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the lamp that burns and shines”; but the New Testament is the light; “for I,” he says, “am the light of the world.” 81 6, 26.1 For the price of a prostitute is as much as one loaf of bread For the pleasure of wickedness is as much as one loaf of bread. 82 6, 27 Will one bind up fire in his bosom, and not burn his clothes? 6, 28 Or will one walk on coals of fire, and not burn his feet? He binds fire in his bosom who allows an unclean thought to linger in the heart, corrupting right thoughts. And he walks on coals who destroys his own soul through sin in deed. 83 6, 29 Thus he who goes in to a married woman will not be held guiltless, nor anyone who touches her He calls wickedness a married woman; for her husband is the devil, who begets with her the lawless sons. And the Savior also says to the Jews in the gospels: “You,” he says, “are of your father the devil.” 84 6, 30 It is not a wonder if one is caught stealing; for he steals to satisfy a hungry soul; 6, 31 but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold and giving all his possessions he will save himself But if he is caught by true knowledge, he who previously stole out of a lack of knowledge from the wisdom made foolish by our Savior will put away all false knowledge. 85 6, 32 But the adulterer, for lack of sense, brings destruction upon his own soul Everyone who has partaken of wickedness is an adulterer of the devil, who first married wickedness and from the beginning was a murderer of man. 86 6, 34 For the wrath of her husband is full of jealousy; he will not spare in the day of judgment Here he shows that we will have the devil as our accuser for what we have done on the day of judgment. And this is also what Saint Paul says: “so that the opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.”

87 7, 1a Son, honor the Lord and you will be strong; but besides him, fear no other

If one dishonors God through the transgression of the law, it is clear that by doing the law one honors God. 88 7, 4 Say that wisdom is your sister, and make prudence your acquaintance Wisdom is our sister, because the Father who made incorporeal nature also made this. But here he means by wisdom not the Son of God, but the contemplation of bodies and incorporeal things and of the judgment and providence in them, of which prudence and knowledge and education and understanding are also a form. 89 7, 5 that she may keep you from a strange and evil woman, if she casts upon you words for the sake of favor The words cast for the sake of favor are impassioned thoughts. 90 7, 6 For from the window of her house she looks down into the broad ways, 7, 7 whomsoever she might see of the foolish children, a young man lacking sense, 7, 8 passing by the corner in the passages of her houses, 7, 9 and speaking in the evening darkness, when there is a nocturnal and gloomy quiet, 7, 10 and the woman meets him, having the appearance of a prostitute, who makes the hearts of the young fly out He now calls the flesh of man a window; for through this the evil one works deceits for men who wish to travel the broad and wide road that leads to destruction. But here one must pay attention to what Solomon says about wickedness, that it does not lead man to the broad way in the beginning nor does it compel him to walk in the passages of her houses or to approach a corner or to speak in the evening darkness, but if it sees someone giving himself over to pleasures, immediately “she meets him, having the appearance of a prostitute, who makes the hearts of the young fly out.” 91 He called the unclean state of the soul a nocturnal and gloomy quiet, in which, being kindled, it works out sin through the body. 92 7, 12 For at one time she wanders outside, and at another time in the broad ways, she lies in wait at every corner, 7, 13.1 Then taking hold of him, she kissed him Those who wander in the broad ways receive adultery and fornication and theft

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λύχνος ὁ καιόμενος καὶ φαίνων»· φῶς δὲ ἡ νέα διαθήκη· «ἐγὼ γάρ, φησίν, εἰμὶ τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου.» 81 6, 26.1 τιμὴ γὰρ πόρνης ὅση καὶ ἑνὸς ἄρτου Τοσαύτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἡδονὴ τῆς κακίας ὅση καὶ ἑνὸς ἄρτου. 82 6, 27 ἀποδήσει τις πῦρ ἐν κόλπῳ, τὰ δὲ ἱμάτια οὐ κατακαύσει; 6, 28 ἢ περιπατήσει τις ἐπ' ἀνθράκων πυρός, τοὺς δὲ πόδακατακαύσει; Οὗτος ἀποδεσμεῖ τὸ πῦρ ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ, ὁ συγχωρῶν τὸν ἀκάθαρτον λογισμὸν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ χρονίζοντα διαφθείρειν τοὺς ὀρθοὺς λογισμούς. Καὶ οὗτος ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθράκων περιπατεῖ, ὁ διὰ τῆς κατ' ἐνέργειαν ἁμαρτίας τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἀπολλύων. 83 6, 29 οὕτως ὁ εἰσελθὼν πρὸς γυναῖκα ὕπανδρον οὐκ ἀθῳωθήσεται οὐδὲ πᾶς ὁ ἁπτόμενος αὐτῆς Γυναῖκα ὕπανδρον τὴν κακίαν λέγει· ταύτης γὰρ ἀνὴρ ὁ διάβολος ὁ γεννῶν μετ' αὐτῆς τοὺς παρανόμους υἱούς. Καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ δὲ ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις πρὸς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους· «ὑμεῖς, φησίν, ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστέ.» 84 6, 30 οὐ θαυμαστὸν ἐάν τις ἁλῷ κλέπτων· κλέπτει γὰρ ἵνα ἐμπλήσῃ ψυχὴν πεινῶσαν· 6, 31 ἐὰν δὲ ἁλῷ, ἀποτείσει ἑπταπλάσια καὶ πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ δοὺς ῥύσεται ἑαυτόν Ἐὰν δὲ ἁλῷ ὑπὸ γνώσεως ἀληθοῦς, ἀποθήσεται πᾶσαν γνῶσιν ψευδῆ ὁ πρότερον δι' ἔνδειαν γνώσεως κλέπτων ἀπὸ τῆς μωρανθείσης ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν σοφίας. 85 6, 32 ὁ δὲ μοιχὸς δι' ἔνδειαν φρενῶν ἀπώλειαν τῇ ψυχῆ αὐτοῦ περιποιεῖται Πᾶς ὁ κοινωνήσας τῇ κακίᾳ μοιχός ἐστιν τοῦ διαβόλου τοῦ πρώτου γήμαντος τὴν κακίαν καὶ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς γεγονότος ἀνθρωποκτόνου. 86 6, 34 μεστὸς γὰρ ζήλου θυμὸς ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς οὐ φείσεται ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως Ἐνταῦθα δείκνυσιν ὅτι τὸν διάβολον ἕξομεν τῶν πεπραγμένων ἡμῖν κατήγορον ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλός φησιν· «ἵν' ὁ ἐξ ἐναντίας ἐντραπῇ μηδὲν ἔχων τι λέγειν περὶ ἡμῶν φαῦλον.»

