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

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 who is joined to me only through nature. The house of man is virtue; if, therefore, he does not diligently care for it, in time of temptation he falls from it. The fig tree here is the righteousness of God, which those who plant in themselves, and give transplants to others, will eat its fruit from the hand of the Lord, the only righteous one and the one who has awarded righteousness; and to those who have kept his righteousness he assigns a place with himself, he bestows righteousness, which also justifies angels, in the unchangeable brightness of righteousness; but he who keeps the word of the Lord, keeps the Lord in his heart to be inseparable from him; and he will be honored not only from here by the angels, but also in the future by the creator of the angels. For example, you will not turn the fool from his foolishness by dishonoring him, but by teaching him what kind of dishonor foolishness causes; for a rebuke to the face makes the sinner more shameless. Of the sayings of God, some are written for the life of sons, and some for that of servants. If there is one who is brave in impieties, there is also one who is brave in virtues; and if the one brave in impieties slanders the poor, the one brave in virtues comforts the poor; therefore everyone who urges the poor to cooperate in impieties, slanders them before God, that is, he accuses them, so that they may be destroyed with him. The violent rain not only destroys the fruits, but also tears up the face of the earth, which gives the fruits; and there is also a peaceful rain, making 17.244 the face of the earth flourish, and nourishing and giving life to the fruits in it; and the violent one, through the loss of the fruits, kills men, but the peaceful one, through the fruits, gives life. There is also a lawless law, and a just law; and the lawless one will destroy those who obey it; but the just one not only grants length of days, but also becomes the cause of the kingdom of heaven to those who obey it, because it is of God; and everyone who loves God, loves his law, and does the things of the law; and everyone who does the law, acquires dispassion and knowledge of God; but if those who love the law set up a wall for themselves, now a wall signifies dispassion and the knowledge of God, which alone are suited to guard the rational nature. If the wealth of the impious is wickedness, and wise men will destroy it, it is clear that the just and wise destroy wickedness, by leading back the impure to virtue through spiritual teaching. It is not the law that abominates someone's prayer, but God who gave the law, of the one who turns away his ear, and does not cause it to hear the law; and Paul says: But the Scripture, foreseeing what was to come, instead of, He who gave the Scripture foresaw what was to come. He who does not report the evils sown in his heart by the evil one to the Lord God or to a God-loving man, will not prosper in the victory against the evil one; but he who reports them will be loved by God and his angels; and James says: Confess your trespasses to one another, that you may be healed; and the Psalmist said: I will confess my transgression against myself to the Lord, and you forgave the iniquity of my heart. The revenues of the evil king are wickedness and false doctrines; for those who are ruled by him bring these to him as tribute; and those who obey the evil one are slandered before God; because they are subject not to God, but to his enemy the devil; and since God hates the devil because of his evil works, he in turn through his works slanders men before God; but he who hates to wrong his own soul, will live for the long time of the endless age. Here he calls the devil a murderer; but he who guarantees injustice, guarantees Satan. that one promising to him, to render the fruits of injustice. -A nation

