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The first wisdom is a praiseworthy life, purified for God. The first wisdom is to despise wisdom, that which consists in discourse and turns of phrases,

and in counterfeit and superfluous antitheses. But for me, may it be to speak five words in church with understanding rather than ten thousand in a tongue.

For the one who is wise in words is not wise to me, nor is he who has a clever tongue but an unstable and uneducated soul; but he who utters few things about virtue, but demonstrates many things by his actions and adds credibility to his speech through his life. For beauty that is seen is better than that which is painted in words; and wealth that the hands possess, than what dreams fashion. And wisdom is not that which is made brilliant by speech, but that which is proven by deeds. For "a good understanding have all they that do it," he says, but not they that preach it.

For one must either philosophize or honor philosophy, if we do not intend to fall completely outside of what is good, 821 nor to be condemned for irrationality, having become rational beings and hastening through reason towards Reason.

For wiser than the many are those who have separated themselves from the world and consecrated their lives to God.

Nothing is more frugal than philosophy, nothing more free from pain. All things will yield sooner than a philosopher. These two things are unconquerable, God and angel, and the third, philosophy. [For the philosopher is] immaterial in matter, uncircumscribed in a body, heavenly upon earth, in 15Ε_162 passions impassible, defeated by all except in spirit; conquering by being conquered those who think they are in control.

I know one wisdom, to fear God. For the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. And, "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments."

Make education an instrument of righteousness, and not of death. Chrysostom. Just as it is not possible for earth that is not watered, even if it receives countless seeds,

to bring forth ears of corn; so it is not possible for a soul not enlightened by the divine Scriptures, even if one pours out countless words, to show forth any fruit.

Didymus. One must read the divine Scriptures. For just as wine when drunk relieves grief and changes the heart to gladness; so the spiritual wine changes the soul to joy.

For one to know that he does not know, is wisdom; just as also to know that he has done wrong, is justice.

Being rich never makes the gnostic rejoice, nor does lacking money lead him to humiliation; since virtue and wisdom exalt him, and prepare him to stand above these things.

Of Philo. Of necessity, through the inexperience and vice of a charioteer, the yoked beasts are carried over cliffs and chasms; just as through experience and virtue they are saved. It is impossible for great things to be learned before small things.

Clement. Works follow knowledge, as the shadow follows the body. Of Plutarch. The life of the uneducated is like a dream, having empty fantasies. One should seek neither a voice in fish, nor virtue in the uneducated. 15Ε_164 One should disturb neither muddy water, nor an uneducated soul. Being discontented, the uneducated, as if from houses, move from their choices day by

day. Strangers wander about in the streets, but the uneducated wander about in their affairs. 824 Of Plato. All knowledge, when separated from justice and the rest of

virtue, appears to be cunning, but not wisdom.

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Σοφία πρώτη, βίος ἐπαινετός καί Θεῷ κεκαθαρμένος. Σοφία πρώτη σοφίας ὑπερορᾷν, τῆς ἐν λόγῳ κειμένης καί στροφαῖς λέξεων,

καί ταῖς κιβδήλαις καί περιτταῖς ἀντιθέσεσιν. Ἐμοί δέ γένοιτο πέντε λόγους ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ λαλεῖν μετά συνέσεως ἤ μυρίους ἐν γλώσσῃ.

Οὐ γάρ ὁ ἐν λόγοις σοφός, οὗτός μοι σοφός, οὐδ᾿ ὅστις γλῶσσαν μέν εὔστροφον ἔχει, ψυχήν δέ ἄστατον καί ἀπαίδευτον· ἀλλ᾿ ὅστις ὀλίγα μέν περί ἀρετῆς φθέγγεται, πολλά δέ οἷς ἐνεργεῖ πραδείκνυσι καί τό ἀξιόπιστον τῷ λόγῳ διά τοῦ βίου προστίθησιν. Κρείσσων γάρ εὐμορφία θεωρουμένη, τῆς λόγῳ ζωγραφουμένης· καί πλοῦτος ὅν αἱ χεῖρες κατέχουσιν, ἤ ὄνειροι πλάττουσι. Καί σοφία, οὐχ ἡ τῷ λόγῳ λαμπρυνομένη, ἀλλ᾿ ἡ διά τῶν ἔργων ἐλεγχομένη. Σύνεσις γάρ ἀγαθή πᾶσι τοῖς ποιοῦσιν αὐτήν, φησίν, ἀλλ' οὐ τοῖς κηρύττουσιν.

