Expositio in Proverbia

 the things that have fallen, that is, from the pretext of Uriah. How then does Solomon say before: “He who rejoices 17.165 at another's destruction wi

 would have difficulty, just as the desire for money a pure mind draws near to wisdom since it knows well but the impure will be far from it. Adam i

 but here, that he names the mind a good gift, on account of the one who unjustly receives gifts in his bosom, and is not prospered for those unjust g

 of virtue And this persuades me, in a small way, that the rich man being judged in Hades for his wickedness was not completely given over to every ev

 to you, You shall not be angry. It must be noted here that he calls the natural harmonious movement of the ant, wisdom for indeed one wiser than a wi

 for he was the lamp that was burning and shining a light, the New Testament For I, he says, am the light of the world a refutation of evil things,

 of the kemphos fish in the sea, flying in schools here and there which the sailors, having baited a many-hooked line, catch and not only does it not

 come to the introductions but when they become wise, and are strengthened, reprove them. And Christ, when his disciples were still young, did not rep

 of the evil one. But the impious who sin will not only fall from the kingdom, but they will inhabit the fire and not the earth. Instead of, he is full

 be not silent to me, says David, and I will be like those who go down into the pit. A lawless man will be passed over in silence by God, that is, he w

 sinning. Here he calls the senses ways but he who guards them, keeps his own soul from death unto life for life is the Holy Trinity that gives life

 afflicted, distressed? And how will the unbeliever not have an obol, when many unbelievers are clothed with much wealth, I mean kings and rulers of th

 the love of God for humanity which also brings us to God the Father himself, as sons weaned, and desiring spiritual solid food so that just as his S

 your eyes, say: for many, even without having begun virtue, not only advise others to act rightly, but also compel and exhort them. Here he says man

 body is profitable to the foolish man for he will trample it underfoot, being a pleasure-loving pig and by sensible luxury his flesh will be moved t

 that is, to imitate the virtues of the righteous and prophets who shone in the six ages before the coming of Christ, who also feed the widow and orpha

 of the Lord, is the knowledge of the Lord, and the light of the Lord is the breath of men, therefore the knowledge of the Lord is the breath of men b

 He calls the mind a horse, which is warred against by the devil, and which wars in return For you will mount, he says, upon your horses and your rid

 he slanders us to God, taking from us the virtues which he has not given us, so also we slander him taking from him the vices which we have not given

 But do not enter into the land of those who have orphaned themselves from God, who possess wickedness as the property of demons, on account of which t

 but vice diminishes virtue, and virtue obviously corrupts vice and this will happen in the age to come, until vice ceases for shall be defiled, in

 earth-born nations, and having strengthened them with virtues in faith in him, Christ the God, and having stored up the heavenly water that which flo

 is, the law given to us by him in righteousness and those who gouge out the eyes of the impious, he called ravens but those who devour him whole, he

 of lands, he keeps his own justly. Cast a precious sardius into a golden earring, and the wisdom of the Lord into a dispassionate and obedient mind to

 defines servants or those under his hand for the rod is a symbol of punishment. From his own feet, etc. Here he calls servants 'feet' and from them

 to the devil who made it, to yield as to a brother, so as to be destroyed with him. -Better is he who is joined to me through true knowledge, than he

 lawless, are the doctrines of demons, which the instructed son does not obey and by son he means the mind but he who restrains his mind from being c

 of blood are the demons, who killed those living in Christ by the shedding of blood but the upright will seek out his soul these are they who wish t

 a soul of abundance for its bodily house. He says that the soul of the diligent man has the Church as a tree of knowledge and a tree of life of knowl

