Analogies of Rational Nature and Moral Virtues
But those having fallen through wickedness will return again through kindness. 'My son, do not forget my commandments; let your heart keep my words' (Prov 3:1). If this one forgets the law, the one not living according to it, this one remembers the law; but if this one keeps the words of God, the one doing them, this one destroys them, the one not willing to do them; 'for the hearers of the law are not righteous before God, he says, but the doers of the law will be justified' (Rom 2:13). 'Be of good trust with all your heart in God; but do not be proud of your own wisdom' (Prov 3:5-7). 'Do not be puffed up,' he says, 'having acquired the wisdom of God.' Because he says here the wisdom of God and not the human wisdom, by which he demonstrates: 'for in all your ways you will know her, so that she may make your paths straight' (Prov 3:6).
'Then there will be healing to your body and care to your bones' (Prov 3:8). When the powers of the soul receive care, they will say the greatest things: 'Lord, who is like you? For all, he says, my bones will say: Lord, Lord, who is like you?' Because the mnemonic power of the soul, receiving care, will certainly say, 'I remembered God and was glad.' Similarly, the optic power will say, 'I understood your works and was astonished.' Likewise also the desiring power: 'Lord, all my desire is against you.' And the calculating power will also say, 'I considered the days of old.' According to these things, it will happen also to the other powers.
Something more precious than costly stones is; nothing evil opposes it. Toward wisdom alone, the demons are unable to cast thoughts into the heart of the one having become wise, if they are not permitted; for the mind, being occupied with the theorems of wisdom, becomes unfit for unclean thoughts. A pure mind approaches wisdom; but the unclean will be distanced from it. It is a tree of life to all those holding fast to it. Adam is prevented from partaking of this tree after the transgression, if 'a tree of life grows from the fruits of righteousness.' But if the tree of life is the wisdom of God, he is justly prevented from grasping this tree; 'for into a craftless soul, he says, wisdom will not enter.' God established the world by wisdom.
The earth: and the holy Paul named the breadth there; and the heavens being called height in his epistle to the Ephesians; and the so-called tropical abysses he names depth; and the cloud-formed mists he calls length. All these are symbols of rational natures, divided by worlds and bodies according to the analogy of their state.
‘That your soul may live, and that there may be grace around your neck’ (Prov 3:2, 20): ‘Neck’ he says of the soul that has borne the yoke of the Lord. ‘That all your ways may go in confidence in peace, and that your foot may not stumble’ (Prov 3:2, 23): ‘Stumbling block’ is an impure thought of rational nature or a false knowledge. ‘If you sit, you shall be without fear; and if you sleep, you shall sleep sweetly, and you shall not be afraid of a falling terror or the coming of the impulses of the ungodly’ (Prov 3:2, 24-25). From this we know that almsgiving removes fearful fantasies occurring to us in the night. Gentleness, lack of anger, and patience also do the same, restraining the passion that is prone to be disturbed, if indeed fearful phantoms are wont to arise from the disturbance of the passion.
‘Do not envy a man without cause, lest he work evil against you’ (Prov 23:17): This enmity toward the neighbor works some evil. ‘The curse of God in the houses of the ungodly; but the dwellings of the righteous are blessed’ (Prov 14:11): ‘The ignorance of the Lord in the souls of the ungodly; but the knowledge of God in the souls of the righteous’ (Prov 14:12). ‘The Lord resists the proud, but gives grace to the lowly’ (Prov 3:34): Just as the Lord resists the unrighteous as righteousness, and the liars as truth, so also he resists the proud as humility. ‘The wise shall inherit glory; but the ungodly have exalted dishonor’ (Prov 3:35): The wise shall inherit knowledge; but the ungodly have honored ignorance.
‘For I will give you a good gift’ (Prov 2:3): It should be noted here that he names the law a ‘good gift’ because the one receiving gifts in his lap unjustly is not being guided straight. For there, the commands of the evil one are called unjust gifts, which the mind receiving them is not guided straight in its ways. ‘Do not abandon my law’ (Prov 2:2): He who transgresses it abandons the law.