Ἡ γάρ φιλοσοφητέον, ἤ τιμητέον φιλοσοφίαν, εἴπερ μή μέλοιμεν παντελῶς ἔξω τοῦ καλοῦ πίπτειν, 821 μηδέ ἀλογίαν κατακριθήσεσθαι λογικοί γεγονότες, καί διά λόγου πρός λόγον σπεύδοντες.

Σοφώτεροι γάρ τῶν πολλῶν οἱ κόσμου χωρίσαντες αὐτούς, καί τῷ Θεῷ τόν βίον καθιερώσαντες.

Οὐδέν ἀναλωτότερον φιλοσοφίας, οὐδέν ἀλυπότερον. Πάντα ἐνδώσει πρότερον ἤ φιλόσοφος. ∆ύο ταῦτα δυσκράτητα, Θεός καί ἄγγελος, καί τό τρίτον, φιλοσοφία. [Ἔστι γάρ φιλόσοφος] ἄυλος ἐν ὕλῃ, ἐν σώματι ἀπερίγραπτος, ἐπί γῆς οὐράνιος, ἐν 15Ε_162 πάθεσιν ἀπαθής, πάντων ἡττώμενος πλήν φρονήματος· νικῶν τῷ νικᾶσθαι τούς κρατεῖν νομίζοντας.

Ἐγώ μίαν σοφίαν οἶδα, τό φοβεῖσθαι Θεόν. Ἀρχή τε γάρ σοφίας, φόβος Κυρίου. Καί, Τέλος λόγου τό πᾶν ἄκουε, τόν Θεόν φοβοῦ, καί τάς ἐντολάς φύλασσε.

Ποιήσατε δικαιοσύνης ὅπλον, καί μή θανάτου, τήν παίδευσιν. Χρυσοστ. Ὥσπερ γῆν μή βρεχομένην οὐκ ἔστι κἄν μυρία λάβῃ σπέρματα

στάχυας ἐξενεγκεῖν· οὕτω ψυχήν οὐκ ἔστιν μή ταῖς θείαις Γραφαῖς φωτισθεῖσαν, κἄν μυρία τις ἐκχέῃ ῥήματα, καρπόν τινα ἐπιδείξασθαι.

∆ιδύμ. Ἐντυγχάνειν δεῖ ταῖς θείαις Γραφαῖς. Ὥσπερ γάρ ὁ οἶνος πινόμενος ἀναπαύει λύπην, καί μεταβάλλει καρδίαν εἰς εὐφροσύνην· οὕτως ὁ πνευματικός οἶνος εἰς χαράν μεταβάλλει τήν ψυχήν.

Τό εἰδέναι τινά ὅτι ἀγνοεῖ, σοφίας ἐστίν· ὡς καί τό εἰδέναι ὅτι ἠδίκησε, δικαιοσύνης.

Τόν γνωστικόν οὐδέποτε τό πλουτεῖν γήθειν ποιεῖ, οὐδέ τό χρημάτων ἀπορεῖν εἰς ταπείνωσιν ἄγει· τῆς ἀρετῆς καί σοφίας αὐτόν ὑπερυψούσης, καί ὑπεράνω αὐτῶν ἵστασθαι παρασκευαζούσης.

Φίλωνος. Ἀνάγκη ἀπειρίᾳ καί κακίᾳ ἡνιόχου, τά ὑποζευγμένα κατά κρημνῶν φέρεσθαι καί βαράθρων· ὥσπερ ἐμπειρίᾳ καί ἀρετῇ διασώζεσθαι. Ἀμήχανον τά μεγάλα πρό τῶν μικρῶν παιδευθῆναι.

Κλήμεντ. Ἕπεται τῇ γνώσει τά ἔργα, ὡς τῷ σώματι ἡ σκιά. Πλουτάρχου. Ὀνείρῳ ἔοικεν ὁ τῶν ἀπαιδεύτων βίος, κενάς ἔχων φαντασίας. Οὔτε ἐν ἰχθύσι φωνήν, οὔτε ἐν ἀπαιδεύτοις ἀρετήν δεῖ ζητεῖν. 15Ε_164 Οὔτε ὕδωρ θολερόν, οὔτε ἀπαίδευτον ψυχήν ταράσσειν δεῖ. ∆υσάρεστοι ὄντες οἱ ἀπαίδευτοι, καθάπερ ἐξ οἰκιῶν, τῶν προαιρέσεων καθ᾿

ἡμέραν μετοικίζονται. Οἱ μέν ξένοι, ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς, οἱ δέ ἀπαίδευτοι, ἐν τοῖς πράγμασι διαπλανῶνται. 824 Πλάτωνος. Πᾶσα ἐπιστήμη χωριζομένη δικαιοσύνης καί τῆς ἄλλης

ἀρετῆς, πανουργία, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ σοφία φαίνεται.