴν ἀνομίαν μου Κυ ρίῳ, καὶ σὺ ἀφῆκας τὴν ἀσέβειαν τῆς καρδίας μου. Αἱ πρόσοδοι τοῦ πονηροῦ βασιλέως, εἰσὶν αἱ κα κίαι καὶ τὰ ψευδῆ δόγματα· ταῦτα γὰρ αὐτῷ προσ οδεύουσιν οἱ βασιλευόμενοι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ· συκοφαντοῦνται δὲ τῷ Θεῷ οἱ τῷ πονηρῷ πειθαρχοῦντες· ὅτι οὐ τῷ Θεῷ, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἐχθρῷ αὐτοῦ τῷ διαβόλῳ ὑπόκεινται· ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ Θεὸς μισεῖ τὸν διάβολον διὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ τὰ πονηρὰ, αὐτὸς πάλιν διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ συκο φαντεῖ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους πρὸς τὸν Θεόν· ὁ δὲ μισῶν ἀδικῆσαι τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ, τὸν μακρὸν τοῦ ἀπεράν του αἰῶνος χρόνον βιώσεται. Ἄνδρα ἐνταῦθα φονέα τὸν διάβολόν φησιν· ὁ δὲ ἐγγυώμενος τὴν ἀδικίαν, ἐγγυᾶται τὸν Σατανᾶν. ὑπισχνούμενος αὐτῷ ἐκεῖνος, τοὺς τῆς ἀδικίας ἀπο δώσειν καρπούς. –Ἔθνος παράνομον, τὰ δόγματα τῶν δαιμόνων ἐστὶν, οἷς οὐχ ὑπακούει ὁ παιδευθεὶς υἱός· υἱὸν δὲ τὸν νοῦν φησιν· ὁ δὲ ἐποχὴν ποιῶν τοῦ νοῦ τοῦ μὴ παραρίπτεσθαι ἐν τῇ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἔθνους κακίᾳ, ὡς περιτραχήλιον κόσμον προξενεῖ λαβεῖν τῇ 17.245 ἰδίᾳ ψυχῇ ἄφθαρτον ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου. Ὁ καθαίρων ἑαυτὸν ἐκ τῶν παθῶν, καὶ ἐργαζό μενος τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῦ ψυχοτρόφου ἄρτου σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως Θεοῦ ἐμπλησθήσεται· ὁ δὲ διώ κων σχολὴν τοῦ μὴ ποιεῖν τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ, πλησθήσεται πενίας. Οἱ νῦν ἐλεήμονες, ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τῷ μέλλοντι ἐλεη θέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ γενόμενοι ἄγγελοι, ἄρξουσι τῶν βασκάνων καὶ πλουσίων ἀσεβῶν· τοιοῦτον δὲ ἀξίωμα καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὑτοῦ ὑπέσχετο δώσειν Κύριος, τὸ καθίσαι αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ δώδεκα θρόνων, κρί νοντας δώδεκα φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· θρόνος δέ ἐστιν ἐν ᾧ ὁ νοῦς καθέζεται, πλήρης γνώσεως πνευματι κῆς, τοὺς πλανηθέντας ἀπὸ τῆς θεοσεβείας ἐπισυν άγουσα· τὸ δὲ κρίνειν ἐνταῦθα, τὸ διδάσκειν σημαί νει· ὡς καὶ τὸ, Ἄνοιγε σὸν στόμα λόγῳ Θεοῦ, καὶ κρῖνε πάντα ὑγιῶς, ἀντὶ τοῦ, δίδασκε· ἅμα δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἰστέον, ὅτι ὁ ἐλεήμων κρατήσας τοῦ βασκάνου, αὐτὸς μὲν οὐ γενήσεται βάσκανος, ἐλεήμονα δὲ μᾶλ λον ποιήσει τὸν βάσκανον. Ἐὰν ἀποθῶνται οἱ ἀσεβεῖς τὸ εἶναι ἀσεβεῖς, γε νήσονται δίκαιοι· ἡ γὰρ ἀπώλεια νῦν τὴν ἀναίρεσιν τῆς ἀσεβείας

