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149 16, 23 The heart of the wise will understand the things from his own mouth; but upon his lips he will bear discretion. He called knowledge discretion because it discerns all things. 150 16, 28 A crooked man sends forth evils and with a lamp of deceit he signals to evil ones and separates friends. The Word [says that] demons, learning from the devil, attempt to attack the saints and try to separate them from knowledge, which by nature joins them in friendship to the heavenly powers. And this same thing Solomon, I think, has made clear through this proverb, calling Satan the crooked man, and the evil demons the deceits signaled by fire instead of being taught, and the saints, who are joined to one another through knowledge, the friends. 151 16, 30 Fixing his eyes he devises perverse things, and with his lips he marks out all evils; this one is a furnace of evils. From this furnace a whistling spirit of dew shakes out the flame. 152 16, 33 Into the bosoms of the unjust come all things; but from the Lord, all just things. It should be noted that here by bosoms he has spoken of the hearts of the unjust. But I think that everywhere the bosom signifies either the mind or knowledge. But if there is also a blameworthy bosom, it will clearly signify ignorance.

153 17, 2 A prudent servant will rule over foolish masters; and among brothers

he will divide portions. If "everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin," everyone who has departed from evil and through the virtues has prevailed over foolish demons has ruled over masters. And such a one will also become a steward of the mysteries of God, giving spiritual knowledge to each of the brothers according to the proportion of their state, giving the Corinthian milk to drink, but nourishing the Ephesian with more solid food, speaking about height and length and breadth and depth and through these dimensions signifying the division of the rational nature, which contains the teachings concerning the judgment and providence of God, which are very deep and escape the human condition. So also Joshua the son of Nun divided the land of promise among the twelve tribes, which is a symbol of the knowledge of God and of the things made by him. However, this must be known, that the teachings concerning the incarnation of Christ and his sojourn are stored up in the knowledge of Judah; for in his lot Christ is born. And I think the teachings concerning providence are fitting to the state of the hidden Judah and Benjamin, which names I consider to be indicators of different and pure states, since Judah is interpreted as confessing, and Benjamin as son of days or son of the right hand. 154 17, 4 An evil man heeds the tongue of the lawless; but a just man does not pay attention to false lips. This one heeds the tongues of the lawless who receives unjust thoughts from them and hastens to act according to them, to which the just man is said not to pay attention, that is, not to nourish them further in himself. 155 17, 6a To the faithful belongs the whole world of possessions; but to the unfaithful not even an obol. The faithful, he says, will see the principles of this world, which he has tropically called the possessions of the mind; but the unfaithful will not know the principle of even a chance thing because of the impurity of his soul. And that the knowledge of God is the wealth of the soul, Paul teaches through what he writes: "in everything you were enriched in all knowledge and all wisdom." But if someone should wish to show that this is not the meaning of this proverb, let him say where they who went about "in sheepskins, in goatskins, being mistreated, afflicted, destitute" found an abundance of possessions; and how the unfaithful will not have an obol, when many unfaithful are clothed with wealth, I mean many kings and rulers of this world. 156 17, 7 Faithful lips do not suit a fool, nor false lips a just man. "Who

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149 16, 23 καρδία σοφοῦ νοήσει τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἰδίου στόματος· ἐπὶ δὲ χείλεσιν φορέσει ἐπιγνωμοσύνην Τὴν γνῶσιν ἐπιγνωμοσύνην εἶπεν παρὰ τὸ πάντα αὐτὴν ἐπιγινώσκειν τὰ πράγματα. 150 16, 28 ἀνὴρ σκολιὸς διαπέμπεται κακὰ καὶ λαμπτῆρα δόλου πυρσεύει κακοῖς καὶ διαχωρίζει φίλους Λόγος τοὺς δαίμονας παρὰ τοῦ διαβόλου μανθάνοντας ἐπιχειρεῖν τοῖς ἁγίοις καὶ πειρᾶσθαι χωρίζειν αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς γνώσεως, ἥτις πέφυκε συνάπτειν αὐτοὺς πρὸς φιλίαν ταῖς ἐπουρανίοις δυνάμεσι. Τὸ δ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Σολομών, ὡς οἶμαι, διὰ ταύτης τῆς παροιμίας δεδήλωκε, σκολιὸν μὲν ἄνδρα λέγων τὸν σατανᾶν, πυρσευομένους δὲ δόλους τοὺς κακοὺς δαίμονας ἀντὶ τοῦ διδασκομένους καὶ φίλους τοὺς ἁγίους τοὺς διὰ τῆς γνώσεως συναπτομένους ἀλλήλοις. 151 16, 30 στηρίζων ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ λογίζεται διεστραμμένα, ὁρίζει δὲ τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτοῦ πάντα τὰ κακά· οὗτος κάμινός ἐστιν κακῶν Ταύτης τῆς καμίνου ἐκτινάσσει τὴν φλόγα πνεῦμα δρόσου διασυρίζον. 152 16, 33 εἰς κόλπους ἐπέρχεται πάντα τοῖς ἀδίκοις· παρὰ δὲ κυρίου πάντα τὰ δίκαια Σημειωτέον ὅτι κόλπους ἐνταῦθα τὰς καρδίας εἴρηκε τῶν ἀδίκων. Οἶμαι δὲ ὅτι καὶ πανταχοῦ ὁ κόλπος ἤτοι τὸν νοῦν ἢ τὴν γνῶσιν σημαίνει. Εἰ δ' ἐστὶ καὶ κόλπος ψεκτός, τὴν ἀγνωσίαν δηλονότι δηλώσει.

