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It is not possible to know a wise man without having known the wisdom according to which he is qualified and from which he is derivatively named. Certainly, some know others and some do not understand others. Who then knows the proverbial interpretations of the sayings of the wise? Rare is even the one who understands these things, who is able to be intelligent and because he is intelligent understands a parable and an obscure saying, a saying of the wise and riddles. Not just anyone knows the interpretations of enigmatic sayings, but the one who is wise according to the wisdom by which the sayings are uttered. The wisdom of a man will illuminate his face. This says that the wisdom of man shows his face to be luminous, not the face of the body, not the member of the flesh, but the face of the inner man, about which the wise say: "The light of your face has been sealed upon us, O Lord." But if the light that makes wise and makes men wise and renders them illuminated is the light of your face—for your word is your image, the very character—the one who partakes of this light is illuminated and becomes illuminated. Thus, at any rate, Jesus says to those who drew near to him: "Let your light shine before men." And he says to all: "You are the light of the world." But the apostles are not a perceptible light of the world, that is, appearing to the multitude of men, but of the true world. Jesus did not find the sin of the one reconciled in Christ to God. Therefore this face of the inner man is illuminated by wisdom. And wisdom and light and word and truth and the other concepts which are spoken concerning Christ are the same thing.

234 and a shameless man before his face will be hated. Guard the king's mouth and concerning a matter of an oath of God do not be hasty. The shameless man, who does not have confidence from light and is a reproach when wisdom is absent, will be hated. And this is especially true for the sophists who wish to quibble about the truth. For out of great shamelessness they contradict the truth. They interpret things in a way that is not in their nature. Therefore he is hateful, and even if he sometimes escapes notice through cunning and is not hated, yet at any rate he is hateful. And hateful is the one worthy of being hated, even if no one hates him. Vice, at any rate, if anything else, is hateful; pleasure has many who love it. Many are those who are charmed; and surely evil is not anything but hateful. Guard the king's mouth. Guard the mouth of the true king, keep his word, conduct your life and think according to his word. For it has often been shown by us that "mouth" signifies the word. Attend to the word of God, which is called his "king's mouth," and so act, so think, so live. And concerning a matter of an oath of God do not be hasty. And among the secular laws such a thing is hateful. The one who is eager to swear an oath gives rise to a suspicion of perjury, unless an oath is imposed on him by the ruler when there is no testimony and he is compelled to swear about this. For this reason therefore it said: "do not be hasty," do not voluntarily rush to swear; do not employ the unprovable pledge. If proof can be provided, do not be hasty concerning an oath. The one who swears to his neighbor and does not break his oath, the one who is so truthful, so as not to break it, is not hateful. You shall go from his presence, do not stand in an evil matter; for whatever he wishes, will he not do, as a king who has authority? It can be said by hyperbaton concerning the shameless man, that "you shall go from his presence." Get away from the shameless man. But these things can also be referred to the devil himself and every evil power. For the things said about men as being bad, as being evil, could also be said about the demons and the devil. For what is said about men as mortal creatures is not referred either to the devil or to a demon. 235 But it is also possible for it to have been said concerning the king, from whose presence one must live rightly: "you shall go from his presence" as one being sent by him, in which sense we say that: "this man came from the king."

