The Fear of God and the Deception of the Devil
“Jerusalem,” that is, the fallen things of such a soul, is evident from the expression of Origen. Regarding the gates of the mighty, he speaks of the virtues of the wise: “For open to me, he says, the gates of righteousness” (Psalm 5:11), and “The mighty are hot-tempered; let them not drink wine, lest having drunk, they fail to perceive wisdom and be unable to judge rightly for the weak” (Proverbs 23:20). 13 1, 26 Indeed, I too shall laugh at your ruin; and I shall rejoice whenever destruction comes to you. How then does Solomon say before the event: “But he who rejoices at the destruction of another shall not be acquitted” (Proverbs 28:22)? Or perhaps wisdom rejoices in this way, just as she rejoiced at the loss of Matthew the tax collector and at the loss of the thief who believed in Christ. For wisdom lost the thief, but lost the tax collector. 14 1, 27.1–3 And just as an unexpected noise will reach you, so destruction will come like a storm when tribulation and siege come to you. A siege is an ethical teaching that overturns a soul badly constructed. 15 1, 30.1 It also did not wish to pay attention to me through intentions. If it is up to us to want to pay attention to the intentions of wisdom, and not to want to pay attention, we have become masters of ourselves. Similar to this is: “If you are willing and will listen to me, you shall eat the good of the earth; but if you are not willing and will not listen to me, a sword shall strike you; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things” (Matthew 9:13; Luke 23:35). 16 1, 32.1 Because they were wronging the infants, they shall be killed. Just as infants are in the midst of the righteous and the unrighteous, so all men are in the midst of angels and demons, neither being demons nor angels, making their living until the consummation of the age. 17 1, 33 And he who hears me will dwell in hope and will rest fearlessly from every evil. The one in apatheia rests fearlessly from every evil thought. 18 2, 1 Son, if having received the word of my commandment you hide it within yourself, 2, 2.1 your ear will obey wisdom. This one who does the commandment of God hides it, even though it is said that the demons snatch us away because they do not forgive it. 19 2, 3.1–2 For if you call upon wisdom and give your voice to understanding, now he calls the apatheia of the soul a 'voice'; for this is accustomed to call upon the knowledge of God. So also David says: “With my voice I cried out to the Lord” (Psalm 142:1).
And again: 'Give heed to the voice of my prayer.' Then you will realize fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. At that time you will realize how the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and how the knowledge of God becomes a guest. Wisdom and understanding must pre-exist so that one may be able to understand the fear of the Lord. And we shall add these things to those who despise wisdom and understanding, but who wish to flee toward fearing God as if it were an easy thing.
Then you will realize righteousness and judgment, and you will straighten all righteous axes. 'Axes' refers to the commandments of God which lead us toward the knowledge of God. And David says: 'For this reason I have kept all your commandments' (Ps 119:27). In order to be rescued from an evil way and from a man speaking nothing trustworthy. The holy angels speak all things trustworthily; men speak some things trustworthily and some things untrustworthily; but the devil speaks nothing trustworthily, rather he is not worthy of faith. For he calls the devil a 'man' now, if he is a wicked man who has sown discord.
'Son, let not an evil counsel seize you, having forgotten the teaching of youth and the divine covenant.' If counsel is a movement of the mind, how did this leave behind the teaching of youth? And how did it also overtake the divine covenant? For it discourses to us about him as if he were a rational animal. Either he calls the devil a 'bad counsel' now. For he counseled wickedly, saying, 'I will set my throne above the stars; I will be like the Most High' (Isa 14:13). And he also overtook the divine knowledge, leaving behind the teaching of youth, which youth reveals his former state, by which he was also a zealot among the trees of paradise.
All those who walk in it will not turn back, nor will they find paths of straightness; for they are not overtaken by the years of life. 'For those pursuing righteousness love' (Ps 34:14) and 'so run that you may attain' (1 Cor 9:24). Those who 'are overtaken by the years of life' are those who seize paths of straightness. And 'your mercy, he says, shall pursue me all the days of my life' (Ps 23:6). The good shall be inhabitants of the earth; but the harmless shall be left in it. Those who, he says, remained in harmlessness, were left in the land, that is, in knowledge; the...
