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but in that which is broadened through virtues, it exercises boldness. And he calls its highest wall the highest impassibility, since “those who love the law surround themselves with a wall,” for which wall David also prays, saying: “let the walls of Jerusalem be built,” that is, of such a soul, those things which have clearly fallen because of the pretext of Uriah. And he calls the gates of the powerful the virtues of the wise: “for open to me,” he says, “the gates of righteousness” and “the powerful are quick-tempered; let them not drink wine, lest having drunk it they forget wisdom and are not able to judge the weak rightly.” 13 1, 26 Therefore I too will laugh at your destruction; and I will rejoice, whenever ruin comes upon you How then does Solomon say before: “but he who rejoices at another's destruction will not be held guiltless”? Or perhaps wisdom rejoices in this way, as it rejoiced at the destruction of Matthew the tax-collector and at the destruction of the thief who believed in Christ. For wisdom destroyed the thief in the one, and the tax-collector in the other. 14 1, 27.1-3 and when terror comes upon you suddenly, and destruction is present like a whirlwind, or when affliction and siege come upon you A siege is moral teaching that destroys the badly built soul. 15 1, 30.1 nor would they attend to my counsels If it is up to us to be willing to attend to the counsels of wisdom and not willing to attend, we have become self-determining. Similar to this is also: “if you are willing and listen to me, you will eat the good things of the earth; but if you are not willing and do not listen to me, a sword will devour you; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things.” 16 1, 32.1 For because they wronged the innocent, they will be slain Just as infants are between the just and the unjust, so also are all men between angels and demons, being neither demons nor being called angels until the consummation of the age. 17 1, 33 But he who listens to me will dwell in hope and will rest fearlessly from every evil The impassible one rests fearlessly from every evil thought.

18 2, 1 My son, if having received the word of my commandment you hide it within yourself, 2, 2.1

your ear will hearken to wisdom He who does the commandment of God hides it, since even the demons are said to snatch it away by not allowing us to do it. 19 2, 3.1-2 For if you call upon wisdom and give your voice to understanding Now he calls impassibility of the soul 'voice'; for this is by nature able to call upon the knowledge of God. Thus David also says: “with my voice I cried to the Lord”; and again: “attend to the voice of my prayer.” 20 2, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and you will find the knowledge of God Then you will understand how the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and how it becomes the agent of the knowledge of God. But wisdom and understanding must pre-exist in order to be able to understand the fear of the Lord. And we will bring these things to those who despise wisdom and understanding, but wish to take refuge in fearing God as if it were an easy matter. 21 2, 9 then you will understand righteousness and judgment, and you will set right all good paths He calls 'paths' the commandments of God that lead us to the knowledge of God. And David says: “therefore I was directed toward all your commandments.” 22 2, 12 that he may deliver you from the evil way and from the man who speaks nothing trustworthy The holy angels speak all things that are trustworthy; men, some things trustworthy, and some untrustworthy; but the devil nothing trustworthy, that is, nothing worthy of faith. For now he calls the devil 'man', since an evil man sowed the tares. 23 2, 17 My son, let not evil counsel overtake you, which forsakes the teaching of youth and has forgotten the divine covenant If counsel is some movement of the mind, how has it forsaken the teaching of youth? And how has it forgotten the divine covenant? For he speaks to us about evil counsel as if about a rational animal.

2

ἐν δὲ τῇ πλατυνομένῃ διὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν παρρησίαν ἄγει. Ἄκρον δὲ τεῖχος αὐτῆς τὴν ἄκραν ἀπάθειαν λέγει, εἴπερ «οἱ ἀγαπῶντες τὸν νόμον περιβάλλουσιν ἑαυτοῖς τεῖχος», ὑπὲρ οὗ τείχους εὔχεται καὶ ὁ ∆αυὶδ λέγων· «οἰκοδομηθήτω τὰ τείχη Ἱερουσαλήμ», τουτέστιν τῆς τοιᾶσδε ψυχῆς τὰ καταπεπτωκότα δηλονότι ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Οὐρίου προφάσεως. Πύλας δὲ δυναστῶν τὰς ἀρετὰς τῶν σοφῶν λέγει· «ἀνοίξατε γάρ μοι, φησίν, πύλας δικαιοσύνης» καὶ «οἱ δυνάσται θυμώδεις εἰσίν· οἶνον μὴ πινέτωσαν, ἵνα μὴ πιόντες ἐπιλάθωνται τῆς σοφίας καὶ ὀρθὰ κρίνειν οὐ μὴ δύνωνται τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς». 13 1, 26 τοιγαροῦν κἀγὼ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ ἀπωλείᾳ ἐπιγελάσομαι· καταχαροῦμαι δέ, ἡνίκα ἂν ἔρχηται ὑμῖν ὄλεθρος Πῶς οὖν ἔμπροσθέν φησιν ὁ Σολομών· «ὁ δὲ ἐπιχαίρων ἀπολλυμένῳ οὐκ ἀθῳωθήσεται»; Ἢ τάχα οὕτως χαίρει ἡ σοφία ὡς ἐχάρη ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπωλείᾳ Ματθαίου τοῦ τελώνου καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ λῃστοῦ ἀπωλείᾳ τοῦ πιστεύσαντος τῷ Χριστῷ. Τοῦ μὲν γὰρ τὸν λῃστὴν ἡ σοφία, τοῦ δὲ τὸν τελώνην ἀπώλεσεν. 14 1, 27.1-3 καὶ ὡς ἂν ἀφίκηται ὑμῖν ἄφνω θόρυβος, ἡ δὲ καταστροφὴ ὁμοίως καταιγίδι παρῇ ἢ ὅταν ἔρχηται ὑμῖν θλῖψις καὶ πολιορκία Πολιορκία ἐστὶν διδασκαλία ἠθικὴ τὴν κακῶς οἰκοδομηθεῖσαν ψυχὴν καταστρέφουσα. 15 1, 30.1 οὐδὲ ἤθελον ἐμαῖς προσέχειν βουλαῖς Εἰ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστιν τὸ θέλειν προσέχειν ταῖς τῆς σοφίας βουλαῖς καὶ μὴ θέλειν προσέχειν, γεγόναμεν αὐτεξούσιοι. Ὅμοιον τούτῳ ἐστὶν καὶ τὸ «ἐὰν θέλητε καὶ εἰσακούσητέ μου, τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς φάγεσθε· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ θέλητε μηδὲ εἰσακούσητέ μου, μάχαιρα ὑμᾶς κατέδεται· τὸ γὰρ στόμα κυρίου ἐλάλησε ταῦτα». 16 1, 32.1 ἀνθ' ὧν γὰρ ἠδίκουν νηπίους, φονευθήσονται Ὥσπερ τὰ νήπια μεταξὺ δικαίων καὶ ἀδίκων ἐστίν, οὕτως καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι μεταξὺ ἀγγέλων τε καὶ δαιμόνων εἰσίν, μήτε δαίμονες ὄντες, μήτε ἄγγελοι χρηματίζοντες μέχρι τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος. 17 1, 33 ὁ δὲ ἐμοῦ ἀκούων κατασκηνώσει ἐν ἐλπίδι καὶ ἡσυχάσει ἀφόβως ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ Ὁ ἀπαθὴς ἡσυχάζει ἀφόβως ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ λογισμοῦ.

