The Contrast of Wisdom and Folly
“A measure, good, shaken, pressed, and overflowing, they will give into your bosom,” Luke 6:38—this was your governing principle.
Perhaps it is said only concerning the sown seed, giving a hundredfold and greater than “what we ask and understand” Matthew 13:8, the reward of the sower; but for those who do not observe all the lawlessness, the one who knows hearts and understands the mind of all, does not give a measure that comes after, but gives a measure to such people that is not shaken, not pressed, and not overflowing, but lacking and incomplete, so that I might phrase it thus, from mercy and goodness, “the one examining the sons of men with an eyelid.”
In the middle of the measuring vessel, a woman was seen sitting, being neither other lawlessness nor an opposing power subduing her. For the prophet himself said, pointing to this woman: “This is the lawlessness of all the earth” 2 Thessalonians 2:16, but I say of humanity, which he also named injustice: “For everyone, he says, who does injustice and lawlessness does so, and lawlessness is sin.”
Consequently, the one who is initiated sees the lead talent removed and the woman seen thrown into the middle of the measure, being lawlessness. And why was the woman seen not simply in the measure, but in its middle? Either because the middle has seized the center of all evil, ruling tyrannically.
And the removed lead talent falls into her mouth. This word is brought down and lowly and deprived of brightness, opposing the word that has attained virtue; “for silver, he says, is the refined tongue of the righteous” Proverbs 21:28.
For that which concerns orthodox opinion and practical virtue has much that is precious and bright, but not the one in the mouth of lawlessness, since it happens to be heavy and lowly, especially since it is deceitful and crafted with trickery. Such was also the one of the magician Elymas, bringing forth speech “with all guile and every deceit” Acts 13:10.
It is not necessary to consider it paradoxical if the designation of the woman is arranged according to a skillful, bad opinion and a wicked power that performs such things. For just as lawlessness is called a woman here, so in the Divine Proverbs, folly was named a woman Proverbs 9:13. And the word concerning this has it thus, from...
The wise man's words are being reported to the listener: 'Son, pay attention to my wisdom, and apply your ear to my words, so that you may preserve a good understanding; and I command you to be mindful of the sensation of my lips. For it is sweet to depart from the lips of a fornicating woman, which for a little while sweetens your throat; but later you will find it more bitter than gall.' (Prov 5:3-5). And after a little: 'For the feet of folly lead down after death into Hades.' (Prov 7:27).
Regarding unchastity, it is said in the book of Proverbs how a woman crouches when there is darkness and gloom at the corner, in order to deceive and harm the youth lacking sense. For having appeared in a fornicating manner, bringing lewd words, she says—wishing to ensnare him with a shameless face, being unbridled and unrestrained, so that she might inflame the heart of the young man: 'A peace offering to me is today; I give my vows, because of this I have come to meet you, desiring your face; I have found you.' And with other things: 'Come, and let us be enclosed in love; come, and let us enjoy friendship until dawn.' After such lewd words and those following them, the wise man says: 'Much conversation led him astray,' or 'crowd-conversation,' as some copies have, 'and with loops from the lips he hollowed him out.'
However, even if the youth was led astray, the teacher again awakens him: 'Do not walk in the way with her. The paths of Hades, her house, lead down into the chambers of death; for having wounded many, it has cast them down, and they are countless whom it has slain.'
In the same way that vices are named after women, so also virtues. For the wise man says concerning wisdom: 'I became a lover of her beauty, and I led her toward living with myself.' Regarding her being led thus like a bride, this proverbial ordinance forbids: 'Wisdom gives prudence to a man.' (Prov 14:1). To this man he commands: 'Delight yourself in her and she will exalt you; honor her so that she may take hold of you.' Toward the one who has given birth to a serious man from virtue, the Holy Spirit points out, saying: 'Your wife is like a vine growing straight in the trellises of your house; your sons are like young olive shoots around your table.' (Prov 12:4). Since these things are instituted not concerning a mortal woman and her sons, the...
