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Many descents will harm your heart. Or also thus: Slander often harms the soul. For if someone becomes angry at each of those who slander him, he endures many descents, being dragged down into the passion of anger, and fills his own soul with wickedness. But consider, he says, that often 93.572 you too have cursed others, and practice forgiveness. "All these things I tested in wisdom. I said: I will become wise; and she was far removed from me, farther than she was; and a deep depth; who will find her?" Ecclesiastes, having touched upon intelligible and sensible things, and having known in part the mysteries of wisdom, then looking into her boundless sea, and that what one comprehends, so much is left behind, uttered the present words. Which Paul also, having later experienced, said in wonder, O the depth of the riches and wisdom of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! "I and my heart went about to know, and to search out, and to seek wisdom, and a reckoning; and to know the foolishness of the impious, and vexation, and whirling about. And I find the woman more bitter than death, who is a snare, and her heart nets, her hands are bonds. He who is good before the face of God will be delivered from her; but the sinner will be caught in her. The wise man, gathering his own mind in a circle around the object of thought, and contemplating himself, and the thing being thought, neither perceives perverted things, nor looks straight ahead towards sensible things; but having closed all the senses, and being within himself, the mind contemplates itself and the thing being thought in a circle. Thus then, he says, gathering myself, I sought to know what then is the wisdom from without, and the reckoning concerning it; whether it is according to the analogy of numbers, or according to astrology, and simply how the children of the Greeks calculate; and to know what is this foolishness of the many sophists, and vexation, and unstable whirling about. And I found that such wisdom is like a prostitute woman. For just as she hunts young men with deceitful words, so also this one hunts the foolish, weaving nets of syllogisms; and just as she, having enervated the soul with a soft touch, binds it down, so also this one does with the eloquences of fine speech. The sinner, therefore, being unassisted, is caught by her; but the good man, being helped by God, is delivered from her bonds. And he declares such wisdom, that is, foolishness, to be worse than death; inasmuch as death separates the soul from the body, but this kills the soul itself. 93.573 "Behold, this also I have found, said Ecclesiastes, one by one, to find out the reason which my soul has sought, and I have not found; and one man among a thousand I have found; but a woman among all these I have not found. But behold, this I have found, that God made man upright; but they have sought out many reasonings." The whole saying looks toward allegory. But this is the meaning: Scrutinizing, he says, the whole female race, not the physical, but that of dissolute and womanly souls, I did not find in any of them a reasoning which my soul sought, that is, a manly one; for the wise man seeks this; but also making an examination of those who seem not to be womanish, I rarely found the truly human and virtuous one. Then considering whence such a great difference arises, I found that God made every man upright and undistorted, but they were divided by many reasonings; so that one was overcome by fornication, another by love of money, and another by another passion. CHAP. VIII. "Who knows the wise? and who knows the interpretation of a saying? a man's wisdom will enlighten his face, and the shameless in his face will be punished." It is impossible to discern the wise, the truly wise, unless one is formed according to wisdom, and has received this gift from God; for he who has received the gift of this discernment knows who are the truly wise, and who are not, but are thought to be. This one also solves problems, and turns of phrases. This one also has the face of his soul enlightened by the

