John Chrysostom, Fragments on Proverbs

accept what is said to be a reproach. Where there are no oxen, the mangers are clean, etc. [Exod. f. 63 a.] To me this seems to say that an idle person endures countless loss and poverty; or if not this: that it is not possible, without remaining, to enjoy any fruit, that one must spare the oxen; that one must be economical; that one must have great foresight for agriculture. Or thus: where there are no teachers, the vessels of the teachers are empty; but the strength of the teacher is shown where the produce is abundant. You will seek wisdom among the wicked, and you will not find it. [ibid.] For wisdom is not intertwined with wickedness. The houses of the lawless will owe a cleansing. For having their foundation on sand, they owe a cleansing, so that having become clean they might see God; but those who hear the words of Jesus and do them build their own house upon the rock. A simple man believes every word. [Exod. f. 64 a.] He who hears superficially is undiscerning; for to believe everything simply is foolishness; but the prudent man, even if he is persuaded by the first impression, changes his mind 64.701 and reconsiders. The wicked will slip before the good. [Exod. f. 64 b.] For virtue, being unable to coexist, as it is contrary to wickedness, when it is present, the latter will fall. And the impious will attend the gates of the just; and the impious, repenting, come to the gates of the good; but "attend" now is to be taken not as "to heal," but as "to serve as to teachers." The crown of the wise is their wealth. [Exod. f. 65 a.] What are you saying? Is wealth the glory of the wise? Yes, he says; not because it adds glory to them, but because they are able to use it as needed, and to reap no evil from it; wherefore someone also says: Why did a fool have money? For an unintelligent man will not be able to acquire wisdom. The commandment of the Lord is a fountain of life. [ibid.] Being a fountain it never fails, but always gushes forth both the present life and the life to come; and in supplying good things, it turns away from evils. In a great nation is the glory of a king; but in the decline of a people is the ruin of a ruler. [Exod. f. 65 b] The king has his strength and glory in others; but he who fears God, in himself; and it seems to me through these things to advise both rulers and the ruled to yield to one another; for instance, as having your strength in them, so be disposed. A patient man is great in prudence; but the short-tempered is exceedingly foolish. [ibid.] See in each the emphasis: great, and exceedingly; for there is no such proof of foolishness as short-temperedness; and nothing so much of perfect prudence as patience; how