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These are its wagon-roads, trodden by many. But the practical actions of righteousness can also be paths of righteousness; for righteousness is then most especially trodden and worn when it is practiced. That practical virtue is signified by this name of righteousness is confirmed by this: "He who walks blamelessly and works righteousness, who speaks truth in his heart, who has not been deceitful with his tongue, and has not done evil to his neighbor." And a little later: "He who does these things shall never be shaken." You see that having gathered all the forms of virtue into one, he generally called it righteousness. Therefore, "he has led me" "in paths of righteousness." And those before the written law walked this righteousness. Thus concerning Abraham it is said that he "kept all the ordinances and commandments" of the Lord. And yet they had not yet been given, but he kept them, he lived according to them. And Abel, therefore, is testified to for righteousness. 60 The turning of the soul, therefore, is the journey leading to the paths of righteousness, that it might no longer be a sheep. 3 He has led me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Not so much on account of my worth, as on account of his own name has he granted this to me; for even if one runs toward what is good, even if he has a desire for them, if God does not have mercy, the things striven for are not accomplished. For instance, it is also said in the one hundred and eighteenth psalm: "I ran the way of your commandments, when you enlarged my heart." You having enlarged my heart and given breadth to my understanding, I ran the way of your commandments. Therefore, it is always through God that things striven for are accomplished. For he created rational beings, that they might partake of his name. And by name I mean not what is composed of syllables, but what arises from a quality that reveals the thing named; for a definition of 'name' has also been given thus: "'A name is a summary appellation representative of the particular quality of the thing named.'" And a paronym especially has this. From wisdom someone is called wise, and he does not have a mere appellation, not one composed of syllables, but one that declares the quality which wisdom has imparted to the soul. Therefore, a summary appellation is the proper name that is representative of the quality of the thing named. So if you say 'man,' it is representative of the quality of man—and by quality here I mean the particular property—; for you have stated the particular quality of the thing named. And the particular quality of man is humanity; for if you mention another quality, others also partake of it; it is not particular. Let someone be called a student of a physician, but let him know nothing of medicine; he does not have the quality of medicine, and it is a reproach to the one who taught him medical matters, when he neither knows nor practices any of them. 4 For even if I walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for you are with me. Since "for his name's sake" "he restored my soul," he is with me. And with him being with me, warding off every evil, not even a shadow of death draws near to me. But 'evils' is said in two ways in scripture, and perhaps also in common usage. The forms of wickedness opposite to virtue are called evils; as when it says: "a fool commits evil deeds with laughter," and: "depart from evil and do good." But they also call unpleasant things evils, since people say that pleasant things are good. And the goods of men are not truly good. For this reason also Abraham said to the rich man: "you received your good things." As, if he were speaking of the 61 virtues, he would not have said: "your good things." "The Lord will give good things to those who ask him." He did not say: "their good things." So when Job says: "If we have received good things from the Lord, shall we not endure the evil things?" by 'evil things' he means the ulceration, the most pitiable death of his children, and the other things. And this is especially apparent from Isaiah, the prophet speaking thus about God: "And he, being wise, brought evils upon them." It is not characteristic even of a wise man to bring on the forms of
