Unit 2 rem close
The third offering he made to him was this: only the wise man is truly rich and renowned, because within him lies the possession of many things and the offspring of wisdom. If one sows these into the spirit, they reap life. It seems he speaks of his own wealth when he says: You need no expense, no innovation, for your love toward me; it is enough to love only, and you will be loved in return. Moreover, what is wonderful—that righteousness resides in wealth—is also true with me, and this, along with all other things, is good. The substance that is God’s wisdom existed begotten before the ages and eternal before creation; but when it entered into relation with the generated, it became the beginning of God’s ways, the creative and providential. Thus the beginning is a spouse to the creations of which it is the beginning—that is, the relation toward the generated. But wisdom is eternal, substantially existing before the ages with God. Impiety is sin against God; and impious, too, is anyone who stores up punishment for his own soul, prepared for the impious.
Consequently, loving death belongs to those who hate wisdom, if wisdom is life. Taking hold of wisdom here doubly: I mean that which comes from the Holy Spirit, given in words and writing to the godly-minded, through which the knowledge of God was made known to the world. Likewise, the hypostatic Son and Word of God, who brought all things from non-being into being by his wisdom. The sacrifices he refers to are those prophets who were sealed and slaughtered by the praise of Christ, because they sifted them with the vessel of knowledge—the sweet understanding of him for the intelligent—saying: Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; for he himself slaughtered them and slays them, because he himself urges those who believe in him for himself, as he himself dies for you. If Paul the apostle is a slave of Christ, and Christ is wisdom, then Paul is a slave of wisdom. Likewise, we will gather the word of the remaining apostles and prophets, having shown themselves slaves of his wisdom. We ought not to reprove sinners, but to remind them of divine fear. Whoever turns them away from evil, or those who are evil returning from sin and wishing to come to repentance—be patient with evil ones blinding them, and do not rebuke for a single fault, lest they come to hatred from beginnings.
But when they become wise and strengthened, then rebuke. And Christ did not rebuke his disciples while they were young, because they were not the old ascetics ready for new wine. Or he calls foolish the senseless and stupid, or those entirely alien from divine teaching—whom we ought not to rebuke, but to admonish, to teach, and to instruct. And if indeed Ahab and Herod were rebuked, yet they had already shared in the divine law, even if they transgressed; therefore, these also ought to be reproved. Or it seems these things are said then to the most infantile, since why did John and Paul rebuke? One ought not to reprove sinners, for person-to-person reproof makes the sinner shameless; but we ought to do this among the wise and just. Between the one being reproved and the reprover, not upon many. Every wind of teaching turning about, having been shipwrecked concerning
