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

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 orphans in the seventh year, so that the reward for the demonstration of virtues might be repaid to them in the kingdom of heaven, as having become a first-fruit of the virtues. Those whom one has clearly begotten according to virtue, the blameless man will leave behind for those who come after an image 17.212 and a blessing, and the righteousness of upbringing until the end. For he said elsewhere that the one who speaks evil dies; but Christ also: And he who speaks evil of the Church, will be deprived of the faith, which was a light to him before the slander; and he might also be speaking of the outer darkness; wherefore it is also spoken in the future tense; And Christ, too, can be called father and mother; father, on the one hand, of those who have the spirit of adoption; mother, on the other hand, of those who need milk and not solid food; for indeed Christ speaking in Paul, became father of the Ephesians, revealing to them mysteries of wisdom; mother of the Corinthians, giving them milk to drink. The pleasure invented for us by the evil one, which he first calls a portion, for a time indeed it anoints your throat, but later you will find it more bitter than gall. Do not say, being moved by pride: "I alone will fight the enemies," but wait for the Lord and call upon him, that he may help you; do not trust in yourself as being able without the Lord; for that without him there is no helper, David says: "For I will not trust in my bow." Regarding sensible things, we say there is a large and a small weight, by which gold, silver, bronze, silk, and whatever else is weighed; and measures are things measured in vessels, grain, wine, oil, and legumes; And in another way, I think what some call the "bold-coward" is a large and small weight; and in general every excess and deficiency; this is a large and small weight; for both are vices, and double measures; And in another way also he who wishes to be treated well by others, but does not himself choose to give rest to others in like manner, has double measures; not obeying the commandment that says: "All things that you wish men to do to you, do you also to them in like manner." Not the ear that hears evil things, is the work of the Lord, but that which heeds good things; and not the eye that sees evil things, is the work of the Lord, but the one that sees and imagines divine things; for he who hears the Lord, and looks upon His commandments, is a work of the Lord; and it must be said likewise concerning the other parts of the body; And you shall use this saying against those who accuse this body of ours, and insult God. That is, do not sleep much, but be vigilant; lest you be cast out into Gehenna, do not speak evil; and through virtues, open the eyes of your soul; and through wisdom, be filled with intelligible bread. For someone to weigh himself by the works of the Lord and 17.213 of the devil, is an abomination to the Lord; and he calls the mind a deceitful balance, which is naturally suited to judge things justly, but deviates by the inclination of free will on account of friends or money. Do not be moved quickly, he says, to a promise to God, lest, when need often seizes you, or the desire for more, you begin to repent, and insult God, by preferring another to him; but repentance for good things does not happen to the righteous, but to the unrighteous; and let the unrighteous promise nothing to God without consideration; for after vowing, it happens that one repents. -To quickly make a pledge to the Lord, which is to consecrate something of his own, and after this to quickly regret it, is a snare for a man. Christ is the winnower of the impious; and he will set upon the impious like a lion on its prey; and a wheel, separating the chaff from the wheat of the threshing floor; or he will set in motion a wheel, the irreversible punishment. The chambers of the belly are the mind, the heart, and knowledge, where all teachings, both divine and impious, are stored; and just as someone, having lit a lamp, wishes to find something of what lies in the storerooms, so the Lord with the light of His knowledge searches the chambers of men in their words and deeds; and for the men who understand the knowledge of the Lord, it is a light to them; if therefore the light

