2

The father is also added, so that you might know that Solomon was wise from a wise and prophetic father, having been instructed in the sacred writings from infancy, and not having obtained his rule by lot, nor having forced his way into a kingdom that did not belong to him in any way, but having received the paternal scepters by the just judgment of his father, and by the decree of God. This man became king of Jerusalem. And this is not insignificant; especially for distinguishing between those of the same name, and then also because of the construction of the much-celebrated temple; so that you may know its builder, and the cause of all the administration within the city and of its ordinances and good order. That the author of the discourse is a king also contributes greatly to the acceptance of the exhortations. For if a kingdom is a lawful superintendence, it is clear that the precepts given by a king, at least one who is truly worthy of this title, have great legality, aiming at what is beneficial to all in common, and not composed for the purpose of his own advantage. For in this a tyrant differs from a king, that the one looks out for his own interests in every way, while the other provides what is beneficial to his subjects. The useful things from the book are also enumerated, what and how many they are that accrue to those who are taught. And first, from the Proverbs it is possible to know wisdom and instruction. Wisdom is the knowledge of things divine and human, and of their causes. He therefore who has successfully theologized has known wisdom, as the blessed Paul also says: But we speak wisdom among the perfect; a wisdom not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away; but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God foreordained before the ages. And he who conceives of the Creator from the constitution of the world, 31.392 he too has known God through the wisdom of the world. For his invisible attributes, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood through the things he has made. And it brings us to the conception of God, through what it says: God by wisdom founded the earth; and, When he prepared the heavens, I was present with him; and, I was beside him, fitting things together; and I was she in whom he delighted. For all these things, personifying wisdom for us, in order to present the knowledge of her clearly, he speaks from her perspective. And in general, the phrase, The Lord created me as the beginning of his ways, he says concerning the wisdom that is manifest in the world, which all but sends forth a voice through the things that are seen, that it has come from God, and that such great wisdom does not inhere in created things automatically

. For just as the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of his hands (and they declare it without a voice); for there are no speeches, nor words, whose voices are not heard; so also are there certain words of primordial wisdom, which before all other things in the creation was laid down together with the creation. This, while silent, cries out to its own creator and Lord, so that through it you may ascend to the concept of the only wise one. But there is also a human wisdom: the experience of the things of life, according to which we call wise those who are knowledgeable in each of the useful arts. Wherefore also much of the book is spent by the author in exhortation concerning wisdom. Wisdom is praised in the streets, and speaks freely in the public squares; it is proclaimed from the tops of the walls. For seeing the ambition of men, and that we all naturally embrace what is conspicuous about her, through praises of wisdom he rouses souls not to lay claim to her sluggishly nor as a secondary matter. He says her word is everywhere abundant, in the roads, in the marketplaces, in the strongholds of the city. For this reason he speaks of gates and squares and walls, indicating her conspicuousness through the streets and squares, and through the walls the benefit that comes from her, and her sufficiency for all security in life. And wishing to make us intimate with her: Say, he says, that wisdom is your sister; and again:

2

Πρόσκειται καὶ ὁ πατὴρ, ὥστε σε γνῶναι, ὅτι σοφὸς ἦν ὁ Σολομὼν ἐκ σοφοῦ καὶ προφήτου πατρὸς, ἐκ βρέφους τὰ ἱερὰ γράμματα πεπαιδευμένος, καὶ οὐχὶ κλήρῳ τὴν ἀρχὴν λαχὼν, οὐδ' εἰς οὐδὲν αὐτῷ προσήκουσαν τὴν βασιλείαν εἰσβιασάμενος, ἀλλὰ κρίσει δικαίᾳ πατρὸς, καὶ ψήφῳ Θεοῦ τὰ πατρῷα σκῆπτρα παραλαβών. Οὗτος βασιλεὺς ἐγένετο τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ. Οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀργόν· μάλιστα μὲν πρὸς τὴν τῶν ὁμωνυμιῶν διάκρισιν, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ διὰ τὴν κατασκευὴν τοῦ πολυθρυλλήτου ναοῦ· ἵνα γνωρίσῃς αὐτοῦ τὸν δημιουργὸν, καὶ πάσης τῆς κατὰ τὴν πόλιν οἰκονομίας καὶ τῶν θεσμῶν καὶ τῆς εὐταξίας τὸν αἴτιον. Μέγα δὲ συμβάλλεται πρὸς τὴν τῶν παραινέσεων παραδοχὴν καὶ τὸ βασιλέα εἶναι τὸν συγγραφέα τοῦ λόγου. Εἰ γὰρ βασιλεία ἐστὶν ἔννομος ἐπιστασία, δῆλον, ὅτι αἱ παρὰ βασιλέως διδόμεναι ὑποθῆκαι, τοῦ γε ὡς ἀληθῶς τῆς προσηγορίας ταύτης ἀξίου, πολὺ τὸ νόμιμον ἔχουσι, τὸ κοινῇ πᾶσι λυσιτελὲς σκοποῦσαι, καὶ οὐχὶ πρὸς τὸν σκοπὸν τῆς ἰδίας ὠφελείας συντεταγμέναι. Τοῦτο γὰρ διαφέρει τύραννος βασιλέως, ὅτι ὁ μὲν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ πανταχόθεν σκοπεῖ, ὁ δὲ τὸ τοῖς ἀρχομένοις ὠφέλιμον ἐκπορίζει. Ἀπαριθμεῖται δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐκ τῆς βίβλου χρήσιμα, τίνα καὶ πόσα τοῖς διδασκομένοις προσγίνεται. Καὶ πρῶτον ἐκ τῶν Παροιμιῶν ἐστι γνῶναι σοφίαν καὶ παιδείαν. Ἔστι δὲ σοφία ἐπιστήμη θείων τε καὶ ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων, καὶ τῶν τούτοις αἰτιῶν. Ὁ οὖν ἐπιτετευγμένως θεολογῶν ἔγνω σοφίαν, ὡς καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος λέγει· Σοφίαν δὲ λαλοῦμεν ἐν τοῖς τελείοις· σοφίαν δὲ οὐ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, οὐδὲ τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου τῶν καταργουμένων· ἀλλὰ λαλοῦμεν Θεοῦ σοφίαν ἐν μυστηρίῳ, τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην, ἣν προώρισεν ὁ Θεὸς πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων. Καὶ ὁ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου δὲ κατασκευῆς τὸν δημιουργὸν ἐννοῶν, 31.392 ἔγνω καὶ αὐτὸς διὰ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου σοφίας τὸν Θεόν. Τὰ γὰρ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασι νοούμενα καθορᾶται. Προσβιβάζει δὲ ἡμᾶς τῇ περὶ Θεοῦ ἐννοίᾳ, δι' ὧν φησιν· Ὁ Θεὸς τῇ σοφίᾳ ἐθεμελίωσε τὴν γῆν· καὶ τὸ, Ἡνίκα ἡτοίμαζε τὸν οὐρανὸν, συμπαρήμην αὐτῷ· καὶ τὸ, Ἤμην παρ' αὐτῷ ἁρμόζουσα· κἀγὼ ἤμην, ᾗ προσέχαιρε. Ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα, προσωποποιήσας ἡμῖν τὴν σοφίαν, ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἐναργῶς αὐτῆς παραστῆσαι τὴν γνῶσιν, ἀπ' αὐτῆς διαλέγεται. Καὶ ὅλως τὸ, Κύριος ἔκτισέ με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ, περὶ τῆς ἐμφαινομένης σοφίας τῷ κόσμῳ φησὶ, μονονουχὶ φωνὴν ἀφιείσης διὰ τῶν ὁρωμένων, ὅτι παρὰ Θεοῦ γέγονε, καὶ οὐκ αὐτομάτως ἡ τοσαύτη σοφία τοῖς ἀποτελεσθεῖσιν ἐμπρέπει

. Ὡς γὰρ Οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν Θεοῦ, καὶ ποίησιν τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀναγγέλλει τὸ στερέωμα (διηγοῦνται δὲ ἄνευ φωνῆς)· οὐ γάρ εἰσι λαλιαὶ, οὐδὲ λόγοι, ὧν οὐχὶ ἀκούονται αἱ φωναὶ αὐτῶν· οὕτως εἰσί τινες καὶ σοφίας λόγοι τῆς ἀρχεγόνου, τῆς πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἐν τῇ δημιουργίᾳ συγκαταβληθείσης τῇ κτίσει. Αὕτη σιωπῶσα βοᾷ τὸν ἑαυτῆς κτίστην καὶ Κύριον, ἵνα δι' αὐτῆς ἀναδράμῃς ἐπὶ τὴν ἔννοιαν τοῦ μόνου σοφοῦ. Ἔστι δέ τις καὶ ἀνθρωπίνη σοφία· ἡ ἐμπειρία τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον πραγμάτων, καθ' ἣν σοφοὺς λέγομεν τοὺς καθ' ἑκάστην τῶν ὠφελίμων τεχνῶν ἐπιστήμονας. ∆ιόπερ καὶ τὸ πολὺ τῆς βίβλου ἐν τῇ περὶ τῆς σοφίας προτροπῇ τῷ συγγραφεῖ κατανάλωται. Σοφία ἐν ἐξόδοις ὑμνεῖται, ἐν δὲ πλατείαις παῤῥησίαν ἄγει· ἐπ' ἄκρων δὲ τειχέων κηρύσσεται. Ὁρῶν γὰρ τὸ φιλότιμον τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ὅτι πάντες φυσικῶς τὸ περιφανὲς αὐτῆς ἀσπαζόμεθα, διὰ τῶν ἐπαίνων τῆς σοφίας ἐπεγείρει τὰς ψυχὰς πρὸς τὸ μὴ νωθρῶς μηδὲ παρέργως αὐτῆς ἀντιποιεῖσθαι. Πανταχοῦ αὐτῆς πολὺν εἶναι τὸν λόγον φησὶν, ἐν ὁδοῖς, ἐν ἀγοραῖς, ἐν τοῖς ὀχυρώμασι τῆς πόλεως. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πύλας λέγει καὶ πλατείας καὶ τείχη, διὰ μὲν τῶν ἐξόδων καὶ τῶν πλατειῶν τὸ περιφανὲς αὐτῆς ὑποφαίνων, διὰ δὲ τῶν τειχῶν τὸ ἀπ' αὐτῆς ὠφέλιμον, καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀσφάλειαν τοῦ βίου αὔταρκες. Καὶ βουλόμενος ἡμᾶς αὐτῇ προσοικειῶσαι· Εἶπον, φησὶ, τὴν σοφίαν σὴν ἀδελφὴν εἶναι· καὶ πάλιν·