Exposition of Proverbs
Of the Lord: The gates of the wise are the practical virtues, through which the wisdom of God enters. But impurity will be inflicted upon a man of misfortune: If virtue diminishes evil and makes evil manifest, this will happen in the age to come until evil ceases; for it has been said that 'will be inflicted' instead of 'will be corrupted'; and impurity is corrupted either by practical virtue or by the punishment of severity. 'Save those being led to death and being killed without mercy, do not spare' (Psalm 85:13). Use this word for those being granted knowledge and those being negligent of the teaching, many of whom are being led by evil into death.
'Eat honey, my son, for it is a good thing, so that your throat may be sweetened' (Proverbs 24:13). He who is benefited by the divine writings eats honey; but he who casts out the words from the things themselves, from which even the holy prophets and apostles have received, chews wax; and to eat honey is possible for everyone who wishes, but the wax is for the pure alone.
'Do not bring near the impious thinking you are just': Do not betray God for the sake of pleasure; for this one is thought to be just, and he will by no means abandon you. 'If your enemy falls, do not rejoice': For God turns his wrath away from the fallen one, having had mercy on him, but he is angry with the one who has been puffed up over the fall of his enemy; for everyone who rejoices is like the devil, who does not want all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. It should be noted, however, that he spoke of a man here as the enemy, for whom the Lord has enjoined us to pray in the Gospels (Matthew 5:44).
'For they will not bear children of the wicked': Evil things will not produce virtues and right doctrines, for these are the offspring of the soul, because they do not fear the Lord; but those who fear the Lord will have offspring all day long, and their hope will not depart. 'Fear the Lord, my son, and fear a king' (Proverbs 14:26): In order that they may know you alone...
deprivation of apatheia
Greek
κυρίου): Αἱ πύλαι τῶν σοφῶν αἱ πρακτικαί εἰσιν ἀρεταί, δι' ὧν εἰσέρχεται σοφία θεοῦ. Ἀκαθαρσία δὲ λοιμῷ ἀνδρὶ ἐμμολυνθήσεται: Εἰ ἀρετὴν ἡ κακία μειοῖ, καὶ τὴν κακίαν δηλονότι ἡ ἀρετὴ διαφθείρει· τοῦτο δὲ γενήσεται ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τῷ μέλλοντι ἕως ἂν ἐκλείπῃ ἡ κακία· τὸ γὰρ Ἐμμολυν109 θήσεται ἀντὶ τοῦ ∆ιαφθαρήσεται τέθεικεν· διαφθείρεται δὲ ἀκαθαρσία ἤτοι ὑπὸ πρακτικῆς ἢ ὑπὸ δριμείας 109 κολάσεως. Ῥῦσαι ἀγομένους εἰς θάνατον καὶ ἐκπρίου κτεινομένους, μὴ φείσῃ: Χρηστέον τούτῳ τῷ ῥητῷ πρὸς τοὺς καταξιωθέντας γνώσεως καὶ ἀμελοῦντας τῆς διδασκαλίας, πολλῶν ἀπαγομένων ὑπὸ τῆς κακίας εἰς θάνατον. Φάγε μέλι υἱέ, ἀγαθὸν γὰρ κηρίον, ἵνα γλυκανθῇ ὁ λάρυγξ σου: Ἐσθίει μέλι ὁ ἀπὸ τῶν θείων γραφῶν ὠφελούμενος· ὁ δ' ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκβάλλων τοὺς λόγους, ἀφ' ὧν εἰλήφασι καὶ οἱ ἅγιοι προφῆται καὶ ἀπόστολοι, τρώγει κηρίον· καὶ τὸ μὲν φαγεῖν μέλι παντὸς τοῦ βουλομένου ἐστίν, τὸ δὲ κηρίον μόνον τοῦ καθαροῦ. Μὴ προσαγάγῃς ἀσεβῆ νομῇ δικαίου: Μὴ ἕνεκεν ἡδονῆς προδῷς τὸν θεόν· οὗτος γὰρ νομὴ δικαίου, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐγκαταλείπῃ σε. Ἐὰν πέσῃ ὁ ἐχθρός σου, μὴ ἐπιχαρῇς: Ἀποστρέφει μὲν ὁ θεὸς τὸν θυμὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ πεσόντος, ἐλεήσας αὐτόν· ὀργίζεται δὲ τῷ ἐπαρθέντι ἐπὶ τῷ πτώματι τοῦ ἐχθροῦ αὐτοῦ· πᾶς γὰρ ὁ ἐπιχαίρων ἀπολλυμένῃ ψυχῇ ὅμοιός ἐστιν τῷ διαβόλῳ τῷ μὴ θέλοντι πάντας ἀνθρώπους σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν. σημειωτέον δὲ ὅτι ἄνθρωπον ἐνταῦθα εἴρηκε τὸν ἐχθρόν, ὑπὲρ οὗ καὶ προσεύχεσθαι ἡμᾶς νενομοθέτηκεν ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις ὁ κύριος. Οὐ γὰρ μὴ γένωνται ἔγγονα πονηρῶν: Οὐ γεννήσουσι πονηροὶ ἀρετὰς καὶ δόγματα ὀρθά, ταῦτα γάρ ἐστι γεννήματα τῆς ψυχῆς, διὰ τὸ μὴ φοβεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς τὸν κύριον· οἱ δὲ ὄντες ἐν φόβῳ κυρίου ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἕξουσιν ἔγγονα, καὶ 18 ἡ ἐλπὶς αὐτῶν οὐκ ἀποστήσεται. Φοβοῦ τὸν κύριον, υἱέ μου, καὶ βασιλέα: Ἵνα γινώσκωσί σε τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν θεόν, καὶ ὃν ἀπέστειλας Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν. Τὰς δὲ τιμωρίας ἀμφοτέρων τίς γνώσεται: Πῶς οὖν ὁ σωτὴρ ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις φησίν· Ὁ πατὴρ κρίνει οὐδένα, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν τὴν κρίσιν δέδωκεν τῷ υἱῷ; ἢ ἄλλο μέν ἐστιν τιμωρία, ἄλλο δὲ κρίσις· καὶ τιμωρία μέν ἐστιν στέρησις ἀπαθείας καὶ γνώσεως θεοῦ μετ' ὀδύνης σωματικῆς· κρίσις δέ ἐστιν γένεσις αἰῶνος κατ' ἀναλογίαν ἑκάστῳ τῶν λογικῶν σωμάτων διανέμοντος. 110 Μάχαιρα γὰρ γλῶσσα βασιλέως, καὶ οὐ σαρκίνη: Καὶ τὴν μάχαιραν τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅ ἐστιν ῥῆμα θεοῦ. τὸ δὲ Οὐ σαρκίνη ἀντὶ τοῦ Οὐκ αἰσθητή. Ἐὰν γὰρ ὀξυνθῇ ὁ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ, σὺν νεύροις ἀνθρώπους ἀναλίσκει: Τοὺς παλαιοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοὺς φθειρομένους κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης ἀναλίσκει ἡ μάχαιρα τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵν' ἀποθέμενοι τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐνδύσονται τὸν νέον τὸν κατὰ θεὸν κτισθέντα. Καὶ συγκαίει ὥσπερ φλόξ: Πῦρ γὰρ ἦλθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν. Ὥστε ἄβρωτα εἶναι νεοσσοῖς ἀετῶν: Οὗτος ἄβρωτός ἐστι τοῖς δαίμοσιν, ὁ ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου καθαρθεὶς καὶ ἀπεχόμενος ἀπὸ πάσης κακίας. Ἀφρονέστατος γάρ εἰμι πάντων ἀνθρώπων: Ἀφρονέστατον ἑαυτὸν εἶπεν κατὰ στέρησιν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φρονήσεως. Τίς ἀνέβη εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ κατέβη: Οὐδεὶς ἀναβέβηκεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἄνω, εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὁ ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατελθών. Τίς συνήγαγεν ἀνέμους ἐν κόλπῳ: Τίς πίστει ἢ πάντως συνήγαγε τοὺς ἀπ' ἀνατολῶν καὶ δυσμῶν καὶ βορρᾶ καὶ θαλάσσης ἐν τῇ γνώσει τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ δέδωκεν αὐτοῖς θεωρίαν πνευματικὴν ἐναποθεῖναι ταῖς ἀρεταῖς; καὶ ἄλλως, τίς διὰ τῆς ἀληθοῦς γνώσεως ἔκρυψε γνῶσιν ψευδῆς; Τίς συνέστρεψεν ὕδωρ ἐν ἱματίῳ: Τίς ἀληθῆ γνῶσιν ἐναπέθετο ταῖς ἀρεταῖς; Τίς ἐκράτησε πάντων τῶν ἄκρων τῆς γῆς: Τίς ἀπ' ἀνατολῶν καὶ δυσμῶν καὶ βορρᾶ καὶ θαλάσσης συνήγαγε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, πυκνώσας αὐτὰ ταῖς ἀρεταῖς καὶ τὸ ἐπουράνιον ὕδωρ ἐναποθέμενος τὸ ῥέον ἐκ τῆς πηγῆς τῆς ζωῆς. Μὴ προσθῇς τοῖς
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.