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Or now he calls the devil evil counsel. For this one counseled badly, saying, "I will place my throne above the stars; I will be like the Most High." And he forgot the divine knowledge, having abandoned the teaching of his youth, which youth indicates his former state, in which he was also an object of envy among the trees of paradise. 24 2, 19 All who walk in it will not turn back, nor will they attain straight paths; for they are not overtaken by years of life. "For he loves those who pursue righteousness" and "so run that you may obtain." 25 As many as are "overtaken by years of life," these attain straight paths. And "Your mercy," it says, "will follow me all the days of my life." 26 2, 21.1-2 The upright will be inhabitants of the earth, and the innocent will be left in it. Those who remained in innocence, he says, were left in the earth, that is, in knowledge; but those who fell through malice will return again through uprightness.

27 3, 1 My son, do not forget my laws, but let your heart keep my words. If he who does not live lawfully forgets the law, he who lives according to it remembers the law. And if he who does them keeps the words of God, he who is not willing to practice them destroys them; "for not the hearers of the law are just," it says, "before God, but the doers of the law will be justified." 28 3, 5 Trust in God with all your heart, and do not be exalted in your own wisdom. Do not be lifted up, he says, having acquired the wisdom of God. That he here means the wisdom of God and not human wisdom, he shows by what he adds; "for in all your ways," he says, "acknowledge her, that she may make your paths straight." 29 3, 8 Then there will be healing for your body and care for your bones. When the powers of the soul receive care, then they will say: "Lord, who is like you? For all my bones," it says, "will say: Lord, Lord, who is like you?" For when the faculty of memory of the soul has received care, it will surely say, "I remembered God and was gladdened." Likewise the faculty of sight will say, "I considered your works and was amazed." In the same way also the desiring faculty: "Lord, before you is all my desire." And the reasoning faculty will also say, "I considered the days of old." The same will happen also for the other powers. 30 3, 15.1-2 It is more precious than costly stones; no evil thing opposes it. Against wisdom alone are the demons unable to cast thoughts into the heart of the one made wise, not being permitted; for the mind, occupied with the contemplations of wisdom, becomes unreceptive to impure thoughts. 31 3, 15.3 She is well-known to all who draw near to her. A pure mind draws near to wisdom; but the impure will be far from her. 32 3, 18.1 She is a tree of life to all who lay hold of her. From this tree, after the transgression, Adam is prevented from partaking, since "from the fruits of righteousness grows a tree of life." And if the tree of life is the wisdom of God, he is rightly prevented from touching this tree; "for into a malicious soul," it says, "wisdom will not enter." 33 3, 19 God by wisdom founded the earth; and by understanding he prepared the heavens; 3, 20 by perception the depths were broken up, and the clouds dropped down dew. What he here called earth, Saint Paul named breadth, and what are here called heavens, he in the letter to the Ephesians calls height, and what are tropically called abysses he names depth, and the bedewed clouds he calls length. And all these are symbols of rational natures, being divided into worlds and bodies according to the proportion of their state. 34 3, 22 that your soul may live, and there may be grace upon your neck. He called the soul that bore the yoke of the Lord a neck. 35 3, 23 that you may walk confidently in peace in all your ways, and your foot may not stumble. A stumbling block for a rational nature is an impure thought or false knowledge. 36 3, 24 If you sit, you will be without fear; but if

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Ἢ νῦν κακὴν βουλὴν τὸν διάβολον λέγει. Οὗτος γὰρ κακῶς ἐβουλεύσατο εἰπὼν τὸ «ἐπάνω τῶν ἄστρων θήσομαι τὸν θρόνον μου· ἔσομαι ὅμοιος τῷ ὑψίστῳ». Ἐπελάθετο δὲ καὶ τῆς θείας γνώσεως καταλιπὼν τὴν διδασκαλίαν τῆς νεότητος, ἥτις νεότης τὴν προτέραν αὐτοῦ κατάστασιν δηλοῖ, καθ' ἣν καὶ ζηλωτὸς ἦν ἐν τοῖς ξύλοις τοῦ παραδείσου. 24 2, 19 πάντες οἱ πορευόμενοι ἐν αὐτῇ οὐκ ἀναστρέψουσιν οὐδὲ μὴ καταλάβωσιν τρίβους εὐθείας· οὐ γὰρ καταλαμβάνονται ὑπὸ ἐνιαυτῶν ζωῆς «∆ιώκοντας γὰρ δικαιοσύνην ἀγαπᾷ» καὶ «οὕτως τρέχετε ἵνα καταλάβητε». 25 Ὅσοι «καταλαμβάνονται ὑπὸ ἐνιαυτῶν ζωῆς», οὗτοι καταλαμβάνουσι τρίβους εὐθείας. Καὶ «τὸ ἔλεός σου, φησίν, καταδιώξεταί με πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς μου». 26 2, 21.1-2 χρηστοὶ ἔσονται οἰκήτορες γῆς· ἄκακοι δὲ ὑπολειφθήσονται ἐν αὐτῇ Οἱ μὲν ἐν ἀκακίᾳ, φησίν, μείναντες ὑπελείφθησαν ἐν τῇ γῇ, τουτέστιν ἐν τῇ γνώσει· οἱ δὲ διὰ κακίαν ἐκπεσόντες διὰ χρηστότητος πάλιν ἐπανελεύσονται.

