The Ant Analogy and the Honey of Words
The deer is a symbol of contemplation, and the foal is of apatheia; for the one is destined to come from virtues, and the other from knowledge. Virtue and the knowledge of God are proper to the rational nature. To be many is to possess many theorems; but a multitude is what is being benefited.
Regarding 'Be not much toward strangeness' (Proverbs 25:27), some think it is said concerning external wisdom, for which it is not necessary to spend time because of the hidden deceits; others will take it concerning evil, and will interpret being 'not much' toward it as follows: that it is not possible for a man, being a man, to entirely abstain from evil thoughts, but it is possible not to linger in them; and that he calls 'stranger's embraces' the evil thoughts which seize the soul and do not escape the God who knows the heart.
Everyone who guarantees Christ, the friend of the apostles, as righteousness and truth, delivers his own soul to those enemies who are accustomed to war against men because of their friendship toward the Savior; for friendship is spiritual, the knowledge of God, through which the saints are called friends of God; so also John the Baptist was a friend of the Bridegroom, and Moses and the apostles; for he says, 'I no longer call you servants' (John 15:15). He says, 'but friends through prayers and supplications, and your friend whom I will guarantee,' saying: 'Keep me, Lord, from the hand of a sinner, and rescue me from an unrighteous man, and because of my enemies do not deliver me into the hands of those distressing me; for because of you we are being killed all day long, and we were counted as sheep for slaughter' (Psalm 43:2).
Sin is a sleep of the soul in terms of energy; but drowsiness is the first unclean thought established in the soul; therefore even before drowsiness, the word calls it sleep. For he says it was said to the ancients: 'You shall not murder' (Exodus 20:13), but I say 'You shall not be angry.' And here, for it seems to me, the law forbids sleep; but drowsiness is forbidden by the gospel...
The joy of Christ: for one cuts off sin in action, while the other cuts off the evil first established in thought. It is to be noted here that he calls the natural, harmonious movement of the ant wisdom; for indeed the wiser of the wise is called wiser.
And how is it that he is not under a master, if the five universes are slaves of God? Or is God ever called master in two ways, as Creator and as one who is known? Therefore also Paul writes: 'But now, having been freed from sin and having become slaves to God (clearly according to virtue and knowledge), you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life' (Romans 6:22). If the ant, being irrational, is unworthy of such an end, it is clear that he is also free from such a slavery. It is therefore well said that the ant is not under a master according to this kind of mastery; and yet he is again under a master, as having God as Creator.
Through the ant, it seems Solomon outlines the practical path for us, but through the bee, he signifies the contemplation of events and of the one who made them, which both the pure and the impure, and the wise and the foolish, bring toward the health of the soul. And it seems to me that the preacher of their discourse holds the word, while the honey remaining to him is a symbol of their contemplation. And the preacher shall pass away; for heaven and earth, they say, shall pass away (Matthew 24:35); but the honey shall not pass away; for neither shall the words of our Savior Christ pass away. Concerning which Solomon says: 'Pleasant are words of honey, and sweetness to the throat' (Proverbs 16:24). And David: 'How sweet are your words to my throat, sweeter than honey to my mouth' (Psalm 119:103).
He named the result of toil 'toil of toils.' This sleep is destined to happen only to the rational soul; for it signifies here evil and ignorance, of which wakefulness produces something. Poverty is a deprivation of knowledge; and want is a scarcity of virtues.
Greek