come to the introductions; but when they become wise, and are strengthened, reprove them. And Christ, when his disciples were still young, did not reprove them, because old wineskins are not suitable for new wine. Or he calls the foolish and senseless evil; or those entirely alien to divine teaching, whom one must not reprove, but admonish, and teach; but if Ahab and Herod were also reproved, yet they had already partaken of the divine law, even if they transgressed; wherefore these too must be reproved. Or it seems he says these things to those of that time, the more childish; since for what reason did John and Paul reprove? -One must not reprove the evil when they sin; for a reproof to the face makes the sinner more shameless; but we must do this with the wise and just; between the one being reproved and the one reproving, but not in front of many. 17.188 He who is carried about by every wind of doctrine, having been shipwrecked concerning the faith, like a shepherd under the wind, has destroyed both himself and others; for he has abandoned the ways of the commandments, of him who said, I am the vine, you are the branches, and my Father is the vinedresser. -He who does not gather divine knowledge together with virtues, this one does not gather the immortal fruitfulness of the eternal kingdom; but barrenness is wickedness and ignorance. To partake gladly of the life-giving, divine words as of bread, and of the divine thoughts in the secret contemplation of the mind. -The virtues are the bread of the soul, which were also commanded by our Savior to be in us; that is fasting, self-control, prayer, and the like; but in secret, so that they may not be seen by men. A man, one who is impoverished of the word; and hands, the deeds of wisdom. The prudent man, not being consumed by afflictions and misfortunes, bears the fruits of righteousness; but the lawless man is corrupted even by better things. He calls the evil way of life of the soul an unrebuked discipline, which also becomes a cause of destruction and error for it; but the way of life guards the innocent not only from eternal things, but also from every evil hardship of life; but he calls innocent those who endure evil from someone, and practice innocence in love. Or thus. Unrebuked, the one having a pretense of piety, but being untrained and unexamined; for he who is not reproved, and who reveals his thoughts and reasonings to others, is deceived by conceit. The, they cover, instead of, they do not allow to recover. Or he calls wickedness enmity, through which we become enemies of God; but the enmity against God and men which arises in our heart from the evil one, the righteous indeed shake it off, but with their lips they praise God, when the evil one thus suggests to them; For if, while we were enemies, says Paul, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son; and if enmity is wickedness, friendship is virtue and knowledge of God, through which we become friends of him and of the holy powers; and in this friendship, those who are his friends are also friends of one another. Lord, before you is all my desire, says David; that is, whatever is pleasing to God, and befits the righteous, one must desire, so that our prayer may be acceptable before God; but the ungodly man wanders in eternal destruction in desiring and doing things not dear to God. If the fear of the Lord adds days, and the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, these days are parts of wisdom, coming from the sun of righteousness; for one who progresses adds knowledge and illuminations; and for such days David also prays, saying; Do not 17.189 take me away in the midst of my days; and these 17.189 days Abraham, having fulfilled, died, an old man and full of days; and the Lord adds the divine visions as days to those who fear him in faith; but the years of the ungodly, seen to be unwise and without divine grace, have been shortened. He calls the life of man an age, as Paul does; I will never eat meat for an age, lest I cause my brother to stumble; for that which extends along with the constitution of his life, he has called an age; For not in giving, he says, is the righteous man, being troubled by, to sin