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εἰσὶν αἱ κατημαξευμέναι ὁδοὶ αὐτῆς, αἱ πεπατημέναι ὑπὸ πολλῶν. δύνανται δὲ καὶ τρίβοι δικαιοσύνης εἶναι αἱ πρακτικαὶ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἐνέργειαι· τότε γὰρ μάλιστα πατεῖται καὶ τρίβεται ἡ δικαιοσύνη, ὅταν πράττηται. ὅτι δὲ ἡ πρακτικὴ ἀρετὴ σημαίνεται τούτῳ τῷ ὀνόματι τῆς δικαιοσύνη̣ς, πιστοῦται ἐκ τούτου· "πορευόμενος ἄμωμος καὶ ἐργαζόμενος δικαιοσύνην, λαλῶν ἀλήθειαν ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, ὃς οὐκ ἐδόλωσεν ἐν γλώςσῃ αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἐποίησεν τῷ πλησίον αὐτοῦ κακόν". καὶ μεθ' ὁλίγα· "ὁ ποιῶν ταῦτα οὐ μὴ σαλευθῇ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα". θεωρεῖς ὅτι τὰ εἴδη τῆς ἀρετῆς πάντα συναγαγὼν εἰς ταὐτὸν γενικῶς εἶπεν αὐτὴν δικαιοσύνην. "ὡδήγησέν με" οὖν "ἐπὶ τρίβους δικαιοσύνης". καὶ οἱ πρὸ τοῦ νόμου τοῦ γραπτοῦ ταύτην ὥδευσαν τὴν δικαιοσύνην. περὶ οὖν τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ εἴρηται ὅτι "ἐφύλαξεν πάντα τὰ δικαιώματα καὶ προστάγματα" τοῦ κυρίου. καίτοι οὔπω ἦν δοθέντα, ἀλλ' ἐφύλαξεν αὐτά, κατ' αὐτὰ ἔζη. καὶ ὁ Ἅβελ οὖν ἐπὶ δικαιοσύνῃ μαρτυρεῖται. 60 ἡ ἐπιστροφὴ οὖν τῆς ψυχῆς ἡ ὅδευσίς ἐστιν ἡ ἐπὶ τὰς τρίβους τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἀπάγουσα, ἵνα μηκέτι ᾖν πρόβατον. 3 ὡδήγησέν με ἐπὶ τρίβους δικαιοσύνης ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ. οὐ τοσοῦτον διὰ τὴν ἐμὴν ἀξίαν, ὅσον διὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ προσηγορίαν τοῦτό μ̣οι παρ̣έσ̣χ̣εν· κἂν γάρ τις τρέχῃ ἐπὶ τὰ καλά, κἂν πόθον αὐτῶν ἔχῃ, ἐὰν μὴ ἐλεήσῃ θεός, οὐκ ἀνύεται τὰ σπουδαζόμενα. αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ ἐν τῷ ἑκατὸν ὀκτωκαίδεκα ψαλμῷ λέγεται· "ὁδὸν ἐντολῶν σου ἔδραμον, ὅταν ἐπλάτυνας τὴν καρδίαν μου". σοῦ πλατύναντος τὴν καρδίαν μου καὶ εὖρος τῇ νοήσει μου δεδωκότος ἔδραμον τὴν ὁδὸν τῶν ἐντολῶν σου. ἀεὶ οὖν διὰ τὸν θεὸν τὰ σπουδαζόμενα ἀνύεται. ἔκτισεν γὰρ τὰ λογικά, ἵνα μετέχωσιν αὐτοῦ τῆς ὀνομασίας. ὀνομασίας δέ φημι οὐκ ἐκ συλλαβῶν συνκειμένας, ἀλλ' ἐκ ποιότητος δεικνυούσης τὸ ὀνομαζόμενον· ἀποδέδοται γὰρ ὅρος ὀνόματος καὶ οὕτως· "ὄνομά ἐστιν κεφαλαιώδης προσηγορία παραστατικὴ τῆς ἰδίας ποιότητος τοῦ ὀνομαζομένου". καὶ ἔχει γε τοῦτο μάλιστα ἡ παρωνυμία. ἀπὸ σοφίας λέγεταί τις σοφός, καὶ οὐ ψιλὴν προσηγορίαν ἔχει, οὐ τὴν ἐκ συλλαβῶν συνκειμένην, ἀλλὰ τὴν δηλοῦσαν τὴν ποιότητα, ἣν παρέσχεν τῇ ψυχῇ ἡ σοφία. κεφαλαιώδης οὖν προσηγορία ἐστὶν τὸ κυρίως ὄνομα τὸ παραστατικὸν τῆς ποιότητος τοῦ ὀνομαζομένου. κἂν οὖν "ἄνθρωπον" εἴπῃς, παραστατικόν ἐστιν τῆς ποιότητος τοῦ ἀνθρώπου -ποιότητα δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἰδιότητα λέγω-· εἶπες γὰρ τὴν ἰδίαν ποιότητα τοῦ ὀνομαζομένου. ἰδία δὲ ποιότης ἐστὶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἡ ἀνθρωπότης· ἐὰν γὰρ ἄλλην εἴπῃς ποιότητα, μετέχουσιν αὐτῆς καὶ ἄλλοι· οὔκ ἐστιν ἰδία. λεγέσθω τις μαθητὴς ἰατροῦ, μηδὲν δὲ τῆς ἰατρικῆς εἰδέτω· οὐκ ἔχει τὴν ποιότητα τῆς ἰατρικῆς, καὶ ψόγος ἐστὶν τῷ παιδεύσαντι αὐτὸν τὰ ἰατρικά, ὅταν μηδὲν αὐτῶν εἰδῇ μηδὲ πράττῃ. 4 ἐὰν γὰρ καὶ πορευθῶ ἐν μέσῳ σκιᾶς θανάτου, οὐ φοβηθήσομαι κακά, ὅτι σὺ μετ' ἐμοῦ εἶ. ἐπεὶ "ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ" "ἐπέστρεψεν τὴν ψυχήν μου", μετ' ἐμοῦ ἐστιν. μετ' ἐμοῦ δὲ ὄντος αὐτοῦ, ἀπαλέξουντος πᾶν κακὸν οὐκ ἐνγίζει μοι οὐδὲ σκιὰ θανάτου. κακὰ δὲ διχῶς ἐν γραφῇ λέγεται, τάχα δὲ καὶ ἐν τῇ συνηθείᾳ. τὰ ἐναντία τῆς ἀρετῆς εἴδη τῆς κακίας λέγεται κακά· ὡς ἐὰν λέγῃ· "ἐν γέλωτι ἄφρων πράσσει κακά", καί· "ἔκκλινον ἀπὸ κακοῦ καὶ ποίησον ἀγαθόν". λέγουσιν δὲ καὶ τὰ ἀηδῆ κακά, ἐπεὶ τὰ ἡδέα οἱ ἄνθρωποι λέγουσιν εἶναι ἀγαθά. καί εἰσίν γε ἀνθρώπων ἀγαθὰ οὐκ ἀληθῶς ἀγαθά. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ πρὸς τὸν πλούσιον ὁ Ἀ βραὰμ εἶπεν· "ἀπέλαβες τὰ ἀγαθὰ σοῦ". ὡς, εἰ περὶ τῶν 61 ἀρετῶν ἔλεγεν, οὐκ ἂν εἶπεν· "τὰ ἀγαθὰ σοῦ". "κύριος ἀγαθὰ δώσει τοῖς αἰτοῦσιν αὐτόν". μὴ εἶπεν· "τὰ ἀγαθὰ αὐτῶν". ὅταν γοῦν λέγῃ ὁ Ἰώβ· "εἰ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐδεξάμεθα παρὰ κυρίου, τὰ κακὰ οὐχ ὑποίσομεν"; κακὰ λέγει τὴν ἕλκωσιν, τὸν οἴκτιςτον θάνατον τῶν τέκνων καὶ τὰ ἄλλα. φαίνεται δὲ μάλιστα τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Ἰσαίου οὕτω λέγοντος τοῦ προφήτου περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ· "καὶ αὐτὸς σοφὸς ἦγεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς κακά". οὐδὲ ἀνθρώπου σοφοῦ ἐστιν ἐπάγειν τὰ εἴδη τῆς