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οὐχ οἷόν τέ ἐστιν εἰδέναι σοφὸν μὴ ἐγνωκότα τὴν σοφίαν, καθ' ἣν οὗτος πεποίωται καὶ ἀφ' ἧς παρονομάζεται. ἀμέλει γοῦν, ἄλλοι ἄλλους γιγνώσκουσιν καὶ ἕτεροι ἑτέρους οὐκ ἐπίστανται. τὰς ἐπιλύσεις οὖν τῶν ῥημάτων τῶν σοφῶν τὰς γνωμονικὰς τίς οἶδεν; σπα´̣νιός ἐστιν καὶ ὁ ταῦτα ἐπιστάμενος ὁ δυνάμενος νοήμων εἶναι καὶ δια`̣ το`̣ νοήμων εἶναι ἐπιστάμενος παραβολὴν καὶ σκοτεινὸν λόγον, ῥῆσιν σοφῶν καὶ αἰνίγματα. τὰς ἐπιλύσεις τῶν αἰνιγματωδῶν ῥημάτων οὐχ ὁ τυχὼν οἶδεν, ἀλλ' ὁ κατὰ τὴν σοφίαν, καθ' ἣν προφέρεται τὰ ῥήματα, σοφὸς ὠ´̣ν. σ̣οφία ἀνθρώπου φωτιεῖ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ. τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι ἡ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου σοφία τ̣ο`̣ π̣ρόσ̣ωπον αὐτοῦ φωτεινὸν δείκνυσιν, οὐ τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ σώματος, οὐ τὸ μέλος τῆς σαρκός, ἀλλὰ τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου, περὶ οὗ λέγουσιν οἱ σοφοί· "ἐσημειώθη ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου σου, κύριε." εἰ δὲ τὸ φῶς τὸ σοφίζον καὶ σοφοὺς ποι οῦν καὶ πεφωτισμένους κατασκευάζον τοῦ προσώπου σου φῶς ἐστιν-ὁ λόγος σου γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰκών σου, ὁ χαρακτήρ, -φωτίζεται ὁ μετέχων τούτου τοῦ φω τὸς καὶ γίνεται πεφωτισμένος. οὕτω γοῦν τοῖς πλησιάσασιν αὑτῷ Ἰησοῦς λέγει· "λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔνπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων." καὶ λέγει πᾶσιν· "ὑμεῖς ἐστὲ τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου." οὐκ αἰσθητὸν δὲ φῶς εἰσιν οἱ ἀπόστολοι τοῦ κόσμου, τουτέστιν τοῖς πολλο̣ῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων φαινόμενον, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ κόσμου. οὐ τὴν ἁμαρτία̣ν ε̣ὗρεν Ἰησοῦς τοῦ καταλλαγέντος ἐν Χριστῷ τῷ θεῷ. τοῦτο οὖν τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου φωτίζεται ὑπὸ τῆς σοφίας. ταὐτὸν δέ ἐστιν σοφία καὶ φῶς καὶ λόγος κ̣αὶ ἀλήθεια καὶ αἱ ἄλλαι ἐπίνοιαι αἱ περὶ Χριστοῦ λεγόμεναι.

