Basil of Caesarea, Homily on the Beginning of Proverbs

an inclination to evil things, but you will be honored with the crowns of righteousness, with which throughout your entire life you have crowned virtue.

Of how many good things will the book of Proverbs be an agent for you, teaching both true righteousness and to direct judgment? What then is there in addition to these things? "That he may give," it says, "prudence to the simple, and to the young man sense and understanding." We understand simplicity in two ways. For either we receive the name of "simple" by the complete privation of wickedness, this being an alienation from sin accomplished by reason, and through long attention and practice of good things, having cut out, as it were, a certain root of wickedness; or simplicity is the inexperience of evil, often on account of youth or the pursuit of a certain life in which some are inexperienced with certain evils. For example, a child does not know pride, he does not know deceit and mischief. Again, there are some who live in the country, not knowing the evils of commerce, nor the intrigues in a court of law. We call such people simple, not as being separated from wickedness by choice, 31.409 but as not yet having arrived at the experience of an evil habit. But properly simple is such a one as David was, saying: "But I have walked in my simplicity;" he who has put away all wickedness from his own soul through the practice of virtue, who also is deemed worthy of the inheritance of good things. Because "the Lord will not withhold good things from them that walk in simplicity." Such a one, trusting, will say: "Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in my simplicity;" and again: "Judge me according to my righteousness, and according to my simplicity that is in me." The simple person is characterized by sincerity of character, nobility, and artlessness. Such was Jacob: "guileless," it says, "dwelling in a house;" that is, using the simplicity from his nature, not putting on any artificial form from art, like a mask, for the deception of those who met him. Here, however, he seems to call simple the one inexperienced in evil, who he says also has need of praiseworthy prudence, so that in addition to the integrity from nature he may also acquire understanding from experience, and being fortified, as with some weapon, by good prudence, he may be hard to capture by the plots of his adversaries. For, I think, the perfect man must be wise regarding what is good, but innocent regarding what is evil. From here, as from a certain spring, let the simple draw their saving prudence. For "a prudent man is the throne of perception;" and, "But a prudent man, when evils are coming on, hides himself;" and, "but he that keeps reproofs is more prudent."

Prudence, therefore, is the working of all things according to a skillful practice; just as malice is the working of evil only. Since, therefore, the prudent man undertakes every work, and among all things there are also evil ones, the appellation "prudent" has two meanings. And the one who uses ingenuity in his works for the harm of others is wicked; but the praiseworthy prudent man is he who keenly and intelligently discovers his own good, and escapes the harms contrived for him deceitfully and treacherously by others. Pay close attention, therefore, to the name of prudence; and know that it is a certain intermediate disposition, according to which the one who, from a sound intention, uses it for his own benefit and that of his neighbors is acceptable, but the one who handles it for the harm of his neighbors is condemned, using the practice as a means to destruction. And history is full of the use of this practice in either direction. 31.412 The prudence of the Hebrews was good, who outwitted the Egyptians, and both received the wages for the work on the cities, and procured for themselves materials for the tabernacle. The midwives acted prudently in a praiseworthy manner, saving the male children of the Hebrews. The prudence of Rebecca was good, procuring the great blessing for her son. Rahab acted prudently in a good way; Rachel in a good way; the one saving the spies, the other outwitting her father and delivering from idolatry. Wickedly

τὰ φαῦλα ῥοπὴν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς τῆς δικαιοσύνης τιμηθήσῃ στεφάνοις, οἷς παρὰ πάντα σου τὸν βίον τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐστεφάνωσας.

