Expositio in Proverbia

 the things that have fallen, that is, from the pretext of Uriah. How then does Solomon say before: “He who rejoices 17.165 at another's destruction wi

 would have difficulty, just as the desire for money a pure mind draws near to wisdom since it knows well but the impure will be far from it. Adam i

 but here, that he names the mind a good gift, on account of the one who unjustly receives gifts in his bosom, and is not prospered for those unjust g

 of virtue And this persuades me, in a small way, that the rich man being judged in Hades for his wickedness was not completely given over to every ev

 to you, You shall not be angry. It must be noted here that he calls the natural harmonious movement of the ant, wisdom for indeed one wiser than a wi

 for he was the lamp that was burning and shining a light, the New Testament For I, he says, am the light of the world a refutation of evil things,

 of the kemphos fish in the sea, flying in schools here and there which the sailors, having baited a many-hooked line, catch and not only does it not

 come to the introductions but when they become wise, and are strengthened, reprove them. And Christ, when his disciples were still young, did not rep

 of the evil one. But the impious who sin will not only fall from the kingdom, but they will inhabit the fire and not the earth. Instead of, he is full

 be not silent to me, says David, and I will be like those who go down into the pit. A lawless man will be passed over in silence by God, that is, he w

 sinning. Here he calls the senses ways but he who guards them, keeps his own soul from death unto life for life is the Holy Trinity that gives life

 afflicted, distressed? And how will the unbeliever not have an obol, when many unbelievers are clothed with much wealth, I mean kings and rulers of th

 the love of God for humanity which also brings us to God the Father himself, as sons weaned, and desiring spiritual solid food so that just as his S

 your eyes, say: for many, even without having begun virtue, not only advise others to act rightly, but also compel and exhort them. Here he says man

 body is profitable to the foolish man for he will trample it underfoot, being a pleasure-loving pig and by sensible luxury his flesh will be moved t

 that is, to imitate the virtues of the righteous and prophets who shone in the six ages before the coming of Christ, who also feed the widow and orpha

 of the Lord, is the knowledge of the Lord, and the light of the Lord is the breath of men, therefore the knowledge of the Lord is the breath of men b

 He calls the mind a horse, which is warred against by the devil, and which wars in return For you will mount, he says, upon your horses and your rid

 he slanders us to God, taking from us the virtues which he has not given us, so also we slander him taking from him the vices which we have not given

 But do not enter into the land of those who have orphaned themselves from God, who possess wickedness as the property of demons, on account of which t

 but vice diminishes virtue, and virtue obviously corrupts vice and this will happen in the age to come, until vice ceases for shall be defiled, in

 earth-born nations, and having strengthened them with virtues in faith in him, Christ the God, and having stored up the heavenly water that which flo

 is, the law given to us by him in righteousness and those who gouge out the eyes of the impious, he called ravens but those who devour him whole, he

 of lands, he keeps his own justly. Cast a precious sardius into a golden earring, and the wisdom of the Lord into a dispassionate and obedient mind to

 defines servants or those under his hand for the rod is a symbol of punishment. From his own feet, etc. Here he calls servants 'feet' and from them

 to the devil who made it, to yield as to a brother, so as to be destroyed with him. -Better is he who is joined to me through true knowledge, than he

 lawless, are the doctrines of demons, which the instructed son does not obey and by son he means the mind but he who restrains his mind from being c

 of blood are the demons, who killed those living in Christ by the shedding of blood but the upright will seek out his soul these are they who wish t

 a soul of abundance for its bodily house. He says that the soul of the diligent man has the Church as a tree of knowledge and a tree of life of knowl

