John Chrysostom, Fragments on Proverbs

bringing hidden malice to light. Such men, thinking it a small thing to be evil themselves alone, bring their own malice to the many. A perverse man, 64.712, also hastens to make others such; for which reason he also transforms himself into an angel of light; or he seems to call the devil a perverse man, who separates the good thoughts of the soul. And he brandishes a lamp of deceit for the evil, and separates friends. And by lamp of deceit he means the demons, taught by him to separate friends, the saints joined to one another through knowledge; which is wont to join them also to the angels. A perverse man. [ibid.] The perverted man, however, does not need much labor to bring destruction upon himself. For one blasphemous word is sufficient for him for this; and the perverse man would be the twisted one, having many windings. A lawless man tempts friends. [exod. f. 72 a.] It is the utmost lawlessness to tempt and to deceive one's neighbor through deceit. Or he who has a lawless and feigned friendship leads astray through deceit, in the case of sensible things, into an impassable way; but in the case of intelligible things, into a perplexity of theorems. Fixing his eyes, he devises perverse things. For instance, having fixed his own mind on evil things, and having adopted such a habit, he reasons out nothing right; but for a like activity he brings forth words for his thoughts, saying that pleasure is natural, and that we ought to follow nature. And by fixing his eyes, he means having sharpened his keen-sightedness for evil. Pleasure is natural. We must use it. The possessions are from God, we must enjoy them. Old age is a crown of glory. [exod. f. 72 b.] Reasonably; for the thing was not of nature, but a virtuous achievement. A longsuffering man is better than a strong one. For nothing is so strong as longsuffering; from no one does it suffer anything terrible; it is impassible in soul. And yet some think that in wars there is need of anger, but then especially one must have control of the passions. For the greater part is accomplished not by hands only, but also by wisdom. Or thus: The general who has taken a city has disposed of the spoil as he wished; but the charioteer of the passions subdues them, as long as he is in life. All things come into the bosoms of the unjust. Scripture calls the ruling faculty "bosom"; as in: "My prayer will return to my own bosom." For from where the motion is, there also is the punishment; and if there is also a blameworthy bosom, it signifies ignorance.

CHAPTER 17.

Better is a morsel with pleasure in peace, etc. A partial knowledge of the bread from above is better, providing peace with delight, than to be rich in the knowledge of falsely named doctrines. A prudent servant will rule over foolish masters. Or it means this, that he himself will be among the brothers, and as a brother. Or that he will be able to be master over them as a father, not as a master only. Or concerning the people from the nations, who being a slave, for Christ redeemed him, he ruled over the well-born and masterly Jews. As silver and gold are tried 64.713 in a furnace. [exod. f. 73 b.] For the manifestation of virtue, the just associate with the grievous, and for perfect purification. An evil man hearkens to the tongue of the lawless. Therefore not only to speak, but also to hearken, is of the utmost lawlessness and wickedness. He who mocks the poor provokes the one who made him. [ibid.] For what reason? Because God made him poor. Who is so cruel, who so inhuman, as to laugh when one ought to be moved to pity? Therefore he himself is also liable to punishment; and indeed he perishes as one sinning against the great and wise administration of God. But he who rejoices at another's ruin will not be held guiltless. Whether for one who has fallen from divine

τὴν ἐγκρύφιον κακίαν εἰς φανερὸν ἄγοντες. Οἱ τοιοῦτοι μικρὸν ἡγούμενοι τὸ ἑαυτοὺς μόνους εἶναι κακοὺς, τὴν οἰκείαν κακίαν εἰς τοὺς πολλοὺς ἄγουσιν. Ἀνὴρ 64.712 σκολιὸς καὶ ἄλλους τοιούτους ἐπειγόμενος ποιεῖν· διὸ καὶ εἰς ἄγγελον φωτὸς μετασχηματίζεται· ἢ σκολιὸν ἄνδρα ἔοικε λέγειν τὸν διάβολον, ὃς τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς λογισμοὺς χωρίζει. Καὶ λαμπτῆρα δόλου πυρσεύει κακοῖς, καὶ διαχωρίζει φίλους. Λαμπτῆρα δὲ δόλου τοὺς δαίμονας λέγει, διδασκομένους παρ' αὐτοῦ διαχωρίζειν φίλους, τοὺς διὰ τῆς γνώσεως ἀλλήλοις συναπτομένους ἁγίους· ἥτις πέφυκε συνάπτειν αὐτοὺς καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις. Ἀνὴρ σκολιός. [ιβιδ.] Ὁ μέντοι διεστραμμένος, οὐ πολλοῦ δεῖται πόνου πρὸς τὸ τὴν ἀπώλειαν ἐφελκύσασθαι. Ἀρκεῖ γὰρ αὐτῷ πρὸς τοῦτο καὶ λόγος βλάσφημος εἷς· εἴη δὲ σκολιὸς ὁ στρεβλὸς, πλείους ἔχων κάμπας. Ἀνὴρ παράνομος ἀποπειρᾶται φίλων. [ξοδ. φ. 72 α.] Ἐσχάτη παρανομία τὸ ἀποπειρᾶσθαι καὶ δι' ἀπάτης κλέπτειν τὸν πλησίον. Ἢ ὁ φιλίαν παράνομον καὶ ἐσχηματισμένην ἔχων ἀπάγει δι' ἀπάτης, ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν αἰσθητῶν, εἰς ἀνοδίαν· ἐπὶ δὲ νοητῶν, εἰς ἀπορίαν θεωρημάτων. Στηρίζων ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ, λογίζεται διεστραμμένα. Οἷον στηρίσας ἐπὶ κακὰ τὸν ἴδιον νοῦν, καὶ τοιαύτην ἕξιν ἀναλαβὼν, οὐδὲν ὀρθὸν ἐπιλογίζεται· πρὸς δὲ ὁμοίαν ἐνέργειαν προφέρει λόγους τοὺς λογισμοὺς, φυσικὴν εἶναι λέγει τὴν ἡδονὴν, καὶ δεῖν ἡμᾶς ἀκολουθῆσαι τῇ φύσει. Στηρίζων δὲ ὀφθαλμοὺς, τὸ διορατικὸν ἀκονήσας εἰς τὸ κακὸν, λέγει. Φυσικὴ ἡ ἡδονή. Χρηστέον αὐτῇ ἐκ Θεοῦ τὰ χρήματα, ἀπολαυστέον αὐτῶν. Στέφανος καυχήσεως γῆρας. [ξοδ. φ. 72 β.] Εἰκότως· οὐ γὰρ τῆς φύσεως ἦν τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἀλλὰ κατόρθωμα. Κρείσσων ἀνὴρ μακρόθυμος ἰσχυροῦ. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἰσχυρὸν, ὡς μακροθυμία· παρ' οὐδενὸς οὐδὲν πάσχει δεινόν· ἀπαθής ἐστι τὴν ψυχήν. Καίτοι νομίζουσί τινες ἐν πολέμοις, ὀργῆς δεῖν, τότε δὲ μάλιστα δεῖ κρατεῖν τῶν παθῶν. Οὐ χερσὶ γὰρ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ σοφίᾳ τὸ πλέον ἀνύεται. Ἢ οὕτως· Ὁ στρατηγὸς πόλιν ἑλὼν, ἅρπαγμα διέθηκεν ὡς ἠβουλήθη· ὁ δὲ τῶν παθῶν ἡνίοχος, ὑποτάττει ταῦτα, ἐφ' ὅσον ἐστὶν ἐν ζωῇ. Εἰς κόλπους ἐπέρχεται πάντα τοῖς ἀδίκοις. Κόλπον τὸ ἡγεμονικόν φησιν ἡ Γραφή· ὡς τό· Ἡ προσευχή μου εἰς κόλπον μου ἀποστραφήσεται. Ἐξ οὗ γὰρ ἡ κίνησις, εἰς αὐτὸ καὶ ἡ τιμωρία· εἰ δὲ ἔστι καὶ κόλπος ψεκτὸς, τὴν ἀγνωσίαν δηλοῖ.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΖʹ.

Κρείσσων ψωμὸς μεθ' ἡδονῆς ἐν εἰρήνῃ, κ. τ. λ. Τοῦ ἄνωθεν ἄρτου μερικὴ γνῶσις ἀμείνων, εἰρήνην παρέχουσα μετὰ τέρψεως, ἢ τὸ πλουτεῖν ἐν γνώσει ψευδωνύμων δογμάτων. Οἰκέτης νοήμων κρατήσει δεσποτῶν ἀφρόνων. Ἢ τοῦτό φησιν, ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς μεταξὺ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἔσται, καὶ ὡς ἀδελφός. Ἢ ὅτι ὡς πατὴρ αὐτῶν δυνήσεται εἶναι δεσπόζων, οὐχ ὡς δεσπότης μόνον. Ἢ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐξ ἐθνῶν λαοῦ, ὡς δοῦλος ὢν, Χριστὸς γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐξηγόρασε, τῶν εὐγενῶν καὶ δεσποτῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐκράτησεν. Ὥσπερ δοκιμάζεται 64.713 ἐν καμίνῳ ἄργυρος καὶ χρυσός. [ξοδ. φ. 73 β.] ∆ι' ἀρετῆς ἀνάδειξιν, οἱ δίκαιοι προσομιλοῦσι τοῖς λυπηροῖς, καὶ διὰ κάθαρσιν τελείαν. Κακὸς ὑπακούει γλώσσης παρανόμων. Οὐκ ἄρα τὸ φθέγξασθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὑπακούειν, παρανομίας καὶ πονηρίας ἐσχάτης. Ὁ καταγελῶν πτωχοῦ, παροξύνει τὸν ποιήσαντα αὐτόν. [ιβιδ.] Τίνος ἕνεκεν; Ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησε πτωχὸν αὐτόν. Τίς δὲ οὕτως ὠμὸς, τίς οὕτως ἀπάνθρωπος, ὃς ἡνίκα κάμπτεσθαι δέει, τότε γελᾷν; Ἄρα καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπεύθυνός ἐστι τῇ τιμωρίᾳ· καί τοι ἀπόλλυται ὡς εἰς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ μεγάλην καὶ σοφὴν διοίκησιν ἁμαρτάνων. Ὁ δὲ ἐπιχαίρων ἀπολλυμένῳ, οὐκ ἀθωωθήσεται. Εἴτε τῷ ἐκπεσόντι θείας