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that victory in a race is not always to the swift, nor the success of war to the strong, nor riches to the prudent and intelligent. But neither do those who know much always have favor; for occurrences are common to all, that is, the outcomes of events. And among men nothing is self-sufficient, or consistent, or similar to the end, since all things are overturned and proceed according to the incomprehensible judgments of God. But man does not even know, he says, the time of his own end; wherefore it is fitting to be watchful, and to practice virtue. And concerning the meaning, the virtuous, the swift, or the strong, or the rich, ought not to trust in themselves; but on the contrary, which indeed those who are thus wise do, to say, 'Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it have labored in vain;' and to attribute everything to God. For the achievement of victory is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For 93.592 man does not have favor, even if he knows much, unless he receives favor from God, nor does he know the opportune time for action, unless he is enlightened by God. "As the fish that are caught in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in a snare, so are the sons of men ensnared in an evil time, when it falls upon them suddenly." An evil net is the net woven from multifaceted wickedness. But there is also a good one, like the dragnet woven from the old and new teachings of our Savior. Therefore, those men who pursue a fluid and transient life, like irrational fish, swimming in the currents of wickedness, are caught in such nets. But those who pursue knowledge falsely so called, and seem to be lofty and to travel through the air, like flying birds, are hunted in the devil's snares, and fall into the evil time of punishment, when sudden destruction comes upon them. "And this I have seen, wisdom under the sun; and it is great to me: a little city, and few men in it; and a great king comes against it, and surrounds it; and builds great ramparts against it; and finds in it a poor wise man, and he himself will save the city by his wisdom; and no one remembered that poor man. And I said, Wisdom is better than strength; and the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heard." As if stumbling upon it, he says to himself that he has seen great wisdom under the sun, a certain small and sparsely populated city, besieged by a great king, and saved by one of those within, poor but wise; and the weapons from without being overcome by the good counsel of the poor man within, and that humble and possessionless wise man not being thanked. For men are for the most part naturally forgetful of their benefactors, and despise the words of the lowly, even if they are useful; but they flatter only the rich and powerful, and praise their words. But I, says the wise man, not trusting the many, will say this: "Wisdom is better than strength." And as to the literal meaning, these things. But as to the allegorical sense: A small city is the Church on earth, in comparison with the heavenly one; few men are in it, the holy and elect; and the great one in wickedness is the author of evil, the devil. He always encircles this city, wishing to capture those in it. But the poor and wise man who saves the city is Christ the Savior, the wisdom of God the Father, who says, 'Take heart; I have overcome the world.' And his words are not heard by the unwise Greeks and Jews; but the wise man, having understood the power of the mystery, that not with divine authority and might, but using wisdom, and having become man, the Word wrestled down the tyrant, leaving him no pretext 93.593; so that just as he conquered man, the ancient Adam, so also he might be dashed down by a man, the new Adam, who is from heaven; concerning this he cried out and proclaimed beforehand: "Wisdom is better than strength. The words of a wise man heard in quiet are better than the cry of a ruler in folly." Do not take it comparatively