234 καὶ ἀναιδὴς πρὸ πρ̣οσώπου αὐτοῦ μισηθήσεται. στόμα βασιλέως φύλαξον καὶ περὶ λόγου ὅρκου θεοῦ μὴ σπου δάσῃς. ὁ ἀναιδὴς ὁ μὴ ἔχων παρρησίαν ἐκ φωτὸς καὶ σοφίας ἀπούσης ἐπίτιμον μισηθήσεται. ὑπάρχει δὲ τοῦτο μάλιστα τοῖς σοφισταῖς τοῖς τὴν ἀλήθειαν σοφίζεσθαι θέλουσιν. ἀπὸ πολλῆς γὰρ ἀναίδειας ἀντιλέγουσιν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. οὕτω ἑρμηνεύουσιν τὰ πράγματα, ὡς οὐκ ἔχουσιν φύσεως. μισητὸς οὖν ἐστιν, κἄν ποτε λανθάνῃ διὰ πανουργίαν καὶ μὴ μισῆται, ἀλλ' οὖν γε μισητός ἐστιν. μισητὸς δέ ἐστιν ὁ ἄξιος τοῦ μισεῖσθαι, κἂν μηδεὶς αὐτὸν μισῇ. ἡ κακία γοῦν, εἰ καί τις ἄλλη, μισητή ἐστιν· ἡ ἡδονὴ πολλοὺς ε᾿̣π̣έχει τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας. πολλοί εἰσιν οἱ θελγόμενοι· καὶ οὐ δήπου οὐκ ἔστιν μισητὸν τὸ κακόν. στόμα βασιλέως φύλαξον. τὸ στόμα τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φύλαξον, τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ τήρει, κατὰ τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ πολιτεύου καὶ φρόνει. τὸ γὰρ στόμα πολλάκις ἡμῖν ἀποδέδεικται, ὅτι τὸν λόγον σημαίνει. ἐπίστανε τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὃ κα λεῖται αὐτοῦ στόμα βασιλέως, καὶ οὕτω πρᾶττε, οὕτω φρόνει, οὕτω πολιτεύ ου. καὶ περὶ λόγου ὅρκου θεοῦ μὴ σπουδάσῃς. καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἔξω νόμοις μ̣ι̣σ̣η̣τ̣ο´̣ν̣ ἐστιν τὸ τοιοῦτον. ὑπόνοιαν ἐφιόρ κου παρέχει ὁ σπουδάζων ἐπὶ τὸ ὀμόσ̣αι, εἰ μὴ παρὰ τοῦ ἄρχοντος αὐτῷ ὅρκος ἐπιτεθῇ μὴ οὔσης μαρτυρίας τινὸς κ̣αὶ ἀναγκασθῇ περὶ τούτου ὀμόσαι. διὰ τοῦτο οὖν εἶπεν· "μὴ σπουδάσῃς", μὴ π̣ρ̣ο̣α̣ι´̣ρ̣ετος ὅρμα ἐπὶ τὸ ὀμνύναι· μὴ τὴν ἀναπόδεικτον πίστιν μεταχειρ̣ι´̣σ̣ῃ̣ς̣. ἐὰν δύνηται πίστις παρασχεθῆ ναι, μὴ σπουδάσῃς περὶ ὅρκον. ὁ ὀμν̣υ´̣ων τῷ πλησίον αὑτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἀθετῶν, ὁ οὕτως ἀληθεύων, ἵνα μὴ ἀθετήσῃ̣, ο̣ὐκ ἔστιν μισητός. ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ πορεύσῃ, μὴ στῇς ἐν λόγῳ πονηρῷ· ὅτι οὐκ, ὃ ἐὰν ἐθελήσῃ, ποιη´̣σει̣ καθὼς βασιλεὺς ἐξουσιάζων; δύναται κατὰ ὑπερβατὸν περὶ τοῦ ἀνα̣ι̣δο̣ῦς̣ λε´̣γεσθαι, ὅτι "ἀπὸ προσ ώπου αὐτοῦ πορεύσῃ." ἔξω γενοῦ τοῦ ἀναιδου῀̣ς. ἀν̣α̣φ̣έρεσθαι δὲ δύναται ταῦτα καὶ εἰς τὸν διάβολον αὐτὸν καὶ πᾶσαν πονηρ̣ὰν δ̣ύναμιν. τὰ γὰρ περὶ ἀνθρώπων λεγόμενα ὡς κακῶν, ὡς πονηρῶν, ῥη̣θείη ἂν καὶ περὶ τῶν δαιμόνων καὶ τοῦ διαβόλου. ἃ γὰρ περὶ ἀνθρώπων λέγεται ὡς θν̣η̣τ̣ῶν ζῴων, οὐκ ἀναφέρεται οὐδὲ εἰς διάβολον οὐδὲ εἰς δαίμονα. 235 δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ περὶ τοῦ βασιλέως, οὗ ἀπὸ προσώπου δεῖ ὀρθῶς πολι τεύεσθαι, εἰρῆσθαι· "ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ πορεύσῃ" ὡς παρ' αὐτοῦ πεμ πόμενος, καθὸ σημαινόμενον λέγομεν ὅτι· ὅσδε ἀπὸ βασιλέως ἦλθεν.