18 2, 1 υἱέ, ἐὰν δεξάμενος ῥῆσιν ἐμῆς ἐντολῆς κρύψῃς παρὰ σεαυτῷ, 2, 2.1

ὑπακούσεται σοφίας τὸ οὖς σου Οὗτος κρύπτει τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ ποιῶν αὐτήν, εἴπερ καὶ οἱ δαίμονες ἐκ τοῦ μὴ συγχωρεῖν αὐτὴν ποιεῖν ἡμᾶς ἁρπάζειν λέγονται. 19 2, 3.1-2 ἐὰν γὰρ τὴν σοφίαν ἐπικαλέσῃ καὶ τῇ συνέσει δῷς φωνήν σου Νῦν φωνὴν τὴν ἀπάθειαν τῆς ψυχῆς ὀνομάζει· αὕτη γὰρ πέφυκεν ἐπικαλεῖσθαι γνῶσιν θεοῦ. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ ∆αυὶδ λέγει· «φωνῇ μου πρὸς κύριον ἐκέκραξα»· καὶ πάλιν· «πρόσχες τῇ φωνῇ τῆς δεήσεώς μου.» 20 2, 5 τότε συνήσεις φόβον κυρίου καὶ ἐπίγνωσιν θεοῦ εὑρήσεις Τότε συνήσεις πῶς ὁ φόβος τοῦ κυρίου ἀρχὴ σοφίας ἐστὶν καὶ πῶς τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ γνώσεως γίνεται πρόξενος. Προϋπάρξαι δὲ δεῖ σοφίαν καὶ σύνεσιν πρὸς τὸ δυνηθῆναι συνιέναι φόβον κυρίου. Καὶ προσάξομεν δὲ ταῦτα τοῖς τὴν μὲν σοφίαν καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν ἐξουθενοῦσιν, καταφεύγειν δὲ βουλομένοις ἐπὶ τὸ φοβεῖσθαι τὸν θεὸν ὡς ἐπὶ εὐχερὲς πρᾶγμα. 21 2, 9 τότε συνήσεις δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρίμα καὶ κατορθώσεις πάντας ἄξονας ἀγαθούς Ἄξονας λέγει τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ θεοῦ τὰς ἀγούσας ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὴν γνῶσιν τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ. Καὶ ὁ ∆αυίδ φησιν· «διὰ τοῦτο πρὸς πάσας τὰς ἐντολάς σου κατωρθούμην.» 22 2, 12 ἵνα ῥύσηται ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ κακῆς καὶ ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς λαλοῦντος μηδὲν πιστόν Οἱ μὲν ἅγιοι ἄγγελοι πάντα λαλοῦσι πιστά· ἄνθρωποι δὲ τὰ μὲν πιστά, τὰ δὲ ἄπιστα· ὁ δὲ διάβολος οὐδὲν πιστόν, ἀντὶ τοῦ οὐ πίστεως ἄξιον. Ἄνδρα γὰρ νῦν τὸν διάβολον λέγει, εἴγε ἄνθρωπος πονηρὸς ἐπέσπειρε τὰ ζιζάνια. 23 2, 17 υἱέ, μή σε καταλάβῃ κακὴ βουλὴ ἡ ἀπολείπουσα διδασκαλίαν νεότητος καὶ διαθήκην θείαν ἐπιλελησμένη Εἰ ἡ βουλὴ ποιὰ νοῦ κίνησίς ἐστιν, πῶς αὕτη ἀπέλιπεν διδασκαλίαν νεότητος; Πῶς δὲ καὶ θείας ἐπελάθετο διαθήκης; Ὡς γὰρ περὶ ζῴου λογικοῦ τῆς κακῆς βουλῆς ἡμῖν διαλέγεται.