# Fragments on Proverbs - Author: [Origen](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/origen/) - Latin title: *Fragmenta in Proverbia* - Date: ca. 220-254 (approximate) - Source: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae cursus completus, Series Graeca 17 (Paris, 1862), cols. 149-251 (Greek text: Migne, PG 17 (1862), from library-scan OCR) - Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator - Editions and translations: Marguerite Harl, Origene: Philocalie sur les Ecritures (SC 302) (cited only) - Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/ - Passages: 49 ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 151 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-151 - Source: PG 17:152a–152d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The word "prudence" in Scripture can mean the serpent's cunning or the virtue by which God made the heavens, and the prudent virgins show that it is a virtue. ### Greek text . τέα· συναγάγωμεν man τῆς Γραφῆς τὸ τῆς φρονήσεως ὄνομα, καὶ τὸ παρʼ αὐτὸ ποιεῖν φρόνημα, ἵνα δυνηθῶμεν ίδετν, πότερον πολύσημος ἡ λέξις,ἢ ἓν ση- ' μαίνει πρᾶγμα. Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ὲν τῇ Γενέσει, κατὰ μὲν τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα, γέγραπται '0 es ὄφις ἦν φρονιμώτατοςο κατὰ δὲ Ἀκύλαν, πανοῦργοςο κατά et Σύμμαχον, πανουργότατος-ο οὐκοῦν ὅσον ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ λέξει τῶν Ἐὁδομήκοντα λέγοι τις ἂν, ὅτι οὔκ ἔστιν ἀρετὴ ἡ φρόνησιςο οὐδὲ γὰρ ό ὄφις εῖχεν ἀρετὴν, πανουργίαν δὲ, ῆν καὶ ψέγει τις κακεντρέχειάν τινα ὑπάρχουσαν. Αὕτη φρόνησις νῦν νενόηται τοῖς Ἐβδομήκοντα, παρʼ ἢν ό πανοῦργος φρόνιμος λίλεκται. Ἔοικε δὲ καὶ τὸ κατὰ Λουκᾶν Εὑαγγέλιον είδέναι τοῦτο τὸ σημαινόμενον, ὅτε ἀναγέγραπται ό Statim ιν τῇ παραβολῇ εἰρηκέναι τό· Καί ἐπαινέσας ό Κύριος τὸν οἰκονόμον τῆς ἀδικίας, ὅτι φρονίμως ἐποίησε· τουτέστι κακούργως, κακεντρεχῶς. Καὶ τά· χα τὸ, ἐπαινέσας, οὑ κατὰ τὸν κυρίως ἔπαινον, ἀλλὰ καταχρηστικοηέρως λέγεται, καθὸ λέγομεν tacetve!σθαί τινα καὶ ἐπὶ μέσοις καὶ διαφόροις πράγμασι μέσων τεχνῶν, καὶ οἷον si θαυμάζοντες τὰς ὲντρεχείας, τὰς ἐμφαινούσας ’ τὸ τῆς διανοίας ὀξὺ καὶ εὐκίνητον· καὶ τόδ Γίνεσθε φρόνιμοι ὡς οι ὄφεις-ο οἱονεὶ μὴ ἀνιστόρητοι τῶν τοῦ δφεως πανουργημάτων. Χρεία γὰρ ὑμῖν τοῦ, ὡς ὁ ’Δπόστολος ὠνόμασε, διακειμένους-λέγει" ἰνα μὴ πλεονεκτηθῶωὺκό τοῦ Σατανᾶο οὐ γὰρ αὑτοῦ τὰ νοήματα ἀγνοοῦμεν. Τὴν γοῦν μὴ οὖσαν φρονοῦσαν ὡς τὸν δφιν ἠπάτησεν ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὑτοῦ. Καὶ οἱ υἱοί τοῦ alin-or: τούτου οὐ σοφώτεροι, ἀλλὰ φρονιμώτεροι τῶν υἱῶν τοῦ φωτός εἰσινο καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἁπλῶς καὶ ἀπολελυμέ- · νως, ἀλλʼ είς τὴν ἑαυτῶν γενεάν. Σημαίνεταιδὲ καὶᾶλλο τι ἐκ τῆς φρονήσεως φωνῆςʼ '0 Θεὸς γὰρ, φησὶ, τῇ σοφίᾳ ἐθεμλίωσε τὴν γῆν, ἡτοίμασε δὲ οὐρᾳνοὺς ἐν φρονήσει· τῇ ἀρετῇ, οὐ τῇ κακεντρεχείᾳ. Οἵδε δὲ καὶτὸ Εὐαγγὲλιον τὸ σημαινόμενον τοῦτο ὲν τῇ περὶ τῶν φρονίμων παρθένιον παν ραδολῇ. Σαφῶς γὰρ ἐνθάδε τῇ μωρία οὔσῃ κακίᾳ, ἀφʼ ἦς ποιοὶ oi μωροὶ λέγονται, καὶ αἱ μωραὶ παρθένοι, ὡς ἐναντία παραλαμβάνεται ἡ φρόνησις, ἀφʼ ἦς ποιοὶ οίφρόνιμοι, καὶ αἱ φρόνιμοι παρθένοι. Ei δι ὁ μωρὸς φαῦλος, καὶ ἐναντίος τούτῳ ὁ φρόνιμος, ἦτοι φαῦλος ἔσται ὁ φρόνιμος, ἢ σπουδαῖος· οὐ δύναται γὰρ εἶναι φαῦλον ἀδιάφορον ὶναντίον. Οὐκ ἐστι δὲ φαῦλος ὁ τῷ μωρῷ ἐναντίος φρόνιμος· οὐκ ἂν γὰρ αἱ κατὰ φρόνησιν πεποιωμέναι φρόνιμοι παρθένοι εἰσῆλθον μετὰ τοῦ νυμφίου είς τοὺς γάμους. Λείπεται τοίνυν ἀστεῖον εἶναι τὴν φρόνησιν, καὶ ἀστείους τοὺς φρονίμους. Ἀρετὴ ἄρα κατά ταῦτα ἡ φρόνησις, καί ποιοὶ οἱ φρόνιμοι μετοχῇ φρονήσεως, ὲν ᾖ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Κύριος. ### English translation (Claude) … let us gather from Scripture the noun "prudence" and the verb related to it, "to be prudent", so that we may see whether the word has several meanings or signifies one thing. First, in Genesis, according to the Seventy, it is written: "Now the serpent was the most prudent"; according to Aquila, "cunning"; according to Symmachus, "most cunning". So, as far as this expression of the Seventy goes, one might say that prudence is not a virtue; for the serpent did not have virtue, but cunning, which one also blames as a kind of knavery. This is how prudence is understood here by the Seventy, according to which the cunning one has been called prudent. The Gospel according to Luke also seems to know this meaning, when the Saviour is recorded as saying in the parable: "And the Lord praised the unrighteous steward, because he acted prudently," that is, knavishly, craftily. And perhaps "praised" is said, not of praise in the proper sense, but in a looser use, as we say that someone is praised even in indifferent matters and in the various indifferent arts, as if marvelling at the dexterity that shows sharpness and agility of mind. So too: "Be prudent as serpents," that is, not unacquainted with the serpent's cunning tricks. For you need to be disposed, as the apostle put it, "so that we may not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs." At any rate, the serpent deceived by his cunning the woman who was not prudent. And the sons of this age are not wiser, but more prudent, than the sons of light; and not even this simply and absolutely, but "in their own generation." But the word "prudence" also signifies something else: "God," it says, "founded the earth by wisdom, and prepared the heavens by prudence," that is, by virtue, not by knavery. The Gospel too knows this meaning, in the parable of the prudent virgins. For here prudence is clearly taken as the opposite of folly, which is a vice (from it the fools and the foolish virgins are so called), as is prudence, from which the prudent and the prudent virgins are so called. If the fool is bad, and the prudent man is his opposite, then the prudent man will be either bad or good; for the opposite of what is bad cannot be something indifferent. But the prudent man, the opposite of the fool, is not bad; otherwise the prudent virgins, formed by prudence, would not have gone in with the bridegroom to the wedding. It remains, then, that prudence is good and the prudent are good. By this reasoning prudence is a virtue, and the prudent are such by sharing in prudence, by which the Lord prepared the heavens. ### Scripture references - Prov 1:2: allusion, low confidence - Gen 3:1: quotation, high confidence - Luke 16:8: quotation, high confidence - Matt 10:16: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 2:11: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 11:3: allusion, high confidence - Prov 3:19: quotation, high confidence - Matt 25:2: allusion, high confidence - Matt 25:10: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The section begins in mid-sentence; the verse commented on is lost in the scan, but the discussion of prudence (φρόνησις) belongs to the opening of Proverbs (Prov 1:2–3). - The fragments on Proverbs in PG 17 come from the catenae; their ascription to Origen is not secure. Many of the notes are elsewhere attributed to Evagrius of Pontus, and modern editors assign a large part of them to his Scholia on Proverbs. The column numbers of this work were counted from its first page and are not confirmed by the running heads. - "The serpent was the most prudent": Gen 3:1 (Septuagint; Aquila and Symmachus are later Greek translators). "The Lord praised the unrighteous steward": Luke 16:8. "Be prudent as serpents": Matt 10:16. "So that we may not be outwitted by Satan": 2 Cor 2:11. The serpent and the woman: 2 Cor 11:3. "God founded the earth by wisdom …": Prov 3:19. The prudent virgins: Matt 25:1–13. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 151 (PG 17:152a–152d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-151). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 153 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-153 - Source: PG 17:153a–153d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Christ is righteousness itself, of which the righteous bear an image; innocence can be blameworthy simplicity or praiseworthy guilelessness. ### Greek text σιν ἐπὶτῶν ὑπερὸατῶν καὶ ἀναστροφῶν. Στρεφομένου γάρ τοῦ λόγου κατά τὴν τάξιν, καὶ δοκοῦντος διακὸπτεσθαι τοῦ εἰρημένου ἀπό τινος διὰ μέσου λεγομένου, γίνεται τὸ ὑπερβατὸν καὶ καλούμενον στροφὴ λόγου. Πάλιν τε αὖ, ἐναλλαττομένης τῆς λέξεως ἐν τῇ προσαγορευομένῃ ἀναστροφῇ, οἰονεὶ στροφὴ ἐστι τοῦ λόγου. Οἶον ὡς ἐπὶ παραδείγματος-ο ὁ ψαλμῳδὸς φη· σινο Ὀτι ἑσίγησα, ἐπαλαιώθη τὰ ὀστᾶ μου. Ἀναστρέψας γὰρ ἐρεῖ οὕτωςʼ Ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦ κράζειν με πρὸς σὲ ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐσίγησα, ἐπαλαιὼοη τὰ ὀστᾶ μου· ἵνα σημαίνῃ τοῦτο· Ἐπειδὴ ἀπὸ τῆς πρὸς σὲ κραυγῆς καὶ δεήσεως καὶ αἰνέσεως ἐπαυσάμην,διά τοῦτο ἐξηράνθη τὰ ὀστᾶ μου. Τοῦ αὑτοῦ. Δύναται δὲ ἀληθὴς δικαιοσύνη πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν λέγεσθαι τῆς εἰκονικῆς. Αὑτοδικαιοσύνη μὲν γὰρ-ὁ Χριστός· μεθέξει δὲ ταύτης ήέν ἑκάστῳ τῶν δικαίων εἰκὼν οὖσα, καὶ ἀφοροῢσα πρὸς παράδειγμα τὸν Χριστὸν, πρὸς ὃν γεγράφθαι νομίζω τὸ, Δίκαιος Κύριος καὶ δικαιοσύνας ἠγάπησεν. Ἀντιδιέσταλται δὲ καὶ τῇ συμβολικῇ δικαιοσύνῃʼ πολλά γὰρ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ τῆς ἀληθείας τὰ σύμβολα· ἀλλά καὶ τῇ ψευδεί δικαιοσύνῃ. Κατὰ δέ τὸ Ἐβραῖκον καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς οὺ πρόσκειται τὸ ἀληθῆ, ὡς τῆς δικαιοσύνης οὐ δεχομένης ἀντιδιαστολήν. Τρία δὲ κριτήρια ἐν ἡμῖνʼ-Αἴσθησις τῶν αἰσθητῶνο λόγος τῶν λεγομένων καὶ νοῦς τῶν νοητῶν. Κατευθύνει δέ τις κρῖμα, καὶ θείας χάριτος πρό γε τῶν ἀλλων τυχών. Παρὰ Θεοῦ γὰρ εὐθύνεται τὰ διαδήματα τῷ ἀνδρί. Ἐπεὶ θνητὸς, πῶς ἂν νοήσαι τὰς ἐαυτοῦ ὁδούςς Ol δὲ λοιποὶ, κρίσιν καὶ εὐθύτητα ἐξέδωκαν, οὐδενὸς ἀκρίτου ἔχοντος κρίσιν, οὐδὲ σκολιοῦ εὐθύτητας. Καὶ τάχα αἰ ἀρεταὶ εὐθύτητές εἰσιν, ὡς αἱ κακίαι σκολιότητες. Στίχ. δʼ. Ἵνα δῷ ἀκάκοις πανουργίαν. Ὁ ἀγνοῶν κακοηθείας ταῖς πανουργίαις ὑποπίπτει τῶν κακοήθων, αὐτὸς εὐήθης ὑπάρχων. Ὡς περὶ ψεκτοῦ γοῦν τοῦ κακοῦ λέγεται· Ἀκακος πιστεύει παντί λόγῳ· διόπερ ἐπήγαγε· Πανοῦργος δὲ ἔρχεται είς μετάνοιαν· τουτέστι περί ὧν ἐπίστευσε προπετῶς μετανοεῖ. Τὴν κακίαν ταύτην εὐφημῶν ὁ Ἀπάστολος εἶπεν ἁπλότητα, λέγων· Φοβοῦμαι, μή πως, ὡς ὄφις ἐξηπάτησεν Εὔαν ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτοῦ, οὕτως φθαρῇ τὰ νοήματα ὑμῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἁπλότητος τῆς εις τὸν Χριστόν. Δεῖ οὖν, φυλαττομένους τὴν τοῦ πονηροῦ πανουργίαν, γίνεσθαι καθʼ ἑαυτοὺς μὲν ἀκεραίους ὡς αἰ περιστεραὶ, πρὸς δέ τά ἐπιβουλεύοντα φρόνιμοι ὡς οἰ ὄφεις. Τῇ γὰρ κακίᾳ, φησὶ, νηπιάζετε, ταῖς δὲ φρεσὶ, γίνεσθε τέλειοι. Ἦ κακία οὖν διττήο ψεκτὴ μὲν, ὼς εἴρηταιο ἐπαινετὴ δὲ, ὡςʼ Ἐγὼ ὲνάκακίᾳ μου ἐπορεύθην. Στίχ. εʼ. Ὁ δὲ νοήμων κυβέρνησινᾱκτήσεται. Ἐπείπερ, λόγον σοφὸν ἐὰν ἀκούσῃ ἐπιστήμων, αἰνέσει αὑτὸν, καὶ ἐπʼ αὑτὸν προσθήσει. Ὁ δὲ γενόμενος νοὴμων τὸ λοιπὺν προσθήσει κατά τε πρᾶξιν ### English translation (Claude) … in transpositions and inversions. For when the speech turns about in its order, and what is being said seems to be interrupted by something said in between, there arises the hyperbaton, also called a turning of speech. And again, when the wording is interchanged in what is called anastrophe, there is as it were a turning of the speech. For example, the psalmist says: "Because I kept silent, my bones grew old." Inverting it, one will say: "Because I kept silent from crying to you all the day, my bones grew old," so that it means: "Since I ceased from crying, supplication and praise to you, therefore my bones dried up." (Of the same.) [Prov 1:3] "True righteousness" can be said in contrast to the righteousness that is an image. For Christ is righteousness itself; and the righteousness in each of the righteous is an image, by sharing in it, and looks to Christ as its pattern; with reference to him, I think, it was written: "The Lord is righteous and has loved righteousnesses." It is contrasted also with symbolic righteousness, for there are many symbols of the truth in the law; and also with false righteousness. But in the Hebrew and in the other translators "true" is not added, since righteousness admits of no contrast. There are three criteria in us: sense, of things perceived by the senses; reason, of things spoken; and mind, of things intelligible. And one directs judgment when he has obtained divine grace before all else; for "a man's steps are directed by God"; since he is mortal, how could he understand his own ways? The other translators rendered it "judgment and uprightness", since no one without discernment has judgment, nor anyone crooked uprightness. And perhaps the virtues are uprightnesses, as the vices are crookednesses. [Prov 1:4] Verse 4: "That he may give cunning to the innocent." The one who is ignorant of malice falls under the cunning of the malicious, being himself simple. As of blameworthy innocence, then, it is said: "The innocent believes every word"; that is why it added: "But the cunning comes to repentance," that is, he repents of what he believed rashly. This innocence the apostle, speaking well of it, called simplicity, saying: "I fear lest, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts be corrupted from the simplicity that is toward Christ." We must, then, guarding against the cunning of the evil one, be guileless as doves in ourselves, but prudent as serpents toward those who plot against us. "For in malice," it says, "be infants, but in your minds be mature." Innocence, then, is twofold: blameworthy, as has been said, and praiseworthy, as in "I walked in my innocence." [Prov 1:5] Verse 5: "And the man of understanding will acquire steering." For "if a knowledgeable man hears a wise word, he will praise it and add to it." The one who has become a man of understanding will add further, both in practice ### Scripture references - Ps 32:3 (31:3 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 1:3: quotation, high confidence - Ps 11:7 (10:7 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 20:24: quotation, high confidence - Prov 1:4: quotation, high confidence - Prov 14:15: quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 11:3: quotation, high confidence - Matt 10:16: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 14:20: quotation, high confidence - Ps 26:1 (25:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 1:5: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Sir 21:15 (Sirach): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The section begins in mid-sentence, in a discussion of figures of speech (hyperbaton and anastrophe). - "Because I kept silent …": Ps 32:3 (31:3 LXX). "The Lord is righteous …": Ps 11:7 (10:7 LXX). "A man's steps are directed by God": Prov 20:24. "The innocent believes every word … the cunning comes to repentance": Prov 14:15 (Septuagint). "I fear lest …": 2 Cor 11:3. Doves and serpents: Matt 10:16. "In malice be infants": 1 Cor 14:20. "I walked in my innocence": Ps 26:1 (25:1 LXX). "If a knowledgeable man hears a wise word …": Sir 21:15. - Prov 1:3 in the Septuagint reads "true righteousness". "The other translators" are Aquila, Symmachus and Theodotion. An editorial note on a manuscript reading, leaked into the end of the section, has been removed. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 153 (PG 17:153a–153d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-153). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 155 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-155 - Source: PG 17:156a–156d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Steering from God brings the soul safely to harbour; the fear of the Lord, as reverent love rather than dread of punishment, is the beginning of wisdom. ### Greek text uti θεωρίαν, ὥστε τὸν παρὰ ταῦτα πλοῦτον κατειρθῦναι. Λείπει δὲ τῷ ἀνθρωπίνῳ νῷ ἡ παρὰ Θεοῦ κυδ βέρνησις, ἦν ἔχων ὁ νοήμων καὶ προσέτι σοφὸς οὐ πείσεταί τι δεινόν. Ὀ τοιοῦτος πλέων ἐπιστημόνως πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, ἐπὶ τὸν λιμένα φθάσει τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ. '0 δὲ μὴ τοιοῦτος ἢπερὶ τὴν πίστιν ναυαγήσει, ἢ περὶ τὴν ἐλπίδα, ἦ περὶ τὴν ἀγάπην, ἧ τινα τῶν ἀρετῶν. ’0 δὲ περὶ ταύτας ναυαγήσας είκότως ἂν λέγοιο Ἦλθον εἷς τὰ,βάθη τῆς θαλάσσης, καί καταιγὶς κατεπόντισέ με. Καὶ δεῖ λέγειν άεί· Ῥυσθείην ἐκ τῶν μισούντων με, καί ἐκ τῶν,βαθέων τῶν ὑδάτων. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Στίχ. εʼ. '0 δὲ νοήμων, φησὶ, κυβέρνησιν κτήσεται. Στίχ. ςʼ. Νοήσει τε παραβολὴν καὶ σκοτεινὸν λόγον. Πνευματικά γὰρ πνευματικοῖς συγκρίνεται. Ψυχικύς δὲ ἄνθρωπος οὐ δέχεται τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ Θεοῦ· μωρία γὰρ αὑτῷ ἐστιν. Ὅσα γὰρ διὰ παραβολῶν καὶ σκοτεινῶν λόγων τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα διὰ τῶν προφητῶν ὲλάλησε, ταῦτα τοῖς μετόχοις καὶ κοινωνοῖς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεῦματος εῦγνωστα γίνεται, ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Πνεύματος ὲκδιδασκόμενα. ’Δσφράγιστος γάρ καὶ ἀκυβέρνητος τὰς θείας Γραφὰς ἑπιγνῶναι οὐ δύναται. Στίχ. ζʼ. ’Δρχὴ σοφίας, φόβος Κυρίου. Τὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς ὄνομα δηλοῖ καὶ τὴν ἠγεμονίαν, ὡς ὲν τῷʼ Μετὰ δικαιοσύνης trnquith θρόνος ἁρ- »ἧς · καὶ τήν τινος διδασκαλίας εἰσαγωγήν. Ὠς ὲν τῷ· Ἀρχὴ ὀδοῦ ἀγαθῆς, ποιεῖν τὰ δίκαια, τουτέστι τὰ ἠθικὰ παιδεύματα. Ὀδὸν δὶ λέγει ἀγαθὴν τὴν tul σοφίαν ἄγουσαν θεωρίαν. Ἀρχὴ καὶ ἠτινὺς ὑπάρξεως αίτία, ὡς ὲν τῷ· Ἐγώ ειμι ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ τὸ τέλος ’ ἀρχὴ μὲνὼς τὸ εἶναι διδοὺς, τέλος δὲ ὡς τελειώσεως ἀφορμή. Νῦν οὖν ἀρχὴ, ἡ εἰσάγουσα είς τὴν σοφίαν μάθησις, κατὰ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον συνισταμένη. Φόβος γὰρ παθητικὸς μὲν δεινῶν προσδοκία. Ἐγγινόμενοι τῷ φόβῳ κολάσεως ἐκκλίνουσι τὴν κακίαν. Τοῦτον οὐδὲ φόβον Θεοῦ κυρίως προσαγορευτέον, εί καὶ ἅπτεται τῶν φοβουμένων τὸν δυνάμενον καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα ἀπολέσαι ἐν γεέννῃ. Ὃν ἐκβάλλει ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη. Θεοῦ δὲ φόβος, άληθὴςή κατὰ σεβασμὸν εὐλάβεια, καθʼ δν θέλει τις σφόδρα ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς αὐτοῦ πόθῳ γνησίῳ, είς ἔργα μεταβάλλων αὐτάς, καὶ ἀρχὴ σοφίας Θεοῦ κατʼ εἰσαγωγήν. Πληρέστατον γὰρ τοῦτον εὑρήσεις ὲν τῷ κατὰ σοφίαν τετελεσμένῳ, καθʼ ὃν λέγεται, μὴ εἶναι ὑστέρημα τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸν Θεόν. Στίχ. ζʼ. Εὐσέβεια δὲ εὶς Θεὸν, ἀρχὴ αἰσθήσεως. Τῆς θείας αἰσθήσεως, τῆς κατὰ τὸν ἐσω ἄνθρωπον, καθʼ ἢν ὁσῶν μὲν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν, καὶ ἀκούομεν τῶν κεκρυμμένων λογίων, καὶ τρεφόμεθα τὸν ἄρτον τῆς ζωῆς, ἀντιλαμβανόμεθα τε εὐωδίας ### English translation (Claude) and in contemplation, so as to direct the wealth that comes from these. What the human mind lacks is the steering that comes from God; the man of understanding who has it, and is wise besides, will suffer nothing terrible. Such a one, sailing with knowledge toward God, will reach the harbour of his will. But the one who is not such will suffer shipwreck concerning faith, or concerning hope, or concerning love, or concerning some one of the virtues. And one who has been shipwrecked concerning these might fittingly say: "I came into the depths of the sea, and a storm overwhelmed me." And one must always say: "May I be delivered from those who hate me, and from the depths of the waters." (Of the same.) Verse 5: "And the man of understanding," it says, "will acquire steering." [Prov 1:6] Verse 6: "He will understand a parable and a dark saying." For spiritual things are interpreted by spiritual. "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him." For whatever the Holy Spirit spoke through the prophets in parables and dark sayings becomes easy to understand for those who share and partake in the Holy Spirit, taught by the Spirit himself. For one who is unsealed and without a pilot cannot come to know the divine Scriptures. [Prov 1:7] Verse 7: "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord." The word "beginning" signifies rule, as in "With righteousness is the throne of rule"; and also the introduction to some teaching, as in "The beginning of a good way is to do what is just," that is, instruction in conduct; and he calls "good way" the contemplation that leads to wisdom. "Beginning" also signifies the cause of a thing's existence, as in "I am the beginning and the end": the beginning as giving being, the end as the source of perfection. Here, then, the beginning is the instruction that introduces one to wisdom, consisting in the fear of God. For fear as a passion is the expectation of terrible things; those who come into fear of punishment turn away from wickedness. This should not properly be called fear of God, even if it touches those who fear "him who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna"; it is the fear that perfect love casts out. But the fear of God is true reverence in worship, by which one "greatly delights in his commandments" with a genuine longing, turning them into works; and it is the beginning of the wisdom of God by way of introduction. You will find it in its fullest form in the one who has been perfected in wisdom, of whom it is said that "there is no want to those who fear God." Verse 7: "And piety toward God is the beginning of perception." Of divine perception, that of the inner man, by which we see the true light, hear the hidden oracles, feed on the bread of life, perceive the fragrance ### Scripture references - Ps 69:2 (68:3 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 69:14 (68:15 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 1:5: quotation, high confidence - Prov 1:6: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 2:13: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 2:14: quotation, high confidence - Prov 1:7: quotation, high confidence - Prov 16:12: quotation, high confidence - Prov 16:7: quotation, high confidence - Rev 22:13: quotation, high confidence - Matt 10:28: quotation, high confidence - 1 John 4:18: allusion, high confidence - Ps 112:1 (111:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 34:9 (33:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - "I came into the depths of the sea …": Ps 69:2 (68:3 LXX). "May I be delivered from those who hate me …": Ps 69:14 (68:15 LXX). "Spiritual things are interpreted by spiritual" and "the natural man …": 1 Cor 2:13–14. "With righteousness is the throne of rule": Prov 16:12. "The beginning of a good way …": Prov 16:7 (Septuagint addition). "I am the beginning and the end": Rev 21:6; 22:13. "Him who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna": Matt 10:28. "Perfect love casts out fear": 1 John 4:18. "Greatly delights in his commandments": Ps 112:1 (111:1 LXX). "There is no want to those who fear God": Ps 34:9 (33:10 LXX). - Prov 1:7 in the Septuagint adds "and piety toward God is the beginning of perception". ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 155 (PG 17:156a–156d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-155). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 157 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-157 - Source: PG 17:157a–157d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The father's instruction is Scripture and the mother's precepts are the church's unwritten traditions; the harlot of Proverbs is false teaching, and the seeds of virtue can never be wholly destroyed. ### Greek text Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἁπτόμεθα τοῦ λόγου τῆς ζωῆς. Ταύτη ἀρχὴ τῆς αἰσθήσεως, ὴ πρὸς Θεὸν εύσέβεια,τουτέστιν ἓὲέίξ Υἱὲ, νόμουςΔ πατρός σου, καὶ μὴ ἀπώσθη θεσμοὺς μητρός σου. Πατρὺς μὲν ἀκούομεν λόγους,τῆς Γραφῆς· μητρὸς δὲ τάς ἀγράφους παραδόσεις τῆς Ἐκκλησίαςο ὁποῖον τὸ νηστεύειν ὲν παρασκευαῖς, καὶ ἕτερα τοιαῦτα. Ὥστε φησί· Μὴ πάντα θέλε ἀπὸ γραμμάτων ἀκούειν. Ἐστι δὲ καὶ τοὺς φυσικοὺς νοεῖν πατέρας, ἢ καὶτοὺς πνευματικοὺς νοεῖν διδασκάλους. Καὶ γὰρ τούτων μήτηρ ἡ Ἐκκλησία. Στίχ. θʼ. Στέφανον γὰρ χαρίτων δέξῃ σῇ κορυφῇ. Ἀλλά καὶ χάρισι Θεοῦ πολλαῖς σωζόμεθα. Στίχ. κεʼ. Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὀρθὰ βλεπέτωσαν. Ὀρθά ὁρῶσιν oi λογισμοὺς ἔχοντες ἀπαθεῖς καὶ δόγματα ἀληθῆ. Ὅτ ἂν λέγῃ· Ol ὀφθαλμοί σου ὀρθὰ βλεπέτωσαν, τὴν ὅρασιν δηλοῖ τῆς ψυχῆς. Καὶ ὅτʼ ἀν παραινῇʼΦάγε μέλι, υἱὲ, ἵνα γλυκανθῇ ὁλάρυτξ σου, μέλι τροπικῶς τὴν θείαν λέγει διδασκαλίαν, ἥτις τὴν πνευματικὴν καταρτίζει γνῶσιν. Ἀλλά καὶ ἀπτεται ψυχῆς ἡ σοφίαο Ἐράσθητι γὰρ αὐτῆς, ἵνα σε παραλάβῃ. Ψυχὴ δὲ, διά περιπλοκῆς σοφίᾳ ἐνωθεῖσα, ἀγιασμοῦ πληροῦται καὶ καθαρότητος. Ἔτι γε μὴν τῶν Χριστοῦ μύρων ἡ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀντιλαμβάνεται ὄσφρησις. Στίχ. γἠΜὴ πρόσεχειεραύλῃ γυναικί ο μέλι γὰρ ἀποστάζει ἀπὸ χειλέων γυναικός. Μὴ πρόσεχε ἀπατηλῇ διδασκαλίᾳ, διὰ τῆς χρηστολογίας δελεαζούσῃ. Στίχ. δʼ. ’Ύστερον μέντοι πικρότερον χολῆς eam. σεις, καὶ ἠκονημένον μᾶλλον μαχαίρας διστόμου. Μάχαιραν λέγει τὴν τιμωρίαν, κατά τό· Τραυματίαι μαχαίρας μου ἐστέ · ἢ τὴν κρίσιν, ἥτις ἐστὶν ὼς μάχαιρα ὀξεῖα ὲξερευνῶσα τὰ κρυπτά τῆς καρδίας. Στίχ. ςʼ. Σφαλεραὶ δὲ al τροχαί αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐκ Σφαλεραὶ αἱ τροχαὶ αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐκ εὖγνωστοι, διότι ἀπὸ κακῶν εἰς κακὰ ἀνακυλιομένη ὲκ τῆς μακρᾶς τῶν ἀγαπώντων αὐτὴν συνηθείας · σφαλερὰ οὖσα, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀποστεροῦσα, καὶ εἰς γέενναν παραπέμπουσα. Στίχ. ιαʼ. Ἠνίκα ἂν κατατριβῶσι σάρκες σώματός Διά τοῦ κατατριὸἦναι τάς σάρκας, τὴν ἀκολασίαν δηλοῖ, φθοράν τινα οὖσαν. Διά δὲ τῶν κακιῶν οἱ πολλοὶ κατατρίβουσι τὰς τοῦ Χριστοῦ σάρκας, καὶ το αἷμα καταναλίσκουσι, κοινὸν αὐτὸ ἡγησάμενοι. Στίχ. ιδʼ. Παρʼ ὀλίγον ἐγενόμην ἐν παντὶ κακῷ. Παρ ὀλίγον ἐγενόμην. Ἦν ὅτε οὐκ ἦν κακία, καὶ ἔσται ὅτε οὐκ ἔσται. Ούκ ἦν δὲ, ὅτε ούκ ἦν ἀρετὴ, οὐδὲ ἔσται ὅτε ούκ ἔσται. Ἀνεξάλειπτα γὰρ τὰ σπέρματα τῆς ἀρετῆς. Πείθει δέ με καὶ οὗτος ο Παρʼ (ul. γον, καὶ οὐκ ἐν παντί κακῷ γεγονώς · καὶ ό πλού- ### English translation (Claude) of Christ, and touch the word of life. This is the beginning of perception: piety toward God, that is, … [Prov 1:8] Verse 8: "Hear, son, the instruction of your father, and do not reject the precepts of your mother." By "father" we understand the words of Scripture; by "mother", the unwritten traditions of the church, such as fasting on Fridays and other things of the kind. So he says: Do not wish to hear everything from writings. One may also understand natural fathers, or else spiritual teachers; for the church is their mother too. [Prov 1:9] Verse 9: "For you will receive a crown of graces on your head." For we are saved by many graces of God. [Prov 4:25] Verse 25: "Let your eyes look straight." Those see straight who have thoughts free of passion and true doctrines. When he says, "Let your eyes look straight," he indicates the sight of the soul. And when he urges, "Eat honey, son, that your throat may be sweetened," by honey he means figuratively the divine teaching, which perfects spiritual knowledge. But wisdom also touches the soul: "Love her, that she may embrace you." And the soul, united to wisdom in an embrace, is filled with holiness and purity. Moreover, the soul's sense of smell perceives the ointments of Christ. [Prov 5:3] Verse 3: "Do not attend to a worthless woman; for honey drips from the lips of a harlot woman." Do not attend to deceitful teaching that entices by fine words. [Prov 5:4] Verse 4: "But afterwards you will find it more bitter than gall, and sharper than a two-edged sword." He calls punishment a sword, as in "You are wounded by my sword"; or else the judgment, which is like a sharp sword searching out the hidden things of the heart. [Prov 5:6] Verse 6: "And her paths are slippery and not easily known." Her paths are slippery and not easily known, because, through the long familiarity of those who love her, she rolls on from evils to evils; she is slippery, she deprives of the kingdom of heaven, and she sends to Gehenna. [Prov 5:11] Verse 11: "When the flesh of your body is worn away." By the wearing away of the flesh he indicates licentiousness, which is a kind of corruption. And through their vices many wear away the flesh of Christ and squander his blood, counting it common. [Prov 5:14] Verse 14: "I was nearly in every evil." "I was nearly." There was a time when wickedness was not, and there will be a time when it will not be. But there was never a time when virtue was not, nor will there be a time when it will not be; for the seeds of virtue cannot be blotted out. This man too persuades me of it, who was "nearly" but not in every evil; and so does the rich man ### Scripture references - Prov 1:7: allusion, high confidence - 1 John 1:1: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 1:8: quotation, high confidence - Prov 1:9: quotation, high confidence - Prov 4:25: quotation, high confidence - Prov 24:13: quotation, high confidence - Prov 4:6: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 4:8: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 5:3: quotation, high confidence - Prov 5:4: quotation, high confidence - Heb 4:12: allusion, high confidence - Prov 5:6: quotation, high confidence - Prov 5:11: quotation, high confidence - Heb 10:29: allusion, high confidence - Prov 5:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - A garbled phrase at the beginning is marked "…". - "Fridays" translates παρασκευαί (days of preparation); the comment counts the Friday fast among the church's unwritten traditions. - "Eat honey, son …": Prov 24:13. "Love her, that she may embrace you": compare Prov 4:6, 8. "You are wounded by my sword": source uncertain. "A sharp sword searching the hidden things": Heb 4:12. "Counting his blood common": Heb 10:29. - "There was a time when wickedness was not" (and never a time when virtue was not) is a teaching on the origin of evil; translated as written. Migne's footnote, leaked into the end of the section, has been removed. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 157 (PG 17:157a–157d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-157). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 159 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-159 - Source: PG 17:160a–160d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The adulteress and strange woman of Proverbs are false and pagan teaching, the ruler's table is the prophets read spiritually, and the leech of Prov 30 is the devil. ### Greek text ιιος ἐν τῷ ᾄδῃ διά τὴν κακίαν κρινόμενος, καιοίκτείρων τοὺς ἀδελφούς. Τὸ δὲέλεείν σπέρμα τὸ κάλλιστον τῆς ἀρετῆς. ΚΕΦ. ςʼ. Στίχ. κδʼ. Τοῦ διαφυλάσσειν σε ἀπὸ γυναικὸς ὑπάνδρου. Τῆς τῶν ἑτεροδόξων διδασκαλίας καὶ τοῦ συκοφάντου αὐτῶν λόγου. Στίχ. κεʼ. Μηδὲ συΥαρπᾳσθῇξ ἀπὸ τῶν αὐτῆς Μή σε συναρπάσῃ τὰ γοητεύματα τῆς κεκομψευςμένης φράσεως. ΚΕΦ. Z'. 24.41.99. Ἀπὸ. γυναωέὸς ἀλλοτρίαςβρζ firmavit. ἐάν σε,λόγοις τοῖς πρὸς χάριν ἐμβάληται. Τῆς πολυθέου διδασκαλίας. Ἡδέα γὰρ διδάσκει στωμύλος οὖσα, ἡδονὴν καὶ φιλοχρηματίαν. ΚΕΦ. 1Δʼ. Στίχ. κον. ’0 μὴ συμπεριφερόμενος τῷ ἑαυτοῦ οἷκφ κληρονομήσει ἄνεμον. Γυναικὶ μὲν, ὡς ἀσθενεστέρων σκεύει ο τέκνοις, ἵνα μὴ άθυμῇ · ἀδελφῇ ὲν ἀνάγκαις γινόμενον χρήσιμον· δούλοις τὸ δίκαιον καὶ τὴν ἰσότητα παρέχοντα. ΚΕΦ. Kl". Στίχ. αʼ. Ἐὰν καθίσῃς δειπνεῖν ἐπὶ τραπέζης δυνάστου, νοητῶς νόει τὰ σαρατιθέμενά σοι. Στίχ. βʼ. Kal ἐπίβαλλε τὴν χεῖρά σου, εἰδὼς, ὅτι τοιαῦτα ἔδει παρασκευάσαι. Τράπεζα δυνάστου οί λόγοι τῶν προφητῶν. οὓς δεῖ άκούοντα καὶ ἀνάγοντα ἀπὸ τῆς ἱστορίας είς θεωρίαν, οὕτως ἁρπάζεσθαι αὐτούς. Μὴ στῇς, (patrima! μόνου τοῦ πράγματος, μηδὲ τῇ πρώτῃ άρκεσθῇς τροφῇ ’ δειπνῆσαι γάρ, οὐκ ἀριστῆσαι πρόκειται. Μὴ τοσοὖτον ἱστορικὸν, ὅσον διανοητικὺν ζήτει. Δυνάστου γὰρ προκειμένης τραπέζης, μηδὲν χαμαίζηλον, μʼβδὲν γεῶδες ἐπιζήτει τρέφεσθαι, ἀλλʼ εἴ τι πνευματικὸν καὶ οὐράνιον. ΚΕΦ. Λʼ. Στίχ. ιεʼ. Τῇ,βδέλλῃ τρεῖς θυγατέρες ἦσαν. ’ Βδέλλαδ διάβολος, ὡς τὺ τῶν ψυχῶν αἷμα, τουτέστι τὴν ζωτικὴν αὐτῶν δύναμιν, ὲκμυξῶν. Ἔχει δὲ Θυγατέρας, καὶ οὐχὶ υἱούς· οὐδὲν γάρ ἀνδρεῖον, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν ἡδονὴν ἐκθηλυμμένην. ’ᾼδης,ἢ κακία θυγάτηρ οὖσα τοῦ διαβόλου, ἀναιροῦσα ψυχάς καὶ κόρον οὐ λαμβάνουσα· γυναικὸς ἔρως, ἢ ἄθεος διδασκαλία τῆς ἀπάτης μὴ πληρουμένη· γῆ τε οὐκ ἐμπιπλαμένη ὓδατος, ψυχὴ ψαμμώδης καὶ ἄγονος, ποτιζομὲνη μὲν ἀεὶ ταῖς Γ ραφαῖς, μηδὲν δὲ βελτιουμένη· ἐφʼ αἷς πάσαις πῦρ ἐστι τῶν κολάσεων. ### English translation (Claude) in Hades, judged for his wickedness, yet pitying his brothers. And to pity is the finest seed of virtue. [Prov 6:24] Chapter 6, verse 24: "To keep you from a married woman." From the teaching of those who hold other doctrines and their slanderous word. [Prov 6:25] Verse 25: "Nor be carried off by her …" Let not the sorceries of her elegant phrasing carry you off. [Prov 7:5] Chapter 7, verse 5: "From the strange woman …, if she assails you with words that charm." The teaching of many gods. For she teaches sweet things, being glib: pleasure and love of money. [Prov 11:29] Chapter 11, verse 29: "He who does not deal kindly with his own house will inherit wind." Dealing kindly with his wife, as with the weaker vessel; with his children, so that they do not lose heart; with a sister, being useful in her needs; with his slaves, giving them what is just and fair. [Prov 23:1] Chapter 23, verse 1: "If you sit to dine at a ruler's table, understand intelligently what is set before you," [Prov 23:2] verse 2: "and put out your hand, knowing that you must prepare such things." The ruler's table is the words of the prophets, which one must hear, lift up from the history to contemplation, and so seize them eagerly. Do not stop at the bare event, nor be content with the first course; you are invited to dine, not to breakfast. Seek not so much the historical as the intellectual meaning. For since it is a ruler's table that is set before you, seek to be fed on nothing low, nothing earthy, but on whatever is spiritual and heavenly. [Prov 30:15] Chapter 30, verse 15: "The leech had three daughters." The leech is the devil, since he sucks out the blood of souls, that is, their vital power. He has daughters and not sons; for there is nothing manly about him, but all pleasure made effeminate. Hades, or wickedness, is a daughter of the devil, destroying souls and never having its fill; the love of a woman, or the godless teaching of deceit, which is never filled; and the earth not filled with water, a sandy and barren soul, always watered by the Scriptures but none the better; and upon all of them is the fire of punishments. ### Scripture references - Luke 16:27: allusion, high confidence - Prov 6:24: quotation, high confidence - Prov 6:25: quotation, high confidence - Prov 7:5: quotation, high confidence - Prov 11:29: quotation, high confidence - 1 Pet 3:7: allusion, high confidence - Col 3:21: allusion, high confidence - Col 4:1: allusion, high confidence - Prov 23:1: quotation, high confidence - Prov 23:2: quotation, high confidence - Prov 30:15: quotation, high confidence - Prov 30:16: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The rich man in Hades who pities his brothers: Luke 16:27–28. - "The weaker vessel": 1 Pet 3:7. Children who lose heart: Col 3:21. What is just and fair to slaves: Col 4:1. - The Septuagint of Prov 30:15–16 names Hades, the love of a woman, Tartarus, earth not filled with water, and fire. The catena's chapter numbers follow the Septuagint, which here agrees with the English Bible. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 159 (PG 17:160a–160d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-159). