Evagrius Ponticus, Exposition on Solomon's Proverbs

to shepherd us with condescension; For I, He says, am the good shepherd. But if He is King of those who reign, and shepherd of sheep, He will one day be King only of the sheep when they have passed over to the royal dignity. The lazy one makes excuses and says: A lion is in the ways: Our enemy the devil prowls around like a lion seeking whom he may devour; fearing him, the lazy one shrinks from the working of virtues. But he who is hated by the Lord will fall into it: Job, not being hated by the Lord but for the sake of testing, has fallen into it. But a rod and instruction are far from him: Far from the heart of the foolish is the rod from the root of Jesse. 106 He who oppresses the poor (edd. the needy) creates many evils for himself: Just as the devil oppresses us by taking from us the virtues which he has not given us, so also we oppress him by taking from him the vices which we have not given him. and insofar as we take vices from him, we take as from one who is poor in virtues; but insofar as we give our virtues to him to our own detriment, we give as to one who is rich in vice. And one of the elders said that we are the oppressors who oppress Christ, who became poor for our sakes and owed us nothing, both taking many things from him and giving them to Satan to the humbling of our souls. Incline your ear to the words of the wise: He hears the words of God who does what is commanded by them; for not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law will be justified. And you, write them for yourself threefold in counsel and knowledge (edd. for counsel and knowledge) upon the breadth of your heart: He who has broadened his heart through purity will understand the words of God, the practical and the natural and the theological; for all the matter according to Scripture is divided in three ways, into the ethical and the natural and the theological; and to the first corresponds Proverbs, to the second Ecclesiastes, and to the third the Song of Songs. Do not give yourself as surety, being ashamed of a face: Let those who accept base thoughts and by this honor the evil one be zealous with all their power to give back the worse things through good thoughts; for if they are not strong enough to do this, their bed under the sides of the soul, that is, virtue, will be taken; for this is called the garment of the mind standing in righteousness, but of one who has finally fallen through base thoughts it is called an under-blanket. Do not remove the eternal boundaries which your fathers have set: He who moves the boundaries of godliness proves it to be superstition or impiety; and he who moves the boundaries of courage makes it rashness or cowardice. And likewise also for the other virtues and for the dogmas and for faith itself; it is to be understood; but this is especially to be observed regarding the Holy Trinity; for he who does not speak of the Holy Spirit as God dissolves baptism; but he who names certain others as gods introduces a crowd of gods. But if you are rather insatiable, do not desire his foods: For not all comprehend the more mystical meaning of Scripture. 107 For these things pertain to a false life: The divine Scripture must be understood intellectually and spiritually; for the sensible knowledge according to the history is not true. Do not dine with an envious man: If the envious man eats the food of impiety and is drunk with lawless wine, and one must not dine with him, then one must not be impious and lawless; for these vices destroy spiritual knowledge. Speak nothing into the ears of a fool: Say nothing intelligent, that is, deep and mystical; for one must not cast pearls before swine. But do not enter into the possession of orphans: The possession of orphans is vice, on account of which they were deprived of the Savior in the heavens. But rather be in the fear of the Lord all the day long: If by the fear of the Lord everyone turns away from evil, he rightly exhorts us to turn away from every evil throughout our whole life. For if

συγκαταβάσεως ποιμαίνειν ἡμᾶς· Ἐγὼ γάρ φησιν εἰμὶ ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός. εἰ δὲ βασιλεὺς μέν ἐστι βασιλευόντων, ποιμὴν δὲ προβάτων, ἔσται ποτὲ μόνον βασιλεὺς τῶν προβάτων εἰς τὸ βασιλικὸν μεταβάντων ἀξίωμα. Προφασίζεται καὶ λέγει ὀκνηρός· Λέων ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς: Ὁ ἐχθρὸς ἡμῶν διάβολος ὡς λέων περιέρχεται ζητῶν τίνα καταπίῃ· ὅντινα φοβούμενος ὁ ὀκνηρὸς πρὸς τὴν ἐργασίαν τῶν ἀρετῶν ἀναδύεται. Ὁ δὲ μισηθεὶς ὑπὸ κυρίου ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς αὐτόν: Ὁ Ἰὼβ οὐ μισηθεὶς ὑπὸ κυρίου ἀλλὰ δοκιμῆς ἕνεκεν ἐμπέπτωκεν εἰς αὐτόν. Ῥάβδος δὲ καὶ παιδεία μακρὰν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ: Μακρὰν ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας τοῦ ἄφρονός ἐστιν ἡ ῥάβδος ἡ ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης Ἰεσσαί. 106 Ὁ συκοφαντῶν πτωχὸν (edd. πένητα) πολλὰ ποιεῖ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ κακά: Ὥσπερ ὁ διάβολος συκοφαντεῖ ἡμᾶς λαμβάνων παρ' ἡμῶν τὰς ἀρετὰς ἃς μὴ δέδωκεν ἡμῖν, οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς συκοφαντοῦμεν αὐτὸν λαμβάνοντες παρ' αὐτοῦ τὰς κακίας ἃς μὴ δεδώκαμεν αὐτῷ. καὶ καθὸ μὲν λαμβάνομεν παρ' αὐτοῦ τὰς κακίας, ὡς παρὰ πένητος ἐν ἀρεταῖς λαμβάνομεν· καθὸ δὲ τὰς ἀρετὰς ἡμῶν διδόαμεν αὐτῷ ἐπ' ἐλαττώσει ἡμῶν, ὡς πλουσίῳ ἐν κακίᾳ διδόαμεν. ἔλεγεν δέ τις τῶν γερόντων, ὅτι ἡμεῖς ἐσμὲν οἱ συκοφάνται οἱ Χριστὸν συκοφαντοῦντες, πτωχεύσαντα δι' ἡμᾶς καὶ μηδὲν ὀφείλοντα ἡμῖν, καὶ λαμβάνοντες παρ' αὐτοῦ πολλὰ καὶ διδόντες τῷ σατανᾷ ἐπὶ ταπεινώσει τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν. Παράβαλε σὸν οὖς λόγοις σοφῶν: Οὗτος ἀκούει τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγων, ὁ ποιῶν τὰ προστασσόμενα ὑπ' αὐτῶν· οὐ γὰρ οἱ ἀκροαταὶ νόμου δίκαιοι παρὰ θεῷ, ἀλλ' οἱ ποιηταὶ τοῦ νόμου δικαιωθήσονται. Καὶ σὺ δὲ ἀπόγραψαι αὐτὰ σεαυτῷ τρισσῶς ἐν βουλῇ καὶ γνώσει (edd. εἰς βουλὴν κ. γνῶσιν) ἐπὶ τὸ πλάτος τῆς καρδίας σου: Ὁ πλατύνας διὰ τῆς καθαρότητος τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ νοήσει τοὺς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγους, τούς τε πρακτικοὺς καὶ τοὺς φυσικοὺς καὶ τοὺς θεολογικούς· πᾶσα γὰρ ἡ κατὰ τὴν γραφὴν πραγματεία τέμνεται τριχῶς, εἰς ἠθικὴν καὶ φυσικὴν καὶ θεολογικήν· καὶ ἀκολουθεῖ τῇ μὲν πρώτῃ αἱ παροιμίαι, τῇ δὲ δευτέρᾳ ὁ ἐκκλησιαστής, τῇ δὲ τρίτῃ τὰ ἄσματα τῶν ἀσμάτων. Μὴ δίδου σεαυτὸν εἰς ἐγγύην, αἰσχυνόμενος πρόσωπον: Οἱ τοὺς φαύλους ἀναδεχόμενοι λογισμοὺς καὶ τούτῳ τιμῶντες τὸν πονηρὸν σπουδαζέτωσαν ὅση δύναμις διὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν λογισμῶν ἀποδιδόναι τοὺς χείρονας· ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ ἰσχύσωσι τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, λήψονται τὸ στρῶμα τὸ ὑπὸ τὰς πλευρὰς τῆς ψυχῆς, τοῦτ' ἔστι τὴν ἀρετήν· αὕτη γὰρ τοῦ μὲν ἑστῶτος ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ νοῦ ἱμάτιον λέγεται, τοῦ δὲ λοιπὸν πεσόντος διὰ τῶν φαύλων λογισμῶν ὑπόστρωμα καλεῖται. Μὴ μέταιρε ὅρια αἰώνια, ἃ ἔθεντο οἱ πατέρες σου: Ὁ μετατιθεὶς τὰ ὅρια τῆς θεοσεβείας δεισιδαιμονίαν ἢ ἀσέβειαν αὐτὴν ἀποδείκνυσι· καὶ ὁ μετατιθεὶς τὰ ὅρια τῆς ἀνδρείας θρασύτητα ἢ δειλίαν αὐτὴν ἀπεργάζεται. ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀρετῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν δογμάτων καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῆς τῆς πίστεως· νοητέον· μάλιστα δὲ τοῦτο τηρητέον ἐπὶ τῆς ἁγίας τριάδος· ὁ γὰρ μὴ θεολογῶν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον διαλύει τὸ βάπτισμα· ὁ δὲ καὶ ἄλλους τινὰς ὀνομάζων θεοὺς δῆμον εἰσάγει θεῶν. Εἰ δὲ ἀπληστότερος εἶ, μὴ ἐπιθύμει τῶν ἐδεσμάτων αὐτοῦ: Οὐ γὰρ πάντες χωροῦσι τὴν μυστικωτέραν διάνοιαν τῆς γραφῆς. 107 Ταῦτα γὰρ ἔχεται ζωῆς ψευδοῦς: ∆εῖ τὴν θείαν γραφὴν νοητῶς νοεῖσθαι καὶ πνευματικῶς· ἡ γὰρ κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν αἰσθητὴ γνῶσις οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθής. Μὴ συνδείπνει ἀνδρὶ βασκάνῳ: Εἰ ὁ βάσκανος σῖτα ἀσεβείας ἐσθίει καὶ οἴνῳ παρανόμῳ μεθύσκεται, οὐ δεῖ δὲ συνδείπνειν τούτῳ, οὐ χρὴ ἄρα εἶναι ἀσεβῆ καὶ παράνομον· αὗται γὰρ αἱ κακίαι λυμαίνονται γνῶσιν πνευματικήν. Εἰς ὦτα ἄφρονος μηθὲν (edd. μηδὲν) λέγε: Μηθὲν λέγε συνετόν, τοῦτ' ἔστιν βαθὺ καὶ μυστικόν· οὐ δεῖ γὰρ βάλλειν τὰς μαργαρίτας ἔμπροσθεν τῶν χοίρων. Εἰς δὲ κτῆμα ὀρφανῶν μὴ εἰσέλθῃς: Κτῆμα ὀρφανῶν ἡ κακία ἐστίν, δι' ἣν ἐστερήθησαν τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς σωτῆρος. Ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν φόβῳ κυρίου ἴσθι ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν: Εἰ τῷ φόβῳ κυρίου ἐκκλίνει πᾶς ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καλῶς παραινεῖ διὰ παντὸς τοῦ βίου ἐκκλίνειν ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ. Ἐὰν γὰρ