τουτέστι παρὰ τῶν τῆς πρὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας ἐν τοῖς ἒξ αἰῶσι λαμψάντων δικαίων καὶ προφητῶν τὰς ἀρετὰς μιμήσασθαι, τῶν καὶ τρεφόντων ἐν τῷ ἑβδόμῳ ἔτει χήραν καὶ ὀρφα νοὺς, εἰς τὸ ἀνταποδοθῆναι αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν τὸν μισθὸν τῆς ἐνδείξεως τῶν ἀρετῶν, ὡς ἀπαρχὴ γεγονότες τῶν ἀρετῶν. Οὓς κατ' ἀρετὴν δηλονότι γεγέννηκέ τις, εἰκόνα 17.212 καὶ μακαρισμὸν καταλείψει τοῖς μετέπειτα ὁ ἄμω μος, καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἀνατροφῆς ἕως τέλους. Τελευτᾷν γὰρ εἶπεν ἀλλαχοῦ τὸν κακολογοῦντα· ἀλλὰ καὶ Χριστός· Καὶ ὁ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν κακολο γῶν, στερηθήσεται τῆς πίστεως, ἥτις ἦν αὐτῷ φῶς πρὸ τῆς διαβολῆς· λέγει δ' ἂν καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἐξωτέρου σκότους· διὸ καὶ ἐπὶ μέλλοντος εἴρηται· καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς δὲ, πατὴρ καὶ μήτηρ δύναται λέγε σθαι· πατὴρ μὲν τῶν ἐχόντων πνεῦμα υἱοθεσίας· μήτηρ δὲ τῶν δεομένων γάλακτος καὶ οὐ στερεᾶς τροφῆς· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ ἐν Παύλῳ λαλῶν Χριστὸς, πατὴρ μὲν τῶν Ἐφεσίων ἐγίνετο, σοφίας αὐτοῖς ἀποκαλύπτων μυστήρια· μήτηρ Κορινθίων, γάλα ποτίζων αὐτούς. Τὴν ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐφευρεθεῖσαν ἡμῖν ἡδονὴν, ἣν μερίδα φησὶν ἐν πρώτοις, πρόσκαιρον μὲν λι παίνει σὸν φάρυγγα, ὕστερον μέντοι πικρότερον χολῆς εὑρήσεις. Μὴ εἴπῃς καθ' ὑπερηφανίαν κινούμενος· ἐγὼ μό νος τοῖς ἐχθροῖς πολεμήσω, ἀλλ' ὑπόμεινον τὸν Κύ ριον καὶ ἐπικαλοῦ, ἵνα σοι βοηθήσῃ· μὴ θάῤῥει σαυτῷ ὡς χωρὶς Κυρίου δυνάμενος· ὅτι γὰρ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστι βοηθὸς, λέγει ∆αυΐδ· Οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ τόξῳ μου ἐλπιῶ. Ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν αἰσθητῶν, στάθμιον μέγα καὶ μικρόν φαμεν εἶναι, ἐν οἷς χρυσὸς, ἄργυρος, χαλκὸς, μέ ταξα, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα σταθμίζονται· μέτρα δὲ τὰ ἐν ἀγγείοις μετρούμενα, σῖτος, οἶνος, ἔλαιον, καὶ ὄσπρια· ἄλλως τε δὲ τὸν παρά τισι θρασύδειλον λε γόμενον, μέγα καὶ μικρὸν εἶναι στάθμιον νομίζω· καθόλου δὲ πᾶσαν ὑπερβολὴν καὶ ἔλλειψιν· τοῦτο στάθμιον μέγα καὶ μικρόν ἐστιν· ἑκάτερα γὰρ κακίαι, καὶ μέτρα δισσά· ἄλλως τε καὶ ὁ εὖ μὲν πάσχειν ὑφ' ἑτέρων βουλόμενος, αὐτὸς δὲ ὁμοίως ἄλλους ἀνα παύειν μὴ προαιρούμενος, μέτρα ἔχει δισσά· μὴ πειθόμενος τῇ ἐντολῇ τῇ λεγούσῃ· Πάντα ὅσα θέ λετε ἵνα ποιῶσιν ὑμῖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ ὑμεῖς ὁμοίως ποιεῖτε αὐτοῖς. Οὐχὶ τὸ κακῶς ἀκοῦον οὖς, ἔργον ἐστὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐπὶ καλοῖς προσέχον· καὶ οὐχὶ κακῶς ὁρῶν ὀφθαλμὸς, ἔργον ἐστὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀλλ' ὁ ὁρῶν καὶ φανταζόμενος τὰ θεῖα· ὁ γὰρ ἀκούων τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ βλέπων τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, ἔργον ἐστὶ τοῦ Κυρίου· καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων μερῶν τοῦ σώματος ὡσαύτως λεκτέον· χρήσῃ δὲ τῷ ῥητῷ τούτῳ πρὸς τοὺς κατη γοροῦντας, ἡμῶν τοῦτο τὸ σῶμα, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἐν υβρίζοντας. Τουτέστι μὴ κάθευδε πολλὰ, ἀλλ' ἄγρυπνος ἔσο· ἵνα μὴ ἐξαρθῇς εἰς τὴν γέενναν, μὴ καταλάλει· καὶ διὰ μὲν τῶν ἀρετῶν, ἄνοιγε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς σου· διὰ δὲ τῆς σοφίας, νοητῶν ἐμπλήσθητι ἄρτων. Τὸ σταθμιεῖν ἑαυτόν τις ἐπὶ τοῖς τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ 17.213 τοῦ διαβόλου ἔργοις, βδέλυγμα Κυρίῳ· ζυγὸν δὲ δό λιον λέγει τὸν νοῦν, τὸν πεφυκότα μὲν δικαίως κρί νειν τὰ πράγματα, παρεκκλίνοντα δὲ τῇ τοῦ αὐτεξου σίου ῥοπῇ διὰ φίλους ἢ χρήματα. Μὴ ταχέως, φησὶν, ἐπὶ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν κινοῦ, ἵνα μὴ τῆς χρείας σε πολλάκις, ἢ τῆς τοῦ πλείονος ἐπιθυμίας ἑλούσης, ἄρξῃ μετανοεῖν, καὶ ὑβρίσῃς Θεὸν, προτιμήσας αὐτοῦ ἕτερον· ἡ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς δὲ μετάνοια, οὐ δικαίοις συμβαίνει, ἀλλὰ ἀδίκοις· ἄδικοι δὲ μηδὲν ἀπερισκέπτως ὑπισχνείτω σαν τῷ Θεῷ· μετὰ γὰρ τὸ εὔξασθαι, μετανοεῖν γίνε ται. -Τὸ ταχὺ συντάξασθαι τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τὸ ἁγιάσαι τι τῶν αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ θᾶττον μετα μεληθῆναι, παγίς ἐστι τῷ ἀνδρί. Λικμήτωρ ἀσεβῶν ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν· ἐπιβαλεῖ δὲ τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν ὥσπερ λέων θήρας· τροχὸς δὲ, ἅλωνος χωρίζων τὰ ἄχυρα ἀπὸ τοῦ σίτου· ἢ τροχὸν ἐπιβαλεῖ τὴν ἀναπόδιστον τιμωρίαν. Ταμιεῖα κοιλίας ἐστὶν ὁ νοῦς, ἡ καρδία, καὶ ἡ γνῶ σις, ἔνθα πάντα τὰ θεῖά τε καὶ ἀσεβῆ ἐναποτίθενται διδάγματα· ὥσπερ δέ τις λύχνον ἅψας, τῶν ἐν τοῖς ταμιείοις κειμένων εὑρεῖν τι βούλεται, οὕτως ὁ Κύ ριος τῷ φωτὶ τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ ἐρευνᾷ τὰ ταμιεῖα τῶν ἐν λόγοις καὶ πράξεσιν ἀνθρώπων· τοῖς δὲ τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ Κυρίου ἐπισταμένοις ἀνθρώποις, φῶς ἐστιν αὐτοῖς· εἰ οὖν τὸ φῶς