Greek
Ἱερουσαλήμ», τουτέστιν τῆς τοιᾶσδε ψυχῆς τὰ καταπεπτωκότα δηλονότι ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Οὐρίου προφάσεως. Πύλας δὲ δυναστῶν τὰς ἀρετὰς τῶν σοφῶν λέγει· «ἀνοίξατε γάρ μοι, φησίν, πύλας δικαιοσύνης» καὶ «οἱ δυνάσται θυμώδεις εἰσίν· οἶνον μὴ πινέτωσαν, ἵνα μὴ πιόντες ἐπιλάθωνται τῆς σοφίας καὶ ὀρθὰ κρίνειν οὐ μὴ δύνωνται τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς». 13 1, 26 τοιγαροῦν κἀγὼ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ ἀπωλείᾳ ἐπιγελάσομαι· καταχαροῦμαι δέ, ἡνίκα ἂν ἔρχηται ὑμῖν ὄλεθρος Πῶς οὖν ἔμπροσθέν φησιν ὁ Σολομών· «ὁ δὲ ἐπιχαίρων ἀπολλυμένῳ οὐκ ἀθῳωθήσεται»; Ἢ τάχα οὕτως χαίρει ἡ σοφία ὡς ἐχάρη ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπωλείᾳ Ματθαίου τοῦ τελώνου καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ λῃστοῦ ἀπωλείᾳ τοῦ πιστεύσαντος τῷ Χριστῷ. Τοῦ μὲν γὰρ τὸν λῃστὴν ἡ σοφία, τοῦ δὲ τὸν τελώνην ἀπώλεσεν. 14 1, 27.1–3 καὶ ὡς ἂν ἀφίκηται ὑμῖν ἄφνω θόρυβος, ἡ δὲ καταστροφὴ ὁμοίως καταιγίδι παρῇ ἢ ὅταν ἔρχηται ὑμῖν θλῖψις καὶ πολιορκία Πολιορκία ἐστὶν διδασκαλία ἠθικὴ τὴν κακῶς οἰκοδομηθεῖσαν ψυχὴν καταστρέφουσα. 15 1, 30.1 οὐδὲ ἤθελον ἐμαῖς προσέχειν βουλαῖς Εἰ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστιν τὸ θέλειν προσέχειν ταῖς τῆς σοφίας βουλαῖς καὶ μὴ θέλειν προσέχειν, γεγόναμεν αὐτεξούσιοι. Ὅμοιον τούτῳ ἐστὶν καὶ τὸ «ἐὰν θέλητε καὶ εἰσακούσητέ μου, τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς φάγεσθε· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ θέλητε μηδὲ εἰσακούσητέ μου, μάχαιρα ὑμᾶς κατέδεται· τὸ γὰρ στόμα κυρίου ἐλάλησε ταῦτα». 16 1, 32.1 ἀνθ' ὧν γὰρ ἠδίκουν νηπίους, φονευθήσονται Ὥσπερ τὰ νήπια μεταξὺ δικαίων καὶ ἀδίκων ἐστίν, οὕτως καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι μεταξὺ ἀγγέλων τε καὶ δαιμόνων εἰσίν, μήτε δαίμονες ὄντες, μήτε ἄγγελοι χρηματίζοντες μέχρι τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος. 17 1, 33 ὁ δὲ ἐμοῦ ἀκούων κατασκηνώσει ἐν ἐλπίδι καὶ ἡσυχάσει ἀφόβως ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ Ὁ ἀπαθὴς ἡσυχάζει ἀφόβως ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ λογισμοῦ. 18 2, 1 υἱέ, ἐὰν δεξάμενος ῥῆσιν ἐμῆς ἐντολῆς κρύψῃς παρὰ σεαυτῷ, 2, 2.1 ὑπακούσεται σοφίας τὸ οὖς σου Οὗτος κρύπτει τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ ποιῶν αὐτήν, εἴπερ καὶ οἱ δαίμονες ἐκ τοῦ μὴ συγχωρεῖν αὐτὴν ποιεῖν ἡμᾶς ἁρπάζειν λέγονται. 19 2, 3.1–2 ἐὰν γὰρ τὴν σοφίαν ἐπικαλέσῃ καὶ τῇ συνέσει δῷς φωνήν σου Νῦν φωνὴν τὴν ἀπάθειαν τῆς ψυχῆς ὀνομάζει· αὕτη γὰρ πέφυκεν ἐπικαλεῖσθαι γνῶσιν θεοῦ. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ ∆αυὶδ λέγει· «φωνῇ μου πρὸς κύριον ἐκέκραξα»· καὶ πάλιν· «πρόσχες τῇ φωνῇ τῆς δεήσεώς μου.» 20 2, 5 τότε συνήσεις φόβον κυρίου καὶ ἐπίγνωσιν θεοῦ εὑρήσεις Τότε συνήσεις πῶς ὁ φόβος τοῦ κυρίου ἀρχὴ σοφίας ἐστὶν καὶ πῶς τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ γνώσεως γίνεται πρόξενος. Προϋπάρξαι δὲ δεῖ σοφίαν καὶ σύνεσιν πρὸς τὸ δυνηθῆναι συνιέναι φόβον κυρίου. Καὶ προσάξομεν δὲ ταῦτα τοῖς τὴν μὲν σοφίαν καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν ἐξουθενοῦσιν, καταφεύγειν δὲ βουλομένοις ἐπὶ τὸ φοβεῖσθαι τὸν θεὸν ὡς ἐπὶ εὐχερὲς πρᾶγμα. 21 2, 9 τότε συνήσεις δικαιοσύνην καὶ κρίμα καὶ κατορθώσεις πάντας ἄξονας ἀγαθούς Ἄξονας λέγει τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ θεοῦ τὰς ἀγούσας ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὴν γνῶσιν τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ. Καὶ ὁ ∆αυίδ φησιν· «διὰ τοῦτο πρὸς πάσας τὰς ἐντολάς σου κατωρθούμην.» 22 2, 12 ἵνα ῥύσηται ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ κακῆς καὶ ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς λαλοῦντος μηδὲν πιστόν Οἱ μὲν ἅγιοι ἄγγελοι πάντα λαλοῦσι πιστά· ἄνθρωποι δὲ τὰ μὲν πιστά, τὰ δὲ ἄπιστα· ὁ δὲ διάβολος οὐδὲν πιστόν, ἀντὶ τοῦ οὐ πίστεως ἄξιον. Ἄνδρα γὰρ νῦν τὸν διάβολον λέγει, εἴγε ἄνθρωπος πονηρὸς ἐπέσπειρε τὰ ζιζάνια. 23 2, 17 υἱέ, μή σε καταλάβῃ κακὴ βουλὴ ἡ ἀπολείπουσα διδασκαλίαν νεότητος καὶ διαθήκην θείαν ἐπιλελησμένη Εἰ ἡ βουλὴ ποιὰ νοῦ κίνησίς ἐστιν, πῶς αὕτη ἀπέλιπεν διδασκαλίαν νεότητος; Πῶς δὲ καὶ θείας ἐπελάθετο διαθήκης; Ὡς γὰρ περὶ ζῴου λογικοῦ τῆς κακῆς βουλῆς ἡμῖν διαλέγεται. 2 Ἢ νῦν κακὴν βουλὴν τὸν διάβολον λέγει. Οὗτος γὰρ κακῶς ἐβουλεύσατο εἰπὼν τὸ «ἐπάνω τῶν ἄστρων θήσομαι τὸν θρόνον μου· ἔσομαι ὅμοιος τῷ ὑψίστῳ». Ἐπελάθετο δὲ καὶ τῆς θείας γνώσεως καταλιπὼν τὴν διδασκαλίαν τῆς νεότητος, ἥτις νεότης τὴν προτέραν αὐτοῦ κατάστασιν δηλοῖ, καθ' ἣν καὶ ζηλωτὸς ἦν ἐν τοῖς ξύλοις τοῦ παραδείσου. 24 2, 19 πάντες οἱ πορευόμενοι ἐν αὐτῇ οὐκ ἀναστρέψουσιν οὐδὲ μὴ καταλάβωσιν τρίβους εὐθείας· οὐ γὰρ καταλαμβάνονται ὑπὸ ἐνιαυτῶν ζωῆς «∆ιώκοντας γὰρ δικαιοσύνην ἀγαπᾷ» καὶ «οὕτως τρέχετε ἵνα καταλάβητε». 25 Ὅσοι «καταλαμβάνονται ὑπὸ ἐνιαυτῶν ζωῆς», οὗτοι καταλαμβάνουσι τρίβους εὐθείας. Καὶ «τὸ ἔλεός σου, φησίν, καταδιώξεταί με πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς μου». 26 2, 21.1–2 χρηστοὶ ἔσονται οἰκήτορες γῆς· ἄκακοι δὲ ὑπολειφθήσονται ἐν αὐτῇ Οἱ μὲν ἐν ἀκακίᾳ, φησίν, μείναντες ὑπελείφθησαν ἐν τῇ γῇ, τουτέστιν ἐν τῇ γνώσει· οἱ
About this text
Evagrius's short notes on Proverbs, turning each proverb toward the fight against temptation.
Original English Translation of Evagrius Ponticus’s Scholia in Proverbia — 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.