Greek
τρίτον αὐτῷ προσένειμε. Ὅτι μόνος ὁ σοφὸς πλούσιος καὶ εὐκλεής· ἔστι γὰρ ἐν αὐτῷ κτῆσις πολλῶν καὶ γεννήματα σοφίας· ἃ καὶ σπείρων εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα, θερίζει ζωήν· ἔοικε δὲ διὰ τοῦ ἑαυτῆς λέγειν τὸν πλοῦτον, τοιοῦτόν τι λέγειν, ὅτι Οὐ χρεία σοι δαπάνης, οὐδὲ καινοτομίας, εἰς τὸν πρὸς ἐμὲ ἔρωτα, ἀλλ' ἀρκεῖ τὸ φιλῆσαι μό νον, καὶ ἀνταγαπηθήσῃ. Ἀλλὰ μὴν, καὶ ὃ θαυμαστόν ἐστι, τὸ ἐν πλούτῳ εἶναι δικαιοσύνην, παρ' ἐμοὶ καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ἀγαθά. 17.185 Οὐσία οὖσα ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφία, πρὸ αἰώνων γεγένη ται, καὶ πρὸ κτίσεως ἀΐδιος ἦν· ὅτε δὲ σχέσιν πρὸς τὰ γεννητὰ ἐδέξατο, τότε ἀρχὴ τῶν ὁδῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ γέγονε τῶν ποιητικῶν καὶ προνοητικῶν· σύζυγος οὖν ἡ ἀρχὴ τοῖς κτίσμασιν ὧν γέγονεν ἀρχὴ, τουτ έστιν ἡ πρὸς τὰ γεννητὰ σχέσις· ἡ δὲ σοφία ἀΐδιος, οὐσιωδῶς πρὸ αἰώνων παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ ὑπάρχουσα. Ἀσέβεια μέν ἐστιν ἡ εἰς Θεὸν ἁμαρτία· ἀσεβεῖ δὲ καὶ εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ὁ σωρεύων κόλασιν τῇ ἑαυ τοῦ ψυχῇ, τὴν τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν ἡτοιμασμένην· ἀκόλου θον δὲ καὶ τὸ ἀγαπᾷν θάνατον τοὺς σοφίαν μισοῦντας, εἴπερ ἡ σοφία ζωή. Τὴν σοφίαν ἐνταῦθα δισσῶς ἐπιλαβεῖν, τὴν ἐκ Πνεύματος ἁγίου φημὶ ἐν λόγοις καὶ γραφῇ δοθεῖσαν τοῖς θεόφροσιν, δι' ἧς καὶ ἡ ἐπίγνωσις τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ κόσμῳ ἐγνωρίσθη· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τὸν ἐνυπόστατον Υἱὸν καὶ Λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὸν ἐξ οὐκ ὄντα εἰς τὸ εἶναι παραγαγόντα τὰ σύμπαντα τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Θύματα ἐνταῦθά φησι τοὺς ὅσοι προφῆται τῇ παρ αινέσει Χριστοῦ σφραγισθέντες καὶ σφαγιαζόμενοι, διὰ τὸ κιρνᾷν αὐτοὺς τῷ τῆς γνώσεως κρατῆρι τὴν ὡς οἶνον ἡδὺν ἐπίγνωσιν αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἐχέφροσι· λέγων, Μὴ φοβηθῆτε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτεινόντων τὸ σῶμα, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν μὴ δυναμένων ἀποκτεῖναι· καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς αὐ τοὺς ἐσφαγίασε, καὶ σφαγιάζει, διὰ τὸ παρακελεύειν αὐτὸς τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύοντας ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, ὡς αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἀποθνήσκει. Εἰ Παῦλος ὁ ἀπόστολος δοῦλος Χριστοῦ, ὁ δὲ Χρι στὸς σοφία ἐστὶ, Παῦλος γὰρ ὁ ἀπόστολος δοῦλος τῆς σοφίας ἐστίν· ὡσαύτως καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀποστό λων καὶ προφητῶν τὸν λόγον συνάξομεν, δούλους τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ ἀποδείξαντες. Οὐ δεῖ ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐλέγχειν τοὺς κακοὺς, ἀλλὰ περὶ θείου φόβου αὐτοὺς ὑπομιμνήσκειν, ὅστις αὐ τοὺς ἀποστήσει τῆς κακίας· ἢ κακοὺς τοὺς ἀπὸ ἁμαρ τίας ἐπιστρέφοντας, καὶ θέλοντας ἐλθεῖν πρὸς μετά νοιαν· ἀκμὴν δὲ κακοὺς ὄντας καὶ τυφλώττοντας ὑπόμενε· καὶ μὴ καθ' ἒν σφάλμα ἔλεγχε, ἵνα μὴ εἰς μῖσος ἐκ προοιμίων ἔλθωσιν· ὅταν δὲ γένωνται σο φοὶ, καὶ στερεωθῶσιν, ἔλεγχε. Καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς ἔτι νέους ὄντας, οὐκ ἤλεγχε, διὰ τὸ μὴ τοὺς παλαιοὺς ἀσκοὺς εὐθέτους εἶναι πρὸς νέον οἶνον. Ἢ κακοὺς λέγει τοὺς ἄφρονας καὶ μωρούς· ἢ τοὺς πάντη ἀλλοτρίους τῆς θείας διδασκαλίας, οὓς οὐκ ἐλέγχειν, ἀλλὰ νουθετεῖν, δεῖ καὶ διδάσκειν· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἠλέγχοντο Ἀχαὰβ καὶ Ἡρώδης, ἀλλ' ἤδη μετέσχον τοῦ θείου νόμου, εἰ καὶ παρέβησαν· διὸ καὶ τούτους δεῖ ἐλέγχειν. Ἢ ἔοικε ταῦτα πρὸς τοὺς τότε λέγειν, τοὺς νηπιωδεστέρους· ἐπεὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν ἤλεγχεν Ἰω άννης καὶ Παῦλος; –Οὐ δεῖ ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐλέγχειν τοὺς κακούς· ὁ γὰρ εἰς πρόσωπον ἔλεγχος, ἀναισχυν τότερον ποιεῖ τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα· χρὴ δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ σοφῶν καὶ δικαίων τοῦτο ποιεῖν· ἀναμεταξὺ μὲν τοῦ ἐλεγχομένου καὶ ἐλέγχοντος, οὐκ ἐπὶ πολλῶν δέ. 17.188 Ὁ παντὶ ἀνέμῳ τῆς διδασκαλίας περιφερόμενος, ναυαγήσας περὶ τὴν πίστιν, ὡς ὑπ' ἀνέμῳ ἑαυτόν τε καὶ ἄλλους ποιμάνας, ἀπώλεσεν· ἀπέλιπε γὰρ τῶν ἐντολῶν τὰς ὁδοὺς, τοῦ εἰπόντος, Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπε λος, ὑμεῖς τὰ κλήματα, καὶ ὁ Πατήρ μου ὁ γεωργός. –̔Ο μὴ συνάγων σὺν ταῖς ἀρεταῖς τὴν θείαν γνῶσιν, οὗτος οὐ συνάγει τῆς αἰωνίου βασιλείας τὴν ἀθάνα τον εὐκαρπίαν· ἀκαρπία δέ ἐστι κακία καὶ ἄγνοια. Τῶν ὡς ἄρτων ζωτικῶν, θείων λόγων ἡδέως ἅψα σθαι, καὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ κρυπτῇ τοῦ νοῦ θεωρίᾳ θείων νοημάτων. –Ἄρτοι εἰσὶ τῆς ψυχῆς αἱ ἀρεταὶ, αἵτι νες καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν προσετάγησαν παρ' ἡμῖν γίνεσθαι· τουτέστι νηστεία, ἐγκράτεια, προσ ευχὴ, καὶ τὰ ὅμοια· κρυφῇ δὲ, πρὸς τὸ μὴ θεαθῆναι αὐτὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Ἄνδρα, τὸν τοῦ λόγου πτωχεύσαντα· καὶ χεῖρας, τὰς τῆς σοφίας πράξεις. Ὁ νοήμων ὑπὸ τῶν θλίψεων καὶ τῶν συμφορῶν μὴ συγκαιόμενος, γεννήματα δικαιοσύνης φέρει· ὁ δὲ παράνομος, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν βελτιόνων διαφθείρεται. Παιδείαν ἀνεξέλεγκτον ὀνομάζει τὴν κακὴν τῆς ψυχῆς πολιτείαν, ἥτις καὶ ἀπωλείας καὶ πλάνης αὐτῇ γίνεται πρόξενος· ἡ δὲ ὁδὸς τῆς ζωῆς, οὐ μόνον ἐκ τῆς αἰωνίου, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ πάσης
About this text
Origen of Alexandria, Expositio in Proverbia (Greek).
Original English Translation of Origen’s Expositio in Proverbia — new OET from PG 13 Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 13 (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.