John Chrysostom, Fragments on Proverbs

for if an examination should take place of God's deeds towards us and of our own, who will be justified before him, even if one is purer than the sun itself? A just man would be the one who is practical; but an impious man, the one who hates God; a sinner, the one who is wicked in his actions.

CHAP. XII.

He who loves instruction, loves perception, etc. [ξοδ. φ. 55 β.] He who loves moral instruction is a lover of knowledge that trains the senses for the discernment of good and evil; but he who turns away from knowledge, wishing to be always ignorant, is senseless. For just as he who does not wish to be healed becomes diseased, so also is this one a fool. Better is he who has found favor with the Lord; but a lawless man will be passed over in silence. [ξοδ. φ. 56 α.] The word, "better," is not comparative, but is used instead of "good"; for what comparison is there with the lawless man, of him who finds favor with the Lord? And "will be passed over in silence," is instead of "will not even be considered worthy of mention," clearly, with the Lord. A man will not prosper from lawlessness. See how sometimes he leads from the judgment of God, and sometimes from human affairs; from lawlessness he will achieve nothing; in iniquity all things are perverse. A valiant woman is a crown to her husband, etc. [ξοδ. φ. 56 α.] He continually says that both good and their opposites lie in women, because it needs constant treatment. Therefore, when you are about to take a wife, seek not only a partner in life, but also in virtue; for it is not possible, when a woman is corrupt, for her husband not to perish with her; so seek virtue, not money; the good one, being valiant, will become a crown of glory; but the wicked one, like a worm sitting in the heart itself, slowly and little by little destroys; and what is worse than the terrible thing, she is not even seen by outsiders, but releases her venom within, and consumes the wretched soul. Or also in another way: virtue adorns its possessor, but vice, on the other hand, makes the evil one even more insolent. 64.692 The thoughts of the just are judgments; for they are discerning and simple; or because the just always meditate on the judgments and commandments of God; or they always work judgments according to their mind; for our mind sits as a judge, judging each virtue along with the vice opposed to it; and it condemns the one, and justifies the other. Better is a man in dishonor serving himself. [ξοδ. φ. 57 α.] Since many avoid work not only as laborious, but also as shameful, first he persuaded men to look to the ant, and now he removes this suspicion also; what do you say? is the matter a dishonor? And how much better is it to endure dishonor than hunger? For why is it a dishonor? Are you serving another, and not yourself? even if you serve ten thousand, you are not serving them but yourself; for if you were not considering freeing yourself from hunger [ιτα ξοδ.], you would not even have taken account of them; so you reap the profit of the servitude; therefore you serve yourself. Do you not see the soldiers? each of them serves himself; and the craftsman. Therefore do not be vexed; you are your own master, and not some other. Do you not see the poor who serve no one? Do they then serve themselves? but what honor is there when they are in need of bread? A just man has pity on the souls of his cattle. For it is a training-ground for philanthropy, to be accustomed among irrational creatures to sympathy for one's own kind; for he who has mercy on these, will have much more mercy on a brother; and otherwise, like a beast, are also those more sluggish by nature; whom he, by pitying, teaches and helps; but a vain justice it is, to be alarmed about things that profit nothing. -What do you say? The just man has pity on the souls of his cattle? Yes; and indeed here,

γὰρ ἐξέτασις γένηται τῶν εἰς ἡμᾶς τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων, τίς ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ δικαιωθήσεται, κἂν αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἡλίου καθαρώτερός τις ᾖ; Εἴη δ' ἂν δίκαιος μὲν, ὁ πρακτικός· ἀσεβὴς δὲ, ὁ Θεὸν μισῶν· ἁμαρτωλὸς, ὁ περὶ τὰς πράξεις πονηρός.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΒʹ.

