25
But a wise man stores up in part: This one stores up his anger in part,
that is, he who is angered by just matters, or he who through long-suffering consumes his anger in part; and to the more simple the former should be said, but to the diligent the latter. An expositor will not exist for a lawless nation: For those who have kept the law there will be an expositor; but for those 121 who have transgressed the law there will not be an expositor, but there will be a punisher; since not a word but a rod is given to a lawless nation. A stubborn servant will not be disciplined by words: That no one is stubborn by nature, he presents in: For even if he understands, he will not obey; for he who is stubborn by nature would never understand anything correctly. and I say this on account of Pharaoh, who was hardened toward Israel, and was disciplined not by words but by scourges. He who is wasteful, from a child (edd. from his childhood) will be a servant: If being wasteful causes one to sin, and everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin, then everyone who is wasteful is a slave to sin. Hubris humbles a man: Now he calls vice the hubris of a rational soul. He who shares with a thief hates his own soul: The thief, he says, does not come except to steal and kill and destroy. And if, having heard an oath being administered, they do not report: He called the law an oath; for just as the oath places God in the soul, so also the law introduces God into the soul; and in the way that perjury again removes God from the soul, so also lawlessness casts God out from it. if, therefore, he says, when the law is laid down they hear and do not confess their own sins, fearing and being ashamed of men, they will be tripped up. Thus also David: I have sworn and I am determined to keep the judgments of your righteousness. And again Solomon says: He who covers his own impiety will not prosper, but he who explains and reproves will be loved. And David said, he says, I will confess against myself my lawlessness to the Lord, and you have forgiven the impiety of my heart. and You tell your lawlessnesses first. Many court the favor of rulers: In succeeding, we serve the angels; for they are our leaders, having received us from the beginning, when the Most High divided the nations and set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of his angels. But the just result of the judgment will be for us from the Lord on that day, when he will judge the world in righteousness; since the Father has given all judgment to the Son. Who will find a courageous woman: Courage is the best state of a rational soul, according to which it has mastered its opposing enemies. Such a one will not lack for spoils: Having conquered the opposing power, we despoil it, learning the principles concerning it. Working with wool and flax: A soul works with wool and flax, exercising 122 the principles concerning animate and inanimate things, or examining the principles concerning practical and natural philosophy. And someone said that a soul works with wool and flax, drawing to itself the contemplation of corporeal and incorporeal things through practical application. And rising from the nights (edd. she rises from the night and) she gave food to the household: The sun of righteousness finds the soul that rises from the night awake; and certainly also praying that it may not fall into temptation; for it also hastens to say, I have kept watch and have become like a solitary sparrow on a rooftop. And her lamp is not extinguished all the night: A lamp is a pure mind filled with spiritual contemplation. She sets her arms (as in cod. Alex.) to the spindle: A spindle is a pure mind, weaving virtue with virtue and dogma with dogma; or the spoken word, drawing spiritual contemplation from the mind. Her husband does not worry about the things in the house when he (cod. where) delays: The mind would not advance nor would it be in the contemplation of incorporeal things, not having corrected the things within; for the disturbance of its own affairs is accustomed to turn it back to those things from which it has come forth; and impassibility
25
Σοφὸς δὲ ταμιεύεται κατὰ μέρος: Οὗτος ταμιεύεται τὸν θυμὸν κατὰ μέρος,
ἤτοι ὁ ἐπὶ τοῖς δικαίοις ὀργιζόμενος πράγμασιν, ἢ ὁ διὰ τῆς μακροθυμίας καταναλίσκων τὸν θυμὸν κατὰ μέρος· καὶ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ἁπλουστέρους λεκτέον τὸ πρότερον, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς σπουδαίους τὸ δεύτερον. Οὐ μὴ ὑπάρξει ἐξηγητὴς ἔθνει παρανόμῳ: Τοῖς μὲν φυλάξασι τὸν νόμον ὑπάρξει ἐξηγητής· τοῖς δὲ 121 παρανομήσασιν ἐξηγητὴς μὲν οὐχ ὑπάρξει, κολαστὴς δὲ ὑπάρξει· εἴπερ οὐ λόγος ἀλλὰ ῥάβδος παρανόμῳ δίδοται ἔθνει. Λόγοις οὐ παιδευθήσεται οἰκέτης σκληρός: Ὅτι οὐδεὶς κατὰ φύσιν σκληρός, παρίστησι τὸ Ἐὰν γὰρ καὶ νοήσῃ, οὐχ ὑπακούσεται· ὁ γὰρ κατὰ φύσιν σκληρὸς οὐκ ἂν ὀρθόν τι νοήσοι ποτέ. τοῦτο δὲ λέγω διὰ τὸν Φαραὼ σκληρυνθέντα ἐπὶ τῷ Ἰσραήλ, καὶ μὴ λόγοις ἀλλὰ μάστιξι παιδευθέντα. Ὃς κατασπαταλᾷ, ἐκ παιδίου (edd. ἐ. παιδὸς) οἰκέτης ἔσται: Εἰ τὸ σπαταλᾶν ἁμαρτάνειν ποιεῖ, πᾶς δὲ ὁ ποιῶν τῆν ἁμαρτίαν δοῦλός ἐστι τῆς ἁμαρτίας, πᾶς ἄρα ὁ σπαταλῶν δοῦλός ἐστι τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Ὕβρις ἄνδρα ταπεινοῖ: Νῦν τὴν κακίαν ὕβριν ψυχῆς λογικῆς ὀνομάζει. Ὃς μερίζεται κλέπτῃ, μισεῖ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν: Ὁ κλέπτης, φησίν, οὐκ ἔρχεται εἰ μὴ ἵνα κλέψῃ καὶ θύσῃ καὶ ἀπολέσῃ. Ἐὰν δὲ ὅρκου προτεθέντος ἀκούσαντες μὴ ἀναγγείλωσιν: Ὅρκον εἶπεν τὸν νόμον· ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ὅρκος τίθησι θεὸν ἐν ψυχῇ, οὕτω καὶ ὁ νόμος εἰσάγει θεὸν ἐν ψυχῇ· καὶ ὃν τρόπον πάλιν ἀναιρεῖ ἡ ἐπιορκία θεὸν ἐκ ψυχῆς, οὕτω καὶ παρανομία ἐκβάλλει θεὸν ἀπ' αὐτῆς. ἐὰν οὖν, φησίν, νόμου τεθέντος ἀκούσωσι καὶ μὴ ἐξαγορεύσωσιν ἑαυτῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας, φοβηθέντες καὶ αἰσχυνθέντες ἀνθρώπους, ὑποσκελισθήσονται. οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ ∆αυίδ· Ὤμοσα καὶ ἔστησα τοῦ φυλάξασθαι τὰ κρίματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης σου. καὶ πάλιν ὁ Σολομὼν φησίν· Ὁ ἐπικαλύπτων ἀσέβειαν ἑαυτοῦ οὐκ εὐοδωθήσεται, ὁ δὲ ἐξηγούμενος καὶ ἐλέγχων ἀγαπηθήσεται. καὶ ὁ ∆αυὶδ Εἶπα, φησίν, Ἐξαγορεύσω κατ' ἐμοῦ τὴν ἀνομίαν μου τῷ κυρίῳ, καὶ σὺ ἀφῆκας τὴν ἀσέβειαν τῆς καρδίας μου. καὶ Λέγε σὺ πρῶτος τὰς ἀνομίας σου. Πολλοὶ θεραπεύουσι πρόσωπα ἡγουμένων: Ἐν τῷ κατορθοῦν θεραπεύομεν τοὺς ἀγγέλους· αὐτοὶ γάρ εἰσιν οἱ ἡγούμενοι ἡμῶν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς λαβόντες ἡμᾶς, ὅτε διεμέριζεν ἔθνη ὁ ὕψιστος καὶ ἔστησεν ὅρια ἐθνῶν κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ. τὸ δὲ ἐκ τῆς κρίσεως δίκαιον ὑπάρξει ἡμῖν παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ὅτε κρινεῖ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ· εἴγε πᾶσαν τὴν κρίσιν ὁ πατὴρ δέδωκεν τῷ υἱῷ. Γυναῖκα ἀνδρείαν τίς εὑρήσει: Ἀνδρεία ἐστὶν ἕξις ἀρίστη λογικῆς ψυχῆς, καθ' ἣν τῶν ἀντικειμένων αὐτῇ κεκράτηκεν ἐχθρῶν. Ἡ τοιαύτη σκύλων οὐκ ἀπορήσει: Νικήσαντες τὴν ἀντικειμένην δύναμιν σκυλεύομεν αὐτήν, τοὺς περὶ αὐτῆς λόγους μανθάνοντες. Μηρυομένη ἔρια καὶ λίνον: Μηρύεται ἔρια καὶ λίνον ψυχὴ τοὺς περὶ ἐμψύχων καὶ ἀψύχων λόγους 122 γυμνάζουσα, ἢ τοὺς περὶ πρακτικῆς καὶ φυσικῆς ἐξετάζουσα λόγους. ἔλεγε δέ τις ὅτι μηρύεται ἔρια καὶ λίνον ψυχὴ τὴν περὶ σωμάτων καὶ ἀσωμάτων θεωρίαν διὰ τῆς πρακτικῆς ἕλκουσα πρὸς αὐτήν. Καὶ ἀνισταμένη ἐκ νυκτῶν (edd. ἀνίσταται ἐ. ν. καὶ) ἔδωκε βρώματα τῷ οἴκῳ: Τὴν ἐκ νυκτὸς ἀνισταμένην ψυχὴν ἐγρηγορυῖαν εὑρίσκει ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος· πάντως δὲ καὶ προσευχομένην ἵνα μὴ ἐμπέσῃ εἰς πειρασμόν· σπεύδει γὰρ καὶ αὐτὴ εἰπεῖν τὸ Ἠγρύπνησα καὶ ἐγενόμην ὡς στρουθίον μονάζον ἐπὶ δώματι. Καὶ οὐκ ἀποσβέννυται ὅλην τὴν νύκτα ὁ λύχνος αὐτῆς: Λύχνος ἐστὶ νοῦς καθαρὸς πνευματικῆς θεωρίας πεπληρωμένος. Τοὺς πήχεις αὐτῆς ̣ut cod. Alex.) ἐρείδει εἰς ἄτρακτον: Ἄτρακτός ἐστι νοῦς καθαρός, συμπλέκων ἀρετὴν ἀρετῇ καὶ δόγματι δόγμα· ἢ λόγος προφορικός, ἕλκων ἀπὸ τοῦ νοῦ πνευματικὴν θεωρίαν. Οὐ φροντίζει τῶν ἐν οἴκῳ ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς ὅταν που ̣cod. ποῦ) χρονίζῃ: Οὐκ ἂν προέλθοι ὁ νοῦς οὐδ' ἐν τῇ θεωρίᾳ γένοιτο τῶν ἀσωμάτων, μὴ τὰ ἔνδον διορθωσάμενος· ἡ γὰρ ταραχὴ τῶν οἰκείων ἐπιστρέφειν αὐτὸν εἴωθε πρὸς τὰ ἀφ' ὧν ἐξελήλυθεν· ἀπάθειάν τε