John Chrysostom, Fragments on Proverbs

For nothing is more resourceful than virtue, nothing more powerful, nothing more inventive. Or by hand 64.696 he means the action of the saints, who have dominion over the world; but men who are not good will be taken captive by demons. A dreadful word troubles the heart of a just man. But a good report makes him glad. [ibid.] The word concerning the punishments in the law troubles him; but hearing of the promises in the Gospels, he rejoices. See how useful it is for both; if he hears something good about his neighbors, he does not envy, but rejoices with them; and if something evil about himself is suppressed, both his grief and his joy have order; but for the impious, it is the opposite; for where they ought to grieve at dreadful words, they are contemptuous; and where they ought to rejoice at good things, they waste away, suffering contrary passions. A deceitful man will not obtain his prey. [exod. f. 59 v.] Since our reasoning is a hunter and a fisherman, therefore the deceitful man does not obtain the prey of contrary reasonings, but is himself hunted by them.

CHAPTER 13.

He who guards his own mouth, keeps his own soul. [exod. f. 59 v.] See how we are the first to reap the good things, and how the harm in turn comes round upon us; for he guards it who knows to say: Set, O Lord, a watch before my mouth; but he is rash with his lips, who does not understand what he says, nor about what things he affirms. [ibid.] Every idle person is in desires. For such a one, even if he is very wealthy, corrupts his wealth by idleness; or because work distracts the mind from superfluous desires; but those who take care of what they have, have also added what they do not have to what they do have. There are those who enrich themselves, having nothing, and there are those who humble themselves in much wealth. Therefore neither is wealth a pretext for arrogance; nor poverty, for humility; or those who seem wise enrich themselves. A man's own wealth is the ransom for his soul. [exod. f. 60 r.] What are you saying? What are you doing, so exalting money? First, he did not say simply all wealth, but one's own, that comes from just labors; therefore poverty is not evil; or he says this, that perhaps one would not even choose to threaten a poor man; for from where would one frighten a man who has nothing? So this life is free from trouble; or by 'one's own wealth' he means righteousness, which delivers from death; but he who is poor in virtues does not withstand a threat, that is, the proclamation concerning punishment. Better is he who begins to help than he who makes promises and raises hopes. [exod. f. 60 v.] It teaches everywhere not to be rash with words, and to make promises neither to God nor to men simply, but to do this through deeds, and 64.697 not to be dissolved in words; or that, Quickly begin virtue, and do not delay; for it is good to begin a good deed, and not to live in hope. He who fears the commandment, this one is sound. [exod. f. 61 r.] As he who fears God does His will, so he who fears a commandment keeps it; but he who despises God, despises His commandments; but a soul is sound that keeps the divine commandment. A rash king will fall into evils; but a wise messenger will deliver him. [exod. f. 61 r.] Do you see how great an evil rashness is, that it does not even benefit a king? And yet from whom will he suffer harm, who has all under him? See also how great a good the opposite is; for, he says, a wise man will deliver him, bringing messages and giving counsel; that is, he will deliver himself, bringing wise messages to his adversaries and acting as an ambassador; but a wise messenger, that is, one who gives him wise counsel. He who walks with the wise will be wise. [exod. f. 61 v.]

Ἐπεὶ οὐδὲν εὐπορώτερον ἀρετῆς, οὐδὲν δυνατώτερον, οὐδὲν εὐμηχανέστερον. Ἢ χεῖρα τὴν 64.696 πρᾶξιν λέγει τῶν ἁγίων, οἳ κατεξουσιάζουσι τοῦ κόσμου· οἱ δὲ μὴ ἀγαθοὶ ἄνδρες αἰχμαλωτισθήσονται ὑπὸ δαιμόνων. Φοβερὸς λόγος καρδίαν ταράσσει ἀνδρὸς δικαίου. Ἀγγελία δὲ ἀγαθὴ εὐφραίνει αὐτόν. [ιβιδ.] Ταράσσει μὲν ὁ περὶ τῶν ἐν νόμῳ κολάσεων λόγος· περὶ δὲ τῶν ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις ἐπαγγελιῶν ἀκούων εὐφραίνεται. Ὅρα πρὸς ἑκάτερα χρήσιμον· κἂν ἀγαθόν τι περὶ τῶν πέλας ἀκούσῃ, οὐ βασκαίνει, ἀλλὰ συγχαίρει· κἂν πονηρόν τι περὶ ἑαυτοῦ καταστέλλεται, τάξιν ἔχει καὶ ἡ ὀδύνη αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ χαρά· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἀσεβῶν, τοὐναντίον· ἔνθα μὲν γὰρ ὀδυνᾶσθαι χρὴ ἐπὶ τοῖς φοβεροῖς λόγοις, καταφρονοῦσιν· ἔνθα δὲ χαίρειν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς, τήκονται, ἐναντία πάσχοντες πάθη. Οὐκ ἐπιτεύξεται δόλιος θήρας. [ξοδ. φ. 59 β.] Ἐπεὶ θηρευτής ἐστι καὶ ἁλιευτὴς ἡμῶν ὁ λογισμὸς, ὁ οὖν δόλιος ὢν οὐκ ἐπιτυγχάνει τῆς θήρας τῶν ἐναντίων λογισμῶν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς θηρεύεται ὑπ' αὐτῶν.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΓʹ.

