Basil of Caesarea, Homily on the Beginning of Proverbs

Homilia in principium proverbiorum

HOMILY XII. On the beginning of the Proverbs.

Good is the reward of obedience. Let us obey, therefore, a good Father, who sets before us contests from the oracles of the Spirit; who, like experienced hunters in difficult places, wishes to test the running of a sort of puppy. He has set before us for explanation the preface of the Proverbs. How hard to hunt down the meaning of this 31.388 word is known to everyone who has paid even a little attention. Nevertheless, we must not shrink from the attempt, having placed our hope in the Lord, who, through the prayers of the shepherd, will give us utterance in the opening of our mouth. We know of three treatises in all by the most wise Solomon: this one of the Proverbs, and that of Ecclesiastes, and that of the Song of Songs; each composed for its own purpose; all, however, were written for the benefit of men. For Proverbs is the education of morals, and the correction of passions, and in general a teaching for life, containing frequent instructions of what must be done; Ecclesiastes deals with natural philosophy, and reveals to us the vanity of the things in this world; so that we should not consider passing things to be of great importance, nor spend the cares of the soul on vain things. The Song of Songs, however, shows the way of the perfection of souls.

For it contains the harmony of the bride and bridegroom; that is, the soul's union with God the Word. But let us return to the matter at hand. The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, who reigned in Israel. The name 'proverbs' is applied by outsiders to more common sayings, and mostly to things spoken on the roads; for 'oimos' is what they call a road, whence also they defined a 'paroimia' (proverb), a wayside saying worn out by common use, and able to be transferred from a few things to more things that are similar. But among us a proverb is a beneficial saying, published with moderate concealment, containing much that is useful on the surface, but also concealing much meaning in its depth. Whence also the Lord says, These things I have spoken to you in proverbs. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in proverbs, but will speak to you plainly; as the proverbial saying does not have plainness and public openness of meaning, but signifies its intent obliquely to the more discerning. Proverbs of Solomon, therefore; that is, exhortatory sayings, useful along the whole road of life. He added the name of the author, in order to draw in the hearer by the celebrity of the person. For the trustworthiness of the teacher makes the word easy to accept, and prepares the learners to be more attentive. Proverbs, therefore, of Solomon, of that Solomon to whom the Lord said: Behold, I have given you a 31.389 prudent and wise heart; like you, there has been none before you; and after you none shall arise like you; and again: The Lord gave wisdom and very much understanding to Solomon, and breadth of heart as the sand that is by the sea. And the wisdom of Solomon was multiplied above the understanding of all the ancient men, and above all the wise men of Egypt. Thus the addition of the name is necessary: Proverbs of Solomon, son of David.

Homilia in principium proverbiorum

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΙΒʹ. Εἰς τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν Παροιμιῶν.

Ἀγαθὸς ὁ τῆς εὐπειθείας μισθός. Ὑπακούσωμεν τοίνυν χρηστῷ Πατρὶ,

προβάλλοντι ἡμῖν ἀγωνίσμα τα ἐκ τῶν λογίων τοῦ Πνεύματος· ὃς κατὰ τοὺς ἐμ πείρους τῶν θηρευτῶν ἐν δυσβάτοις χωρίοις, οἷον σκύλακός τινος, τὴν πεῖραν τοῦ δρόμου λαμβάνειν βούλεται. Προέβαλε δὲ ἡμῖν εἰς ἐξήγησιν τὸ προοί μιον τῶν Παροιμιῶν. Ὅπως δὲ δυσθήρατος τῆς λέ 31.388 ξεως ταύτης ὁ νοῦς, παντὶ γνώριμον τῷ καὶ μι κρὸν ἐπιστήσαντι. Πλὴν οὐκ ἀποκνητέον πρὸς τὴν ἐγχείρησιν, τὴν ἐλπίδα θεμένους ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον, ὅς, διὰ τῶν προσευχῶν τοῦ ποιμένος, δώσει λόγον ἡμῖν ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματος ἡμῶν. Τρεῖς τὰς πά σας ἔγνωμεν πραγματείας τοῦ σοφωτάτου Σολομῶν τος· τήν τε τῶν Παροιμιῶν τούτων, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Ἐκ κλησιαστοῦ, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Ἄσματος τῶν ᾀσμάτων· ἑκάστην πρὸς ἴδιον σκοπὸν συντεταγμένην· πᾶσαι μέντοι ἐπ' ὠφελείᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐγράφησαν. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ Παροιμία παίδευσίς ἐστιν ἠθῶν, καὶ παθῶν ἐπανόρθωσις, καὶ ὅλως διδασκαλία βίου, πυκνὰς τὰς ὑποθήκας περιέχουσα τῶν πρακτέων· ὁ δὲ Ἐκ κλησιαστὴς φυσιολογίας ἅπτεται, καὶ ἀποκαλύπτει ἡμῖν τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ τὴν ματαιότητα· ὥστε μὴ ἡγεῖσθαι περισπούδαστα εἶναι τὰ παρερχόμενα, μηδὲ τοῖς ματαίοις προσαναλίσκειν τῆς ψυχῆς τὰς φροντίδας. Τὸ δὲ Ἆσμα τῶν ᾀσμάτων τὸν τρόπον ὑποδείκνυσι τῆς τελειώσεως τῶν ψυχῶν.