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Καθόδους πολλὰς κακώσει καρδίαν σου. Ἢ καὶ οὕτως· Ἡ λοιδορία πολλάκις κακοῖ τὴν ψυχήν. Ἐὰν γάρ τις καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν λοιδορούντων ὀργίζηται, πολλὰς ὑπομένει καθόδους, καθελκόμενος εἰς τὸ πάθος τοῦ θυμοῦ, καὶ κακίας πληροῖ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν. Ἐνθυμοῦ δὲ, φησὶν, ὅτι πολλάκις 93.572 καὶ σὺ ἑτέρους κατηράσω, καὶ κοτόρθου τὸ ἀμνησίκακον. "Πάντα ταῦτα ἐπείρασα ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ. Εἶπα· Σοφισθήσομαι· καὶ αὐτὴ ἐμακρύνθη ἀπ' ἐμοῦ μακρὰν, ὑπὲρ ὃ ἦν· καὶ βαθὺ βάθος· τίς εὑρήσεται αὐτήν;" Νοητῶν καὶ αἰσθητῶν πραγμάτων ἐφαψάμενος ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς, καὶ ἐκ μέρους γνοὺς τὰ τῆς σοφίας μυστήρια, εἶτα ἐμβλέψας εἰς τὸ ἀχανὲς αὐτῆς πέλαγος, καὶ ὅτι ὅ τις καταλαμβάνει, τοσοῦτον ἀπολιμπάνεται, τὰς παρούσας ἀφῆκε φωνάς. Ὅπερ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ὕστερον πεπονθὼς, ἔφη θαυμαστικῶς, Ὢ βάθους πλούτου καὶ σοφίας Θεοῦ! Ὡς ἀνεξερεύνητα κρίματα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ! "Ἐκύκλωσα ἐγὼ, καὶ ἡ καρδία μου, τοῦ γνῶναι, καὶ τοῦ κατασκέψασθαι, καὶ ζητῆσαι σοφίαν, καὶ ψῆφον· καὶ τοῦ γνῶναι ἀσεβοῦς ἀφροσύνην, καὶ ὀχληρίαν, καὶ περιφοράν. Καὶ εὑρίσκω αὐτὴν ἐγὼ πικροτέραν ὑπὲρ θάνατον τὴν γυναῖκα, ἥτις ἐστὶ θήρευμα, καὶ σαγῆναι καρδία αὐτῆς, δεσμὸς εἰς χεῖρας αὐτῆς. Ἀγαθὸς πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐξαιρεθήσεται ἀπ' αὐτῆς· καὶ ὁ ἁμαρτάνων, συλληφθήσεται ἐν αὐτῇ. Ὁ σοφὸς κύκλῳ συνάγων τὸν ἑαυτοῦ νοῦν περὶ τὴν νόησιν, καὶ ἑαυτὸν θεωρῶν, καὶ τὸ νοούμενον, οὔτε διεστραμμένα κατανοεῖ, οὔτε κατ' εὐθὺ βλέπων πρὸς τὰ αἰσθητὰ ἀφορᾷ· ἀλλὰ πάσας συγκλείσας τὰς αἰσθήσεις, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ γενόμενος, ἐν κύκλῳ θεωρεῖ αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν ὁ νοῦς, καὶ τὸ νοούμενον. Οὕτως οὖν, φησὶ, συνάγων ἑαυτὸν, ἐζήτησα γνῶναι τίς ἄρα ἐστὶν ἡ ἔξωθεν σοφία, καὶ ἡ περὶ αὐτὴν ψῆφος· εἶτε ἡ κατὰ τὴν τῶν ἀριθμῶν ἀναλογίαν, εἴτε ἡ κατὰ τὴν γενεθλιαλογίαν, καὶ ἁπλῶς ὅπως ποτὲ ψηφίζουσιν Ἑλλήνων παῖδες· καὶ εἰδέναι τίς ἐστι αὕτη ἡ τῶν πολλῶν σοφιστῶν ἀφροσύνη, καὶ ὀχληρία, καὶ ἄστατος περιφορά. Καὶ εὗρον ὅτι ἡ τοιαύτη σοφία ἔοικε γυναικὶ πόρνῃ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκείνη θηρεύει τοὺς νέους λόγοις ἀπατηλοῖς. οὕτω καὶ αὕτη τοὺς ἄφρονας, συλλογισμῶν σαγήνας πλέκουσα· καὶ ὥσπερ ἐκείνη ἁφῇ μαλακῇ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκλύσασα καταδεσμεῖ· οὕτω καὶ αὕτη ταῖς τῆς καλιῤῥημοσύνης εὐεπείαις. Ὁ μὲν οὖν ἁμαρτωλὸς ἀβοήθητος ἁλίσκεται ὑπ' αὐτῆς· ὁ δὲ ἀγαθὸς καὶ ὑπὸ Θεοῦ βοηθούμενος τῶν αὐτῆς ἐξαιρεῖται δεσμῶν. Ἀποφαίνεται δὲ καὶ χείρονα θανάτου εἶναι τὴν τοιαύτην σοφίαν, ἤγουν ἀφροσύνην· ὅσῳ ὁ μὲν διαλύει ψυχὴν ἀπὸ σώματος, ἡ δὲ αὐτὴν τὴν ψυχὴν θανατοῖ. 93.573 "Ἰδοὺ καὶ τοῦτο εὗρον, εἶπεν ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς, μιᾷ τῇ μιᾷ τοῦ εὑρεῖν λογισμὸν, ὃν ἐπεζήτησεν ἡ ψυχή μου, καὶ οὐχ εὗρον· καὶ ἕνα ἄνθρωπον ἀπὸ χιλίων εὗρον· καὶ γυναῖκα ἐν πᾶσι τούτοις οὐχ εὗρον. Πλὴν ἴδε, τοῦτο εὗρον, ὃ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς, σὺν τὸν ἄνθρωπον εὐθῆ· αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐζήτησαν λογισμοὺς πολλούς." Ὅλον τὸ ῥητὸν πρὸς ἀλληγορίαν βλέπει. Ὁ δὲ νοῦς οὗτος· Κατεξετάζων, φησὶν, ἅπαν τὸ γυναικεῖον γένος, οὐ τὸ σωματικὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῶν ἐκλύτων καὶ γυναικοπρεπῶν ψυχῶν, οὐχ εὗρον ἐν οὐδεμιᾷ αὐτῶν λογισμὸν, ὃν ἐπεζήτησε ἡ ψυχή μου, τουτέστι ἀνδρεῖον· τοῦτον γὰρ ζητεῖ ὁ σοφός· ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν δοκούντων μὴ γυναικίζεσθαι, ἐξέτασιν ποιούμενος, σπάνιον εὗρον τὸν ὄντως ἄνθρωπον καὶ ἐνάρετον. Εἶτα λογισάμενος πόθεν ἡ τοσαύτη διαφορὰ, εὗρον ὅτι ὁ μὲν Θεὸς πάντα ἄνθρωπον εὐθῆ καὶ ἀδιάστροφον ἐποίησε, αὐτοὶ δὲ ὑπὸ πολλῶν διεμερίσθησαν λογισμῶν· ὡς τὸν μὲν πορνείᾳ, τὸν δὲ φιλαργυρίᾳ, καὶ ἄλλον ἄλλῳ κατακρατηθῆναι πάθει. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ηʹ. "Τίς οἶδε σοφούς; καὶ τίς οἶδε λύσιν ῥήματος; σοφία ἀνθρώπου φωτιεῖ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀναιδὴς προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ τιμωρηθήσεται." Ἀδύνατον σοφοὺς διαγνῶναι, τοὺς ὄντως σοφοὺς, μὴ τὸν κατὰ σοφίαν τυπωθέντα, καὶ τοῦτο τὸ χάρισμα ἐκ Θεοῦ εἰληφότα· ὁ γὰρ τὸ χάρισμα τῆς διακρίσεως ταύτης εἰληφὼς, οἶδε τίνες οἱ ὄντως σοφοὶ, καὶ τίνες οἱ οὐκ ὄντες μὲν, νομιζόμενοι δέ. Οὗτος καὶ ἐπιλύει προβλήματα, καὶ στροφὰς λόγων. Οὗτος καὶ πεφωτισμένον ἔχει τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς πρόσωπον ὑπὸ τῆς