87 7, 1α υἱέ, τίμα τὸν κύριον καὶ ἰσχύσεις· πλὴν δὲ αὐτοῦ μὴ φοβοῦ ἄλλον

Εἰ διὰ τῆς παραβάσεως τοῦ νόμου τις τὸν θεὸν ἀτιμάζει, διὰ τοῦ ποιεῖ δηλονότι τὸν νόμον τιμᾷ τὸν θεὸν. 88 7, 4 εἶπον τὴν σοφίαν σὴν ἀδελφὴν εἶναι· τὴν δὲ φρόνησιν γνώριμον περιποίησαι σεαυτῷ Ἀδελφὴ ἡμῶν ἡ σοφία ἐστίν, διότι ὁ ποιήσας τὴν ἀσώματον φύσιν πατὴρ καὶ ταύτην πεποίηκεν. Σοφίαν δὲ ἐνταῦθα λέγει οὐ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὴν θεωρίαν σωμάτων καὶ ἀσωμάτων καὶ τῆς ἐν αὐτοῖς κρίσεως καὶ προνοίας, ἧς εἶδός ἐστι καὶ ἡ φρόνησις καὶ ἡ γνῶσις καὶ ἡ παιδεία καὶ ἡ σύνεσις. 89 7, 5 ἵνα σε τηρήσῃ ἀπὸ γυναικὸς ἀλλοτρίας καὶ πονηρᾶς, ἐάν σε λόγοις τοῖς πρὸς χάριν ἐμβάληται Οἱ πρὸς χάριν ἐμβαλλόμενοι λόγοι οἱ ἐμπαθεῖς εἰσι λογισμοί. 90 7, 6 ἀπὸ γὰρ θυρίδος ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτῆς εἰς τὰς πλατείας παρακύπτουσα, 7, 7 ὃν ἂν ἴδῃ τῶν ἀφρόνων τέκνων νεανίαν ἐνδεῆ φρενῶν 7, 8 παραπορευόμενον παρὰ γωνίαν ἐν διόδοις οἴκων αὐτῆς 7, 9 καὶ λαλοῦντα ἐν σκότει ἑσπερινῷ, ἡνίκα ἂν ἡσυχία νυκτερινὴ ᾖ καὶ γνοφώδης, 7, 10 ἡ δὲ γυνὴ συναντᾷ αὐτῷ εἶδος ἔχουσα πορνικόν, ἣ ποιεῖ νέων ἐξίπτασθαι καρδίας Τὴν σάρκα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου θυρίδα νῦν ὀνομάζει· διὰ γὰρ ταύτης ὁ πονηρὸς τὰς ἀπάτας τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐργάζεται τοῖς βουλομένοις ὁδεύειν τὴν πλατεῖαν ὁδὸν καὶ εὐρύχωρον καὶ ἀπάγουσαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀπώλειαν. Ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα προσεκτέον τί φησιν ὁ Σολομὼν περὶ τῆς κακίας, ὅτι οὐχ αὕτη τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐν ἀρχαῖς ἐπὶ τὴν πλατεῖαν ἀπάγει οὐδ' ἀναγκάζει πορεύεσθαι ἐν διόδοις οἴκων αὐτῆς ἢ προσεγγίζειν γωνίᾳ ἢ λαλεῖν ἐν σκότει ἑσπερινῷ, ἀλλ' ἐὰν ἴδῃ τινὰ ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδιδόντα ταῖς ἡδοναῖς, εὐθὺς «συναντᾷ αὐτῷ εἶδος ἔχουσα πορνικόν, ἣ ποιεῖ νέων ἐξίπτασθαι καρδίας». 91 Ἡσυχίαν νυκτερινὴν καὶ γνοφώδη τὴν ἀκάθαρτον κατάστασιν ὠνόμασε τῆς ψυχῆς, καθ' ἣν ἀναπτομένη τὴν ἁμαρτίαν διὰ τοῦ σώματος κατεργάζεται. 92 7, 12 χρόνον γάρ τινα ἔξω ῥέμβεται, χρόνον δὲ ἐν πλατείαις, παρὰ πᾶσαν γωνίαν ἐνεδρεύει, 7, 13.1 εἶτα ἐπιλαβομένη ἐφίλησεν αὐτόν Οἱ μὲν ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις ῥεμβόμενοι μοιχείας καὶ πορνείας καὶ κλοπῆς λαμβάνουσι