Περιέχει γὰρ συμφωνίαν νύμφης καὶ νυμφίου· τουτέστι, ψυχῆς οἰκείωσιν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν Λόγον. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ προκεί μενον ἐπανέλθωμεν. Παροιμίαι Σολομῶντος υἱοῦ ∆αβὶδ, ὃς ἐβασίλ ευσεν ἐν Ἰσραήλ. Τὸ τῶν παροιμιῶν ὄνομα ἐπὶ τῶν δημωδεστέρων λόγων παρὰ τοῖς ἔξωθεν τέτακται, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς λαλουμένων, ὡς τὰ πολλά· οἶμος γὰρ παρ' αὐτοῖς ἡ ὁδὸς ὀνομάζεται, ὅθεν καὶ τὴν παροιμίαν ὡρίζοντο, ῥῆμα παρόδιον τετριμ μένον ἐν τῇ χρήσει τῶν πολλῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ ὀλίγων ἐπὶ πλείονα ὅμοια μεταληφθῆναι δυνάμενον. Παρὰ δὲ ἡμῖν παροιμία ἐστὶ λόγος ὠφέλιμος, μετ' ἐπικρύψεως μετρίας ἐκδεδομένος, πολὺ μὲν τὸ αὐτόθεν χρήσι- μον περιέχων, πολλὴν δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ βάθει τὴν διάνοιαν συγκαλύπτων. Ὅθεν καὶ ὁ Κύριος, Ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἐν παροιμίαις ὑμῖν λελάληκα. Ἔρχεται ὥρα, ὅτε οὐκέτι ἐν παροιμίαις, ἀλλὰ παῤῥησίᾳ λαλήσω ὑμῖν· ὡς τοῦ παροιμιακοῦ λόγου τὸ πε- παῤῥησιασμένον καὶ δεδημοσιευμένον τῆς διανοίας μὴ ἔχοντος, ἀλλὰ πλαγίως ἐαυτοῦ τὸ βούλημα τοῖς ἐντρεχεστέροις παραδηλοῦντος. Παροιμίαι τοίνυν Σο- λομῶντος· τουτέστι, λόγοι προτρεπτικοὶ, παρὰ πᾶ σαν τοῦ βίου τὴν ὁδὸν χρησιμεύοντες. Προσέθηκε δὲ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ συγγραφέως, ἵνα τῇ τοῦ προσώπου πε- ριφανείᾳ τὸν ἀκροατὴν ἐφελκύσηται. Ἀξιοπιστία γὰρ τοῦ διδάσκοντος εὐπαράδεκτον μὲν τὸν λόγον καθίστησι, προσεχεστέρους δὲ τοὺς διδασκομένους παρασκευάζει. Παροιμίαι οὖν Σολομῶντος, Σολομῶντος ἐκεί νου πρὸς ὃν εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος· Ἰδοὺ δέδωκά σοι καρ 31.389 δίαν φρονίμην καὶ σοφήν· ὡς σὺ, οὐ γέγονεν ἔμ- προσθέν σου· καὶ μετὰ σὲ οὐκ ἀναστήσεται ὅμοιός σοι· καὶ πάλιν· Ἔδωκεν ὁ Κύριος σοφίαν καὶ φρόνησιν τῷ Σαλωμὼν πολλὴν σφόδρα, καὶ χύμα καρδίας ὡς ἡ ἅμμος ἡ παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν. Καὶ ἐπληθύνθη ἡ σοφία Σαλωμὼν ὑπὲρ τὴν φρόνησιν πάντων ἀρχαίων ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντας φρονίμους Αἰγύπτου. Οὕτως ἀναγκαία ἡ τοῦ ὀνόματος προσθήκη· Παροιμίαι Σολομῶντος υἱοῦ ∆αβίδ.