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to be analyzed, what reason could one say it has, consistent with common and ready notions, and the point previously raised as a difficulty in the argument, how the announcement of daily events and the memory of the enumeration of things from eternity becomes, as it were, a cause for saying that wisdom was created by God? 3.1.41 Therefore, since it has been clearly shown by what has been said that there is nothing of such a kind in these things that the saying should be accepted unexamined and unconsidered, it would be well, in a similar way to the rest, to interpret 'The Lord created me' not according to the meaning that immediately comes to us from the word, but to seek with all attention and 3.1.42 care that which is piously understood through what is said. But to have comprehended accurately the meaning of the preceding matters would be for those alone who search out the depths with the Holy Spirit and know how to speak the divine mysteries in the Spirit; but on our part, the argument will be concerned with the matters at hand only so far as not to leave the aim in them entirely unexamined. What, then, is our argument? It is not, I think, possible for the wisdom that comes to someone from divine illumination to be present alone, without the other gifts of the Spirit, but it is absolutely necessary that with it there should also enter 3.1.43 the grace of prophecy. For if the property of wisdom is the comprehension of the truth of existing things, and prophecy contains the clear knowledge of future things, one would not be in the perfect gift of wisdom if not through the cooperation of prophecy one had also included future things in one's knowledge. Since, therefore, Solomon does not testify to some human wisdom for himself when he says, 'God has taught me wisdom,' and attributes every word from himself to God in the things in which he says, 'My words are spoken from God,' it would be well to investigate the prophecy mingled with wisdom in this part of the 3.1.44 proverb. We say, therefore, that in the sayings before this, when it said that wisdom had built her own house, it signifies through the saying the preparation of the flesh of the Lord; for true wisdom did not dwell in another's building, but built for herself the dwelling 3.1.45 from the virgin's body. But here it sets forth in the argument the thing united from both, I mean, of the house and of the wisdom that built the house, that is, from the human and from the divinity mixed with the human, and to each of these it applies the suitable and fitting expressions, just as can be seen happening in the Gospels also, in which the account, being conducted according to what is suitable to the subject, through the higher and divinely-fitting meaning points to the divine, and through the low and humble 3.1.46 points to the human. Thus it is possible to see in this part also Solomon being moved prophetically and having handed down the whole mystery of the economy. For he speaks first of the pre-eternal power and activity of wisdom, in which things he agrees with the evangelist in a way even in the very words. For just as he with a comprehensive voice proclaimed him the cause and creator of all things, so Solomon says the individual things that are numbered in the 3.1.47 universe have come to be from him. For he says that God founded the earth by wisdom, and prepared the heavens in prudence, and whatever things follow these in consequence, holding to the same meaning. And so that he might not seem to overlook unmentioned the gift of virtue among men, again from the person of wisdom he goes through those things saying, which we mentioned a little before, the 'I pitched my tent with counsel and knowledge and understanding,' and whatever belongs to intellectual and scientific teaching. 3.1.48 Having gone through these and similar things, he also brings on a teaching about the economy with respect to man, why the Word became flesh. For it being manifest to all that the God over all has nothing created or adventitious in himself, not power, not wisdom, not light, not word, not life, not truth, nor anything at all of the things contemplated in the fullness of the divine bosom, all of which are the

