5

of ways, keenly discovering its own advantage, and carrying away the more simple-minded; such as that of the steward of unrighteousness. But true prudence is the discernment of what must be done and what must not be done; he who follows this will never depart from the works of virtue, and will never be ensnared by the ruin of wickedness. He therefore who understands words of prudence knows which ones are sophistical and deceptive, and which are those that suggest to us what is best concerning the practical matters of life; and as a tested money-changer, he will hold on to what is genuine, and will abstain from every form of evil. This prudence grants to the one building his own house, to lay its foundation on the rock, that is, to be founded on faith in Christ, so as to remain unshaken in rains and winds and the assaults of rivers. For the unshakeable nature in temptations, both human ones and those brought upon us from above, the Lord showed to us through such words of the parable. And it teaches not to neglect what is necessary, but, having prepared the provisions of life beforehand, to await the coming of the bridegroom in the preparation of the heart. For the prudent virgins, he says, because they had oil in their lamps, entered with the bridegroom; but the foolish, because of their own unreadiness, were alienated from the joy of the bridal chamber. After this, let us see what it is to receive turns of phrases. The true word, proceeding also from a sound mind, is simple and of one manner, always saying the same things about the same things; but the varied and artful one, having much that is convoluted and elaborate, takes countless forms, and twists in innumerable turns, being transformed to please those who encounter it. Therefore, in order that we may be able to strongly resist the assault from artful words, the Proverbs grant a great benefit. Because he who pays attention to them, and does not idly accept the exhortations from them, as if armed with experience, receives the turns of phrases harmlessly, neither being overturned 31.401 by them, nor ever departing from the truth. For when things are one way by nature, but words persuade otherwise concerning them, it is a certain turn, or rather a distortion, caused by the word regarding the truth. And he who appears one way, but is another in truth, uses turns of phrases, deceiving his companions, just as hares and foxes do to dogs, showing one path, and turning down another. Or certain turns of phrases are the contradictions from falsely named knowledge.

For not accepting the simplicity of spiritual teaching, those sharpened for contradictions by dialectic often overturn the power of the truth with the plausible reasoning of sophisms. Therefore he receives these turns of phrases, who is fortified by the Proverbs. And if he should ever find problems, having equally matched arguments on either side, in which the discovery of the more plausible is hard to discern; nevertheless, because he has been trained in the Proverbs, his mind will not be confused, even if his interlocutors seem to the greatest extent to inflict blows from their arguments equally against each other. The Proverb also grants the understanding of true justice. Since, therefore, justice is a disposition that distributes according to merit; and this is difficult to grasp, since some, on the one hand, due to their deficiency in prudence, do not discover how to distribute to each what is equal, while others, because they are possessed by human passions, obscure what is just, when they look down on the poor, but do not reprove the powerful who do wrong, the book of Proverbs promises to give to its disciples the knowledge of true justice. And since many, hunting for the praise of the many, in deed prefer injustice and greed as something beneficial, but in appearance and word exceedingly admire equality and justice; neither will he who has been instructed in the Proverbs be ignorant of these things, but will know what is counterfeit and