Πηλίκων σοι πρόξενος ἀγαθῶν γενήσεται ἡ βίβλος τῶν Παροιμιῶν, διδάσκουσα τήν τε ἀληθῆ δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρῖμα κατευθύνειν; Τί οὖν πρὸς τούτοις ἔτι; Ἵνα δῷ, φησὶν, ἀκάκοις πανουργίαν, παιδὶ δὲ νέῳ αἴσθησίν τε καὶ ἔννοιαν. ∆ιττῶς νοοῦμεν τὴν ἀκακίαν. Ἢ γὰρ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀλλοτρίωσιν λογισμῷ κατορθουμένην, καὶ διὰ μακρᾶς προσοχῆς καὶ μελέτης τῶν ἀγαθῶν οἷόν τινα ῥίζαν τῆς κακίας ἐκτεμόντες, κατὰ στέρησιν αὐτῆς παντελῆ τὴν τοῦ ἀκάκου προσηγορίαν δεχόμεθα· ἢ ἀκακία ἐστὶν ἡ μήπω τοῦ κακοῦ ἐμπειρία, διὰ νεότητα πολλάκις ἢ βίου τινὸς ἐπιτήδευσιν ἀπείρως τινῶν πρός τινας κακίας διακειμένων. Οἷον ὁ παῖς οὐκ οἶδεν ὑπερηφανίαν, οὐκ οἶδε δόλον καὶ ῥᾳδιουργίαν. Πάλιν εἰσί τινες τῶν τὴν ἀγροικίαν οἰκούντων, οὐκ εἰδότες τὰς ἐμπορικὰς κακουργίας, οὐδὲ τὰς ἐν δικαστηρίῳ διαπλοκάς. Τοὺς τοιούτους ἀκάκους λέγομεν, οὐχ ὡς ἐκ προαιρέσεως 31.409 τῆς κακίας κεχωρισμένους, ἀλλ' ὡς μήπω εἰς πεῖραν τῆς πονηρᾶς ἕξεως ἀφιγμένους. Ἄκακος δὲ κυρίως, ὁποῖος ἦν ∆αβὶδ, λέγων· Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐν ἀκακίᾳ μου ἐπορεύθην· ὁ πᾶσαν πονηρίαν διὰ τῆς κατ' ἀρετὴν ἀσκήσεως τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῆς ἀποστήσας, ὃς καὶ τῆς κληρονομίας τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀξιοῦται. ∆ιότι Κύριος οὐ στερήσει τὰ ἀγαθὰ τοὺς πορευομένους ἐν ἀκακίᾳ. Ὁ τοιοῦτος πεποιθὼς ἐρεῖ· Κρῖνόν με, Κύριε, ὅτι ἐγὼ ἐν ἀκακίᾳ μου ἐπορεύθην· καὶ πάλιν· Κρῖνόν με κατὰ τὴν δικαιοσύνην μου καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀκακίαν μου ἐπ' ἐμοί. Χαρακτηρίζει δὲ τὸν ἄκακον ἡ ἁπλότης τοῦ ἤθους, τὸ γενναῖον, τὸ ἀκατάσκευον. Ὁποῖος ἦν Ἰακώβ· Ἄπλαστος, φησὶν, οἰκῶν οἰκίαν· τουτέστι, τῇ ἐκ τῆς φύσεως ἀπλότητι κεχρημένος, οὐδὲν ἐκ τέχνης ἐπίπλαστον σχῆμα, οἷον προσωπεῖον, ἑαυτῷ πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων ἀπάτην περιτιθείς. Ἐνταῦθα μέντοι ἄκακον ἔοικε λέγειν τὸν ἀπειρόκακον, ὃν καὶ χρείαν ἔχειν φησὶ τῆς ἐπαινετῆς πανουργίας, ἵνα πρὸς τῇ ἐκ φύσεως ἀκεραιότητι καὶ τὸ ἐξ ἐμπειρίας συνετὸν ἐπικτήσηται, καὶ οἷον ὅπλῳ τινὶ τῇ καλῇ πανουργίᾳ πεφραγμένος, δυσάλωτος ᾖ ταῖς ἐπιβουλαῖς τῶν ὑπεναντίων. ∆εῖ γὰρ, οἶμαι, τὸν τέ- λειον φρόνιμον μὲν εἶναι πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν, ἀκέραιον δὲ πρὸς τὸ κακόν. Ἐντεῦθεν ὥσπερ ἐκ πηγῆς τινος ἀρυέσθωσαν οἱ ἄκακοι τὴν σώζουσαν πανουργίαν. Ἀνὴρ γὰρ πανοῦργος θρόνος αἰσθήσεως· καὶ, Πανοῦργος δὲ, κακῶν ἐπερχομένων, ἀπεκρύβη· καὶ, Ὁ δὲ φυλάσσων ἐλέγχους, πανουργότερος.

Ἔστιν οὖν ἡ πανουργία ἐνέργεια πάντων κατ' ἐπιτήδευσιν τεχνικήν· ὥσπερ ἡ κακουργία ἡ μόνου ἐστὶ τοῦ κακοῦ ἐργασία. Ἐπεὶ οὖν πᾶσαν ἐργασίαν παραδέχεται ὁ πανοῦργος, ἐν τοῖς πᾶσι δὲ καὶ τὰ φαῦλά ἐστι, δύο σημαίνει ἡ τοῦ πανούργου προσηγορία. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐπὶ βλάβῃ ἑτέρων τῇ ἐπινοίᾳ χρώμενος τῶν ἔργων, πονηρός· ὁ δὲ ἐπαινετὸς πανοῦργος ὁ ὀξέως καὶ συνετῶς τὸ οἰκεῖον ἀγαθὸν ἐξευρίσκων, καὶ τὰς δολίως καὶ ἐπιβούλως παρ' ἑτέρων αὐτῷ βλάβας σκευωρουμένας ἀποδιδράσκων. Πρόσεχε οὖν ἀκριβῶς τῷ τῆς πανουργίας ὀνόματι· καὶ γίνωσκε, ὅτι μέση τις ἕξις ἐστὶ, καθ' ἣν ὁ μὲν ἐκ προθέ- σεως ὑγιοῦς ἐπ' ὠφελείᾳ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν πλησίον αὐτῇ κεχρημένος ἀποδεκτὸς, ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ βλάβῃ τῶν πέλας μεταχειριζόμενος αὐτὴν κατεγνωσμένος, ἀφορμῇ πρὸς ἁπώλειαν τῷ ἐπιτηδεύματι χρώμενος. Πλήρης δὲ ἡ ἱστορία τῆς ἐφ' ἑκάτερα χρήσεως 31.412 τοῦ ἐπιτηδεύματος. Καλὴ πανουργία τῶν Ἑβραίων κατασοφισαμένων τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους, καὶ τόν τε μισθὸν τῆς ἐργασίας τῶν πόλεων ἀπολαβόντων, καὶ ὕλας ἑαυτοῖς πρὸς τὴν σκηνὴν συμπορισαμένων. Ἐπαινετῶς ἐπανουργεύσαντο αἱ μαῖαι περιποιούμεναι τὰ ἄῤῥενα τῶν Ἑβραίων. Καλὴ πανουργία Ῥεβέκκας τὴν μεγάλην εὐλογίαν τῷ υἱῷ προξενούσης. Καλῶς ἐπανουργεύσατο Ῥαάβ· καλῶς Ῥαχήλ· ἡ μὲν τοὺς κατασκόπους περισωσαμένη, ἡ δὲ τὸν πατέρα κατασοφισαμένη, καὶ τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας ἐλευθερώσασα. Πονηρῶς