can one be patient, except by examining all things very carefully? The gentle-tempered man heals the passionate affliction of the heart; for having controlled his anger and passion, he heals it when it is disturbed by it; but sensible understanding, a moth of the bones, penetrating into the powers of the soul, dissects them and wishes to be fed. He who slanders a poor man provokes the one who made him. [Exod. f. 65 b.] Two sins are here, both slander, and against a poor man; but why does he provoke the one who made him? Because He Himself made him poor, and easy to handle by your slandering tongue. But he who honors him has mercy on a poor man. And yet if He Himself made him, for what reason ought he to be pitied? For I have heard many saying this: For what reason must one pity a poor man? if God loved him, He would not have made him poor. For how long will we trifle with our salvation? for how long will we laugh at things for which we should have trembled and feared and shuddered, the defiled one who is full of countless evils; whom did He love? Lazarus, or the rich man? These things have destroyed us, because we dissolve into jests. He who trusts, that is, he who is pure and confident in God, is just by his own piety; inasmuch as no one is saved or destroyed by the deeds of another. In the heart of a good man wisdom rests, etc. 64.704 [Exod. f. 66 a.] That is, it will be rooted, it will be deepened, it will be guarded as in

ὄνειδος εἶναι δέξαι τὸ λεγόμενον. Οὗ μὴ εἰσὶ βόες, φάτναι καθαραί, κ. τ. λ. [ξοδ. φ. 63 α.] Ἐμοὶ τοῦτο δοκεῖ λέγειν, ὅτι ἀργὸς μυρίαν ὑπομένει ζημίαν καὶ πενίαν· ἢ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο· ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι, μὴ προσέμενόν τι καρπώσασθαι, ὅτι δεῖ βοῶν φείδεσθαι· ὅτι χρὴ οἰκονομικὸν εἶναι· ὅτι πολλὴν πρόνοιαν ἔχειν γεωργίας. Ἢ οὕτως· οὗ μὴ εἰσὶν οἱ διδάσκοντες, τὰ δοχεῖα τῶν διδασκάλων κενά· ἡ ἰσχὺς δὲ τοῦ διδάσκοντος δείκνυται ἔνθα πολλὰ τὰ γεννήματα. Ζητήσεις σοφίαν παρὰ κακοῖς, καὶ οὐχ εὑρήσεις. [ιβιδ.] Οὐ συμπλέκεται γὰρ τῇ κακίᾳ ἡ σοφία. Οἰκίαι παρανόμων ὀφειλήσουσι καθαρισμόν. Ἐπὶ ψάμμου γὰρ ἔχουσαι τὸν θεμέλιον, ὀφείλουσι καθαρισμὸν, ἵνα καθαροὶ γενόμενοι ἴδωσι τὸν Θεόν· οἱ δὲ ἀκούοντες τοὺς Ἰησοῦ λόγους καὶ ποιοῦντες αὐτοὺς, οἰκοδομοῦσι τὴν ἑαυτῶν οἰκίαν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν. Ἄκακος πιστεύει παντὶ λόγῳ. [ξοδ. φ. 64 α.] Ὁ ἐπιπολαίως τὴν ἀκοὴν, ἀδιάκριτος· ἀνοίας γὰρ τὸ παντὶ πιστεύειν ἁπλῶς· ὁ δὲ φρόνιμος, κἂν ἐκ πρώτης πεισθῇ φαντασίας, μεταγινώ 64.701 σκει καὶ ἐπιλογίζεται. Ὀλισθήσουσι κακοὶ ἔναντι ἀγαθῶν. [ξοδ. φ. 64 β.] Ἀδύνατος γὰρ οὖσα συνυπάρχειν, ὡς ἐναντία τῇ κακίᾳ ἡ ἀρετὴ, ἐν τῷ παρεῖναι, ταύτῃ πεσεῖται. Καὶ ἀσεβεῖς θεραπεύσουσι θύρας δικαίων· ἀσεβεῖς