Unit 7 rem mid§27

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27This signifies that, just as the Lord called Matthew away from the tax office, He bestowed righteousness upon him; for the righteous increase whenever the wicked abandon their wickedness and become righteous along with those who are fervent in devotion. The righteous also groan and grieve, seeing the wicked standing in the place of wickedness, unrepentant. Indeed, a man who rebukes in the Lord’s discipline and instruction is better than one who urges in a hard heart, promising to share enjoyment with him in the burning; for when he is suddenly ignited in the desire of the passions, death that comes upon all arrives upon his fellow workers, and there is no healing for their souls. He did not say that healing would not exist after the fire is quenched, but that there is no healing while it burns, because it clearly has as fuel the substances of the passions—wood, grass, stubble—since, if it is true that health naturally grows after the burner for those who are being burned, then the same applies here. When the righteous are praised by the Lord on the day of judgment, the peoples of their share will rejoice; but those who are under the rulers and authorities, and the world-governors of this world, will then certainly groan. Here he speaks of the Father as God; but the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, seeing those who are called after Christ, following Him in deed and word and wisdom, and imitating Him, rejoices over them. And the good shepherd is a mind that possesses dispassionate thoughts; but if this is so, then a rash thought is a passionate thought, and a sheep is a dispassionate thought; therefore, the Lord sets those who are like goats on His left.

The sheep are on the right hand; he calls those who possess irrational souls goats, and in the same way he names those who have the tares among them tares, and those who possess the wheat, wheat, calling them by the name of their possession from the skilled and practiced habit of the hand; such also is what is said by Paul: Love does not boast, that is to say, the one who has love. Christ raises up the rational nature through his commandments, but the lawless Antichrist stirs up the human race toward destruction. In all things, judging is said to be teaching; for indeed, the one who judges between two or more concerning one thing teaches what is just and how to abstain from injustice; likewise, concerning virtues and every good thing, judging is said to teach; but a man here judging nations, he says, is Peter, who has taught the whole world the faith in Christ and godliness; and Paul, and the other teachers who came after; but a base man, those who follow Theodotus and Judas and the Samosatene and those of like mind with them; moreover, concerning the base man, David says: And they shall laugh at him, and they shall say: Behold the man who did not make God his helper. Men of blood are the demons, who have slain those living in Christ by shedding blood; but the upright will seek out his soul; these are those who wish to do and to understand what they themselves have practiced and conceived. Truly, the foolish man has an unrestrained temper; but this one is tempered in part, that is, becoming angry at things that are burning with passion. And toward the simpler ones, this must be said:

To those who are earnest, the one who through patience gradually consumes anger, bit by bit. To those who keep the law, the Lord will be an interpreter in the kingdom; but to those who break the law, there will not be an interpreter, but rather a punisher will be present. For no one is by nature hard-hearted; this is shown by the fact that, even if one understands, they do not obey. For the one who is by nature hard-hearted would never think anything correct at any time. I say this because of Pharaoh, who was hardened against Israel, and who was not instructed by words but by scourges. If indulgence leads to sin, and everyone who sins is a slave to sin, then everyone who indulges is a slave to sin. And on the last day, they will not grieve little over themselves. The Lord humbles the proud, but gives glory to the humble. —He says that pride is wickedness; and pride, along with the hunger it brings, causes destruction through wickedness to those who practice it, on the day of judgment. But to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the glory they gave God in hymns and by keeping His commandments will glory them. For glory is doing God’s commandments, as the Lord Himself says: “Those who glorify Me, I will glorify.” And wickedness begets pride in the rational soul. A thief is none other than the devil; but the one who divides himself — keeping part of God’s commandments and doing part of what is evil — hates his own soul. For a little