Expositio in Proverbia

FROM THE EXPOSITIONS OF ORIGEN ON THE PROVERBS OF SOLOMON. 17.161 A proverb is a hidden saying signified through another thing that is manifest. For this reason he reigned in Israel, to know wisdom and instruction; wisdom is spiritual knowledge, containing the discourses concerning God, and incorporeal things, and judgment, and providence, revealing the theory concerning the ethical and the physical and the theological. Or wisdom is knowledge of corporeal and incorporeal things, and of the judgment and providence contemplated in this; instruction is moderation of passions considered concerning the passible or irrational part of the soul; and one theologizing intensely, knew wisdom. That is, for the criterion to be right and not perverse; for someone being ignorant of justice would not resolve disputes rightly; for not even Solomon judged the harlots rightly, without preserving the precise principles of justice; but we will judge rightly and without perversion, if we are persuaded by virtue, but condemn vice. And there are three criteria in us: sense-perception, reason, and intellect; and sense-perception, of sensible things; and reason, 17.164 of words and of thoughts; and intellect, the contemplation of intelligible things. Just as through the senses the intellect attends to sensible things, so also through the virtues it beholds intelligible things; wherefore the wise Solomon also teaches us that it holds the place of sense-perception. Those who acquire vice, by being evil, despise wisdom; and not having the fear that makes the beginning of perception, they are insensible to and despise wisdom; how? by not acting nor pursuing; for everyone who does evil deeds hates the light; but it is not dishonored contrary to its own nature, but because of their ignorance; but the pious choose instruction, so that, having been purified in soul, they might receive the wisdom that does not enter into a malicious soul; but those who do not have the fear of God, which makes the beginning of perception, are insensible to wisdom and instruction, and despise both; like those who do not receive the Old Testament, and slander the Creator as cruel. Just as the head and the neck here indicate the intellect, so also the crown and the collar here signify knowledge; for this is the custom of the Holy Spirit, it has named with many names God and his angels, and the intellect, and virtue, and knowledge, and ignorance, and vice, and the devil himself and his angels; but it does not posit the names simply, as some think; they are marks of different activities; of God acting for us through the angels, and of us in him, and of demons towards us. These are co-heirs of the adversaries, those who partake of the same vice as them; and that is common which is not of the one God; but see evil concord and destruction. A net is eternal punishment, and a manifold penalty brought by the just judge upon unclean souls for the destruction of the badly grown wings; and winged things are we, the human beings who have the power to fly up if we wish. He now calls "exodus" the soul that has gone out from vice and ignorance; such an exodus of the sons of Israel is that which came to be after the generation from the judgment and teaching of God; and he calls the same soul "broad"; "For open wide your mouth," he says, "and I will fill it;" and "be you also enlarged," he says, Paul in the epistle to the Corinthians; and by the soul thus going forth, wisdom is praised; but in a land made broad through the virtues, it speaks boldly. And by the tops of its walls, he means the highest impassibility; since those who love the law set up a wall for themselves; for which wall David also prays, saying: "Let the walls of Jerusalem be built," that is, of such a soul

