Call on wisdom-Christ; hide the command; honor from just labors (Prov 1–5)
…leave that way of life, be with us, keep sabbath with us, keep the unleavened rites with us, and the other law observances. For they themselves share in the murder. God gives good things; we are causes of evils — of things that harm. You would also say this of the Jews who shared in blood, both of the prophets and of Christ himself. These are the roads of all who complete lawless deeds. To complete, I think, is not merely to do something, but to fill the measure of their fathers, and to be liable for every blood from Abel to Zechariah.
Wisdom is hymned in goings-out. Kept silent by a wise man, it is not hymned; once it obtains a going-out, it is hymned. For there will be a time when you call upon me. As Lord we call upon the wisdom that is Christ. So whoever calls upon Christ, if he understands who he is, calls upon wisdom, understanding, sanctification, righteousness, and every virtue — if not with lips, then with practices. But let us not become the sort who call, only for him not to listen.
Chapter 2: If, receiving a saying of my commandment, you hide it with yourself. Someone hides it not for empty glory, but eager to escape notice. Then you will understand fear of the Lord. See after how many steps we will understand that fear; it too is unclear, as simpler people show: some fear the Lord where they need not, and do not fear where they ought. And give your voice to understanding. Each person gives his voice to something — to anger speaking its lines, or to grief, or to sexual immorality. The blessed one dedicates his whole voice to the Lord, so that whatever he speaks may be wisdom. As another seeks silver, seek wisdom that way, becoming a lover of silver in this. Let a bad counsel not overtake you. Those alien to the Church promise one thing at the start and another at the end: first they pull people from idolatry toward the Creator; then they change and set aside the Old Scripture, opposing elemental youth. With church teachers the ends agree with the first elements.
Chapter 3: Let your heart keep my words. After the commands and bans of God law, the words of God wisdom announce unlying knowledge of the things that are. Such also is Out of Zion will go the law, and a word of the Lord out of Jerusalem. Whoever keeps the laws will take up wisdom. Sow for yourselves righteousness; harvest into a time of life. Then next to the practical comes: Light for yourselves a light of knowledge. Provide good things before the Lord and humans. If you do what you practice in wisdom, you will be a son of God, as it says: You made all things in wisdom. Honor the Lord from your just labors. Divine Scripture customarily takes honor for a gift: Honor widows, the true widows means Share, so as not to humble the widow by refusing to say alms. The Savior also says: It is written in the law: Honor your father and your mother, and what follows. He said from just labors so it would not be from seizure and greed. Let no one hesitate to give; after the Gospel widow who threw her whole living and was justified — not beside those who threw from seizure, but beside those who threw from surplus — no one has a defense. Everything is a gift toward God: works of temperance and the other virtues. Give firstfruits from every offspring to Church and poor; rising from sleep give prayer as firstfruit to God; give a firstfruit of words — psalms. Then it will be said to you: Blessed are your storehouses and your leftovers — meaning the things of the soul.