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 163 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-163 - Source: PG 17:164a–164d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Those who lack the fear of God are insensible to wisdom, like those who reject the Old Testament; the soul that goes out from wickedness becomes the broad place where Wisdom speaks. ### Greek text ιδι τῶν ῥημάτων καὶτῶν νοημάτωνʼ 6 δέ νοῦς, θεωρία τῶν νοητῶν. ’Ὠσπερ διὰ τῶν αἰσθήσεων 6 νοῦς ἐπιβάλλει τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς, οὕτω καὶ διὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐποπτεύει τὰ νοητά· διόπερ καὶ αἰσθήσεως αὑτὸν λόγον ἐπέχειν 6 σοφὸς Σολομὼν ἡμᾶς διδάσκει. Οἱ κτώμενοι κακίαν, τῷ κακοὶ εἶναι ἐξουδενοῦσι σοφίαν· καὶ μὴ ἔχοντες φόβον τὸν ποιοῦντα ἀρχὴν αίσθήσεως, ἀναισθητοῦσι καὶ ἐξουδενοῦσι σοφίαν· πῶς; τῷ μὴ πράττειν μηδὲ μετιέναι· πᾶς γὰρ δτά φαῦλα πράττων, μισεῖ τὸ φῶςο ἀλλʼ 06 παρά τὴν οἰκείαν φύσιν ἀτιμάζεται, ἀλλά παρά τὴν ἐκείνων ἄγνοιαν· ἀλλʼ οί εὐσεβεῖς αἱροῦνται τὴν παιδείαν, ἵνα τὴν ψυχὴν καθαρθέντες, εἰσδέξωνται τὴν είς κακότεχνον ψυχὴν μὴ εὲσιοῦσαν σοςςίαν· οἱδὲ μὴ ἔχοντες φόδονΘεοῦ, τὸν ποιοῦντα ἀρχὴν αἰσθήσεως, ἀναισθητοῦσι σοιρίας καὶ παιδείας, καὶ ὲξουθενοῦσιν ἀμψότερα ὡς οί τὴν Παλαιὰν μὴ δεχόμενοι, καὶτὸν Δη μιουργον ὡς ὠμὸν διαβάλλοντες. ’Ὠσπερ ἡ κορυφὴ καὶ 6 τράχηλος δηλοῖ ἐνταῦθα τὸν νοῦν, οὕτω γαὶ 6 στέφανος καὶ 6 κλοιὸς ἐνταῦθα σημαίνει τὴν γνῶσινο αῦτη γάρ ἡ συνήθεια τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου, πολλοῖς ὀνόμασιν ὠνόμασε τὸνθεόν τε καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὑτοῦ, καὶ τὸν νοῦν, καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν, καὶ τὴν γνῶσιν, καὶ τὴν ἀγνωσίαν, καὶ τὴν κακίαν, καὶ αὑτὸν τὸν διάβολον καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦʼ οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ τίθησι τὰ ὀνόματα, ῶς τινες οἴονται· διαφόρων ἐνεργειῶν εἰσὶ γνωρίσματα· Θεοῦ δὲ διά τῶν ἀγγέλων ἡμῖν ἐνεργοῦντος, καὶ ἡμῶν ἐν αὐτῷ, δαιμόνων τε πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Οὗτοι συγκλη ρονόμοι τῶν ἀντικειμένων εἰσὶν, οί τῆς αὐτῆς αὐτοῖς κακίας μεταλαμβάνοντες· κοινὸν δέ ἐστιν, 6 μὴ τοῦ ἐνὸς ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ· ὅρα δὲ ὁμόνοιαν πονη ράν καὶ ὄλεθρον. Δίκτυόν ἐστι κόλασις αἰώνιος, καὶ πολυσχιδὴς τιμωρία παρά τοῦ δικαίου κριτοῦ ταῖς ἀκαθάρτοις προσαγομένη ψυχαῖς ἐπʼ ἀπωλείᾳ τῶν κακῶς ὲκφύντων πτερῶν· πτερωτά δὲ, ἡμεῖς οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ δύναμιν ἐάν θέλωμεν ἔχοντες τοῦ ἀναπτῆναι. Ἔξοδον νῦν ὀνομάζει τὴν ἐξελθοῦσαν ψυχὴν ἀπὸ κακίας καὶ ἀγνωσίας· τοιαύτη δὲ ἔξοδος τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, ἡ μετά τὴν ἐκ τῆς κρίσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ διδασκαλίας γένεσιν γεγονυῖα· τὴν αὐτὴν δὲ ψυχὴν καὶ πλατεῖαν λέγει ο ι Πλάτυνον γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸ στόμα σου, καὶ πλη ρώσω αὐτό· ι καὶ ι πλατύνθητε, φησὶ, καὶ ὑμεῖς, ι ἐν τῇ πρὸς Κορινθίους 6 Παῦλος καὶ ὑπὸ μὲν τῆς οὕτως ἐξερχομένης ψυχῆς, ὑμνεῖται ἡ σοφία· ἐν δὲ γῇ πλατυνομένῃ διὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν, παρρησίαν ἄγει. Ἀκρων δὲ τειχέων αὐτῆς, τὴν ἄκραν ἀπάθειαν λέγειʼ εἴπερ οἱ ἀγαπῶντες τὸν νόμον, παραβάλλουσιν ἑαυτοῖς τεῖχος· ὑπὲρ οῦ τείχους εὔχεται καὶ 6 Δαυῖδ λέγωνʼ ι Οἱκοδομηθήτω τά τείχη Ἰερουσαλὴμ, ι τουτέστι τῆς τοιᾶσδε ψυχῆς τὰ καταπεπτωκότα, δηλονότι ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Οὐρίου προφάσεως. Πῶς οὖν ἔμπροσθέν φησινὸ Σολομῶν· ι ’0 δέ ἐπιχαίρων ### English translation (Claude) … of words and thoughts; and mind is the contemplation of intelligible things. Just as through the senses the mind applies itself to things perceived by the senses, so through the virtues it beholds intelligible things; that is why wise Solomon teaches us that piety holds the place of the principle of perception. [Prov 1:7] Those who acquire wickedness set wisdom at nought by being wicked; and not having the fear that makes the beginning of perception, they become insensible and set wisdom at nought. How? By not practising it nor pursuing it; for "everyone who does evil hates the light." Yet wisdom is not dishonoured by its own nature, but by their ignorance. The pious, however, choose instruction, so that, being purified in soul, they may receive wisdom, which does not enter a soul that devises evil. But those who do not have the fear of God that makes the beginning of perception are insensible to wisdom and instruction, and set both at nought, like those who do not accept the Old Testament and slander the Creator as cruel. [Prov 1:9] Just as the head and the neck here signify the mind, so the crown and the collar here signify knowledge. For this is the custom of the Holy Spirit: he has given many names to God and his angels, to the mind, to virtue and knowledge, to ignorance and wickedness, and to the devil himself and his angels. He does not set down the names at random, as some think; they are marks of different activities: of God working on us through the angels, and of us in him, and of demons against us. [Prov 1:14] These are joint heirs with the adversaries, who share in the same wickedness as they; and "common" is what does not belong to the one God. See an evil concord, and destruction. [Prov 1:17] The net is eternal punishment, the manifold penalty brought by the just Judge on unclean souls for the destruction of wings that have grown wrongly. And the winged ones are we human beings, who have the power, if we wish, to fly up. [Prov 1:20] He now calls "ways out" the soul that has gone out from wickedness and ignorance. Such was the exodus of the children of Israel, which took place after the birth that comes from God's judgment and teaching. And he calls the same soul "broad": "Open wide your mouth," it says, "and I will fill it"; and "You too, be widened," says Paul in the letter to the Corinthians. By the soul that goes out in this way wisdom is hymned; and in a land widened by the virtues she speaks boldly. [Prov 1:21] By "the tops of her walls" he means the highest freedom from passion; for those who love the law set a wall about themselves, and for that wall David too prays, saying: "Let the walls of Jerusalem be built," that is, the parts of such a soul that had fallen down, clearly on the occasion of Uriah. [Prov 1:26] How then does Solomon say earlier, "He who rejoices over ### Scripture references - Prov 1:7: allusion, high confidence - John 3:20: quotation, high confidence - Prov 1:9: allusion, high confidence - Prov 1:14: allusion, high confidence - Prov 1:17: allusion, high confidence - Prov 1:20: allusion, high confidence - Ps 81:10 (80:11 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 2 Cor 6:13: quotation, high confidence - Prov 1:21: allusion, high confidence - Ps 51:18 (50:20 LXX): quotation, high confidence - 2 Sam 11:15: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 1:26: allusion, high confidence - Prov 17:5: quotation, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Wis 1:4 (Wisdom of Solomon): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The section begins in mid-sentence; from here the catena gives a second, fuller series of notes on Proverbs, beginning again at Prov 1:7. - "Everyone who does evil hates the light": John 3:20. Wisdom does not enter a soul that devises evil: Wis 1:4. "Those who do not accept the Old Testament and slander the Creator as cruel" refers to the Marcionites; translated as written. - "Open wide your mouth …": Ps 81:10 (80:11 LXX). "You too, be widened": 2 Cor 6:13. "Let the walls of Jerusalem be built": Ps 51:18 (50:20 LXX). Uriah: 2 Sam 11. "He who rejoices over one who perishes …": Prov 17:5 (Septuagint). - "Freedom from passion" (ἀπάθεια) is a characteristic term of Evagrius. A footnote marker leaked into the text has been removed. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 163 (PG 17:164a–164d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-163). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 165 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-165 - Source: PG 17:165a–165d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Wisdom "rejoices" over the destruction of sin in the converted, all people stand between angels and demons, and the evil counsel that forsook its youth is the devil. ### Greek text ἀπολλυμένῳ οὐκ ἀθοκοθήσεται; ι Ἢ τάχα οὕτως χαίρει ἡ σοφία, ὡς ἐχάρη ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπωλείᾳ Ματθαίου τοῦ τελώνου, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ λῃστοῦ ἀπωλείᾳ πιστεύσαντος τῷ Χριστῷ; τοῦ μὲν γὰρ, τὸν λῃστὴν ἡ σοφίαʼ τοῦ δὲ, τὸν τελώνην ἀπώλεσε. Πολιορκία ἐστὶ διδασκαλία ἠθικὴ, τὴν κακῶς οἰκοδομηθεῖσαν ψυχὴν καταστρέφουσα ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ πολιορκίᾳ. Ὥσπερ τὰ νήπια μεταξὺ δικαίων καὶ ἀδίκων εἰσὶν, οὕτω καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι μεταξὺ ἀγγέλων τε καὶ δαιμόνων εἰσὶ, μήτε δαίμονες ὄντες μήτε ἄγγελοι χρηματίζοντες, μέχρι τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος· ἡδίκουν δὲ νηπίους, εἷπε, περὶ ὧν Χριστὸς ἔφη· Μὴ σκανδαλίσητε ἕνα τῶν μικρῶν τούτων. ’0 ἀπαθὴς ἡσυχάζει ἀφόβως ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ λογισμοῦ, καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγον κατασκηνώσει ὲν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦο ὼς ἀκούσας καὶ φυλάξας τὰ προστάγματα αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἧλπισεν ἐπʼ αὐτόν. Οὕτως κρύπτει ἐντολὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ 6 ποιῶν αὐτὴν, ἣ ὁ μὴ ἐπὶ κενοδοξία ποιῶψ ὅθεν καὶ οἱ δαίμονες ἐκ τοῦ μὴ συγχωρεῖν αὐτὴν ποιεῖν ἡμᾶς, ἁρπάζειν λέγονται. Τότε συνήσεις πῶςὸ φόβος τοῦ Κυρίου ἀρχὴ σοφίας ἐστὶν, καὶ πῶς τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ γνώσεως γίνεται πρόξενος, ὃταν ὲν πίστει καὶ πόθῳ αύτῷ ὑπάρχῃς προσδεής· προϋπάρξαι δὲ δεῖ σοφίαν καὶ σύνεσιν, πρὸς τὸ δυνηθῆναι συνεῖναι φόβον ’Κυρίοψ προσάξωμεν δὲ c ταῦτα τοῖς τὴν σοφίαν καὶ σύνεσιν ὲξουθενοῦσι καταφεύγειν δὲ βουλομένοις ἐπὶ τὸ φοβεῖσθαι τὸν Θεὸν, ὡς ἐπὶ εὐχερὲς πρᾶγμα. Χριστοῦ γὰρ μὴ ῥυομένου, ὼς ἀγαθὴν ὁδεύσομεν τὴν κακήν· ἅγιοι μὲν γάρ πάντα λέγουσι πιστά· τὰ δὲ οὔ· ὸ δὲ διάβολος οὐδὲν πιστὸν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, πίστεως ἄξιον ἄνδρα γὰρ νῦν τὸν διάβολον λέγει, ὡς ὲν Εὐαγγελίοις εἴ γε ἄνθρωπος πονηρὸς ἔσπειρε τὰ ζιζάνια· μεγίστη δὲ ὡς ἔοικεν ἐπιβουλὴ, τὸ περιτυχεῖν βουλῇ κακῇ, καὶ ἀνδράσι δολίοις καὶ ὑπούλοις καὶ πονηροις. Εἰ ἡ ποιά βουλὴ συντετριμμένη ἤγουν ἐσκοτισμένη, νοῦ κίνησίς ἐστιν, πῶς αῦτη ἀπέλιπεν διδασκαλίαν νεότητος; πῶς δὲ καὶ θείας ἐπελάθετο διαθήκηςς Ὠς γὰρ περὶ ζώου λογικοῦ, τῆς κακῆς βουλῆςὴ μῖν διαλέγεται. Ἦ νῦν βουλὴν κακὴν τὸν διάβολονλέγει· οὗτος γὰρ κακῶς ἐβουλεύσατο, εἰπώνʼ ι Ἐπάνω τῶν ἄστρων θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου, καὶ ἔσομαι ὅμοιος τῷ Ὑψίστῳο ι ἐπελάθετο δὲ τῆς θείας γνώσεως, καταλιπὼν τὴν διδασκαλίαν τῆς νεότητος· ἥτις νεότης τὴν προτέραν αὐτοῦ κατάστασιν δηλοῖ, καθʼ ἣν καὶ ζηλωτὸς ἦνʼ εί δὲ νέους δύναται συνετίζε ιν ἔνθα πολὺ τὸ δυσήνιον, μὴ παρούσης· πολλῷ μᾶλλον πρεσβύτῃ ὠφέλιμος. Ὅσοι καταλαμβάνονται ὑπὸ ἐνιαυτῶν ζωῆς, διὰ τῶν ἔργων τῆς μελλούσης ἀειζώου ζωῆς, οὗτοι καταλαμβάνουσι ### English translation (Claude) one who perishes will not go unpunished"? Or perhaps Wisdom rejoices in the way she rejoiced at the "perishing" of Matthew the tax collector, and at the perishing of the robber who believed in Christ? For in the one Wisdom destroyed the robber, and in the other the tax collector. [Prov 1:27] The siege is moral teaching, overthrowing the badly built soul when God lays siege to it. Just as infants are between the righteous and the unrighteous, so all human beings are between angels and demons, being neither demons nor yet called angels, until the consummation of the age. [Prov 1:32] He said "they wronged infants", of whom Christ said, "Do not cause one of these little ones to stumble." [Prov 1:33] The one who is free from passion rests without fear of any evil thought, and before long will dwell in the kingdom of God, as one who has heard and kept his commands, because he hoped in him. [Prov 2:1] One hides the commandment of God by doing it, or by not doing it for vainglory; which is why the demons too, by not allowing us to do it, are said to snatch it away. [Prov 2:5] Then you will understand how the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and how it brings about the knowledge of God, when in faith and longing you stand in need of him. But wisdom and understanding must be present beforehand for one to be able to understand the fear of the Lord. Let us put this before those who set wisdom and understanding at nought and wish to take refuge in fearing God as in something easy. [Prov 2:12] For if Christ does not deliver us, we shall walk the evil way as though it were good. The saints say everything that is faithful; others do not; and the devil says nothing faithful, that is, worthy of belief. For here he calls the devil "a man", as in the Gospels, since "an enemy man sowed the tares." And the greatest danger, it seems, is to meet with evil counsel and with deceitful, treacherous and wicked men. [Prov 2:17] If evil counsel, crushed or darkened, is a movement of the mind, how did it forsake the teaching of its youth? And how did it forget the divine covenant? For he speaks to us of evil counsel as of a rational living being. Or else he now calls the devil evil counsel; for he counselled evil when he said: "I will set my throne above the stars, and I will be like the Most High." And he forgot the divine knowledge, forsaking the teaching of his youth; this youth shows his former state, in which he too was admired. And if wisdom can give understanding to the young, where there is much unruliness, …, much more is she helpful to the old. [Prov 2:19] Those who are overtaken by the years of life, through the works of the life to come that lasts for ever, these overtake ### Scripture references - Prov 17:5: quotation, high confidence - Matt 9:9: allusion, high confidence - Luke 23:42: allusion, high confidence - Prov 1:27: allusion, high confidence - Prov 1:32: quotation, high confidence - Matt 18:6: quotation, high confidence - Prov 1:33: allusion, high confidence - Prov 2:1: allusion, high confidence - Prov 2:5: quotation, high confidence - Prov 2:12: allusion, high confidence - Matt 13:28: quotation, high confidence - Prov 2:17: allusion, high confidence - Isa 14:13: quotation, high confidence - Isa 14:14: quotation, high confidence - Prov 2:19: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Matthew the tax collector: Matt 9:9. The robber who believed: Luke 23:40–43. "Do not cause one of these little ones to stumble": Matt 18:6. "An enemy man sowed the tares": Matt 13:25, 28. "I will set my throne above the stars …": Isa 14:13–14. - The verses commented on are identified from the Septuagint of Prov 1:27–2:19 (Prov 1:27 "siege"; 1:32 "they wronged infants"; 1:33; 2:1 "if you hide my commandment"; 2:5; 2:12 "a man who says nothing faithful"; 2:17 "evil counsel which forsakes the teaching of youth"; 2:19 "they are not overtaken by the years of life"). A damaged phrase is marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 165 (PG 17:165a–165d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-165). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 167 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-167 - Source: PG 17:168a–168d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Those who keep God's law and receive his care praise him with every power of the soul; Wisdom is the tree of life, and the world founded by wisdom is a symbol of rational beings. ### Greek text τρίβους εὐθείας τῆς ἀταράχου καὶ ἀδιαστάτου ζωῆς· ού καταλαμβάνονται ὑπὸ τῶν οίκτειρμῶν αύτοῦ είς τὰς τρίβους τῆς εὐθείας ἀειζωης. -- Διώκοντας γὰρ δικαιοσύνην ἀγαπᾷ Κύριος, καὶ ού μὴ συγκαταλάβηται αὐτοὺς ἡ τοῦ πονηροῦ βουλή· ού καταλαμβάνουσι δὲ τρίβους εὐθείας ζωῆς· ούδέ μὴ ἀντιστρέψουσιν είς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, οἱ τῷ δια·βόλῳ πεποιθότες. Οὗτος ἐπιλανθάνεται τοῦ νόμου, 6 μὴ νομίμως βιούς· οῦτος δὲ μέμνηται τοῦ νόμου, 6 ζῶν κατʼ αὐτόν· καὶ οὗτος τηρεῖ τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ, 6 μὴ μόνον ποιῶν αύτά, ἀλλά καὶ ἄλλοις συμβουλευόμενος. Οὗτος δέ ἀπόλλυσιν αὐτὰ, ό μὴ βουλόμενος πράττειν αύτά, καὶ ἐτέρους κωλύων· ού γὰρ οί ἀκροαταὶ τοῦ νόμου δικαιωθήσονται. Ἴασις ἐστὶν ἡ ἐξ ἀρετῆς ὑγίεια τῇ πολιτείᾳ σου· ἡ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάρις καὶ ἐπιμέλεια τοῖς λογισμοῖς σου καὶ διανοήμασιν· ὅταν αἱ δυνάμεις τῆς ψυχῆς, ἡγουν at ἀρεταὶ, ἐπιμελείας τύχωσι, τὸ τηνικαῦτα ἐροῦσι πάντα τά ὀστᾶ μου· ι Κύριε, Κύριε, τίς ὅμοιός σοι; ι Ἐπιμελείας γὰρ τυχοῦσα ἡ μνημονευτικὴ δύναμις τῆς ψυχῆς, πάντως ἐρεῖ τόο ι Ἐμνήσθην τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ εύφράνθην. ι Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ηʼὀπτικὴ λέξει τό· ι Κατενόησατά ἔργα σου, καὶ ἐξέστην. ι Ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἡ ἐπιθυμητική· ι Κύριε, ἐναντίον σου πᾶσα ἡ ἐπιθυμία μον» ἐρεῖ δέ καὶ ἡ λαγική· σΔιελογισάμην ἡμέρας ἀρχαίας. ι Κατά ταῦτα συμβήσεται καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀλλων δυνάμεων. Τουτέστιτοῖς βουλομένοις ούδέν δύσκολον ἔχοι, καθάπερ ἡ τῶν χρημάτων ἐπιθυμία· νοῦς καθαρὸς ἐγγίζει σοφία· ἐπειδὴ τὸ εῦ γινώσκει· 6 δέ ἀκάθαρτος μακρυνθή σεται ἀπʼ αὐτῆς. Τούτου τοῦ ξύλου μετά τὴν παράβασιν 6 ’Ᾱδάμ μεταλαμβάνειν κωλύεται· εῐπερ ἀπὸ καρπῶν δικαιοσύνης φυτεύεται δένδρον ζωῆς· τὸ δὲ δένδρον ζωῆς, ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφία ἐστί· δικαίως δὲ ἅψασθαι κεκώλυται τούτου τοῦ ξύλου πᾶς παράνομος. ὐ Θεὸς τῇ μὲν σοφία καὶ τὴν γῆν ἐθεμελίωσε· διὰ δὲ τῆς αίσθήσεως αὐτοῦ ἐρρἀησαν ἄβυσσοι, τὰ δὲ νέφη ἐρρύησαν δρόσους· ἢν οῦν ἐνταῦθα γῆν εἷπε, Παῦλος 6 ἆγιος πλάτος ὠνόμασε ο καὶ τοὺς ἐνταῦθα οὐρανοὺς λεγομένους, ὕψος ἐκεῖνος ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἐφεσίους καλεῖ· καὶ τὰς λεγομένας τροπικῶς ἀβύσσους, ὀνομάζει βάθος· τά δεδροσωμένα νέφη, μῆκος καο λεῖ· ταῦτα δὲ πάντα λογικῶν ἐστι φύσεων σύμβολα, διαιρουμένων κόσμοις καὶ σώματι κατά ἀναλογίαν τῆς καταστάσεως· ἁρμόζει τοῦτο καὶ νῦν τῷ Υἱῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἀλλά καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ ὴ πιστὴ, γῆ ἐστιν ἐκατονταπλασίον καρποφοροῦσα· αῦτη δὲ ἐκ τῆς πιότητος, ἥτις ἐστὶ σοφία, σοφή · θεμελιοῦντος αύτὴν ἐπʼ αὐτῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἐδράζει γὰρ αὐτὴν τὴν συναγωγὴν τῆς διδασκαλίας, καὶ πῆξιν ἀπὺ σοφίας ποιούμενος· καὶ ἀεὶ προκοπτούσης, ούρανδν ἀπεργάζεται, καθαρώτατον κτίσμα, ἀγγέλων τε καὶ τῶν νοερῶν ούσιῶν οἰκητήριον, λαβοῦσαν τε αἴσθησιν ### English translation (Claude) the straight paths of the untroubled and undivided life; they are not overtaken by his mercies into the paths of the straight, everlasting life. For "the Lord loves those who pursue righteousness," and the counsel of the evil one will not overtake them; but those who trust in the devil do not lay hold of the straight paths of life, nor will they turn back to the kingdom of God. [Prov 3:1] That man forgets the law who does not live lawfully; that man remembers the law who lives by it; that man keeps the words of God who not only does them but also counsels others to do them; but that man destroys them who is unwilling to do them and hinders others. For it is not the hearers of the law who will be justified. [Prov 3:8] Healing is the health that comes from virtue to your way of life; and the grace and care of God come to your reasonings and thoughts. When the powers of the soul, that is, the virtues, receive care, then "all my bones will say: Lord, Lord, who is like you?" For the remembering power of the soul, once it has received care, will surely say, "I remembered God and was glad"; likewise the power of sight will say, "I considered your works and was amazed"; the desiring power, "Lord, before you is all my desire"; and the reasoning power will say, "I considered the days of old." The same will happen with the other powers. [Prov 3:15] That is, she has nothing difficult for those who are willing, as the desire for money has. A pure mind draws near to wisdom, since it knows the good; but the impure will be far from her. [Prov 3:18] Adam, after the transgression, is prevented from partaking of this tree, since "from the fruits of righteousness a tree of life is planted"; and the tree of life is the wisdom of God. Justly, then, every lawless person is prevented from touching this tree. [Prov 3:19–20] God founded the earth by wisdom, and through his perception the depths broke open and the clouds poured out dew. What he here called earth, the holy Paul named breadth; the heavens spoken of here he calls height, in the letter to the Ephesians; the depths, spoken of figuratively, he names depth; and the dewy clouds he calls length. All these are symbols of rational natures, distributed among worlds and bodies in proportion to their state. This also fits the Son of God. But the faithful soul too is earth bearing fruit a hundredfold; and it is wise from its fatness, which is wisdom, since God founds it upon wisdom; for he settles it, making the gathering of teaching and its firmness out of wisdom; and as it ever advances he makes it heaven, the purest creation, the dwelling of angels and of intelligent beings, having received perception ### Scripture references - Prov 2:19: allusion, high confidence - Prov 15:9: quotation, high confidence - Prov 3:1: allusion, high confidence - Rom 2:13: quotation, high confidence - Prov 3:8: allusion, high confidence - Ps 35:10 (34:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 77:3 (76:4 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Hab 3:2: quotation, high confidence - Ps 38:9 (37:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 77:5 (76:6 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 3:15: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 3:18: allusion, high confidence - Gen 3:22: allusion, high confidence - Prov 11:30: quotation, high confidence - Prov 3:19: quotation, high confidence - Prov 3:20: quotation, high confidence - Eph 3:18: allusion, high confidence - Matt 13:8: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The section continues the comment on Prov 2:19. "The Lord loves those who pursue righteousness": Prov 15:9. "Not the hearers of the law": Rom 2:13. - "All my bones will say …": Ps 35:10 (34:10 LXX). "I remembered God and was glad": Ps 77:3 (76:4 LXX). "I considered your works and was amazed": Hab 3:2 (Septuagint). "Lord, before you is all my desire": Ps 38:9 (37:10 LXX). "I considered the days of old": Ps 77:5 (76:6 LXX). - The verses commented on are identified from the Septuagint of Prov 3 (the catena gives no lemmas here). The tree of life: Gen 3:22–24; "from the fruits of righteousness a tree of life": Prov 11:30. Breadth, length, height and depth: Eph 3:18. Fruit a hundredfold: Matt 13:8. - The view that the creation symbolizes rational beings placed in "worlds and bodies" according to their state belongs to the Origenist and Evagrian tradition; translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 167 (PG 17:168a–168d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-167). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 169 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-169 - Source: PG 17:169a–169d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Demons cannot reach the mind given to wisdom; almsgiving and meekness drive away terrors; the Lord resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. ### Greek text τοῦ ὄντος, καὶ κατανοοῦσαν τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων ἀκρίβειαν, οἱονεὶ τὸ πολύμυθον τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ χριμάτων. Πρὸς μόνην τὴν σοφίαν ἀδυνατοῦσιν οἱ δαίμονες, λογισμοὺς ἐμβάλλειν είς τὴν καρδίαν τοῦ ’σεσοφισμένου μὴ συγχωρούμενοι· ὁ γὰρ νοῦς τοῖς τῆς σοφίας ἀντιποιούμενος θεωρήμασιν, ἀνεπίδεκτος γίνεται λογισμῶν ἀκαθάρτων, - Νοῦς καθαρὸς ἐγγίζει σοφία, ἐπειδὴ τὸ εὖ γινώσκει· ὀ δὲ ἀκάθαρτος μακρυνθήσεται ἀπʼ αὐτῆς. Πρόσκομμα λογικῆς φύσεώς ἐστι λογισμὸς ἀκάθαρτος, ἢ γνῶσις ψευδής· ὁ δὲ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ βουλῇ περιστοιχειούμενος, ὲν τούτοις ού προσκόπτει. Οὔτε ἔφοδος, φησὶ, πονηρῶν λογισμῶν φοβήσει τὸν γεγονότα σοφὸν, οὔτε ἀσεβεῖς ἔξωθεν ἐπιόντες τὴν αὐτοῦ καθαιρήσουσι δύναμιν, ἐρημῶσαι θέλοντες τῶν φύσει καλῶν· τὸν γὰρ ἀνάλωτον οὐδεὶς δυνήσεται λαβεῖν · καίτοι, τί τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς αὐθαδέστερον; Ἀλλά καὶ αὑτοῦ φησι τοῦ παντοδαποῦ θηρίου περιγενήσῃ, πρᾶος ὢν καὶ ἐπιεικὴς, τοῦ Κυρίου ὗντος μετὰ σοῦ · ἐντεῦθεν δὲ μανθάνομεν, ὼς ή ἐλεημοσύνη περιαιρεῖ φοβερὰς φαντασίας, νύκτωρ ἡμῖν συμβαινούσας, ἢ καὶ θεωρητικῶς ° οὑ μόνον δὲ, ἀλλά καὶτῶν ὲν τῇ μεταστάσει πονηρῶν κατηγοριῶν, καὶ τῶν ὲν τῇ κρίσει βλαπτικῶν κολάσεων περιαιρεῖ τοὺς οὗτοι φρονοῦντας· τὺ αὐτὸ δὲ ποιεῖ καὶ πραότας καὶ ἀοργησία, καὶ μακροθυμία, καὶ ὅσα πέφυκε -καταστέλλειν τὸν θυμὸν ταρασσόμενον· εἴπερ ὲκ τῆς ταραχῆς τοῦ θυμοῦ τὰ φοβερὰ φάσματα εῐωθε γίνεσθαι. Οὐ μόνον τῶν ἐδωδίμων μὴ ἀπόσχῃ εὖ ποιεῖν ὲνδεῆ, ἀλλά καὶ γνώσεως Θεοῦ καὶ σοφίας καὶ ἐντολῶν· καὶ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν Θεῷ φίλον καὶ πρὸς αὑτὸν οἰκειοῦν, μὴ ἀπόσχῃ εὖ ποιεῖν τῷ ἐνδεομένῳ σου. Αὕτη ἡ πρὸς τὸν πλησίον ἔχθρα ἀπεργάζεταί τινα κακὸν, ού μόνον σωματικὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ψυχικόν. Ἀγνοια Κυρίου ὲν οἴκοις ἀσεβῶν, γνῶσις δὲ βεοῦ ὲν ψυχαῖς δικαίων· ἐπαύλεις δικαίων εὐλογοῦνται, ὅταν ὁ Χριστὸς ἀπονέμῃ τά γέρα ἑκάστῳ κατά τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν · τοῖς ἀσεβέσι δὲ κατάραν καὶ οὐκ εὐλογίαν. Ἣ ἄκρα κακία καὶ εἰς τέλος ἐπηρμένη, ὑπερηφανία καλεῖται· ἀντιτάσσεται δὲ Κύριος τοῖς μὲν ἀδίκοις, ὼς δικαιοσύνη · τοῖς ψεύσταις, ὡς ἀλήθεια · τοῖς δὲ ὑπερηφάνοις, ὡς ταπεινοφροσύνη· διὸ καὶ τοῖς ταπεινά φρονοῦσι. φίλος ἐστί· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Δίδωσι χάριν ταπεινοῖς · τοῖς δὲ ὑπερηφάνοις ἀν· τιτάσσεται. Δόξαν οὐράνιον κληρονομήσουσιν οἱ τὴν ἔνθεον σοφίαν μαθόντες τε καὶ διδάξαντες · ὕψωσαν δὲ ἑαυτοῖς ἀτιμίαν οί ἀσεβεῖς ἐνώπιον ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀνθρώπων παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Παιδείαν, τὴν ἠθικὴν ἀρετὴν λέγει· ἔννοιαν, τὴν θείαν γνῶσιν· υίὸς δὲ ἀρετῶν ὁ κατʼ αὐτὰς πεποιωμένος, ### English translation (Claude) of what is, and coming to understand the exactness of things, as it were the many-sided wisdom of God's judgments. [Prov 3:21] Against wisdom alone the demons are powerless: they are not permitted to cast thoughts into the heart of the one made wise; for the mind that lays hold of the contemplations of wisdom becomes closed to unclean thoughts. A pure mind draws near to wisdom, since it knows the good; but the impure will be far from her. [Prov 3:23] The stumbling of a rational nature is an unclean thought or false knowledge; but the one surrounded by the counsel of God does not stumble in these. [Prov 3:25–26] Neither the attack of evil thoughts, he says, will frighten the one who has become wise, nor will the ungodly coming from outside destroy his strength, though they wish to strip him of what is good by nature; for no one will be able to take what cannot be captured. And yet what is more insolent than the ungodly? But you will overcome, he says, even the beast of every kind, being meek and gentle, since the Lord is with you. [Prov 3:24] From this we learn that almsgiving removes the frightening apparitions that come upon us at night, or even in contemplation; and not only these, but it also removes, from those who think in this way, the evil accusations at their departure and the harmful punishments at the judgment. The same is done by meekness, freedom from anger, long-suffering, and whatever by nature calms the troubled temper; for frightening apparitions usually arise from the disturbance of anger. [Prov 3:27] Do not refrain from doing good to the needy, not only with food, but also with knowledge of God, and wisdom, and commandments; and whatever is dear to God and brings one close to him, do not refrain from doing that good to the one who needs you. [Prov 3:29] This enmity toward one's neighbour works evil for someone, not only of the body but also of the soul. [Prov 3:33] Ignorance of the Lord is in the houses of the ungodly, but knowledge of God in the souls of the righteous. "The dwellings of the righteous are blessed" when Christ distributes the rewards to each according to his works; but to the ungodly he gives a curse and not a blessing. [Prov 3:34] Extreme wickedness, exalted to the utmost, is called pride. And the Lord resists the unrighteous as righteousness, liars as truth, and the proud as humility; that is why he is a friend to those who are humble in mind. This is the meaning of "He gives grace to the humble, but resists the proud." [Prov 3:35] Those who have learned and taught the divine wisdom will inherit heavenly glory; but the ungodly have raised up dishonour for themselves from Christ before angels and men. [Prov 4:1] By "instruction" he means moral virtue; by "understanding", divine knowledge; and a son of the virtues is one who has been formed according to them, ### Scripture references - Rom 11:33: allusion, low confidence - Prov 3:21: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 3:23: allusion, high confidence - Prov 3:25: allusion, high confidence - Prov 3:26: allusion, high confidence - Prov 3:24: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 3:27: quotation, high confidence - Prov 3:29: allusion, high confidence - Prov 3:33: quotation, high confidence - Matt 16:27: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 3:34: quotation, high confidence - Jas 4:6: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 3:35: allusion, high confidence - Prov 4:1: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint of Prov 3:21–4:1. "The Lord resists the proud …": Prov 3:34, as quoted in Jas 4:6 and 1 Pet 5:5. "To each according to his works": Matt 16:27. - "The many-sided wisdom of God's judgments" translates a garbled phrase by sense (compare Rom 11:33; Eph 3:10). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 169 (PG 17:169a–169d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-169). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 171 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-171 - Source: PG 17:172a–172d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The many ways of virtue lead to Christ the one way, the virtues are lamps in this night until the day of the age to come, and the ungodly do not even know that they sin. ### Greek text ὃς οὐκ ἄλλου χάριν, ἀλλʼ ἕνεκα τῆς ἀρετῆς τά κατʼ αὐτὴν ὲνε ργεῖ. Δῶρον ἀγαθὸν δωροῦμαι ὑμῖν, τὴν ἐπουράνιον βασιλείαν, ἐάν τὸν νόμον μου μὴ ἐγκαταλίπητε· σημειωτέον δέ ἐνταῦθα, ὅτι δῶρον ἀγαθὸν ὀνομάζει τὸν νοῦν, διά τὸν λαμδάνοντα δῶρα ἐν κόλπῳ ἀδίκως, καὶ μὴ κατευοδούμενον · ἐκεῖνα γάρ δῶρα ἄδικα, τά πράγματα λέγει τοῦ πονηροῦ, ᾰπερ 6 νοῦς δεχόμενος, οὐ κατευοδοῦται ἐν ταῖς όδοῖς αὑτοῦ. Στέφανος χαρίτων αί ἐντολαὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰσιν, αἱτινες τὸν στέφανον τῆς βασιλείας ἀντιπαρέχουσι τοῖς ποιοῦσιν αὑτάς ο στέφανος δὲ τρυφῆς ἡ γνῶσις η τοῦ Θεοῦ,ἥτις ὑπερασπίζουσα ἡμῶν, πάντα λογισμὸν ἐμπαθῆ, καὶ πᾶσαν γνῶσιν ψευδῆ ἀπωθεῖται. Αὖται αί πολλαὶ ὁδοὶ εἰς μίαν ἄγουσιν ὁδὸν, τὴν εἰποῦσαν · Ἐγώ είμι ἡ ὁδός ’ πολλάς δέ εἴρηκεν ὁδοὺς, τὰς ἀρετάς τὰς φερούσας ἐπὶ τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Πληθυνθήσεται δέ ἔτη ζωῆς τοῦ ἀκούοντος διά τῶν προφητῶν τοῦ ἐπουρανίου Πατρὸς, καὶ δεχομένου διά τοῦ μονογενοῦς Υἱοῦ τοὺς λόγους αὑτοῦ, είς τὸ κατευθυνθῆναι ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς τῆς δικαιοσύνης τοῦ βίου, ὅπως ἀποσωθῇ εἰς τὴν ἀείζωον ζωήν. Τούτου τοῦ στρατοῦ 6 τόπος ἐστὶν ἡ κακία καὶ ἡ ψευδώνυμος γνῶσις, καὶ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν ἄδεκτον τῷ Θεῷ πολέμιοι γάρ εἰσιν οἱ άσεὸεῖς λογισμοὶ, ψυχάς ἀποκτείνοντες. Ἐι τοῖς ἀγαπητοῖς αὑτοῦ δίδωσιν 6 Κύριος ῦπνοψ ot δὲ ἀσεβεῖς οὐκ εἰσὶν αὑτοῦ ἀγαπητοί· τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν ἄρα οὐ δίδωσιν ὕπνον 6 Κύριος· ἐντεῦθεν δι ἐστι καὶ πειθανῶς δεῖξαι, ὅτι οὺ καθεύδειν πεφύκασι δαίμονες. Προπορεύονται ἡμῶν at ἀρεταὶ. καὶ φωτίζουσιν ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ, δς πρὸς τὸν μέλλοντα, ἡ μέραν ὄντα, νὺξ λέγεται ' ἕως κατορθώσει ἡ ἡμέρα ἐν ᾕό τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος ἀνατέλλει. Ἦ ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἕως ἡμᾶς ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ καταστήσουσιν, οὐκ ἀφίστανται· τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμέρας ῐδιον, τὸ ’σκότος διαλύειν· ὅπερ οῦν καὶ Χριστὸς ἔλεγεν '0 περιπατῶν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ού προσκόπτει· τούναντίον δὲ αἱ τῶν ἀσεβῶν ο ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐκ ἔγνωσαν οὑδέ συνῆκαν, ἐν σκότει διαπορεύονταιʼ προσκόπτουσιν, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐχουσι συγγνώμην ὼς ἀγνοίᾳ προσπταίοντεςο αὐτοὶ γάρ ἐαυτοῖς τὸ σκότος εἰργάσαντο· δρα δὲ ὡς ἡ μὲν ἀρετὴ καὶ ἐν σκότει φῶς ἐποίησενο ἡ δέ κακία καὶ ἐν φωτὶ σκότος. - υὺδέ τὸν τρόπον πῶς ἁμαρτάνουσιν, ot ἀσεβεῖς ἐπίστανται· οὐδὲ τὴν αἰτίαν γινώσκουσι, πόθεν προσκόπτουσινο ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ῖσασιν, ὅτι παρανομοῦσιν· ὅπερ ἐστὶν γνώρισμα τῆς ἐσχάτης κακίας. Πηγάς λέγει τάς ἀρετὰς, ἀφʼ ῶν γεννᾶται τὸ ὕδωρ τ“ο ζῶν τῶν θείων ῥημάτων, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἡ γνῶσις τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ ό Δαυϊδ · Ὠφθησαν γάρ, φησὶν, αἱ πηγαὶ τῶν ὑδάτων, καὶ ἀνεκαλύφθησαν τά θεμέλια τῆς οἰκουμένης, παρά τὴν ἐπιδημίαν δηλονότι τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. 0! ὀφθαλμοί σου, εἶπεν, ὀρθά βλεπέτωσαν, τουτο ### English translation (Claude) one who does what accords with virtue for no other reason than for virtue's sake. [Prov 4:2] "I give you a good gift": the heavenly kingdom, if you do not forsake my law. Note here that he calls the mind a good gift, in contrast with the one who "receives gifts in his bosom unjustly and does not prosper"; for by those unjust gifts he means the things of the evil one, and the mind that receives them does not prosper in its ways. [Prov 4:9] The crown of graces is the commandments of God, which give the crown of the kingdom in return to those who do them; and the crown of delight is the knowledge of God, which shields us and drives away every passionate thought and all false knowledge. [Prov 4:11] These many ways lead to one way, the one who said: "I am the way"; by many ways he meant the virtues that bring one to the knowledge of God. [Prov 4:10] The years of life will be multiplied for the one who hears the heavenly Father through the prophets, and receives his words through the only-begotten Son, so that he may be directed in the ways of righteousness in this life and be saved for the life that lasts for ever. [Prov 4:15] The place of this army is wickedness and "knowledge falsely so called" and whatever is unacceptable to God; for ungodly thoughts are enemies, which kill souls. [Prov 4:16] If the Lord gives sleep to his beloved, and the ungodly are not his beloved, then the Lord does not give sleep to the ungodly; from this one can also show persuasively that demons by nature do not sleep. [Prov 4:18] The virtues go before us and give us light in the present life, which, compared with the life to come, which is day, is called night, "until the day is set right," the day on which the Sun of righteousness rises. Or else: they do not leave us until they have established us in safety; for this is the property of day, to dissolve darkness, as Christ too said: "He who walks in the day does not stumble." [Prov 4:19] The opposite is true of the ways of the ungodly: since they did not know or understand, they walk in darkness. They stumble, but they have no pardon, as if they stumbled through ignorance; for they made the darkness for themselves. See how virtue makes light even in darkness, and wickedness makes darkness even in light. The ungodly do not know the manner in which they sin, nor do they know the cause of their stumbling; they do not even know that they are transgressing, which is the mark of the utmost wickedness. [Prov 4:21] He calls the virtues springs, from which is born the living water of the divine words, which is the knowledge of Christ. And David says: "For the springs of the waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were uncovered," clearly at the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ. [Prov 4:25] "Let your eyes look straight," he said, that is, ### Scripture references - Prov 4:2: quotation, high confidence - Prov 17:23: quotation, high confidence - Prov 4:9: allusion, high confidence - Prov 4:11: allusion, high confidence - John 14:6: quotation, high confidence - Prov 4:10: allusion, high confidence - Prov 4:15: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Tim 6:20: allusion, high confidence - Prov 4:16: allusion, high confidence - Ps 127:2 (126:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 4:18: quotation, high confidence - Mal 4:2 (3:20 LXX): allusion, high confidence - John 11:9: quotation, high confidence - Prov 4:19: allusion, high confidence - Prov 4:21: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 18:15 (17:16 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 4:25: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint of Prov 4:2–25. "Receives gifts in his bosom unjustly …": Prov 17:23 (Septuagint). "I am the way": John 14:6. "Knowledge falsely so called": 1 Tim 6:20. Prov 4:15 (Septuagint): "in whatever place they encamp, do not go there." "He gives sleep to his beloved": Ps 127:2 (126:2 LXX). "Sun of righteousness": Mal 4:2. "He who walks in the day does not stumble": John 11:9. "The springs of the waters were seen …": Ps 18:15 (17:16 LXX). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 171 (PG 17:172a–172d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/151/#p-171). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 173 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/173/#p-173 - Source: PG 17:173a–173d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: False teaching, like the harlot, charms only the ear; the wicked profane Christ's flesh and blood; knowledge is a spring to the pure and a deep well to beginners. ### Greek text ἐστι τὰ Θεῴ μόνα φίλα, ἤγουν τὰ παρὰ τῶν προφητῶν ἡμῖν σαφηνισθέντα περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μόνου καὶ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ · καὶ ὅσα παρά τινος πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν οίκειοῦντα λαληθείη καὶ μόνον. ’ Συμφωνεῖ τούτοις τὸ, Ἐὰν μὴ Κύριος οίκοδομήσῃ οἶκον, καὶ φυλάξῃ πόλιν · τουτέστιν ἐὰν μὴ Κύριος διῦῃ ἡμῖν ἰσχὺν τοῦ κατευθῦναι τὰ πρὸς αὐτὸν διαδήματα, μάτην ἡμεῖς κοπιῶμεν, οἱ μὴ ἐν παρακλήσει αὑτὸν ἐπικαλούμενοι, ἀλλʼ ἐν αὑθαδείῃ ἐπιχειρουντες. Στωμυλεύονται γὰρ αἵτε πρόδηλοι πόρναι, καὶ αἱ τῶν ἑτεροδόξων διδασκαλίαι, ἀπατῶσαι διὰ τῆς χρηστολογίας τὰς τῶν ἀκάκων καρδίας· μεγίστη οὖν ἀσφάλεια τὸ μὴ ἁλῶναι τὴν ἀρχήν· ἁλόντα γὰρ, δύσκολον διαφυγεῖν. Μέχρι μὲν τῆς ἀκοῆς αὐτῶν, τὸ καλόν. Σημαίνει δὲ τὸ λῖπος τὴν ἡδονὴν, ἀφʼ ἦς τίκτεται ἡ ἀκαθαρσία ἧς ἔκγονον, κακία καὶ ἄγνοια· ὧν οὐδὲν ἔστι πικρότερον ἐν τοῖς γεγονόσιν εὑρεῖν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ. κρί-. σεως. Ἐντεῦθεν γινώσκομεν ὅτι τὸ θυμικὸν μέρος ἐπικρατεῖ ἐν τοῖς δαίμοσιν· ’Δνελεήμιων γὰρ, φησὶ, θυμὸς, καὶ ὀξεῖα ὀργὴ αὐτῶν δ θηρεύουσι γὰρ είς ἀπώλειαν τοὺς πειθαρχοῦντας αὐτοῖς ', οὕτω γὰρ τιμῶσι τοὺς τιμῶντας αὐτούς. Διά τῶν κακιῶν οἱ πονηροὶ κατατρίβουσι τὰς σάρκας τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τὸ αἷμα καταναλίσκουσι, κοινὸν αὐτὸ ἡγησάμενοι· ’0 τρώγων γάρ μου, «φησὶ, τὴν σάρκα, καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα, ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, κάγὼ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν ἐν ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέραν ὀ δὲ ἀναξίως ἐσθίων τὸ σῶμα καὶ πίνων τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Κυρίου, κρῖμα ἑαυτῷ ἐσθίει καὶ πίνει. ’Ἦν ὅτε οὐκ ἦν κακὸν, καὶ ἔσται ὅτε οὐκ ςέσται· ἀνεξάλειπτα γάρ τὰ σπέρματα τῆς ἀρετῆςʼ πείθει δέ με καὶ οὗτος παρʼ ὀλίγον, καὶ οὐ τελείως ἐν παντὶ κακῷ γεγονὼς ὁ πλούσιος ἐν τῷ ᾄδῃ διὰ κακίαν κρινόμενος, καὶ οἰκτείρων τοὺς ἀδελφούς· τὺ δὲ ἐλεεῖν, σπέρμα τυγχάνει τὸ κάλλιστον τῆς ἀρετῆς. Ἦ γνῶσις καὶ φρέαρ ἐστὶ καὶ πηγήʼ τοῖς, μὲν γὰρ,προσελθοῦσι ταῖς ἀρεταῖς, βαθὺ φρέαρ είναι δοκεῖ· τοῖς δέ ἀπαθέσι καὶ καθαροῖς, πηγή· οὓτω καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐκαθέζετο ἐπὶ τῇ πηγῇ, ὥρα ἦν ὡσεὶ ἐκτηπηγὴν δὲ νόει τὴν θείαν γνῶσιν, καὶ οὐ τὸ φρέαρ τοῦ ὕδατος· ὥσπερ δὲ ὴ πηγὴ πρόκειται ἀκόπως, τουτέστι τὸ τρέχον ὕδωρ τοῖς διψῶσιν, οὕτω τὸ φρέαρ ἐν κόπῳ τοῖς θέλουσιν ἀντλεῖν · καὶ ὥσπερ ἡ πηγὴ ἄπαυστός ἐστι τοῦ ῥεῖν, οὕτωςή αἰσθητικὴ γραφὴ ἀένναον ἔχει τὸν δρόμον, καὶ εὔκολον τοῖς διψῶσι τὸν Θεὸν γεραίρειν· καὶ ὥσπερ τὸ φρέαρ κόπον παρέχει τοῖς ἀντλοῦσιν, οὕτω καί ἡ θεωρητικὴ γνῶσις τοῖς θέλουσι διʼ αὐτῆς τὰς ἀρετὰς κατορθῶσαι, ψυχῆς τε καὶ σώματος, τά τε θεῖα ἐννοεῖν, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀντιποιηθῆναι. ### English translation (Claude) the things dear to God alone: namely, what the prophets made clear to us about Christ alone and his disciples, and whatever anyone may say that brings one close to Christ, and that only. [Prov 4:26] In agreement with this is: "Unless the Lord builds the house" and "guards the city"; that is, unless the Lord gives us strength to direct our steps toward him, we labour in vain, if we do not call on him in supplication but set about things in self-will. [Prov 5:3] For both open harlots and the teachings of those who hold other doctrines are glib, deceiving the hearts of the innocent by fine speech. The greatest safety, then, is not to be caught at the start; for once caught, it is hard to escape. Their charm lasts only as far as hearing them. Fat signifies pleasure, from which is born uncleanness, whose offspring are wickedness and ignorance; nothing more bitter than these will be found among created things on the day of judgment. [Prov 5:9] From this we know that the irascible part prevails in the demons: "Merciless," it says, "is their anger, and sharp their wrath"; for they hunt to destruction those who obey them. That is how they honour those who honour them. [Prov 5:11] Through their vices the wicked wear away the flesh of Christ and squander his blood, counting it common. For "he who eats my flesh," he says, "and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day"; but "he who eats the body and drinks the blood of the Lord unworthily eats and drinks judgment on himself." [Prov 5:14] There was a time when evil was not, and there will be a time when it will not be; for the seeds of virtue cannot be blotted out. This man too persuades me of it, who was "nearly", but not completely, in every evil; and so does the rich man judged in Hades for his wickedness, yet pitying his brothers; and to pity is the finest seed of virtue. [Prov 5:15] Knowledge is both a well and a spring: to those who are beginning in the virtues it seems a deep well, but to those who are free from passion and pure it is a spring. So too the Saviour sat at the spring; it was about the sixth hour. Understand by "spring" the divine knowledge, not the well of water. Just as a spring lies ready without toil, that is, running water for the thirsty, so a well is drawn with toil by those who wish to draw. And just as a spring never ceases flowing, so Scripture as perceived by the senses has an ever-flowing course, easy for those who thirst to honour God; and just as a well gives toil to those who draw from it, so does contemplative knowledge to those who wish, through it, to accomplish the virtues of soul and body, to understand divine things, and to lay hold of the kingdom of heaven. ### Scripture references - Prov 4:26: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 127:1 (126:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 5:3: allusion, high confidence - Prov 5:9: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 27:4: quotation, high confidence - Prov 5:11: allusion, high confidence - Heb 10:29: allusion, high confidence - John 6:54: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 11:29: quotation, high confidence - Prov 5:14: allusion, high confidence - Luke 16:27: allusion, high confidence - Prov 5:15: allusion, high confidence - John 4:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - "Unless the Lord builds the house …": Ps 127:1 (126:1 LXX). The verses are identified from the Septuagint of Prov 4:26–5:15 (5:3 "honey drips from the lips of a harlot, which for a time makes your throat fat"). - "Merciless is anger, and sharp wrath": Prov 27:4 (Septuagint), applied here to the demons in explaining Prov 5:9 ("to the merciless"). - "He who eats my flesh …": John 6:54. "He who eats … unworthily": 1 Cor 11:27, 29. "Counting it common": Heb 10:29. The comment on Prov 5:14 repeats, with small differences, the one in the section beginning at column 157. The rich man: Luke 16:27–28. The Saviour at the spring: John 4:6. - "Free from passion" (ἀπαθεῖς) is a characteristic term of Evagrius. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 173 (PG 17:173a–173d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/173/#p-173). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 175 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/173/#p-175 - Source: PG 17:176a–176d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The wife of one's youth is the knowledge of God, at once mother, wife and sister; the hind and the colt of Prov 5:19 are contemplation and freedom from passion; friendship with Christ is knowledge of God. ### Greek text Γυναῖκα ἐνταῦθα τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ γνῶσιν σημαίνει · αῦτη δὲ ἐκ νεότητος ἡμῖν ἐδόθη· ἥντινα ἀνωτέρω διδασκαλίαν ὀ Σολομῶν νεότητος λέγει · Υἱὲ, γάρ φησι, μή σε καταλάβῃ βουλὴ κακὴ ( τὸν διάβολον λέγων, ὡς κακῶς βουλευσάμενον)· ἡ ἀπολιποῦσα διδασκαλίαν νεότητος, καὶ διαθήκην θείαν ἐπιλελησμὲνηο λήθη δὲ καὶ ἀπόλειψις, γνώσεως κτήσεως δεύτεραι· ὥσπερ καί ὑγείας νόσος ἐσχάτη, καὶ ζωῆς θάνατος δεύτερος· ἅμα δὲ καὶ τούτοις τε, ὅτι ὅπερ ἡ αὑτὴ γνῶσις, καὶ μήτηρ λέγεται καὶ γυνὴ καὶ ἀδελφή · μήτηρ μὲν, ἐπειδὴ δ διδάξας με, διʼ αὐτῆς με γεγέν· νηκεν, ὡς Παῦλος διὰ τοῦ Εὑαγγελίου Γαλάτας · γυνὴ δὲ, δτι συνοῦσά μοι τίκτει τάς ἀρετάς καὶ δόγματα ὀρθά· εῐ γε ἡ σοφία ἀνδρὶ τίκτει φρόνησιν · ἀδελφὴ, δτι ἐγώ τε καὶ αῦτη ἐκ τοῦ ἑνὸς γεγόναμεν Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρός· Εἶπον γάρ, φησὶ, τὴν cogatur, σὴν ἀδελφὴν εἶναι. Ἦ χάρις καὶ ἡ φιλία ἐλευθεροῖ· ἡ δὲ ἀρετὴ καὶ γνῶσις ἐλευθεροῦσι ψυχὴν λογικήν· ἠ χάρις γὰρ καὶ ἡ φιλία, ἀρετὴ καὶ γνῶσίς ἐστιν· εί δὲ ἔλαφος ὲκ τῆς φιλίας, ὁ πῶλος ὲκ τῶν χαρίτων γεννᾶται · ἡ οὖν ἔλαφος ἐστι τῆς θεωρίας σύμβολον · ὀ δὲ πῶλος, τῆς ἀπαθείας · ἡ μὲν γάρ, ἐξ ἀρετῶν ’ ἡ δὲ, ἐκ τῆς γνώσεως γίνεσθαι πέφυκεν. - Ἠ μὲν ἐλαφός ἔστιν θεωρίας σύμβολον, σωμάτων καὶ ἀσωμάτων καὶ γνώσεως Θεοῦ · ἡ δὲ φιλία, τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν καὶ τὸν πλησίον ἀγάπης ο ὁ δὲ πῶλος, τῆς ἀπαθείας · καὶ ἡ μὲν θεωρία τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν γνώσεως, ἐξ ἀρετῶν εῐωθε γίνεσθαι ψυχικῶν· ή δὲ ἀγάπη, ἐκ τῆς σοφίας γίνεσθαι πέφυκεν ο ἡ δὲ ἀπάθεια, ἐκ τῶν τοῦ σώματος ἀρετῶν· παραινεῖ δὲ ἡμᾶς ταῖς τοιαύταις χάρισιν ἀεὶ προσομιλεῖν · ὁ δὲ τούτοις ἐμφιλοχωρῶν, οὐ μόνον τῷ Θεῷ προσομιλήσει, ἀλλά καὶ σύνοικος γενήσεται αὐτῷ. - Ἰδία τῆς λογικῆς φύσεώς ἐστιν ὴ ἀρετὴ, ἥτις καλεῖται φιλία, καὶ συμφιλιάζει τῷ Θεῷ τοὺς ἑπομένους αὐτῇ διὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ. -· Ἐν iam τῆς ἀρετῆς φιλίᾳ καὶ τῇ τῆς γνώσεωςνδ συμπεριφερόμενος πολλοστὸς ἐστι τῶν ὠφελουμένων. Τινὲς μὲν τοῦτο περὶ τῆς ἐξωθεν σοφίας νομίζουσι λέγεσθαι, πρὸς ἢν χρονίζειν οὐ καλὸν διὰ τάς ὲν αὐτῇ ἀπάτας · τινὲς δὲ περὶ τῆς κακίας καὶ τδ μὴ πολὺν εἶναι πρὸς αὐτὴν, ἑρμηνεύουσιν οὕτως· ὅτι ἀδύνατον μὲν παντάπασιν ἀπέχεσθαι ἄνθρωπον πονηρῶν λογισμῶν· μὴ ἐγχρονίζειν μέντοι ἐν αὐτοῖς, δυνατόν · οὓς καὶ ἀγκάλας καλεῖ. Πᾶς ὁ τὸν φίλον τὸν Χριστὸν ἐγγυώμενος, ὡς δικαιοσύνην καί ἀλήθειαν, παραδίδωσι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν τοῖς exe ροῖς, τοῖς εἰωθόσι πολεμεῖν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, διὰ τὴν πρὸς τδν Σωτῆρα φιλίαν· φιλία γάρ ἔστι πνευματικὴ, γνῶσις Θεοῦ, καθʼ ἢν καί οί ἀγιοι φίλοι Θεοῦ χρηματίζουσιν, ὡς ὁ Ἰωάννης ὁ Βαπτιστὴς φίλος ἧν τοῦ νυμφίου, Μωῦσῆς τε καὶ οίάπόστολοι· Οὐκέτι γάρ, φησιν, ὑμᾶς καλῶ δούλους, ἀλλὰ φίλους. Ὁρᾷς ἀγῶνα καὶ ἀγρυπνίανς Ὕπνος μέν ἐστι ψυ- ### English translation (Claude) [Prov 5:18] Here "wife" signifies the knowledge of God, which was given to us from youth; Solomon above calls it the teaching of youth, for he says: "Son, let not evil counsel overtake you" (meaning the devil, as having counselled evil), "which forsakes the teaching of youth and has forgotten the divine covenant." Forgetting and forsaking come after the acquiring of knowledge, as disease comes after health, and death after life. Together with this, note that the same knowledge is called mother, wife and sister: mother, since the one who taught me begot me through her, as Paul begot the Galatians through the Gospel; wife, because, living with me, she bears virtues and right doctrines, since "wisdom bears prudence for a man"; sister, because she and I have come from the one God and Father: "Say," it says, "that wisdom is your sister." [Prov 5:19] Grace and friendship set free; virtue and knowledge set free the rational soul; for grace and friendship are virtue and knowledge. If the hind is born of friendship, the colt is born of the graces; so the hind is the symbol of contemplation, the colt of freedom from passion; for the one by nature comes from the virtues, the other from knowledge. The hind is the symbol of the contemplation of bodies and incorporeal things and of the knowledge of God; friendship is the symbol of love for God and neighbour; the colt, of freedom from passion. The contemplation that knows God usually comes from the virtues of the soul; love by nature comes from wisdom; and freedom from passion from the virtues of the body. He urges us always to keep company with such graces; and whoever loves to dwell with them will not only converse with God but also come to live in his house. Virtue is proper to rational nature; it is called friendship, and it makes those who follow it friends of God through the knowledge of God. The one who keeps company with the friendship of virtue and with that of knowledge is … among those who benefit. [Prov 5:20] Some think this is said of outside wisdom, with which it is not good to linger because of the deceits in it; others take it of wickedness, and interpret "do not be much with her" thus: it is entirely impossible for a person to abstain from evil thoughts, but it is possible not to linger in them; these he also calls arms. [Prov 6:1] Everyone who stands surety for his friend, Christ, as righteousness and truth, hands over his own soul to the enemies, who are accustomed to make war on people, because of his friendship with the Saviour. For friendship is spiritual, the knowledge of God, by which the saints too are called friends of God: as John the Baptist was the friend of the bridegroom, and Moses and the apostles: "No longer," he says, "do I call you servants, but friends." [Prov 6:4] Do you see the contest and the vigilance? The sleep of the soul is ### Scripture references - Prov 5:18: allusion, high confidence - Prov 2:17: quotation, high confidence - Gal 4:19: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 10:23: quotation, high confidence - Prov 7:4: quotation, high confidence - Prov 5:19: allusion, high confidence - Prov 5:20: allusion, high confidence - Prov 6:1: allusion, high confidence - John 3:29: allusion, high confidence - Exod 33:11: allusion, medium confidence - John 15:15: quotation, high confidence - Prov 6:4: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint of Prov 5:18–6:4 (5:19 "let the hind of friendship and the colt of your graces keep company with you"; 5:20 "do not be much with a strange woman, nor be held in the arms of one not your own"; 6:1 "if you stand surety for your friend, you will hand over your hand to an enemy"). - "Son, let not evil counsel overtake you …": Prov 2:16–17 (Septuagint). Paul and the Galatians: Gal 4:19 (compare 1 Cor 4:15). "Wisdom bears prudence for a man": Prov 10:23 (Septuagint). "Say that wisdom is your sister": Prov 7:4. The friend of the bridegroom: John 3:29. Moses: Exod 33:11. "No longer do I call you servants …": John 15:15. - A garbled phrase near the end of the comment on Prov 5:19 is marked "…". The terms (contemplation of bodies and incorporeal things, freedom from passion) are those of Evagrius. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 175 (PG 17:176a–176d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/173/#p-175). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 177 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/173/#p-177 - Source: PG 17:177a–177d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Sleep is sin in deed and slumber the first evil thought; the ant shows the practical life and the bee the contemplation of creation, whose honey, Christ's words, will never pass away. ### Greek text ΠἹ χῆς ἡ κατʼ ἐνέργειαν ἁμαρτία· νυσταγμὸς δὲ, τὶ πρῶτον ὲν τῇ ψυχῇ συνιστάμενον ἀκάθαρτον νόημα · ὲπινυσταγμὸς δὲ ἠ πρὸς τὰ χείρω ῥοπή· κωλύει οὖν ό μὲν νόμος τὸν ὕπνον τὸν δὲ νυσταγμὺν τὸ Εὐαγγέ.. λιον · εί γε 6 μὲν περικόπτει τὴν κατʼ ἐνέργειαν ἁμαρτίαν· τὸ δὲ, τὴν κατὰ διάνοιαν πρῶτον συνισταμένην κακίανο Ἐρρέθη γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῖς ἀρχαίοις, 0‘3 φο· νεύσεις · ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν, υύκ ὀργισθήσῃ. Σημειωτέον ἐνταῦθα, ὅτι τὴν τοῦ μύρμηκος φυσικὴν ἐναρμόνιον κίνησιν, σοφίαν καλεῖ· καὶ γὰρ 6 σοφώτερος σοφοῦ, σοφώτερος λέγεται · πῶς δὲ καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὑπὸ δεσπότην, εἷ γε τὰ σύμπαντα δοῦλα τοῦ Θεοῦ ;ἢ μήποτε ό Θεὸς λέγεται δεσπότης διχῶς, ὡς δημιουργὸς, καὶ ὡς γινωσκόμενοςς Διὸ καὶ Παῦλος γράφει· Νυνὶ δὲ ἐλευθερωθέντες ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, δουλωθέντες δὲ τῷ Θεῷ (δηλονότι κατʼ ἁρετὴν καὶ γνῶσιν) ἔχετε τὸν καρπὸν ὑμῶν είς ἁγιασμὸν, τὸ δὲ τέλος ζωὴν αἰώνιον · εί δὲ τοῦ τοιούτου τέλους καὶτῆς γνώσεως ἄμοιρός ἐστιν 6 μύρμηξ, ἄλογος ὣν, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ τῆς τοιαύτης δουλείας ἐλεύθερος · καλῶς οὖν λέγεται μὴ εἶναι 6 μύρμηξ ὑπὸ δεσπότην, κατὰ ταύτην τὴν δεσποτείαν · εἶναι δὲ πάλιν ὑπὸ δεσποτείαν λέγεται, ὑπὸ τὸν Θεὸν, ὡς ὑπὸ δημιουργόν. Διά μὲν τοῦ μύρμηκος ἔοικεν 6 Σολομῶν τὴν πρακτικὴν ὁδὸν ἡμῖν ὑπογράφειν · διὰ δὲ τῆς μελίσσης, τὴν Θεωρίαν τῶν γεγονότων σημαίνει καὶ αὺτοῦ τοῦ ποιήσαντος, ἥντινα καὶ καθαροὶ καὶ ἀκάθαρτοι, καὶ σοφοὶ καὶ ἀνόητοι, πρὸς τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ὑγείαν προσφέρονται ’ καὶ φαίνεται μέν μοι 6 κηρὸς, αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων λόγον ἐπέχειν τὸ δʼ ὲναποκείμενον αύτῷ μέλι, σύμβολον εἶναι τῆς θεωρίας αὒτῶν ο καὶ 6 μὲν κηρὸς παρελεύσεταιο '0 οὐρανὺςγὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ἠ γῆ παρελεύσεταιʼ τὸ δὲ μέλι ού παρη ιλεύσεταιο οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ λόγοι παρελεύσονται τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦο περὶ ὧν λέγει 6 Σολομῶν · Κηρία μέλιτος, λόγοι καλοί· γλύκασμα δὲ αὐτῶν, ιασις ψυχῆςο καί 6 Δαυῒδ, Ὠς γλυκύτερα, φησι, τῷ λάρυγγα-ί μου, τὰ λότιά σου ὑπὲρ μέλι τῷ στόματί μου · τὸ δὲ ἀποτέλεσμα τοῦ πόνου τῶν ἀρετῶν καὶτῆς γνώσεως, πόνον ὠνόμασε ο βασιλεῖς δὲ καὶ ἰδιώτας, οὺ τοὺς τὸ διάδημα ἔχοντας, ἢ τοὺς ὲν κοπρίᾳ πένητας λέγει, ἀλλὰ τοὺς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν τὸν νοῦν σεσοφισμένον καὶ ἐρρωμένον ταῖς ἀρεταῖς έχοντας, βασιλεῖς λέγει. ου ὕπνος οὗτος μόνῃ πέφυκεν ὲπισυμβαίνειν ψυχῇ λογικῇ ο σημαίνει γὰρ ἐνταῦθα [ἅγνοι]αν καὶ ἀγνωσίαν ὧν ἡ ἀγρυπνία ποιεῖ τινα, ὡς στρουθίον μονάζον ἐπὶ δώματος. Προσεκτέον ἐνταῦθα μήποτε ἄρα διὰ τῶν τοιούτων κινημάτων τοῦ σώματος γινώσκωσιν oi ἀντικείμενοι τοὺς αὐτῶν λογισμοὺς ὲν ἡμῖν στρεφομένους ἐπειδὴ καρδιογνώστην μόνον τὸν Θεὸν πεπιστεύκαμεν εῖναι. Πᾶς 6 τρώγων τὰς σάρκας τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ πίνων τὺ αἷμα αὐτοῦ, κτᾶται αἷμα δίκαιον οὗ στερισκομένη ### English translation (Claude) sin in act; slumber is the first unclean thought formed in the soul; and drowsiness is the inclination toward the worse. The law, then, forbids sleep, the Gospel slumber; for the one cuts off sin in act, the other the wickedness first formed in thought: "It was said," he says, "to those of old, You shall not murder; but I say to you, You shall not be angry." [Prov 6:6–8] Note here that he calls the natural, harmonious movement of the ant wisdom; for the ant is said to be "wiser than the wise." And how is it not under a master, since all things are slaves of God? Perhaps God is called master in two ways: as creator, and as known. That is why Paul writes: "But now, set free from sin and made slaves of God" (that is, by virtue and knowledge) "you have your fruit for holiness, and the end, eternal life." If the ant, being irrational, has no share in such an end and such knowledge, clearly it is also free of such slavery; it is rightly said, then, that the ant is not under a master, in this sense of mastery; and yet it is said to be under mastery, under God as creator. [Prov 6:8] By the ant Solomon seems to sketch for us the practical way, and by the bee he signifies the contemplation of created things and of their Maker himself, which both the pure and the impure, the wise and the foolish, take for the health of the soul. The wax seems to me to stand for the things themselves, and the honey stored in it to be the symbol of their contemplation. And the wax will pass away ("For heaven," it says, "and earth will pass away"), but the honey will not pass away; for neither will the words of our Saviour Jesus Christ pass away, of which Solomon says: "Honeycombs are good words, and their sweetness is healing for the soul"; and David: "How sweet your sayings are to my throat, more than honey to my mouth." He has named "labour" the result of the labour of the virtues and of knowledge. And by kings and private persons he does not mean those who wear the diadem, or the poor on the dung heap; he calls kings those whose mind has been made wise toward God and is strong in the virtues. [Prov 6:9–10] This sleep by nature befalls only the rational soul; for here it signifies ignorance and lack of knowledge, from which vigilance makes a person "like a sparrow alone on a housetop." [Prov 6:13] One should consider here whether perhaps the adversaries come to know, through such movements of the body, the thoughts that are turning within us; since we believe that God alone knows the heart. [Prov 6:17] Everyone who eats the flesh of Christ and drinks his blood acquires righteous blood; and when the rational soul is deprived of it ### Scripture references - Prov 6:4: allusion, high confidence - Matt 5:21: quotation, high confidence - Matt 5:22: quotation, high confidence - Prov 6:6: allusion, high confidence - Prov 30:24: allusion, high confidence - Prov 6:7: allusion, high confidence - Rom 6:22: quotation, high confidence - Prov 6:8: allusion, high confidence - Matt 24:35: quotation, high confidence - Prov 16:24: quotation, high confidence - Ps 119:103 (118:103 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 6:9: allusion, high confidence - Ps 102:7 (101:8 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 6:13: allusion, high confidence - Acts 15:8: allusion, low confidence - Prov 6:17: allusion, high confidence - John 6:54: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - "It was said to those of old …": Matt 5:21–22. "Wiser than the wise": Prov 30:24 (of the ants). "Not under a master": Prov 6:7. "Set free from sin …": Rom 6:22. The bee: Prov 6:8 (an addition in the Septuagint: "or go to the bee … whose labours kings and private persons use for health"). "Heaven and earth will pass away": Matt 24:35. "Honeycombs are good words …": Prov 16:24. "How sweet your sayings …": Ps 119:103 (118:103 LXX). "Like a sparrow alone on a housetop": Ps 102:7 (101:8 LXX). God alone knows the heart: compare Jer 17:10; Acts 15:8. - Prov 6:13 speaks of signals made with the eye, foot and fingers; the comment asks whether demons read thoughts from such movements. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 177 (PG 17:177a–177d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/173/#p-177). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 179 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/173/#p-179 - Source: PG 17:180a–180d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The soul deprived of Christ's righteous blood dies; the mother wisdom leads us through creation to the Father; the commandment's lamp and light are the Old and New Testaments. ### Greek text ψυχὴ λογικὴ, λέγεται ἀποθνήσκειν· Ψυχὴ γάρ, φησὶν, ἠ ἁμαρτάνουσα, αὕτη ἀποθανεῖται· εί δέ ἐστιν αἷμα δίκαιον, ἔστι δηλονότι καὶ αἷμα ἄδικον ο ὅπερ συνάγουσιν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς οί κατεσθίοντες τὸ δεδομένον βρῶμα λαοξ τοῖς Αἰθίοψι, καὶ τρεφόμενον τῷ άρτῳ τοῦψεύὸους· καὶ οξ μὲν θύοντες θεοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις, τὸ δίκαιον ἑαυτῶν αἷμα καταναλίσκουσιν· οἱ δὲ ἑαυτοῖς θυσίαν τῷ μόνῳ Θεῷ, τὸ ἄδικον διαφθείρουσιν αἷμα” ἀκολουθήσει δὲ πάντως τῇ μὲν φθορᾷ τοῦ ἀδίκου αἵματος· ἀλλά τοῦτο μὲν πάντως νῦν πέφυκε γίνεσθαι, ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς δὲ οὐχ οὕτως · οὺ γάρ κατά φθοράν νόσου ὑγεία τῶν παίδων, μετά τῆς ὑγείας ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς τικτομένων. Διαβάλλων τὸ ψεῦδος ἀλλήλοις, αὐτοὺς είς διακρίσεις φέρει καὶ ἀντιδικίας ’ ἢ ἀδελφοί εἰσιν οἱ τὸ τῆς υἱοθεσίας ἔχοντες χάρισμα, καὶ ὑπὸ τὸν αὑτὸν ὄντες πατέρα Χριστόν ο οὓς χωρίζειν ἐπιχειρεί 6 μάρτυς τῆς ἀδικίας, ταραχάς ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐμβάλλων καὶ κρίσεις · τὸ δὲ ι ἐκκαίει, ι ὼς οἶμαι, προστίθεται διά τοὺς ἐμπαθεῖς λογισμοὺς, ἀνάπτοντας θυμὸν μὲν, πρὸς ὀργὴν καὶ μῖσος ἐπιθυμίαν δὲ πρὸς αἰσχράς ἐργασίας· τούτους τοὺς λογισμοὺς καὶ 6 άγιος Παῦλος ὠνόμασε τοῦ πονηροῦ βέλη πεπυρωμένα, τιτρώσκοντα τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ θάνατον ἐργαζόμενα. Τὴν μητέρα ἐπάγεσθαι προστάσσει, ἥτις ἐστὶν ὴ σοφία γεννῶσα, ἡ μὲν κατὰ Θεόν · καίτοι ἐχρῆν αὑτὸν εἰπεῖν τὸν πατέρα · οὗτος γάρ πρὸς τὸ συνεῖναιτῷ υἱῷ μᾶλλον ἐπιτηδειότερος · ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ οὐ δυνατὸν, αὐτὸν γνῶναι τὸν Θεὸν πρὸ τῆς τῶν γεγονότων θεωρίας. τούτου χάριν τὴν μητέρα καὶ οὐ τὸν πατέρα προστάσσει ἐπάγεσθαι ἴνα διά τῆς μητρὸς 6 υἱὸς ἴδῃ τὸν πατέρα · ἐὰν γάρ αὑτὴ μὴ γεννήσῃ, οὐ βλέπει τὸ φῶς, ὅπερ ἐστὶ γνῶσις αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ. ’Ότι ὴ ἐντολὴ τοῦ νόμου λύχνος ἐστὶ καὶ φῶς ο καὶ τάχα λύχνος, ἡ Παλαιὰ Διαθήκη ἐστίν · ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ἧν ὁλύχνος 6 καιόμενος καλ φαίνων· φῶς,ὴ Νέα Διαθήκη · Ἐγὼ γάρ, φησὶν, εἰμὶ τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου · ἐλεγχος μὲν τῶν κακῶν, παιδεία δὲ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ο διὰ γὰρ νόμου ἐπίγνωσις ἁμαρτίας. Τοσαύτη γάρ ἑστιν ἡ ἡδονὴ τῆς κακίας, ὅση καὶ ἑνὸς ἄρτου. Ἐὰν ἀλῷ ὑπὸ γνώσεως ἀληθοῦς, ἀποβήσεται πάσαν γνῶσιν ψευδῆ, 6 πρότερον κλέπτων, διʼ ἔνδειαν γνιὶἰσεως,.ἀπὸ τῆς μωρανθείσης ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν γνώσεως καὶ σοφίας ἀποτίσειν δὲ λέγεται ἑπταπλασίονα, τὸ ἑπτάκις τῆς ἡμέρας αἰνεῖν τὸν Θεόν* καὶ πάντα τά ὑπάρχοντα αὑτῷ αἰσθητήρια δοὺς τῷ Θεῷ, ῥύσεται ἑαυτὸν ἐκ τῶν ἡτοιμασμένων τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὑτοῦ τιμωριῶν. Πᾶς 6 κοινωνήσας τῇ κακία, μοιχός ἑστι τοῦ διαβόλου τοῦ πρώτου γήμαντος τὴν κακίαν, καὶ ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς γεγονότος ἀνθρωποκτόνου καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ ἀπώλειαν τῆ ψυχῇ αὑτοῦ περιποιεῖται. Ἀδελφὴ ἡμῶν σοςέία ἐστὶ, διότι ὀ ποιήσας τὴν ### English translation (Claude) is said to die: "For the soul," he says, "that sins, it shall die." And if there is righteous blood, there is clearly also unrighteous blood, which they gather in themselves who devour the food given to the peoples, the Ethiopians, and are fed on the bread of falsehood. Those who sacrifice to strange gods squander their righteous blood; but those who offer themselves as a sacrifice to the one God destroy the unrighteous blood. And it will surely follow the destruction of the unrighteous blood … But this now happens by nature; from the beginning it was not so. For the health of children does not come by the destruction of disease, since they are born with health from the beginning. [Prov 6:19] By slandering falsehood to one another, he brings them into divisions and lawsuits. Or else the brothers are those who have the gift of adoption and are under the same father, Christ; and the witness of unrighteousness tries to separate them by casting troubles and disputes among them. The word "kindles" is added, I think, because of the passionate thoughts that inflame anger toward wrath and hatred, and desire toward shameful deeds. These thoughts the holy Paul named the fiery darts of the evil one, which wound the soul and bring about death. [Prov 6:22] He commands us to bring along the mother, who is the wisdom that begets according to God. Yet he ought to have said the father, for he is better suited to be with the son. But since it is not possible to know God himself before the contemplation of created things, for this reason he commands us to bring along the mother, not the father, so that through the mother the son may see the father; for if she does not give birth to him, he does not see the light, which is the knowledge of God himself. [Prov 6:23] "For the commandment of the law is a lamp and a light." And perhaps the lamp is the Old Testament, for "he was the lamp that burns and shines"; and the light is the New Testament, for "I," he says, "am the light of the world": reproof of evils and instruction in good things. For "through the law comes knowledge of sin." [Prov 6:26] For the pleasure of wickedness is worth as much as one loaf. [Prov 6:30–31] If he is caught by true knowledge, the one who formerly stole, through lack of knowledge, from the knowledge and wisdom that our Saviour made foolish, will put away all false knowledge. He is said to repay sevenfold by praising God seven times a day; and by giving all that he has to God, he will deliver himself from the punishments prepared for the devil and his angels. [Prov 6:32] Everyone who has shared in wickedness is an adulterer with the devil, who first married wickedness and was a murderer from the beginning; and with him he brings destruction on his own soul. [Prov 7:4] Wisdom is our sister, because the one who made ### Scripture references - Ezek 18:4: quotation, high confidence - Ps 74:14 (73:14 LXX): allusion, high confidence - Prov 20:17: allusion, medium confidence - Rom 12:1: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 6:19: allusion, high confidence - Rom 8:15: allusion, medium confidence - Eph 6:16: allusion, high confidence - Prov 6:20: allusion, high confidence - Prov 6:22: allusion, high confidence - Prov 6:23: quotation, high confidence - John 5:35: quotation, high confidence - John 8:12: quotation, high confidence - Rom 3:20: quotation, high confidence - Prov 6:26: allusion, high confidence - Prov 6:30: allusion, high confidence - Prov 6:31: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 1:20: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 119:164 (118:164 LXX): allusion, high confidence - Matt 25:41: quotation, high confidence - Prov 6:32: allusion, high confidence - John 8:44: allusion, high confidence - Prov 7:4: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - "The soul that sins, it shall die": Ezek 18:4. "Food given to the peoples, the Ethiopians": Ps 74:14 (73:14 LXX). "The bread of falsehood": Prov 20:17. Offering oneself as a sacrifice: Rom 12:1. A sentence after "unrighteous blood" breaks off in the scan ("…"). - The verses are identified from the Septuagint of Prov 6:19–7:4 (6:19 "kindles a false witness … and sends disputes between brothers"; 6:22 "bring her along"; 6:23; 6:26 "the price of a harlot is as much as one loaf"; 6:30–31; 6:32 "the adulterer brings destruction on his soul"). "Bring along the mother": the subject of Prov 6:20–22. - "The fiery darts of the evil one": Eph 6:16. "He was the lamp …": John 5:35. "I am the light of the world": John 8:12. "Through the law comes knowledge of sin": Rom 3:20. Wisdom made foolish: 1 Cor 1:20. Seven times a day: Ps 119:164 (118:164 LXX). "Prepared for the devil and his angels": Matt 25:41. "A murderer from the beginning": John 8:44. - "Giving all that he has" follows the Septuagint of Prov 6:31; the scan's word is garbled (it reads "all his senses"). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 179 (PG 17:180a–180d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/173/#p-179). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 181 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/173/#p-181 - Source: PG 17:181a–181d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The harlot of Prov 7 is wickedness, which meets those who give themselves to pleasure and lies in wait at every corner of impure thought. ### Greek text ἀσώματον φύσιν Πατὴρ, καί ταύτην πεποίηκεν · σοφίαν δὲ ἐνταῦθα λέγει ού τδί Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλά τὴν θεωρίαν τῶν σωμάτων καὶ ἀσωμάτων, καὶ τῆς ἐν αὐτῇ κρίσεως καὶ προνοίας ἐγκείμενα. Τὴν σάρκα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου θυρίδα ὀνομάζει νῦν διὰ γὰρ ταύτης 6 πονηρὸς τὰς ἀπάτας τοῖς ἀνθρὼποις ἐργάζεται, τοῖς βουλομένοις ὁδεύειν τὴν πλατείαν 666v καὶ εὐρύχωρον, καὶ ἀπάγουσαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀπώλειαν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ προσεκτέον τί φησιν 6 Σολομῶν περὶ τῆς κακίας ’ ὅτι οὐκ αὐτὴ τὸν ἄνθρωπον · ἐν ἀρχαῖςέπὶ τὴν πλατεῖαν ἄγει · οὐδὲ ἀναγκάζει πορεύεσθαι διόδοις οῐκων αὐτῆς, ἢ προσεγγίζειν γωvis}, ἦ λαλεῖν ἐν σκότει ἑσπερινῷ· ἀλλʼ ὲάν ἴδῃ τινὰ ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδιδόντα ταῖς ἡδοναῖς, εὐθὺς συναντᾷ αὐτῷ τὸ εἶδος ἔχουσα πορνικὸν, ἡ ποιεῖ τὰς νέων ἐξίπτασθαι καρδίας. ΟΞ μὲν ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις ρεμὸόμενοι, μοιχείας καὶ πορνείας καὶ κλοπῆς λαμβάνουσι λογίσμούςσ οἱ δὲ ἔξω τούτων ρεμβόμενοι, τάς παρά φύσιν ἡδονὰς μετέρχονται, ἀρσενοκοιτεῖν ἐπιζητοῦντες, καὶ ἀλλων τινῶν ἀπαγορευομένων πραγμάτων φαντασίας λαμβάνοντες ο ὅρα δὲ μὴ κατηγόρημα. εἴη τοῦτο καὶ ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν · καί τις μὴ ἡσυχάζων ἀλλά ῥεμβόμενος, τοῖς κατηγορήμασι κοινωνήσει τῆς ἀτίμου γυναικός. Τῶν λογισμῶν, οἱ μὲν καθαροί εἰσιν, οί δὲ ἀκάθαρτοι καὶτῶν γραμμῶν αἱ μέν εὐθεῖαι καλοῦνται ' ai δὲ κεκλασμέναι· γωνία δέ ἐστι κεκλασμένη εὐθεῖα · ἥ γωνία νοητῶς ἐστιν 6 ἀκάθαρτος λογισμός · τὸ οὖν παρά πᾶσαν γωνίαν ἐνεδρεύειν τὴν κακίαν, δηλοῖ τὸ διὰ πάντων τῶν ἀκαθάρτων λογισμῶν αὐτὴν ἐξαπατᾷν τὴν ψυχήν. Διά τῶν κειριῶν καὶ τοῦ κρόκου καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν, τά ἀπατηλά θεωρήματα, ἢ τά διάφορα πάθη σημαίνει. - Ὅρα τὴν κακίαν, οὐκ ἔχουσαν ἀφʼ ἑαυτῆς ἀρχὴν, ἀλλʼ ἀπὸ τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς προοιμιαζομένων · τὸ γὰρ κοινωνὸν λαβεῖν θυσίας, ἀγαθόν. Ὅτε δὲ αὐτοῖς κατεπάλαισε, τότε ἐνίησι τὸν ἰὸν, τά τοῖς ἐρῶσιν ἐπιθυμητὰ καταλέγουσα, ἀ πάντα ἱκανά καταγοητεῦσαι, ού περὶ τὴν οἰκείαν φύσιν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τὴν τῶν ἀκουόντων ἀφροσύνην · κατά δὲ διάνοιαν ἡ κακία ζητεῖ τὸ πρόσωπον ἡμῶν καταισχῦναι, διά τῶν κειριῶν καὶ τῆς κλίνης, καὶ τῶν ἀμφιτάπων, καὶ τοῦ κρόκου, καὶ τοῦ κινναμώμουο ειπερ κακά καὶ διάφορα πάθη σημαίνει ἡδονῶν παρά τοῖς ἐφευρεταῖς τῶν κακῶν γινόμενα. Τὸ διʼ ἡμερῶν πολλῶνέπανήξειεὶς τὸν οἷκον αὐ τοῦ πάνυ πνευματικῶς ἐνατενίσας τῇ οἰκονομία 6 [Ιαῦλος, ἔσχατον ἐχθρὸν. λέγει καταργεῖσθαι τὸν θάνατον δν καὶ ἄνδρα εἶναι τῆς πονηρίας Σολομῶν προδιέγραψεʼ τὸν ῶς βαλαπίον ἀργυρίου λαβόντα ὲν τῇ χειρὶ αὑτοῦ τὴν ανθρωπότητα, εἰ καὶ αὖθις ἐν τῷ ἁμαρτάνειν ού πάρεστι προβλέπειν τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον · διότι κήδεται ἀνεχόμενος τοῦ γένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων · ἐπεὶ εί μὴ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβον προέδλεπε, ρυζηδὸν πάντας ἂν ἀπώλετο. Τῶν ἐρῤωδιῶν τρία γένη εἰσὶν, ὅ τε κέμᾳος, καὶ 6 ### English translation (Claude) the incorporeal nature, the Father, also made her. Here he calls wisdom not the Son of God, but the contemplation of bodies and incorporeal things, and of the judgment and providence contained in it. [Prov 7:6] He now calls the flesh of a person a window; for through it the evil one works his deceits on people who wish to walk the broad and spacious way that leads to destruction. [Prov 7:8–10] Here one must note what Solomon says about wickedness: that it does not at first lead the person into the broad street, nor force him to walk by the passages of her house, or to draw near her corner, or to talk in the evening darkness; but if it sees someone giving himself over to pleasures, it at once meets him, having the look of a harlot, "which makes the hearts of the young flutter." [Prov 7:12] Those who roam in the broad streets take up thoughts of adultery, sexual immorality and theft; those who roam outside these pursue the pleasures that are against nature, seeking to lie with males, and take up images of other forbidden things. See that this may not be a charge against holy men too: whoever does not keep still but roams about will share in the charges brought against the dishonourable woman. Of thoughts, some are pure and some impure; and of lines, some are called straight and some broken; a corner is a broken straight line. The corner, spiritually understood, is the impure thought. That wickedness lies in wait at every corner shows that it deceives the soul through all the impure thoughts. [Prov 7:16–17] By the coverlets and the saffron and the rest he signifies deceitful speculations, or the various passions. [Prov 7:14] See how wickedness has no beginning of its own, but starts from the preludes of virtue; for to take a partner in a sacrifice is good. And when it has overthrown them, then it injects its poison, listing what lovers desire, all of which is able to bewitch, not by its own nature but by the folly of the hearers. In its meaning, wickedness seeks to shame our face through the coverlets and the bed and the rugs and the saffron and the cinnamon, since these signify evils and the various passions of pleasure that arise among the inventors of evil. [Prov 7:19–20] "After many days he will return to his house": Paul, looking very spiritually into the divine plan, says that death is destroyed as the last enemy; Solomon described it beforehand as the husband of wickedness, who took humankind in his hand like a bag of silver; even if, when one sins, one cannot at once foresee the fear of God. For he is patient and cares for the human race; for if he did not foresee the fear of God, he would have destroyed all at a stroke. [Prov 7:22] There are three kinds of heron: the kemphos, the ### Scripture references - Prov 7:4: allusion, high confidence - Prov 7:6: allusion, high confidence - Matt 7:13: allusion, high confidence - Prov 7:8: allusion, high confidence - Prov 7:9: allusion, high confidence - Prov 7:10: quotation, high confidence - Prov 7:12: allusion, high confidence - Prov 7:16: allusion, high confidence - Prov 7:17: allusion, high confidence - Prov 7:14: allusion, high confidence - Prov 7:19: allusion, high confidence - Prov 7:20: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 15:26: allusion, high confidence - Prov 7:22: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - The first sentence comments on Prov 7:4 ("say that wisdom is your sister"), continuing the preceding section; the wisdom here is said to be the contemplation of created things, not the Son. - The verses are identified from the Septuagint of Prov 7:6–22. "The broad and spacious way that leads to destruction": Matt 7:13. "The last enemy … death": 1 Cor 15:26. The Septuagint of Prov 7:20 reads "taking a bundle of silver in his hand". - The sentence on the "husband" (Prov 7:19) and God's patience is partly garbled and translated by sense. - "Seeking to lie with males" translates ἀρσενοκοιτεῖν; translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 181 (PG 17:181a–181d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/173/#p-181). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 183 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/173/#p-183 - Source: PG 17:184a–184d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Herons that rush to be caught picture those who compete in pleasure; Wisdom contains instruction and knowledge, gives true kingship, and loves those who love her. ### Greek text λευκὸς, καὶ ὀ ἀστερίσκος καλούμενος ν τούτων ὀ κέμο φος ἀκρατῶς ἔχων περὶ τὰς μίξεις. χαλεπῶς εὐνάζεο ται καὶ ὀχεύει, κράζει τε, καὶ ὀχεύων αἷμα ἀφίησιν ὲκ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, καὶ τίκτει φαύλως καὶ ὀδυνηρῶς sem δὲ ἠ γραφὴ ἀπὸ τῆς ἱστορίας τοῦ ζὼου τούτου, τοὺς πειθομένους τῇ πονηρίᾳ κεμφωμένους καὶ ἐξ.. ωμοιωμὲνους τῶν ὀρνέων διʼ ἀκολασίαν ο ἐστι δὲ καὶ ἀλλο εἶδος κέμφου ιν τῇ θαλάσσῃ κατʼ ἀγέλας ίπτάο μενον ὧδε κάκεῖσε· δ oi πλωτῆρες πολυάγκυστρον δελεάσαντες σχοῖνον, ἀγρεύουσι· καὶ οὐ μόνον οὐ φεύγει βλέπων τὰ θηρευθέντα, ἀλλά καὶ ἀλλος ἀλλῳ προτρέχει ἀγρευθῆναι· οὓτως ἐοίκασιν oi τῇ κακίᾳ, προσομιλοῦντες, ἀλλος ἀλλον νικᾷν σπεύδοντες διά τῶν ἡδονῶν, ἐπολέθρω θανάτῳ ἑαυτοὺς πε ριπείρουσιν. Ἣἐξαρδὶαν ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἀρετὴν εἴρηκε, τὴν ιπισυμσαίνουσαν τῇ καρδίᾳ ἢ τὴν ύπδ Θεοῦ κτιζομένην τὴν πνευματικήν. Τὴν σοφίαν ἐνταῦθα ὡς γένος ἔλαβε τῆς παιδείας καὶ τῆς γνώσεως ’ παιδείαν γὰρ καὶ γνῶσιν προτάξας,ὲ πάγει· Κρείσσων γὰρ σοφία λίθων πολυτελῶν, ὡς τῆς παιδείας καὶ τῆς γνώσεως περισχομένης ὲν τῇ, ἥπερ διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος δίδοται, λόγος σοφίας ’ τὸ δʼ αὐτὸ τοῦτο λέγεται καὶ πνεῦμα uioθεσίας. Σημειωτέον ὅτι ἀδικίαν καὶ ὕβριν καὶ ὑπερηφανίαν, τὸν ἄδικον ὑβριστὴν καὶ ὑπερήφανον λέγει, ἀπὸ τῆς χειρία-της ἕξεως ὀνομάζων αὐτόν. Τουτέστι παρʼ ἐμοῦ τὸ εὔβουλον καὶ ἀσφαλές ὅπου γὰρ τοῦτο, κάκείνω ὁρᾷς πανταχοῦ προτιθέμενα τά ἀσώματα τῶν σωματικῶν καὶ κρατούντα; Εἶτα εἰπὼν καὶ αύτὺ τὸ βασιλεύειν διʼ αὐτῆς γινόμενον, ἐπήγαγε καὶ ὃ πολλῷ μεῖζόν ἐστι · τοῦτο γάρ βασιλεύειν, τὸ δύνασθαι δικαίως κεχρῆσθαι τῇ αρχῇ, βέλτιον ’ ἔνιοι δὲ, βασιλεῖς μὲν τοὺς ἁγίους καὶ μεγιστᾶνας· τυράννους δὲ, τοὺς ἔτι πολεμοῦντας τὴν σάρκα, καὶτῶν παθῶν τυραννούντας. Μείζω φιλίας εἰσάγει τὴν ἀγάπην ενταῦθα, ἡνίκα μὴ κατὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ τάττεται· ἀμέλει τοῦ Σωτῆρος τῷ Πέτρῳ λέγοντος, ’Λγαπᾷς με; τὸν προσδιαλεγόμενον είδὼς, τὸ ἧττον δίδωσιν ἑαυτῷ, τὸ, Ὅτι φιλῶ σε · τὸ δὲ τρίτον ἀκούσας, Σίμων Ἰωνᾶ, φιλεῖς με; ἐλυπήθη ὅτι τὸ ἦττον τρίτον αὐτῷ προσένειμε. Ὀτι μόνος ὀ σοφὸς πλούσιος καὶ εὒκλεής· ἔστι γὰρ ἐν αύτῷ 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 υύ χρεία σοι δαπάνης, οὐδὲ καινοτομίας, είς τὸν πρὸς ἐμὲ ἔρωτα, ἀλλʼ ἀρκεῖ τὸ φιλῆσαι μόνον, καὶ ἀνταγαπηθήσῃ. ’Δλλά μὴν, καὶ ὀ θαυμαστόν ἐστι, τὸ ὲν πλούτῳ εἶναι δικαιοσύνην, παρʼ ἐμοὶ καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ἀγαθά. ### English translation (Claude) white, and the one called the starry heron. Of these, the kemphos, being intemperate in mating, beds and mates with difficulty, cries out, and in mating sheds blood from its eyes, and lays its eggs badly and painfully. From the account of this creature Scripture signifies that those who obey wickedness are made like herons and have become like these birds through licentiousness. There is also another kind of kemphos that flies in flocks here and there over the sea, which sailors catch by baiting a line with many hooks; and it not only does not flee when it sees the ones that have been caught, but one runs ahead of another to be caught. So those who keep company with wickedness, each hurrying to outdo the other in pleasures, pierce themselves on a deadly death. [Prov 8:5] Here he has called virtue "heart", that which comes upon the heart, or the spiritual heart created by God. [Prov 8:10–11] Here he took wisdom as the genus of instruction and knowledge; for after putting instruction and knowledge first, he adds, "For wisdom is better than precious stones," as if instruction and knowledge were contained in wisdom, which is given through the Spirit as the word of wisdom; the same is also called the spirit of adoption. [Prov 8:13] Note that by "injustice", "insolence" and "pride" he means the unjust, insolent and proud man, naming him from his worst disposition. [Prov 8:14] That is, from me come good counsel and safety; for where this is, there the others are too. Do you see that everywhere the incorporeal things are set before the bodily, and rule them? [Prov 8:15–16] Then, having said that ruling itself comes about through her, he adds what is much greater: for this is to rule, to be able to use authority justly, which is better. Some take the kings as the saints and the great ones; the tyrants as those still at war with the flesh and tyrannizing over the passions. [Prov 8:17] Here he introduces love (agapē) as greater than friendship (philia), when they are not used of the same thing. Indeed, when the Saviour said to Peter, "Do you love me?", Peter, knowing who was speaking with him, gave himself the lesser word, "that I am your friend"; and when he heard the third time, "Simon son of John, are you my friend?", he was grieved that the Lord had given him the lesser word the third time. [Prov 8:18–19] That the wise man alone is rich and of good repute: for in him there is the possession of many things and the fruits of wisdom, which he sows to the Spirit and reaps life. By speaking of her own wealth she seems to say something like this: "You need no expense or novelty for love of me; it is enough only to love, and you will be loved in return." [Prov 8:21] And what is wonderful, that there should be righteousness in wealth, this too is with me, and all the other good things. ### Scripture references - Prov 7:22: allusion, low confidence - Prov 8:5: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 8:10: allusion, high confidence - Prov 8:11: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 12:8: allusion, high confidence - Rom 8:15: allusion, high confidence - Prov 8:13: allusion, high confidence - Prov 8:14: allusion, high confidence - Prov 8:15: allusion, high confidence - Prov 8:16: allusion, high confidence - Prov 8:17: allusion, high confidence - John 21:15: quotation, high confidence - John 21:17: quotation, high confidence - Prov 8:18: allusion, high confidence - Prov 8:19: allusion, high confidence - Gal 6:8: allusion, high confidence - Prov 8:21: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The account of the herons (κέμφος) is drawn from ancient natural history; the verse it explains (in Prov 7:22–23) is not certain. Two footnote markers leaked into the text have been removed. - The verses are identified from the Septuagint of Prov 8:5–21. "The word of wisdom": 1 Cor 12:8. "Spirit of adoption": Rom 8:15. Peter's answers: John 21:15–17, where Jesus asks with ἀγαπᾷς and Peter answers with φιλῶ ("I am your friend"). Sowing to the Spirit: Gal 6:8. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 183 (PG 17:184a–184d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/173/#p-183). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 185 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/173/#p-185 - Source: PG 17:185a–185d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Wisdom is eternal in essence but became the "beginning of ways" in relation to creation; Wisdom's house is Scripture and the Word; reproof belongs to the wise, while the wicked must be taught patiently. ### Greek text υύσία οὖσα ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφία, πρὸ αἰώνων γεγένηται, καλ πρὸ κτίσεως ἀΐδιος ἦν ὅτε δέ σχέσιν πρὸς τὰ γεννητά ἐδέξατο, τότε ἀρχὴ τῶν ὁδῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ γέγονε τῶν ποιητικῶν καὶ προνοητικῶν· σύζυγος οὖν ἡ ἁρχὴ τοῖς κτίσμασιν ὧν γέγονεν ἀρχὴ, τουτἐστιν ἡ πρὸς τὰ γεννητά σχέσις· ἡ δὲ σοφία ἀΐδιος, ουσιωδῶς πρὸ αἰώνων παρά τῷ Θεῴ ὑπάρχουσα. ’Λσέβεια μέν ἐστιν ἡ είς Θεὸν ἁμαρτία ο ἀσεβεῖ δὲ καὶ είς τὴν ἐαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ὁ σωρεύων κόλασιν τῇ ἐαυτοῦ ψυχῇ, τὴν τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν ἡτοιμασμένην· ἀκόλουθον δὲ καὶτὸ ἀγαπᾷν θάνατον τοὺς σοφίαν μισοῦντας, εἰπερ ἡ σοφία ζωή. Τὴν σοφίαν ἐνταῦθα δισσῶς ἐπιλαβεῖν, τὴν ἐκ Πνεύ ματος ἁγίου φημὶ ἐν λόγοις καὶ γραφῇ δοθεῖσαν τοῖς θεόφροσιν, διʼ ἧς καὶ ἡ ἐπίγνωσις τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ· κόσμῳ ἐγνωρίσθη · ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τὸν ἐνυπόστατον Υἱὸν καὶ Λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὸν ἐξ οὐκ ὄντα είς τὸ εἶναι παραγαγόντα τά σύμπαντα τῇ σοφίᾳ αὑτοῦ. Θύματα ἐνταῦθά φησι τοὺς ὅσοι προφῆται παρ· αινέσει Χριστοῦ σφραγισθέντες καὶ σφαγιαζόμενοι, διὰ τὸ κιρνᾷν αὐτοὺς τῷ τῆς γνώσεως κρατῆρι τὴν ὡς οἶνον ἡδὺν ἐπίγνωσιν αὑτοῦ τοῖς ἐχέφροσι λέγων, Μὴ φοβηθῆτε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτεινόντων τὸ σῶμα, τὴν δέ ψυχὴν μὴ δυναμένων ἀποκτεῖναι· καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς αὐτοὺς ἐσφαγίασε, καί σφαγιάζει, διὰ τὺ παρακελεύειν αὐτὸς τοὺς είς αὑτὸν πιστεύοντας ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, ὡς αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἀποθνήσκει. Ei Παῦλος ὁ ἀπόστολος δοῦλος Χριστοῦ, ό δέ Χριστδς σοφία ἐστὶ, Παῦλος γὰρ ὁ ἀπόστολος δοῦλος τῆς σοφίας ἐστίν ο ὡσαύτως καὶ ἐπὶτῶν λοιπῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ προφητῶν τὸν λόγον συνάξομεν, δούλους τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ ἀποδείξαντες. Οὐ δεῖ ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐλέγχειν τοὺς κακοὺς, ἀλλά περὶ θείου φόβου αὐτοὺς ὑπομιμνήσκειν, ὅστις αύτοὺς ἀποστήσει τῆς κακίας · ἦ κακοὺς τοὺς ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας ἐπιστρέφοντας, καὶ θέλοντας ἐλθεῖν πρὸς μετάνοιαν ἀκμὴν δὲ κακοὺς ὄντας καὶ τυφλώττοντας ὑπόμενε καὶ μὴ καθʼ ἐν σφάλμα ἔλεγχε, ῖνα μὴ είς μῖσος ἐκ προοιμίων ἔλθωσιν · ὃταν δὲ γένωνται σοφοὶ, καὶ στερεωθῶσιν, ἔλεγχε. Καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς ἔτι νέους ὄντας, ούκ ἤλεγχε, διὰ τὸ μὴ τοὺς παλαιοὺς ἀσκοὺς εὐθέτους εἶναι πρὸς νέον οἶνον. ’Ἡ κακοὺς λέγει τοὺς ἄφρονας καὶ μωρούς· ἢτοὺς πάντη ἀλλοτρίους τῆς θείας διδασκαλίας, οὒς οὐκ ἐλέγχειν, ἀλλὰ νουθετεῖν, δεῖ καὶ διδάσκειν ο εί δὲ καὶ ἠλέγχοντο Ἀχαὰβ καὶ Ἡρώδης, ἀλλʼ ἦδη μετέσχον τοῦ θείου νόμου, εί καὶ παρέβησαν ’ διὸ καὶ τούτους δεῖ ἐλέγχειν. Ἢ ἔοικε ταῦτα πρὸς τοὺς τότε λέγειν, τοὺς νηπιωδεστέρους ο ἐπεὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν ῆλεγχεν Ἰωάννης καὶ Παῦλος ς-Ού δεῖ ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐλέγχειν τοὺς κακούς ο ὁ γὰρ εἰς πρόσωπον ἔλεγχος, ἀναισχυντότερον ποιεῖ τὸν ἁμαρτάνονταʼ χρὴ δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ σοφῶν καὶ δικαίων τοῦτο ποιεῖνʼ ἀναμεταξὺ μὲν του ὲλεγχομένου καὶ ἐλέγχοντος, οὐκ ἐπὶ πολλῶν δέ. ### English translation (Claude) [Prov 8:22–23] The wisdom of God, being essence, was begotten before the ages and was eternal before creation; but when it took on a relation to things that come into being, then it became the beginning of God's ways, of those by which he creates and those by which he provides. So the "beginning" is joined to the creatures of which it became the beginning, that is, it is the relation to things that come into being; but the wisdom is eternal, existing in essence with God before the ages. [Prov 8:36] Impiety is sin against God; but he also acts impiously against his own soul who heaps up for his soul the punishment prepared for the ungodly. And it follows that those who hate wisdom love death, since wisdom is life. [Prov 9:1] Wisdom is to be taken here in two ways: I mean the wisdom given from the Holy Spirit, in words and in writing, to those who think as God thinks, through which the knowledge of God was made known to the world; and likewise the Son and Word of God who subsists in his own person, who brought all things from non-being into being by his wisdom. [Prov 9:2] By sacrifices he means here all the prophets who were sealed and slain at Christ's exhortation, because they mixed in the bowl of knowledge, for those of sound mind, the knowledge of him that is like sweet wine; for he says, "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul." He himself sacrificed them and sacrifices them, because he urges those who believe in him to die for him, as he himself dies for you. [Prov 9:3] If Paul the apostle is a slave of Christ, and Christ is wisdom, then Paul the apostle is a slave of wisdom; likewise we shall reason in the case of the other apostles and prophets, showing that they are slaves of his wisdom. [Prov 9:7–8] One must not reprove wicked people when they sin, but remind them of the fear of God, which will turn them from wickedness. Or else by the wicked he means those who are turning from sin and wish to come to repentance, but are still wicked and blind: be patient with them and do not reprove them for every single fault, lest they come to hatred at the very start; but when they become wise and are established, reprove them. Christ too did not reprove his disciples while they were still young, because old wineskins are not fit for new wine. Or by the wicked he means the senseless and foolish, or those wholly strangers to divine teaching, whom one must not reprove but admonish and teach. And if Ahab and Herod were reproved, they had already shared in the divine law, even if they transgressed it; that is why these too must be reproved. Or he seems to say this to the people of that time, who were more childish; otherwise why did John and Paul reprove? "One must not reprove the wicked when they sin"; for reproof to a person's face makes the sinner more shameless. We should do this with the wise and righteous, between the one reproved and the one reproving, not before many. ### Scripture references - Prov 8:22: allusion, high confidence - Prov 8:23: allusion, high confidence - Prov 8:36: allusion, high confidence - Prov 9:1: allusion, high confidence - Prov 9:2: allusion, high confidence - Matt 10:28: quotation, high confidence - Prov 9:3: allusion, high confidence - Rom 1:1: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 1:24: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 9:7: allusion, high confidence - Prov 9:8: quotation, high confidence - Matt 9:17: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 21:20: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 14:4: allusion, medium confidence - Gal 2:11: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 18:15: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The comment on Prov 8:22 ("The Lord created me as the beginning of his ways") distinguishes Wisdom's eternal essence from its "relation" to creatures; this answer belongs to the fourth-century debate on that verse. Translated as written. - "Do not fear those who kill the body …": Matt 10:28. "Paul … a slave of Christ": Rom 1:1. Old wineskins: Matt 9:17. Ahab reproved: 1 Kgs 21:20; Herod reproved by John: Matt 14:4. John and Paul reproving: compare Luke 3:7; Gal 2:11. Reproof in private: Matt 18:15. - The verses are identified from the Septuagint of Prov 8:22–9:8 (9:7–8: "he who instructs the wicked will get dishonour … do not reprove the wicked, lest they hate you; reprove the wise"). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 185 (PG 17:185a–185d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/173/#p-185). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 187 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/173/#p-187 - Source: PG 17:188a–188d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The one blown about by false teaching shepherds the wind; the virtues are the soul's secret bread; true friendship with God replaces the enmity of sin, and the fear of the Lord adds days of wisdom. ### Greek text Ὀ παντὶ ἀνέμῳ τῆς διδασκαλίας περιφερόμενος, ναυαγήσας περὶ τὴν πίστιν, ὡς ὑπʼ ἀνέμῳ ἑαυτόν τε καὶ ἀλλους ποιμάνας. ἀπώλεσεν · ἀπέλιπε γὰρ τῶν ἐντολῶν τάς ὁδοὺς, τοῦ εἰπόντος, Ἑγὼ είμι ἡ ἄμπελος, ὑμεῖς τά κλήματα, καὶ ό Πατήρ μου ό γεωργός. -Ὀ μὴ συνάγων σῦν ταῖς ἀρεταῖς τὴν θείαν γνῶσιν, οὗτος οὐ συνάγει τῆς αἰωνίου βασιλείας τὴν ἀθάνατον εὐκαρπίαν · ἀκαρπία δέ ὲστι κακία καὶ ἄγνοια. Τῶν ὡς ἀρτων ζωτικῶν, θείων λόγων ἡδέως ἀψασθαι, καὶτῶν ὲν τῇ κρυπτῇ τοῦ νοῦ θεωρίᾳ θείων νοημάτων.-Ἀρτοι sici. τῆς ψυχῆς αι ἀρεταὶ, αἴτινες καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν προσετάγησαν παρʼ ἡμῖν γίνεσθαι · τουτέστι νηστεία, ἐγκράτεια, προσευχὴ, καὶ τὰ ὃμοια · κρυφῇ δὲ, πρὸς τὸ μὴ θεαθῆναι αὑτά τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Ἀνδρα, τὸν τοῦ λόγου πτωχεύσαντα · καὶ χεῖρας, τάς τῆς σοφίας πράξεις. '0 νοήμων ὑπὸ τῶν θλίψεων καὶ τῶν συμφορῶν μὴ συγκαιόμενος, γεννήματα δικαιοσύνης φέρει· ὁ δὲ παράνομος, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν βελτιόνων διαφθείρεται. Παιδείαν ἀνεξέλεγκτον ἐνομάζει τὴν κακὴν τῆς ψυχῆς πολιτείαν, ἥτις καὶ ἀπωλείας καὶ πλάνης αὐτῇ γίνεται πρόξενοςο ἡ δὲ ὁδὸς τῆς ζωῆς, ού μόνον ὲκ τῆς αἰωνίου, ἀλλά καὶ ὲκ πάσης κακότητος τοῦ βίου δυσχερείας τοὺς ἀκάκους φυλάσσει · ἀκάκους,δὲ λέγει τοὺς κακῶς ἕκ τινος ὑπομένοντας, καὶ ἀκακίαν ἀσκοῦντας ὲν ἀγάπῃ. Ἢ οὕτως. ’Δνεξέλεγκτος, ὴ πρόσχημα μὲν εὐσεβείας ἔχουσα, ἀγύμναστος δὲ οῦσα καὶ ἀνεξέταστος· ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἐλεγχόμενος, καὶ φανερῶν καὶ ἑτέροις τὰ φρονήματα καὶ τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς αὐτοῦ, πλανᾶται οἰήσει. Τὸ,καιιύπτουσιν,ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐκ ὲῶσιν ἀνανεῦσαι. Ἦ ἔχθραν τὴν κακίαν λέγει, διʼ ἧς ἐχθροὶ γινόμεθα τοῦ Θεοῦ · τὴν δὲ κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθ ρώπων ἔχθραν ἐγγινομένην ἡμῖν ὲν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ, αύτὴν μὲν ἀποσείονται οἱ δίκαιοι, τοῖς δὲ χείλεσι τὸν Θεὸν ὑμνοῦσιν, ὅταν οὕτως αὐτοῖς ό πονηρὸς iamβάλλῃ El γὰρ ἐχθροὶ ὄντες, φησίν ὁ Παῦλος, κατ ηλλάγημεν τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τοῦ θανάτου τοῦ Υίοῦ αὑτοῦ· εί δὲ ἡ ἔχθρα, κακία ἐστὶν, ἡ φιλία ἀρετὴ καὶ γνῶσις Θεοῦ, διʼ ἧς φίλοι γινόμεθα αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν ἁγίων δυνάμεων · ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς φιλίας ταύτης, οἱ δντες αὐτοῦ φίλοι, καὶ ἀλλήλων εἰσὶ φίλοι. Κύριε, ἐναντίον σου πᾶσα ἡ ἐπιθυμία μου, φησὶν “ ὁ Δαυῖδ · τουτέστιν ὅσα τῷ Θεῷ ἀρεστά, καί δικαίοις ἁρμόζει, ἐπιθυμεῖν χρὴ, ἵνα δεκτὴ ἡ προσευχὴ ἡμῶν γένηται ἐναντίον τοῦ Θεοῦ · ὁ δὲ ἀσεβὴς, ἀπωλείᾳ αἰωνίῳ περιφέρεται ὲν τῷ ἐπιθυμεῖν καὶ πράττειν τὰ μὴ Θεῷ φίλα. Ei φὸΰος Κυρίου προστίθησιν ἡμέρας, ἀρχὴ δὲ σοφίας φόβος Κυρίου, αἱ ἡμέραι αὗται, μέρη τῆς σοφίας εἰσὶν ὑπὸ τοῦἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης γινόμεναι· προκόπτων γὰρ προστίθησι γνώσεις καὶ φωτισμούς· ὑπὲρ δὲ τοιούτων ἡμερῶν εὔχεται καὶ Δαυῖδ λέγωνʼ Μ ὴ ### English translation (Claude) [Prov 9:12] The one who is carried about by every wind of teaching, having suffered shipwreck in the faith, has destroyed himself and others, as one who shepherded under the wind. For he has left the ways of the commandments of the one who said, "I am the vine, you are the branches, and my Father is the vinedresser." The one who does not gather the divine knowledge together with the virtues does not gather the immortal fruitfulness of the eternal kingdom; and unfruitfulness is wickedness and ignorance. [Prov 9:17] To touch gladly the divine words, which are like bread that gives life, and the divine thoughts in the hidden contemplation of the mind. The breads of the soul are the virtues, which our Saviour commanded us to practise: fasting, self-control, prayer and the like; in secret, so as not to be seen by people. [Prov 10:4] By "a man" he means the one who has become poor in the word; and by "hands", the deeds of wisdom. [Prov 10:5] The man of understanding, not consumed by afflictions and misfortunes, bears the fruits of righteousness; but the lawless man is ruined even by better things. [Prov 10:17] He calls "unreproved instruction" the soul's evil way of life, which brings it both destruction and error. But the way of life guards the innocent not only from eternal ruin but also from every hardship of the evil of this life; and by the innocent he means those who endure ill-treatment from someone and practise innocence in love. Or thus: "unreproved" is the instruction that has a show of piety but is untrained and unexamined; for one who is not reproved, and who does not make known his thoughts and reasonings to others, goes astray through conceit. [Prov 10:18] "Cover" means "do not allow to lift its head." Or by "enmity" he means wickedness, through which we become enemies of God; the enmity against God and people that the evil one produces in our heart the righteous shake off, and with their lips they hymn God whenever the evil one casts such enmity at them. "For if, being enemies," says Paul, "we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son." And if enmity is wickedness, friendship is virtue and the knowledge of God, through which we become friends of him and of the holy powers; and in this friendship those who are his friends are also friends of one another. [Prov 10:24] "Lord, before you is all my desire," says David; that is, we must desire what is pleasing to God and befits the righteous, so that our prayer may be acceptable before God; but the ungodly is carried off to eternal destruction by desiring and doing what is not dear to God. [Prov 10:27] If the fear of the Lord adds days, and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, these days are parts of wisdom, made by the Sun of righteousness; for the one who advances adds knowledge and illuminations. For such days David too prays, saying: "Do not take me away ### Scripture references - Prov 9:12: allusion, high confidence - Eph 4:14: allusion, high confidence - 1 Tim 1:19: allusion, high confidence - John 15:1: quotation, high confidence - John 15:5: quotation, high confidence - Prov 9:17: allusion, high confidence - Matt 6:6: allusion, high confidence - Matt 6:18: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 10:4: allusion, high confidence - Prov 10:5: allusion, high confidence - Prov 10:17: allusion, high confidence - Prov 10:18: allusion, high confidence - Rom 5:10: quotation, high confidence - Prov 10:24: allusion, high confidence - Ps 38:9 (37:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 10:27: quotation, high confidence - Prov 9:10: allusion, high confidence - Mal 4:2 (3:20 LXX): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint of Prov 9:12–10:27 (9:12a–c is an addition in the Septuagint: "whoever rests on falsehoods shepherds the winds … he has left the ways of his own vineyard … he gathers unfruitfulness with his hands"). - "Every wind of teaching": Eph 4:14. "Shipwreck in the faith": 1 Tim 1:19. "I am the vine …": John 15:1, 5. Virtues in secret: Matt 6:4–18. "If, being enemies …": Rom 5:10. "Lord, before you is all my desire": Ps 38:9 (37:10 LXX). "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom": Prov 1:7; 9:10. "Sun of righteousness": Mal 4:2. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 187 (PG 17:188a–188d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/173/#p-187). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 189 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/173/#p-189 - Source: PG 17:189a–189d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The days the Lord adds are days of wisdom; the righteous are rescued from the snare that catches the wicked; salvation lies in counsel, not in a saved nature. ### Greek text ἀναγάγῃς με ἐν ἡμίσει -ιῃιερῶν μου · ταύτας δὲ τὰς ἡμέρας καὶ Ἀβραάμ πληρώσας ἀπέθανε πρεσβύτερος καὶ πλήρης ἡμερῶν · καὶ τὰς ὓείας ὁράσεις ὡς ’Ἡμέρας προστίθησι Κύριος τοῖς ἐν πίστει φοβουμένοις αὐτόν · τὰ δὲ.τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἐτη, ἀσοφα ὁραθέντα καὶ θείας χάριτος ἄνευ, ὡλιγώθησαν. Λίῶνα τὸν ἀνθρώπου βίον λέγει, ὡς 6 Παῦλος· Οὐ μὴ φάγω κρέα εὶς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἵνα μὴ τὸν ἀδελφόν μου σκανδαλίσω · τὸ γὰρ συμπαρεκτεινὸμενον τῇ συστάσει τῆς ζωῆς αὑτοῦ, αἰῶνα ὠνόμασεν · υὺκ ἐνδώσει γάρ, φησιν, 6 δίκαιος ἀμαρτῆσαι ἐνοχλούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ. Οἱ δὲ ἀσεβεῖς ἁμαρτάνοντες οὐ μόνον ἐκπεσοῦνται τῆς βασιλείας, ἀλλὰ τὸ πῦρ καὶ οὐ τὴν γῆν οἰκήσουσιν. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, χάριτος ἀνάπλεώς ἐστιν· εὐσεβοῦς δὲ στόμα νῦν τὸν νοῦν λέγει καὶ τὴν καρδίαν, ὡς διὰ τῶν χειλέων ὑμνοῦσαν τὸν Θεόν · τὺ δὲ λαλοῦν πονηρά στόμα τῶν ἀσεβῶν, ἀποστρέφεται ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ είς τὸ εἶναι τῷ πονηρῷ · ὅρα δέ τί ἀπʼ ἐκείνου, τί δὲ ἀπὸ τούτου. Ἕχων γὰρ πρὸς τά μέλλοντα ’τὸν σκοπὸν, τυγχάνει πάντως ὧν προσεδόκησε τελευτήσας 6 δίκαιος. Ἣ είς τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἡμᾶς παραπέμπει· καὶ ἐπὶ τούτου μὲν μένει τὰ ὄντα, καὶ οὐκ ἀφανίζεται· ἐπʼ ἐκείνου δὲ καὶ τά ὄντα σβέννυται· ἐν γὰρ τῷ παρόντι μόνον αἰῶνι καυχῶνται · περὶ ὧν εἴρηται · Ὧν ἡ δόξα ἐν· τῇ αἰσχύνῃ αὐτῶν. Οὐχ ὡς ὑποκειμένου τοῦ εὐσεβοῦς τῇ δίκῃ φησὶ τὸ, Ἀντʼ αὐτοῦ πα ραδίδοται ἀσεβὴς, ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴή παγίς ἐστιν ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ κατὰ τοῦ δικαίου, τούτου ῥυομένου περιπίπτει ταύτῃ 6 ἀσεβής· ἐξαρπάζεται 6 εὐσεβὴς ὑπὸ Θεοῦ, 6 δὲ ἀσεβὴς ἐγκαταλειφθεὶς, περιπίπτει· κατὰ τὸ. Ἔν τοῖς ἔργοις τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀυνελήςρθη ό ἁμαρτωλός. Ἦ ἐπειδὴ 6 δίκαιος ὑπόκειταί τισιν ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἀμαρτή μασιν, ἐλθὼν ὁ ἀσεβὴς καὶ κακοποιήσας τὸν δίκαιον, τῶν μὲν ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ τῶν κολάσεων τῶν μελλουσῶν ἐρρύσατο, εἰς ἐαυτδν δὲ τὰς τιμωρίας ἀνεδέξατο. Παραδίδοται δέ ὑφʼ ἑαυτοῦ ὑπό τῆς ίδίας κακίας, ὡς παραδοὺς ἐαυτὸν εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν. Ἤτοι διάκρισις ὴ περὶ τῶν πρακτέων, ἦ μή ' ἦ ὥστε τὸν ἑαυτῶν βίον οἰκονομεῖν · κλυδώνιον γάρ ἐστι μέγα καὶ ἀφόρητον · oi τοιοῦτοι γάρ παντὶ ἀνέμῳ περιφερόμενοι ναυαγοῦσι περὶ τὸν βίον ἢ τὴν πίστιν, καὶ ὡς φύλλα δένδρου πίπτουσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οἷς μὴ ὑπάρχει σοφία Θεοῦ · εί δὲ ἡ σωτηρία ἐστὶν ἐν βουλῇ, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς βουλῇ, ἀλλά καὶ πολλῇ, οὐκ ἄρα ἐν σώμασιν ἢ χρήμασιν, ούδέ κατὰ φύσιν τις σώζεται· κατά τοὺς τὰς φύσεις εἰσάγοντας. Ἐνταῦθα τὴν ψυχὴν ἄντικρυς προεῖπεν σῶμα· καὶ 6 Χριστὸς δὲ ἐν τοῖς Εὑαγγελίοις, σῶμα τὴν ψυχὴν ὀνομάζει · '0 λύχνος, λέγων, τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν ὀ ὀφθαλμός · λύχνον μὲν εἷπε τὸν νοῦν · αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστι γνώσεως δεκτικός · σῶμα δὲ τὸ θυμικὸν καὶ ἐπιι ### English translation (Claude) in the midst of my days." Abraham, having fulfilled these days, died an old man and full of days. And the Lord adds the divine visions as days to those who fear him in faith; but the years of the ungodly, seen to be without wisdom and without divine grace, have been made few. [Prov 10:30] He calls a person's life "the age", as Paul does: "I will never eat meat again" (literally, "for the age"), "lest I cause my brother to stumble"; for he named "the age" what extends along with the duration of his life. For the righteous, he says, will not give way so as to sin when troubled by the evil one. But the ungodly who sin will not only fall from the kingdom; they will inhabit the fire and not the land. [Prov 10:31–32] That is, it is full of grace. By "the mouth of the godly" he now means the mind and the heart, which hymns God through the lips; but the mouth of the ungodly, which speaks evil, is turned away from God so as to belong to the evil one. See what comes from the one and what from the other. [Prov 11:7] For the righteous man, having his aim fixed on what is to come, surely obtains what he expected when he dies. Or else he directs us to the resurrection: in the one case what is remains and is not destroyed; in the other, even what is is extinguished; for they boast only in the present age, those of whom it is said, "whose glory is in their shame." [Prov 11:8] "The ungodly is handed over in his place" is not said as if the godly were liable to the penalty; but since there is a snare set by the evil one against the righteous, when the righteous is rescued the ungodly falls into it. The godly is snatched away by God, while the ungodly, abandoned, falls into it, as in: "The sinner was caught in the works of his own hands." Or else, since the righteous man, as a man, is liable to some sins, the ungodly man came and did evil to the righteous, and so delivered him from his sins and from the punishments to come, but took the penalties on himself. And he is handed over by himself, by his own wickedness, as one who has handed himself over to a base mind. [Prov 11:14] That is, discernment about what should be done or not; or else so as to manage one's own life; for it is a great and unbearable surge. Such people, carried about by every wind, suffer shipwreck in their life or in the faith, and fall from God like the leaves of a tree, those who have no wisdom of God. And if salvation is in counsel, and not simply in counsel but in much counsel, then no one is saved in bodies or in money, nor by nature, as those say who bring in natures. [Prov 11:17] Here he has plainly called the soul a body; and Christ too in the Gospels calls the soul a body, saying: "The lamp of the body is the eye." By lamp he meant the mind, for it is what receives knowledge; and by body the irascible and desiring ### Scripture references - Ps 102:24 (101:25 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Gen 25:8: allusion, high confidence - Prov 10:27: allusion, high confidence - Prov 10:30: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 8:13: quotation, high confidence - Prov 10:31: allusion, high confidence - Prov 10:32: allusion, high confidence - Prov 11:7: allusion, high confidence - Phil 3:19: quotation, high confidence - Prov 11:8: quotation, high confidence - Ps 9:16 (9:17 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Rom 1:28: allusion, high confidence - Prov 11:14: allusion, high confidence - Eph 4:14: allusion, high confidence - Prov 11:17: allusion, high confidence - Matt 6:22: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - "Do not take me away in the midst of my days": Ps 102:24 (101:25 LXX). Abraham "full of days": Gen 25:8. "I will never eat meat …": 1 Cor 8:13 ("for the age", εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα). "Whose glory is in their shame": Phil 3:19. "The sinner was caught …": Ps 9:16 (9:17 LXX). "A base mind": Rom 1:28. "Every wind": Eph 4:14. "The lamp of the body is the eye": Matt 6:22. - The verses are identified from the Septuagint of Prov 10:30–11:17 (11:14: "those who have no steering fall like leaves, but salvation is in much counsel"; 11:17: "the merciless destroys his own body"). - "Those who bring in natures" are teachers (such as the Valentinians) who held that some people are saved by nature; translated as written. Garbled characters at the end of the section, which split the word "desiring" across two sections, have been removed. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 189 (PG 17:189a–189d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/173/#p-189). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 191 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-191 - Source: PG 17:192a–192d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The teacher of evil lays violent hands on others, the one who sows to the Spirit reaps life, and the grain withheld is the divine word, which passed to the nations. ### Greek text θυμητικὸν μέρος τῆς ψυχῆς · ὅπερ-τινὲς μέν, ἄλογον· mute δὲ,καθησιτικὸν μέρος καλὲοῖὶσιν. '0 δέ ἐξ ῶν έποίει καὶ διδάσκει ἀγαθῶν, ἐντεῦθεν μὲν-γνῶσιν σωκ μάτων καὶ ἀσωμάτων έν τῷ μέλλοντι δὲ βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν, περιποιεῖται ἑαυτῷ καὶ τοῖς μαθητιῶσιν · ἐξολλύει δὲ οὐ μόνον τδ ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα, ἀλλά καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν, σὺν τοῖς πειθομένοις αὐτῷ, τῷ πυρὶ συναπόλ- Οὗτος χειρὶ χεῖρας ἐμβάλλει ἀδίκως, 6 κακῶν 'f-tv6μενος πραγμάτων καὶ δογμάτων διδάσκαλος-,οὗτος δὶ σπείρει δικαιοσύνην, 6 περὶ ἀρετῶν καὶ Θεοῦ γνώσεως προϊέμενος λόγους. Τοῖς είς τὰ ῐδια σπείρουσι, καὶ πλείονα ποιοῦσιν, ἀντίκεινται οἱ συνάγοντες καὶ ἐλαττούμενοι · οι γὰρ τά ῐδια σπείροντες, εἰσὶν οἱ εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα σπείροντες, καὶ ζωὴν θερίζοντες ’ οἱ δὲ συνάγοντες καὶ ἐλαττούμενοι, εἰσὶν οί είς τὴν σάρκα σπείροντες, καὶ φθορὰν συνάγοντες ἑαυτοῖς. Σῖτος 6 θεῖος λόγος, ὃν κατακρύψαντες oi. Ἰουδαῖοι, κατέλιπον αὑτὸν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. - Ὅμοιον ἐστι τούτῳ καὶ τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐν τοῖς Εὐατγελίοις λεγόμενον ο τὸ, Οὐδεὶς λύχνον ἅψας, τίθησιν airτὸν ὑπὸ τὸν μόδιον, ἀλλʼ ὑπὸ τὴν λυχνίαν, τοῦ φαίνειν πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν τῇ οὶκίᾳ· ῶσπερ γὰρ σῖτος τροφή ἐστι τῷ σώματι, οὕτως ἡ θεία γνῶσις λ 6 δὲ τὴν τῶν ἀμφοτέρων τροφὴν ἔχων καὶ μὴ τιαρέχων, ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ τούτων μισθὸν ἀπαιτεῖ sig-oux έχουσι δοῦναι, ὑπολίποιτο αὐτὸν τοῖς δαίμοσιν. Γράφει δξ καὶ δη μοκατάρατον, ὅτι ὑπδ τὸν δῆμον τῶν [ti-r04.ρ λων καὶ στάντων τῶν δικαίων ὲν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆςοκρίσεως, ν ὲπικατάρατος ἔσται. Τεκτονική ἐστι κατά πνεῑξμα κρακτικὴ τῶνάγαθῶν ἀρετῶν ἐργασίαο 6 δὲ τά Sed: ἑποιρειλόμενα πράττῶν, ζητεῖ θεαρέστους ἄνδρας, δεχομένους τὰς Θεῷ ὲποφειλάς, ῐνα ὥσπερ αὑτὸςὶκαὶ αὐτοὶνὲμτξοι pstimwat' τοὺς δὲ μὴ τά καλὰ, ἀλλά τὰ κακὰ ζητοῦντας, σπαρήσεται. Τοῦτο. τὸ δένδρον τῆς ζωῆς ἔστι τὸ φυτευθὲὴὲν μέσῳ τοῦ παραδείσου,οὗ ἀψασθαιῌμετά τὴν ἀμαρτίαν έκωλύθη 6 Ἀδὰμ, τὰ σπέρματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἀποβαλὼν, ἀφʼ ὧν φύεται τδ δένδρον τῆς ζωῆς. ### English translation (Claude) part of the soul, which some call irrational and others the … part. The one who, from the good things he did and teaches, gains for himself and his disciples knowledge of bodies and incorporeal things here, and the kingdom of heaven in the age to come … ; but [the merciless] destroys not only his own body but also his soul, perishing in the fire together with those who obey him. [Prov 11:21] He lays hands on hands unjustly who becomes a teacher of evil deeds and doctrines; but he sows righteousness who puts forth words about the virtues and the knowledge of God. [Prov 11:24] Against those who sow their own and make it more are set those who gather and are diminished; for those who sow their own are those who sow to the Spirit and reap life; but those who gather and are diminished are those who sow to the flesh and gather corruption for themselves. [Prov 11:26] The grain is the divine word, which the Jews hid away and so left to the nations. Similar to this is what is said by our Saviour in the Gospels: "No one lights a lamp and puts it under the bushel, but on the lampstand, to give light to all in the house." For just as grain is food for the body, so divine knowledge is food for the soul; and whoever has the food of both and does not provide it, but demands payment for these things from those who have nothing to give, may leave it to the demons. It also writes "cursed by the people", because under the people of angels and of all the righteous standing at the day of judgment he will be accursed. [Prov 11:27] Carpentry, according to the Spirit, is the practical working of the good virtues; and the one who does what is owed to God seeks men pleasing to God, who receive what is owed to God, so that, as he himself, they too may …; but those who seek not good things but evil things will be … [Prov 11:30] This is the tree of life planted in the middle of paradise, which Adam was prevented from touching after his sin, having cast away the seeds of righteousness from which the tree of life grows. ### Scripture references - Prov 11:17: allusion, high confidence - Prov 11:18: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 11:21: allusion, high confidence - Prov 11:24: allusion, high confidence - Gal 6:8: allusion, high confidence - Prov 11:26: allusion, high confidence - Matt 5:15: quotation, high confidence - Prov 11:27: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 11:30: allusion, high confidence - Gen 2:9: allusion, high confidence - Gen 3:24: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint of Prov 11:17–30 (11:21 "he who lays hand upon hands unjustly"; 11:24 "there are those who sow their own and make it more"; 11:26 "may he who withholds grain leave it to the nations … cursed by the people"; 11:27 "he who devises good"; 11:30 "from the fruit of righteousness grows a tree of life"). - Several phrases in this section are badly garbled in the scan and are marked "…" or translated by sense; the end of the first sentence is lost. - Sowing to the Spirit and to the flesh: Gal 6:8. The lamp: Matt 5:15. The tree of life: Gen 2:9; 3:22–24. The comment that the Jews hid the grain is translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 191 (PG 17:192a–192d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-191). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 193 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-193 - Source: PG 17:193a–193d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Wisdom is an invincible weapon against demons; the impure must be cleansed by learning God's commandments so as to see him; enemies of God become friends through the righteous. ### Greek text σιν* Κατά δὲ τὴν σκληρότητὰ σου καὶ ἁμετανόητόν σου καρδίαν θησαυρίζεις σεαυτῷ ὀργὴν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως καὶ δικαιοκρισίας Θεοῦ. ’Θ δὲ ἀγαθὸς κληροδοτῆσαι ποιήσει τοὺς ὡς υἱοὺς πατρὶ πειθομένους αὐτῷ, καὶ τοὺς ἐκείνῳ ’ υίοθετήσει τὴν τῶν,οὺρανῶν βασιλείαν. Ὥσπερ ἀήττητά aiat, καθάπερ τά ὅπλα τὴν ἀσφάλειαν περιποιεῖ· οὐδὲν γὰρ πονηρὸν ἀντιστήσεται τῇ σοφίᾳ, διότι ὅπλον ἐστὶν ἀκαταμάχητον· μόνην γὰρ πρὸς ταύτην ἀδυνατοῦσιν οἱ δαίμονες · τῷ δὲ ἄφρονι τά τε ὁρατὰ καὶ ἀσώματα πάντα ἐναντία. οἰκίας ἐνταῦθα τά σώματα λέγει· οἰκίαι γάρ είσι τῶν ψυχῶν · ὀφείλονται δὲ παρά τῶν τὴν θεοσέβειαν εἰδότων καὶ τὴν θεωρητικὴν γνῶσιν, οἱ παράνομοι τὴν Θεογνωσίαν μαθεῖν οὐ μόνον, ἀλλά καὶ πᾶσαν τῶν ζωοποιῶν ἐντολῶν· ἵνα καθαροὶ γενόμενοι, ἴδωσι τὸν Θεὸν τοῖς νοεροῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ μακάριον τέλος, ὅπερ πάσῃ φύσει λογικῇ τετήρηται · αἱ δὲ οἰκίαι τῶν δικαίων ἓτοιμαί εἰσιν εἰς δοχὴν πάντων, ὡς κελεύει ὁ Κύριος. Διανοήματα νῦν εἶπεν τὰς θείας ὁράσεις καὶ τὰς ἔξεις τῶν ἀρετῶν, ἇσπερ ταῖς ὁδοῖς νοῦ θρασυκάρδιον ἀντὲθεικεν · Ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ περισσεύματος τῆς καρδίας λαλεῖ τὰ χείλη, εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος· οὐ γὰρ ’κακον ποιῆσαι, ἀλλʼ ἀγαθοποιῆσαι ὁάγαθὸς ἀνὴρ διανοεῖται· ὁ δὲ θρασυκάρδιος ὡς ἄφρων πράττων καὶ λέγων, ὲμπλησθήσεται μαστίγων, καὶ πραγμάτιον ἀφαιρέσεως, καὶ τέλος τὴν ψυχήν αὑτοῦ ἀπολέσει. ἀμαρτάνοντας ἐλέγχουσιν· oi δὲ μισοῦντες αὐτὰς, καὶ τῇ αἰσχρότητι τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν συναποθνήσκοντες, σὺν τῷ πονηρῷ αὐτῶν ἑφευρετῇ πονηρῶς τακήσονται· ὑπὸ δὲ τῶν παριόντων τὴν κακίανν γνωρίζεται τῆς ἀναμαρτησίας ή παιδεία τοῦ ἀκάκου. Ἡσυχία ἐστὶν ἀποχὴ κακίας ὲμπράκτου καὶ ὁράσεων, ἣν oi ἀγαθοῖ ἡσυχάζουσιν· oi δὲ τοῦ νοὸς καὶ σώματος ὀφθαλμοὶ τῶν κακῶν, πάντα τὸν χρόνον ἑπινοοῦνται κακά. '0 δὲ συνετὸς οὐκ ἐστιν ὲν ᾆδου τοῦ τῶν ἀμαρτων λῶν· ὁδοὶ ζωῆς, διανοήματα θείων λόγων καὶ ἔργων· ὁ δὲ συνετὸς ἀεὶ ταῦτα ποιεῖ καὶ διδάσκει, ἵνα σὺν τοῖς μαθητιῶσιν ἐκκλίνας ὲκ τοῦ ᾅδου σωθῇ. Οἱ τὰς ὲντολάς αὐτοῦ μὴ πράττοντες, ἐχθροὶ αὐτοῦ εἰσιν· φίλοι δὲ αὐτοῦ γίνονται ὲπάν τοῖς δικαίοις προσδράμωσιν, ἐξομολογούμενοι τὰς πράξεις αὐτῶν τὰς πονηράς· ἐξ ὧν ὲναχθέντες ὡς ἐκεῖνοι τὰς ζωοποιοὺς ὀδοὺς πορεύσονται· Παύλου κηρύξαντος, ΟΖ ποτε ὄντες ἐχθροὶ, κατηλλάγησαν τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τοῦ θανάτου τοῦ Ποῦ αὑτοῦ· προσεκτέον ὅτι πάντες oi ἐχθροὶ, διὰ τῶν δικαίων φίλοι γίνονται· ἵνα καὶ πᾶσιν εἴπῃ Χριστός· Οὐκέτι ὑμᾶς καλῶ δούλους, ἀλλὰ φίλους. ### English translation (Claude) "But by your hardness and your unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God." [Prov 13:22] The good man will make those who obey him like sons to a father inherit, and will adopt them for that one into the kingdom of heaven. [Prov 14:7] They are unconquerable, just as weapons provide safety; for nothing evil will stand against wisdom, since it is an invincible weapon; against it alone the demons are powerless. But to the fool all things, visible and incorporeal, are hostile. [Prov 14:9] By houses he here means bodies, for they are the houses of souls. The lawless owe it to those who know piety and contemplative knowledge to learn not only the knowledge of God but also all of the life-giving commandments, so that, having become pure, they may see God with the eyes of the mind; for this is the blessed end, which is kept for every rational nature. And the houses of the righteous are ready to receive all, as the Lord commands. [Prov 14:14] By "thoughts" he now means the divine visions and the habits of the virtues, to which he has opposed the bold-hearted man in the ways of the mind. "For out of the abundance of the heart the lips speak," said the Lord; for the good man intends not to do evil, but to do good. But the bold-hearted man, acting and speaking as a fool, will be filled with scourges and the taking away of his goods, and at the end will lose his soul. [Prov 15:10] … reprove those who sin; but those who hate them and die together with the shamefulness of their sins will melt away wretchedly with the evil one who invented them. And the instruction of the innocent, the sinlessness, becomes known to those who pass by wickedness. [Prov 15:15] Stillness is abstaining from wickedness in act and in sight, which the good keep at all times; but the eyes of the mind and of the body of the wicked devise evils all the time. [Prov 15:24] The man of understanding is not in the Hades of sinners; the ways of life are the thoughts of the divine words and works. The man of understanding always does and teaches these, so that, turning aside from Hades, he may be saved together with his disciples. [Prov 16:7] Those who do not do his commandments are his enemies; and they become his friends when they run to the righteous, confessing their evil deeds; and, led by them out of these, they will walk, like them, in the ways that give life; as Paul proclaimed, "Who, being once enemies, were reconciled to God through the death of his Son." Note that all enemies become friends through the righteous, so that Christ may say to all: "No longer do I call you servants, but friends." ### Scripture references - Rom 2:5: quotation, high confidence - Prov 13:22: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 14:7: allusion, high confidence - Prov 14:9: allusion, high confidence - Matt 5:8: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 14:14: allusion, high confidence - Matt 12:34: quotation, high confidence - Prov 15:10: allusion, high confidence - Prov 15:15: allusion, high confidence - Prov 15:24: allusion, high confidence - Prov 16:7: allusion, high confidence - Rom 5:10: quotation, high confidence - John 15:15: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The section begins with a quotation of Rom 2:5, the end of a comment lost in the scan. The verses are identified from the Septuagint (13:22 "a good man will cause sons' sons to inherit"; 14:7 "all things are hostile to a foolish man, but wise lips are weapons of perception"; 14:9 "the houses of the lawless will owe purification"; 14:14 "the bold-hearted will be filled with his own ways"; 15:10 "the instruction of the innocent is known by those who pass by"; 15:15 "the good are always at rest"; 15:24 "the ways of life are the thoughts of the man of understanding, that turning aside from Hades he may be saved"; 16:7 "through them even enemies become friends"). - "Out of the abundance of the heart …": Matt 12:34. "Who, being once enemies …": Rom 5:10. "No longer do I call you servants …": John 15:15. "See God": compare Matt 5:8. - "The blessed end, which is kept for every rational nature" expresses a hope for the restoration of all rational beings; translated as written. The opening words of the comment on Prov 15:10 are lost ("…"). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 193 (PG 17:193a–193d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-193). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 195 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-195 - Source: PG 17:196a–196d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Wisdom's nests are the churches and the virtues; life is the holy Trinity; the devil, the crooked and lawless man, tries to separate the saints from God through the demons. ### Greek text Πάλιν κάκεῖ τῆς σοφίας χρεία, ἴνα ἐξιλάσηται· ἢ δ τοὺς περὶ κολάσεως ἐπιστάμενος λόγους ἄγγελος, θυμὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγεται. '0 δὲ σοφὸς ἐν θείοις ἔργοις καὶ λόγοις, ὼς όμόφρων αὐτῷ ὣν, οὒ πτοηθήσεταῑ αὐτόν. Νοσσιαὶ σοφίας είσὶν ai Ἑκκλησίαι, ἢ αἱ ἐν τῷ ούρανῷ σκηναίο σοφία δὲ, Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, ό τοῦ Θεοῦ Υίδς. ἐστὶν. Νοσσιαὶδὲ φρονήσεως αίρετώτεραι ὑπὲρ ἀργύριον, al πρακτικαὶ ἀρεταί· δικαιοσύνη, γνῶσις, σοφία, σωφροσύνη, ἀνδρεία, μακροθυμία, ἀνεξικακία, ἀοργησία, ἐλεημοσύνη, πίστις σὺν ἐλπίδι καὶ ἀγάπῃ διʼ ἃς ὡς κλίμακος βαθμίδας, είς τάς τῆς σοφίας σκηνάς είσιέναι ἀκώλυτον τοὺς ἀνιέναι καὶ οἰκῆσαι βουλομένους. Παιδείαν λέγει φόβου Θεοῦ, νηστείαν, ἐγκράτειαν, ἀγρυπνίαν, ῦμνον, καὶ τὴν ἐν νόσοις πρὸς δοκιμὴν Θεοῦ ἐπερχομένην ἡμῖν παιδείαν. Ἐλέγχους λέγει τάς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ· αὗται γάρ ἡμᾶς ἐλέγχουσιν ἁμαρτάνοντας. Ὁδοὺς ἐνταῦθα τὰς αἰσθήσεις φησίνο ό δὲ φυλάσσων αὐτάς, τηρεί ἐκ θανάτου τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν πρὸς ζωήν· ζωὴ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ πάντα ξωοῦσα. καί ἐξ οὐκ όντων είς τὸ εἶναι παραγαγοῦσα Τριὰς ἁγία· ό δέ ἀγαπῶν τὴν ζωὴν, καὶ ἀεὶ ζῇν αὐτῇ ἐφιέμενος, φείσεται στόματος αὑτοῦ ἐκ τῶν μὴ Θεοῦ λόγων καὶ ἔργων, καὶ τῇ γνώσει τοῦ Θεοῦ προσἐξει. Ζωὴ ό Θεός ἐστι· τῆς δὲ τρισσοφαοῦς αύτοζωῖας ἡ πηγὴ, ἡ σοφία καὶ ἡ γνῶσις καὶ al ἀρεταί εἰσιν· ἐξ ἧς πηγῆς οί πίνοντες, ἀθανασίας μετέχουσι και ἀειζωῖας· τοῖς δέ κεκτημένοις τὴν τοιαύτην πηγὴν, ἔννοια λόγων ζωῆς ἐστι· ἡ δέ παιδεία ἀφρόνων, ἡ κακία ἐστίνʼ ὴ δέ ἀνεξέλεγκτος παιδεία, ἡ ἀφροσύνη ἐστίν. Τὴν γνῶσιν ἐπιγνωμοσύνην εἷπε, παρά τὸ τά πάντα αὐτὴν ἐπιγινώσκειν τά πράγματα· ἠ δέ καρδία τῶν σοφῶν νοεῖ τά ἀπὸ τοῦ ίδίου στόματος ἐν τε κρίσει σωμάτων καὶ ἀσωμάτων, καὶ άπερ αὐτοὶ ποιεῖν διδάσκουσι καὶ πράττουσιν. Λόγους oi δαίμονες παρά τοῦ διαβόλου μανθάνοντες, ἐπιχειροῦσι τοῖς ἁγίοις, καὶ πειρᾶσθαι χωρίζειν αύτοὺς ἐπινοοῦνται ἀπδτῆς γνώσεως, ἥτις πέφυκε συνάπτειν αὐτοὺς πρὸς φιλίαν ταῖς ἐπουρανίοις δυνάμεσιʼ τὺ δʼ αὐτὸ τοῦτο καὶ δ Σολομῶν ὡς οἶμαι διὰ ταύτης τῆς παροιμίας δεδήλωκε· σκολιὸν μὲν ἄνδρα λέγων τὸν Σατανᾶν· πορευομένους δὲ λαμπτῆρας δόλου τοὺς διδασκομένους παρʼ αὑτοῦ κακοὺς δαίμονάς φησι· φίλους δὲ, τοὺς ἁγίους, τοὺς διὰ τῆς γνώσεως ἁπτομένους τῷ Θεῷ καὶ ἀλλήλοις. ’Λνὴρ παράνομος ό διάὸολός ἐστινʼ ἀποπειρᾶται δὲ φίλους Θεοῦ, καὶ ἀπάγει αὐτοὺς ταῖς πρὸς ἀπώλειαν ὁδοῖς καὶ οὐκ ἀγαθαῖς· ὅταν δέ τινα τῶν ἀγίων ἀπατήσῃ, στηρίξει νοήματα τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὑτοῦ, καὶ λογίζεται διεστραμμένα, μή πως σωθῇ μετανοήσας ὃν ἐθήρευσε· κνίζει δὲ τοῖς χείλεσιν αὑτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶν ἐκείνου πάντα τὰ κακὰ ἐνθυμήματα, ἀπόγνωσίν τε καὶ πᾶσαν ἡδονὴν ἀκολασίας· οὗτος κάμινός ἐστι ### English translation (Claude) [Prov 16:14] Here again wisdom is needed, to appease. Or the angel who knows the teachings about punishment is called the wrath of God; but the one who is wise in divine works and words, being of one mind with him, will not be terrified by him. [Prov 16:16] The nests of wisdom are the churches, or the tents in heaven; and wisdom is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And the nests of prudence, "more to be chosen than silver," are the practical virtues: justice, knowledge, wisdom, self-control, courage, long-suffering, forbearance, freedom from anger, almsgiving, faith with hope and love; through these, as through the rungs of a ladder, those who wish to go up and dwell there may enter the tents of wisdom without hindrance. [Prov 16:17] By instruction he means that of the fear of God: fasting, self-control, vigil, hymnody, and the instruction that comes upon us in sicknesses, as God's testing. By reproofs he means the commandments of God, for these reprove us when we sin. Here he calls the senses "ways"; and the one who guards them keeps his soul from death for life. For life is the holy Trinity, which gives life to all things and brought them from non-being into being. And the one who loves life and longs always to live in it will spare his mouth from words and works that are not of God, and will hold fast to the knowledge of God. [Prov 16:22] God is life; and the spring of the thrice-radiant Life itself is wisdom, knowledge and the virtues; those who drink from this spring share in immortality and life without end. To those who possess such a spring belongs understanding of the words of life. The instruction of fools is wickedness; and unreproved instruction is folly. [Prov 16:23] He has called knowledge "recognition", because it recognizes all things; and the heart of the wise understands what comes from its own mouth, both in the judgment of bodies and incorporeal things and in what they themselves teach and do. [Prov 16:28] The demons, learning teachings from the devil, attack the saints and contrive to try to separate them from knowledge, which by nature joins them in friendship with the heavenly powers. Solomon, I think, has shown this very thing by this proverb: calling the devil a crooked man; the deceitful lamps that go about, the evil demons taught by him; and friends, the saints, who through knowledge are joined to God and to one another. [Prov 16:29–30] The lawless man is the devil; he tests the friends of God and leads them away on ways to destruction and not good ones. And when he has deceived one of the saints, he fixes thoughts in his eyes and plots perverse things, lest the one he has caught should repent and be saved; and with his lips he whispers into that one's ears all evil designs, despair and every pleasure of licentiousness. He is a furnace ### Scripture references - Prov 16:14: allusion, high confidence - Prov 16:16: quotation, high confidence - Prov 16:17: allusion, high confidence - Prov 16:22: allusion, high confidence - Prov 16:23: allusion, high confidence - Prov 16:28: allusion, high confidence - Prov 16:29: allusion, high confidence - Prov 16:30: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint of Prov 16:14–30 (16:14 "the wrath of a king is a messenger of death, but a wise man will appease it"; 16:16 "the nests of wisdom are more to be chosen than gold"; 16:17 with its Septuagint additions; 16:22 "understanding is a spring of life"; 16:23 "on his lips he will carry recognition"; 16:28 "a crooked man … kindles a lamp of deceit"; 16:29–30). - "The holy Trinity" and "the thrice-radiant Life itself" belong to the Trinitarian language of the fourth century; translated as written. The terms suggest the hand of Evagrius rather than Origen. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 195 (PG 17:196a–196d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-195). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 197 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-197 - Source: PG 17:197a–197d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Spirit cools the furnace of wickedness; the servant who masters sin's demons becomes a house of God's mysteries; the riches of the faithful are knowledge of the inner principles of the world. ### Greek text πάσης κακίας· καὶ φλέγει ἐν αύτῇ τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ὀλισθησομένων· ἀλλά ταύτης τῆς καμίνου ἐκτινάσσει τὴν φλόγα Πνεῦμα θεῖον, διασυρίζον σοφίαν δρόσου· πολλοὶ δὲ ἔτι τῶν κατʼ αὐτὴν πονηροὶ ἄνθρωποι, εἰώθασι μιμεῖσθαιτδν πατέρα αὐτοῖς διάβολον. Κόλπους ἐνταῦθα τὰς καρδίας εἴρηκε τῶν ἀδίκων οἶμαι δὲ ὅτι καὶ πανταχοῦ 6 κόλπος ἢ τὸν νοῦν, ἢ τὴν γνῶσιν σημαίνει· καὶ τοὺς μὲν πονηροὺς 6 διάβολος ἐγκολπίζεται, τοὺς δέ δικαίους 6 Κύριος. Εἰ πᾶς 6 ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν δοῦλός ἐστι, πᾶς ὁ ἀποστὰς τῆς κακίας διὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς, τῶν δαιμόνων ἀφρόνων ὄντων δεσποτῶν ὲκράτησενʼ ὃς καὶ οἶκος μῦστηρίων Θεοῦ γενήσεται, κάτὰ ἀναλογίαν τῆς καταστάσεως, ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἀδελφῶν διδοὺς γνῶσιν πνευματικήνο οὕτω xui. Παῦλος τοὺςμέν ἐν Κορίνθῳ γα- -λαποτίζων, τοὺς δὲέν Ἐφέσῳ τρέφων στερεωτέρᾳ τροφῇ, περὶ ὖψους καὶ μήκους καὶ πλάτους καὶ 1θους διαλεγόμενοςο καὶ διὰ τούτων τῶν διαστημάτων τὴν τῆς λογικῆς φύσεως σημαίνων διαίρεσιν, ἥτις τοὺς περὶ κρίσεως καὶ προνοίας τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγους ἐμπεριέχει, πάνυ βαθυτάτους ὑπάρχοντας, καὶ ἐκφεύγοντας τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην κατάστασιν. Κάμινοι οί πειρασμοίο διὰ γὰρ τῶν πειρασμῶν καθάρας καὶ ἀκηλιδώτους τὰς καρδίας τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν ‘6 Θεὸς ἐκλέγεται. ς '0 αἱρετικὸς ὑπακούει γλώσσης τῆς τῶν ἀθέων δογμάτωνο οἱ δὲ τῆς τοῦ ὑπακούειν, τὸ ἑκούσιον δείκνυσιν, ὼς εἰς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφὴν διοίκησιν ἐξαμαρτών. —— Οὗτος ὑπακούει ταῖς γλώσσαις τῶν παρανόμων, 6 τοὺς ἀδίκους δεχόμενος παρʼ αὐτῶν λογισμοὺς, καὶδσπεύδων ἐνεργεῖν κατʼ αὐτούς· οἷς 6 δίκαιος λέγεται μὴ προσέχειν, ὁρατῶν τε καὶ ἀοράτων, τουτέστι μὴ ἐπὶ πλέον τρέφειν ἐν ἐαυτῷ. '0 πιστὸς, φησὶν, ὄψεται τοὺς λόγους τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, οὕστινας χρήματα τροπικῶς τοῦ νοῦ προσηγόρευσενο 6 δὲ ἄπιστος οὐδὲ τοῦ τυχόντος πράγματος γνώσεται λόγον, διὰ τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν τῆς ψυχῆς αὑτοῦ· ὃτιδέ πλοῦτος ψυχῆς ἡ γνῶσίς ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ, 6 Παῦλος διδάσκει λέγων τόο Ἐν παντὶ ἐπλουτίσθητε, πάσῃ γνώσει καὶ πάσῃ σοφίςν εί δέ τις βούλοιτο ν- ηπ-..,ν.... -, δεῖξαι μὴ ταύτην τὴν ἔννοιαν εἶναι ταύτης τῆς παροιμίας, λεγέτω ποῦ εὐπόρησαν χρημάτων oi περιελθόντες ἐν μηλωταῖς, ἐν αἰγείοις δέρμασι, κακουχούμενοι, θλιβόμενοι, στενοχωρούμενοι ;’Πῶς δὲ καὶ 6 ἄπιστος ούχ ἐξειόβολδν, πολλῶν ἀπίστων περιβεβλημένων πλοῦτον πολὺν, λέγω δὲ βασιλέων καὶ ἀρχόντων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου; Χείλη πιστὰ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς λογισμούς φησιν· ἄφρονι δὲ δεκτόν ἔσονται πονηροὶ λογισμοί· τίς γὰρ μετοχὴ δικαιοσύνῃ πρὸς ἀδικίαν; εί μή που μετανοήσας δέξηται φρόνησιν τε κα) πίστιν. Διά μὲν τῆς δικαιοσύνης, τὴν ἀδικίαν κρύπτομενο διά δὲ τῆς σωφροσύνης, τὴν ἀκολασίανο καὶ πάλιν διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης, τὸ μῖσος· καὶ διά τῆς ἀφιλαργυρίας, τὴν ### English translation (Claude) of all wickedness, and in it he burns the souls of those who will slip; but the divine Spirit shakes off the flame of this furnace, whistling a wisdom of dew. Yet many wicked people still go about the same way, accustomed to imitate the devil, their father. [Prov 16:33] Here he has called the hearts of the unjust "bosoms"; I think that everywhere the bosom signifies either the mind or knowledge. The devil takes the wicked to his bosom, and the Lord the righteous. [Prov 17:2] If everyone who commits sin is a slave, then everyone who has withdrawn from wickedness through virtue has mastered the demons, who are senseless masters; and he will become a house of the mysteries of God, giving to each of the brothers spiritual knowledge in proportion to his state: as Paul gave milk to those in Corinth, but nourished those in Ephesus with more solid food, discussing height and length and breadth and depth, and signifying by these dimensions the distribution of rational nature, which contains the teachings about God's judgment and providence, very deep as they are and beyond the human state. [Prov 17:3] Furnaces are the trials; for through trials God chooses the hearts of the elect, cleansed and spotless. [Prov 17:4] The heretic obeys the tongue of godless doctrines; and "obeys" shows the voluntary act, as one who has sinned against God's wise ordering. He obeys the tongues of the lawless who receives unjust thoughts from them and hastens to act according to them; to these the righteous is said not to attend, whether visible or invisible, that is, not to nurture them any longer in himself. [Prov 17:6] The faithful, he says, will see the inner principles of this world, which he figuratively called the mind's riches; but the unfaithful will not know the principle of even the least thing, because of the impurity of his soul. That the knowledge of God is the wealth of the soul Paul teaches when he says: "In everything you were enriched, in all knowledge and all wisdom." If anyone should wish to show that this is not the meaning of the proverb, let him say where those found riches who "went about in sheepskins and goatskins, ill-treated, afflicted, distressed." And how is it that the unfaithful does not have an obol, when many unfaithful people are clothed in great wealth, I mean the kings and rulers of this world? [Prov 17:7] By "faithful lips" he means good thoughts; and evil thoughts will be acceptable to the fool. For "what has righteousness in common with lawlessness?" Unless he repents and receives prudence and faith. [Prov 17:9] Through righteousness we hide injustice; through self-control, licentiousness; through love, hatred; through freedom from avarice, ### Scripture references - Prov 16:30: allusion, high confidence - John 8:44: allusion, high confidence - Prov 16:33: allusion, high confidence - John 8:34: quotation, high confidence - Prov 17:2: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 3:2: allusion, high confidence - Eph 3:18: allusion, high confidence - Prov 17:3: allusion, high confidence - Prov 17:4: allusion, high confidence - Prov 17:6: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 1:5: quotation, high confidence - Heb 11:37: quotation, high confidence - Prov 17:7: allusion, high confidence - 2 Cor 6:14: quotation, high confidence - Prov 17:9: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Pr Azar 27 (Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Young Men): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - "Whistling a wisdom of dew": the angel who made the furnace "like a whistling wind of dew" (Dan 3:50 LXX, Prayer of Azariah 27). "The devil, their father": John 8:44. "Everyone who commits sin is a slave": John 8:34. Milk for the Corinthians: 1 Cor 3:2. Height, length, breadth and depth: Eph 3:18. "In everything you were enriched …": 1 Cor 1:5. "Went about in sheepskins …": Heb 11:37. "What has righteousness in common …": 2 Cor 6:14. - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (16:30 "he is a furnace of wickedness"; 16:33 "all things come into the bosoms of the unjust"; 17:2 "a wise servant will master foolish masters"; 17:3; 17:4 "the wicked obeys the tongue of the lawless"; 17:6 "the whole world of wealth belongs to the faithful, but to the unfaithful not even an obol"; 17:7; 17:9 "he who hides injuries seeks friendship"). - The reading of the "wicked" of Prov 17:4 as the heretic is translated as written. The "distribution of rational nature" reflects Origenist and Evagrian cosmology. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 197 (PG 17:197a–197d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-197). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 199 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-199 - Source: PG 17:200a–200d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Virtues hide the corresponding vices; evil never leaves the house of one who repays good with evil; Christ is the friend who became man out of friendship. ### Greek text πλεονεξίαν· κρύπτομεν δὲ καὶ διὰ τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης τήν ὑπερηφανίαν, καὶ διὰ τὴν πραΰτητα, τὴν θρασύτητα· ζητοῦντες τὴν πνευματικὴν φιλίαν, ἥτις τὴν ἁγίαν γνῶσιν σημαίνει· καὶ παρὰ τῷ Παύλῳ δὲ συμπολίται τινες τῶν ἁγίων λέγονται γεγονέναι, καὶ οίκεῖοι τῆς ’ἀνω Ἰερουσαλὴμ, ἐποικοδομηθέντες ἐπὶ τῷ θεμελίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ τῶν προφητῶν. Οῐκον ἐνταῦθά φησι τῆς μὲν ψυχῆς, τὸ σῶμα· τὴν δὲ ψυχήν πάλιν, οἷκον τοῦ νοῦ· ὁδʼ αὑτὸς πάλιν νοῦς, τῆς ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμὸς λέγεται· 6 δὲ τὴν ἔνθεον γνωσιν καὶ σοφίαν μαθὼν, ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἐκδοὺς τῇ κακία, καὶ ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν πονηροὺς λόγους ἐκφέρων, πρὸς δὲ τὸ ἐπιστρέψαι καὶ σωθῆναι μή βουλόμενος, τοῦ σωματικοῦ οἴκου οὑκ ἀναχωρήσει ή κακία καὶή πονηρία· ἀλλὰ μένουσιν ὲδραίως ὲν αὑτῷ, ἵνα τά τέλεια κακά ἐπέλθῃ, ὲν αὑτῷ ἀκίνητα μένοντα ἐν ήμέρᾳ ὀργῆς Κυρίου.- Τὸ ἐκ τῆς γῆς παρά Κυρίου πλασθὲν ἡμῖν σῶμα, οἷκον ἐνταῦθά φησι· τὸ δὲ, οὑ κινηθήσεται,ἀντι τοῦ, οὑκ ἀναχωρήσει ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου αὑτοῦ ὀργὴ καὶ θλίψις, διά τε ἀνθρώπων καὶ δαιμόνων ἐκπεμπόμενα παρά Κυρίου, κατά τοῦ ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν κακά ἀποδὼσαντος τῷ ἀγαθοποιῷ αὑτοῦ ἀνθρώπῳ. - Ei 6 κακὰ ἀντὶ κακῶν ἀποδιδοὺς παράνομος, πόσῳ μᾶλλον 6 κακά ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν ἀποδιδοὺς παρανομώτε ρος ; Τοιοῦτοςδὲ ἐγένετο κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον 6 Ἰσραήλ· πρὸς ὃν ὁΜωῦσῆς ἐν τῷ Δευτερονομίῳ φησί· Γενεὰ σκολιὰ καί διεστραμμένη, ταῦτα Κυρίῳ ἀνταποδίὸοτε; Ἐνταῦθα ἀρχὴν, τὴν γνῶσίν φησι· δικαιοσύνη δὲ ἕπεται τῇ γνώσει· ὲκ γὰρ τῆς γνώσεως ή δικαιοσύνη τίκτεται· ἔνδεια δέ ἐστι ἄγνοια· στάσις δὲ καὶ μάχη, πᾶσα κακία· προηγεῖται δὲ τῆς ἀγνοίας, ή κακία. Τίνος ἓνεκεν πάλιν τῶν πενήτων κατηγορεί; Ἀπάγων ήμᾶς ἀργίας· οὑκ ἄρα ἀπὸ χειροτονίας ἡ ἐξουσία· ὥστεεί βούλει μετά παρρησίας βαδίζειν, δίκαιος ἔσο· προηγεῖται δὲ τῆς ἐνδείας στάσις καὶ μάχη, ήτοι τοῖς ἀδικοῦσιν ἔνδεια ἀρετῆς. Ὅμοιός ἐστι τούτῳ ὁ λέγων τὸ πικρὸν γλυκὺ, καί τὸ γλυκὺ πικρόν · καὶ τὸ μὲν φῶς, ὀνομάζων σκότος, τὸ δὲ σκότος, φῶς. Χρήματα ἐνταῦθα τὴν σοφίαν καὶ τὴν γνῶσίν φησιν· ἄφρονι δὲ, ἴνα τί ὑπῆρξεν ή τῆς σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως μάθησις; ὡς γὰρ ἄμπελον ἀδύνατον ὲν θαλάσσῃ γενέσθαι, οὕτως ὲν ἄφροσιν ή σοφία ἀρετὴν καρπώσασθαι· χρήματα γὰρ ἄφρονός ἐστιν, ai. περὶ καθʼ ἕκαστα αὑτοῦ πράγματα ἀφροσύναι · διὰ ταύτας γὰρ καὶ ἀκάρδιος γεγονὼς, κτήσασθαι σοφίαν ἀδυνατεῖ. -Ἑν παντὶ πράγματι, πᾶς 6 ὑψῶν ἑαυτὸν ταπεινωθήσεται· ὅτι Κύριος ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται· 6 δὲ σκολιάζων τοῦ μαθεῖν τὰ πράγματα τοῦ Θεοῦ, Ἐνταῦθα φίλον τὸν Χριστόν φησιν, ὃς διὰ τὴν πρὸς ἄνθρωπον φιλίαν, ἄνθρωπος γέγονεν. Οὐκέτι γὰρ λέγω ὑμᾶς δούλους, εἶπεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς, ἀλλὰ φίλους· · ὲν παντὶ δὲ καιρῷ 6 Χριστὸς συνυπαρχέτω σοι φίλος εἰ δὲ οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ υἱοὶ, ἀλλήλων εἰσὶ φίλοι· oi ἀγγελοι καὶ οἱ δίκαιοι ἄνθρωποι, ἀλλήλων εἰσὶν ἀδελφοί, ### English translation (Claude) avarice; and through humility we hide pride, and through meekness rashness, seeking the spiritual friendship that signifies holy knowledge. In Paul, too, some are said to have become fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of the Jerusalem above, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. [Prov 17:13] Here he calls the body the house of the soul, and again the soul the house of the mind; and the mind itself is called the eye of the soul. The one who has learned the divine knowledge and wisdom, yet has given himself up to wickedness and brings forth evil words instead of good, and does not wish to turn back and be saved: from his bodily house wickedness and evil will not depart, but they remain firmly in him, so that the final evils may come upon him, remaining immovable in him on the day of the Lord's wrath. Here he calls "house" the body formed for us by the Lord from the earth; and "will not be moved" means that wrath and affliction, sent by the Lord through men and demons, will not depart from the house of the one who has repaid evil for good to the person who did him good. If the one who repays evil for evil is lawless, how much more lawless is the one who repays evil for good! Such was Israel in the wilderness, to whom Moses says in Deuteronomy: "A crooked and perverse generation, is this how you repay the Lord?" [Prov 17:14] Here he calls knowledge the "beginning"; righteousness follows knowledge, for righteousness is born of knowledge. Want is ignorance; strife and fighting are all wickedness; and wickedness precedes ignorance. Why does he again accuse the poor? To draw us away from idleness. So authority does not come from appointment: if you wish to walk with boldness, be righteous. Strife and fighting precede want, that is, want of virtue in those who do injustice. [Prov 17:15] Like this is the one who calls bitter sweet and sweet bitter, naming light darkness and darkness light. [Prov 17:16] Here he calls wisdom and knowledge "riches". To the fool, why should there be the learning of wisdom and knowledge? For just as a vine cannot grow in the sea, so wisdom cannot bear the fruit of virtue in fools. For the riches of the fool are the follies in each of his affairs; through them he has become heartless and cannot acquire wisdom. In every matter, everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, for "the Lord resists the proud"; and the one who is crooked in learning the things of God … [Prov 17:17] Here he calls Christ a friend, who for friendship with man became man. "No longer do I call you servants," he said to the disciples, "but friends." At every time let Christ be with you as a friend. And if the sons of Christ are friends of one another, the angels and righteous people are brothers of one another, ### Scripture references - Eph 2:19: allusion, high confidence - Eph 2:20: allusion, high confidence - Gal 4:26: allusion, high confidence - Prov 17:13: allusion, high confidence - Deut 32:5: quotation, high confidence - Deut 32:6: quotation, high confidence - Prov 17:14: allusion, high confidence - Prov 17:15: allusion, high confidence - Isa 5:20: allusion, high confidence - Prov 17:16: allusion, high confidence - Luke 14:11: quotation, high confidence - Jas 4:6: quotation, high confidence - Prov 17:17: allusion, high confidence - John 15:15: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - "Fellow citizens of the saints …": Eph 2:19–20; "the Jerusalem above": Gal 4:26. "A crooked and perverse generation …": Deut 32:5–6. "Calls bitter sweet …": Isa 5:20. "Everyone who exalts himself …": Luke 14:11. "The Lord resists the proud": Jas 4:6. "No longer do I call you servants …": John 15:15. - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (17:13 "evils will not be moved from his house"; 17:14 "the beginning of righteousness gives authority to words, but strife and fighting precede want"; 17:15; 17:16 and its addition "he who is crooked in learning will fall into evils"; 17:17 "let a friend be with you at every time"). The end of the comment on 17:16a is lost ("…"). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 199 (PG 17:200a–200d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-199). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 201 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-201 - Source: PG 17:201a–201d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God the Father and the church our mother rejoice over the instructed son and grieve over the foolish one, who has only one who bore him and not a mother. ### Greek text τῷ τῆς υἱοθεσίας γεννώμενοι πνεύματι ο τούτου γάρ χάριν ’καὶ γεννῶνται ὑπὸ τῆς σοφίας, ἵνα ἀνθρώπους όδηγήσωσιν ἀπὸ κακίας είς ἀρετὴν, καὶ ἀπὸ ἀγνωσίας είς ἐπίγνωσιν Θεοῦ. Οὗτός ἐστιν εὐμετάβολος, ὁ ῥᾳδίως ἀπὸ ἀρετῆς ἐπὶ κακίαν μεταβαλλόμενος, τοῖς πονηροῖς λογισμοῖς συναπαχθείς. Πατέρα ἐνταῦθα τὸν Θεόν φησι ο μητέρα, τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν αὐτοῦ ἢ καὶ πεποίηκεν αὑτὸν σαρκωθῆναι, καὶ πάθη ὑπομεῖναι διʼ ἡμᾶς 6 δὲ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ ἡμῶν, οὐκ εὐφραίνεταιὲπὶ υίῷ υἱοθετηθέντι μὲν, μὴ πεπαιδευμένῳ δὲ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν, ἀλλὰ κακίᾳ καὶ πονηρίᾳ ἑαυτὸν ὲκδὸντι · υίὸς δὲ φρόνιμος εὐφραίνει τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ, τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίανʼ ἢ καὶ προσάγει ἡμᾶς αὐτῷ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ [Ia-cpt, ὡς υίοῦς ἀπογαλακτισθέντας, καὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς στερεᾶς τροφῆς ἐφιεμένους· ἵνʼ ὡς καθʼ ὁμοιότητα ἀδελφὸς ἡμῖν γεγονὼς 6 Υίδς αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς πράξει καὶ λόγῳ πολιτευώμεθαο ἐστι δὲ μήτηρ ήμῶν καὶ ή Ἐκκλησία, ἣν τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ ἑαυτῷ ὀ Θεδς καὶ Πατὴρ ἡρμόσατο είς γυναῖκα ’ τίκτει γὰρ ἀεὶ διʼ αὐτῆς ἐαυτῷ υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας ° καὶ ὲπὶ μὲν τοῖς πεπαιδευμένοις τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ γνῶσιν καὶ σοφίαν, εὐφραίνεται καὶ 6 Πατὴρ ήμῶν Θεὸς, καὶ ἠ μήτηρ ἡ Ἐκκλησίαʼ ἐπὶ δὲ τοῖς ἀπαιδεύτοις, πάνυ μὲν κήδεται καὶΙ λυπεῖται, ὡς μὴ θελόντων ἡμῶν ἐπιπρέψαι καὶ σωθῆναι, ἀλλὰ τῇ κακίᾳ προσμένειν. Πρόσωπον ἐνταῦθα τὴν θεωρίαν φησί · Θεωρία γὰρ νοημάτων συνετοῦ ἀνδρὸς, σοφία καὶ γνῶσις καὶ δικαιοσύνη · οί δὲ νοεροῖ ὀφθαλμοὶ τοῦ ἄφρονος, καὶ ὲν σώματι ὲν ἄκρᾳ κακίας καὶ πονηρίας. Ὀργὴ τῷ ἄφρονι υίῷ παρά τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρδς ἐκπέμπεται ὲν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως τῇ δὲ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τῇ γεννησαμένη τῷ Πνεύματι, καὶ τῇ τῶν ἁγίων χορείᾳ, ὀδύνη τότε πάντως ἔσται ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπωλείᾳ τοῦ ἄφρονος υἱοῦ· καὶ ὄτι ό μὲν φρόνιμος υἱὸς καὶτεκοῦσαν ἔχει καὶ μητέρα ° 6 δὲ ἄφρων μόνην τεκοῦσαν ἠ γὰρ μήτηρ καὶ τεκοῦσα ’ ὴ δὲ τεκοῦσα, οὐ πάντως ἔσται καὶ μήτηρ· ἐὰν γάρ ἀποθάνῃ τὸ τεχθὲν ὲν κακίᾳ καὶ ἀγνωσίᾳ, τεκοῦσα μὲν ἐστι, μήτηρ δὲ οὐκ ἔστι διότι μηδὲ τοῦ τῆς υἱοθεσίας μετέσχηκε Πνεύματος τὸ τεχθέν · ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ὲπὶ τῶν αίσθητῶν μητέρων νοηθήσεται, καί ἐπὶ τοῦ θανάτου τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ · rip γὰρ μητέρα ἐροῦμεν καὶ τεκοῦσαν ο οὐκέτι δὲ μητέρα τοῦ παιδὸς ἀποθανόντος. Πλημμελεί τις, τοῦ δικαίου τὸ δίκαιον ἀφαιρῶν, ἢ διαστρέφων αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἀδικίαν τοὺς μαθητὰς, ἁμαρτάνει ν κτῆσιν γάρ αὐτοὺς ἔχων, ἐζημίωται · οὐ γὰρ ζητοῦσι τὰ ἡμῶν, ἀλλʼ ἡμᾶςʼ δυνάστας δὲ λέγει τοὺς ὲν Χριστῷ βασιλεύοντας. Ὁ ἀγόμενος τῇ τῶν δαιμόνων ἀφροσύνῃ, ού χρείαν εχει σοφίας Θεοῦ ἢ γνῴσεο›ς· διότι ἠγάπησε μᾶλλο ### English translation (Claude) born by the Spirit of adoption; for this is why they are born of wisdom, so that they may guide people from wickedness to virtue and from ignorance to the knowledge of God. [Prov 17:20] The fickle one is the one who easily changes from virtue to wickedness, carried away along with evil thoughts. [Prov 17:21] Here he calls God the father, and the mother his love for humankind, which also caused him to become flesh and to endure sufferings for us. Our God and Father does not rejoice over a son who has been adopted but has not been instructed in the wisdom and knowledge of God, and has given himself over to wickedness and evil. But a prudent son gladdens his mother, the love of God for humankind, which also brings us to God himself and the Father, as sons who have been weaned and long for solid spiritual food; so that, as his Son Jesus Christ has become our brother by likeness, so we too may live in deed and word. Our mother is also the church, which God the Father joined to himself as a wife by the Holy Spirit; for through her he is always bearing sons and daughters for himself. Over those who have been instructed in the knowledge and wisdom of God both our Father God and our mother the church rejoice; but over the uninstructed they are deeply concerned and grieved, when we do not wish to turn and be saved but remain in wickedness. [Prov 17:24] Here he calls the face contemplation; for the contemplation of the thoughts of an understanding man is wisdom, knowledge and righteousness; but the mind's eyes of the fool, even while he is in the body, are at the extreme of wickedness and evil. [Prov 17:25] Wrath is sent from God the Father on the foolish son on the day of judgment; and to the church which bore him by the Spirit, and to the choir of the saints, there will surely then be grief at the destruction of the foolish son. And the prudent son has one who bore him who is also a mother, while the foolish son has only one who bore him. For a mother has also borne; but one who has borne will not necessarily also be a mother; for if what was born dies in wickedness and ignorance, she has borne but is not a mother, since what was born has not shared in the Spirit of adoption. The same will be understood of mothers according to the senses and of death according to the senses: for we shall call a woman both mother and one who has borne, but no longer the mother of a child who has died. [Prov 17:26] Someone does wrong, and sins, who takes the righteous man's righteousness from him or turns his disciples aside to injustice; for having them as his possession he has suffered loss: "for we do not seek what is yours, but you." By rulers he means those who reign in Christ. [Prov 18:2] The one who is led by the folly of the demons has no need of the wisdom or knowledge of God, because he has loved rather ### Scripture references - Rom 8:15: allusion, high confidence - Prov 17:20: allusion, high confidence - Prov 17:21: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 3:2: allusion, medium confidence - Heb 5:14: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 17:24: allusion, high confidence - Prov 17:25: allusion, high confidence - Prov 17:26: allusion, high confidence - 2 Cor 12:14: quotation, high confidence - Prov 18:2: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - "Spirit of adoption": Rom 8:15. Weaned and longing for solid food: 1 Cor 3:2; Heb 5:14. "We do not seek what is yours, but you": 2 Cor 12:14. - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (17:20 "a man fickle of tongue will fall into evils"; 17:21 "a father does not rejoice over an uninstructed son, but a prudent son gladdens his mother"; 17:24; 17:25 "a foolish son is wrath to his father and grief to her who bore him"; 17:26 "to punish a righteous man is not good, nor holy to plot against righteous rulers"; 18:2 "one who lacks sense has no need of wisdom, for he is led rather by folly"). - The picture of God's love for humankind as "mother", and of the church as the wife whom the Father joined to himself by the Holy Spirit, is translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 201 (PG 17:201a–201d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-201). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 203 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-203 - Source: PG 17:204a–204d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Wisdom's river is the grace of the Spirit and the one Godhead; the sluggish are cast down by the fear of demons; only those who have heard from God should teach others. ### Greek text χρείαν ἔχειν σοφίας. Ὥσπερ τὸ ὕδωρ ξωογονεῖ τά φυτά, οὕτως ταῖς ἀρεταῖς ἀνδρὸς ὲστομωμένου λόγος ἀναψύχει, καὶ πρὸς Θεὸν πτεροῖ τοὺς ἐθέλοντας σοφισθῆναι · ποταμὸν δὲ άναπηδῶντά φησι, τὴν άνεκδιήγητον τῶν χαρίτων σοφίαν τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος, τὴν ἀείρρυτον σοφίαν τῆς τρισσοφαοῦς ὲνιαίας Θεότητος. '0 τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν τῷ διαβόλῳ κακίαν ἀποδεχόμενος, καὶ κατʼ αὐτὴν ἐνεργῶν θεωρία καὶ λόγῳ, οὗ·τος Θαυμάζει τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς · τὸ δίκαιον δὲ ὲν κρίσει, ὲν λόγῳ τε σωμάτων, οὐ καλὸν ἐκκλῖναι οσιον. θρασύτης, ἀπὸ τοῦ πράου χωρίζουσα τὴν ψυχὴν, τῷ θανάτῳ δίδωσιν. Ὀκνηροὺς είς μετάνοιαν καταβαλεῖ ού φόβος Θεοῦ, ἀλλʼ 6 τῶν δαιμόνων ’ διεγείρουσι γὰρ αὐτοὺς εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν ° ἢ ὁ τοῦ Κυρίου [φόβος], χωρίζων αὐτοὺς τοῦ όκνηροῦ, καὶ διεγείρων αὐτοὺς ὲκ τῆς κακίας διʼ ἔργων ἀγαθῶν είς μετάνοιαν· ἀνδρόγυνος δέ ἐστι ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα, 6 ἐκκεχυμένος, 6 μαλακὸς, 6 μήτε διδάσκειν δυνάμενος ἑαυτὸν, μήτε μανθάνειν πα ρʼ ἑτέρων βουλόμενος· ἢ τοὺς ὀκνοῦντας πρὸς ἀρετὴν 6 τῶν κακῶν φόβος προκαταὸάλλει, τὸ παραθαρρὗνον πρὸς τὺ μέλλον οὐκ ἔχοντας ο ἀνὴρ δὲ τὴν προαίρεσιν Θῆλυς, οὐχ ἕξει τὴν τρέφουσαν ἀρετήν· πεινάσουσι δὲ, ὅτε ἐξ ἐναντίας ἴδωσι τὴν βασιλείαν, ὲν τῇ βασάνῳ βασανιζόμενοι. Τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ τὸ ἔνεργητικὺν τοῦ Λόγου, ἰσχύν φησιν · αὐτὸς γὰρ μόνος .. ο ι νην- 11 ν---Ἷ ι“ι” ι-νή γινώσκει τὰ πρῴην, καὶ τά ἐνεστῶτα, καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα · αὐτὸς καὶ ἐνετείλατο είπὼν, γενηθήτω φῶς ο οὐρανὸς, καὶ γῆ, καὶ τὰ ὲν αὐτοῖς, ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων είς τὸ εἷναι παρήχθησαν · αὐτὰ δὲ δείκνυσιν αὑτὸν Κύριον καὶ Θεὸν μόνον εἶναιʼ καὶ διά μὲν τοῦ ὀρθοῦ βίου προστρέχουσιν αὐτῷ οἱ δίκαιοι, διὰ δὲ τῆς Θεωρίας ύψοῦνται· ἢ ὅτι ὲκ τῶν κτισμάτων, ἦ τῆς μεγαλοσύνης αὐτῶν, φανερόν ἐστιν ὅτι 6 Θεὸς παντοδύναμος. Χρηστέον τούτῳ τῷ ρητῷ πρὸς τοὺς μὴ λαβόντας μὲν γνῶσιν παρὰ Θεοῦ, διδάσκειν δὲ ἄλλους ἐπιχειροῢντας ο 6 γὰρ Δαυῖδ φησι· Τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι μὲν φωνῆς αἱνέσεώς σου, καὶ τότε διηγήσασθαι ἄλλοις τὰ θαυμάσιοί σου· καὶ 6 Σολομῶν φησι · Ἃ εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου, λέγεο πολλοὶ γὰρ καὶ ἀρετῆς μὴ ἀπαρξάμενοι, ἄλλους κατορθῶσαι οὐ μόνον παραινοῦσιν, άλλά καὶ βιάζονται καὶ παρακελεύουσιν. ’Ἄνδρα ἐνταῦθα τὸν Θεόν φησι · τὸν γάρ Θυμὺν αὐτοῦ τὸν ὲν τῇ κρίσει καταπραύνει ἐφʼ ἑαυτὸν, 6 Θεραπεύσας αὐτὸν ὲν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς αὐτοῦ ο ὡσαύτως δι καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν · ῶσπερ δὲ ό Κύριος ἡμῶν πάρδαλις ἀπορουμένη λέγεται γίνεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς πλημμελοῦντας, καὶ πέτρα σκανδάλου πρὸς τοὺς ἀπιστοῦντας, οὕτω καὶ ὁλιγόψυχος ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτάvocor δύναται δὲ ὀλιγόψυχον λέγειν καὶ τὸν πονηρὸν, καὶ πάντα δαίμονα ἀρετῆς ἐκπεπτωκότα καὶ γνὼσεως. ### English translation (Claude) to have need of folly than of wisdom. [Prov 18:4] Just as water gives life to plants, so the word of a man whose mouth is trained in the virtues refreshes, and gives wings toward God to those who wish to be made wise. By the river that leaps up he means the indescribable wisdom of the graces of the all-holy Spirit, the ever-flowing wisdom of the thrice-radiant one Godhead. [Prov 18:5] The one who accepts the wickedness that belongs to the devil and acts according to it in contemplation and word admires the face of the ungodly; it is not holy to turn aside what is just in judgment, in the account of bodies. [Prov 18:6–7] … rashness, separating the soul from the meek, gives it over to death. [Prov 18:8] It is not the fear of God that throws down the sluggish who would repent, but the fear of the demons, for they rouse them to despair; or else the fear of the Lord, separating them from the sluggish one and rousing them out of wickedness through good works to repentance. The effeminate in soul and body is the one who is dissolute and soft, who can neither teach himself nor wishes to learn from others. Or else the fear of evils casts down beforehand those who are sluggish toward virtue, since they have nothing to embolden them for what is to come; and a man who is womanish in his choice will not have the virtue that nourishes; they will hunger when they see the kingdom opposite them while they are tormented in torment. [Prov 18:10] He calls the wealth of the knowledge of the Lord and the effective working of the Word "strength"; for he alone knows the things before, the present things and the things to come. He commanded, saying, "Let there be light," and heaven and earth and the things in them were brought from non-being into being; and they show that he alone is Lord and God. Through an upright life the righteous run to him, and through contemplation they are lifted up. Or: from the creatures, or from their greatness, it is clear that God is almighty. [Prov 18:13] This saying is to be used against those who have not received knowledge from God but try to teach others. For David says: "To hear the voice of your praise, and then to tell others of your wonders"; and Solomon says: "What your eyes have seen, speak." For many who have not even made a beginning of virtue not only urge others to achieve it, but also force and command them. [Prov 18:14] Here he calls God "man"; for the one who has served him in his commandments calms toward himself God's anger at the judgment. Likewise also with things of the senses. Just as our Lord is said to become a leopard at a loss toward those who offend, and a stone of stumbling to the unbelieving, so too he is said to be faint-hearted toward sinners. He may also call the evil one faint-hearted, and every demon that has fallen from virtue and knowledge. ### Scripture references - Prov 18:4: allusion, high confidence - Prov 18:5: allusion, high confidence - Prov 18:7: allusion, low confidence - Prov 18:8: allusion, high confidence - Prov 18:10: allusion, high confidence - Gen 1:3: quotation, high confidence - Rom 1:20: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 18:13: allusion, medium confidence - Ps 26:7 (25:7 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 25:7: quotation, high confidence - Prov 18:14: allusion, high confidence - Hos 13:7: allusion, high confidence - Isa 8:14: allusion, high confidence - Rom 9:33: allusion, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Wis 13:5 (Wisdom of Solomon): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint of Prov 18:4–14 (18:4 "a river leaps up, and a spring of life"; 18:5 "it is not good to admire the face of the ungodly, nor holy to turn aside justice in judgment"; 18:8 "fear casts down the sluggish, and the souls of the effeminate will hunger"; 18:10 "the name of the Lord is from the greatness of strength; the righteous run to it and are exalted"; 18:14 "a prudent servant calms a man's anger; but who will bear a faint-hearted man?"). The beginning of the comment on Prov 18:6–7 is lost ("…"). - "Let there be light": Gen 1:3. Greatness of creatures: Wis 13:5; Rom 1:20. "To hear the voice of your praise …": Ps 26:7 (25:7 LXX). "What your eyes have seen, speak": Prov 25:7–8 (Septuagint). The Lord as a leopard: Hos 13:7; the stone of stumbling: Isa 8:14; Rom 9:33. - "The thrice-radiant one Godhead" is fourth-century Trinitarian language; translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 203 (PG 17:204a–204d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-203). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 205 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-205 - Source: PG 17:205a–205d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Knowledge ends the demons' assaults and joins us to the angels, while the impure lose even their guardian angel, as Saul did; those who blaspheme the Creator are false witnesses. ### Greek text Τὸν βίον τὸν ὀρθὸν τοίνυν εἶπεν δόμα ἀνθρώπου, ὅστις αὐτὸν πλατύνει καὶ παρέχει τοῦ πληρώματος ἄξιον τοῦ Θεοῦ · ὅπερ καθέδραν δυναστῶν ὀνομάζει, ἤγουν τῶν ἁγίων δυνάμεων · νοῦ γὰρ καθέδρα ἐστὶν ἕξις ἀρίστη, δυσκίνητον ἢ ἀκίνητον διατηροῦσα τὸν καθεζόμενον. Ἀνοιαν παύει γνῶσις· αῦτη γάρ ἐστιν ό κλῆρος τῆς φύσεως τῆς λογικῆς ο καὶ ὲν δυνάσταις ὁρίζει γίνεσθαί τι, καὶ ποιοῦσι· τῷ γὰρ γνῶσιν ἔχοντι θείαν, κλίνονται πάντες ’ ἢ ἀντιλογίας ἐνταῦθα τοὺς ὲκ τῶν δαιμόνων καθʼ ἡμῶν ἐγειρομένους λογισμούς φησι, τοὺς τῇ ἀρετῇ ἀντιπάλους, καὶτοῦ Θεοῦ χωρίσαι ἡμᾶς σπεύδοντας ’ παύει δὲ ταύτας ἀφʼ ἡμῶν ό τῆς γνώσεως κλῆρος, καὶ τοὺς δυνάστας δαίμονας ὁρίζει ἀναχωρεῖν, ὡς κεκληρωμένος τῷ Θεῷ, ἐξ αὑτοῦ τε καὶ ἄλλων ώς θείαν γνῶσιν ἔχων. Ἢ τὴν ψυχὴν λέγει, ζωῆς καὶ θανάτου δεκτικὴν, ἀφʼ ὧν τὸ αὐτεξούσιον δείκνυται τῶν νῦν τε καὶ τῶν μελλόντων τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτῆς ἀπολαῦσαι καλῶν τε ἢ κακῶν. Ὃς εῦρε σοφίαν ἀγαθὴν, εὗρε χάριτας Θεοῦ · - Ὀ κατέχων κακίαν, ἄφρων καί ἀσεβὴς, ὡς ὲφευρετὴς αὐτῆς διάβολος. Πλοῦτος γνώσεως καὶ σοφίας προστίθησιν ἡμῖν ἀγγέλους πολλούς · ό δὲ ἀκάθαρτος, ὃν πένητά φησι, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ δοθέντος αὐτῷ ὲκ παιδὸς ἀγγέλου χωρίζεται· ἡ γὰρ πνευματικὴ φιλία, ἀρετή ἐστι καὶ γνῶσις Θεοῦ, διʼ ὧν συναπτόμεθα πρὸς φιλίαν ταῖς ἁγίαις δυνάμεσιν · εἴγε οἱ μετανοοῦντες ἄνθρωποι, χαρᾶς αἶʼτιοι γίνονται τοῖς ἀγγέλοις· οὓτω καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ φίλους καλεῖ. τοὺς δούλους ποτὲ, τῆς μείζονος αὐτοῦ θεωρίας καταξιώσας ’ οὕτω καὶ Ἀβραὰμ πλουτίσας ὲν γνώσει, τὴν μυστικὴν ἐκείνην παρατίθησι τράπεζαν τοῖς κατά τὴν μεσημβρίαν φανεῖσι φίλοις αὐτοῦʼ Σαοὺλ δὲ καὶ , ἀπὸ τοῦ ὑπάρχοντος φίλου διὰ τὴν κακίαν χωρίζεταιʼ γέγραπται γάρʼ Καὶ ἀπέστη πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἀπὸ Σαούλ καὶ πνεῦμα πονηρὸν παρὰ Κυρίου ἔπνιγε τὸν Σαούλ · καὶ πνεῦμα Κυρίου λέγων τὸν ἄγγελον · '0 ποιῶν, γὰρ, φησὶ τ τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύτ ματα, καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὑτοῦ πῦρ φλέγων ο ὅτι δὲ ἄγγελοι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐμπεπίστευνται, διδάσκει ὲν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις ό Κύριος, Ὁρᾶτε, λέγων, μὴ καταφρονῆτε ἑνὸς τῶν μικρῶν τούτων, ὅτι οι ἄγγελοι αὐτῶν διὰ παντὸς βλέπουσι τὸ πρόσωπον ,τοῦ Πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς· καὶ πάλιν ό Ἰακ·τ›6ο Ὁ ἄγγελός σου ό ῥυόμενος με ἀπὸ πάντων των κακων. Ὅσοι τοὺς περὶ κρίσεως καὶ προνοίας ἀγνοοῦντες λόγους, τὸν δημιουργὸν βλασφημοῦσι, μάρτυρές εἰσι ψευδεῖςο οὐκ ἀτιμώρητοι δὲ διαμένουσιν ὲν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως· καὶ ὅσοι πάλιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων παθών ὲνοχλού μενοι νομίζουσιν ἀκατόρθωτον εἶναι τὴν ἀρετὴν, οῦτοι τῷ δεδωκότι τὸν νόμον ἐγκαλοῦσιν ἀδίκως. Οἱ χυδαῐοι οὐ τὸ ἀξίωμα τιμῶντες ἀποδιδόασι τὸν ### English translation (Claude) [Prov 18:16] He has called the upright life a person's gift, which enlarges him and makes him worthy of the fullness of God; this he calls the seat of rulers, that is, of the holy powers. For the seat of the mind is the best habit, which keeps the one seated in it hard to move or unmoved. [Prov 18:18] Knowledge ends folly; for knowledge is the lot of rational nature; and among rulers it determines that something is to be, and they do it; for all bow to the one who has divine knowledge. Or else by "contradictions" he here means the thoughts raised against us by the demons, opposed to virtue and hastening to separate us from God. The lot of knowledge ends these for us, and commands the ruling demons to withdraw, since the one who has divine knowledge is allotted to God, from himself and from others. [Prov 18:21] Or he means the soul, which is capable of life and death; by these the freedom of the will is shown, in the present and in the future, to enjoy its fruits, good or evil. [Prov 18:22] Whoever has found good wisdom has found the graces of God. The one who holds fast to wickedness is foolish and ungodly, as is the devil, its inventor. [Prov 19:4] The wealth of knowledge and wisdom adds many angels to us; but the impure, whom he calls poor, is separated even from the angel given to him from childhood. For spiritual friendship is virtue and the knowledge of God, through which we are joined in friendship with the holy powers; since people who repent become a cause of joy to the angels. So too the Saviour calls friends those who were once servants, having counted them worthy of his greater contemplation. So too Abraham, rich in knowledge, set that mystical table before his friends who appeared at midday. But Saul is separated even from the friend he had, because of his wickedness; for it is written: "And the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord choked Saul," calling the angel the Spirit of the Lord; for "he makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flaming fire." That angels have been entrusted with human beings the Lord teaches in the Gospels, saying: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for their angels always behold the face of my Father in heaven"; and again Jacob: "The angel who delivered me from all evils." [Prov 19:5] All who blaspheme the Creator because they do not know the teachings about judgment and providence are false witnesses, and they will not remain unpunished on the day of judgment; and again, all who, troubled by their own passions, think that virtue cannot be achieved accuse the Lawgiver unjustly. [Prov 19:6] The vulgar render the ### Scripture references - Prov 18:16: allusion, high confidence - Prov 18:18: allusion, high confidence - Prov 18:21: allusion, high confidence - Prov 18:22: allusion, high confidence - Prov 19:4: allusion, high confidence - Luke 15:10: allusion, high confidence - John 15:15: allusion, high confidence - Gen 18:1: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 16:14: quotation, high confidence - Ps 104:4 (103:4 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Heb 1:7: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 18:10: quotation, high confidence - Gen 48:16: quotation, high confidence - Prov 19:5: allusion, high confidence - Prov 19:6: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (18:16 "a man's gift enlarges him and seats him beside rulers"; 18:18 "the lot ends contradictions and decides among rulers"; 18:21 "death and life are in the power of the tongue"; 18:22 "whoever has found a good wife has found graces"; 18:22a "he who keeps an adulteress is foolish and ungodly"; 19:4 "wealth adds many friends, but the poor is left even by the friend he has"; 19:5 "a false witness will not go unpunished"; 19:6 "many court the faces of kings"). - Joy of angels over those who repent: Luke 15:10. The Saviour's friends: John 15:15. Abraham's table: Gen 18:1–8. "The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul …": 1 Sam 16:14 (Septuagint). "He makes his angels spirits …": Ps 104:4 (103:4 LXX); Heb 1:7. "See that you do not despise …": Matt 18:10. "The angel who delivered me …": Gen 48:16. - A footnote marker leaked into the text has been removed. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 205 (PG 17:205a–205d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-205). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 207 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-207 - Source: PG 17:208a–208d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The poor brother is the poor in spirit; the Lord is fire to sinners and dew to the righteous; the commandments are ways that keep the soul from death. ### Greek text φόβον, ἀλλά κόλακες ὄντες προσωποληπτοῦσιν ο 6 δι άληθὴς ἀνὴρ οὐ κολακεύσει τὸ κακὸν, ἀλλʼ ἐλέγξει. Πᾶς δς μισεῖ τὸν πτωχὸν ἀδελφὸν, κατά τὸ, Μακάριοι oi πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ ἀγάπης Θεοῦ καὶ ἀγγέλων μακράν ἔσται· ἢ πᾶς ὃς ἀδελφὸν ἀρετῆς πτωχὸν ὄντα μισεῖ, καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὰ πάθη φιλίας μακρύνεται τοῦ βίου. -Ἀγαθὴν ἔννοιαν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ γνῶσιν ὠνόμασε, καὶ τοῖς είδόσιν αὐτὴν τοῖς καθαροῖς τῇ καρδίᾳ, εἴωθε τούτοις ὲγγιείν· 6 δὲ πειθόμενος τοῦ· τοις είς μάθησιν, φρόνιμός ἐστι, καὶ εὑρήσει αὐτήν. -Ὀ πολλά κακοποιῶν διʼ ἔργων καὶ λόγων, τελεσιουργετ κακίαν, ἡ ἐστιν πᾶσα ἀμαρτία · δς δὲ τε· λεσιουργεί κατά ἀνθρώπων λόγους είς ἀπώλειαν, καὶ βλασφημίας κατὰ Θεὸν, οὐ σωθήσεται οὗτος. Οὗτεή κατά ψυχὴν τρυφὴ, οὕτε ἡ κατά σῶμα συμφέρει τῷ ἄφρονι· τὴν μὲν γάρ καταπατήσει τοῖς ποσὶ, χοῖρος φιλήδονος ὢν· ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς αἰσθητῆς τρυ φῆςή σάρξ αὑτοῦ πρὸς πάθη κινηθήσεται, καὶ κατὰ Θεοῦ βλασφημίας ῥίψει· εί καὶ ἀπὸ δούλων ἐλεύθε· ρος, τοῦτο ποιήσει. Εί 6 καυχώμενος ὀρθῶς, ὲν Κυρίῳ ηυχᾶται, 6 δὲ Κύριος ἡμῶν σοφία ἐστὶν, 6 καυχώμενος ὀρθῶς, ὲν σοφία καυχᾶται· τὸ καύχημα τοίνυν τοῦ μακροθύμου καὶ ὲλεήμονος, ἐστὶν ή σοφία καὶ ἡ γνῶσις αὐτοῦ ἐπέρχεται δὲ τοῖς παρανόμοις ἀπαλλάττων αὑ· τοὺς κακίας, νῦν μὲν ἐνδεχομένως, ὲν δὲ τῷ μέλλοντι αίῶνι ἀναγκαίως. 'O Κύριος ἡμῶν πῦρ μὲν καταναλίσκον καὶ λέων ὀργιζόμενος πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας κατακαίον καὶ ἀναλίσκον, ὼς ξύλα χόρτων καλάμην, τὴν στρατευομένην σάρκα κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ο φῶς δὲ καὶ δρόσος πρὸς τοὺς κατορθοῦντας, δεικνὺς αὐτοῖς τῶν γεγονότων τοὺς λόγους, καὶ κατασῦεννύων τά πεπυρωμένα βέλη τοῦ πονηροῦ, καὶ περιψύχων τὸν ὲκ τῆς πράξεως συ μὸαίνοντα καύσωνα. τὴν ἀκάθαρτον ψυχὴν, ἑταίραν ὠνόμασε ’ καὶ ταῦτης τὸ μίσθωμα, τὴν κατάστασιν είρηκεν αὐτῆς, ἀφʼ ἦς οὐ καθαραὶ γίνονται προσευχαί. Τὸ μὲν διδάσκειν τοὺς υἱοὺς περὶ ἀρετῆς καὶ γνὼσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, τῶν πατέρων ἐστίν· τὸ δὲ σοφίαν δοῦναι τοῖς παισὶ, τοῦ Κυρίου ἐστίʼ γυναῖκα γάρ ὲνταῦθα τὴν σοφίαν λέγει· ἐράσθητιγάρ,φησὶ, τῆς σοφίας, καὶ τηρήσει σε · τίμησον αὐτὴν, ἴνα σε περιλάβῃ. Δί ἐντολαὶ, ὡς πρὸς μὲν τὸν ἐντειλάμενον Θεδν, καλοῦνται ὲντολαί· ὡς δὲ πρὸς τὸν ὁδεύοντα νοῦν ἐν αὑταῖς, καλοῦνται ὁδοί· καὶ 6 μὲν φυλάσσων, τηρεῖ ὲκ θανάτου πρὸς ζωὴν τὴν ψυχὴν ἑαυτοῦ ο 6 δὲ καταφρονῶν, τὸν ἀπέραντον θάνατον θανεῖται. Ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν αίσθητῶν οὕτως ἔχει ο ὅσον δὲ 6 ἥλιος τῆς σελήνης ὑπερφυὴς, τοσοῦτον ὀ ἐλεῶν τοὺς ὲν πτωχείᾳ ἀρετῶν καὶ ἀνακτώμενος αὐτοὺς ἐν παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ. Κυρίου ’ δόμα δὲ διδόναι τῷ Θεῷ, τὴν ### English translation (Claude) fear, not honouring the dignity, but being flatterers they show partiality; but the true man will not flatter evil but will reprove it. [Prov 19:7] Everyone who hates his poor brother (poor in the sense of "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven") will be far from the love of God and of the angels. Or: everyone who hates a brother who is poor in virtue is also far from friendship with the passions of life. He has named the knowledge of God "good understanding", and it usually draws near to those who know it, the pure in heart; and the one who is persuaded by them to learn is prudent and will find it. The one who does much evil by works and words brings wickedness to completion, which is all sin; and the one who completes words against people for their destruction, and blasphemies against God, will not be saved. [Prov 19:10] Neither delight of the soul nor delight of the body is of benefit to the fool; for he will trample the one underfoot, being a pleasure-loving swine; and by the delight of the senses his flesh will be moved to passions and will hurl blasphemies against God, even if he is made free from being a slave, he will do this. [Prov 19:11] If the one who boasts rightly boasts in the Lord, and our Lord is wisdom, then the one who boasts rightly boasts in wisdom. The boast, then, of the long-suffering and merciful man is wisdom and his knowledge; and it comes upon the lawless, freeing them from wickedness: now as a possibility, but in the age to come of necessity. [Prov 19:12] Our Lord is a consuming fire and an angry lion: toward sinners he burns and consumes, as wood, grass and straw, the flesh that wars against the spirit; but toward those who do right he is light and dew, showing them the inner principles of created things, quenching the fiery darts of the evil one, and cooling the heat that comes from action. [Prov 19:13] … He has named the impure soul a harlot, and her hire he has called her state, from which prayers do not become pure. [Prov 19:14] To teach sons about virtue and the knowledge of God belongs to the fathers; but to give wisdom to children belongs to the Lord; for here he calls wisdom a wife: "Love wisdom," he says, "and she will keep you; honour her, that she may embrace you." [Prov 19:16] The commandments, in relation to God who gave them, are called commandments; but in relation to the mind that walks in them, they are called ways. The one who keeps them guards his soul from death for life; but the one who despises them will die the endless death. [Prov 19:17] So it is with things of the senses; but as the sun surpasses the moon, so does the one who has mercy on those poor in virtues and restores them by instruction and admonition … of the Lord; and to give a gift to God is ### Scripture references - Prov 19:6: allusion, high confidence - Prov 19:7: allusion, high confidence - Matt 5:3: quotation, high confidence - Matt 5:8: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 19:10: allusion, high confidence - Matt 7:6: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 19:11: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 1:31: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 1:24: allusion, high confidence - Prov 19:12: allusion, high confidence - Heb 12:29: quotation, high confidence - 1 Cor 3:12: allusion, high confidence - Gal 5:17: allusion, high confidence - Eph 6:16: allusion, high confidence - Prov 19:13: allusion, high confidence - Prov 19:14: allusion, high confidence - Prov 4:6: quotation, high confidence - Prov 4:8: quotation, high confidence - Prov 19:16: allusion, high confidence - Prov 19:17: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (19:6–7, including the additions in 19:7: "good understanding will draw near to those who know it … he who does much evil completes wickedness"; 19:10 "delight does not benefit a fool"; 19:11 "his boast comes upon the lawless"; 19:12 "the threat of a king is like a lion's roar, but his cheerfulness is like dew on grass"; 19:13 "vows from the hire of a harlot are not pure"; 19:14 "a wife is joined to a man by the Lord"; 19:16; 19:17 "he who has mercy on the poor lends to God"). - "Blessed are the poor in spirit …": Matt 5:3. The swine trampling: Matt 7:6. "The one who boasts …": 1 Cor 1:31; Christ the wisdom of God: 1 Cor 1:24. "A consuming fire": Heb 12:29. Wood, grass, straw: 1 Cor 3:12. The flesh against the spirit: Gal 5:17. The fiery darts: Eph 6:16. "Love wisdom … she will embrace you": Prov 4:6, 8. - Damaged words at the end of the comment on Prov 19:12 and in the comment on 19:17 are marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 207 (PG 17:208a–208d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-207). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 209 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-209 - Source: PG 17:209a–209d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: To lose the soul is to lose the knowledge of God; to know wisdom is to know Christ; the virtues are hands that bring the bread from heaven to the mouth. ### Greek text καθαρότητα τῆς καρδίας ὠνόμασε· κατὰ ἀναλογίαι γάρ τῆς ἀπαθείας ἡμῶν καταξιούμεθα γνώσεως ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὃ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστι περὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ βίῳ ἐγὼ δὲ νομίζω, τὴν μὲν πολλὴν ζημίαν, στέρησιν περιέχειν τῆς θεωρίας τῶν γεγονότων ο τὴν δέ προσθήκην τῆς ψυχῆς, ἀφανισμὸν τῶν φυσικῶν περὶ Θεοῦ ἐννοιῶν, παντάπασιν αὐτῆς είς ἀλογίαν καταπεσούσης · καὶ 6 Σωτὴρ δέ ἐν τοῖς Εύαγγελίοις φησί· Τί ὠφεληθήσεται ἄνθρωπος, ἐὰν τὸν κόσμον ὅλον κερδήσῃ, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἀπολέσῃ καί ζημιωθῇ ;Ενταῦθα ὴ ἀπώλεια τὴν ἄγνοιαν σωμάτων καὶ ἀσωμάτων ἐμφαίνει· ὴ δὲ ζημία τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀλογίαν παρίστησιν. Et φόβος Κυρίου εἰς ζωὴν ἀνδρὶ, φόβος δέ Κυρίου σοφία καὶ παιδεία, ἡ ζωὴ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς άρα σοφία ἐστὶ καὶ ’παιδεία τὸ οῦν γνῶναι σοφίαν καὶ παιδείαν, γνῶναί ἐστι τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ τὴν αὑτοῦ διδασκαλίαν · 6 οὖν ἄφοβος ἔσται ἐν κακίᾳ καὶ ἀγνωσία, ἐν αῖς οὐκ ἐστιν ὁ Χριστόςο οί οὖν ἐν κακίᾳ καὶ ἀγνωσία ζῶντες, οὐκ ἐπισκέπτονται ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸν φόβον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὸ ἔλεος ἐφʼ ἑαυτοῖς μὴ ἐλπίζοντες · οὐδὲ Χριστός ἐστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς, παρά τὸ μὴ θέλειν αύτούς. '0 μὴ ὀρθῶς βιοὺς, κρύπτει ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ τὰς χεῖρας ἀδίκως, τὴν ἐαυτοῦ γῆν ἐργάσασθαι μὴ βουλόμενος, τουτέστι τὸ σῶμα · μηδὲ ἐμπλησθῆναι ἀρτων ψυχικῶν · αί γὰρ πρακτικαὶ ἀρεταὶ, χειρῶν ἔχουσι λόγον, αἱ τὸν ἄρτον τῷ στόματι ἡ μῶν προσφέρουσαι, τδν ἀπὸ τῶν οὐρανῶν καταβάντα, καὶ ζωὴν διδόντα τῷ κόσμῳ διʼ ἐνθέου σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως. Εί ὲθυμὸς δρακόντων 6 οἶνος αὐτῶν, ἀκόλαστον δὲ 6 οῐνος, ἀκόλαστος ἀρα 6 θυμὸς, ἀκολάστους ποιῶν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους· καὶ ὑβριστικὸν ἡ όργήο γίνεται γὰρ ἀπὸ ζέοντος θυμοῦ ο εἰδὲ οἴνου oi Ναζαραῖοι κατά τὸν νόμον ἀπέχονται, θυμοῦ ἄρα τοὺς Ναζαραίους ἐκτὸς εἶναι νενομοθέτηται. Ἐνταῦθα τὸν Χριστὸν ἄντικρυς είρηκε βασιλέαο 6 γὰρ τοῦτον διὰ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν παροξύνων, ἁμαρτάνει είς τὴν ἐαυτοῦ ψυχήν. Ὠσπερ 6 ἄφρων τὸ ὄνειδος ούκ αἰσχύνεται, οὕτως 6 δανεισάμενος σῖτον σπεῖραι ἐν ἀμητῷ · ἤδη ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ γεωργίου αὑτοῦ ἀποδοθήσεται τῷ δανείσαντι, κᾶν τύχῃ ἀποθανεῖν τὸν δανεισθέντα.