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

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 this world? Faithful lips, he says, are good thoughts; but to a fool evil thoughts will be acceptable; for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? unless perhaps having repented he accepts both prudence and faith. Through righteousness, we hide unrighteousness; and through temperance, intemperance; and again through love, hatred; and through freedom from avarice, 17.200 greed; and we also hide pride through humility, and audacity through meekness; seeking spiritual friendship, which signifies holy knowledge; and in Paul some are said to have become fellow citizens of the saints, and of the household of the Jerusalem above, built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. Here he calls the body the house of the soul; and the soul again, the house of the mind; and this same mind again is called the eye of the soul; but he who has learned divine knowledge and wisdom, but has given himself over to wickedness, and instead of good words utters evil ones, and is not willing to turn back and be saved, from the house of his body wickedness and evil will not depart; but they remain firmly in it, so that the final evils may come, remaining immovable in it on the day of the Lord's wrath. -The body formed for us from the earth by the Lord, he here calls a house; but the phrase, "it will not be moved," instead of, "wrath and affliction will not depart from his house," sent forth by the Lord through both men and demons, against the one who returned evil for good to his human benefactor. -If he who returns evil for evil is lawless, how much more lawless is he who returns evil for good? Such was Israel in the desert; to whom Moses says in Deuteronomy: A crooked and perverse generation, do you repay the Lord thus? Here he calls knowledge the beginning; and righteousness follows knowledge; for righteousness is born from knowledge; but lack is ignorance; and strife and battle, all wickedness; and wickedness precedes ignorance. For what reason does he again accuse the poor? Leading us away from idleness; therefore authority is not from the laying on of hands; so if you wish to walk with boldness, be righteous; and strife and battle precede lack, that is, for the unrighteous there is a lack of virtue. Like him is the one who calls bitter sweet, and sweet bitter; and names light darkness, and darkness light. Here he calls wisdom and knowledge wealth; but for a fool, to what end was the learning of wisdom and knowledge? For just as it is impossible for a vine to grow in the sea, so in fools it is impossible for wisdom to bear the fruit of virtue; for the wealth of a fool is his foolishness in each of his affairs; for through these, having become heartless, he is unable to acquire wisdom. -In every matter, everyone who exalts himself will be humbled; because the Lord opposes the proud; but he who is crooked about learning the things of God will fall into evil concerning the judgment. Here he calls Christ the friend, who for his friendship toward man, became man. For I no longer call you servants, he said to the disciples, but friends; and at all times let Christ be with you as a friend and if the sons of Christ are friends of one another; the angels and righteous men are brothers 17.201 of one another, being born by the spirit of adoption; for for this reason they are also born of wisdom, that they may lead men from wickedness to virtue, and from ignorance to the knowledge of God. This is the fickle one, who is easily changed from virtue to wickedness, having been carried away by evil thoughts. Here he calls God the Father; the mother, His philanthropy; which also caused Him to be incarnate, and to endure sufferings for our sake; but God our Father does not rejoice over a son who has been adopted, but has not been instructed in the wisdom and knowledge of God, but has given himself over to wickedness and evil; but a prudent son gladdens his mother,

