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but they announce another thing by way of suggestion. Of such a kind are proverbs. For so also the disciples of the Lord say in the Gospel according to John, when the Lord had said many things, previously with a hidden meaning, they later say to him: Behold, now you are speaking plainly, and you are speaking no proverb; as proverbs are not spoken openly, but hiddenly. Since, therefore, in this book there are very many such sayings, for this reason he titled the book Proverbs. And it was named a proverb, because such sayings were written beside every road, for the correction and instruction of those who travel on the roads. And they were written beside the roads, since not all could contain the words of truth; so that at least while passing by and looking they might investigate what was written, and thus people might be instructed. Some indeed define them thus, a wayside saying transferred from one thing to many. There is, then, in this book knowledge of wisdom and instruction, understanding of words of prudence, turns of phrases, understanding of true righteousness, to direct judgments, and the promise of knowing from these things parables, sayings of the wise, riddles, dark sayings. And they are knowledge of wisdom and instruction. For since the Greeks profess to have wisdom, and the heretics think they have instruction, for this reason he teaches true wisdom and instruction, so that no one may fall into the sophistries of the Greeks and the heretics through the homonymy of wisdom. For the Greeks, thinking themselves to be something, and 56.371 Professing to be wise, they became fools. And the heretics, thinking themselves to be instructed, have turned aside, and they sin, being self-condemned. But a wise man, having heard the divine words, will be wiser. For having heard the laws of God, and having kept them, and not having despised the instruction of the Lord, nor having been drawn away by deceit, he will become a wise son, and having become instructed he will quickly also receive knowledge from God. For in this way the wise are instructed. Understanding of words of prudence is the teaching concerning the only and truly existing God. For among the Greeks some said God is a body, others worshipped him in the likeness of idols. And the heretics themselves were also foolish concerning the one who is. For this reason he explains the true knowledge concerning God, speaking of His ineffable nature, The glory of God conceals a matter; and speaking of His providence he says: The eyes of the Lord in every place behold the evil and the good. And again, The rich and poor have met one another, and the Lord made them both. And, When the lender and the debtor come together, the Lord oversees them both. And, For the ways of a man are before the eyes of God; and He watches all his paths. And speaking of His judgment he says: The sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord; but the prayers of the upright are acceptable with Him. And again: The Lord tears down the houses of the proud, but He establishes the border of the widow. And His creative power not simply, but that through His own Word and Wisdom He makes all things; which especially characterizes the true God, that He is the Father of the Son. He says, then: God by wisdom founded the earth. And again, God made lands and uninhabited places, and the inhabited extremities of the world under heaven. When He prepared the heaven, I was with Him, and when He set His throne upon the winds, when He made strong the clouds above, I was with Him, fitting things together. I was she in whom He delighted, and I was daily gladdened in His presence. They are called "turns of phrases," because by turning them in the mind, one opens and finds the meaning lying within them. Such as: A wise son is saved from the burning heat; a lawless son becomes wind-blighted in the harvest. And again, Attend to the green things in the field, and you shall shear grass, and gather mountain hay, that you may have sheep for clothing. And again, If you sit down to dine at the table of rulers, consider intelligently the things set before you; and things like these. Understanding of true righteousness is said, because some have understood justice; some saying,

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ἕτερον δὲ ἐν ὑπονοίᾳ ἐπαγγέλλονται. Τῶν δὲ τοιούτων εἶδός εἰσιν αἱ παροιμίαι. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ τοῦ Κυρίου λέγουσιν ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ἰωάννην Εὐαγγελίῳ, ὅτε τοῦ Κυρίου πολλὰ εἰρηκότος, πρότερον ἐγκεκρυμμένῃ διανοίᾳ, ὕστερόν φασιν αὐτῷ· Ἴδε νῦν παῤῥησίᾳ λαλεῖς, καὶ παροιμίαν οὐδεμίαν λέγεις· ὡς τῶν παροιμιῶν μὴ ἐκ φανεροῦ, ἀλλὰ κεκρυμμένως λεγομένων. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τούτῳ πλεῖστοι λόγοι τοιοῦτοί εἰσιν, διὰ τοῦτο Παροιμίας ἔγραψε (λ. ἐπέγραψε) τὸ βιβλίον. Ὠνομάσθη δὲ παροιμία, ἐπειδὴ παρὰ πάσης ὁδοῦ ἐγράφησαν οἱ τοιοῦτοι λόγοι, πρὸς διόρθωσιν καὶ διδασκαλίαν τῶν ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς πορευομένων. Παρὰ τὰς ὁδοὺς δὲ ἐγράφοντο, ἐπεὶ μὴ πάντες ἐχώρουν τοὺς τῆς ἀληθείας λόγους· ἵνα κἂν διερχόμενοι καὶ βλέποντες διερευνῶσι τὰ γεγραμμένα, καὶ οὕτω παιδεύωνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι. Τινὲς γοῦν ὁρίζονται αὐτὰς οὕτως, ῥῆμα παρόδιον ἀπό τινος ἑνὸς εἰς πολλὰ μεταλαμβανόμενον. Ἔστιν οὖν ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τούτῳ γνῶσις σοφίας καὶ παιδείας, νόησις λόγων φρονήσεως, στροφαὶ λόγων, δικαιοσύνης ἀληθοῦς νόησις, κρίματα κατευθύνειν, καὶ ἐπαγγελία τοῦ γινώσκειν ἐκ τούτων παραβολὰς, ῥήσεις σοφῶν, αἰνίγματα, σκοτεινοὺς λόγους. Καὶ εἰσὶ γνώσεις σοφίας καὶ παιδείας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ Ἕλληνες μὲν σοφίαν ἔχειν ἐπαγγέλλονται, αἱρετικοὶ δὲ νομίζουσι παιδείαν ἔχειν, διὰ τοῦτο οὗτος τὴν ἀληθῆ σοφίαν