Greek
«Μέτρον καλόν, σεσαλευμένον, πεπιεσμένον, ὑπ̣ερεκχυννόμενον δώσουσιν εἰς τὸν κόλπον ὑμῶν», τ̣·····η̣ν τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν ὑμῶν. 1.370 Τάχα δὲ περὶ τοῦ τῶν σπο̣υ̣δ̣α̣ίων μόνου εἴρηται, ἑκατονταπλασίονα καὶ μείζονα «ὧν αἰτοῦμεν καὶ νοοῦμεν» διδόντος τοῦ κριτοῦ τὴν μισθαποδοσίαν, οὐκ ὄντος ἀκολούθου δίδοσθαι μέτρον τοῖς ὧν μὴ πάσας τὰς ἀνομίας παρατηρεῖται ὁ καρδιογνώστης καὶ πάντων τὸν νοῦν ἐπιστάμενος, μέτρον διδοὺς τοῖς τοιούτοις οὐ σαλευόμενον, οὐ πιεζόμενον, οὐχ ὑπερεκχυννόμενον, ἀλλ' ἐλλεῖπον καὶ ἀπλήρωτον, ἵν' οὕτω φράσω, ἀπὸ ἐλεημοσύνης καὶ ἀγαθότητος «τοῦ βλεφάροις ἐξετάζοντος τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων». 1.371 Εἰς τὸ μέσον τοῦ ἐπιψόγου μέτρου μία γυνὴ ὤφθη καθημένη, οὐκ ἄλλη τῆς ἀνομίας οὖσα καὶ τῆς ὑποβαλλούσης αὐτὴν ἀντικειμένης δυνάμεως. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ προφήτης εἶπεν, δακτυλοδεικτῶν ταύτην τὴν γυναῖκα· «Αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἀνομία πάσης τῆς γῆς», φημὶ δὲ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος, ἣν καὶ ἀδικίαν ὠνόμασεν· «Πᾶς γάρ, φησίν, ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἀδικίαν καὶ τὴν ἀνομίαν ποιεῖ, καὶ ἡ ἀνομία ἐστὶν ἡ ἁμαρτία.» 1.372 Ἑπομένως ὁρᾷ ὁ μυσταγωγούμενος ἐξαιρόμενον μολίβου τάλαντον καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα ἐξηρμένην ῥερῖφθαι ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ μέτρου, οὖσαν ἀνομίαν. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ οὐχ 37 ἁπλῶς ἐν τῷ μέτρῳ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ μέσῳ αὐτοῦ ἡ ὀφθεῖσα γυνή, ἢ ὅτι τὸ μέσον πάσης κακίας προκατείληφεν, ἄρχουσα τυραννικῶς. 1.373 Εἰς τὸ στόμα δὲ αὐτῆς ῥίπτεται τὸ ἐξαιρόμενον τάλαντον τοῦ μολίβου. Λόγος δ' ἐστὶν οὗτος ἐπαχθὴς καὶ κατωφερὴς κ̣αὶ λαμπρότητος ἐστερημένος, ἀντικειμένως ἔχων τῷ λ̣όγῳ τοῦ ἀρετὴν κεκτημένου· «ἄργυρος γάρ, φησίν, πεπυρωμ̣ένος γλ̣ῶσσα δικαίου.» 1.374 Ὁ γὰρ περὶ τῆς ὀρθοδόξου γνώμης καὶ πρακτικῆς ἀρετῆς πολὺ τὸ τίμιον καὶ λαμπρὸν ἔχει, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ ἐν τῷ στόματι τῆς ἀνομίας, ἅτε δὴ βαρὺς καὶ κατωφερὴς τυγχάνων, μάλιστα ὅτι δολερὸς καὶ πεπανουργευμένος ἐστίν. Τοιοῦτος ἦν καὶ ὁ τοῦ μάγου Ἐλύμα «σὺν πάσῃ ῥᾳδιουργίᾳ καὶ παντὶ δόλῳ» προφερόμενος. 1.375 Οὐ δεῖ δὲ παράδοξον ἡγεῖσθαι εἰ τάττεται ἡ γυναικὸς προσηγορία κατὰ χειρίστης ἕξεως καὶ φαύλης γνώμης καὶ τῆς ἐμποιούσης τὰ τοιαῦτα πονηρᾶς δυνάμεως. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὧδε ἡ ἀνομία γυνὴ εἴρηται, οὕτως ἐν ταῖς θείαις Παροιμίαις ἡ ἀφροσύνη γυνὴ ὠνομάσθη. 