5

τρόπων, ὀξέως τὸ ἴδιον λυσιτελὲς ἐξευρίσκουσα, καὶ συναρπάζουσα τοὺς ἀκεραιοτέρους· ὁποία ἡ τοῦ οἰκονόμου τῆς ἀδικίας. Ἡ δὲ ἀληθὴς φρόνησις διάγνωσίς ἐστι τῶν ποιητέων καὶ οὐ ποιητέων· ᾗ ὁ κατακολουθῶν οὐδέποτε μὲν τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἔργων ἐκστήσεται, οὐδέποτε δὲ τῷ ὀλέθρῳ τῆς κακίας περιπαρήσεται. Ὁ τοίνυν νοῶν λόγους φρονήσεως οἶδε μὲν τίνες σοφισματώδεις καὶ ἀπατηλοὶ, τίνες δὲ οἱ περὶ τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον πρακτέων τὰ βέλτιστα ἡμῖν ὑποτιθέμενοι· καὶ ὡς δόκιμος τραπεζίτης, τὸ μὲν δόκιμον καθέξει, ἀπὸ δὲ παντὸς εἴδους πονηροῦ ἀφέξεται. Αὕτη ἡ φρόνησις χαρίζεται τῷ οἰκοδομοῦντι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ οἰκίαν, τὸν θεμέλιον αὐτοῦ τιθέναι ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν, τουτέστι, τῇ πίστει τῇ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐπερείδεσθαι, ὥστε ἄσειστον διαμένειν ἐν βροχαῖς καὶ ἀνέμοις καὶ ποταμῶν προσβολαῖς. Τὸ γὰρ ἐν πειρασμοῖς ἀσάλευτον, τοῖς τε ἀνθρωπίνοις καὶ τοῖς ἄνωθεν ἡμῖν ἐπαγομένοις, διὰ τῶν τοιούτων τῆς παραβολῆς λόγων ὁ Κύριος ἡμῖν ἐνεδείξατο. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ καὶ μὴ καταμελεῖν τῶν ἀναγκαίων, ἀλλὰ πρὸ καιροῦ παρεσκευασμένους τῆς ζωῆς τὰ ἐφόδια, ἐν τῇ ἑτοιμασίᾳ τῆς καρδίας ἀναμένειν τοῦ νυμφίου τὴν παρουσίαν. Αἱ φρόνιμοι γὰρ, φησὶ, παρθένοι, διὰ τὸ ἔχειν ἐν ταῖς λαμπάσι τὸ ἔλαιον, συνεισῆλθον τῷ νυμφίῳ· αἱ δὲ μωραὶ διὰ τὸ ἀνέτοιμον ἑαυτῶν, τῆς χαρᾶς τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἀπηλλοτριώθησαν. Μετὰ τοῦτο, ἴδωμεν τί ἐστι δέξασθαι στροφὰς λόγων. Ὁ μὲν ἀληθὴς λόγος, καὶ ἀπὸ ὑγιοῦς διανοίας προϊὼν, ἁπλοῦς ἐστι καὶ μονότροπος, τὰ αὐτὰ λέγων πάντοτε περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν· ὁ δὲ ποικίλος καὶ ἔντεχνος πολὺ τὸ ἐπίπλοκον καὶ ἐγκατάσκευον ἔχων, μυρία κατασχηματίζεται, καὶ στρέφεται στροφὰς ἀμυθήτους, πρὸς τὸ τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων ἀρέσκον μεταμορφούμενος. Πρὸς οὖν τὸ δύνασθαι ἡμᾶς ἰσχυρῶς ἀντέχειν τῇ ἀπὸ τῶν τεχνικῶν λόγων προσβολῇ μέγα ὄφελος αἱ Παροιμίαι χαρίζονται. ∆ιότι ὁ προσέχων αὐταῖς, καὶ τὰς ἀπ' αὐτῶν παραινέσεις μὴ ἀργῶς προσιέμενος, οἱονεὶ καθωπλισμένος τῇ ἐμπειρίᾳ, δέχεται ἀβλαβῶς τὰς στροφὰς τῶν λόγων, μήτε περιτρεπό31.401 μενος ὑπ' αὐτῶν, μήτε ἐξανιστάμενός που τῆς ἀληθείας. Ὅταν γὰρ ἄλλως μὲν φύσεως ἔχῃ τὰ πράγματα, ἄλλως δὲ οἱ λόγοι περὶ αὐτῶν ἀναπείθωσι, στροφή τίς ἐστι, μᾶλλον δὲ διαστροφὴ, ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου περὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν γινομένη. Καὶ ὁ ἄλλος μὲν φαινόμενος, ἄλλος δὲ ὢν κατὰ ἀλήθειαν, στροφαῖς κέχρηται λόγων, ἀπατῶν τοὺς συνόντας, ὥσπερ τοὺς κύνας λαγωοὶ καὶ ἀλώπεκες, ἑτέραν δεικνύντες, καὶ ἑτέραν τρεπόμενοι. Ἢ στροφαί τινές εἰσι λόγων αἱ ἐκ τῆς ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως ἀντιθέσεις.

Οὐ καταδεχόμενοι γὰρ τὸ ἁπλοῦν τῆς πνευματικῆς διδασκαλίας, οἱ ἐκ τῆς διαλεκτικῆς πρὸς τὰς ἀντιλογίας ἠκονημένοι, περιτρέπουσι πολλάκις τὴν ἰσχὺν τῆς ἀληθείας τῇ πιθανολογίᾳ τῶν σοφισμάτων. ∆έχεται οὖν ταύτας τὰς στροφὰς τῶν λόγων ὁ ταῖς Παροιμίαις ὠχυρωμένος. Κἂν εὕρῃ ποτὲ προβλήματα, ἰσοπαλεῖς τὰς ἐφ' ἑκάτερον ἐπιχειρήσεις ἔχοντα, ἐν οἷς δυσδιάκριτος τοῦ πιθανωτέρου ἡ εὕρεσις· ὅμως διὰ τὸ ἐγγε- γυμνάσθαι ταῖς Παροιμίαις, οὐ συγχυθήσεται τὸν νοῦν, κἂν ὅτι μάλιστα δοκῶσιν οἱ προσδιαλεγόμενοι ἐξίσου τὰς ἐκ τῶν ἐπιχειρημάτων πληγὰς ἀλλήλοις ἀντεπιφέρειν. Χαρίζεται ἡ Παροιμία καὶ τὸ νοῆσαι δικαιοσύνην ἀληθῆ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐστι δικαιοσύνη ἕξις ἀπονεμητικὴ τοῦ κατ' ἀξίαν· δυσθήρατον δὲ τοῦτο, τῶν μὲν διὰ τὸ περὶ τὴν φρόνησιν ἐλλειπὲς, οὐκ ἐξευρισκόντων ἑκάστῳ διανεῖμαι τὸ ἴσον, τῶν δὲ, διὰ τὸ προκατέχεσθαι ὑπὸ παθῶν ἀνθρωπίνων, ἀφανιζόντων τὸ δίκαιον, ὅταν πενήτων μὲν καταφρονῶσι, δυνάστας δὲ ἀδικοῦντας μὴ διελέγχωσι, δώσειν ὑπισχνεῖται τοῖς ἑαυτῆς μαθηταῖς ἡ βίβλος τῶν Παροιμιῶν τῆς ἀληθοῦς δικαιοσύνης τὴν γνῶσιν. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ, τὸν παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν ἔπαινον θηρώμενοι, ἔργῳ μὲν τὴν ἀδικίαν καὶ τὸ πλεονεκτικὸν ὡς ὠφέλιμον προτιμῶσι, σχήματι δὲ καὶ λόγῳ τὴν ἰσότητα καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην ὑπερθαυμάζουσιν· οὐδὲ τούτους ἀγνοήσει ὁ τὰς Παροιμίας πεπαιδευμένος, ἀλλὰ γνώσεται τίς ἡ κίβδηλος καὶ