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by his own work; and she herself rejoiced in his presence. Then after other things he says: "My goings forth are in the ways of life, and a will is prepared from the Lord. But those who sin against me will act impiously against their own souls; and those who hate me will love death." And very rightly. For those who do not govern their own life with wisdom, plot against themselves, and find a death worthy of their own folly and ignorance. So that even the blind, as the saying goes, might not doubt our sound interpretation, the created wisdom says concerning him, of whom John said, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us;" "Wisdom has built her house, and she has set up seven pillars." Concerning which house the same Lord said: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." But Solomon, showing more and more that he is not speaking about the Creator-wisdom, goes on in what follows thus: "Son, if you become wise, you will be wise for yourself and for your neighbors; but if you turn out evil, you alone will bear the evils;" and again: "A disciplined son will be wise, but he will use a foolish man as a servant;" and again: "He who is wise in heart receives commandments;" and, "He brings forth wisdom from his lips. Strike a heartless man with a rod; the wise will hide their perception;" and again: "Wisdom begets prudence in a man;" and again: "The mouth of the righteous distills wisdom;" and, "The tongues of the wise bring healing;" and, "He who walks with wise men will be wise;" then next: "You will seek wisdom among the evil, and you will not find it;" and after other things: "The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his ways; the fear of the Lord is instruction and wisdom;" and again: "Offspring are more desirable than gold; but the offspring of prudence, than 39.813 silver." If, according to the heretics, who break off the head of the Christian faith, or rather choose all of it, as far as it is in their power, the Creator-Wisdom said: what shall we understand to be its offspring? And again: "He who is lacking in sense has no need of wisdom;" and again: "Wisdom is an adornment to young men;" and again: "The generation of wisdom is the fear of the Lord." What generation here too will they give to the Creator, if He himself spoke concerning himself, "The Lord created me?" And in what follows he says: "A house is built with wisdom, and a city is established with understanding;" then: "A wise man is better than a strong man." All these things, therefore, are about the wisdom in the world. For whenever he makes mention in these very Proverbs of the wisdom of God the Father, and of the only-begotten and true Son, the Word, he utters these things supernaturally and as if wondering in astonishment: "God has taught me wisdom, and I have known the knowledge of the holy ones; and I understand holy things. Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the winds in his bosom? Who has wrapped up all the water in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name? or what is the name of his son, that you may know? And the phrase, "He begets me before all hills," he says as concerning the created wisdom in us, that it is begotten creatively, and, so to speak, is brought forth on each occasion with each wise person. For the Son of God was begotten co-existing with the one who begot him, as Word, and effulgence, and the express image of His substance; but he is not still being begotten. And not only these things, but also the name of the book is "Proverbs," as not always meaning what is apparent, but that it especially signifies one thing through another thing or person, and that Solomon is a writer of proverbs, but not a prophet 39.816. And concerning this wisdom, I mean that in creation, the most wise son of Sirach also says: "Wisdom was created before all things, and the understanding of prudence from everlasting;" and he adds to this: "She was created with the faithful in the womb, and has nested a foundation of eternity with men;" and the Apostle first wrote to the Corinthians in this manner: "For since," he says, "in the wisdom of God the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe;" and, "God has made foolish the wisdom of the world." And indeed Job also