προοιμίων ἔλθωσιν· ὅταν δὲ γένωνται σο φοὶ, καὶ στερεωθῶσιν, ἔλεγχε. Καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς ἔτι νέους ὄντας, οὐκ ἤλεγχε, διὰ τὸ μὴ τοὺς παλαιοὺς ἀσκοὺς εὐθέτους εἶναι πρὸς νέον οἶνον. Ἢ κακοὺς λέγει τοὺς ἄφρονας καὶ μωρούς· ἢ τοὺς πάντη ἀλλοτρίους τῆς θείας διδασκαλίας, οὓς οὐκ ἐλέγχειν, ἀλλὰ νουθετεῖν, δεῖ καὶ διδάσκειν· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἠλέγχοντο Ἀχαὰβ καὶ Ἡρώδης, ἀλλ' ἤδη μετέσχον τοῦ θείου νόμου, εἰ καὶ παρέβησαν· διὸ καὶ τούτους δεῖ ἐλέγχειν. Ἢ ἔοικε ταῦτα πρὸς τοὺς τότε λέγειν, τοὺς νηπιωδεστέρους· ἐπεὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν ἤλεγχεν Ἰω άννης καὶ Παῦλος; -Οὐ δεῖ ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐλέγχειν τοὺς κακούς· ὁ γὰρ εἰς πρόσωπον ἔλεγχος, ἀναισχυν τότερον ποιεῖ τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα· χρὴ δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ σοφῶν καὶ δικαίων τοῦτο ποιεῖν· ἀναμεταξὺ μὲν τοῦ ἐλεγχομένου καὶ ἐλέγχοντος, οὐκ ἐπὶ πολλῶν δέ. 17.188 Ὁ παντὶ ἀνέμῳ τῆς διδασκαλίας περιφερόμενος, ναυαγήσας περὶ τὴν πίστιν, ὡς ὑπ' ἀνέμῳ ἑαυτόν τε καὶ ἄλλους ποιμάνας, ἀπώλεσεν· ἀπέλιπε γὰρ τῶν ἐντολῶν τὰς ὁδοὺς, τοῦ εἰπόντος, Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπε λος, ὑμεῖς τὰ κλήματα, καὶ ὁ Πατήρ μου ὁ γεωργός. -̔Ο μὴ συνάγων σὺν ταῖς ἀρεταῖς τὴν θείαν γνῶσιν, οὗτος οὐ συνάγει τῆς αἰωνίου βασιλείας τὴν ἀθάνα τον εὐκαρπίαν· ἀκαρπία δέ ἐστι κακία καὶ ἄγνοια. Τῶν ὡς ἄρτων ζωτικῶν, θείων λόγων ἡδέως ἅψα σθαι, καὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ κρυπτῇ τοῦ νοῦ θεωρίᾳ θείων νοημάτων. -Ἄρτοι εἰσὶ τῆς ψυχῆς αἱ ἀρεταὶ, αἵτι νες καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν προσετάγησαν παρ' ἡμῖν γίνεσθαι· τουτέστι νηστεία, ἐγκράτεια, προσ ευχὴ, καὶ τὰ ὅμοια· κρυφῇ δὲ, πρὸς τὸ μὴ θεαθῆναι αὐτὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Ἄνδρα, τὸν τοῦ λόγου πτωχεύσαντα· καὶ χεῖρας, τὰς τῆς σοφίας πράξεις. Ὁ νοήμων ὑπὸ τῶν θλίψεων καὶ τῶν συμφορῶν μὴ συγκαιόμενος, γεννήματα δικαιοσύνης φέρει· ὁ δὲ παράνομος, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν βελτιόνων διαφθείρεται. Παιδείαν ἀνεξέλεγκτον ὀνομάζει τὴν κακὴν τῆς ψυχῆς πολιτείαν, ἥτις καὶ ἀπωλείας καὶ πλάνης αὐτῇ γίνεται πρόξενος· ἡ δὲ ὁδὸς τῆς ζωῆς, οὐ μόνον ἐκ τῆς αἰωνίου, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ πάσης κακότητος τοῦ βίου δυσχερείας τοὺς ἀκάκους φυλάσσει· ἀκάκους. δὲ λέγει τοὺς κακῶς ἔκ τινος ὑπομένοντας, καὶ ἀκακίαν ἀσκοῦν τας ἐν ἀγάπῃ. Ἢ οὕτως. Ἀνεξέλεγκτος, ἡ πρόσχημα μὲν εὐσεβείας ἔχουσα, ἀγύμναστος δὲ οὖσα καὶ ἀνεξέ ταστος· ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἐλεγχόμενος, καὶ φανερῶν καὶ ἑτέροις τὰ φρονήματα καὶ τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς αὐτοῦ, πλανᾶται οἰήσει. Τὸ, καλύπτουσιν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐκ ἐῶσιν ἀνανεῦσαι. Ἢ ἔχθραν τὴν κακίαν λέγει, δι' ἧς ἐχθροὶ γινόμεθα τοῦ Θεοῦ· τὴν δὲ κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων ἔχθραν ἐγγινομένην ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ, αὐ τὴν μὲν ἀποσείονται οἱ δίκαιοι, τοῖς δὲ χείλεσι τὸν Θεὸν ὑμνοῦσιν, ὅταν οὕτως αὐτοῖς ὁ πονηρὸς ὑπο βάλλῃ· Εἰ γὰρ ἐχθροὶ ὄντες, φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος, κατ ηλλάγημεν τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τοῦ θανάτου τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ· εἰ δὲ ἡ ἔχθρα, κακία ἐστὶν, ἡ φιλία ἀρετὴ καὶ γνῶσις Θεοῦ, δι' ἧς φίλοι γινόμεθα αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν ἁγίων δυνάμεων· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς φιλίας ταύτης, οἱ ὄντες αὐτοῦ φίλοι, καὶ ἀλλήλων εἰσὶ φίλοι. Κύριε, ἐναντίον σου πᾶσα ἡ ἐπιθυμία μου, φησὶν ὁ ∆αυΐδ· τουτέστιν ὅσα τῷ Θεῷ ἀρεστὰ, καὶ δικαίοις ἁρμόζει, ἐπιθυμεῖν χρὴ, ἵνα δεκτὴ ἡ προσευχὴ ἡμῶν γένηται ἐναντίον τοῦ Θεοῦ· ὁ δὲ ἀσεβὴς, ἀπωλείᾳ αἰωνίᾳ περιφέρεται ἐν τῷ ἐπιθυμεῖν καὶ πράττειν τὰ μὴ Θεῷ φίλα. Εἰ φόβος Κυρίου προστίθησιν ἡμέρας, ἀρχὴ δὲ σο φίας φόβος Κυρίου, αἱ ἡμέραι αὗται, μέρη τῆς σοφίας εἰσὶν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης γινόμεναι· προ κόπτων γὰρ προστίθησι γνώσεις καὶ φωτισμούς· ὑπὲρ δὲ τοιούτων ἡμερῶν εὔχεται καὶ ∆αυῒδ λέγων· Μὴ 17.189 ἀναγάγῃς με ἐν ἡμίσει ἡμερῶν μου· ταύτας δὲ τὰς 17.189 ἡμέρας καὶ Ἀβραὰμ πληρώσας ἀπέθανε πρεσβύτε ρος καὶ πλήρης ἡμερῶν· καὶ τὰς θείας ὁράσεις ὡς ἡμέρας προστίθησι Κύριος τοῖς ἐν πίστει φοβουμένοις αὐτόν· τὰ δὲ τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἔτη, ἄσοφα ὁραθέντα καὶ θείας χάριτος ἄνευ, ὠλιγώθησαν. Αἰῶνα τὸν ἀνθρώπου βίον λέγει, ὡς ὁ Παῦλος· Οὐ μὴ φάγω κρέα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἵνα μὴ τὸν ἀδελφόν μου σκανδαλίσω· τὸ γὰρ συμπαρεκτεινόμενον τῇ συστάσει τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ, αἰῶνα ὠνόμασεν· Οὐκ ἐν δώσει γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ δίκαιος ἁμαρτῆσαι ἐνοχλούμενος ὑπὸ