153 17, 2 οἰκέτης νοήμων κρατήσει δεσποτῶν ἀφρόνων· ἐν δὲ ἀδελφοῖς

διελεῖται μέρη Εἰ «πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν δοῦλός ἐστι τῆς ἁμαρτίας», πᾶς ὁ ἀποστὰς τῆς κακίας καὶ διὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν κρατήσας δαιμόνων ἀφρόνων κεκράτηκε δεσποτῶν. Ὁ δὲ τοιοῦτος γενήσεται καὶ οἰκονόμος μυστηρίων θεοῦ, κατ' ἀναλογίαν τῆς καταστάσεως ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἀδελφῶν διδοὺς γνῶσιν πνευματικὴν καὶ τὸν μὲν Κορίνθιον γάλα ποτίζων, τὸν δὲ Ἐφέσιον τρέφων στερεωτέρᾳ τροφῇ, περὶ ὕψους καὶ μήκους καὶ πλάτους καὶ βάθους διαλεγόμενος καὶ διὰ τούτων τῶν διαστημάτων τὴν τῆς λογικῆς φύσεως σημαίνων διαίρεσιν, ἥτις τοὺς περὶ κρίσεως καὶ προνοίας τοῦ θεοῦ λόγους ἐμπεριέχει, πάνυ βαθυτάτους ὑπάρχοντας καὶ ἐκφεύγοντας τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην κατάστασιν. Οὕτω καὶ Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἐμέρισεν ταῖς δώδεκα φυλαῖς, ἥτις ἐστὶν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γεγονότων γνώσεως σύμβολον. Πλὴν τοῦτο ἰστέον ὅτι οἱ περὶ τῆς σαρκώσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ λόγοι καὶ τῆς ἐπιδημίας αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ Ἰούδα γνώσει ἐναπόκεινται· ἐν γὰρ τῷ τούτου κλήρῳ γεννᾶται Χριστός. Οἶμαι δὲ τοὺς περὶ προνοίας λόγους εἶναι ἁρμόζοντας τῇ καταστάσει τοῦ κρυπτοῦ Ἰούδα καὶ Βενιαμίν, ἅτινα ὀνόματα διαφόρων καὶ καθαρῶν καταστάσεων ἡγοῦμαι διαγνωρίσματα, εἴγε Ἰούδας μὲν ἐξομολογούμενος ἑρμηνεύεται, Βενιαμὶν δὲ υἱὸς ἡμερῶν ἢ υἱὸς δεξιᾶς. 154 17, 4 κακὸς ὑπακούει γλώσσης παρανόμων· δίκαιος δὲ οὐ προσέχει χείλεσιν ψευδέσιν Οὗτος ὑπακούει ταῖς γλώσσαις τῶν παρανόμων ὁ τοὺς ἀδίκους δεχόμενος παρ' αὐτῶν λογισμοὺς καὶ σπεύδων ἐνεργεῖν κατ' αὐτούς, οἷς ὁ δίκαιος λέγεται μὴ προσέχειν, τουτέστιν μὴ ἐπὶ πλέον τρέφειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ. 155 17, 6α τοῦ πιστοῦ ὅλος ὁ κόσμος τῶν χρημάτων· τοῦ δὲ ἀπίστου οὐδὲ ὀβολός Ὁ πιστός, φησίν, ὄψεται τοὺς λόγους τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, οὕστινας χρήματα τοῦ νοῦ τροπικῶς προσηγόρευσεν· ὁ δὲ ἄπιστος οὐδὲ τοῦ τυχόντος πράγματος γνώσεται τὸν λόγον διὰ τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ. Ὅτι δὲ πλοῦτος ψυχῆς ἡ γνῶσίς ἐστιν ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὁ Παῦλος διδάσκει δι' ὧν γράφει τὸ «ἐν παντὶ ἐπλουτίσθητε ἐν πάσῃ γνώσει καὶ πάσῃ σοφίᾳ». Εἰ δέ τις βούλοιτο δεῖξαι μὴ ταύτην τὴν ἔννοιαν εἶναι ταύτης τῆς παροιμίας, λεγέτω ποῦ ηὐπόρησαν χρημάτων οἱ περιελθόντες «ἐν μηλωταῖς, ἐν αἰγείοις δέρμασιν, κακουχούμενοι, θλιβόμενοι, ὑστερούμενοι»· πῶς δὲ καὶ ὁ ἄπιστος οὐχ ἕξει ὀβολόν, πολλῶν ἀπίστων περιβεβλημένος πλοῦτον, πολλῶν λέγω δὴ βασιλέων καὶ ἀρχόντων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου. 156 17, 7 οὐχ ἁρμόσει ἄφρονι χείλη πιστὰ οὐδὲ δικαίῳ χείλη ψευδῆ «Τίς