ἡ μὲν ἔλαφός ἐστι θεωρίας σύμβολον, ὁ δὲ πῶλος τῆς ἀπαθείας· ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἐξ ἀρετῶν, ἡ δὲ ἐκ τῆς γνώσεως γίνεσθαι πέφυκεν. Ἰδία τῆς λογικῆς φύσεώς ἐστιν ἡ ἀρετὴ καὶ ἡ γνῶσις ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ. Τὸ πολλοστὸν εἶναι τὸ πλῆθός ἐστιν ἔχειν θεωρημάτων· πλῆθος δέ ἐστιν τῶν ὠφελουμένων. Τὸ Μὴ πολὺς ἴσθι πρὸς ἀλλοτρίαν, τινὲς μὲν περὶ τῆς ἔξωθεν σοφίας νομίσουσι λέγεσθαι, πρὸς ἣν χρονίζειν οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον διὰ τὰς ἐγκεκρυμμένας ἀπάτας· τινὲς δὲ περὶ τῆς κακίας ἐκλήψονται, καὶ τὸ μὴ πολὺν εἶναι πρὸς αὐτὴν ἑρμηνεύσουσιν οὕτως, ὅτι οὐ δυνατὸν ἄνθρωπον ὄντα παντάπασιν ἀπέχεσθαι πονηρῶν λογισμῶν, μὴ χρονίζειν μέντοιγε ἐν αὐτοῖς δυνατόν· καὶ ὅτι ἀγκάλας τὰς ἀλλοτρίας τοὺς πονηροὺς λογισμοὺς ὀνομάζει, τοὺς συνέχοντας τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ μὴ λανθάνοντας τὸν καρδιογνώστην θεόν. Πᾶς ὁ τὸν φίλον τῶν ἀποστόλων Χριστὸν ἐγγυώμενος, ὡς δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἀλήθειαν, παραδίδωσι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς τοῖς εἰωθόσι πολεμεῖν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν σωτῆρα φιλίαν· φιλία γάρ ἐστιν πνευματική, γνῶσις θεοῦ, καθ' ἣν καὶ οἱ ἅγιοι φίλοι χρηματίζουσι τοῦ θεοῦ· οὕτω καὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτιστὴς φίλος ἦν τοῦ νυμφίου, καὶ Μωσῆς καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι· Οὐκέτι γάρ φησιν ὑμᾶς καλῶ δούλους. Παρό85 ξυνε δέ φησιν διὰ προσευχῶν καὶ δεήσεων καὶ τὸν φίλον σου ὃν ἐνηγγυήσω, λέγων· Φύλαξόν με κύριε ἐκ χειρὸς ἁμαρτωλοῦ, καὶ ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς ἀδίκου ῥῦσαί με, καὶ ἕνεκα τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου μὴ παράδος με εἰς χεῖρας θλιβόντων με· ὅτι ἕνεκέν σου θανατούμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐλογίσθημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς. Ὕπνος μέν ἐστι ψυχῆς ἡ κατ' ἐνέργειαν ἁμαρτία· νυσταγμὸς δὲ τὸ πρῶτον ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ συνιστάμενον ἀκάθαρτον νόημα· διὸ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ νυσταγμοῦ ὁ λόγος τὸν ὕπνον καλεῖ. Ἐρρέθη γάρ φησι τοῖς ἀρχαίοις· Οὐ φονεύσεις, ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω Οὐκ ὀργισθήσῃ. καὶ ἐνταῦθα γὰρ φαίνεταί μοι τὸν ὕπνον κωλύων ὁ νόμος· τὸν δὲ νυσταγμὸν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ· εἴγε ὁ μὲν περικόπτει τὴν κατ' ἐνέργειαν ἁμαρτίαν, τὸ δὲ τὴν κατὰ διάνοιαν πρῶτον συνισταμένην κακίαν. Σημειωτέον ἐνταῦθα ὅτι τὴν τοῦ μύρμηκος φυσικὴν ἐναρμόνιον κίνησιν σοφίαν καλεῖ· καὶ γὰρ ὁ σοφώτερος σοφοῦ σοφώτερος λέγεται. πῶς δὲ καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὑπὸ δεσπότην, εἴγε τὰ 5 σύμπαντα δοῦλα τοῦ θεοῦ; ἢ μή ποτε ὁ θεὸς δεσπότης λέγεται διχῶς, ὡς δημιουργὸς καὶ ὡς γινωσκόμενος; διὸ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος γράφει· Νυνὶ δὲ ἐλευθερωθέντες μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, δουλωθέντες δὲ τῷ θεῷ (δηλονότι κατ' ἀρετὴν καὶ γνῶσιν), ἔχετε τὸν καρπὸν ὑμῶν εἰς ἁγιασμόν, τὸ δὲ τέλος ζωὴν αἰώνιον. εἰ δὲ τοῦ τοιούτου τέλους ἄμοιρός ἐστιν ὁ μύρμηξ ἄλογος ὤν, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ τῆς τοιαύτης δουλείας ἐλεύθερος. καλῶς οὖν λέγεται μὴ εἶναι ὑπὸ δεσπότην ὁ μύρμηξ, κατὰ ταύτην τὴν δεσποτείαν· καὶ εἶναι πάλιν ὑπὸ δεσπότην, ὡς δημιουργὸν ἔχων τὸν θεόν. ∆ιὰ μὲν τοῦ μύρμηκος ἔοικεν ὁ Σολομὼν τὴν πρακτικὴν ὁδὸν ἡμῖν ὑπογράφειν, διὰ δὲ τῆς μελίσσης τὴν θεωρίαν τῶν γεγονότων σημαίνειν καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ποιήσαντος, ἥντινα καὶ καθαροὶ καὶ ἀκάθαρτοι καὶ σοφοὶ καὶ ἀνόητοι πρὸς τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ὑγείαν προσφέρονται. καὶ φαίνεται μέν μοι ὁ κηρὸς αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων λόγον ἐπέχειν, τὸ δ' ἐναποκείμενον αὐτῷ μέλι σύμβολον εἶναι τῆς θεωρίας αὐτῶν. καὶ ὁ μὲν κηρὸς παρελεύσεται· ὁ οὐρανὸς γάρ φησιν καὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσεται· τὸ δὲ μέλι οὐ παρελεύσεται· οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ λόγοι παρελεύσονται τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Χριστοῦ. περὶ ὧν λέγει ὁ Σολομών· Κηρία μέλιτος λόγοι καλοί, γλύκασμα δὲ αὐτῶν ἴασις ψυχῆς· καὶ ὁ ∆αυίδ· Ὡς γλυκέα φησὶ τῷ λάρυγγί μου τὰ λόγιά σου, ὑπὲρ μέλι τῷ στόματί μου. Τὸ ἀποτέλεσμα τοῦ πόνου πόνους ὠνόμασεν. Ὁ ὕπνος οὗτος μόνῃ πέφυκεν ἐπισυμβαίνειν ψυχῇ λογικῇ· σημαίνει γὰρ ἐνταῦθα κακίαν καὶ ἀγνωσίαν· ὧν ἡ ἀγρυπνία ποιεῖ τινά. Πενία ἐστὶ στέρησις γνώσεως· ἔνδεια δὲ σπάνις τῶν ἀρετῶν.
About this text
Evagrius reads Proverbs line by line as a training manual for monks fighting temptation.
Original English Translation of Evagrius Ponticus’s Expositio in Proverbia Salomonis — new OET from PG 40 Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 40 (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.