δὲ μετανοοῦντες, ἐπὶ θύρας ἴασιν ἀγαθῶν· θεραπεύει δὲ νῦν, οὐ τὸ ἰᾶσθαι, τὸ δὲ δουλεύειν ὡς διδασκάλοις ληπτέον. Στέφανος σοφῶν, πλοῦτος αὐτῶν. [ξοδ. φ. 65 α.] Τί λέγεις; Πλοῦτος ἡ δόξα σοφῶν; Ναὶ, φησίν· οὐχ ὅτι αὐτοῖς οὗτος προστίθησι δόξαν, ἀλλ' ὅτι δυνατοὶ εἰς δέον αὐτῷ χρήσασθαι, καὶ μηδὲν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ καρπώσασθαι κακόν· διὸ καί τίς φησιν· Ἵνα τί ὑπῆρξε χρήματα ἄφρονι; Κτήσασθαι γὰρ σοφίαν ἀσύνετος οὐ δυνήσεται. Πρόσταγμα Κυρίου, πηγὴ ζωῆς. [ιβιδ.] Πηγὴ οὖσα οὐδέποτε διαλιμπάνει, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ ἀναβλύζει τήν τε παροῦσαν ζωὴν καὶ τὴν μέλλουσαν· καὶ ἐν τῷ χορηγεῖν ἀγαθὰ, κακῶν ἀποτρέπει. Ἐν πολλῷ ἔθνει δόξα βασιλέως· ἐν δὲ ἐκλείψει λαοῦ, συντριβὴ δυνάστου. [ξοδ. φ. 65 β] Ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς ἐν ἑτέροις ἔχει τὴν ἰσχὺν καὶ τὴν δόξαν· ὁ δὲ τὸν Θεὸν φοβούμενος, ἐν ἑαυτῷ· δοκεῖ δέ μοι διὰ τούτων παραινεῖν τοῖς τε ἄρχουσι καὶ ἀρχομένοις, εἴκειν ἀλλήλοις· οἷον ὡς (ἐν) ἐκείνοις ἔχων τὴν ἰσχὺν, οὕτως διάκεισο. Μακρόθυμος ἀνὴρ, πολὺς ἐν φρονήσει· ὁ δὲ ὀλιγόψυχος ἰσχυρῶς ἄφρων. [ιβιδ.] Ὅρα ἐν ἑκατέρῳ τὴν ἐπίτασιν· πολὺς, καὶ ἰσχυρῶς· οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἀνοίας τεκμήριον, ὡς ἡ ὀλιγοψυχία· καὶ οὐδὲν οὕτως φρονήσεως ἐντελοῦς, ὡς ἡ μακροθυμία· πῶς ἄν τις μακροθυμήσῃ, ἢ τῷ σφόδρα ἀκριβῶς ἐξετάζειν πάντα; Ὁ πραΰθυμος ἀνὴρ ἰᾶται τὸ θυμικὸν τῆς καρδίας πάθος· κρατήσας γὰρ τῆς ὀργῆς καὶ τοῦ θυμοῦ, αὐτὴν ταραττομένην ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἰᾶται· σὴς δὲ ὀστέων ἡ συνετὴ νόησις εἰς τὰς τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις εἰσδύνουσα, ἀνατέμνει αὐτὰς καὶ τρέφεσθαι βούλεται. Ὁ συκοφαντῶν πένητα, παροξύνει τὸν ποιήσαντα αὐτόν. [ξοδ. φ. 65 β.] ∆ύο ἁμαρτίαι ἐνταῦθα, καὶ συκοφαντίαι, καὶ κατὰ πένητος· διὰ τί δὲ παροξύνει τὸν ποιήσαντα αὐτόν; Ὅτι αὐτὸς αὐτὸν ἐποίησε πένητα, καὶ εὐχείρωτον τῇ γλώττῃ τῇ σῇ τοῦ συκοφάντου. Ὁ δὲ τιμῶν αὐτὸν, ἐλεεῖ πτωχόν. Καὶ μὴν εἰ αὐτὸς αὐτὸν ἐποίησε, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐλεεῖσθαι χρή; Καὶ γὰρ ἤκουσα πολλῶν τοῦτο λεγόντων· Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐλεῆσαι πένητα δεῖ; εἰ ἐφίλει αὐτὸν ὁ Θεὸς, οὐκ ἂν αὐτὸν πένητα ἐποίησε. Μέχρι τίνος παίζομεν εἰς τὴν σωτηρίαν τὴν ἡμετέραν; μέχρι τίνος γελῶμεν, ἐφ' οἷς τρέμειν ἐχρῆν καὶ δεδοικέναι καὶ φρίττειν τὸν μιαρὸν τὸν μυρίων γέμοντα κακῶν· τίνα ἐφίλει; Τὸν Λάζαρον, ἢ τὸν πλούσιον; Ταῦτα ἡμᾶς ἀπόλωλεν, ὅτι εἰς ἀστεῖα διαλυόμεθα. Ὁ πεποιθὼς, τουτέστιν ὁ καθαρὸς καὶ θαῤῥῶν τῷ Θεῷ, τῇ ἑαυτοῦ δὲ ὁσιότητι δίκαιος· παρ' ὅσον οὐδεὶς ταῖς ἑτέρου πράξεσι σώζεται ἢ ἀπόλλυται. Ἐν καρδίᾳ ἀγαθοῦ ἀναπαύεται σοφία, κ. τ. λ. 64.704 [ξοδ. φ. 66 α.] Τουτέστι ῥιζωθήσεται, βαθυνθήσεται, φυλαχθήσεται ὡς ἐν