Greek · §27

σημαίνει· οὕτω καὶ Ματθαῖον τοῦ τελωνείου ἀπολέσας ὁ Κύριος, δικαιοσύνην αὐτῷ ἐχαρίσατο· πληθύνονται γὰρ οἱ δίκαιοι, ὅταν οἱ ἀσε βεῖς καταλείψωσι τὴν ἀσέβειαν, καὶ σὺν τοῖς δι καίοις γενήσονται δίκαιοι· στένουσι δὲ καὶ οἱ δίκαιοι καὶ ὀδυνῶνται, ὁρῶντες τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς ἐν τόπῳ τῆς ἀσεβείας ἱσταμένους, καὶ μὴ μετανοοῦντας. Κρείσσων γὰρ ἀνὴρ ὁ ἐν παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ Κυρίου ἐλέγχων, ἢ ὁ ἐν σκληρᾷ καρδίᾳ παραινῶν καὶ ὑπισχνούμενος συναπολαῦσαι αὐτῷ τῶν ἐν κα κίᾳ· ἐξαπίνης γὰρ φλεγομένου αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ὀρέξει τῶν παθῶν, ὁ ἐπὶ πάντας θάνατος, ἐπελθὼν ἐπὶ τοὺς κατ' αὐτῶν συμπράκτορας, οὐκ ἔστιν ἴασις τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτῶν· οὐκ εἶπεν δὲ, ὅτι παυσαμένης τῆς φλογὸς οὐκ ἔσται ἴασις, ἀλλὰ φλεγομένου αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔσται ἴασις, ὡς ἔχοντος δηλονότι τὰ τῶν παθῶν ὑπεκκαύ ματα, ξύλα, χόρτον, καλάμην· εἴπερ καὶ τοῖς καιο μένοις μετὰ τὸν καυτῆρα πέφυκεν ἡ ὑγίεια προσγί νεσθαι. Ἐγκωμιαζομένων τῶν δικαίων ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐν τῇ τῆς κρίσεως ἡμέρᾳ, οἱ τῆς αὐτῶν μερίδος λαοὶ εὐφρανθήσονται· ὅσοι δέ εἰσιν ὑπὸ τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας, καὶ τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, οὗτοι πάντως τότε στένουσιν. Πατέρα ἐνταῦθα τὸν Θεόν φησιν· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοὺς κατὰ Χριστὸν ἐπονομαζομένους, ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ καὶ σοφίᾳ ἑπομένους τε καὶ μιμουμένους αὐτὸν, θεωρῶν αὐτοὺς, εὐφραίνεται ἐπ' αὐτοῖς· ποιμὴν δέ ἐστιν ἀγαθὸς νοῦς, ἀπαθεῖς λογισμοὺς κεκτημένος· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, οὐκοῦν ἔριφός ἐστι λογισμὸς ἐμπαθής· καὶ πρόβατόν ἐστι λογισμὸς ἀπαθής· διὸ καὶ τοὺς ἐρί 17.248 φους ὁ Κύριος ἵστησιν ἐξ ἀριστερῶν, τὰ δὲ πρόβατα ἐκ δεξιῶν· ἐρίφους λέγων τοὺς κεκτημένους λογι σμοὺς ἐμπαθεῖς· οὕτω καὶ τοὺς ἔχοντας τὰ ζιζάνια, ζιζάνια προσηγόρευσε· καὶ τοὺς τὸν σῖτον ἔχοντας, σῖτον, ἀπὸ τῆς χειρίστης καὶ ἀρίστης ἕξεως ὀνομάσας αὐτούς· τοιοῦτόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ παρὰ τῷ Παύλῳ λεγό μενον· Ἡ ἀγάπη οὐ περπερεύεται, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ὁ ἔχων τὴν ἀγάπην. Ὁ μὲν Χριστὸς ἀνίστησι τὴν φύσιν τὴν λογικὴν διὰ τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ· ὁ δὲ παράνομος Ἀντίχριστος, πρὸς ἀπώλειαν ἐρεθίζει τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἐν παντὶ τὸ κρίνειν, διδάσκειν λέγεται· καὶ γὰρ ὁ μεταξὺ δύο ἢ καὶ πλειόνων, περὶ ἑνὸς πράγματος κρίνων, διδάσκει τὸ δίκαιον, καὶ ἀπέχεσθαι ἀδικίας· ὡσαύτως καὶ ἐπὶ ἀρετῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν ἀγαθὸν, τὸ κρίνειν διδάσκειν λέλεκται· ἄνδρα δὲ ἐνταῦθα κρί νειν ἔθνη, τὸν Πέτρον φησὶ, τὸν τὴν οἰκουμένην δι δάξαντα τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν πίστιν καὶ εὐσέβειαν· καὶ Παῦλον, καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς μετέπειτα διδασκάλους· ἄνδρα δὲ φαῦλον, τοὺς κατὰ Θευδᾶν καὶ Ἰούδαν, καὶ Σαμοσατέα, καὶ τοὺς τούτων ὁμόφρονας· ἐπὶ δὲ τὸν φαῦλόν φησιν ὁ ∆αυΐδ· Καὶ ἐπ' αὐτὸν γελά σονται, καὶ ἐροῦσιν· Ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος, ὃς οὐκ ἔθετο τὸν Θεὸν βοηθὸν αὐτοῦ. Ἄνδρες αἱμάτων οἱ δαίμονές εἰσιν, οἱ τοὺς ἐν Χριστῷ ζῶντας ἐκχύσει αἵματος ἀποκτείναντες· οἱ δὲ εὐθεῖς ἐκζητήσουσι ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ· οὗτοι οἱ τὰ αὐτῶν πρακτέα καὶ νενοημένα ποιῆσαι καὶ νοῆσαι βουλόμενοι. Ὄντως ὁ ἄφρων ἀκράτητον ἔχει τὸν θυμὸν αὑτοῦ· οὗτος δὲ ταμιεύεται κατὰ μέρος, ἤγουν ἐπὶ τοῖς δι καίοις ὀργιζόμενος πράγμασι. Καὶ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ἁπλουστέρους λεκτέον τοῦτο· πρὸς δὲ τοὺς σπου δαίους, ὁ διὰ τῆς μακροθυμίας καταναλίσκων τὸν θυμὸν κατὰ μέρος. Τοῖς μὲν φυλάξασι τὸν νόμον ὑπάρξει ἐξηγητὴς ὁ Κύριος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ· τοῖς δὲ παρανομήσασιν, ἐξ ηγητὴς μὲν οὐχ ὑπάρξει, κολαστὴς δὲ ὑπάρξει. Ὅτι οὐδεὶς κατὰ φύσιν σκληρὸς, παρίστησι τὸ, Ἐὰν γὰρ καὶ νοήσῃ οὐχ ὑπακούσεται· ὁ γὰρ κατὰ φύσιν σκληρὸς, οὐκ ἂν ὀρθόν τι νοήσοι ποτέ· τοῦτο δὲ λέγω διὰ τὸν Φαραὼ σκληρυνθέντα ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ οὐ λόγοις ἀλλὰ μάστιξι παιδευθέντα. Εἰ τὸ κατασπαταλᾷν, ἁμαρτάνειν ποιεῖ, πᾶς δὲ ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν δοῦλός ἐστι τῆς ἁμαρτίας, πᾶς ἄρα ὁ σπαταλῶν δοῦλός ἐστι τῆς ἁμαρτίας· ἐν δὲ τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ οὐκ ὀλίγα ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ ὀδυνηθήσεται. Ὑβριστὰς ταπεινοῖ Κύριος, ταπεινοῖς δὲ δίδωσι δόξαν. –Ὕβριν τὴν κακίαν φησίν· ὕβριν δὲ καὶ τα πείνωσιν ἀπωλείας προξενεῖ ἡ κακία τοῖς πράττου σιν αὐτὴν, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως· τοὺς δὲ τα 17.249 πεινόφρονας ἡ δόξα, ἢν ἐδόξαζον τὸν Θεὸν ἐν ὕμνοις καὶ τηρήσει τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ, δοξάσει αὐτούς· δόξα γὰρ Θεοῦ τὸ ποιεῖν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ· καθὼς αὐτός φησιν ὁ Κύριος ἀλλ' ἢ, Τοὺς δοξάζοντάς με δοξάσω· ἡ δὲ κακία ὕβριν λογικῆς ψυχῆς προξενεῖ. Κλέπτην οὐκ ἄλλον τινὰ, εἰ μὴ τὸν διάβολον λέγει· ὁ δὲ μεριζόμενος, ἤγουν μέρος μὲν τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ προσταγμάτων τηρῶν, μέρος δὲ τοῦ πονηροῦ ποιῶν, οὗτος μισεῖ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν· μικρὸν γὰρ