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μελιοῦσθαι, τίνα λόγον εἴποι τις ἂν ἔχειν ταῖς κοιναῖς τε καὶ προχείροις ἐννοίαις συμβαίνοντα, τό τε πρὸ τούτων ἐπαπορηθὲν ἐν τῷ λόγῳ, πῶς ἡ ἀναγγελία τῶν καθ' ἡμέ ραν γινομένων καὶ ἡ μνήμη τῆς ἐξαριθμήσεως τῶν ἐξ αἰῶνος ὥσπερ αἰτία τις γίνεται τοῦ ἐκτίσθαι παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν σοφίαν λέγειν; 3.1.41 Οὐκοῦν ἐπειδὴ δέδεικται φανερῶς διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων μηδὲν ἐν τούτοις τοιοῦτον εἶναι, ὡς ἀνεξετάστως τε καὶ ἀθεωρήτως παραδεχθῆναι τὸν λόγον, καλῶς ἂν ἔχοι καθ' ὁμοιότητα τῶν λοιπῶν καὶ τὸ Κύριος ἔκτισέ με μὴ κατὰ τὴν αὐτόθεν ἡμῖν ἐκ τοῦ ῥήματος ἐγγινομένην διάνοιαν ἑρμηνεύειν, ἀλλὰ ζητεῖν κατὰ πᾶσαν προσοχήν τε καὶ ἐπι 3.1.42 μέλειαν τὸ εὐσεβῶς διὰ τοῦ λεγομένου νοούμενον. ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν ἀκριβῶς κατειληφέναι τὴν τῶν προκειμένων διάνοιαν μόνων ἂν εἴη τῶν τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι τὰ βάθη διερευνών των καὶ λαλεῖν ἐπισταμένων ἐν πνεύματι τὰ θεῖα μυστήρια· παρ' ἡμῶν δὲ τοσοῦτον ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις ὁ λόγος ἀσχο ληθήσεται, ὅσον μὴ πάντη περιϊδεῖν τὸν ἐν τούτοις σκοπὸν ἀθεώρητον. τίς οὖν ὁ ἡμέτερος λόγος; οὐκ ἔστιν, οἶμαι, δυνατὸν τὴν ἐκ θείας ἐλλάμψεως γινομένην ἔν τινι σοφίαν μόνην ταύτην δίχα τῶν λοιπῶν χαρισμάτων τοῦ πνεύματος παραγενέσθαι, ἀλλὰ χρὴ πάντως συνεισελθεῖν ταύτῃ καὶ 3.1.43 τῆς προφητείας τὴν χάριν. εἰ γὰρ ἴδιον σοφίας ἐστὶν ἡ τῆς τῶν ὄντων ἀληθείας κατάληψις, προφητεία δὲ τὴν τῶν μελλόντων περιέχει σαφήνειαν, οὐκ ἂν ἐν τῷ τελείῳ τις τῆς σοφίας εἴη χαρίσματι μὴ διὰ τῆς προφητικῆς συν εργίας συμπεριλαβὼν τῇ γνώσει καὶ τὸ ἐσόμενον. ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνην τινὰ σοφίαν ἑαυτῷ προσμαρτυρεῖ Σολο μὼν ὁ εἰπὼν ὅτι Ὁ θεὸς δεδίδαχέ με σοφίαν, καὶ πάντα τὸν παρ' ἑαυτοῦ λόγον ἀνατιθεὶς τῷ θεῷ ἐν οἷς φησιν ὅτι Οἱ ἐμοὶ λόγοι εἴρηνται ἀπὸ θεοῦ, καλῶς ἂν ἔχοι τὴν ἀνα μεμιγμένην τῇ σοφίᾳ προφητείαν ἐν τῷ μέρει τούτῳ τῆς 3.1.44 παροιμίας διερευνήσασθαι. φαμὲν τοίνυν ὅτι ἐν μὲν τοῖς πρὸ τούτου λόγοις εἰπὼν τὴν σοφίαν ἑαυτῇ ᾠκοδομηκέναι τὸν οἶκον τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς τοῦ κυρίου κατασκευὴν διὰ τοῦ λόγου αἰνίσσεται· οὐ γὰρ ἐν ἀλλοτρίῳ οἰκοδομήματι ἡ ἀληθινὴ σοφία κατῴκησεν, ἀλλ' ἑαυτῇ τὸ οἰκητήριον 3.1.45 ἐκ τοῦ παρθενικοῦ σώματος ἐδομήσατο. ἐνταῦθα δὲ τὸ ἑνωθὲν ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῷ λόγῳ προτίθησι, τοῦ τε οἴκου λέγω καὶ τῆς σοφίας τῆς οἰκοδομησάσης τὸν οἶκον, τουτέστιν ἔκ τε τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἀνακραθείσης τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ θεότητος, ἑκατέρῳ δὲ τού των ἐφαρμόζει τὰς καταλλήλους τε καὶ πρεπούσας φωνάς, καθὼς ἔστιν ἰδεῖν καὶ ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις γινόμενον, ἐν οἷς ὁ λόγος κατὰ τὸ πρόσφορον τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ διεξαγόμενος διὰ μὲν τῆς ὑψηλοτέρας τε καὶ θεοπρεποῦς σημασίας τὸ θεῖον ἐνδείκνυται, διὰ δὲ τῆς χαμαιζήλου τε καὶ ταπεινῆς 3.1.46 τὸ ἀνθρώπινον. οὕτως ἔστιν ἰδεῖν καὶ ἐν τῷ μέρει τούτῳ προφητικῶς τὸν Σολομῶντα κινούμενον καὶ ὅλον παραδε δωκότα τὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας μυστήριον. λέγει γὰρ πρότερον μὲν τὴν προαιώνιον τῆς σοφίας δύναμίν τε καὶ ἐνέργειαν, ἐν οἷς τῷ εὐαγγελιστῇ τρόπον τινὰ καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ῥημά των συμφέρεται. ὡς γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τῇ περιληπτικῇ φωνῇ πάν των αὐτὸν αἴτιον καὶ δημιουργὸν ἀνεκήρυξεν, οὕτως ὁ Σολο μὼν παρ' αὐτοῦ γεγενῆσθαι τὰ καθέκαστον λέγει τὰ ἐν τῷ 3.1.47 παντὶ ἀριθμούμενα. φησὶ γὰρ ὅτι ὁ θεὸς τῇ σοφίᾳ ἐθε μελίωσε τὴν γῆν, ἡτοίμασε δὲ οὐρανοὺς ἐν φρονήσει καὶ ὅσα τούτοις κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον ἕπεται τῆς αὐτῆς ἐχόμενα διανοίας. καὶ ὡς ἂν μὴ δοκοίη τὴν δωρεὰν τῆς ἐν ἀν θρώποις ἀρετῆς περιορᾶν ἀμνημόνευτον, πάλιν ἐκ προσώπου τῆς σοφίας ἐκεῖνα διέξεισι λέγων, ὧν μικρῷ πρόσθεν ἐμνη μονεύσαμεν, τὸ Κατεσκήνωσα βουλὴν καὶ γνῶσιν καὶ ἔν νοιαν, καὶ ὅσα τῆς νοερᾶς τε καὶ ἐπιστημονικῆς διδασκα λίας ἐστί. 3.1.48 Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα διεξελθὼν ἐπάγει καὶ περὶ τῆς κατὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον οἰκονομίας διδασκαλίαν, διὰ τί σὰρξ ὁ λόγος ἐγένετο. φανεροῦ γὰρ ἅπασιν ὄντος ὅτι οὐδὲν ἐν ἑαυτῷ κτιστὸν ἢ ἐπείσακτον ὁ ἐπὶ πάντων ἔχει θεός, οὐ δύναμιν, οὐ σοφίαν, οὐ φῶς, οὐ λόγον, οὐ ζωήν, οὐκ ἀλή θειαν οὐδὲ ὅλως τι τῶν ἐν τῷ πληρώματι τοῦ θείου κόλπου θεωρουμένων, ἅπερ πάντα ἐστὶν ὁ