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wisdom to be your sister” and “proclaim wisdom, that prudence may follow you” 3.2.3 and “for wisdom is better than precious stones” and “Wisdom built her house, and set up seven pillars” and as many other related things are found in the same book; by which wisdom is nowhere named wisdom of God, but indefinitely, wisdom, so that we might not think it to be some accident concerning God, as knowledge is in a knowledgeable man, but a subsisting and living wisdom, being the same as the 3.2.4 Son of God. But if anyone should suppose that the wisdom spoken of here is a wise state in God, in the sense that we conceive God to be wise, let him hear the scripture saying, “I said that wisdom is your sister.” For who would be so mad as to suppose that the God over all and the wise state in him could be called the sister of those who act rightly among men? 3.2.5 But if you should take what is said as referring to the Christ of God—for “Christ” is “the power of God and the wisdom of God”—nothing will stand in the way of this understanding, since he does not refuse brotherhood with us out of an excess of love for humanity. But if God and the wisdom introduced in the Proverbs were one and the same, being a wise state conceived in him in the sense that God is wise, what would have prevented God from being written instead of wisdom? So that “Wisdom built her house, and set up seven pillars” and the things connected with these would have been said instead of: God 3.2.6 built a house for himself and the rest, and again instead of “I said that wisdom is your sister” it would have been said instead of: I said that God is your brother. But you see how such a 3.2.7 phrase, having no harmony, strikes the ear. But if you take the oracles as referring to the Son—for he was wisdom—everything will flow smoothly for you, with no impious thought standing in the way, with the Apostle Paul bearing witness as well, who with a clear voice called our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ wisdom, saying, “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 3.2.8 These things being so established, it follows that along with all the things previously set forth, “the Lord created me as the beginning of his ways for his works” is also spoken from his own person; but if he says that he was created, he would not say this as having passed from non-being into being, nor as having come into being from non-being in the same way as the other creatures, as some have incorrectly supposed, but as being one who subsists and lives, and is pre-existent and pre-subsisting before the constitution of the whole cosmos, appointed to rule over all things by the Lord, his own Father, “created” here being said instead of “appointed” 3.2.9 or “established.” At any rate, the Apostle who said, “Be subject to every human creation for the Lord’s sake: whether to the king as supreme, 3.2.10 or to governors as sent by him,” explicitly called the rulers and leaders among men a “creation.” And the prophet who said, “Prepare to call upon your God, O Israel. For behold, he who establishes thunder and creates the spirit and declares to men his Christ,” and “Let this be written for another generation, and the people who are being created will praise the Lord,” did not take “creating” to mean that which has come into being out of non-existence. For God did not create the spirit at the time when he proclaimed his Christ through it to all men; 3.2.11 for there is “nothing new under the sun.” But it was and pre-existed, and was sent at the time when the apostles were gathered together; when, like thunder, “there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind,” and they were filled “with the Holy Spirit,” and thus they proclaimed the Christ of God to all men in accordance with the prophecy that said, “For behold, he who establishes thunder and creates the spirit and declares to men his Christ,” with “creates” being said instead of “sends down” or “appoints,” and the thunder in another way signifying the proclamation of the gospel. And he who says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God,” did not say this as if he did not have a heart, but he prayed that his mind might be made clean for him. 3.2.12 Thus also is it said, “that the two