27 3, 1 υἱέ, ἐμῶν νομίμων μὴ ἐπιλανθάνου· τὰ δὲ ῥήματά μου τηρείτω σὴ καρδία Εἰ οὗτος ἐπιλανθάνεται τοῦ νόμου ὁ μὴ νομίμως βιούς, οὗτος μέμνηται τοῦ νόμου ὁ ζῶν κατ' αὐτόν. Καὶ εἰ οὗτος τηρεῖ τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ ποιῶν αὐτά, οὗτος ἀπόλλυσιν αὐτὰ ὁ μὴ βουλόμενος πράττειν αὐτά· «οὐ γὰρ οἱ ἀκροαταὶ τοῦ νόμου δίκαιοι, φησίν, παρὰ τῷ θεῷ, ἀλλ' οἱ ποιηταὶ τοῦ νόμου δικαιωθήσονται.» 28 3, 5 ἴσθι πεποιθὼς ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ ἐπὶ θεῷ· ἐπὶ δὲ σῇ σοφίᾳ μὴ ἐπαίρου Μὴ ἐπαρθῇς, φησί, θεοῦ σοφίαν κτησάμενος. Ὅτι δὲ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐνταῦθα λέγει σοφίαν καὶ οὐ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην, δι' ὧν ἐπιφέρει δείκνυσι· «ἐν πάσαις γάρ, φησίν, ὁδοῖς σου γνώριζε αὐτήν, ἵνα ὀρθοτομῇ τὰς ὁδούς σου.» 29 3, 8 τότε ἴασις ἔσται τῷ σώματί σου καὶ ἐπιμέλεια τοῖς ὀστέοις σου Ὅταν αἱ δυνάμεις τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπιμελείας τύχωσιν, τὸ τηνικαῦτα ἐροῦσι· «κύριε, τίς ὅμοιός σοι; πάντα γάρ, φησί, τὰ ὀστᾶ μου ἐροῦσι· κύριε, κύριε, τίς ὅμοιός σοι;» Ἐπιμελείας γὰρ τυχοῦσα ἡ μνημονευτικὴ δύναμις τῆς ψυχῆς πάντως ἐρεῖ τὸ «ἐμνήσθην τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ εὐφράνθην». Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἡ ὀπτικὴ λέξει τὸ «κατενόησα τὰ ἔργα σου καὶ ἐξέστην». Ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἡ ἐπιθυμητική· «κύριε, ἐναντίον σου πᾶσα ἡ ἐπιθυμία μου.» Ἐρεῖ δὲ καὶ ἡ λογιστικὴ τὸ «διελογισάμην ἡμέρας ἀρχαίας». Κατὰ ταῦτα συμβήσεται καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων δυνάμεων. 30 3, 15.1-2 τιμιωτέρα δέ ἐστιν λίθων πολυτελῶν· οὐκ ἀντιτάσσεται αὐτῇ οὐδὲν πονηρόν Πρὸς μόνην τὴν σοφίαν ἀδυνατοῦσιν οἱ δαίμονες λογισμοὺς ἐμβάλλειν εἰς τὴν καρδίαν τοῦ σεσοφισμένου μὴ συγχωρούμενοι· ὁ γὰρ νοῦς τοῖς τῆς σοφίας ποιούμενος θεωρήμασιν ἀνεπίδεκτος γίνεται λογισμῶν ἀκαθάρτων. 31 3, 15.3 εὔγνωστός ἐστι πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐγγίζουσιν αὐτῇ Νοῦς καθαρὸς ἐγγίζει σοφίᾳ· ὁ δὲ ἀκάθαρτος μακρυνθήσεται ἀπ' αὐτῆς. 32 3, 18.1 ξύλον ζωῆς ἐστι πᾶσι τοῖς ἀντεχομένοις αὐτῆς Τούτου τοῦ ξύλου μετὰ τὴν παράβασιν ὁ Ἀδὰμ μεταλαμβάνειν κωλύεται, εἴπερ «ἀπὸ καρπῶν δικαιοσύνης φύεται δένδρον ζωῆς». Εἰ δὲ τὸ δένδρον τῆς ζωῆς ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ σοφία ἐστίν, δικαίως ἅψασθαι κωλύεται τούτου τοῦ ξύλου· «εἰς γὰρ κακότεχνον, φησίν, ψυχὴν σοφία οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται.» 33 3, 19 ὁ θεὸς τῇ σοφίᾳ ἐθεμελίωσεν τῆν γῆν· ἡτοίμασεν δὲ οὐράνους ἐν φρονήσει· 3, 20 ἐν αἰσθήσει ἄβυσσοι ἐρράγησαν· νέφη δὲ ἐρρύησαν δρόσους Ἣν ἐνταῦθα γῆν εἶπεν, Παῦλος ὁ ἅγιος πλάτος ὠνόμασεν καὶ τοὺς ἐνταῦθα οὐρανοὺς λεγομένους ὕψος ἐκεῖνος ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἐφεσίους καλεῖ καὶ τὰς λεγομένας τροπικῶς ἀβύσσους ὀνομάζει βάθος καὶ τὰ δεδροσωμένα νέφη μῆκος καλεῖ. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα λογικῶν ἐστι φύσεων σύμβολα διαιρουμένων κόσμοις καὶ σώμασι κατ' ἀναλογίαν τῆς καταστάσεως. 34 3, 22 ἵνα ζήσῃ ἡ ψυχή σου καὶ χάρις ᾖ περὶ σῷ τραχήλῳ Τράχηλον τὴν ψυχὴν εἶπεν τὴν βαστάσασαν τὸν ζυγὸν τοῦ κυρίου. 35 3, 23 ἵνα πορεύῃ πεποιθὼς ἐν εἰρήνῃ πάσας τὰς ὁδούς σου, ὁ δὲ πούς σου οὐ μὴ προσκόψῃ Πρόσκομμά ἐστι φύσεως λογικῆς λογισμὸς ἀκάθαρτος ἢ γνῶσις ψευδής. 36 3, 24 ἐὰν κάθῃ, ἄφοβος ἔσῃ· ἐὰν δὲ