God founded earth by wisdom. The faithful soul too is earth, bearing fruit a hundredfold. From that richness, which is wisdom, she becomes wise, as God founds her upon it. He seats the introduction of teaching for her, fixing it from wisdom, and as she always advances he works her into a heaven — a most pure creature, a dwelling of angels and thinking essences. Taking perception of what is, and contemplating the exactness of affairs, she begins to divide and cut them through. Chapter 5: Make your road far from her. He calls road the mind traveling on virtue; or he also commands to separate virtue from vice. And a woman of men hunts precious souls
Greek
τῆς πολιτείας ἀποστὰς, γενοῦ μεθ' ἡμῶν, σαββάτιζε μεθ' ἡμῶν, τὰ ἄζυμα ποίει μεθ' ἡμῶν, καὶ τὰς ἄλ λας τοῦ νόμου παρατηρήσεις. Αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἱ φόνου μετέχοντες. Ἀγαθῶν μὲν γάρ ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς δοτήρ· κακῶν δὲ ἡμεῖς αἴτιοι, δη λαδὴ κακωτικῶν. Φαίης δ' ἂν ταῦτα καὶ περὶ τῶν μετασχόντων αἵματος Ἰουδαίων, τῶν τε προφητῶν καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Αὗται αἱ ὁδοί εἰσι πάντων τῶν συντελούντων τὰ ἄνομα. Συντελεῖν οὐχ ἁπλῶς οἶμαί τι ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι τὸ μέτρον τῶν πατέρων αὐτῶν, καὶ ὑπο κεῖσθαι παντὶ αἵματι ἀπὸ Ἄβελ μέχρι Ζαχαρίου. Σοφία ἐν ἐξόδοις ὑμνεῖται. Σιωπωμένη μὲν ὑπὸ σοφοῦ, οὐχ ὑμνεῖται· ἐξόδου δὲ τυχοῦσα, ὑμνεῖται. Ἔσται γὰρ ὅταν ἐπικαλέσησθέ με. Ὡς Κύριον γὰρ ἐπικαλούμεθα τὴν σοφίαν οὖσαν Χριστόν. Ὁ οὖν ἐπικαλούμενος τὸν Χριστὸν, εἰ νοεῖ τίς ἐστιν, ἐπικαλεῖται σοφίαν, σύνεσιν, ἁγιασμὸν, δικαιοσύνην, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀρετήν· εἰ καὶ μὴ χείλεσιν, ἀλλὰ πράξε σιν. Ἀλλὰ μὴ τοιοῦτοι γενώμεθα, ὡς ἐπικαλεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς, αὐτὸν δὲ μὴ ὑπακούειν. {1ΚΕΦ. Βʹ.}1 Ἐὰν, δεξάμενος ῥῆσιν ἐμῆς ἐντολῆς, κρύψῃς παρὰ σεαυτῷ. Κρύπτει δέ τις, μὴ ἐπὶ κενοδοξίᾳ ταύτην ποιῶν, ἀλλὰ σπουδάζων λανθάνειν. Τότε συνήσεις φόβον Κυρίου. Ὅρα δὲ μεθ' ὅσα συνήσομεν φόβον Κυρίου· ἀσαφὴς γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς, ὡς δῆλον ἐκ τῶν ἁπλουστέρων· ἔστι γὰρ τινὰς ἰδεῖν οὐκ ἐν οἷς δεῖ φοβουμένους τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ἐν οἷς χρὴ μὴ φοβουμένους. Καὶ τῇ συνέσει δῷς φωνήν σου. Ἕκαστος δὲ δίδωσι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φωνήν τινι, ἢ τῇ ὀργῇ τυχὸν τὸ αὐτῆς φθεγγόμενος, ἢ τῇ λύπῃ, ἢ τῇ πορνείᾳ. Ὁ δὲ μακάριος ὅλην τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φωνὴν ἀνατίθησι τῷ Κυ ρίῳ, ἵνα ἃ δ' ἂν λαλῇ, σοφία ᾖ. Ὡς ἄλλος δὲ τὸ ἀρ γύριον, οὕτω ζήτει σὺ τὴν σοφίαν, οἱονεὶ φιλάργυ ρος ἐν τούτῳ γινόμενος. Μή σε καταλάβῃ βουλὴ κακή. Οἱ ἀλλότριοι τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἄλλα μὲν ἐπαγγέλλονται κατ' ἀρχὰς, ἄλλα δὲ κατὰ τέλη· ἀφιστᾶσι μὲν γὰρ εἰδωλολατρείας ἐξ ἀρχῆς, καὶ προσάγουσι τῷ ∆ημιουργῷ· εἶτα με τατιθέμενοι, τὴν Παλαιὰν ἀθετοῦσι Γραφὴν ἐναν 13.29 τιούμενοι τῇ στοιχειώδει νεότητι. Παρὰ δὲ τοῖς ἐκ κλησιαστικοῖς διδασκάλοις σύμφωνα τοῖς ἐν ἀρχῇ στοιχείοις τὰ τέλη. {1ΚΕΦ. Γʹ.