Expositio in Proverbia

ΕΚ ΤΩΝ ΩΡΙΓΕΝΟΥΣ ΕΙΣ ΠΑΡΟΙΜΙΑΣ ΣΟΛΟΜΩΝΤΟΣ ΕΞΗΓΗΣΕΩΝ. 17.161 Παροιμία ἐστὶ λόγος ἀπόκρυφος δι' ἑτέρου προ δήλου σημαινόμενος. Τούτου χάριν ἐβασίλευσεν ἐν Ἰσραὴλ, τοῦ γνῶναι σοφίαν καὶ παιδείαν· ἡ σοφία ἐστὶ γνῶσις πνευμα τικὴ, τοὺς περὶ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἀσωμάτων, καὶ κρίσεως, καὶ προνοίας περιέχουσα λόγους, ἡ τὴν περὶ ἠθικῆς καὶ φυσικῆς καὶ θεολογικῆς ἀποκαλύπτουσα θεωρίαν. Ἢ ἡ σοφία ἐστὶ γνῶσις σωμάτων καὶ ἀσωμάτων, καὶ τῆς ἐν τούτῳ θεωρουμένης κρίσεως καὶ προνοίας· παιδεία ἐστὶ μετριοπάθεια παθῶν περὶ τὸ παθητικὸν ἢ ἄλογον τῆς ψυχῆς μέρος θεωρουμένη· καὶ θεολογῶν δέ τις ἐπιτεταμένως, ἔγνω σοφίαν. Τουτέστιν ὀρθὸν καὶ ἀδιάστροφον εἶναι τὸ κριτή ριον· ἀνεπιστήμων γάρ τις ὢν δικαιοσύνης, οὐκ ἂν διέλοι τὰς ἀμφισβητήσεις ὀρθῶς· οὐδὲ Σολομὼν γὰρ ἔκρινεν ὀρθῶς ταῖς πόρναις, μὴ σώζων ἀκριβεῖς τοῦ δικαίου τοὺς λόγους· ὀρθῶς δὲ καὶ ἀδιαστρόφως κρι νοῦμεν, εἰ πειθόμεθα μὲν ἀρετῇ, καταγινώσκομεν δὲ κακίας. Τρία δὲ κριτήρια ἐν ἡμῖν· αἴσθησις, λόγος, καὶ νοῦς· καὶ ἡ μὲν αἴσθησις, τῶν αἰσθητῶν· ὁ δὲ λόγος, 17.164 τῶν ῥημάτων καὶ τῶν νοημάτων· ὁ δὲ νοῦς, θεωρία τῶν νοητῶν. Ὥσπερ διὰ τῶν αἰσθήσεων ὁ νοῦς ἐπιβάλλει τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς, οὕτω καὶ διὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐποπτεύει τὰ νοητά· διόπερ καὶ αἰσθήσεως αὐτὸν λόγον ἐπέχειν ὁ σοφὸς Σολομὼν ἡμᾶς διδάσκει. Οἱ κτώμενοι κακίαν, τῷ κακοὶ εἶναι ἐξουδενοῦσι σοφίαν· καὶ μὴ ἔχοντες φόβον τὸν ποιοῦντα ἀρχὴν αἰ σθήσεως, ἀναισθητοῦσι καὶ ἐξουδενοῦσι σοφίαν· πῶς; τῷ μὴ πράττειν μηδὲ μετιέναι· πᾶς γὰρ ὁ τὰ φαῦλα πράττων, μισεῖ τὸ φῶς· ἀλλ' οὐ παρὰ τὴν οἰκείαν φύσιν ἀτιμάζεται, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ἄγνοιαν· ἀλλ' οἱ εὐσεβεῖς αἱροῦνται τὴν παιδείαν, ἵνα τὴν ψυ χὴν καθαρθέντες, εἰσδέξωνται τὴν εἰς κακότεχνον ψυ χὴν μὴ εἰσιοῦσαν σοφίαν· οἱ δὲ μὴ ἔχοντες φόβον Θεοῦ, τὸν ποιοῦντα ἀρχὴν αἰσθήσεως, ἀναισθητοῦσι σοφίας καὶ παιδείας, καὶ ἐξουθενοῦσιν ἀμφότερα· ὡς οἱ τὴν Παλαιὰν μὴ δεχόμενοι, καὶ τὸν ∆ημιουργὸν ὡς ὠμὸν διαβάλλοντες. Ὥσπερ ἡ κορυφὴ καὶ ὁ τράχηλος δηλοῖ ἐνταῦθα τὸν νοῦν, οὕτω καὶ ὁ στέφανος καὶ ὁ κλοιὸς ἐνταῦθα ση μαίνει τὴν γνῶσιν· αὕτη γὰρ ἡ συνήθεια τοῦ Πνεύ ματος τοῦ ἁγίου, πολλοῖς ὀνόμασιν ὠνόμασε τὸν Θεόν τε καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸν νοῦν, καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν, καὶ τὴν γνῶσιν, καὶ τὴν ἀγνωσίαν, καὶ τὴν κακίαν, καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν διάβολον καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ· οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ τίθησι τὰ ὀνόματα, ὥς τινες οἴονται· διαφόρων ἐνεργειῶν εἰσὶ γνωρίσματα· Θεοῦ δὲ διὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἡμῖν ἐνεργοῦντος, καὶ ἡμῶν ἐν αὐτῷ, δαιμόνων τε πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Οὗτοι συγκληρονόμοι τῶν ἀντικειμένων εἰσὶν, οἱ τῆς αὐτῆς αὐτοῖς κακίας μεταλαμβάνοντες κοινὸν δέ ἐστιν, ὃ μὴ τοῦ ἑνός ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ· ὅρα δὲ ὁμόνοιαν πο νηρὰν καὶ ὄλεθρον. ∆ίκτυόν ἐστι κόλασις αἰώνιος, καὶ πολυσχιδὴς τι μωρία παρὰ τοῦ δικαίου κριτοῦ ταῖς ἀκαθάρτοις προσαγομένη ψυχαῖς ἐπ' ἀπωλείᾳ τῶν κακῶς ἐκφύν των πτερῶν· πτερωτὰ δὲ, ἡμεῖς οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ δύ ναμιν ἐὰν θέλωμεν ἔχοντες τοῦ ἀναπτῆναι. Ἔξοδον νῦν ὀνομάζει τὴν ἐξελθοῦσαν ψυχὴν ἀπὸ κακίας καὶ ἀγνωσίας· τοιαύτη δὲ ἔξοδος τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσ ραὴλ, ἡ μετὰ τὴν ἐκ τῆς κρίσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ δι δασκαλίας γένεσιν γεγονυῖα· τὴν αὐτὴν δὲ ψυχὴν καὶ πλατεῖαν λέγει· «Πλάτυνον γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸ στόμα σου, καὶ πληρώσω αὐτό·» καὶ «πλατύνθητε, φησὶ, καὶ ὑμεῖς,» ἐν τῇ πρὸς Κορινθίους ὁ Παῦλος· καὶ ὑπὸ μὲν τῆς οὕτως ἐξερχομένης ψυχῆς, ὑμνεῖται ἡ σοφία· ἐν δὲ γῇ πλατυνομένῃ διὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν, παῤῥησίαν ἄγει. Ἄκρων δὲ τειχέων αὐτῆς, τὴν ἄκραν ἀπάθειαν λέγει· εἴπερ οἱ ἀγαπῶντες τὸν νόμον, παραβάλλουσιν ἑαυ τοῖς τεῖχος· ὑπὲρ οὗ τείχους εὔχεται καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ λέ γων· «Οἰκοδομηθήτω τὰ τείχη Ἱερουσαλὴμ,» τουτέστι τῆς τοιᾶσδε ψυχῆς