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has been contributed to us. What wrath of those who are impious towards Christ. Exhortations to the rulers of Israel, that they should believe in Christ; or rather, an instruction to the rulers of the catholic Church, how they must rule, since that one has turned away. Who is wisdom, the Son of God. And how the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. That I also, being a man of like passions with you, have been instructed by the command of God. Concerning Christ; by the wisdom of God, that I have received the knowledge of all things from her; For in his hand are both we and our words. Who wisdom is, and how she came to men. For being but one, she can do all things, and remaining in herself, she makes all things new. Having loved wisdom from my youth, he says, I received all good things from her, both carnal and spiritual. That having known the greatness of wisdom, I besought the Lord, that the Holy Spirit might be given to me to enlighten me concerning her. And she was sent, that she might labor with me. For the thoughts of mortals are timid. Concerning the works of wisdom. How she preserved the first-formed, from how many evils God saves those who believe in him, and how many good things he provides. Such as Noah, Abraham, Lot, Jacob, Joseph, the Israelites, whom he delivered from the hand of the Egyptians through Moses, and water was given to them from the steep rock. How he sent hornets to the seven nations, but using long-suffering, he also gave them a place for repentance, teaching the people through these things to be philanthropic. Against worshipers of the elements, frogs, hornets, mice, locusts, gnats, serpents. Against idolaters, with idols made from gold and silver, or stones, or wood. That there is salvation through wood for those who believe. The things concerning idol-makers, or those who paint idols. Concerning all the evils in idolatry. Concerning impious religion, and how many evils are in it. Concerning the potter, and ceramic idols. Concerning all the idols of the worship of the nations. Concerning the most hateful animals, serpents, cats, and the like. That God benefited Israel with quail instead of frogs. That also in the case of serpent bites, the salvation of your people was through a bronze serpent crucified; but he killed their enemies through serpents and mice. That he fed the people with the food of angels, sufficient for every pleasure, and suited to every taste of harmony. That he sent hail with fire upon the Egyptians for the destruction of their crops. That he sent a palpable darkness upon the Egyptians, and the evils in it; 56.370 but to his holy ones, light in Egypt, and in the desert a pillar of fire; and instead of the death of the infants of Israel, the death and drowning of the firstborn of the Egyptians; and instead of the death of the firstborn, the salvation of Israel through the blood of a lamb. And upon the death of the righteous in the desert, Aaron made atonement, having prayed to the Lord and offered incense; but upon the death of the Egyptians in the Red Sea, unmerciful wrath, but for the people a miraculous journey. That the Egyptians suffered these things because of their hatred of strangers, as did also the Sodomites. That the elements are subject to the divine judgment of Christ, being regulated for whatever he wills, as the strings of a lyre to the lyre player. In which is all the power of the Wisdom of Solomon, which is called Panaretos. Proverbs of Solomon. The book is called the Proverbs of Solomon, because it was Solomon who spoke and wrote these also. And he, having succeeded to the kingdom of David his father, prayed to God to receive wisdom above wealth, and above defense against enemies. Having received it, therefore, and become wiser than all men before him and after him, and being admired for all that he did and spoke, he spoke three thousand parables and five thousand songs; and he discoursed on natural history concerning all things that grow from the earth, and concerning all animals. And he wrote, as some say, only three books. This one, and Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs; but as some say, also the Wisdom that is inscribed and called Panaretos; for they say that this also is his genuine work. And he inscribed this one Proverbs. And proverbs are wise sayings, like riddles, which on the one hand signify one thing on the surface,