Ὁ ἀγαπῶν παιδείαν, ἀγαπᾷ αἴσθησιν, κ. τ. λ. [ξοδ. φ. 55 β.] Ὁ τὴν ἠθικὴν παίδευσιν ἀγαπῶν, γνώσεώς ἐστιν ἐραστὴς τῆς γυμναζούσης τὰ αἰσθητήρια πρὸς διάκρισιν καλοῦ καὶ κακοῦ· ὁ δὲ ἀποστρεφόμενος τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν, διὰ παντὸς ἀγνοεῖν βουλόμενος, ἀφραίνει. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ μὴ θέλων θεραπευθῆναι, νοσώδης γίνεται, οὕτω καὶ οὗτος ἄφρων. Κρείσσων ὁ εὑρὼν χάριν παρὰ Κυρίῳ· ἀνὴρ δὲ παράνομος παρασιωπηθήσεται. [ξοδ. φ. 56 α.] Τὸ, κρείσσων, οὐ συγκριτικὸν, ἀλλ' ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀγαθός ἐστι· τίς γὰρ πρὸς τὸν παράνομον σύγκρισις, τοῦ παρὰ Κυρίῳ χάριν εὑρίσκοντος; Τὸ δὲ παρασιωπηθήσεται, ἀντὶ τοῦ οὐδὲ λόγου ἀξιωθήσεται, παρὰ τῷ Κυρίῳ δηλονότι. Οὐ κατορθώσει ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ἀνόμου. Ὅρα πῶς ποτὲ μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ψήφου, ποτὲ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων πραγμάτων ἐνάγει· ἐξ ἀνόμου οὐδὲν κατορθώσει· ἐν ἀνομίᾳ πάντα διεστραμμένα. Γυνὴ ἀνδρεία, στέφανος τῷ ἀνδρὶ αὐτῆς, κ. τ. λ. [ξοδ. φ. 56 α.] Συνεχῶς λέγει καὶ τὰ καλὰ καὶ τὰ ἐναντία κεῖσθαι ἐν ταῖς γυναιξὶν, ἐπειδὴ διηνεκοῦς ἰατρείας δεῖται. Μέλλων οὖν ἄγεσθαι γυναῖκα, μὴ βίου κοινωνὸν ζήτει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀρετῆς· οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ γυναικὸς διεφθαρμένης, τὸν ἄνδρα μὴ συναπόλλυσθαι· ὥστε ἀρετὴν ζήτει, μὴ χρήματα· ἡ μὲν καλὴ, στέφανος δόξης γενήσεται ἀνδρικὴ οὖσα· ἡ δὲ φαύλη παραπλησίως σκώληκι ἐν αὐτῇ καθημένη τῇ καρδίᾳ, ἠρέμα καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν διαφθείρει· καὶ τὸ τοῦ δεινοῦ χαλεπώτερον, οὐδὲ ὁρωμένη τοῖς ἔξωθεν, ἀλλ' ἔνδον τὸν ἰὸν ἐναφίησι, καὶ δαπανᾷ τὴν ἀθλίαν ψυχήν. Ἢ καὶ ἄλλως· ἡ μὲν ἀρετὴ τὸν ἑαυτῆς κοσμεῖ ἡ δ' αὖ κακία, τὸν κακὸν ἐφύβριστον ἔτι ποιεῖ. 64.692 Λογισμοὶ δικαίων κρίματα· κεκριμένοι γάρ εἰσι καὶ ἁπλοῖ· ἢ ὅτι πάντοτε Θεοῦ κρίματα καὶ ἐντολὰς μελετῶσιν οἱ δίκαιοι· ἢ κρίματα ἐργάζονται κατὰ νοῦν πάντοτε· κάθηται γὰρ κριτὴς ὁ νοῦς ἡμῶν, κρίνων ἑκάστην ἀρετὴν μετὰ τῆς ἀντιδιατιθεμένης αὐτῷ κακίας· καὶ τὴν μὲν καταδικάζει, τὴν δὲ δικαιοῖ. Κρείσσων ἀνὴρ ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ δουλεύων ἑαυτῷ. [ξοδ. φ. 57 α.] Ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ τὴν ἐργασίαν οὐχ ὡς ἐπίπονον φεύγουσι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς αἰσχρὰν, πρῶτον μὲν ἔπεισεν αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸν μύρμηκα τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὁρᾷν, νῦν δὲ καὶ ταύτην ἀναιρεῖ τὴν ὑποψίαν· τί λέγεις; ἀτιμία τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστιν; καὶ πόσῳ βέλτιον, ἀτιμίαν ἢ λιμὸν ὑπομένειν; διὰ τί γὰρ ἀτιμία; μὴ ἑτέρῳ δουλεύεις, οὐχὶ σεαυτῷ; κἂν μυρίοις δουλεύῃς, οὐκ ἐκείνοις δουλεύεις ἀλλὰ σεαυτῷ· εἰ μὴ γὰρ σεαυτὸν ἀπαλλάξαι ἐσκόπεις λιμοῦ [ιτα ξοδ.], οὐδ' ἂν ἐποιήσω λόγον ἐκείνων· ὥστε σὺ καρποῦσαι τὸ κέρδος τῆς δουλείας· οὐκοῦν ἑαυτῷ δουλεύεις. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τοὺς στρατιώτας; ἕκαστος τούτων ἑαυτῷ δουλεύει· καὶ ὁ χειροτέχνης. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀγανάκτει· σὺ σαυτοῦ δεσπότης εἶ, καὶ οὐχ ἕτερός τις. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τοὺς πένητας οὐδενὶ δουλεύοντας; ἄρα κἀκεῖνοι ἑαυτοῖς δουλεύουσι· ποία δὲ τιμὴ, ὅταν ἄρτου προσδέονται; ∆ίκαιος οἰκτείρει ψυχὰς κτηνῶν αὑτοῦ. Φιλανθρωπίας γυμνάσιον γὰρ, τὸ ἐν τοῖς ἀλόγοις ἐθίζεσθαι τὴν πρὸς τὸν ὁμόφυλον συμπάθειαν· ὁ γὰρ ἐλεῶν ταῦτα, πολλῷ πλέον ἀδελφόν· ἄλλως δὲ κτήνους δίκην, καὶ οἱ τὴν φύσιν νωθρότεροι· οὓς οἰκτείρων, διδάσκει καὶ ὠφελεῖ· δικαιοσύνη δὲ ματαία ἐστὶ, τὸ περὶ τὰ μηδὲν ὠφελοῦντα πτοῆσθαι. -Τί λέγεις; ὁ δίκαιος οἰκτείρει ψυχὰς κτηνῶν αὑτοῦ; Ναί· καί γε ἐνταῦθα,