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Chasten us, O Lord, but in judgment, and not in wrath; and this: The chastening of the Lord opens my ears. For just as young children, neglecting their lessons, after the whippings which their teachers or tutors inflict upon them, become more attentive and receive the teachings, and the same word that was not heard before the blows, after the pains from the whips, as if their ears were just then opened, was both received by their hearing and preserved in their memory; so it also happens with those who disobey the divine teaching and are disposed to treat the commandments with contempt. For when chastisement is brought upon them by God, then indeed the commandments of God, which were always spoken and always disobeyed, are received as if falling on their ears for the first time. For this reason, he says, The chastening of the Lord opens my ears.

Since, then, chastisement admonishes the disorderly, as Paul did when he delivered men to Satan, as to some torturer to torment and scourge them, that they might be taught not to blaspheme; and it brings back the rebellious, as it is said of him, that after his captivity he repented; it is necessary to know the power of chastisement, for how many things it is profitable. Knowing, therefore, its benefit, Solomon advises: Withhold not correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. For you shall beat him with the rod, and shall deliver his soul from death. For what son is there whom the father does not chasten? This chastisement is more precious than much money to those who reason correctly. Wherefore Solomon says: 31.397 Receive instruction, and not silver; so that in time of tribulation, or when the body is sick, or when those in the house are in trouble, you may never conceive an evil thought about God, but with much patience you may receive His blows, being chastened for your sins, and you too may say, because you have known chastisement: I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him; and this: It is good for me that you have humbled me. Such was Paul, saying: as chastened, and not killed; and this: when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. But since the undertaking of studies is also called instruction, according to what is written about Moses, that he was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, not to apply oneself to random studies, but to know the most useful instruction, is of no small importance for salvation. For some already, either devoting themselves to geometry, which the Egyptians invented, or to astrology, which is honored among the Chaldeans, or in general pursuing meteorology concerning shapes and shadows, have despised the instruction from the divine oracles. But also poetry, and rhetoric, and the invention of sophisms have distracted many; of which falsehood is the subject matter. For neither can poetry exist without myth, nor rhetoric without the art of speaking, nor sophistry without fallacious arguments. Since, therefore, many in their zeal for these things have neglected the knowledge of God, having grown old in the investigation of vain things, the full knowledge of instruction is necessary, both for the choice of useful instruction and for the avoidance of the unprofitable and harmful. It is also possible to understand words of prudence for one who pays attention to the Proverbs, and who does not idly receive what is profitable from them. We know, then, that prudence is one of the general virtues, according to which we humans become knowledgeable of good, evil, and indifferent things. And the prudent man is obviously so named derivatively from prudence.

How then has the serpent been testified to have been the most prudent of all the beasts? 31.400 And again the Lord: Be wise as serpents. And the steward of unrighteousness is prudent. Or is it not clear that the name of prudence is twofold? For one kind is the safeguarding of one's own advantage along with plotting against one's neighbor, such as that of the serpent, which preserves its own head. This one seems to be malice

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Παίδευσον ἡμᾶς, Κύριε, πλὴν ἐν κρίσει, καὶ μὴ ἐν θυμῷ· καὶ τό· Ἡ παιδεία Κυρίου ἀνοίγει μου τὰ ὦτα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τῶν παίδων οἱ νήπιοι, κατολιγωροῦντες τῶν μαθημάτων, μετὰ τὰς μάστιγας ἃς οἱ διδάσκαλοι αὐτοῖς ἢ παιδαγωγοὶ προσάγουσι, προσεχέστεροι γενόμενοι, δέχονται τὰ διδάγματα, καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς λόγος πρὸ μὲν τῶν πληγῶν οὐκ ἠκούετο, μετὰ δὲ τὰς ἐκ τῶν μαστίγων ὀδύνας, ὡς ἄρτι τῶν ὤτων διανοιγέντων, καὶ παρεδέχθη τῇ ἀκοῇ, καὶ διεφυλάχθη τῇ μνήμῃ· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν παρακουόντων τῆς θείας διδασκαλίας καὶ καταφρονητικῶς πρὸς τὰς ἐντολὰς διακειμένων συμβαίνει. Ἐπειδὰν γὰρ ἐπαχθῇ αὐτοῖς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ παιδεία, τότε δὴ μάλιστα τὰ ἀεὶ λαλούμενα καὶ ἀεὶ παρακουόμενα τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ προσταγμάτων, ὡς πρῶτον ἐμπεσόντα αὐτῶν ταῖς ἀκοαῖς, παρεδέχθη. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, Ἡ παιδεία Κυρίου, φησὶν, ἀνοίγει μου τὰ ὦτα.

Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἡ παιδεία νουθετεῖ τὸν ἄτακτον, ὡς ἐποίει ὁ Παῦλος παραδιδοὺς τῷ Σατανᾷ, οἷον δημίῳ τινὶ στρεβλοῦντι καὶ μαστίζοντι, ἵνα παιδευθῶσι μὴ βλασφημεῖν· τὸν δὲ ἀφηνιαστὴν ἐπανάγει, ὡς περὶ οὗ εἴρηται, ὅτι Ὕστερον αἰχμαλωσίας αὐτοῦ μετενόησεν· ἀναγκαῖον γνῶναι τῆς παιδείας τὴν δύναμιν πρὸς ὅσα ἐστὶ λυσιτελής. Εἰδὼς οὖν τὸ ἀπ' αὐτῆς ὠφέλιμον ὁ Σολομὼν, παραινεῖ· Μὴ ἀπόσχῃ νήπιον παιδεύειν, ὅτι, ἐὰν πατάξῃς αὐτὸν ῥάβδῳ, οὐκ ἀποθανεῖται. Σὺ μὲν γὰρ ῥάβδῳ πατάξεις αὐτὸν, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ῥύσῃ ἐκ θανάτου. Τίς γὰρ υἱὸς, ὃν οὐ παιδεύει. πατήρ; Αὕτη ἡ παιδεία πολλῶν χρημάτων ἐστὶ τοῖς ὀρθῶς λογιζομένοις τιμιωτέρα. ∆ιό φησιν ὁ Σολομών· 31.397 Λάβετε παιδείαν, καὶ μὴ ἀργύριον· ἵνα ἐν καιρῷ περιστάσεων ἢ τοῦ σώματος κάμνοντος, ἢ τῶν κατὰ τὸν οἶκον πεπονηκότων, μή ποτε πονηρὰν ἔννοιαν λάβῃς περὶ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐν ὑπομονῇ πολλῇ δέχῃ αὐτοῦ τὰς πληγὰς, παιδευόμενος ἐφ' οἷς ἥμαρτες, καὶ λέγῃς καὶ σὺ, διὰ τὸ γνῶναι παιδείαν, τό· Ὀργὴν Κυρίου ὑποίσω, ὅτι ἥμαρτον αὐτῷ· καὶ τό· Ἀγαθόν μοι, ὅτι ἐταπείνωσάς με. Οἷος ἦν ὁ Παῦλος λέγων· Παιδευόμενοι, καὶ μὴ θανατούμενοι· καὶ τό· Ἐλεγχόμενοι, ὑπὸ Κυρίου παιδευόμεθα, ἵνα μὴ σὺν τῷ κόσμῳ κατακριθῶμεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἡ τῶν μαθημάτων ἀνάληψις παιδεία λέγεται, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον περὶ τοῦ Μωϋσέως, ὅτι Ἐπαιδεύθη ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ Αἰγυπτίων, τὸ μὴ τοῖς τυχοῦσιν ἑαυτὸν μαθήμασιν ἐπιβάλλειν, ἀλλὰ γνῶναι τὴν χρησιμωτάτην παιδείαν, οὐ μικρὸν πρὸς σωτηρίαν. Ἤδη γάρ τινες, ἢ γεωμετρίᾳ σχολάζοντες, ἣν ἐξεῦρον Αἰγύπτιοι, ἢ ἀστρολογίᾳ τῇ παρὰ τῶν Χαλδαίων τετιμημένῃ, ἢ ὅλως περὶ σχήματα καὶ σκιὰς τὴν μετεωρολογίαν ἔχοντες, τῆς ἐκ τῶν θείων λογίων παιδεύσεως ὑπερεῖδον. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ποιητικὴ, καὶ ῥητορικὴ, καὶ ἡ τῶν σοφισμάτων εὕρεσις πολλοὺς ἀπησχόλησεν· ὧν ὕλη τὸ ψεῦδός ἐστιν. Οὔτε γὰρ ποιητικὴ συστῆναι δύναται ἄνευ τοῦ μύθου· οὔτε ῥητορικὴ ἄνευ τῆς ἐν τῷ λέγειν τέχνης· οὔτε σοφιστικὴ ἄνευ τῶν παραλογισμῶν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν πολλοὶ τῇ περὶ ταῦτα σπουδῇ τῆς περὶ Θεοῦ γνώσεως κατημέλησαν, ἐν τῇ τῶν ματαίων ἐρεύνῃ καταγηράσαντες, ἀναγκαία ἡ τῆς παιδείας ἐπίγνωσις, πρός τε τὴν αἵρεσιν τῆς ὠφελίμου παιδείας, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀποφυγὴν τῆς ἀνονήτου καὶ βλαβερᾶς. Ἔστι καὶ νοῆσαι λόγους φρονήσεως τῷ προσέχοντι ταῖς Παροιμίαις, καὶ τὸ ἀπ' αὐτῶν ὠφέλιμον μὴ ἀργῶς δεχομένῳ. Τὴν φρόνησιν τοίνυν ἐπιστάμεθα οὖσαν μίαν τῶν γενικῶν ἀρετῶν, καθ' ἣν ἐπιστήμονες γινόμεθα ἀγαθῶν καὶ κακῶν καὶ οὐδετέρων οἱ ἄνθρωποι. Ὁ δὲ φρόνιμος δηλονότι παρωνύμως ἐκ τῆς φρονήσεως προσηγόρευται.

Πῶς οὖν φρονιμώτατος ὁ ὄφις πάντων τῶν θηρίων μεμαρτύρηται γεγενῆσθαι; 31.400 Καὶ πάλιν ὁ Κύριος· Γίνεσθε φρόνιμοι, ὡς οἱ ὄφεις. Καὶ φρόνιμος ὁ οἰκονόμος τῆς ἀδικίας. Ἢ δῆλον, ὅτι διπλοῦν ἐστι τὸ τῆς φρονήσεως ὄνομα; Ἡ μὲν γάρ τίς ἐστι φυλακὴ τοῦ οἰκείου συμφέροντος μετὰ τῆς τοῦ πλησίον ἐπιβουλῆς, οἵα ἡ τοῦ ὄφεως, τὴν κεφαλὴν ἑαυτοῦ συντηροῦντος. Ἥδε τις ἔοικεν εἶναι κακεντρέχεια