Unit 7 rem close§28

28For just as the devil, having stolen the perfect man, offers him up in sacrifice, so too does the thief come only to steal, to sacrifice, and to destroy. For the thief says, "I do not come except to steal and to sacrifice and to destroy." — He spoke of the law as an oath: just as the oath places God in the soul, so the law brings God into the soul; and as perjury removes God from the soul, so lawlessness casts God out from it. Therefore, if, upon hearing the law established, we do not confess our sins before ourselves, being afraid and ashamed before men, we shall be brought to ruin. Thus David also says: "I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord concerning my iniquity, and You forgave the wickedness of my heart." And again: "Speak, you first, your sins, that you may be justified." And again Solomon says: "He who covers his wickedness shall not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes it shall find mercy." Those who fulfill the commandments serve the angels, for they are our guides, who received us from the beginning, when the Most High divided the nations and set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the angels of God. And in ministering to our leaders, the angels, in the will of the Lord, in the judgment, there shall be right standing for us before the Lord on that day when He judges the inhabited earth in righteousness, if indeed the Father has given all judgment to the Son. Courage is the best habit of the rational soul, by which it has conquered and holds fast against its enemies. Having overcome the opposing power, we strip it, learning its words about it.

So that the evils associated with it may be made plain, those who are driven out by it— not only the simple-minded, but also those who have been made light-headed by indulgence— may easily flee from it. The soul trains itself upon wool and flax, exercising the discourses concerning both animate and inanimate things; or examining the discourses about practical and natural matters; or drawing the contemplation concerning bodies and incorporeal beings toward itself through practical habit. Or again, it finds the soul risen from night, watching, discovered by the Sun of righteousness, the Bridegroom; certainly, too, when it prays not to fall into temptation, saying, “I have kept watch and become like a solitary sparrow upon the housetop”; but food for the soul is the study of divine discourses, and its works are the virtues; its attendants are the senses. Thus, the soul more precious than costly stones provides these things to its bodily dwelling. It is said that the soul of the earnest one possesses the wood of knowledge and the wood of life of the Church— knowledge as law, life as word. For this soul is the one that came forth from Christ’s side, and having been found as His bride, she is the prudent and courageous woman who has kept this faith and again awaits this heavenly Bridegroom. A pure intellect is a noose, binding virtue to virtue and doctrine to doctrine; or it is a spoken word drawing spiritual contemplation from the intellect. Without such intellect, one cannot proceed nor come to be in contemplation of incorporeal things unless one has first set right what is within; for the disturbance of one’s own inner state tends to turn one back toward the things from which one came forth. But having acquired dispassion, one continues in contemplation through time,

And he will not worry about those in his house, for all who are with him are clothed: the one, anger, with gentleness and humility of mind; the other, desire, with self-control and continence. Hesitant grains—those things which make hesitation to obtain the kingdom—are eaten by the guileless and simple-minded soul that is well-knowing and God-loving; she does not eat them, nor does she even taste them, should she happen to desire them hastily; for she calls hesitant grains the evils. False pleasures and vain beauty: the most foolish soul not only conceives and imagines what is pleasing to itself, but also undertakes in action to fulfill the contemplation. But if the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, then the soul that happens to possess wisdom praises the fear of the Lord, which has become to her a foreigner in regard to such knowledge. For they know that she possesses the knowledge concerning practical matters—namely, the choice of virtue and the flight from vice—and that she has acquired as her possession those who are taught by her; therefore, they say, having taken hold of her, we handle these things thus. Otherwise, the possession of the righteous, wisdom and prudence, understanding and virtue—these possessions are seized by the impious, who persuade the righteous to do something of the things forbidden by God, so that the mind, blinded by sin, may fall away from these holy possessions. To the understanding righteous person, the burdensome things of affairs become easy; but to the one who is otherwise disposed, and who possesses ease and some manner of refreshment, the easy things become burdensome. For they possess a discourse that is knowledgeable in theorems, yet having nothing lofty.

