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

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 knowledge, as of law, and of life, as of the Word; for this is she who came forth from the side of Christ, and was found to be His bride, the prudent and courageous woman, who kept His faith, and expects Him again as bridegroom from heaven. The spindle is a pure mind, weaving virtue upon virtue, and dogma upon dogma; or the uttered word, drawing spiritual contemplation from the mind. The mind would not go forth, nor would it be in contemplation of the incorporeal, unless it has first set in order the things within; for the turmoil of its own concerns is accustomed to turn it back to those things from which it has come out; but having acquired dispassion, it will both linger in contemplation, and will not be anxious for the things at home; for all those with her are clothed; anger, with meekness and humility; desire, with prudence and self-control. Slothful food, the things that make the more simple and guileless slow to attain the kingdom, the well-disposed and God-loving soul does not eat, nor indeed does it taste of these things, if it should happen to desire them; for he calls vices slothful food. False pleasures, and vain beauty. The most foolish soul not only conceives and imagines what is pleasing to itself, but also attempts by deed to fulfill the contemplation; but if the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, justly the soul that has attained wisdom praises the fear of the Lord, which has become for it the cause of such knowledge. For they know that it possesses knowledge concerning practical matters, the choice of virtue and the avoidance of vice, and that it has as a possession those who are taught by it; they say, therefore, that having chosen it, we are also subdued by these things; otherwise, the possession of the just man is wisdom and prudence, understanding and virtue; but the impious seize this possession, persuading the just man to do some of the things forbidden by God; so that the mind, being blinded by sin, might fall away from these holy possessions. To the prudent just man, even difficult matters become easy; but for one who is otherwise disposed, even easy things and those having some refreshment, become difficult. For they have a discourse knowledgeable of theorems, having nothing lofty.

πολυτελῶν ψυχὴ τῷ σωματικῷ αὐτῆς οἴκῳ. Τὴν τοῦ σπουδαίου ψυχήν φησιν ἔχουσαν Ἐκκλη σίαν ξύλον γνώσεως καὶ ξύλον ζωῆς· γνώσεως μὲν ὡς νόμου, ζωῆς δὲ ὡς λόγου· αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἐκ πλευρᾶς Χριστοῦ προελθοῦσα, καὶ νύμφη τούτου εὑρεθεῖσα, ἡ σώφρων καὶ ἀνδρεία γυνὴ, ἡ τὴν πίστιν τούτου τηρήσασα, καὶ τοῦτον νυμφίον ἀπ' οὐρανῶν πάλιν προσδοκῶσα. Ἄτρακτός ἐστι νοῦς καθαρὸς, συμπλέκων ἀρετὴν ἐπ' ἀρετῇ, καὶ δόγματι δόγμα· ἢ λόγος προφορικὸς, ἕλκων ἀπὸ τοῦ νοῦ πνευματικὴν θεωρίαν. Οὐκ ἂν προέλθοι νοῦς, οὐδὲ ἐν θεωρίᾳ γένοιτο τῶν ἀσωμάτων, μὴ τὰ ἔνδον διορθωσάμενος· ἡ γὰρ ταραχὴ τῶν οἰκείων ἐπιστρέφειν αὐτὸν εἴωθε πρὸς τὰ ἀφ' ὧν ἐξελήλυθεν· ἀπάθειαν δὲ κτησάμενος, χρονίσει τε ἐν τῇ θεωρίᾳ, καὶ οὐ φροντίσει τῶν ἐν οἴκῳ· ἐνδέδυνται γὰρ πάντες οἱ παρ' αὐτῆς· ὁ μὲν θυμὸς, πραότητα καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνην· ἡ δὲ ἐπιθυ μία, σωφροσύνην καὶ ἐγκράτειαν. Σῖτα ὀκνηρὰ, τὰ ὀκνοποιοῦντα τυχεῖν τῆς βασι λείας τοὺς ἁπλουστέρους καὶ ἀφελεστέρους, ἡ εὐγνώ μων καὶ θεοφιλὴς ψυχὴ οὐκ ἐσθίει, οὔτε μὴν τού των γεύεται, εἰ τάχα τύχοι αὐτῶν ἐπιθυμῆσαι· τὰς κακίας γάρ φησι σῖτα ὀκνηρά. Ψευδεῖς ἀρέσκειαι, καὶ μάταιον κάλλος. Ἡ ἀφρο νεστάτη ψυχὴ οὐ μόνον ἐννοεῖ καὶ φαντάζεται τὸ αὑτῇ ἀρεστὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔργῳ ἐγχειρεῖ πληρῶσαι τὴν θεωρίαν· εἰ δὲ ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος Κυρίου, δι καίως ἡ τυχοῦσα σοφίας ψυχὴ αἰνεῖ τὸν φόβον τοῦ Κυρίου, ὃς γέγονεν αὐτῇ τῆς τοιαύτης γνώσεως πρό ξενος. Ἴσασι γὰρ ὅτι τὴν μὲν περὶ τὰ πρακτέα κέκτηται γνῶσιν, ἀρετῆς μὲν αἵρεσιν, φυγὴν δὲ κακίας, καὶ ὅτι κτῆσιν ἔχει τοὺς διδασκομένους ὑπ' αὐτοῦ· φασὶν οὖν ὡς αὐτὸν ἑλόντες, καὶ τούτοις χειρούμεθα· ἄλλως δὲ κτῆσις τοῦ δικαίου, σοφία καὶ φρόνησις, σύνεσίς τε καὶ ἀρετή· καταλαμβάνονται δὲ τὴν κτῆσιν ταύ την οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, πείθοντες τὸν δίκαιον ποιῆσαί τι τῶν ἀπηγορευμένων Θεῷ· ἵνα τυφλωθεὶς ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρ τίας ὁ νοῦς ἐκπέσῃ τῶν ἁγίων τούτων κτημάτων. Τὸ μὲν συνετῷ δικαίῳ, καὶ τὰ δυσχερῆ τῶν πρα γμάτων εὔκολα γίνεται· τῷ δὲ ἑτέρως ἔχοντι, καὶ τὰ εὔκολα καὶ ἀνάψυξίν τινα ἔχοντα, δυσχερῆ καθίσταται. Λόγον γὰρ ἔχουσι θεωρημάτων ἐπιστήμονα, μηδὲν ἔχοντες ὑψηλόν.