King’s wrath as death’s messenger; three things hard to grasp (Prov 16–30)
…in certain manuscript copies; for it stands neither in the Seventy nor in the others.
Chapter 16: “A king’s wrath is a messenger of death, but a wise man will propitiate him”—if the holy one is free of passion; or else the wrath must be read allegorically.
Chapter 25: “But in the places of the ungodly people are caught.” Their places are also the gatherings of the heretics.
Chapter 30: “Three things are impossible for me to understand.” For someone being led into scientific grasp, a theorem can be impossible; for a human it is impossible to contemplate and know what is beyond the human—say, the healing of the crab, even if angels know it; and it is impossible for anyone to understand what in no way exists and cannot come to be, for example that three is four. So the saying seems to concern things that do not exist. When an eagle leaves no tracks while flying through the air—unlike the tracks left in sandy ground by those who step on it—those tracks cannot be grasped; so also with a snake: on yielding earth paths can be known, but not on rock. “And the paths of a ship going through the sea.” Perhaps here the ship should be called Jesus and his disciples, and sometimes them alone—not sea-going, for at once the boat was at the land toward which they were going, by divine power. But a ship that does not carry Jesus
Greek
τισιν ἀντι γράφοις· οὔτε γὰρ παρὰ τοῖς Οʹ, οὐδὲ παρ' ἄλλοις κεῖται. {1ΚΕΦ. Ι ʹ.}1 Θυμὸς βασιλέως ἄγγελος θανάτου· ἀνὴρ δὲ σοφὸς ἐξιλάσεται αὐτὸν, εἴπερ ὁ ἅγιος ἀπαθής· ἢ τὸν θυμὸν ἀλληγορητέον. {1ΚΕΦ. ΚΕʹ.}1 Ἐν δὲ τόποις ἀσεβῶν ἁλίσκονται ἄνθρωποι. Τόποι δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν αἱρετικῶν αἱ συνά ξεις. {1ΚΕΦ. Λʹ.}1 Τρία δέ μοί ἐστιν ἀδύνατα νοῆσαι. Ἀδύνατον εἰς νόησιν ἐπιστημονικὴν εἰσαγομένῳ θεώρημα, καὶ ἀδύνατον ἀνθρώπῳ θεωρεῖν τὰ ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον καὶ νοεῖν, οἷον τοῦ καρκίνου τὴν θεραπείαν, κἂν ἄγγελοι ταύτην ἐπίστανται· ἀδύνατον νοηθῆναί τινι καὶ τὸ μηδαμῶς ὑπάρχον, μηδὲ γίνεσθαι δυνάμενον, οἷον τὸ τρία τέσσαρα εἶναι. Ἔοικε τοίνυν περὶ τῶν μὴ ὑπαρ χόντων εἰρῆσθαι. Μὴ καταλιπόντος γὰρ ἀετοῦ ἴχνη ἐν τῷ πέτεσθαι περὶ τὸν ἀέρα, ἀνάλογον τοῖς καταλει 13.33 πομένοις ἴχνεσιν ἐν τῇ γῇ τῇ ψαμμώδει τῶν ἐπιβάν των αὐτῆς, ἀδύνατόν ἐστι νοηθῆναι· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ ὄφεως· ἐν μὲν εὐείκτῳ γῇ δυνατὸν νοεῖσθαι ὁδοὺς, ἐν δὲ τῇ πέτρᾳ μή. Καὶ τρίβους νηὸς ποντοπορούσης. Μήποτε δὲ ναῦν ἐν τούτοις λεκτέον τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ τοὺς μαθη τὰς αὐτοῦ, ποτὲ δὲ καὶ μόνους αὐτούς· οὐ ποντοπο ροῦσαν· Εὐθέως γὰρ ἐγένετο τὸ πλοῖον ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, εἰς ἣν ὑπῆγον, θείᾳ δυνάμει. Ναῦς δὲ μὴ φέρουσα τὸν Ἰησοῦν
About this text
Origen of Alexandria, Fragmenta ex commentariis in Proverbia (Greek).
Original English Translation of Origen’s Fragmenta ex commentariis 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.