θλιβόμενοι, στενοχωρούμενοι; Πῶς δὲ καὶ ὁ ἄπιστος οὐχ ἕξει ὀβολὸν, πολλῶν ἀπίστων περιβεβλη μένων πλοῦτον πολὺν, λέγω δὲ βασιλέων καὶ ἀρχόν των τοῦ κόσμου τούτου; Χείλη πιστὰ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς λογισμούς φησιν· ἄφρονι δὲ δεκτοὶ ἔσονται πονηροὶ λογισμοί· τίς γὰρ μετοχὴ δικαιοσύνῃ πρὸς ἀδικίαν; εἰ μή που μετανοήσας δέ ξηται φρόνησίν τε καὶ πίστιν. ∆ιὰ μὲν τῆς δικαιοσύνης, τὴν ἀδικίαν κρύπτομεν· διὰ δὲ τῆς σωφροσύνης, τὴν ἀκολασίαν· καὶ πάλιν διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης, τὸ μῖσος· καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀφιλαργυρίας, τὴν 17.200 πλεονεξίαν· κρύπτομεν δὲ καὶ διὰ τῆς ταπεινοφροσύ νης τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν, καὶ διὰ τὴν πραΰτητα, τὴν θρασύτητα· ζητοῦντες τὴν πνευματικὴν φιλίαν, ἥτις τὴν ἁγίαν γνῶσιν σημαίνει· καὶ παρὰ τῷ Παύλῳ δὲ συμπολῖται τινὲς τῶν ἁγίων λέγονται γεγονέναι, καὶ οἰκεῖοι τῆς ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἐποικοδομηθέντες ἐπὶ τῷ θεμελίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ τῶν προφητῶν. Οἶκον ἐνταῦθά φησι τῆς μὲν ψυχῆς, τὸ σῶμα· τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν πάλιν, οἶκον τοῦ νοῦ· ὁ δ' αὐτὸς πάλιν νοῦς, τῆς ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμὸς λέγεται· ὁ δὲ τὴν ἔνθεον γνῶσιν καὶ σοφίαν μαθὼν, ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἐκδοὺς τῇ κακίᾳ, καὶ ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν πονηροὺς λόγους ἐκφέρων, πρὸς δὲ τὸ ἐπιστρέψαι καὶ σωθῆναι μὴ βουλόμενος, τοῦ σωματι κοῦ οἴκου οὐκ ἀναχωρήσει ἡ κακία καὶ ἡ πονηρία· ἀλ λὰ μένουσιν ἑδραίως ἐν αὐτῷ, ἵνα τὰ τέλεια κακὰ ἐπέλθῃ, ἐν αὐτῷ ἀκίνητα μένοντα ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς Κυρίου. -Τὸ ἐκ τῆς γῆς παρὰ Κυρίου πλασθὲν ἡμῖν σῶμα, οἶκον ἐνταῦθά φησι· τὸ δὲ, οὐ κινηθήσεται, ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐκ ἀναχωρήσει ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου αὑτοῦ ὀργὴ καὶ θλίψις, διά τε ἀνθρώπων καὶ δαιμόνων ἐκπεμπόμενα παρὰ Κυρίου, κατὰ τοῦ ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν κακὰ ἀποδώσαν τος τῷ ἀγαθοποιῷ αὑτοῦ ἀνθρώπῳ. -Εἰ ὁ κακὰ ἀντὶ κακῶν ἀποδιδοὺς παράνομος, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ κακὰ ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν ἀποδιδοὺς παρανομώτερος; Τοιοῦτος δὲ ἐγένετο κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον ὁ Ἰσραήλ· πρὸς ὃν ὁ Μωϋσῆς ἐν τῷ ∆ευτερονομίῳ φησί· Γενεὰ σκολιὰ καὶ διεστραμμέ νη, ταῦτα Κυρίῳ ἀνταποδίδοτε; Ἐνταῦθα ἀρχὴν, τὴν γνῶσίν φησι· δικαιοσύνη δὲ ἕπεται τῇ γνώσει· ἐκ γὰρ τῆς γνώσεως ἡ δικαιοσύνη τίκτεται· ἔνδεια δέ ἐστι ἄγνοια· στάσις δὲ καὶ μάχη, πᾶσα κακία· προηγεῖται δὲ τῆς ἀγνοίας, ἡ κακία. Τί νος ἕνεκεν πάλιν τῶν πενήτων κατηγορεῖ; Ἀπάγων ἡμᾶς ἀργίας· οὐκ ἄρα ἀπὸ χειροτονίας ἡ ἐξουσία· ὥστε εἰ βούλει μετὰ παῤῥησίας βαδίζειν, δίκαιος ἔσο· προηγεῖται δὲ τῆς ἐνδείας στάσις καὶ μάχη, ἤτοι τοῖς ἀδικοῦσιν ἔνδεια ἀρετῆς. Ὅμοιός ἐστι τούτῳ ὁ λέγων τὸ πικρὸν γλυκὺ, καὶ τὸ γλυκὺ πικρόν· καὶ τὸ μὲν φῶς, ὀνομάζων σκότος, τὸ δὲ σκότος, φῶς. Χρήματα ἐνταῦθα τὴν σοφίαν καὶ τὴν γνῶσίν φη σιν· ἄφρονι δὲ, ἵνα τί ὑπῆρξεν ἡ τῆς σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως μάθησις; ὡς γὰρ ἄμπελον ἀδύνατον ἐν θα λάσσῃ γενέσθαι, οὕτως ἐν ἄφροσιν ἡ σοφία ἀρετὴν καρπώσασθαι· χρήματα γὰρ ἄφρονός ἐστιν, αἱ περὶ καθ' ἕκαστα αὐτοῦ πράγματα ἀφροσύναι· διὰ ταύτας γὰρ καὶ ἀκάρδιος γεγονὼς, κτήσασθαι σοφίαν ἀδυνα τεῖ. -Ἐν παντὶ πράγματι, πᾶς ὁ ὑψῶν ἑαυτὸν τα πεινωθήσεται· ὅτι Κύριος ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται· ὁ δὲ σκολιάζων τοῦ μαθεῖν τὰ πράγματα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς κακὰ περὶ τὴν κρίσιν. Ἐνταῦθα φίλον τὸν Χριστόν φησιν, ὃς διὰ τὴν πρὸς ἄνθρωπον φιλίαν, ἄνθρωπος γέγονεν. Οὐκέτι γὰρ λέγω ὑμᾶς δούλους, εἶπεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς, ἀλλὰ φίλους· ἐν παντὶ δὲ καιρῷ ὁ Χριστὸς συνυπαρχέτω σοι φίλος εἰ δὲ οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ υἱοὶ, ἀλλήλων εἰσὶ φίλοι· οἱ ἄγ γελοι καὶ οἱ δίκαιοι ἄνθρωποι, ἀλλήλων εἰσὶν ἀδελ 17.201 φοὶ, τῷ τῆς υἱοθεσίας γεννώμενοι πνεύματι· τούτου γὰρ χάριν καὶ γεννῶνται ὑπὸ τῆς σοφίας, ἵνα ἀνθρώ πους ὁδηγήσωσιν ἀπὸ κακίας εἰς ἀρετὴν, καὶ ἀπὸ ἀγνωσίας εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν Θεοῦ. Οὗτός ἐστιν εὐμετάβολος, ὁ ῥᾳδίως ἀπὸ ἀρετῆς ἐπὶ κακίαν μεταβαλλόμενος, τοῖς πονηροῖς λογισμοῖς συν απαχθείς. Πατέρα ἐνταῦθα τὸν Θεόν φησι· μητέρα, τὴν φι λανθρωπίαν αὐτοῦ· ἣ καὶ πεποίηκεν αὐτὸν σαρκω θῆναι, καὶ πάθη ὑπομεῖναι δι' ἡμᾶς· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ ἡμῶν, οὐκ εὐφραίνεται ἐπὶ υἱῷ υἱοθετηθέντι μὲν, μὴ πεπαιδευμένῳ δὲ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν, ἀλλὰ κακίᾳ καὶ πονηρίᾳ ἑαυτὸν ἐκδόντι· υἱὸς δὲ φρόνιμος εὐφραίνει τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ,