John Chrysostom, Fragments on Proverbs

in a most secure place; but wisdom is not discerned among the foolish, since it will not dwell in a body indebted to sin. A prudent servant is acceptable to a king. Again he leads them from human things, and turns them away from idleness; for a king also seeks nothing else, but goodwill; or that he who serves with reason meets with acceptance. But by his own cleverness he removes dishonor. And if he should overlook the dishonor from this, he is corrected by understanding.

CHAPTER 15.

Anger destroys even the prudent; a submissive answer turns away wrath; but a harsh word stirs up anger. [Exod. fol. 65 a.] So it is entirely up to us, both to stir up and to calm down; it is not, then, the Lord who is angry, but we, who prepare him to be angry, or not; but if [anger] destroys the prudent, how much more those of whom it is said, Anger slays the foolish? which indeed happens for even the prudent to suffer through inattentiveness. A submissive [answer] turns away wrath, that is, the state of the one answering, appearing humble, and having nothing harsh. The healing of the tongue is a tree of life. But a tongue is healed by not sinning in word; for the sickness of the tongue is sin through it; He who preserves it and does not sin with his tongue will clearly be filled with the Holy Spirit. The lips of the wise are bound by perception; but the hearts of the foolish are not secure. [Exod. fol. 66 b.] See that the former are secure even outwardly from the tongue and are rational, but the latter, not even inwardly; for they are corrupted from the heart. Or that the wicked move their tongue to speak, being insensitive to the power of what is said; but the wise, because of perception, bind their lips. Those who hate reproofs end shamefully. [ibid.] Either by being rebuked, or by having proof from words; for having fallen among sophists, they will be able to say nothing; or he also called the commandments reproofs; for these reprove us when we sin. Hades and destruction are manifest before the Lord, how much more also the hearts of men? To whom all things are evident, how much more also the hearts of men? For they especially corrected this, who asserted that a certain eye—provident, judging, and examining—is set over both thought and things done in secret. But he did not now speak of complete destruction, but that by which things escape the notice of others, fleeing their perception; destruction which is a neighbor to Hades. [Exod. fol. 67 a.] For this is the province of the wise, to reprove those who do evil; for nothing so shows the work of wisdom as living for the common good. When the heart is glad, the face blossoms. For what reason has this been said? So that we may make it rejoice through righteousness, and not fatten the body. For those who desire righteousness make their soul rejoice; or it rejoices through virtues, but is grieved through sins. 64.705 An upright heart seeks perception, etc. [ibid.] Perception of wisdom, that it may become wise; and evils are either things that make one evil, or vice in the extreme; All the time the eyes of the evil expect evil things. So that even if it does not happen, even if it does not come to pass, nevertheless the expectation causes turmoil, foreseeing disturbances; or that they receive punishment as a consequence of their own actions. Better is a portion with vegetables, etc. [ibid.] What does it say, I say: in the fear of God, in the friendship of men, if it is present, fewer things are better than many; for pleasure is not in luxury, but luxury is in pleasure, as Hesiod says. For by overlooking sins, he extinguishes the judgments upon them. [Exod. fol. 67 b.] The senseless one does nothing with reason; but the prudent man directs, that is, he shows the

ἀσφαλεστάτῳ χωρίῳ· οὐ διαγινώσκεται δὲ σοφία ἐν ἄφροσιν, ἐπεὶ οὐ κατοικήσει ἐν σώματι ἁμαρτίας καταχρέῳ. ∆εκτὸς βασιλεῖ ὑπηρέτης νοήμων. Πάλιν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων αὐτοὺς ἐνάγει, καὶ ἀπάγει ἀργίας· καὶ γὰρ καὶ βασιλεὺς οὐδὲν ἕτερον ζητεῖ, ἀλλ' εὔνοιαν· ἢ ὅτι τυγχάνει ἀποδοχῆς ὁ ὑπηρετῶν μετὰ λογισμοῦ. Τῇ δὲ ἑαυτοῦ εὐστροφίᾳ ἀφαιρεῖται ἀτιμίαν. Κἄν τι παρίδῃ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀτιμίαν, διορθοῦται συνέσει.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΕʹ.

Ὀργὴ ἀπόλλυσι καὶ φρονίμους· ἀπόκρισις ὑποπίπτουσα ἀποστρέφει θυμόν· λόγος δὲ λυπηρὸς ἐγείρει ὀργάς. [ξοδ. φ. 65 α.] Ἄρα παρ' ἡμῖν τὸ πᾶν, τὸ καὶ ἐγείρειν καὶ κατευνάζειν· οὐκ ἄρα ὁ ὀργιζόμενος Κύριος, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς, τοῦ ἐκεῖνον ὀργίζεσθαι, ἢ μὴ, παρασκευάζοντες· εἰ δὲ φρονίμους [ὀργὴ] ἀπόλλυσι, πόσῳ μᾶλλον περὶ ὧν εἴρηται, Ἄφρονα ἀναιρεῖ ὀργή; ὃ δὴ συμβαίνει καὶ τὸν φρόνιμον ἐξ ἀπροσεξίας παθεῖν. Ὑποπίπτουσα δὲ [ἀπόκρισις] ἀποστρέφει θυμὸν, ἤγουν ἡ τοῦ ἀποκρινομένου κατάστασις, ταπεινὴ φαινομένη, καὶ τραχὺ μηδὲν ἔχουσα. Ἴασις γλώσσης, δένδρον ζωῆς. Ἰᾶται δὲ γλῶσσα μὴ ἁμαρτάνουσα λόγῳ· νόσος γὰρ γλώττης, ἡ δι' αὐτῆς ἁμαρτία· Πνεύματος δὲ τοῦ ἁγίου δηλονότι πλησθήσεται ὁ συντηρῶν ταύτην καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνων ἐν γλώσσῃ. Χείλη σοφῶν δέδεται αἰσθήσει· καρδίαι δὲ ἀφρόνων οὐκ ἀσφαλεῖς. [ξοδ. φ. 66 β.] Ὅρα τούτους μὲν καὶ ἔξωθεν ἀσφαλεῖς ἀπὸ γλώσσης καὶ λελογισμένους, ἐκείνους δὲ, οὐδὲ ἔνδον· ἀπὸ γὰρ καρδίας διέφθαρται. Ἢ ὅτι κινοῦσιν οἱ φαῦλοι εἰς τὸ λέγειν τὴν γλῶτταν, τῆς τῶν λεγομένων ἀναισθητοῦντες δυνάμεως· σοφοὶ δὲ διὰ τὴν αἴσθησιν τὰ χείλη δεσμοῦσιν. Οἱ μισοῦντες ἐλέγχους, τελευτῶσιν αἰσχρῶς. [ιβιδ.] Ἢ τῷ ἐπιτιμᾶσθαι, ἢ τῷ ἔχειν λόγων ἀπόδειξιν· σοφισταῖς γὰρ περιπεσόντες, οὐδὲν λέγειν δυνήσονται· ἢ καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς ἐλέγχους εἶπεν· αὖται γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἐλέγχουσιν ἁμαρτάνοντας. Ἅδης καὶ ἀπώλεια φανερὰ παρὰ τῷ Κυρίῳ, πῶς οὐχὶ καὶ αἱ καρδίαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων; Ὧ πάντα ἐστὶ δῆλα, πῶς οὐχὶ καὶ αἱ καρδίαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων; Τοῦτο γὰρ μάλιστα διώρθουν, οἱ τό τε τῇ διανοίᾳ καὶ τοῖς κρύφα γινομένοις ἐπιστῆσαί τινα ὀφθαλμὸν, προνοητικὸν, δικαστὴν, καὶ ἐξεταστὴν φάσκοντες. Οὐ τὴν παντελῆ δὲ νῦν ἀπώλειαν εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ καθ' ἢν λανθάνει τὰ τῶν ἄλλων αἴσθησιν διαφεύγοντα· ἀπώλεια ἥτις ἔστι γείτων τοῦ ᾅδου. [ξοδ. φ. 67 α.] Σοφῶν γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστιν ἴδιον, ἐλέγχειν τοὺς κακῶς πράττοντας· οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως δείκνυσι τὸ τῆς σοφίας ἔργον, ὡς τὸ κοινωφελῶς ζῇν. Καρδίας εὐφραινομένης πρόσωπον θάλλει. Τοῦτο τίνος ἕνεκεν εἴρηται; Ἵνα ἐκείνην ποιῶμεν εὐφραίνεσθαι διὰ δικαιοσύνης, καὶ μὴ σῶμα λιπαίνωμεν. Οἱ γὰρ ἐπιθυμοῦντες δικαιοσύνης εὐφραίνουσι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτῶν· ἢ εὐφραίνεται διὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν, λυπεῖται δὲ διὰ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν. 64.705 Καρδία ὀρθὴ ζητεῖ αἴσθησιν, κ. τ. λ. [ιβιδ.] Αἴσθησιν σοφίας, ἵνα γένηται σοφή· κακὰ δὲ ἢ τὰ κακωτικὰ, ἢ τὴν δι' ὑπερβολὴν κακίαν· Πάντα τὸν χρόνον οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ τῶν κακῶν προσδέχονται κακά. Ὥστε κἂν μὴ συμβῇ, κἂν μὴ ἔλθῃ εἰς τέλος, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἡ ἐλπὶς θορυβεῖ, προορῶσι ταραχάς· ἢ ὅτι ἀκόλουθον ταῖς αὐτῶν πράξεσιν ἐνδέχονται τιμωρίαν. Κρείσσων ξενισμὸς μετὰ λαχάνων, κ. τ. λ. [ιβιδ.] Τί φησι, λέγω· ἐπὶ τοῦ φόβου τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐπὶ τῆς φιλίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἂν αὐτὴ προσῇ, βελτίω τὰ ἐλάττονα, ἢ τὰ πολλά· οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῇ πολυτελείᾳ ἡ ἡδονὴ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ ἡδονῇ τὸ πολυτελὲς, ὥς φησιν Ἡσίοδος. Παρορῶν γὰρ ἁμαρτήματα, τὰς ἐπ' αὐτοῖς σβέννυσι κρίσεις. [ξοδ. φ. 67 β.] Ὁ ἀνόητος οὐδὲν ποιεῖ μετὰ λογισμοῦ· ὁ δὲ φρόνιμος κατευθύνει, τουτέστι δείκνυσι τὴν