ποιήσαντι διαβόλῳ, ὡς ἀδελφῷ ὑπείκειν, εἰς τὸ συναπολέσθαι αὐτῷ. -Κρείσσων ὁ συναπτόμενός μοι διὰ τῆς ἀληθοῦς γνώσεως, ὑπὲρ τὸν συναπτόμε νόν μοι μόνον διὰ τῆς φύσεως. Τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οἶκος, ἡ ἀρετή· ἐὰν οὖν μὴ σπου δαίως ταύτης ἐπιμελῆται, ἐν καιρῷ πειρασμῶν ἐκ πίπτει αὐτῆς. Συκῆ ἐνταῦθα ἡ δικαιοσύνη ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν, ἣν οἱ φυτεύοντες ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ ἑτέροις μετάφυτα δι δόντες, τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς φάγονται ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου τοῦ μόνου δικαίου καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην βραβεύσαν τος· καὶ τοῖς τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ φυλάξασι σὺν ἑαυτῷ συντάττων, ἀπονέμει δικαιοσύνην, τὴν καὶ ἀγγέλους δικαιοῦσαν, ἐν τῇ ἀτρέπτῳ τῆς δικαιο σύνης λαμπρότητι· ὃς δὲ φυλάσσει τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου, τὸν Κύριον φυλάσσει ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὑτοῦ ἀχώριστον εἶναι ἀπ' αὐτοῦ· τιμηθήσεται δὲ οὐ μό νον ἐντεῦθεν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλ λοντι ὑπὸ τοῦ τῶν ἀγγέλων δημιουργοῦ. Οἷον, οὐκ ἀτιμάζων τὸν ἄφρονα ἀποστήσεις τῆς ἀφροσύνης, ἀλλὰ διδάσκων αὐτὸν ὁποίας ἀτιμίας ἡ ἀφροσύνη γίνεται πρόξενος· ὁ γὰρ εἰς πρόσωπον ἔλεγχος, ἀναισχυντότερον ποιεῖ τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα. Τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥημάτων, τὰ μὲν εἰς υἱῶν ζωὴν, τὰ δὲ εἰς θεραπόντων γέγραπται. Εἰ ἔστιν ἀνδρεῖος ἐν ἀσεβείαις, ἔστιν ἀνδρεῖος καὶ ἐν ἀρεταῖς· καὶ εἰ ὁ ἀνδρεῖος ἐν ἀσεβείαις συκο φαντεῖ πτωχοὺς, ὁ ἀνδρεῖος ἐν ἀρεταῖς παρακαλεῖ πτωχούς· οὐκοῦν πᾶς ὁ παρακαλῶν πτωχοὺς ἐν ἀσε βείαις συμπράττειν, συκοφαντεῖ αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, τουτέστιν ἀντιδιαβάλλει, ὅπως συναπολεσθῶσιν αὐτῷ. Ὁ λαῦρος ὑετὸς οὐ μόνον τοὺς καρποὺς ἀπόλλυσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς, τὸ τοὺς καρποὺς δι δοῦν, ἐξεδαφίζει· ἔστι δὲ καὶ ὑετὸς εἰρηνικὸς, ποιῶν 17.244 εὐθαλὲς τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς, καὶ τρέφων καὶ ζωο γονῶν τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ καρπούς· καὶ ὁ μὲν λαῦρος, διὰ τὴν ἀπώλειαν τῶν καρπῶν ἀποκτείνει τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ὁ δὲ εἰρηνικὸς, διὰ τῶν καρπῶν ζωο γονεῖ. Ἔστι καὶ νόμος παράνομος, καὶ νόμος δίκαιος· καὶ ὁ μὲν παράνομος τοὺς αὐτῷ πειθομένους ἀπο λεῖ· ὁ δὲ δίκαιος οὐ μόνον μακρότητα ἡμερῶν δωρεῖ ται, ἀλλὰ καὶ βασιλείας οὐρανῶν πρόξενος γίνεται τοῖς αὐτῷ ὑπείκουσιν, ὅτι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστι· πᾶς δὲ ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὸν Θεὸν, ἀγαπᾷ τὸν νόμον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ποιεῖ τὰ τοῦ νόμου· πᾶς δὲ ὁ ποιῶν τὸν νόμον, ἀπά θειαν κτᾶται καὶ γνῶσιν Θεοῦ· εἰ δὲ οἱ ἀγαπῶντες τὸν νόμον, παραβάλλουσιν ἑαυτοῖς τεῖχος, νῦν τεῖχος τὴν ἀπάθειαν σημαίνει καὶ τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἅπερ μόνα πέφυκε φυλάσσειν τὴν φύσιν τὴν λο γικήν. Εἰ πλοῦτος ἀσεβῶν κακία, ἄνδρες δὲ σοφοὶ ἀπο λέσουσιν αὐτὸν, δῆλον ὡς κακίαν ἀπολλύουσιν οἱ δί καιοι καὶ σοφοὶ, διὰ τῆς πνευματικῆς διδασκαλίας τοὺς ἀκαθάρτους πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἐπανάγοντες. Οὐχ ὁ νόμος βδελύσσεταί τινος τὴν προσευχὴν, ἀλλ' ὁ δεδωκὼς τὸν νόμον Θεὸς, τοῦ ἐκκλίνοντος τὸ οὖς αὑτοῦ, καὶ μὴ εἰσακούειν ποιοῦντος τοῦ νόμου· καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησι· Προειδοῦσα δὲ ἡ Γραφὴ τὸ μέλλον, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ὁ τὴν Γραφὴν δεδωκὼς προῄδει τὸ μέλλον. Ὁ τὰ ἐνσπειρόμενα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ κακὰ, μὴ ἐξαγγέλλων αὐτὰ Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἢ θεοφιλεῖ ἀνθρώπῳ, οὐκ εὐοδωθήσεται ἐν τῇ κατὰ τοῦ πονηροῦ νίκῃ· ὁ δὲ ἐξαγγέλλων ἀγαπη θήσεται ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ· καὶ ὁ Ἰάκωβός φησιν· Ἀλλήλοις ἐξαγγέλλετε τὰ παραπτώματα ὑμῶν, ὅπως ἰαθῆτε· καὶ ὁ Ψαλμῳδὸς εἶπεν· Ἐξαγορεύσω κατ' ἐμοῦ τὴν ἀνομίαν μου Κυ ρίῳ, καὶ σὺ ἀφῆκας τὴν ἀσέβειαν τῆς καρδίας μου. Αἱ πρόσοδοι τοῦ πονηροῦ βασιλέως, εἰσὶν αἱ κα κίαι καὶ τὰ ψευδῆ δόγματα· ταῦτα γὰρ αὐτῷ προσ οδεύουσιν οἱ βασιλευόμενοι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ· συκοφαντοῦνται δὲ τῷ Θεῷ οἱ τῷ πονηρῷ πειθαρχοῦντες· ὅτι οὐ τῷ Θεῷ, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἐχθρῷ αὐτοῦ τῷ διαβόλῳ ὑπόκεινται· ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ Θεὸς μισεῖ τὸν διάβολον διὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ τὰ πονηρὰ, αὐτὸς πάλιν διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ συκο φαντεῖ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους πρὸς τὸν Θεόν· ὁ δὲ μισῶν ἀδικῆσαι τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ, τὸν μακρὸν τοῦ ἀπεράν του αἰῶνος χρόνον βιώσεται. Ἄνδρα ἐνταῦθα φονέα τὸν διάβολόν φησιν· ὁ δὲ ἐγγυώμενος τὴν ἀδικίαν, ἐγγυᾶται τὸν Σατανᾶν. ὑπισχνούμενος αὐτῷ ἐκεῖνος, τοὺς τῆς ἀδικίας ἀπο δώσειν καρπούς. -Ἔθνος