Greek
δὲ διὰ κακίαν ἐκπεσόντες διὰ χρηστότητος πάλιν ἐπανελεύσονται. 27 3, 1 υἱέ, ἐμῶν νομίμων μὴ ἐπιλανθάνου· τὰ δὲ ῥήματά μου τηρείτω σὴ καρδία Εἰ οὗτος ἐπιλανθάνεται τοῦ νόμου ὁ μὴ νομίμως βιούς, οὗτος μέμνηται τοῦ νόμου ὁ ζῶν κατ' αὐτόν. Καὶ εἰ οὗτος τηρεῖ τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ ποιῶν αὐτά, οὗτος ἀπόλλυσιν αὐτὰ ὁ μὴ βουλόμενος πράττειν αὐτά· «οὐ γὰρ οἱ ἀκροαταὶ τοῦ νόμου δίκαιοι, φησίν, παρὰ τῷ θεῷ, ἀλλ' οἱ ποιηταὶ τοῦ νόμου δικαιωθήσονται.» 28 3, 5 ἴσθι πεποιθὼς ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ ἐπὶ θεῷ· ἐπὶ δὲ σῇ σοφίᾳ μὴ ἐπαίρου Μὴ ἐπαρθῇς, φησί, θεοῦ σοφίαν κτησάμενος. Ὅτι δὲ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐνταῦθα λέγει σοφίαν καὶ οὐ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην, δι' ὧν ἐπιφέρει δείκνυσι· «ἐν πάσαις γάρ, φησίν, ὁδοῖς σου γνώριζε αὐτήν, ἵνα ὀρθοτομῇ τὰς ὁδούς σου.» 29 3, 8 τότε ἴασις ἔσται τῷ σώματί σου καὶ ἐπιμέλεια τοῖς ὀστέοις σου Ὅταν αἱ δυνάμεις τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπιμελείας τύχωσιν, τὸ τηνικαῦτα ἐροῦσι· «κύριε, τίς ὅμοιός σοι; πάντα γάρ, φησί, τὰ ὀστᾶ μου ἐροῦσι· κύριε, κύριε, τίς ὅμοιός σοι;» Ἐπιμελείας γὰρ τυχοῦσα ἡ μνημονευτικὴ δύναμις τῆς ψυχῆς πάντως ἐρεῖ τὸ «ἐμνήσθην τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ εὐφράνθην». Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἡ ὀπτικὴ λέξει τὸ «κατενόησα τὰ ἔργα σου καὶ ἐξέστην». Ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἡ ἐπιθυμητική· «κύριε, ἐναντίον σου πᾶσα ἡ ἐπιθυμία μου.» Ἐρεῖ δὲ καὶ ἡ λογιστικὴ τὸ «διελογισάμην ἡμέρας ἀρχαίας». Κατὰ ταῦτα συμβήσεται καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων δυνάμεων. 30 3, 15.1–2 τιμιωτέρα δέ ἐστιν λίθων πολυτελῶν· οὐκ ἀντιτάσσεται αὐτῇ οὐδὲν πονηρόν Πρὸς μόνην τὴν σοφίαν ἀδυνατοῦσιν οἱ δαίμονες λογισμοὺς ἐμβάλλειν εἰς τὴν καρδίαν τοῦ σεσοφισμένου μὴ συγχωρούμενοι· ὁ γὰρ νοῦς τοῖς τῆς σοφίας ποιούμενος θεωρήμασιν ἀνεπίδεκτος γίνεται λογισμῶν ἀκαθάρτων. 31 3, 15.3 εὔγνωστός ἐστι πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐγγίζουσιν αὐτῇ Νοῦς καθαρὸς ἐγγίζει σοφίᾳ· ὁ δὲ ἀκάθαρτος μακρυνθήσεται ἀπ' αὐτῆς. 