Ὃς φυλάσσει τὸ ἑαυτοῦ στόμα, τηρεῖ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν. [ξοδ. φ. 59 β.] Ὅρα πρώτους ἡμᾶς καρπουμένους τὰ καλὰ, καὶ τὴν βλάβην αὖθις περιτρεπομένην εἰς ἡμᾶς· φυλάσσει μὲν γὰρ ὃς οἶδε λέγειν τό· Θοῦ, Κύριε, φυλακὴν τῷ στόματί μου· προπετεύεται δὲ χείλεσιν, ὁ μὴ νοῶν, ἃ λέγει, μηδὲ περὶ τίνων διαβεβαιοῦται. [ιβιδ.] Ἐν ἐπιθυμίαις ἐστὶ πᾶς ἀεργός. Ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος, κἂν πάνυ εὔπορος ᾖ, διαφθείρει τῇ ἀργίᾳ τὸν πλοῦτον· ἢ παρ' ὅσον τὸ ἔργον παρασχολεῖ τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν περισσῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν· οἱ δὲ ἐπιμελούμενοι τῶν ὄντων, καὶ τὰ οὐκ ὄντα τοῖς οὖσιν προσηύξησαν. Εἰσὶν οἱ πλουτίζουσιν ἑαυτοὺς, μηδὲν ἔχοντες, καὶ εἰσὶν οἱ ταπεινοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς ἐν πολλῷ πλούτῳ. Ἄρα οὔτε πλοῦτος, ἀλαζονίας ὑπόθεσις· οὔτε πενία, ταπεινοφροσύνης· ἢ πλουτίζουσιν οἱ δοκησίσοφοι. Λύτρον ἀνδρὸς ψυχῆς ὁ ἴδιος πλοῦτος. [ξοδ. φ. 60 α.] Τί λέγεις; τί ποιεῖς, οὕτως ἐπαίρων τὰ χρήματα; Πρῶτον μὲν οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἅπαντα τὸν πλοῦτον ἔφησεν, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἴδιον τὸν ἐκ δικαίων πόνων· οὐκ οὖν πονηρὸν ἡ πτωχεία· ἢ τοῦτό φησιν, ὅτι τῷ πτωχῷ ἴσως οὐδὲ ἀπειλῆσαί τις ἂν ἕλοιτο· τὸν γὰρ οὐκ ἔχοντα, πόθεν ἄν τις φοβήσειεν; Ὥστε ἀπράγμων οὗτος ὁ βίος ἔστιν· ἢ πλοῦτον ἴδιον τὴν δικαιοσύνην φησὶ, ἥτις ῥύεται ἐκ θανάτου· οὐχ ὑφίσταται δὲ ἀπειλὴν, ἤτοι τὴν περὶ κολάσεως προαναφώνησιν, ὁ πτωχεύων ταῖς ἀρεταῖς. Κρείσσων ὁ ἐναρχόμενος βοηθεῖν τοῦ ἐξαγγελλομένου καὶ εἰς ἐλπίδας ἄγοντος. [ξοδ. φ. 60 β.] Παιδεύει πανταχοῦ μὴ προπετεῖς εἶναι ῥήμασι, καὶ μήτε Θεῷ ἁπλῶς ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι μήτε ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλὰ δι' ἔργων τοῦτο ποιεῖν, καὶ 64.697 μὴ ῥήμασι διαλύεσθαι· ἢ ὅτι, Ταχὺ ἄρχου ἀρετῆς, καὶ μὴ μέλλε· καλὸν γὰρ ἐνάρχεσθαι ἀγαθῆς πράξεως, καὶ μὴ ἐλπιδοσκοπεῖν. Ὁ φοβούμενος ἐντολὴν, οὗτος ὑγιαίνει. [ξοδ. φ. 61 α.] Ὡς ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν Θεὸν ποιεῖ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ, οὕτως ὁ φοβούμενος ἐντολὴν τηρεῖ αὐτήν· ὁ δὲ καταφρονῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καταφρονεῖ τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ· ὑγιαίνει δὲ ψυχὴ τηροῦσα τὴν ἐντολὴν τὴν θείαν. Βασιλεὺς θρασὺς ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς κακά· ἄγγελος δὲ σοφὸς ῥύσεται αὐτόν. [ξοδ. φ. 61 α.] Ὁρᾷς ὅσον κακὸν ἡ θρασύτης, ὅτι οὐδὲ βασιλέα ὠφελεῖ; καί τοι παρὰ τίνος ἐκεῖνος πείσεται δεινὸν, ὁ πάντας ἔχων ὑφ' ἑαυτῷ; ἴδε καὶ ὅσον ἀγαθὸν τὸ ἐναντίον· ῥύσεται γὰρ, φησὶν, αὐτὸν ὁ σοφός τις ἀγγέλλων καὶ συμβουλεύων· ἤγουν αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν ῥύσεται, σοφὰ τοῖς ἀντιπάλοις ἀγγέλλων καὶ πρεσβευόμενος· ἄγγελος δὲ σοφὸς, τουτέστιν ὁ σοφὰ συμβουλεύων αὐτῷ. Ὁ συμπορευόμενος σοφοῖς, σοφὸς ἔσται. [ξοδ. φ. 61 β.]