Greek · §28

ὅσον καὶ τέλειον αὐτὸν κλέψας ὁ διάβολος, θύσει ἑαυτῷ. Ὁ κλέπτης γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐκ ἔρχεται, εἰ μὴ ἵνα κλέψῃ καὶ θύσῃ, καὶ ἀπολέσῃ. –Ὅρκον εἶπε τὸν νόμον· ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ὅρκος τίθησι τὸν Θεὸν ἐν ψυχῇ, οὕτω καὶ ὁ νόμος εἰσάγει Θεὸν εἰς ψυχήν· καὶ ὃν τρόπον πάλιν ἀναιρεῖ ἡ ἐπιορκία Θεὸν ἐκ ψυχῆς, οὕτω καὶ ἡ παρανομία ἐκβάλλει Θεὸν ἀπ' αὐτῆς. Ἐὰν οὖν, φησὶ, νόμου τεθέντος ἀκούσαντες μὴ ἐξαγορεύσωσιν ἑαυτῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας, φοβηθέντες καὶ αἰσχυνθέντες ἀνθρώ πους, ὑποσκελισθήσονται πρὸς ἀπώλειαν· οὕτω φησὶ καὶ ὁ ∆αυΐδ· Εἶπα· Ἐξαγορεύσω κατ' ἐμοῦ τὴν ἀνο μίαν μου τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ σὺ ἀφῆκας τὴν ἀσέβειαν τῆς καρδίας μου· καί· Λέγε σὺ πρῶτος τὰς ἁμαρ τίας σου, ἵνα δικαιωθῇς· καὶ πάλιν ὁ Σολομῶν φησιν· Ὁ ἐπικαλύπτων ἀσέβειαν αὑτοῦ, οὐκ εὐοδωθήσεται· ὁ δὲ ἐξηγούμενος καὶ ἐλέγχων ἀγαπηθήσεται. Ὅσοι κατορθοῦμεν τὰς ἐντολὰς, θεραπεύομεν τοὺς ἀγγέλους· αὐτοὶ γάρ εἰσιν οἱ ἡγούμενοι ἡμῶν, ἀπ' ἀρχῆς λαβόντες ἡμᾶς, ὅτε διεμέριζεν ὁ Ὕψιστος ἔθνη, καὶ ἔστησεν ὅρια ἐθνῶν κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ· ἐν δὲ τῷ θεραπεύειν ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἡγουμένους ἡμῶν ἀγγέλους, ἐν τῷ θελήματι τοῦ Κυρίου, ἐν τῇ κρίσει δίκαιον ὑπάρξει ἡμῖν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ὅτε κρινεῖ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν δι καιοσύνῃ εἴ γε πᾶσαν τὴν κρίσιν ὁ Πατὴρ δέδωκε τῷ Υἱῷ. Ἀνδρεία ἐστὶν ἕξις ἀρίστη λογικῆς ψυχῆς, καθ' ἣν τῶν ἀντικειμένων αὕτη κεκράτηκεν ἐχθρῶν. Νικήσαντες τὴν ἀντικειμένην δύναμιν, σκυλεύομεν αὐτὴν, τοὺς περὶ αὐτῆς λόγους μανθάνοντες· ἵνα τὰ κατ' αὐτὴν φαῦλα δῆλα ποιήσαντες, ἀπαγίδευτοι μέ νωσι, μὴ μόνον οἱ ἁπλούστεροι, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ συλλαγω γηθέντες ῥᾳδίως ἐκφεύγωσιν ἀπ' αὐτῆς. Μηρύεται τὸ ἔριον καὶ λίνον ψυχὴ, τοὺς περὶ ἐμψύ χων καὶ ἀψύχων λόγους γυμνάζουσα· ἢ τοὺς περὶ πρακτικῆς καὶ φυσικῆς ἐξετάζουσα λόγους· ἢ τὴν περὶ σωμάτων καὶ ἀσωμάτων θεωρίαν διὰ τῆς πρακτι κῆς ἕλκουσα πρὸς αὐτὴν ἕξεως. Ἢ καὶ τὴν ἐκ νυκτὸς ἀνισταμένην ψυχὴν, γρηγο ροῦσαν εὑρίσκει ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος νυμφίος· πάντως δὲ καὶ προσευχομένην τοῦ μὴ ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς πειρασμὸν, λέγουσαν τὸ, Ἠγρύπνησα καὶ ἐγενόμην ὡς στρουθίον μονάζον ἐπὶ δώματος· βρῶμα δέ ἐστι ψυ χῆς, ἡ μελέτη τῶν θείων λόγων· ἔργα δὲ, αἱ ἀρεταί· 17.252 θεραπαινίδες δὲ, αἱ αἰσθήσεις· ταῦτ' οὖν παρέχει ἡ τιμιωτέρα λίθων πολυτελῶν ψυχὴ τῷ σωματικῷ αὐτῆς οἴκῳ. Τὴν τοῦ σπουδαίου ψυχήν φησιν ἔχουσαν Ἐκκλη σίαν ξύλον γνώσεως καὶ ξύλον ζωῆς· γνώσεως μὲν ὡς νόμου, ζωῆς δὲ ὡς λόγου· αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἐκ πλευρᾶς Χριστοῦ προελθοῦσα, καὶ νύμφη τούτου εὑρεθεῖσα, ἡ σώφρων καὶ ἀνδρεία γυνὴ, ἡ τὴν πίστιν τούτου τηρήσασα, καὶ τοῦτον νυμφίον ἀπ' οὐρανῶν πάλιν προσδοκῶσα. Ἄτρακτός ἐστι νοῦς καθαρὸς, συμπλέκων ἀρετὴν ἐπ' ἀρετῇ, καὶ δόγματι δόγμα· ἢ λόγος προφορικὸς, ἕλκων ἀπὸ τοῦ νοῦ πνευματικὴν θεωρίαν. Οὐκ ἂν προέλθοι νοῦς, οὐδὲ ἐν θεωρίᾳ γένοιτο τῶν ἀσωμάτων, μὴ τὰ ἔνδον διορθωσάμενος· ἡ γὰρ ταραχὴ τῶν οἰκείων ἐπιστρέφειν αὐτὸν εἴωθε πρὸς τὰ ἀφ' ὧν ἐξελήλυθεν· ἀπάθειαν δὲ κτησάμενος, χρονίσει τε ἐν τῇ θεωρίᾳ, καὶ οὐ φροντίσει τῶν ἐν οἴκῳ· ἐνδέδυνται γὰρ πάντες οἱ παρ' αὐτῆς· ὁ μὲν θυμὸς, πραότητα καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνην· ἡ δὲ ἐπιθυ μία, σωφροσύνην καὶ ἐγκράτειαν. Σῖτα ὀκνηρὰ, τὰ ὀκνοποιοῦντα τυχεῖν τῆς βασι λείας τοὺς ἁπλουστέρους καὶ ἀφελεστέρους, ἡ εὐγνώ μων καὶ θεοφιλὴς ψυχὴ οὐκ ἐσθίει, οὔτε μὴν τού των γεύεται, εἰ τάχα τύχοι αὐτῶν ἐπιθυμῆσαι· τὰς κακίας γάρ φησι σῖτα ὀκνηρά. Ψευδεῖς ἀρέσκειαι, καὶ μάταιον κάλλος. Ἡ ἀφρο νεστάτη ψυχὴ οὐ μόνον ἐννοεῖ καὶ φαντάζεται τὸ αὑτῇ ἀρεστὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔργῳ ἐγχειρεῖ πληρῶσαι τὴν θεωρίαν· εἰ δὲ ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος Κυρίου, δι καίως ἡ τυχοῦσα σοφίας ψυχὴ αἰνεῖ τὸν φόβον τοῦ Κυρίου, ὃς γέγονεν αὐτῇ τῆς τοιαύτης γνώσεως πρό ξενος. Ἴσασι γὰρ ὅτι τὴν μὲν περὶ τὰ πρακτέα κέκτηται γνῶσιν, ἀρετῆς μὲν αἵρεσιν, φυγὴν δὲ κακίας, καὶ ὅτι κτῆσιν ἔχει τοὺς διδασκομένους ὑπ' αὐτοῦ· φασὶν οὖν ὡς αὐτὸν ἑλόντες, καὶ τούτοις χειρούμεθα· ἄλλως δὲ κτῆσις τοῦ δικαίου, σοφία καὶ φρόνησις, σύνεσίς τε καὶ ἀρετή· καταλαμβάνονται δὲ τὴν κτῆσιν ταύ την οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, πείθοντες τὸν δίκαιον ποιῆσαί τι τῶν ἀπηγορευμένων Θεῷ· ἵνα τυφλωθεὶς ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρ τίας ὁ νοῦς ἐκπέσῃ τῶν ἁγίων τούτων κτημάτων. Τὸ μὲν συνετῷ δικαίῳ, καὶ τὰ δυσχερῆ τῶν πρα γμάτων εὔκολα γίνεται· τῷ δὲ ἑτέρως ἔχοντι, καὶ τὰ εὔκολα καὶ ἀνάψυξίν τινα ἔχοντα, δυσχερῆ καθίσταται. Λόγον γὰρ ἔχουσι θεωρημάτων ἐπιστήμονα, μηδὲν ἔχοντες ὑψηλόν.

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