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ὅτι οὐ πάντως τοῖς κούφοις τὸ νικᾷν ἐν δρόμῳ, οὐδὲ τοῖς δυνατοῖς τὸ κατορθοῦν πόλεμον, οὐδὲ τοῖς σώφροσι καὶ συνετοῖς ὁ πλοῦτος. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ πάντως οἱ πολλὰ εἰδότες καὶ χάριν ἔχουσι· τὰ γὰρ συναντήματα πᾶσι κοινὰ, τουτέστι αἱ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκβάσεις. Καὶ οὐδὲ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις αὔταρκες. ἢ ὁμαλὸν, ἢ εἰς τέλος ὅμοιον, τῶν πάντων περιτρεπομένων καὶ χωρούντων κατὰ τὰ ἀνέφικτα τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίματα. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οἶδε ἄνθρωπος, φησὶ, τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ τελευτῆς· διὸ γρηγορεῖν προσήκει, καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐργάζεσθαι. Καὶ πρὸς διάνοιαν δὲ, Οὐκ ὀφείλουσιν οἱ ἐνάρετοι, κοῦφοι, ἢ δυνατοὶ, ἢ πλούσιοι, ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς πεποιθέναι· τὸ δὲ ἐναντίον, ὅπερ δὴ καὶ ποιοῦσιν οἱ οὕτως σοφοὶ, λέγειν, Ἐὰν μὴ Κύριος οἰκοδομήσῃ οἶκον, εἰς μάτην ἐκοπίασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες· καὶ τῷ Θεῷ τὸ πᾶν ἀνατίθεσθαι. Οὐ γὰρ τοῦ θέλοντος, οὐδὲ τοῦ τρέχοντος, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἐλεοῦντος Θεοῦ τῆς νίκης τὸ κατόρθωμα. Οὔτε 93.592 γὰρ χάριν ἄνθρωπος ἔχει, κἂν πολλὰ γινώσκῃ, εἰ μὴ ἐκ Θεοῦ δέξηται τὴν χάριν, οὔτε οἶδε πράξεως καιρὸν, εἰ μὴ ὑπὸ Θεοῦ φωταγωγηθῇ. "Ὡς οἱ ἰχθύες οἱ θηρευόμενοι ἐν ἀμφιβλήστρῳ κακῷ, καὶ ὡς ὄρνεα τὰ θηρευόμενα ἐν παγίδι, ὡσαύτως παγιδεύονται οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, εἰς καιρὸν πονηρὸν, ὅταν ἐμπέσῃ ἐπ' αὐτοῖς ἄφνω." Ἀμφίβληστρον κακὸν, τὸ ἐκ τῆς πολυμεροῦς κακίας πλακὲν δίκτυον. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ καλὸν, ὡς ἡ σαγήνη ἡ πλακεῖσα ἐκ τῶν παλαιῶν καὶ νέων τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν διδαγμάτων. Οἱ τοίνυν τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸν ὑγρὸν καὶ διαῤῥέοντα μετερχόμενοι βίον, δίκην ἀλόγων ἰχθύων, τοῖς τῆς κακίας ἐννηχόμενοι ῥεύμασιν, τοιούτοις δικτύοις ἁλίσκονται. Οἱ δὲ τὴν ψευδώνυμον μετερχόμενοι γνῶσιν, καὶ δοκοῦντες ὑψηλοί τινες εἶναι, καὶ ἀεροπόροι, ὡς τὰ ὄρνεα τὰ πετόμενα, ταῖς διαβολικαῖς παγίσιν ἀγρεύονται, καὶ ἐμπίπτουσιν εἰς καιρὸν πονηρὸν τὸν τῆς κολάσεως, ὅταν αὐτοῖς ὁ αἰφνίδιος ὄλεθρος ἐπιστῇ. "Καί γε τοῦτο εἶδον, σοφίαν ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον· καὶ μεγάλη ἐστὶ πρός με πόλις μικρὰ, καὶ ἄνδρες ἐν αὐτῇ ὀλίγοι· καὶ ἔλθῃ ἐπ' αὐτὴν βασιλεὺς μέγας, καὶ κυκλώσῃ αὐτήν· καὶ οἰκοδομήσῃ χάρακας μεγάλους ἐπ' αὐτήν· καὶ εὕρῃ ἐν αὐτῇ ἄνδρα πένητα σοφὸν, καὶ διασώσει αὐτὸς τὴν πόλιν ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἐμνήσθη σὺν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τοῦ πένητος ἐκείνου. Καὶ εἶπα ἐγὼ, Ἀγαθὴ σοφία ὑπὲρ δύναμιν· καὶ σοφία τοῦ πένητος ἐξουδενωμένη· καὶ λόγοι αὐτοῦ οὐκ εἰσὶν ἀκουόμενοι." Ὡς πρὸς ἐαυτὸν ὁ προσκόπτων μεγάλην φησὶ σοφίαν ἑωρακέναι ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, πόλιν τινὰ μικρὰν καὶ ὀλιγάνθρωπον, ὑπὸ μεγάλου βασιλέως πολιορκουμένην, καὶ σωζομένην ὑπό τινος τῶν ἔνδον, πένητος μὲν, ἀλλὰ σοφοῦ· καὶ νικώμενα τὰ ἔξωθεν ὅπλα τῇ τοῦ ἔνδον πένητος εὐβουλίᾳ, καὶ οὐκ εὐχαριστούμενον τὸν ἄτυφον ἐκεῖνον καὶ ἀκτήμονα σοφόν. Πεφύκασι γὰρ οἱ ἄνθρωποι τῶν εὐεργετῶν ἀμνημονεῖν ὡς τὰ πολλὰ, καὶ καταφρονεῖν τῶν λόγων τῶν ταπεινῶν, κἂν ὦσι χρήσιμοι· κολακεύειν δὲ μόνους τοὺς πλουσίους καὶ δυνατοὺς, καὶ τοὺς αὐτῶν ἐπαινεῖν λόγους. Ἀλλ' ἐγὼ, φησὶν ὁ σοφὸς, οὔτε αὐτὸ πεποιθὼς τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐρῶ, ὅτι "Ἀγαθὴ σοφία ὑπὲρ δύναμιν." Καὶ πρὸς μὲν ῥητὸν, τάδε. Πρὸς δὲ ἀναγωγήν· Μικρὰ πόλις ἡ ἐπὶ γῆς Ἐκκλησία, συγκρίσει τῆς ἐπουρανίου· ἄνδρες ὀλίγοι ἐν αὐτῇ. οἱ ἅγιοι καὶ ἐκλεκτοί· ὁ δὲ τὴν κακίαν μέγας ὁ ἀρχέκακος διάβολος. Ταύτην ἀεὶ κυκλοῖ τὴν πόλιν, ἑλεῖν βουλόμενος τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ. Ὁ δὲ πένης καὶ σοφὸς ὁ διασώζων τὴν πόλιν, Χριστός ἐστιν ὁ Σωτὴρ, Πατρὸς Θεοῦ σοφία, καὶ λέγων, Θαρσεῖτε· ἐγὼ νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον. Καὶ οἱ μὲν τούτου λόγοι παρὰ τοῖς ἀσόφοις Ἕλλησι καὶ Ἰουδαίοις οὐκ ἀκούονται· ὁ δὲ σοφὸς κατανενοηκὼς τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ μυστηρίου, ὡς οὐ θεϊκῇ ἐξουσίᾳ καὶ ῥώμῃ, ἀλλὰ σοφίᾳ χρησάμενος, καὶ ἄνθρωπος γεγονὼς ὁ λόγος, κατεπάλαισε τὸν τύραννον, μηδεμίαν αὐτῷ πρόφασιν 93.593 ὑπολιμπανόμενος· ἵνα ὥσπερ ἄνθρωπον ἐνίκησε τὸν ἀρχαῖον Ἀδὰμ, οὕτω καὶ ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπου καταῤῥαχθῇ τοῦ νέου Ἀδὰμ, τοῦ ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν· περὶ τούτου προανεφώνησε κεκραγώς· "Ἀγαθὴ σοφία ὑπὲρ δύναμιν. Λόγοι σοφοῦ ἐν ἀναπαύσει ἀκούονται, ὑπὲρ κραυγὴν ἐξουσιαζόντων ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ." Μὴ συγκριτικῶς ἐκλάβῃς