32 3, 18.1 ξύλον ζωῆς ἐστι πᾶσι τοῖς ἀντεχομένοις αὐτῆς Τούτου τοῦ ξύλου μετὰ τὴν παράβασιν ὁ Ἀδὰμ μεταλαμβάνειν κωλύεται, εἴπερ «ἀπὸ καρπῶν δικαιοσύνης φύεται δένδρον ζωῆς». Εἰ δὲ τὸ δένδρον τῆς ζωῆς ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ σοφία ἐστίν, δικαίως ἅψασθαι κωλύεται τούτου τοῦ ξύλου· «εἰς γὰρ κακότεχνον, φησίν, ψυχὴν σοφία οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται.» 33 3, 19 ὁ θεὸς τῇ σοφίᾳ ἐθεμελίωσεν τῆν γῆν· ἡτοίμασεν δὲ οὐράνους ἐν φρονήσει· 3, 20 ἐν αἰσθήσει ἄβυσσοι ἐρράγησαν· νέφη δὲ ἐρρύησαν δρόσους Ἣν ἐνταῦθα γῆν εἶπεν, Παῦλος ὁ ἅγιος πλάτος ὠνόμασεν καὶ τοὺς ἐνταῦθα οὐρανοὺς λεγομένους ὕψος ἐκεῖνος ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἐφεσίους καλεῖ καὶ τὰς λεγομένας τροπικῶς ἀβύσσους ὀνομάζει βάθος καὶ τὰ δεδροσωμένα νέφη μῆκος καλεῖ. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα λογικῶν ἐστι φύσεων σύμβολα διαιρουμένων κόσμοις καὶ σώμασι κατ' ἀναλογίαν τῆς καταστάσεως. 34 3, 22 ἵνα ζήσῃ ἡ ψυχή σου καὶ χάρις ᾖ περὶ σῷ τραχήλῳ Τράχηλον τὴν ψυχὴν εἶπεν τὴν βαστάσασαν τὸν ζυγὸν τοῦ κυρίου. 35 3, 23 ἵνα πορεύῃ πεποιθὼς ἐν εἰρήνῃ πάσας τὰς ὁδούς σου, ὁ δὲ πούς σου οὐ μὴ προσκόψῃ Πρόσκομμά ἐστι φύσεως λογικῆς λογισμὸς ἀκάθαρτος ἢ γνῶσις ψευδής. 36 3, 24 ἐὰν κάθῃ, ἄφοβος ἔσῃ· ἐὰν δὲ 3 καθεύδῃς, ἡδέως ὑπνώσεις 3, 25 καὶ οὐ φοβηθήσῃ πτόησιν ἐπελθοῦσαν οὐδὲ ὁρμὰς ἀσεβῶν ἐπερχομένας Ἐντεῦθεν γινώσκομεν ὅτι ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη περιαιρεῖ φοβερὰς φαντασίας νύκτωρ ἡμῖν ἐπισυμβαινούσας. Τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ ποιεῖ καὶ πραΰτης καὶ ἀοργησία καὶ μακροθυμία καὶ ὅσα πέφυκε ταρασσόμενον καταστέλλειν θυμόν, εἴπερ ἐκ τῆς ταραχῆς τοῦ θυμοῦ τὰ φοβερὰ φάσματα εἴωθε γίνεσθαι. 37 3, 30 μὴ φιλεχθρήσῃς πρὸς ἄνθρωπον μάτην, μή τι εἰς σὲ ἐργάσηται κακόν Αὕτη ἡ πρὸς τὸν πλησίον ἔχθρα ἀπεργάζεταί τινα κακόν. 38 3, 33 κατάρα θεοῦ ἐν οἴκοις ἀσεβῶν· ἐπαύλεις δὲ δικαίων εὐλογοῦνται Ἄγνοια κυρίου ἐν ψυχαῖς ἀσεβῶν· γνῶσις δὲ θεοῦ ἐν ψυχαῖς δικαίων. 39 3, 34 κύριος ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται· ταπεινοῖς δὲ δίδωσιν χάριν Ὥσπερ τοῖς ἀδίκοις ὁ κύριος ὡς δικαιοσύνη ἀντιτάσσεται καὶ τοῖς ψεύσταις ὡς ἀλήθεια, οὕτω καὶ τοῖς ὑπερηφάνοις ὡς ταπεινοφροσύνη ἀντιτάσσεται. 40 3, 35 δόξαν σοφοὶ κληρονομήσουσιν· οἱ δὲ ἀσεβεῖς ὕψωσαν ἀτιμίαν Γνῶσιν σοφοὶ κληρονομήσουσιν· οἱ δὲ ἀσεβεῖς ἐτίμησαν ἀγνωσίαν. 41 4, 2.1 δῶρον γὰρ ἀγαθὸν δωροῦμαι ὑμῖν Σημειωτέον ἐνταῦθα ὅτι δῶρον ἀγαθὸν ὀνομάζει τὸν νόμον διὰ τὸν λαμβάνοντα δῶρα ἐν κόλπῳ ἀδίκως καὶ μὴ κατευοδούμενον. Ἐκεῖ γὰρ δῶρα ἄδικα τὰ προστάγματα λέγει τοῦ πονηροῦ, ἅπερ ὁ νοῦς δεχόμενος οὐ κατευοδοῦται ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ. 42 4, 2.2 τὸν ἐμὸν νόμον μὴ ἐγκαταλίπητε Οὗτος ἐγκαταλιμπάνει τὸν νόμον ὁ παραβαίνων αὐτόν. 43 4, 8.1
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.