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συμβέβληται ἡμῖν. Τίς ὀργὴ τῶν ἀσεβούντων εἰς Χριστόν. Προτροπαὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσι τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ὥστε πιστεύειν Χριστῷ· μᾶλλον δὲ παράθεσις τοῖς ἄρχουσι τῆς καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας, πῶς ἄρχειν δεῖ, ἀποστραφέντος ἐκείνου. Τίς ἡ σοφία, ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ πῶς ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ γέγονε, καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν. Ὅτι κἀγὼ ὁμοιοπαθὴς ὑμῖν ὢν ἄνθρωπος ἐκ κελεύσεως Θεοῦ πεπαίδευμαι. Περὶ Χριστοῦ· τῇ σοφίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι πάντων τὴν γνῶσιν ἐξ αὐτῆς ἔσχον· Ἐν γὰρ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡμεῖς καὶ οἱ λόγοι ἡμῶν. Τίς ἡ σοφία, καὶ πῶς εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἦλθε. Μία γὰρ οὖσα πάντα δύναται, καὶ μένουσα ἐν αὑτῇ τὰ πάντα καινίζει. Τὴν σοφίαν, φησὶν, ἐκ νεότητος φιλήσας, πάντα τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐξ αὐτῆς ἔσχον σαρκικὰ καὶ πνευματικά. Ὅτι τὸ μέγεθος τῆς σοφίας ἐγνωκὼς ἐνέτυχον τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὥστε μοι δοθῆναι τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα τὸ φωτίζον με περὶ αὐτῆς. Καὶ ἐπέμφθη, ἵνα συγκοπιάζῃ μοι. Λογισμοὶ γὰρ θνητῶν δειλοί. Περὶ τῶν ἔργων τῆς σοφίας. Πῶς τὸν πρωτόπλαστον διεφύλαξεν, ἐξ ὅσων κακῶν σώζει τοὺς πιστεύοντας αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ὅσα ἀγαθὰ παρέχει. Οἷον τὸν Νῶε, τὸν Ἀβραὰμ, τὸν Λὼτ, τὸν Ἰακὼβ, τὸν Ἰωσὴφ, τοὺς Ἰσραηλίτας, οὓς ἐκχειρὸς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἐξεῤῥύσατο διὰ Μωσέως, καὶ ἐκ πέτρας ἀκροτόμου ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ὕδωρ. Ὡς τοῖς ζʹ ἔθνεσιν ἀπέστειλε σφῆκας, μακροθυμίᾳ δὲ χρώμενος, καὶ τούτοις ἐδίδου τόπον μετανοίας, παιδεύων διὰ τούτων τὸν λαὸν εἶναι φιλάνθρωπον. Κατὰ στοιχειολατρῶν, βατράχων, σφηκῶν, μυῶν, ἀκρίδων, σκνιφῶν, ὄφεων. Κατὰ εἰδωλολατρῶν, ἐκ χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου, ἢ λίθων, ἢ ξύλων εἰδώλων κατεσκευασμένων. Ὅτι ἐστὶ σωτηρία διὰ ξύλου τοῖς πιστεύουσι. Τὰ περὶ τῶν εἰδωλοποιῶν, ἢ ζωγραφούντων εἴδωλα. Περὶ πάντων τῶν κακῶν τῶν ἐν εἰδωλολατρείᾳ. Περὶ ἀσεβοῦς θρησκείας, καὶ ὅσα ἐν αὐτῇ κακά. Περὶ τοῦ κεραμέως, καὶ τῶν κεραμικῶν εἰδώλων. Περὶ πάντων τῶν εἰδώλων τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν λατρείας. Περὶ τῶν ἐχθίστων ζώων, ὄφεων, αἰλούρων, καὶ τῶν ὁμοίων. Ὅτι εὐηργέτησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἀντὶ βατράχων ὀρτυγομήτραν. Ὅτι καὶ ἐπὶ δήγματος ὄφεων σωτηρία τοῦ λαοῦ σου δι' ὄφεως χαλκοῦ ἐσταυρωμένου· τοὺς δὲ ἐχθροὺς αὐτῶν δι' ὄφεων καὶ μυῶν ἀπέκτεινεν. Ὅτι ἀγγέλων τροφὴν ἐψώμισε τὸν λαὸν πρὸς πᾶσαν ἡδονὴν ἰσχύουσαν, καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν ἁρμονίας γεῦσιν. Ὅτι χάλαζαν Αἰγυπτίοις μετὰ πυρὸς ἔπεμψε πρὸς διαφθορὰν γεννημάτων. Ὅτι τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις ἔπεμψε ψηλαφητὸν σκότος, καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ κακά· 56.370 τοῖς δὲ ὁσίοις αὐτοῦ φῶς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ στῦλον πυρός· καὶ ἀντὶ μὲν θανάτου νηπίων Ἰσραὴλ, τῶν Αἰγυπτίων πρωτοτόκων θάνατος καὶ καταποντισμός· ἀντὶ δὲ θανάτου πρωτοτόκων, σωτηρία Ἰσραὴλ δι' αἵματος προβάτου. Καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν θανάτῳ δικαίων ἐν ἐρήμῳ, Ἀαρὼν ἐξιλάσατο, Κυρίῳ προσευξάμενος καὶ θυμιάσας· ἐπὶ δὲ θανάτῳ Αἰγυπτίων ἐν Ἐρυθρᾷ θαλάσσῃ, ἀνελεήμων θυμὸς, τοῦ δὲ λαοῦ παράδοξος ὁδοιπορία. Ὅτι διὰ μισοξενίαν ἔπαθον ταῦτα οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι, ὡς καὶ οἱ Σοδομῖται. Ὅτι τὰ στοιχεῖα ὑπόκειται τῇ θείᾳ κρίσει Χριστοῦ, πρὸς ὃ βούλεται ῥυθμιζόμενα, ὡς χορδαὶ κιθάρας τῷ κιθαρίζοντι. Ἐν οἷς πᾶσα δύναμις τῆς Σοφίας Σολομῶντος τῆς λεγομένης Παναρέτου. Παροιμίαι Σολομῶντος. Παροιμίαι Σολομῶντος τὸ βιβλίον καλεῖται, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ταύτας Σολομών ἐστιν ὁ λαλήσας καὶ γράψας. Οὗτος δὲ διαδεξάμενος τὴν βασιλείαν ∆αυῒδ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, ηὔξατο τῷ Θεῷ λαβεῖν σοφίαν ὑπὲρ πλοῦτον, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἄμυναν ἐχθρῶν. Λαβὼν τοίνυν, καὶ γενόμενος σοφὸς ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς πρὸ αὐτοῦ καὶ μετ' αὐτὸν ἀνθρώπους, θαυμασθείς τε ἐπὶ πᾶσιν οἷς ἐποίησε καὶ ἐλάλησε, τρισχιλίας μὲν παραβολὰς καὶ πεντακισχιλίας ᾠδὰς ἐλάλησε· καὶ ἐφυσιολόγησε περὶ πάντων τῶν τε ἐκ γῆς φυομένων, καὶ περὶ πάντων τῶν ζώων. Συνέγραψε δὲ, ὡς μέν τινές φασι, τρία μόνα βιβλία. Τοῦτό τε, καὶ τὸν Ἐκκλησιαστὴν, καὶ τὸ Ἆσμα τῶν ᾀσμάτων· ὡς δέ τινες, καὶ τὴν Σοφίαν τὴν ἀπογεγραμμένην καὶ λεγομένην Πανάρετον· γνησίαν γὰρ αὐτοῦ καὶ ταύτην λέγουσιν εἶναι. Καὶ τοῦτον μὲν Παροιμίαι ἐπέγραψεν. Εἰσὶ δὲ παροιμίαι λόγοι σοφοὶ, ὡς αἰνίγματα, ἅτινα ἕτερον μέν τι αὐτόθεν δηλοῦντά ἐστιν,