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σοφίαν σὴν ἀδελφὴν εἶναι» καὶ «σὺ τὴν σοφίαν κήρυξον, ἵνα φρόνησίς σοι ἐπακολουθήσῃ» 3.2.3 καὶ «κρείσσων γὰρ σοφία λιθῶν πολυτελῶν» καὶ «ἡ σοφία ᾠκοδόμησεν ἑαυτῇ οἶκον, καὶ ὑπήρεισεν στύλους ἑπτὰ» καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα τούτοις ἀδελφὰ ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ φέρεται βίβλῳ· δι' ὧν οὐδαμοῦ σοφία θεοῦ ὠνόμασται, ἀλλὰ ἀδιορίστως ἡ σοφία, ἵνα μὴ σύμβαμά τι νομίσωμεν αὐτὴν εἶναι περὶ τὸν θεόν, ὡς ἐν τῷ ἐπιστήμονι ἀνδρὶ τὴν ἐπιστήμην, ἀλλ' ὑφεστῶσαν καὶ ζῶσαν σοφίαν, τὴν αὐτὴν οὖσαν τῷ 3.2.4 υἱῷ τοῦ θεοῦ. εἰ δέ τις ἕξιν ἐν τῷ θεῷ σοφὴν καθ' ὃ νοοῦμεν τὸν θεὸν σοφὸν ὑπολάβοι εἶναι τὴν ἐνταῦθα λεγομένην σοφίαν, ἐπακουσάτω λεγούσης τῆς γραφῆς «εἶπον τὴν σοφίαν σὴν ἀδελφὴν εἶναι». τίς δ' ἂν οὕτω μανείη, ὡς τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων θεὸν καὶ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ σοφὴν ἕξιν ὑπολαβεῖν ἀδελφὴν τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις κατορθούντων 3.2.5 λέγεσθαι; εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκλάβοις τὸ εἰρημένον «Χριστὸς» γὰρ «θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ θεοῦ σοφία», οὐδὲν ἐμποδὼν ἔσται τῇ διανοίᾳ, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς οὐκ ἀναίνεται ἀδελφότητα δι' ὑπερβολὴν φιλανθρωπίας. εἰ δὲ ἓν καὶ ταὐτὸν ἦν ὁ θεὸς καὶ ἡ ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις εἰσαγομένη σοφία, ἕξις οὖσα σοφὴ ἐν αὐτῷ νοουμένη καθ' ὃ σοφὸς ὁ θεός, τί ἐκώλυεν ἀντὶ τῆς σοφίας τὸν θεὸν ἀναγεγράφθαι; ὥστε τὸ «ἡ σοφία ᾠκοδόμησεν ἑαυτῇ οἶκον, καὶ ὑπήρεισεν στύλους ἑπτά» καὶ τὰ τούτοις συνημμένα εἰρῆσθαι ἀντὶ τοῦ· ὁ θεὸς 3.2.6 ᾠκοδόμησεν ἑαυτῷ οἶκον καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, καὶ πάλιν ἀντὶ τὸ «εἶπον τὴν σοφίαν σὴν ἀδελφὴν εἶναι» λελέχθαι ἀντὶ τοῦ· εἶπον τὸν θεὸν σὸν ἀδελφὸν εἶναι. ἀλλ' ὁρᾷς ὡς τὴν ἀκοὴν πλήττει ἡ τοιαύτη 3.2.7 φωνὴ οὐκ ἔχουσα ἁρμονίαν. εἰ δ' ἐπὶ τὸν υἱὸν ἐκλάβοις τὰ λόγια αὐτὸς γὰρ ἦν ἡ σοφία, πάντα σοι εὐροήσει, μηδενὸς δυσσεβοῦς νοήματος ἐμποδὼν ἱσταμένου, συνεπιμαρτυροῦντος τοῦ ἀποστόλου Παύλου, ὃς τὸν σωτῆρα καὶ κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν λαμπρᾷ τῇ φωνῇ σοφίαν ὠνόμασεν εἰπὼν «Χριστὸς θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ θεοῦ σοφία». 3.2.8 τούτων ὧδέ πη κατεσκευασμένων, ἀκόλουθόν ἐστιν μετὰ τῶν προεκτεθέντων ἁπάντων ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ προσώπου καὶ τὸ «κύριος ἔκτισέν με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ» λελέχθαι· εἰ δὲ λέγει ἐκτίσθαι ἑαυτόν, οὐχ ὡς ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρελθὼν τοῦτ' ἂν εἴποι οὐδ' ὡς ὁμοίως τοῖς λοιποῖς κτίσμασιν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος γεγονώς, ᾗ τινες οὐκ ὀρθῶς ὑπειλήφασιν, ἀλλ' ὡς ὑφεστὼς μὲν καὶ ζῶν, προών τε καὶ προϋπάρχων τῆς τοῦ παντὸς κόσμου συστάσεως, ἄρχειν δὲ τῶν ὅλων ὑπὸ κυρίου, τοῦ αὐτοῦ πατρός, κατατεταγμένος, τοῦ «ἔκτισεν» ἐνταῦθα ἀντὶ τοῦ κατέταξεν 3.2.9 ἢ κατέστησεν εἰρημένου. διαρρήδην γοῦν τοὺς ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἄρχοντας καὶ ἡγεμόνας κτίσιν ὠνόμασεν ὁ εἰπὼν ἀπόστολος «ὑποτάγητε πάσῃ κτίσει ἀνθρωπίνῃ διὰ τὸν κύριον· εἴτε βασιλεῖ ὡς ὑπερέχοντι, 3.2.10 εἴτε ἡγεμόσιν ὡς δι' αὐτοῦ πεμπομένοις». καὶ ὁ εἰπὼν δὲ προφήτης «ἑτοιμάζου τοῦ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὸν θεόν σου, Ἰσραήλ. διότι ἰδοὺ στερεῶν βροντὴν καὶ κτίζων πνεῦμα καὶ ἀναγγέλλων εἰς ἀνθρώπους τὸν Χριστὸν αὐτοῦ» καὶ τὸ «γραφήτω αὕτη εἰς γενεὰν ἑτέραν, καὶ λαὸς ὁ κτιζόμενος αἰνέσει τὸν κύριον» τὸ κτίζων οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῦ γεγονότος ἐξ ἀνυπαρξίας παρείληφεν. οὐ γὰρ τότε ἔκτισεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ πνεῦμα, ὅτε τὸν Χριστὸν αὐτοῦ δι' αὐτοῦ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις κατ3.2.11 ήγγειλεν· οὐδὲν γὰρ «πρόσφατον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον». ἀλλ' ἦν μὲν καὶ προϋπῆρχεν, ἀπεστέλλετο δὲ καθ' ὃν καιρὸν ἦσαν οἱ ἀπόστολοι συνηγμένοι· ὅτε δίκην βροντῆς «ἐγένετο ἦχος ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὥσπερ φερομένης πνοῆς βιαίας», ἐπληρώθησάν τε «πνεύματος ἁγίου», καὶ οὕτως εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ κατήγγειλαν ἀκολούθως τῇ προφητείᾳ φησάσῃ «διότι ἰδοὺ στερεῶν βροντὴν καὶ κτίζων πνεῦμα καὶ ἀναγγέλλων εἰς ἀνθρώπους τὸν Χριστὸν αὐτοῦ», τοῦ μὲν «κτίζων» ἀντὶ τοῦ καταπέμπων ἢ κατατάσσων εἰρημένου, τῆς δὲ βροντῆς καθ' ἕτερον τρόπον τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν κήρυγμα δηλούσης. καὶ ὁ λέγων δὲ «καρδίαν καθαρὰν κτίσον ἐν ἐμοί, ὁ θεός», οὐχ ὡς μὴ ἔχων καρδίαν τοῦτ' ἔλεγεν, καθαρὰν δὲ αὐτῷ τὴν διάνοιαν ἀπο3.2.12 τελεσθῆναι ηὔχετο. οὕτως εἴρηται καὶ τὸ «ἵνα τοὺς δύο