}1 Τὰ δὲ ῥήματά μου τηρείτω σὴ καρδία. Μετὰ τὰ προστακτικὰ καὶ ἀπαγορευτικὰ τοῦ νόμου τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὰ ῥήματα τῆς σοφίας τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπαγγέλλει τὴν τῶν ὄντων γνῶσιν ἀψευδῆ. Τοιοῦτόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ, Ἐκ Σιὼν ἐξελεύσεται ὁ νόμος, καὶ λόγος Κυρίου ἐξ Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ὁ γὰρ τηρῶν τοὺς νόμους ἀναλήψεται τὴν σοφίαν. Σπείρατε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἑαυτοῖς δικαιοσύνην· τρυγήσατε εἰς καιρὸν ζωῆς. Εἶθ' ἑξῆς τῷ πρακτικῷ ἐπιφέρεται· Φωτίσατε ἑαυ τοῖς φῶς γνώσεως. Προνοοῦ καλὰ ἐνώπιον Κυρίου καὶ ἀνθρώπων. Ἐὰν ἐν σοφίᾳ ποιῇς τὸ πραττόμενον, υἱὸς ἔσῃ Θεοῦ, ὡς εἴρηται· Πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐποίησας. Τίμα τὸν Κύριον ἀπὸ σῶν δικαίων πόνων. Τὸ τῆς τιμῆς ὄνομα συνήθως ἐπὶ δόσεως ἡ θεία λαμβά νει Γραφή· Χήρας γὰρ, φησὶ, τίμα, τὰς ὄντως χήρας, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Μεταδίδου, ἵνα μὴ ταπεινώσῃ τὴν χήραν, ἐλεημοσύνην μὴ εἰπών. Καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ δέ φησι· Γέγραπται ἐν τῷ νόμῳ· Τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου· καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἀπὸ δι καίων δὲ πόνων εἶπεν, ἵνα μὴ ἐξ ἁρπαγῆς εἴη καὶ πλεονεξίας. Καὶ μηδεὶς ὀκνείτω διδόναι· ἀπολογίαν γὰρ οὐχ ἕξει μετὰ τὴν ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ Εὐαγγελίῳ χήραν ὅλον ἑαυτῆς βαλοῦσαν τὸν βίον, καὶ δικαιωθεῖσαν, οὐ παρὰ τοὺς ἐξ ἁρπαγῆς, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τοὺς ἐκ περιου σίας βαλόντας. Πάντα δὲ, δόσις ἐστὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, σωφροσύνης ἔργα καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀρετῶν. ∆εῖ γὰρ καὶ ἀπαρχὰς ἀπὸ παντὸς διδόναι γεννήματος Ἐκ κλησίᾳ καὶ πένησι· καὶ ἀπὸ ὕπνου δὲ ἀνιστάμενον ἀπαρχὴν δοτέον Θεῷ τὴν εὐχήν· καὶ τῶν λόγων ἀπαρ χὴν διδόναι προσήκει, ψαλμούς. Οὕτω γάρ σοι ῥηθή σεται· Καὶ εὐλογημέναι αἱ ἀποθῆκαί σου, καὶ τὰ ἐγκαταλείμματά σου· λέγει δὲ τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς. Ὁ Θεὸς τῇ σοφίᾳ ἐθεμελίωσε γῆν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ πιστὴ, γῆ ἐστιν, ἑκατονταπλασίονα καρ ποφοροῦσα. Αὕτη δὲ ἐκ τῆς πιότητος, ἥ ἐστι σοφία, σοφὴ γίνεται, θεμελιοῦντος αὐτὴν ἐπ' αὐτῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἑδράζει γὰρ αὐτῇ τὴν εἰσαγωγὴν τῆς διδασκαλίας, πῆξιν ἀπὸ σοφίας ποιούμενος, καὶ ἀεὶ προκόπτου σαν οὐρανὸν ἀπεργάζεται, καθαρώτατον κτίσμα, ἀγ γέλων τε καὶ νοερῶν οὐσιῶν οἰκητήριον. Λαβοῦσα αἴσθησιν τοῦ ὄντος, καὶ κατανοοῦσα τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων ἀκρίβειαν, ἄρχεται διαιρεῖν καὶ ἀνα τέμνειν αὐτά. {1ΚΕΦ. Εʹ.}1 Μακρὰν ποίησον ἀπ' αὐτῆς σὴν ὁδόν. Ὁδόν φησι τὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ὁδεύοντα νοῦν· ἢ καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν κελεύει τῆς κακίας χωρίσαι. {1ΚΕΦ. ʹ.}1 Γυνὴ δὲ ἀνδρῶν τιμίας ψυχὰς
About this text
Origen of Alexandria, Fragmenta ex commentariis in Proverbia (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.