καὶ παιδείαν διδάσκει, ἵνα μὴ τῇ ὁμωνυμίᾳ τῆς σοφίας εἰς τὰ σοφίσματα τῶν Ἑλλήνων καὶ τῶν αἱρετικῶν ἐμπέσῃ τις. Καὶ γὰρ Ἕλληνες μὲν οἰόμενοί τινες εἶναι, καὶ 56.371 Φάσκοντες εἶναι σοφοὶ, ἐμωράνθησαν. Αἱρετικοὶ δὲ παιδεύεσθαι νομίζοντες ἐξεστράφησαν, καὶ ἁμαρτάνουσιν ὄντες αὐτοκατάκριτοι. Τῶν δὲ θείων λόγων ἀκούσας σοφὸς, σοφώτερος ἔσται. Τῶν γὰρ νομίμων τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀκούσας, καὶ ταῦτα φυλάξας, ἐπί τε τῇ παιδείᾳ Κυρίου μὴ ὀλιγωρήσας, μηδὲ ἑλκυσθεὶς ἀπάτῃ, υἱὸς σοφὸς γενήσεται, καὶ πεπαιδευμένος γενόμενος ταχέως καὶ τὴν παρὰ Θεοῦ γνῶσιν δέξεται. Ταύτῃ γὰρ οἱ σοφοὶ παιδεύονται. Νόησις δὲ λόγων φρονήσεως ἡ περὶ τοῦ μόνου καὶ ἀληθινοῦ ὄντος Θεοῦ διδασκαλία. Ἐπὶ γὰρ Ἑλλήνων οἱ μὲν σῶμα τὸν Θεὸν εἶπον, οἱ δὲ εἰδώλοις αὐτὸν ὁμοίως ἐλάτρευσαν. Αἱρετικοὶ δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ περὶ τοῦ ὄντος παρεφρόνησαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὗτος τὴν ἀληθῆ περὶ Θεοῦ γνῶσιν ἐξηγεῖται, τὸ μὲν ἀνέκφραστον αὐτοῦ λέγων, ∆όξα Θεοῦ κρύπτει λόγον· τὸ δὲ προνοητικὸν αὐτοῦ φησιν· Ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου σκοπεύουσι κακούς τε καὶ ἀγαθούς. Καὶ πάλιν, Πλούσιος καὶ πτωχὸς συνήντησαν ἀλλήλοις, ἀμφοτέρους δὲ ἐποίησεν ὁ Κύριος. Καὶ, ∆ανειστοῦ καὶ χρεωφειλέτου ἀλλήλοις συνελθόντων, ἐπισκοπὴν ποιεῖται ἀμφοτέρων ὁ Κύριος. Καὶ, Ἐνώπιον γάρ εἰσι τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὀφθαλμῶν ὁδοὶ ἀνδρός· εἰς δὲ πάσας τροχιὰς αὐτοῦ σκοπεύει. Καὶ τὸ μὲν κριτικὸν αὐτοῦ φησι· Θυσίαι ἀσεβῶν βδέλυγμα Κυρίου· εὐχαὶ δὲ κατευθυνόντων δεκταὶ παρ' αὐτῷ. Καὶ πάλιν· Οἴκους ὑβριστῶν κατασπᾷ Κύριος, ἔστησε δὲ ὅριον χήρας (λεγεβατυρ ιν μς. χώρας). Τὸ δὲ δημιουργικὸν αὐτοῦ οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' ὅτι διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου λόγου καὶ τῆς σοφίας πάντα ποιεῖ· ὃ μάλιστα χαρακτηρίζει τὸν ἀληθινὸν Θεὸν, ὅτι Υἱοῦ Πατήρ ἐστι. Λέγει γοῦν· Ὁ Θεὸς τῇ σοφίᾳ ἐθεμελίωσε τὴν γῆν. Καὶ πάλιν, Ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησε χώρας καὶ ἀοικήτους, καὶ ἄκρα οἰκούμενα τῆς ὑπ' οὐρανόν. Ἡνίκα ἡτοίμαζε τὸν οὐρανὸν, συμπαρήμην αὐτῷ, καὶ ὅτε ἀφώριζε τὸν αὑτοῦ θρόνον ἐπ' ἀνέμων, ἡνίκα ἰσχυρὰ ἐποίει τὰ ἄνω νέφη, ἤμην παρ' αὐτῷ ἁρμόζουσα. Ἐγὼ ἤμην ᾗ προσέχαιρε, καθ' ἡμέραν δὲ εὐφραινόμην ἐν προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ. Στροφαὶ λόγων εἴρηνται, ἐπειδὴ στρέφων τις αὐτοὺς τῇ διανοίᾳ, ἀνοίγει καὶ εὑρίσκει τὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐγκείμενον νοῦν. Οἷά εἰσι· ∆ιεσώθη ἀπὸ τοῦ καύματος υἱὸς νοήμων· ἀνεμόφθορος γίνεται ἐν ἀμήτῳ υἱὸς παράνομος. Καὶ πάλιν, Ἐπιμελοῦ τῶν ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ χλωρῶν, καὶ κερεῖς πόαν, καὶ συνάγαγε χόρτον ὀρεινὸν, ἵνα ἔχῃς πρόβατα εἰς ἱματισμόν. Καὶ πάλιν, Ἐὰν καθίσῃς δειπνεῖν ἐπὶ τραπέζης δυναστῶν, νοητῶς νόει τὰ παρατιθέμενά σοι· καὶ τὰ ὅμοια τούτοις. ∆ικαιοσύνης ἀληθοῦς νόησις εἴρηται, ἐπειδή τινες ἐξειλήφασι τὸ δίκαιον· τῶν μὲν λεγόντων,