1.376 Ἔχει δὲ τὸ περὶ τούτου ῥητὸν οὕτως, ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ σοφοῦ ἀπαγγελλόμενον πρὸς τὸν ἀκροατήν· «Υἱέ, ἐμῇ σοφίᾳ πρόσεχε, ἐμοῖς δὲ λόγοις παράβαλλε σὸν οὖς, ἵνα φυλάξῃς ἔννοιαν ἀγαθήν· αἴσθησιν δὲ ἐμῶν χειλέων ἐντέλλομαί σοι. Μέλι γὰρ ἀποστάζει ἀπὸ χειλέων γυναικὸς πορνῆς, ἣ πρὸς ὀλίγον γλυκαίνει σὸν φάρυγγα· ὕστερον δὲ πικρότερον χολῆς εὑρήσεις.» Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· «Τῆς γὰρ ἀφροσύνης οἱ πόδες κατάγουσιν μετὰ θανάτου εἰς τὸν ᾅδην.» 1.377 Καὶ περὶ τῆς ἀκολασίας ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ τῶν Παροιμιῶν βίβλῳ ὡς περὶ γυναικὸς εἴρηται ὡς ἐνεδρεύει ὅταν σκότος καὶ ζόφος ᾖ παρὰ γωνίαν ἵν' ἀπατήσῃ καὶ βλάψῃ τὸν ἐνδεῆ φρενῶν νεανίαν. Εἴδει γὰρ πορνικῷ ἐπιφανεῖσα, στωμύλους λόγους προφέρουσα, φησίν, ᾧ φενακίσαι θέλει ἀναιδεῖ προσώπῳ προσφθεγγομένη αὐτόν, ἅτε ἀνεπτερωμένη οὖσα καὶ ἄσῳτος, ἵν' ἐξάψῃ τὴν καρδίαν τοῦ νέου· 1.378 «Θυσία εἰρηνική μοί ἐστιν σήμερον, ἀποδίδωμι τὰς εὐχάς μου, ἕνεκεν τούτου ἐξῆλθον εἰς ὑπάντησίν σου, ποθοῦσα τὸ σὸν πρόσωπον ηὑ´̣ρηκά σε.» Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα· «∆εῦρο καὶ ἐγκυλισθῶμεν ἔρωτι, δεῦρο καὶ ἀπολαύσωμεν φιλίας ἕως ὄρθρου.» Μετὰ τοὺς τοιούτους στωμύλους λόγους καὶ τοὺς ἑξῆς συνημμένους, ὁ σοφός φησιν· «Ἀπεπλάνησεν αὐτὸν πολλῇ ὁμιλίᾳ», ἢ «ὡμυλίᾳ», ὡς ἔχει ἔνια τῶν ἀντιγράφων, «βρόχοις δὲ τοῖς ἀπὸ χειλέων ἐξώκειλεν αὐτόν». 1.379 Ὅμως εἰ καὶ ἐπλανήθη ὁ νεανίας, ἀλλὰ πάλιν ὁ διδάσκαλος διεγείρει αὐτόν· «Μὴ πορευθῇς ἐν ὁδῷ μετ' αὐτῆς. Ὁδοὶ ᾅδου ὁ οἶκος αὐτῆς κατάγουσαι εἰς ταμίεια θανάτου· πολλοὺς γὰρ τρώσασα καταβέβληκεν, καὶ ἀναρίθμητοί εἰσιν οὓς πεφόνευκεν.» 1.380 Ὅνπερ δὲ τρόπον γυναῖκες ὀνομάζονται αἱ κακίαι, οὕτω καὶ αἱ ἀρεταί. Ὁ σοφὸς γοῦν περὶ τῆς σοφίας λέγει· «Ἐραστὴς ἐγενόμην τοῦ κάλλους αὐτῆς, καὶ ἤγαγον αὐτὴν πρὸς συμβίωσιν ἐμαυτῷ.» Περὶ τοῦ οὕτως ἠγμένου αὐτὴν γαμετῆς δίκην διαγορεύει τὸ παροιμιῶδες θέσπισμα τόδε· «Ἡ σοφία τίκτει ἀνδρὶ φρόνησιν.» 1.381 Τούτῳ τῷ ἀνδρὶ προστάττεται· «Περιχαράκωσον αὐτὴν καὶ ὑψώσει σε· τίμησον αὐτὴν ἵνα σε περιλάβῃ.» Πρὸς τὸν ἐκ τῆς ἀρετῆς τεκνώσαντα σπουδαῖον ἄνδρα ἀποτείνεται τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα φάσκον· «Ἡ γυνή σου ὡς ἄμπελος εὐθηνοῦσα ἐν τοῖς κλίτεσιν τῆς οἰκίας σου· υἱοί σου ὡς νεόφυτα ἐλαιῶν κύκλῳ τῆς τραπέζης σου.» Ὅτι δὲ οὐ περὶ θνητῆς γυναικὸς καὶ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτῆς ταῦτα θεσπίζεται, ὁ
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Zechariah.
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Khazarzar scan
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.