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ἰδίῳ ἔργῳ· εὐφραίνετο δὲ καὶ αὐτὴ ἐν προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ. Εἶτα μεθ' ἕτερά φησιν· «Αἱ δὲ ἔξοδοί μου ἐν ὁδοῖς ζωῆς, καὶ ἑτοιμάζεται θέλησις παρὰ Κυρίου. Οἱ δὲ ἁμαρτάνοντες εἰς ἐμὲ ἀσεβήσουσιν εἰς τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχάς· καὶ οἱ μισοῦντές με ἀγαπήσουσι θάνατον.» Καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Οἱ γὰρ τὸν ἑαυτῶν βίον μὴ σοφίᾳ κυβερνῶντες, ἑαυτοῖς ἐπιβουλεύουσιν, καὶ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἀφροσύνης καὶ ἀπαιδευσίας ἄξιον εὑρίσκουσι θάνατον. Ὥστε δὲ καὶ τυφλοὺς, τοῦτο δὴ τὸ τοῦ λόγου, μὴ ἀμφιβάλλειν ὑγιῶς τὴν ἡμετέραν ἑρμηνείαν, ἡ κτιστὴ σοφία φάσκει περὶ ἐκείνου, περὶ οὗ εἶπεν Ἰωάννης, «Καὶ ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο, περὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν·» «Ἡ σοφία ᾠκοδόμησεν ἑαυτῇ οἶκον, καὶ ὑπήρεισε στύλους ἑπτά.» Περὶ οὗ οἴκου ὁ αὐτὸς ∆εσπότης ἔφη· «Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, καὶ ἐγὼ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν.» Μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ μᾶλλον δεικνὺς Σολομὼν, ὡς οὐ περὶ τῆς δημιουργοῦ διαλέγεται σοφίας, ἐν τοῖς ἑπομένοις διεξέρχεται οὕτως· «Υἱὲ, ἐὰν σοφὸς γένῃ, σεαυτῷ σοφὸς ἔσῃ καὶ τοῖς πλησίον· ἐὰν δὲ κακὸς ἀποβῇς, μόνος ἀντλήσεις κακά·» καὶ πάλιν· «Υἱὸς πεπαιδευμένος σοφὸς ἔσται, τῷ δὲ ἄφρονι διακόνῳ χρήσεται·» καὶ αὖθις· «Σοφὸς καρδίᾳ δέχεται ἐντολάς·» καὶ, «Οὗτος ἐκ χειλέων προφέρει σοφίαν. Ῥάβδῳ τύπτε ἄνδρα ἀκάρδιον· σοφοὶ κρύψουσιν αἴσθησιν·» καὶ πάλιν· «Ἡ σοφία ἀνδρὶ τίκτει φρόνησιν·» αὖθίς τε· «Στόμα δικαίου ἀποστάζει σοφίαν·» καὶ, «Γλῶσσαι σοφῶν ἰῶνται·» καὶ, «Ὁ συμπορευόμενος σοφοῖς σοφὸς ἔσται·» εἶτα ἑξῆς· «Ζητήσεις σοφίαν παρὰ κακοῖς, καὶ οὐχ εὑρήσεις·» καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα· «Σοφία πανούργων ἐπιγνώσεται τὰς ὁδούς· φόβος Κυρίου, παιδεία καὶ σοφία·» αὖθίς τε· «Νεοσσοῖς αἱρετώτεραι χρυσίου· νεοσσιαὶ δὲ φρονήσεως, ὑπὲρ 39.813 ἀργύριον.» Εἰ, κατὰ αἱρετικοὺς, τοὺς ἀποθραύοντας τῆς Χριστιανῆς πίστεως τὸ κεφάλαιον, μᾶλλον δὲ πᾶσαν προαιρουμένους, ὅσον τὸ ἐπ' αὐτοῖς, ἡ δημιουργὸς Σοφία ἔφη· τίνας αὐτῆς νεοσσοὺς νοήσομεν; Καὶ πάλιν· «Οὐ χρείαν ἔχει σοφίας ἐνδεὴς φρενῶν·» αὖθίς τε· «Κόσμος νεανίσκοις σοφία·» καὶ πάλιν· «Γενεᾶς σοφίας, φόβος Κυρίου.» Ποίαν κἀνταῦθα γενεὰν δώσουσι τῷ ∆ημιουργῷ, εἰ αὐτὸς περὶ ἑαυτοῦ ἐφθέγξατο, «Κύριος ἔκτισέ με;» Καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς φησι· «Μετὰ σοφίας οἰκοδομεῖται οἶκος, καὶ μετὰ συνέσεως ἀνορθοῦται πόλις·» εἶτα· «Κρεῖσσον σοφὸς ἰσχυροῦ.» Ταῦτα οὖν πάντα περὶ τῆς ἐν κόσμῳ σοφίας. Ὅταν γὰρ περὶ τῆς σοφίας τοῦ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς καὶ ἀληθινοῦ Υἱοῦ Λόγου μνημονεύῃ ἐν αὐταῖς ταύταις ταῖς Παροιμίαις, ὑπερφυῶς καὶ ὥσπερ ὑπ' ἐκπλήξεως θαυμάζων ἀναφθέγγεται ταυτί· «Ὁ Θεὸς ἐδίδαξέ με σοφίαν, καὶ γνῶσιν ἁγίων ἔγνωκα· ἅγια δὲ ἐπίσταμαι. Τίς ἀνέβη εἰς οὐρανὸν καὶ κατέβη; τίς συνήγαγεν ἀνέμους ἐν κόλπῳ; τίς συνέστρεψε τὸ πᾶν ὕδωρ ἐν ἱματίῳ; τίς ἐκράτησε πάντων τῶν ἄκρων τῆς γῆς; τί ὄνομα αὐτῷ; ἢ τί ὄνομα τῷ τέκνῳ αὐτοῦ, ἵνα γνῷς; ὁ Καὶ τὸ ἔχειν δὲ, «Πρὸ πάντων βουνῶν γεννᾷ με,» ὡς περὶ τῆς ἐν ἡμῖν κτιστῆς λέγει σοφίας, ὅτι δημιουργικῶς γεγέννηται, καὶ, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἐφ' ἑκάστης μετὰ ἑκάστου σοφοῦ συντίκτεται. Ὁ γὰρ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐγεννήθη συνυφεστὼς τῷ τεκόντι, ἅτε Λόγος, καὶ ἀπαύγασμα, καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔτι γεννᾶται. Καὶ οὐ ταῦτα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ Παροιμία ὄνομα τῇ βίβλῳ, ὡς οὐ πάντως ἀεὶ τὸ φαινόμενον, ἀλλ' ὅτι μάλιστα δι' ἑτέρου πράγματος, ἢ προσώπου ἕτερον σημαινούσῃ, καὶ ὅτι Σολομὼν παροιμιαστὴς, ἀλλ' οὐ προφήτης 39.816 ἐστίν. Περὶ ταύτης δὲ τῆς σοφίας, φημὶ τῆς ἐν τῇ κτίσει, ὅ τε σοφώτατος υἱὸς Σειρὰχ λέγει· «Προτέρα πάντων ἔκτισται σοφία καὶ σύνεσις φρονήσεως ἐξ αἰῶνος·» καὶ ἐπιφέρει τούτῳ· «Μετὰ πιστῶν ἐν μήτρᾳ συνεκτίσθη αὐτοῖς, καὶ μετὰ ἀνθρώπων θεμέλιον αἰῶνος ἐνόσσευσεν·» ὅ τε Ἀπόστολος Κορινθίοις τὸ πρῶτον ἐπέστειλε τόνδε τὸν τρόπον· «Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ,» φησὶν, «ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἔγνω ὁ κόσμος διὰ τῆς σοφίας τὸν Θεὸν, εὐδόκησεν ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τῆς μωρίας τοῦ κηρύγματος σῶσαι τοὺς πιστεύοντας·» καὶ, «Ἐμώρανεν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ κόσμου.» Καὶ δὴ καὶ ὁ Ἰὼβ