-Εί ἔστιν ἐν ἀμητῷ σῖτον δανείσασθαι παρά τῶν ἐργασαμένων ἐν τοῖς ἐξ ἔτεσι τὴν ἑαυτῶν γῆν, τουτέστι παρά τῶν τῆς πρὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας ἐν τοῖς ἐξ αίῶσι λαμψάντων δικαίων καὶ προφητῶν τὰς ἀρετάς μιμήσασθαι, τῶν καὶ τρεφόντων ἐν τῷ ἐδδόμῳ ἔτει χήραν καὶ ὀρφανοὺς, είς τὸ ἀνταποδοθῆναι αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν τὸν μισθὸν τῆς ἐνδείξεως τῶν ἀρετῶν, ὡς ἀπαρχὴ γεγονότες τῶν ἀρετῶν. υῦς κατʼ ἀρετὴν δηλονότι γεγέννηκε τις, εἰκόνα ### English translation (Claude) he has named purity of heart; for we are counted worthy of knowledge by God in proportion to our freedom from passion. [Prov 19:19] What he says concerns the things of this life; but I think that the great loss consists in being deprived of the contemplation of created things, and "adding to the soul" means the disappearance of the natural thoughts about God, when the soul has fallen wholly into irrationality. And the Saviour says in the Gospels: "What will a man profit if he gains the whole world but loses his soul and suffers loss?" Here the loss of the soul indicates ignorance of bodies and incorporeal things, and the "suffering loss" the utmost irrationality. [Prov 19:23] If the fear of the Lord leads to life for a man, and the fear of the Lord is wisdom and instruction, then the life of a man is wisdom and instruction; so to know wisdom and instruction is to know Christ and his teaching. The fearless one, then, will dwell in wickedness and ignorance, in which Christ is not. Those who live in wickedness and ignorance do not visit the fear of God within themselves, nor hope for mercy upon themselves; nor is Christ in them, because they do not wish it. [Prov 19:24] The one who does not live rightly hides his hands in his soul unjustly, not wishing to work his own land, that is, his body, nor to be filled with the bread of the soul. For the practical virtues have the role of hands, which bring to our mouth the bread that came down from heaven and gives life to the world through divine wisdom and knowledge. [Prov 20:1] If "their wine is the wrath of dragons," and wine is licentious, then wrath is licentious, making people licentious; and anger is insolent, for it comes from boiling wrath. And if the Nazirites abstain from wine according to the law, then it is laid down by law that the Nazirites are to be free of wrath. [Prov 20:2] Here he has plainly called Christ king; for the one who provokes him by sins sins against his own soul. [Prov 20:4] As the fool is not ashamed of reproach, neither is the one who borrows grain at harvest to sow, since it will be repaid to the lender from his farm, even if the borrower should happen to die. If it is possible at harvest to borrow grain from those who have worked their land in the six years, that is, to imitate the virtues of the righteous and the prophets who shone in the six ages before the coming of Christ, who also fed the widow and orphans in the seventh year, so that they may be repaid in the kingdom of heaven the reward for showing their virtues, as having become the first fruits of the virtues. [Prov 20:7] Clearly the one who has begotten according to virtue … image ### Scripture references - Prov 19:17: allusion, high confidence - Prov 19:19: allusion, high confidence - Matt 16:26: quotation, high confidence - Prov 19:23: allusion, high confidence - Prov 19:24: allusion, high confidence - John 6:33: allusion, high confidence - Prov 20:1: allusion, high confidence - Deut 32:33: quotation, high confidence - Num 6:3: allusion, high confidence - Prov 20:2: allusion, high confidence - Prov 20:4: allusion, high confidence - Exod 23:10: allusion, medium confidence - Exod 23:11: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 20:7: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The first sentence ends the comment on Prov 19:17 ("according to his gift he will repay him"), the gift to God being purity of heart. - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (19:19 "an evil-minded man will suffer much loss, and if he is pestilent he will add to his soul"; 19:23 "the fear of the Lord is for life to a man"; 19:24 "he who hides his hands in his bosom unjustly"; 20:1 "wine is licentious and drunkenness insolent"; 20:2 "he who provokes him sins against his own soul"; 20:4 "so too he who borrows grain at harvest"; 20:7 "he who lives blameless … will leave his children blessed"). - "What will a man profit …": Matt 16:26. "Bread that came down from heaven": John 6:33. "Their wine is the wrath of dragons": Deut 32:33. The Nazirites: Num 6:3. The six years and the seventh: Exod 23:10–11. The end of the section is damaged ("…"). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 209 (PG 17:209a–209d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/191/#p-209). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 211 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/211/#p-211 - Source: PG 17:212a–212d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Christ is father to the mature and mother to the immature; double weights are excess and deficiency in virtue; the eye and ear that attend to good are the Lord's work. ### Greek text Ξιε (αἱ μακαρισμὸν καταλείψει τοῖς μετέπειτα 6 ἄμω· μος, καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἀνατροφῆς ἔως τέλους. Τελευτᾷν γάρ εἶπεν ἀλλαχοῦ τὸν κακολογοῦνταο ἀλλά καὶ Χριστός · Καὶ ὁ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν κακολοιῃῶν, στερηθήσεται τῆς πίστειις. ἣτις ἦν αὐτῷ φῶς πρὸ τῆς διαβολῆς · λέγει 6‘ ἂν καὶ περὶ τοῦ ὲξωτέρου σκότους ο διὸ καὶ ἐπὶ μέλλοντος εῐρηται· καὶ 6 Χριστὸς δὲ, πατὴρ καὶ μήτηρ δύναται λέγεσθαιʼ πατὴρ μὲν τῶν ἐχόντων πνεῦμα υἱοθεσίας· μήτηρ δὲ τῶν δεομένων γάλακτος καὶ οὐ στερεᾶς τροφῆς ’ καὶγὰρ καὶ 6 ὲν Παύλῳ λαλῶν Χριστὸς, πατὴρ μὲν τῶν Ἐφεσίων ἐγίνετο, σοφίας αὐτοῖς ἀποκαλύπτων μυστήριασ μήτηρ Κορινθίων, γάλα ποτίζων αὐτούς. Τὴν ἔκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐφευρεθεῖσαν ἡμῖν ἡδονὴν, ἢν μερίδα φησὶν ἔν πρώτοις, πρόσκαιρον μὲν λι- ’ παίνει σὸν φάρυγγα, ὕστερον μέντοι πικρότερον χολῆς εὑρήσεις. Μὴ εἴπῃς καθʼ ὑπερηφανίαν κινούμενος ο ἐγὼ μόνος τοῖς ἐχθροῖς πολεμήσω, ἀλλʼ ὑπόμεινον τὸν Κύριον καὶ ὲπικαλοῦ, ἵνα σοι βοηθήσῃ· μὴ θάρῤει σαυτῷ ὡς χωρὶς Κυρίου δυνάμενος α ὄτι γὰρ χωρὶς αὑτοῦ ούκ ἔστι βοηθὸς, λέγει Δαυῖδ Οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ τόξῳ μου ἐλπιῶ. Ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν αίσθητῶν, στάθμιον μέγα καὶ μικρόν φαμεν εἶναι, ὲν οἷς χρυσὸς, ἄργυρος, χαλκὸς, μέταξα, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα σταθμίεζονται μέτρα δὲ τὰ ἐν ἀγγείοις μετρούμενα, σῖτος, οἶνος, ἔλαιον, καὶ ὄσπρια· άλλως τε δὲ τὸν παρά τισι θρασύδειλον λεγόμενον, μέγα καὶ μικρὸν εἶναι στάθμιον νομίξωο καθόλου δὲ πᾶσαν ὑπερβολὴν καὶ ἔλλειψιν· τοῦτο στάθμιον μέγα καὶ μικρόν ἐστιν · ἑκάτερα γὰρ κακίαι, καὶ μέτρα δισσά· ἄλλως τε καὶ 6 εὖ μὲν πάσχειν ὑφʼ ἐτέρων βουλόμενος, αὐτὸς δὲ ὁμοίως ἄλλους ἀναπαύειν μὴ προαιρούμενος, μέτρα ἔχει δισσά μὴ πειθόμενος τῇ ἐντολῇ τῇ λεγούσῃ ο Πάντα ὅσα θέλετε ἵνα ποιῶσιν ὑμῖν ol ἄνθρωποι, καὶ ὑμεῖς ὁμοίως ποιεῖτε αὐτοῖς. Οὐχὶ τὸ κακῶς ἀκοῦον οὖς, ἔργον ἐστὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀλλά τὸ ἐπὶ καλοῖς προσέχον ο καὶ οὐχὶ κακῶς ὁρῶν ὀφθαλμὸς, ἔργον ἐστὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀλλʼ 6 ὁρῶν καὶ φανταζόμενος τὰ θεῖα · 6 γάρ ἀκούων τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ βλέπων τὰς ὲντολάς αὑτοῦ, ἔργον ἐστὶ τοῦ Κυρίουο καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων μερῶν τοῦ σώματος ὡσαύτως λεκτέον · χρήσῃ δὲ τῷ ρητῷ τούτῳ πρὸς τοὺς κατηγοροῦντας,ἡμῶν τοῦτο τὸ σῶμα, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ὲνυ6ρίζοντας. Τουτέστι μὴ κάθευδε πολλά, ἀλλʼ ἄγρυπνος ἔσο· ἵνα μὴ ὲξαρθῇς είς τὴν γέενναν, μὴ καταλάλει ’ καὶ διὰ μὲν τῶν ἀρετῶν, ἄνοιγε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς σου · διὰ δὲ τῆς σοφίας, νοητῶν ὲμπλήσθητι ἄρτων. Τὸ σταθμιεῖν ἑαυτόν τις ἐπὶ τοῖς τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ ### English translation (Claude) … and the blameless one will leave blessedness to those who come after him, and the righteousness of his upbringing to the end. [Prov 20:20] Elsewhere he has said that the one who speaks evil dies; and so too Christ: and the one who speaks evil of the church will be deprived of faith, which was a light to him before his slander. He might also be speaking of the outer darkness, which is why it is said in the future tense. And Christ can be called father and mother: father of those who have the Spirit of adoption, mother of those who need milk and not solid food. For Christ, speaking in Paul, became father to the Ephesians, revealing to them the mysteries of wisdom, and mother to the Corinthians, giving them milk to drink. [Prov 20:21] The pleasure devised for us by the evil one, which he calls a portion hastily gained at first, "for a time makes your throat fat," but "afterwards you will find it more bitter than gall." [Prov 20:22] Do not say, moved by pride, "I alone will fight the enemies"; but wait for the Lord and call on him, so that he may help you. Do not trust in yourself as if you could act without the Lord; for that without him there is no helper David says: "For I will not trust in my bow." [Prov 20:10] Among things of the senses we speak of a large and a small weight, in which gold, silver, bronze, silk and whatever else is weighed; and of measures for what is measured in vessels, grain, wine, oil and pulse. But I think that what some call rash cowardice is also a large and a small weight; and in general every excess and deficiency is a large and a small weight, for both are vices, and double measures. Again, the one who wishes to be treated well by others but does not choose likewise to refresh others has double measures, not obeying the commandment that says: "Whatever you wish people to do to you, do likewise to them." [Prov 20:12] It is not the ear that hears evil that is the Lord's work, but the one that attends to good things; nor is the eye that sees evil the Lord's work, but the one that sees and pictures divine things. For the one who hears the Lord and looks at his commandments is the Lord's work; and the same is to be said of the other members of the body. You will use this saying against those who accuse this body of ours and insult God. [Prov 20:13] That is: do not sleep much, but be watchful; and so that you are not lifted up into Gehenna, do not slander; through the virtues open the eyes of your soul, and through wisdom be filled with intelligible bread. One who weighs himself by the works of the Lord and ### Scripture references - Prov 20:7: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 20:20: allusion, high confidence - Matt 8:12: allusion, medium confidence - Rom 8:15: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 3:2: allusion, high confidence - Prov 20:21: allusion, high confidence - Prov 5:3: quotation, high confidence - Prov 5:4: quotation, high confidence - Prov 20:22: allusion, high confidence - Ps 44:6 (43:7 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 20:10: allusion, high confidence - Matt 7:12: quotation, high confidence - Prov 20:12: allusion, high confidence - Prov 20:13: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The first words are damaged in the scan. The verses are identified from the Septuagint, in which Prov 20:20–22 of the English Bible stand as 20:9a–c after 20:9, and 20:10–13 follow (20:20 "he who speaks evil of father or mother, his lamp will be put out"; 20:21 "a portion hastily gained at first"; 20:22 "wait for the Lord, that he may help you"; 20:10 "a large and a small weight, and double measures"; 20:12 "the ear hears and the eye sees: both are the Lord's works"; 20:13 "do not love to slander, lest you be lifted up"). - The outer darkness: Matt 8:12. "Spirit of adoption": Rom 8:15. Milk and solid food: 1 Cor 3:2. "For a time makes your throat fat … more bitter than gall": Prov 5:3–4. "I will not trust in my bow": Ps 44:6 (43:7 LXX). "Whatever you wish …": Matt 7:12; Luke 6:31. - "Those who accuse this body of ours" are teachers who held the body to be evil; translated as written. A footnote marker leaked into the text has been removed. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 211 (PG 17:212a–212d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/211/#p-211). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 213 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/211/#p-213 - Source: PG 17:213a–213d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The deceitful balance is a mind bent by self-interest; rash vows lead to regret; Christ winnows the ungodly; the Lord's lamp searches the heart, while the devil disguises himself as light. ### Greek text τοῦ διαβόλου ἔργοις, βδέλυγμα Κυρίῳ · ζυγὸν δὲ δάε λιον λέγει τὸν νοῦν, τὸν πεφυκότα μὲν δικαίως κρίνειν τὰ πράγματα, παρεκκλίνοντα δὲ τῇ τοῦ αὐτεξουσίου ῥοπῇ διὰ φίλους ἢ χρήματα. Μὴ ταχέως, φησὶν, ἐπ) τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν κινοῦ, ἵνα μὴ τῆς χρείας σε πολλάκις, ἢ τῆς τοῦ πλείονος ἐπιθυμίας ἐλοῦσης, ἄρξῃ μετανοεῖν. καὶ ὑβρίσῃς Θεὸν, προτιμήσας αὐτοῦ ἕτερον ο ἡ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς δέ μετάνοια, οὐ δικαίοις συμβαίνει, ἀλλά ἀδίκοις · ἄδικοι δέ μηδὲν ἀπερισκέπτως ὑπισχνείτωσαν τῷ Θεῷ ο μετά γὰρ τὸ εὔξασθαι, μετανοεῖν γίνεται.--Τὸ ταχὺ συντάξασθαι τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τὸ ἁγιάσαι τι τῶν αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ θᾶττον μεταμεληθῆναι, παγίς ἐστι τῷ ἀνδρί. Λικμήτωρ ἀσεβῶν ό Χριστός ἐστιν· ἐπιβαλεῖ δὲ τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν ῶσπερ λέων θήρας · τροχὸς δὲ, ἅλωνος χωρίζων τὰ ἄχυρα ἀπὸ τοῦ σίτου · ἢ τροχὸν ἐπιβαλεῖ τὴν ἀναπόδιστον τιμωρίαν. Ταμιεῖα κοιλίας ἐστὶν ὁ νοῦς, ἡ καρδία, καὶ ἡ γνῶσις, ἔνθα πάντα τὰ θεῖά τε καὶ ἀσεβῆ ἐναποτίθενται διδάγματα · ὥσπερ δέ τις λύχνον ἅψας, τῶν ἐν τοῖς ταμιείοις κειμένων εὑρεῖν τι βούλεται, οὕτως ὁ Κύριος τῷ φωτὶ τῆς γνώσεως αὑτοῦ ἐρευνᾷ τὰ ταμιεῖα τῶν ἐν λόγοις καὶ πράξεσιν ἀνθρώπων τοῖς δὲ τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ Κυρίου ἐπισταμένοις ἀνθρώποις, φῶς ἐστιν αὐτοῖς · εί οὖν τὸ φῶς τοῦ Κυρίου, γνῶσις τοῦ Κυρίου ἐστὶ, τὸ δὲ φῶς τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ πνοὴ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἄρα ἡ γνῶσις τοῦ Κυρίου πνοὴ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐστί· τὸν δὲ ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ διάβολον φαίνειν δοκοῦντα, λύχνον ὠνόμασεν ἐκκενοῦντα τὸν νοῦν τῶν ἀγαθῶν γνὼσεων, καὶ μετασχηματιζόμενον εἰς ἄγγελον φωτός · ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ φῶς τοῦ Κυρίου, οὐχ εἲλαντο γνῶναι οὐδέ πορεύεσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ, τὴν ἄγνοιαν ὠς φῶς ἐλογίζοντο οί ἀσεβεῖς ο εί δὲ τὴν ἄγνοιαν ὡς φῶς εἶχον, δηλονότι καὶ τά ἔργα τοῦ τῆς ἀγνοίας ἐφευρετοῦ διαβόλου ἔπραττον · οί δέ τῇ ἀγνοίᾳ αὑτοῦ συμπορευθέντες, σὺν αὑτῷ ἔσονται είς αἰῶνας αἰώνων οἱ δέ τῇ γνώσει τοῦ Κυρίου, σὺν τῷ Κυρίῳ. Ἕκβάλλει τὸ ῥητὸν τοῦτο τὴν διὰ τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων θυσίαν · θυσία γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ πνεῦμα συντετριμένον. Εἰ ἀγνά καὶ ὀρθὰ ἔργα Κυρίου, ἓν δέ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ἐστικαὶ ό νοῦς, ὀρθὸς ἄρα ἐκτίσθη καὶ ἁγνὸς παρά τοῦ Θεοῦ 6 νοῦς, καὶ ὀρθὸν ὀφείλομεν διαφυλάττειν αὑτὸν πρὸς αὑτὸν ἐκ τῶν ἐπερχομένων ἡμῖν παρὰ τοῦ πονηροῦ κακῶν. Τὸν οἶκον τὸν κεκονιαμένον καὶ κοινὸν, τῇ ὑπαίθρῳ γωνίᾳ ἀντέθεικενʼ εί δέ 6 οἶκος ό κεκονιαμένος καὶ κοινὸς, ἡ κακία ἐστὶν, ήῦπαιθρος γωνία ἡ ἀρετή ἐστιν γωνία τοίνυν ῦπαιθρός ἐστιν, πρᾶξις θεωρίας ἐφαπτομένη, καὶ φωτιζομένη ὑπὸ τοῦ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἡλίου ° καλῶς δὲ καὶ 6 Παῦλος τὸν ἀρχιερέα τῶν Ἰουδαίων, τοῖχον εἷπε κεκονιαμένον τυφθησόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ο καὶ 6 Σωτὴρ ἐν Εὑαγγελίοις τοὺς Φαρισαίους, τάφους εἷπε κεκονιαμένους· εὖ δὲ καὶ τὸ ### English translation (Claude) of the devil is an abomination to the Lord. [Prov 20:23] By a deceitful balance he means the mind, which by nature judges things justly but turns aside, by the inclination of free will, for the sake of friends or money. [Prov 20:25] Do not be quickly moved, he says, to make a promise to God, lest, when need or the desire for more takes hold of you, you begin to regret it and insult God by preferring something else to him. Regret over good things does not happen to the righteous but to the unrighteous; let the unrighteous, then, promise nothing to God without consideration, for after vowing comes regret. To pledge something quickly to the Lord, that is, to consecrate something of one's own, and then soon to regret it, is a snare to a man. [Prov 20:26] The winnower of the ungodly is Christ; he will fall upon the ungodly like a lion upon its prey; and the wheel is that of the threshing floor, separating the chaff from the grain; or the wheel he will bring upon them is the punishment that cannot be escaped. [Prov 20:27] The storerooms of the belly are the mind, the heart and knowledge, where all teachings, divine and ungodly, are laid up. Just as someone who has lit a lamp wishes to find something among the things lying in the storerooms, so the Lord, by the light of his knowledge, searches the storerooms of people in their words and deeds; and to people who know the knowledge of the Lord it is light. If, then, the light of the Lord is the knowledge of the Lord, and the light of the Lord is the breath of human beings, then the knowledge of the Lord is the breath of human beings. He has called the devil, who seems to shine in ignorance, a lamp that empties the mind of good knowledge and disguises itself as an angel of light. And since the ungodly did not choose to know the light of the Lord nor to walk in it, they reckoned ignorance as light; and if they held ignorance as light, clearly they also did the works of the devil, the inventor of ignorance. Those who walked with him in ignorance will be with him for ever and ever; but those who walked in the knowledge of the Lord, with the Lord. [Prov 21:3] This saying rejects sacrifice through irrational animals; for a sacrifice to God is a broken spirit. [Prov 21:8] If the works of the Lord are pure and upright, and the mind is one of his works, then the mind was created upright and pure by God, and we ought to keep it upright toward him against the evils that come upon us from the evil one. [Prov 21:9] He has set the plastered and common house against the corner in the open air. If the plastered and common house is wickedness, the corner in the open air is virtue; the corner in the open air, then, is action that lays hold of contemplation and is illuminated by the Sun of righteousness. Paul too rightly called the high priest of the Jews a plastered wall to be struck by God; and the Saviour in the Gospels called the Pharisees whitewashed tombs. And it is well that he said ### Scripture references - Prov 20:23: allusion, high confidence - Prov 20:25: allusion, high confidence - Prov 20:26: allusion, high confidence - Prov 20:27: allusion, high confidence - 2 Cor 11:14: allusion, high confidence - Prov 21:3: allusion, high confidence - Ps 51:17 (50:19 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 21:8: allusion, high confidence - Prov 21:9: allusion, high confidence - Mal 4:2 (3:20 LXX): allusion, medium confidence - Acts 23:3: allusion, high confidence - Matt 23:27: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (20:23 "a double weight is an abomination to the Lord, and a deceitful balance is not good before him"; 20:25 "it is a snare to a man quickly to consecrate something of his own, for after vowing comes regret"; 20:26 "a wise king is a winnower of the ungodly and will bring a wheel upon them"; 20:27 "the light of the Lord is the breath of human beings, which searches the storerooms of the belly"; 21:3 "to do justice … is more pleasing to God than the blood of sacrifices"; 21:8 "his works are pure and upright"; 21:9 "better to live in a corner in the open air than in plastered rooms with injustice and in a common house"). - "Disguises himself as an angel of light": 2 Cor 11:14. "A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit": Ps 51:17 (50:19 LXX). "Sun of righteousness": Mal 4:2. "A whitewashed wall": Acts 23:3. "Whitewashed tombs": Matt 23:27. - A repeated OCR line, some stray characters, and Migne's footnotes (verse numbers and a manuscript reading) have been removed. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 213 (PG 17:213a–213d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/211/#p-213). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 215 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/211/#p-215 - Source: PG 17:216a–216d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Christ is the cornerstone; secret almsgiving averts wrath; the soul that is a desert of old desires gives the devil no rest; wisdom pulls down every stronghold raised against God. ### Greek text ι ἐπὶ γωνίας εἶπεν, ἔνθα 6 λίθος κεῖται 6 ἀποδοκιμαι σθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν οἰκοδόμων, καὶ γενόμενος κεφαλὴ γωνίας, ὃς ἐστι Χριστός · κοινὸνδέ ἐστιν, ὃ μὴ τοῦ ἐνός ἐστι Θεοῦ. Δόσις λάθριός ἐστιν, 6 ποιεῖ ἡ δεξιά, μὴ γινώσκει δέή ἀριστερά· θυμὸν ἐγείρει κατʼ αὐτοῦ ἰσχυρὸν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως, 6 τῶν πρὸς τοὺς ἐνδεεῖς δὼρων φειδόμενος. Ἦ συναγωγὴ τῶν γιγάντων, ἠ κακία καὶὴ ἀγνωο σία ἐστίν· γίγαντες δὲ οἱ δαίμονες· τουτέστιν ἐν μεγάλαις ἁμαρτίαις ἀναπαύσεται 6 πλανώμενος ἐξ ὁδοῦ δικαιοσύνης. Ἀγύναιον εἶναι κρεῖττον, ἢ τοιαύτῃ συνεῖναι ο καὶ 6 Δαυϊδ φησινʼ Ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καί ἀβάτῳ καὶ ἀνύδρῳ, οὕτως ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ ὤφθην σοι· ἔρημος τοίwv γῆ ἐστιν ἡ ἀρετὴν ἔχουσα ψυχὴ, καὶ μὴ ἔχουσα τοὺς παλαιοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐνοικοῦντας, τοὺς φθειρομένους κατά τάς παλαιάς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης· διὸ οὐδὲ εὑρίσκει ἐν αὐτῇ ἀνάπαυσιν 6 διάβολος· εἴγε δυσχερῶς διʼ ἀνύδρων τόπων ζητῶν ἀνάπαυσιν, καὶ οὐχ εύρίσκειʼ αὐτὸς γάρ βασιλεύς ἐστι πάντων τῶν ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι, τουτέστι τῶν ἐν ἀναπαύσει καὶ ἀπολαύσει σαρκικῶν ἡδονῶν. Καὶ πάλινʼ Τῆς σοφίας στεγναὶ αἱ διατριβαὶ οἴκων αὐτῆς · εί δὲ τοῦτο, ούκοῦν καὶ ὴ γυνὴ ἡ μάχιμος καὶ γλωσσώδης καὶ ὀργίλος, ή κακία ἐστὶν, ἥτις τὸν συζῶντα αὐτῇ ποιεῖ μάχιμον καὶ γλωσσώδη καὶ ὀργίλον. Σοφία Κυρίου ἀναπαύσεται ἐν καρδίᾳ δικαίου σοφοῦ · ἄφρονες δέ ἄνδρες διαβάλλουσιν αὐτὴν τοῦ φθεῖραι. ’ Ἠ σοφία ἐστὶ πόλις ὀχυρὰ, ἐν εί σοφοὶ κατοικοῦσι, λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες, καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ. -- Πόλεις ὀχυράς φησιν τὰς ὀχυρωθείσας καὶ κατακρατηθείσας ψυχὰς ὑπὸ τῶν ἀσεβῶν δαιμόνων καὶ πονηρῶν ἀνθρώπων, τῶν ἐπαιρομένων κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ · ὧν τὸ ὀχύρωμα ἐπιβάς 6 σοφὸς, καὶ τὴν 60κοῦσαν ἀσφάλειαν αὐτῶν, τῇ οὓτως σοφίᾳ περιφραχθεὶς καθεῖλεν. Στόμα καὶ γλῶσσαν καὶ νοῦν, θυμὸν καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν ὃς φυλάσσει, διατηρεῖ ἐκ τῆς ἐν κρίσει θλίψεως τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ. Αὐτός ἐστι διαφόρως ἐπινοούμενος· θρασὺς μὲν γὰρ, 6 πᾶν ὁτιοῦν ἀφόβως ἐπιτελῶνο αὐθάδης, 6 ivsmxpitwc ἐλευθεριάζειν βουλόμενος· ἀλαζὼν. 6 μείζοσιν ἐαυτὸν ἤπερ ἔχει σεμνύνων · λοιμὺς,ό πρὸς τῷ ἑαυτὸν καταβλάπτειν, καὶ ἑτέροις μεταδιδούς ο τοσοῦτον γάρ ἐστι βλαπτικὸς, ὡς καὶ ἄλλοις μεταδιδόναι κακίας ο ὃς δέ μνησικακεῖ, παράνομος. Ἔστι γὰρ καὶ ἀγαθὴ ἐπιθυμία· ἀγγέλων μὲν οὖν τὸ μὴ ἐπιθυμεῖν ποτε ἐπιθυμίας κακίας δαιμόο νων δὲ τὸ ἀεὶ κακὰς ἐπιθυμεῖν ἀνθρώπων, τὸ ποτὲ μὲν ἐπιθυμεῖν, ποτέ δὲ μή · τὸ δέ ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἀντὶ διʼ ὅλου τοῦ βίου· τοιοῦτόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ, Ἐν φόβῳ Κυρίου ἴσθι ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἀντὶ τοῦ διʼ ὅλου τοῦ βίου. ### English translation (Claude) "on a corner", where the stone lies that was rejected by the builders and became the head of the corner, which is Christ; and "common" is what does not belong to the one God. [Prov 21:14] A secret gift is what the right hand does while the left hand does not know; the one who spares his gifts to the needy raises strong wrath against himself on the day of judgment. [Prov 21:16] The gathering of the giants is wickedness and ignorance; and the giants are the demons; that is, the one who wanders from the way of righteousness will rest among great sins. [Prov 21:19] It is better to be without a wife than to live with such a woman. And David says: "In a desert land, pathless and waterless, so I appeared before you in the sanctuary." The desert land, then, is the soul that has virtue and does not have the old men dwelling in it, those corrupted according to the old desires of deceit; that is why the devil finds no rest in it, since he goes with difficulty through waterless places seeking rest and finds none; for he is king of all that are in the waters, that is, of those who live at ease in the enjoyment of fleshly pleasures. And again: "The ways of her house are close-kept." If that is said of wisdom, then the quarrelsome, talkative and angry woman is wickedness, which makes the one who lives with her quarrelsome, talkative and angry. [Prov 21:20] The wisdom of the Lord will rest in the heart of the righteous wise man; but foolish men slander it so as to destroy it. [Prov 21:22] Wisdom is a fortified city in which the wise dwell, pulling down reasonings and every high thing raised against the knowledge of God. By fortified cities he means the souls fortified and held in power by ungodly demons and wicked people, who exalt themselves against the knowledge of God; the wise man, mounting their fortress, pulls down their apparent safety, fenced about by wisdom in this way. [Prov 21:23] Whoever guards mouth and tongue, mind, temper and desire, keeps his soul from the affliction at the judgment. [Prov 21:24] It is the same person, conceived in different ways: rash, the one who does anything without fear; self-willed, the one who wishes to be free without judgment; boastful, the one who exalts himself with greater things than he has; pestilent, the one who, besides harming himself, also passes it on to others; for he is so harmful as to pass his wickedness on to others; and the one who bears a grudge is lawless. [Prov 21:26] For there is also a good desire. It belongs to angels never to desire the desires of wickedness; to demons always to desire evil things; to human beings sometimes to desire and sometimes not. "All the day" means through the whole of life; so too "Be in the fear of the Lord all the day" means through the whole of life. ### Scripture references - Ps 118:22 (117:22 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Matt 21:42: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 21:14: allusion, high confidence - Matt 6:3: allusion, high confidence - Prov 21:16: allusion, high confidence - Prov 21:19: allusion, high confidence - Ps 63:1 (62:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 63:2 (62:3 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Eph 4:22: allusion, high confidence - Matt 12:43: allusion, high confidence - Job 41:34: allusion, low confidence - Prov 31:27: quotation, high confidence - Prov 21:20: allusion, high confidence - Prov 21:22: allusion, high confidence - 2 Cor 10:4: allusion, high confidence - 2 Cor 10:5: allusion, high confidence - Prov 21:23: allusion, high confidence - Prov 21:24: allusion, high confidence - Prov 21:26: allusion, high confidence - Prov 23:17: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (21:9; 21:14 "a secret gift turns away anger, but he who spares gifts raises strong wrath"; 21:16 "a man who wanders from the way of righteousness will rest in the gathering of the giants"; 21:19 "better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome, talkative and angry woman"; 21:20; 21:22 "a wise man mounted strong cities and pulled down the fortress"; 21:23; 21:24 "the rash, self-willed and boastful is called pestilent, and he who bears a grudge is lawless"; 21:26 "the ungodly desires evil desires all the day"). - "The stone that the builders rejected": Ps 118:22 (117:22 LXX); Matt 21:42. "The right hand … the left": Matt 6:3. "In a desert land …": Ps 63:1–2 (62:2–3 LXX). "The old man … according to the desires of deceit": Eph 4:22. Waterless places: Matt 12:43. King of all in the waters: compare Job 41:34. "The ways of her house are close-kept": Prov 31:27 (Septuagint). "Pulling down reasonings …": 2 Cor 10:4–5. "Be in the fear of the Lord all the day": Prov 23:17. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 215 (PG 17:216a–216d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/211/#p-215). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 217 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/211/#p-217 - Source: PG 17:217a–217d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The mind is a horse that bears the Lord's name; rich and poor serve each other's salvation; the faithful from the nations now lend teaching to Israel; the devil must be driven out of the council of the soul. ### Greek text Ἵππον λέγει τὸν νοῦν, τδν πολεμούμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ λ διαβόλου, καὶ άντιπολεμοῦντα· Ἐπιβήσῃ γὰρ, φη.. σιν, ἐπὶ τοὺς ἵππους σου· καὶ ἡ ἱππασίιι σου, σωτηρία· καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Παύλου 6 Κύριος · Τοῦ βαστάσαι τὸ ὄνομὰ μου, φησί. Τὴν σημαινομένην ἀρετὴν ὑπὸ οἰκείου ὀνόματος, ὄνομα εἷπε καλόν· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι καί καλὸν τὸ δνομα, ὅπερ ἔχει τὸ σημαινόμενον ἀγαθόν· οὕτως οὐδὲ τὴν άδικον γυναῖκα Δικαιοσύνην καλουμένην ἐπαινέσομεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἔχουσαν τὴν δικαιοσύνην, κᾶν ἀδικία νομίζηται· ὑπὲρ δὲ ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον, σοφία θεῖκή. ix. Σόλναντῶσιν ἀλλήλοις, 6 μὲν πλούσιος διὰ τῶν ἐλεημοσυνῶν καθαιρῶν τὸν θυμὸν, καὶ κτώμενος τὴν ἀγάπην · δὲ, διὰ τῆς πενίας τὸ ταπεινοφρονεῖν διδασκόμενος · τὸν μὲν γὰρ, θέλει παιδεύεσθαι· τὸν δὲ, μεταδιδόναι · ὥστε τὸν μὲν εὐχάριστον εῖναι, τὸν δὲ δλεή μονα. Ζωὴν καὶ δόξαν καὶ πλοῦτον οὐράνιον κληρονομήσει 6 σοφίαν καὶ φόβον Κυρίου ἔχων · πάσας γὰρ τὰς γενέσεις ἔσχε Νῶε· ταύτας Ἀβραάμ · ταύτας καὶ οἱ παρὰ Πέτρου μαθητευθέντες. Ἐν τῷ αίῶνι τῷ μέλλοντι οἱ ὲν παντὶ πλουτιενθένο τες, ὲν πάσῃ γνώσει καὶ σοφίᾳ, ἄρξουσι τῶν ἀκαθάρτων καὶ ὲστερημένων τούτου τοῦ πλούτου· τίνες δὲ ol οίκέται καὶ τίνες οἱ δεσπόται, ούκ ἀναγκαῖον δημοσιεύειν, διὰ τὸ εἶναι τὸν περὶ αὐτῶν λόγον μυστικὸν καὶ βαθύτερον· καὶ πρὸς ῥητὸν δὲ δείκνυσι τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου βίου τὸ ἄστατον· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὲν ταῖς όλιγαρχίαις oi. πλούσιοι τῶν πτωχῶν ἄρχουσιν · καὶ ἄλλως οῖ γνῶσιν ἔχοντες, τῶν μὴ τοιούτων ἄρχουσιν · καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν πιστοὶ, τοῖς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, οἷς ᾶκέλευον πρόσθε, διδασκαλίαν δανείζουσι · καίτοι πρότερον ἔθνεσιν ὲδάνειζον ἐκεῖνοι πολλοῖς, καὶ τούτων ἦρχον· νῦν δὲ τῆς βασιλείας ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ἀρθείσης, ἔμπαλιν γέγονε. Τὸν ὲν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς ἱλαρὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ ὲν ἐλεημοι σύναις δότην, ἀγαπᾷ 6 Θεός· καθὼς καὶ 6 Παῦλός φησιν· '0 ἐλεῶν, ἐν ωαρότητι· τὴν δὲ ματαιότητα τῶν ἔργων διὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς 6 Κύριος καλ τῆς γνώσεως, συντελεῖ. Δῶρα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὰς τῆς ψυχῆς ἀρετὰς ὀνομάζει, διʼ ὧν νικῶν τὸν διάβολον, τίμιον ἐαυτδν παρέχει τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἀφαιρεῖται τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ττησαμένων αὐτὴν δαιμόνων. Τῆς χειρίστης ἕξεως τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐκβάλλεσθαι βούλεται διὰπνευματικῆς διδασκαλίας μεθʼ ἦς εἷχε φιλονεικίας· καὶ λοιμὸν δὲ τὸν διάβολον ὄντα τῆς ψυχῆς ὲκδιὼκεσθαι δεῖ· ἐὰν γὰρ ὲν αὐτῇ καθίσῃ, διὰ τῆς ἀκαθαρσίας πάντας τοὺς ὀρθοὺς λογισμοὺς ἀτιμάζει· συνέδριον γὰρ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ὁ ’Δπόστολος δείκνυσι, διʼ ὧν λογισμοὺς κατηγοροῦντας,ἢ καὶ ἀποο λογουμένους εἰσάγει · Μεταξὺ γὰρ, φησιν, ἀλλήλων τῶν λογισμῶν κατηγορούντων ἢ καί ἀπολογουμένων· ὅπου δὲ κατηγορία καὶ ἀπολογία, ἐκεῖ καὶ ### English translation (Claude) [Prov 21:31] By the horse he means the mind, which is attacked by the devil and fights back: "For you will mount upon your horses," it says, "and your riding is salvation"; and the Lord said of Paul, "to carry my name." [Prov 22:1] He has called a good name the virtue signified by its proper name; for this is truly a good name, which has a good thing for its meaning. So we shall not praise an unjust woman because she is called Justice, but the one who has justice, even if she is thought unjust. And above silver and gold is divine wisdom. [Prov 22:2] … meet one another: the rich man, through almsgiving, cleansing his temper and acquiring love; and the poor man, through poverty, being taught humility. For he wishes the one to be instructed and the other to share, so that the one may be grateful and the other merciful. [Prov 22:4] Whoever has wisdom and the fear of the Lord will inherit life and glory and heavenly wealth; for Noah had all these "generations"; so did Abraham; so did those who were made disciples by Peter. [Prov 22:7] In the age to come those who have been enriched in everything, in all knowledge and wisdom, will rule over the impure who are deprived of this wealth. Who the servants are and who the masters, it is not necessary to make public, because the teaching about them is mystical and deeper. According to the letter it shows the instability of human life; but also in oligarchies the rich rule the poor; and in another sense those who have knowledge rule those who do not. And the faithful from the nations lend teaching to those from Israel, whom formerly they obeyed; yet formerly those lent to many nations and ruled them; but now, since the kingdom has been taken from them, the reverse has happened. [Prov 22:8] God loves the man who is cheerful in the commandments and a giver in almsgiving; as Paul too says, "He who shows mercy, with cheerfulness"; and the Lord brings to an end the vanity of works through virtue and knowledge. [Prov 22:9] He calls the virtues of the soul a person's gifts, by which, conquering the devil, he makes himself precious to God and takes his own soul away from the demons who had possessed it. [Prov 22:10] He wishes the person to be cast out of his worst disposition, together with the contentiousness he had, through spiritual teaching. The devil too, being pestilent, must be driven out of the soul; for if he sits in it, he dishonours all right thoughts through his uncleanness. That the soul is a council the apostle too shows, where he brings in thoughts accusing or defending: "Their thoughts," he says, "accusing or else excusing one another"; and where there is accusation and defence, there is also ### Scripture references - Prov 21:31: allusion, high confidence - Hab 3:8: quotation, high confidence - Acts 9:15: quotation, high confidence - Prov 22:1: allusion, high confidence - Prov 22:2: allusion, high confidence - Prov 22:4: allusion, high confidence - Prov 22:7: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 1:5: allusion, high confidence - Matt 21:43: allusion, high confidence - Prov 22:8: allusion, high confidence - 2 Cor 9:7: allusion, high confidence - Rom 12:8: quotation, high confidence - Prov 22:9: allusion, high confidence - Prov 22:10: allusion, high confidence - Rom 2:15: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (21:31 "a horse is prepared for the day of battle"; 22:1; 22:2 "rich and poor met one another"; 22:4 "the generation of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and wealth and glory and life"; 22:7 "the rich will rule the poor, and servants will lend to their own masters"; 22:8a "God blesses a cheerful man and a giver, and will bring to an end the vanity of his works"; 22:9a "he who gives gifts … takes away the soul of those who possess it"; 22:10 "cast the pestilent man out of the council … for when he sits in council he dishonours all"). - "You will mount upon your horses …": Hab 3:8. "To carry my name": Acts 9:15. "Enriched in everything …": 1 Cor 1:5. "The kingdom taken from them": Matt 21:43. "He who shows mercy, with cheerfulness": Rom 12:8; compare 2 Cor 9:7. "Their thoughts accusing or else excusing": Rom 2:15. - Stray letters at the start of the section and before the comment on Prov 22:2 (whose first words are lost) have been removed or marked "…". The comment on Israel and the nations is translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 217 (PG 17:217a–217d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/211/#p-217). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 219 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/211/#p-219 - Source: PG 17:220a–220d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Christ is the good shepherd and the rod from Jesse's root; the devil is the lion and the deep pit; Scripture's teaching is threefold, ethical, natural and theological, matching Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song. ### Greek text συνέδριον · ἀλλὰ καὶ 6 λοιμδς ἀτιμάζει πάντας ὡς ὑβριστής· ἢ ῶς τά ῑδια συστῆσαι βουλόμενος, τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἀτίμως ἐκβάλλει· δν ἔκβαλε ὲκ συστήματος πνευματικοῦ · καὶ οὐ μόνον αὐτὸς ἐκβληθήσεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ συνόντα αὐτῷ, ἔριδες, φιλονεικίαι, μάχαι, καὶ ὅσα λοιμὸν ἀποτελεῖ. '0 διατηρῶν τὰς ψυχάς ήμῶν Κύριος, οὗτος καὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς ἡμᾶς γνώσεως ποιμαίνει, συγκαταβαίνων καὶ λέγων· Ἐγώ ειμι ό ποιμὴν ὀ καλὸς, δν ἀτιμάζει ό παράνομος· εί δὲ βασιλεὺς μὲν ἐστι. ’ τῶν βασιλευομένων 6 Χριστὸς, ποιμὴν δὲ 6 προβάτων, ἔσται ποτὲ μόνος βασιλεὺς τῶν προβάτων, είς τὸ βασιλικὸν μεταβάντων ἀξίωμα. Ὁ ἐχθρὸς ήμῶν διάβολος· ὡς λέων περιέρχεται ζητῶν τίνα καταπίῃ · ὅντινα φοβούμενος ὁ ὀκνηρὸς» πρὸς τὴν ἐργασίαν ἀρετῶν ἀναδύεται· εἰδὲ λέων ὲν ταῖς ὁδοῖς τῆς δικαιοσύνης ζητεῖ θηρεῦσαί τινα, ὃς ἐστιν 6 διάβολος · ὲν δὲ ταῖς πλατείαις ταῖς πρὸς τὴν ἀπώλειαν φερούσαις, μετὰ τὴν φάλαγγα τῶν δαιμόνων αὺτοῦ, αὐτὸς φονεύει τοὺς αὐτῷ πειθομένους. Βόθρος βαθὺς 6 διάβολός ἐστιν · 6 δὲ μισηθεὶς παρὰ Κυρίου, 6 μὴ ἐαυτῷ προσέχων ἀσφαλῶς· 6 δὲ Ἰὼβ οὐ μισηθεὶς ὑπὸ Κυρίου, ἀλλὰ δοκιμῆς χάριν είς τὸ τοῦ παρανόμου πέπτωκε στόμα· 6 δὲ μισηθεὶς ὑπὸ Κυρίου, είς τέλος καταλιμπάνεται ὲν τῷ βόθρῳ, φιλήδονος ὢν ὲν γνώσει άμαρτίας. Μακρὰν ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας τοῦ ἄφρονός ἐστιν ἡ ῥάβδος ἡ ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ 6 Χριστὸς, ὃς ποιμανεί τὸν λαὸν αὑτοῦ τὸν νέον Ἰσραὴλ ὲν τῇ νομῇ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ προβάτων. Ὠσπερ ὁ διάβολος συκοφαπεῖ ἡμᾶς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, λαμβάνων παρʼ ἡμῶν τὰς ἀρετὰς, ἃς μὴ δέδωκεν ἡμῖν, οῦτω καὶ ἡμεῖς συκοφαντοῦμεν αὑτὸν λαμβάνοντες παρʼ αὑτοῦ τάς κακίας ἃς μὴ δεδώκαμεν αὐτῷ· καὶ καθὸ μὲν λαμβάνομεν παρʼ αὑτοῦ τὰς κακίας, ὡς παρὰ πένητος ὲν ἀρεταῖς λαμβάνομεν· καθὸ δὲ τὰς ἀρετὰς ἡμῶν διδόαμεν αὑτῴ ἐπʼ ἐλαττώσει ήμῶν, ὡς πλουσίῳ ὲν κακίᾳ. διδόαμεν· μήποτε δὲ, φησιν, ὡς ὀλίγα διδοὺς ἄρχοντι · παρʼ ᾧ συκοφαντεί τὰ πλείω κερδαίνων, πλέον καὶ βλάπτεται τὴν ψυχήν. Ὀ τοῖς πανσόφοις λόγοις προσέχων τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ποιῶν τὰ προστασσόμενα ὑπʼ αὑτοῦ, οὗτος ἐπέστησε τὴν καρδίαν, καὶ ἔγνω ὅτι καλοί εἰσιν · οὗτος ἀκούει τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγων, 6 ποιῶν τὰ προστασσόμενα ὑπʼ ιὺτῶν· Οὐ γὰρ ot ἀκροαταὶ τοῦ νόμου δίκαιοι παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ, ἀλλʼ οι ποιηταί τοῦ νόμου δικαιωθήσονται. Ἐὰν δὲ ἐπιστήσῃς σὴν καρδίαν τοῦ γνῶναι καὶ ποιῆσαι, γνωρίσει σοι τὴν ὁδὸν αὑτοῦ τὴν εἰποῦσαν · Ἐγώ εἰμι ὴ ὁδὸς καί ἡ ἀλήθεια. '0 πλατύνας διὰ τῆς καθαρότητος τὴν καρδίαν αὖ τοῦ, νοήσει τοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγους, τούς τε πρακτικοὺς, καὶτοὺς σοφιστικοὺς, καὶ τοὺς θεολογικούς · πᾶσα γὰρ ἡ κατὰ τὴν Γραφὴν πραγματεία, τέμνεται τριχῶς, είς ἠθικὴν καὶ φυσικὴν καὶ θεολογικήν· καὶ. ἀκολουθεῖ τῇ μὲν πρώτῃ, αἱ Προοιμίαι· τῇ δὲ δευτέρα, 6 Ἐκκλησιαστής· τῇ δὲ τρίτῃ, ᾋσμα ᾀσμάτων ### English translation (Claude) a council. And the pestilent man dishonours all, as insolent; or else, wishing to establish his own opinions, he casts out those of others with dishonour. Cast him out of the spiritual assembly; and not only will he be cast out, but also the things that go with him: strifes, contentions, fights, and all that makes a pestilence. [Prov 22:11–12] The Lord who keeps our souls also shepherds us with spiritual knowledge, coming down to us and saying: "I am the good shepherd"; and the lawless man dishonours him. And if Christ is king of those who are ruled and shepherd of the sheep, he will one day be the king alone of the sheep, when they have passed to royal dignity. [Prov 22:13] Our enemy the devil "goes about like a lion, seeking whom he may devour"; fearing him, the sluggard shrinks back from the work of the virtues. And if a lion seeks to hunt someone in the ways of righteousness, which is the devil, in the broad streets that lead to destruction he himself, with the army of his demons, murders those who obey him. [Prov 22:14] The deep pit is the devil; and the one hated by the Lord is the one who does not attend carefully to himself. Job was not hated by the Lord, but fell into the mouth of the lawless one for the sake of testing; but the one hated by the Lord is left to the end in the pit, being a lover of pleasure in the knowledge of sin. [Prov 22:15] Far from the heart of the fool is the rod from the root of Jesse, Christ, who will shepherd his people, the new Israel, in the pasture of his sheep. [Prov 22:16] Just as the devil slanders us before God, taking from us the virtues which he did not give us, so we too slander him, taking from him the vices which we did not give him. Inasmuch as we take vices from him, we take as from one poor in virtues; inasmuch as we give him our virtues, to our own loss, we give as to one rich in wickedness. "Perhaps," he says, "as giving little to a ruler": the one in whose presence he slanders, gaining more, is the more harmed in his soul. [Prov 22:17] Whoever attends to the all-wise words of God and does what he commands has set his heart and known that they are good. He hears the words of God who does what they command: "For not the hearers of the law are righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified." [Prov 22:19] And if you set your heart to know and to do, he will make known to you his way, which said: "I am the way and the truth." [Prov 22:20] Whoever has enlarged his heart through purity will understand the words of God, the practical, the natural and the theological; for the whole treatment of Scripture is divided in three: into ethics, physics and theology; and to the first belong the Proverbs, to the second Ecclesiastes, to the third the Song of Songs. ### Scripture references - Prov 22:10: allusion, high confidence - Prov 22:11: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 22:12: allusion, high confidence - John 10:11: quotation, high confidence - Prov 22:13: allusion, high confidence - 1 Pet 5:8: quotation, high confidence - Prov 22:14: allusion, high confidence - Job 1:12: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 22:15: allusion, high confidence - Isa 11:1: allusion, high confidence - Prov 22:16: allusion, high confidence - Prov 22:17: allusion, high confidence - Rom 2:13: quotation, high confidence - Prov 22:19: allusion, high confidence - John 14:6: quotation, high confidence - Prov 22:20: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Origen, Comm. Cant. prol. (Commentary on the Song of Songs): echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (22:11–12 "the eyes of the Lord keep perception, but the lawless man despises words"; 22:13 "there is a lion in the ways, murderers in the streets"; 22:14 "the mouth of the lawless is a deep pit; the one hated by the Lord will fall into it"; 22:15 "the rod and instruction are far from him"; 22:16 "he who slanders the poor … gives to the rich for less"; 22:17 "set your heart, that you may know that they are good"; 22:19 "that he may make his way known to you"; 22:20 "write them threefold"). - "I am the good shepherd": John 10:11. "Goes about like a lion …": 1 Pet 5:8. "The rod from the root of Jesse": Isa 11:1. "Not the hearers of the law …": Rom 2:13. "I am the way and the truth": John 14:6. - The threefold division of Scripture (ethics, physics, theology) assigned to Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs is set out by Origen in the prologue to his Commentary on the Song of Songs and taken up by Evagrius. A footnote marker leaked into the text has been removed. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 219 (PG 17:220a–220d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/211/#p-219). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 221 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/211/#p-221 - Source: PG 17:221a–221d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Be ready to give an account of your hope; the boundaries of the faith, above all of the Trinity, must not be moved; Scripture must be read spiritually, for the sense of the letter flies away from those who cling to it. ### Greek text ἆπερ νοηθέντα διὰ καθαρότητος ἐναπογράφεται τῇ καρδίᾳ, τοῦ ἀποκρίνασθαί σε, ὡς ἕτοιμον εἶπαι πρὸς ἀπολογίαν παντὶ τῷ ἐπερωτῶντί σε λόγον περὶ τῆς ἐν 0'02 ἐλπίδοςο εἴτε διὰ τὸ μαθεῖν, εῐτε διὰ τὸ άντιτιθεῖναι· ἀντερώτα δὲ καὶ σὺ τοὺς δυναμένους ἐρωτᾶσθαι· μὴ μέντοι βιάζου τὸν ἐν γνώσει πενόμενον ο διὸ ἐπάγει · Καὶ μὴ ἀτιμάσῃς ἀσθενῆ ἐν πύλαις. Οί τοὺς φαύλους ἁναδεχὸμενοι λογισμοὺς, καὶ ὲν τούτῳ τιμῶντες τὸν πονηρὸν, σπουδαζέτωσαν ὅση δύναμις διὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν λογισμῶν ἀποδιδόναι τοὺς χείρονας· ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ ἰσχύσωσι τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, λήψονται τὸλστρῶμα τὸ ὑπὸ τὰς πλευρὰς τῆς ψυχῆς, τουτέστι τὴν ἀρετήν. '0 μετατιθεὶς τὰ ὅρια τῆς θεοσεβείας, δεισιδαιμονίαν ἢ ἀσέβειαν αὐτὴν ἀποδείκνυσι ’ καὶ ὁ μετατιθεὶς τά ὅρια τῆς ἀνδρείας, θρασύτητα ἢ δειλίαν αὐτὴν ἀπεργάζεται· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἐπὶτῶν ἄλλων ἀρετῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν δογμάτων, καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτῆς τῆς πίστεως νοητέον- μάλιστα δὲ τοῦτο τηρητέον ἐπὶ τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος· ὁ γὰρ μὴ θεολογῶν τὺ Πνεῦμα τὺ ἅγιον, διαλύει τὸ βάπτισμα· ὁ δὲ καί ἄλλους τινὰς ὀνομάζων θεοὺς, δῆμον εἰσάγει θεῶν ἢ καὶ τὰς περὶ πράγματος ἑκάστου πατρικὰς διατάξεις, καὶ τούτου χάριν μένειν ὀφειλούσας, μὴ μετακινεῖν δεῖ. Δυνάστην ἐνταῦθα τὸν διάβολόν φησινʼ τράπεζαι δὲ αὑτοῦ είσι ψευδομαρτυρίαι, λοιδορίαι, καταλαλιαὶ, συμβουλίαι κακαὶ, ἐπιθυμίαι αἰσχραὶ, καὶ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν σατανικὺν ἐπιτήδευμα ’ ταῦτα δὲ παρατιθέμενά σοι ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ, νοητῶς νόει, καὶ ἐπίβαλε τὴν διάνοιάν σου, ὅ ἐστιν ἡ χείρ· εἰδὼς ὅτι τοιαῦτά σε δεῖ παρασκευάσαι, οἷα καὶ συμπαρεστάναι σοι ὀφείλουσιν ὲν ἡμέρᾳ Κυρίου, ὅτε ἀπονέμει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦʼ εί δὲ ἀπληστὸτερος εἶ, καὶ ὀρὲγῃ τῶν ὑψηλῶν καὶ πλειόνων καὶ μειζόνων, ἆτινά είσι θεῖα καὶ Θεοῦ, μὴ ὲπιθύμει τῶν τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐδεσμάτων* ταῦτα γὰρ ἔχεται ζωῆς προσκαίρου, ὅ ἐστι ψευδοῦς ο δεῖ δὲ τὴν θείαν Γραφὴν νοητῶς νοεῖσθαι καὶ πνευματικῶς ἡ γάρ κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν αἰσθητὴ γνῶσις, οὐκ ἐστιν ἀληθής. Ἐὰν ἑλκῦσαι τὸν θεῖον νοῦν πρὸς τὸ ῥητὸν κατὰ τὴν ἔξω μόνον ὅρασιν ἐθελήσῃς, ἁσύστατος ὣν εἰς τὸν ῐοιον οἷκον ἀποφοίτα, ὃς ἐστι τὺ κατάλληλον αὑτοῦ θεώρημα* πτέρυγας ἔχων τὰς ὑπὸ τοῦ προεστηκότος αὑτοῦ άγίου Πνεύ ματος κατασκευασθείσας αὐτῷ, αἴπε ρ εἰσὶτὰ πνευματικὰ χαρίσματα* ἄπεισιν οὖν ὑψηλὸς ὑπὲρ αὐτὸν ὡς εἰπεῖν τὸν αἰθέρα · τὸ οῦν μὴ ὑπεράνω ### English translation (Claude) These, understood through purity, are written on the heart, [Prov 22:21] so that you may answer, as one ready to make a defence to everyone who asks you an account of the hope that is in you, whether in order to learn or in order to object. And you too, question in turn those who can be questioned; but do not force the one who is poor in knowledge; that is why he adds: [Prov 22:22] "And do not dishonour the weak in the gates." [Prov 22:27] Those who receive base thoughts, and so honour the evil one, should strive as far as they can to repay the worse thoughts with good ones; for if they cannot do this, they will take the bedding that is under the soul's sides, that is, virtue. [Prov 22:28] The one who moves the boundaries of piety turns it into superstition or impiety; the one who moves the boundaries of courage makes it rashness or cowardice; and the same must be understood of the other virtues, and of doctrines, and of the faith itself. Above all this must be observed with the holy Trinity: for the one who does not confess the Holy Spirit as God dissolves baptism; and the one who names other gods besides introduces a crowd of gods. Nor must one move the ancestral ordinances about each matter, which for this reason ought to remain. [Prov 23:1–3] Here he calls the devil a ruler; and his tables are false witness, abuse, slander, evil counsels, shameful desires and every satanic practice. When these are set before you by the evil one, understand them with the mind, and put to them your thought, which is the hand, knowing that you must prepare such things as ought to stand beside you on the day of the Lord, when he renders to each according to his works. And if you are rather greedy and reach for the high things, the more and the greater, which are divine and of God, do not desire the evil one's dishes; for these belong to a temporary life, which is false. The divine Scripture must be understood intellectually and spiritually; for knowledge of the senses according to the history is not true. [Prov 23:4–5] If you wish to drag the divine meaning down to the letter, by outward sight only, it, finding no footing, flies off to its own house, which is its proper contemplation, having wings prepared for it by the Holy Spirit who presides over it, which are the spiritual gifts. It goes away, then, high above itself, so to speak, beyond the ether. So not to ### Scripture references - Prov 22:20: allusion, high confidence - Prov 22:21: allusion, high confidence - 1 Pet 3:15: quotation, high confidence - Prov 22:22: quotation, high confidence - Prov 22:27: allusion, high confidence - Prov 22:28: allusion, high confidence - Prov 23:1: allusion, high confidence - Prov 23:2: allusion, high confidence - Prov 23:3: allusion, high confidence - Matt 16:27: allusion, high confidence - Prov 23:4: allusion, high confidence - Prov 23:5: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - "Ready to make a defence …": 1 Pet 3:15. "Renders to each according to his works": Matt 16:27. - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (22:21 "to answer words of truth to those who put questions to you"; 22:22; 22:27 "they will take the bedding under your sides"; 22:28 "do not move the eternal boundaries that your fathers set"; 23:1–3 "if you sit to dine at the table of rulers … do not desire his dishes, for they belong to a false life"; 23:4–5 "if you fix your eye on it, it will not appear; wings like an eagle's are prepared for it, and it returns to the house of its master"). - The comment on the Trinity ("the one who does not confess the Holy Spirit as God dissolves baptism") reflects the controversy over the Holy Spirit in the later fourth century; the statement that the historical sense "is not true" knowledge is translated as written. A footnote marker leaked into the text has been removed. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 221 (PG 17:221a–221d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/211/#p-221). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 223 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/211/#p-223 - Source: PG 17:224a–224d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Mysteries are not to be told to the unworthy; the soul's passionate part is the mother of the mind, trained by virtue; true teachers both do and teach. ### Greek text ιχωρεῖν τοῦ ῥητοῦ, ἀλλʼ ἀπλήστως ἔχειν πρὸς αὐτὰ, ζωῆς ἐστι ψευδοῦς. El 6 βάσκανος σῖτα άσεδείας ἐσθίει, καὶ οίνῳ παρανόμῳ μεθύσκεται, οὐ δεῖ δὲ συνδειπνεῖν τούτῳ· οὐ χρὴ ἄρα εἷναι άσεδῆ καὶ παράνομον · αὗται γὰρ αἱ κακίαι λυμαίνονται γνῶσιν πνευματικήν. Μηδὲν λέγε συνετὸν, φησὶ, τουτέστι βαθὺ καὶ μυστικόν· οὐ δεῖ γάρ σε βαλεῖν τοὺς μαργαρίτας ἔμπροσθεν τῶν χοίρων. Ὀρια αἰώνια θεοσεβείας μὴ μέταιρεʼ είς δὲ γῆν τῶν άπορφανισάντων ἑαυτοὺς άπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, δέ δαιμόνων τὴν κακίαν ἔχοντας, μὴ εἰσέλθῃς, διʼ ἦν ἐστερήθησαν τοῦ ἐπουρανίου Πατρός · 6 γὰρ λυτροιῇμενος αὐτοὺς Κύριος ἐκ τοῦ ὑπερλάμπρου φωτὸς ἀπὸ σκότους, ἰσχυρός ἐστιν. Υἱὸς ὀρθὸς ἐνδιατρίψει τά χείλη αὐτοῦ σοφία, καὶ ἠ σοφία πρὸς αὑτὸν συλλαλήσει καὶ διαμενεῖ 6 δὲ στρεσλδς ἐκπεσεῖται ἀπʼ αὐτῆς. El τῷ φόδῳ Κυρίου ἐκκλίνει τις ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καλῶς παραινεῖ διὰ πάσης τῆς ζωῆς ἐκκλίνειν ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ. ν Πᾶς 6 ἐν κακίᾳ μέθυσος, καὶ 6 ἐκ σοφίας πρὸς ἀγνωσίαν καταπορνεύων, πτωχεύσει ἐκ θείας χάριτοςκαὶ οὐκ ἐνδύσεται ἔνδυμα τοῦ γάμου πᾶς 6 ἐν δαιμονιώδει νυκτὶ ὑπνώδης, ἀλλὰ τὴν ώς ῥάκος τετραυματισμένην σάρκα διαθλίδων γεέννης φλόγα. Ἔφη τις τῶν γερόντων, τὴν ψυχήν εἶναι μητέρα τοῦ νοῦ, ψυχὴν λέγων τὸ παθητικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς, θυμόν τε καὶ ἐπιθυμίαψ διὰ γὰρ τῶν πρακτικῶν άρετῶννείς φῶς προάγει τὸν νοῦν· διὰ γάρ ἀνδρείας καὶ σωφροσύνης κτώμεθα σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν Θεοῦ, αἴπερ dies ἀρεταὶ θυμοῦ καὶ ἐπιθυμίας λέγει δʼ ἂν ἴσως μητέρα καὶ τὴν παλαιάν Διαθήκην οὑ καταφρόνητον. Ἀνθρώπους ἐνταῦθα, τῶν διδασκάλων τὰς συγγραφάς φησι· τοὺς δέ ποιήσαντας καὶ διδάξαντας-,καὶ τὴν πορείαν πρὸς οὐρανοὺς ποιησαμένους, περιπάτους ὠνόμασε· πολλοὶ γάρ διδάξαντες, οὐ πρὸς οὐρανὺν τὴν πορείαν ἐποιήσαντο, ὃτι οὐκ ἐφύλαξαν· ὁγὰρ ὁμιλῶν ἐν περιπάτοις, τουτέστι ποιεῖν- τε καὶ διδάζ σκειν, ἀξίως περιπατεῖ τῆς κλήσεως ἧς ἐκλήθη ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἠ μὲν κατὰ διάνοιαν ἁμαρτία ἔοικε φιάλῃ· ή δέ . ν-ν--τ--ν -ι-’Ἵσυιυι ενιδε ΨιαΑῐΓ η οε ιατʼ ἐνέργειαν, σωτηρίῳ · ὓπερον δέ ἐστι, τὸ παρὰ τοῖς μαγείροις λεγόμενον τριδεύς · πολλὰγὰρ κροῦει ... - νς τοῦτο τὸ ὕπερον, καὶ οὐκ ἀνοίγει τὸν τόπον ὃν κρούει· τοῖς δὲ μαθηταῖς 6 Κύριός φησι· Κρούετε καὶ 'drotγήσεται ὑμῖν. Νοῦς δεξάμενος ἀλλότριον νόημα ἢ μάθησιν, μελετήσει λογισμοὺς κακούς· 6 δὲ τηρήσάςέαυτὸν, κληρονομήσει ζωήν- Δεινὺνή άναλγησία· εἷτα ἐρεῖς τυπτόμενος τὴν συνείδησιν, οὐκ ἐπόνεσα φροντίσαι τῶν μέν ’γερῶν τυχεῖν, ῥυσθῆναι δὲ τῶν βασάνων ’ ἐνέπαιξάν μοι, ### English translation (Claude) depart from the letter, but to be insatiable for it, belongs to a false life. [Prov 23:6–7] If the envious man eats the food of impiety and is drunk with the wine of lawlessness, and one must not dine with him, then one must not be impious and lawless; for these vices spoil spiritual knowledge. [Prov 23:9] Say nothing understanding, he says, that is, deep and mystical; for you must not throw your pearls before swine. [Prov 23:10] Do not move the eternal boundaries of piety; and do not enter the land of those who have orphaned themselves from God by having the wickedness of the demons, through which they were deprived of the heavenly Father; for the Lord who redeems them from darkness into the most brilliant light is strong. [Prov 23:15–16] An upright son: his lips will dwell on wisdom, and wisdom will converse with him and remain; but the crooked will fall away from her. [Prov 23:17] If by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil, he rightly urges us to turn away from every evil through all our life. [Prov 23:21] Everyone who is drunk with wickedness, and who goes whoring away from wisdom into ignorance, will become poor in divine grace and will not put on the wedding garment; everyone who is drowsy in the night of the demons will instead wear the flame of Gehenna, afflicting the flesh that is wounded like a rag. [Prov 23:22] One of the elders said that the soul is the mother of the mind, meaning by soul the passionate part of the soul, temper and desire; for through the practical virtues it brings the mind into the light; for through courage and self-control we acquire wisdom and the knowledge of God, which are the virtues of temper and desire. He might also call the Old Testament a mother, not to be despised. [Prov 23:31] Here he calls "men" the writings of the teachers; and those who have done and taught and made their journey toward heaven he has named "walks". For many who taught did not make their journey toward heaven, because they did not keep what they taught; but the one who converses "in walks", that is, who both does and teaches, walks worthily of the calling with which he was called by God. Sin in thought is like a bowl; and sin in act like a cup; and the pestle is what cooks call a grinder; for … strikes many times and does not open the place that it strikes; but to the disciples the Lord says, "Knock, and it will be opened to you." [Prov 23:33] A mind that has received a foreign thought or teaching will meditate on evil thoughts; but the one who has kept himself will inherit life. [Prov 23:35] Insensibility is a terrible thing; then you will say, when struck in conscience, "I did not take trouble to see to it that I should obtain the rewards and be delivered from the torments; they mocked me, ### Scripture references - Prov 23:5: allusion, high confidence - Prov 23:6: allusion, high confidence - Prov 23:9: allusion, high confidence - Matt 7:6: quotation, high confidence - Prov 23:10: allusion, high confidence - Prov 23:11: allusion, high confidence - Prov 23:16: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 23:17: allusion, high confidence - Prov 23:21: allusion, high confidence - Matt 22:12: allusion, high confidence - Prov 23:22: allusion, high confidence - Prov 23:31: allusion, high confidence - Eph 4:1: quotation, high confidence - Matt 7:7: quotation, high confidence - Prov 23:33: allusion, high confidence - Prov 23:35: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint of Prov 23:5–35 (23:6 "do not dine with an envious man"; 23:9 "say nothing in the ears of a fool"; 23:10 "do not move the eternal boundaries, nor enter the property of orphans; for the Lord who redeems them is strong"; 23:15–16; 23:17 "be in the fear of the Lord all the day"; 23:21 "every drunkard and fornicator will become poor, and every drowsy man will wear torn rags"; 23:22 "do not despise your mother because she is old"; 23:31 "converse with righteous men, and converse in walks … you will walk more naked than a pestle"; 23:33; 23:35 "they struck me, and I did not feel it; they mocked me"). - "Do not throw your pearls before swine": Matt 7:6. The wedding garment: Matt 22:11–12. "Walk worthily of the calling": Eph 4:1. "Knock, and it will be opened": Matt 7:7. - "One of the elders" refers to a monastic teacher; the saying and its terms are characteristic of Evagrius. A garbled stretch in the comment on Prov 23:31 is marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 223 (PG 17:224a–224d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/211/#p-223). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 225 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/211/#p-225 - Source: PG 17:225a–225d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Life is a sea battle against the demons, won with God as pilot through prayer and fasting; the wise must not neglect to teach and to rescue those being led to death. ### Greek text τουτέστι προσωνείδισάν μοι· ἐγὼ δὲ θέλων οὐκ ᾔδειν πότε ὄρθρος ψυχῆς, καὶ ἐπίγνωσις ἁμαρτίας. Ὀ οἶκος τῶν ἀρετῶν μετὰ θείας σοφίας οἰκοδομεῖται, καὶ μετὰ συνέσεως φόβου Θεοῦ καὶ γνώσεως ἀνορθοῦται. ‘0 περὶ τὴν πίστιν, ἡ τινα τῶν ἀρετῶν ναυαγῶν, ἀκυβέρνητος πρὸς πόλεμον τῶν ἀντικειμένων δυνάμεων, τῇ τε θεολογίᾳ καὶ ταῖς ἀρεταῖςʼ 6 δὲ μετά κυβερνήσεως πολεμῶν, ἔοικεν ἐπὶ γῆς νοῦν ἔχειν ° προηγεῖται δὲ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ βοηθείας, καρδία βουλευο τικὴ, ἠ πάντα μετά βουλῆς ποιοῦσα· δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ πάσης ἀρετῆς τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο εἰπεῖν· ἔστι γὰρ καὶ περὶ σωφροσύνην ναυάγιον, καὶ περὶ ἀγάπην, καὶ φιλαργυρίαν, καὶ περ) ἕκαστον δὲ δόγμα ὁμοίως τῆς καθολικῆς καὶ ἀποστολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας συμβαίνει ναυάγιονο εί δὲ μετὰ κυβερνήσεως πολεμεῖν δεῖ τοῖς ἀντικειμένοις, ναυμαχίᾳ παραπλήσιος ἡμῖν ἐστιν ὁ βίος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· ὲάν γὰρ θέλωμεν ἡμεῖς, ποντίζομεν αὐτοὺς ὲν προσευχῇ καρδίας, καὶ διανοίᾳ πρὸς Θεὸν τετραμμένῃο ἐὰν δὲ μὴ θέλωμεν, ποντιζόμεθα· ὲάν δὲ καὶ πολεμούμεθα ὑπʼ ἐκείνων, εἰ καὶ πολὺς καὶ σφοδρὸς 6 πόλεμος αὐτῶν, οὐθέν ἐστι· νηστείᾳ μόνον καὶ ἐγκρατείᾳ πε ριφράξωμεν ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ ὡς ἀράχνην αὐτούς τε καὶ τὰ ὅπλα αὐτῶν συγκόψομενο ὲάν δὲ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου φωνὴν, ὅπου εἰσὶ δύο ἢ τρεῖς, ὴ καρδία, 6 νοῦς, καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ, συμφωνήσουσι δὲ ὲν ὲντολαῖς αὑτοῦ περιέχεσθαι, 6 Κύριος μεθʼ ἡμῶν. Πάντα γάρ ὃσα πράττει 6 Θεὸς νοοῦντες, καὶ ὅσα διδάσκει πράττοντες, κατʼ οὐδὲν παραὸαίνουσι τὸν λόγον αὑτοῦ· πύλαι δὲ σοφῶν αἱ πρακτικαί εἰσιν ἀρεταὶ, καὶ ὴ τοῦ νοῦ θεωρία, διʼ ὧν εἰσέρχεται σοφία Θεοῦο οὐκ ἐκκλίνουσι δὲ, οὔτε δεξιά οὔτε ἀριστερὰ, ὅτι λογίζονται ὲν συνεδρίοις εἶναι καλοῦ καὶ κακοῦʼ καὶ τοῦ μὲν καλοῦ, ἀντιποιοῦνται, τὸ δὲ κακὸν προσακοντοῦσιν. Τοῖς μὴ θέλουσιν ὑπὸ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν παιδευθῆναι, διὰ τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος θανάτου συναντᾷ 6 αἰώνιοςο ἄφρων δέ ἐστιν ὁ γλυκανθεὶς μὲν ὲν σοφίᾳ Θεοῦ, εἶτα καταλιπὼν αὐτὴν, τῇ δὲ ἀφροσύνῃ συνάξει ο διὸ καὶ συναπέθανεν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις· εί δὲ ἀρετὴν ἠ κακία μειοῖ, καὶ τὴν κακίαν δηλονότι ἡ ἀρετὴ διαφθείρει· τοῦτο δὲ γενήσεται ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αίῶνι, ἕως ἂν ἐκλίπῃ ἡ κακίω τὸ γάρ ὲμμολυνθήσεται, άντὶ τοῦ, διαφθαρήσεταιο διαφθείρεται δὲ ἡ ἀκαθαρσία, ἦτοι ὑπὸ πρακτικῆς, ἦ ὑπὸ δριμείας κολάσεως. Χρηστέον τούτῳ τῷ ρητῷ πρὸς τοὺς καταξιωθέντας θείας γνώσεως, ἵνα μὴ ἀμελῶσι τῆς διδασκαλίας, πολλῶν ἀπαγομένων ὑπὸ τῆς κακίας είς θάνατον ο τοὺς δὲ κτεινομένους ἐξ ἀκακίας είς θάνατον, μὴ φείan πρίασθαι τῷ ίδίῳ αἵματι· ὲκπριοῦδὲ, διδοὺς χρήματα ἢ λόγον ὠφέλιμον, ὲάν δὲ εἴπῃς οὐκ οἶδα τοῦτον, ἐλέγξει σε ψευδόμενον, καὶ ἔσῃ ἔνοχος δυσὶν, ῆγουν ψεύδει καὶ φόνῳ ο ὁ γὰρ πλάσας πνοὴν, αὐτὸς ### English translation (Claude) that is, they reproached me; and I, though willing, did not know when was the dawn of the soul and the knowledge of sin." [Prov 24:3] The house of the virtues is built with divine wisdom, and set upright with understanding, the fear of God and knowledge. [Prov 24:6] The one who suffers shipwreck concerning faith, or some one of the virtues, is without a pilot for the war against the opposing powers, both in theology and in the virtues; but the one who fights with a pilot seems to have sense on earth. And a heart that takes counsel, doing everything with counsel, goes before the help of God. The same can be said of every virtue; for there is shipwreck concerning self-control, and love, and avarice; and likewise concerning each doctrine of the catholic and apostolic church shipwreck happens. If we must fight the opposing powers with a pilot, our life on earth is like a sea battle; for if we will it, we sink them by prayer of the heart and a mind turned to God; but if we do not will it, we are sunk. And if we are attacked by them, even if their war is great and violent, it is nothing; only let us fence ourselves with fasting and self-control, and we shall cut them and their weapons to pieces like a spider's web. And if, according to the Lord's word, where two or three are, the heart, the mind and the soul agree to hold fast to his commandments, the Lord is with us. [Prov 24:7] Understanding all that God does, and doing all that he teaches, they in no way transgress his word. The gates of the wise are the practical virtues and the contemplation of the mind, through which the wisdom of God enters. They turn aside neither to the right nor to the left, because they reckon that they are in councils of good and evil, and they lay hold of the good and cast off the evil. [Prov 24:8] Those who do not wish to be instructed under the wisdom and knowledge of God meet eternal death through the present death. [Prov 24:9] The fool is the one who has tasted the sweetness of God's wisdom but then left it and gathers with folly; that is why he died together with his sins. And if wickedness diminishes virtue, clearly virtue also destroys wickedness; and this will happen in the age to come, until wickedness fails; for "will be defiled" means "will be destroyed"; and uncleanness is destroyed either by the practical life or by sharp punishment. [Prov 24:11–12] This saying is to be used for those who have been counted worthy of divine knowledge, so that they do not neglect teaching, when many are being led away by wickedness to death; and do not spare to buy back with your own blood those who are being killed through their innocence; buy them back, giving money or a profitable word. And if you say, "I do not know this man," he will convict you of lying, and you will be guilty of two things, lying and murder. For he who formed the breath himself ### Scripture references - Prov 23:35: allusion, high confidence - Prov 24:3: allusion, high confidence - Prov 24:6: allusion, high confidence - 1 Tim 1:19: allusion, high confidence - Matt 18:20: allusion, high confidence - Prov 24:7: allusion, high confidence - Prov 24:8: allusion, high confidence - Prov 24:9: allusion, high confidence - Prov 24:11: allusion, high confidence - Prov 24:12: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (24:3 "a house is built with wisdom"; 24:6 "war is made with piloting, and help with a heart that takes counsel"; 24:7 "the wise do not turn aside from the mouth of the Lord, but reckon in councils"; 24:8 "death meets the uninstructed"; 24:9 "the fool dies in sins, and uncleanness will defile a pestilent man"; 24:11–12 "rescue those led to death … if you say, I do not know this man, know that the Lord knows the hearts of all"). - "Shipwreck concerning faith": 1 Tim 1:19. "Where two or three are": Matt 18:20. - "The catholic and apostolic church" is the language of the fourth-century creeds. The statement that virtue will destroy wickedness "in the age to come, until wickedness fails" is translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 225 (PG 17:225a–225d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/211/#p-225). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 227 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/211/#p-227 - Source: PG 17:228a–228d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God repays according to the quality of deeds; the honey and honeycomb are the plain and the hidden meaning of Scripture; we must not exult over a fallen enemy; the sword of the Spirit crushes sinners for repentance. ### Greek text οἵδε πάντα ὅσα ἀποδίδωσιν ἑκάστῳ κατά τὸ ποιόν ἀγαθὸν ἀγαθῷ, καὶ πονηρῷ πονηρά · ὅτι γάρ οὺ κατά τὸ ποσὸν, δῆλον · Οὐ γὰρ ἀξια τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν δόξαν ° εί δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ ποσοῦ τις ἐκλαβεῖν ἐθέλοι, κατʼ ἀναλογίαν τῆς ἑκάστου δυνάμεως τὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν οίέσθω · ὠς καὶ τά τοῦ Πνεύματος χαρίσματα κατʼ ἀναλογίαν τῆς πίστεως δίδοται. Ἐσθίει μέλι ὁ ἀπὸ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν ὠφελούμενος · ὀ δὲ ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ἐκβάλλων τῶν πραγμάτων τοὺς λόγους, ἀφʼ ὧν εἰλήφασιν άγιοι προφῆται καὶ οί ἀπόστολοι, ἐν τῷ ποιεῖν τε καὶ διδάσκειν, τρώγει κηο ρίον ο καὶ τὸ μὲν μέλι φαγεῖν, τοῦ βουλομένου παντός ° τὸ δὲ κηρίον, μόνου ’τοῦ καθαροῦ · ’ἢ καὶ μέλι ῥητέον τὴν ἀλληγορίαν · κηρίον δὲ, τὴν ῥητὴν ἐπίσκεψιν καὶ ἱστορίαν, πρὸς τὸ ἔχειν τὸν ἀποκεκρυμμένον νοῦν καὶ βαθύτερον, ἔνεστι γάρ τῷ κηρίῳ μέλι ο φάρυγγα δέ τήν θρεπτικὴν τῆς ψυχῆς δύναμιν, διʼ ἦς αἱ τροφαὶ παραπέμπονται είς τὴν κοιλίαν · ἐὰν οὖν ταῦτα κατορθώσῃς, τά τε κατὰ διάνοιαν, καὶ τά καθʼ ἱστορίαν, ἔσονταί σοι αἰσθήσει τῆς σοφίας αὐτὰ τὰ σοφά δόγματα· ἐάν γάρ εὕρῃς τὸν πνευματικὸν τῆς Γραφῆς νοῦν, ἔσται καλὴ ή τελευτή σου, ὡς λεχθῆναι ο Τίμιος ἐναντίον Κιιρίου d θάνατος τῶν ὁσίων αὐτοῦ · οὐκ ἀποβαλεῖς δὲ τὴν είς τὸ μέλλον ἐλπίδα. Μὴ προτιμήσῃς τὸν διάβολον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνης, ήν oi δίκαιοι νομεύονταιο μηδὲ ἀπατηθῇς μωρολογίαις θανατηφόροις χορτάσαι σου τὴν καρδίαν σου, ὅ ἐστι κοιλία. —- Μὴ ἕνεκεν ἡδονῆς προδῷς τὸν Θεόν · οὗτος γὰρ νομὴ δικαίου, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐγκαταλείψῃ σε. Ἀποστρέφει μὲν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν θυμὸν αὑτοῦ ἀπὺ τοῦ πεσόντος, ἐλεήσας αὐτόν ° ὀργίζεται δὲ τῷ ἐπαρθέντι ἐπὶ τῷ πτώματι τοῦ ἐχθροῦ αὑτοῦ · πᾶς γάρ ὀ ἐπιχαίρων ἐπὶ ἀπολλυμένῃ ψυχῇ, ὅμοιός ἐστι τῷ διαβόλῳ τῷ μὴ θέλοντι πάντας ἀνθρώπους σωθῆναι καὶ είς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν ’ καὶ γάριό ’Κύριος ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις νενομοθέτηκεν εὔχεσθαι ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ήμῶν, ήγουν τῶν ἀνθ ρώπων. ’11 μάχαιρα δέ τοῦ πνεύματος, ἥ ἐστι ῥῆμα Θεοῦ, οὐ σαρκίνη, ἀντὶ τοῦ οὐκ αἰσθητή · ὃς δʼ ἀν παραδοθῇ πταίσας αὐτῷ, συντριβήσεται ὀστᾶ ὑπὸ ὑπέρου τυπτόμενα ’ καὶ ἀφανισθήσεται ὀστᾶ ὑπὸ πυρὸς καυσούμενα· ῆ ὃς δʼ ἂν παραδοθῇ αὐτῷ είς μετάνοιαν, συντριβήσεται τῷ λόγῳ τῆς σοφίας αὑτοῦ ὡς σῖτος, είς τὸ γενέσθαι αὑτὸν ήδὺν aptam—Tabe φθειρομένους καλ παλαιωθέντας ἀνθρώπους κατά τάς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης, ἀναλίσκει ή μάχαιρα τοῦ Θεοῦ είς ἀφανισμὸν παντελῆ. Ἦ τοὺς ἐκ κακίας είς θεογνωσίαν ἐλθόντας ἀνθρώπους, σὺν νεύροις ἀναλίσκει ἐκ τῶν πράξεων τῶν πονηρῶν · ἵνα ἀποθέμενοι ### English translation (Claude) knows everything, and renders to each according to the quality of his deeds, good to the good and evil to the wicked. That it is not according to quantity is clear: "For the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing with the glory to come." And if anyone wishes to take it of quantity, let him think the repayment is in proportion to each one's capacity, just as the gifts of the Spirit too are given in proportion to faith. [Prov 24:13] The one who is helped by the divine Scriptures eats honey; but the one who draws from the things themselves the principles from which the holy prophets and the apostles took them, in doing and teaching, eats the honeycomb. And to eat the honey belongs to anyone who wishes; but the honeycomb to the pure alone. Or else the allegory is to be called honey, and the honeycomb the literal examination and history, as containing the hidden and deeper meaning; for honey is in the honeycomb. The throat is the soul's power of nourishment, through which food passes to the belly. [Prov 24:14] If, then, you succeed in these, both the things of the meaning and those of the history, the wise doctrines themselves will become for you the perception of wisdom; for if you find the spiritual meaning of Scripture, your end will be good, so that it may be said, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his holy ones"; and you will not cast away your hope in what is to come. [Prov 24:15] Do not prefer the devil to the righteousness of God, in which the righteous are pastured; nor be deceived into filling your heart, which is the belly, with deadly foolish talk. Do not betray God for the sake of pleasure; for he is the pasture of the righteous, and will never forsake you. [Prov 24:17–18] God turns his wrath away from the one who has fallen, having mercy on him; but he is angry with the one who exults over the fall of his enemy. For everyone who rejoices over a soul that perishes is like the devil, who does not wish all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth; and the Lord in the Gospels has laid down that we are to pray for our enemies, that is, for people. [Prov 24:22] The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, is not fleshly, that is, not perceptible to the senses. Whoever is handed over to it after stumbling will be crushed, his bones struck by a pestle, and his bones will be destroyed, burned by fire. Or whoever is handed over to it for repentance will be crushed by the word of his wisdom like grain, so that he may become sweet bread. … those who are corrupted and grown old according to the desires of deceit the sword of God consumes to utter destruction. Or else the people who have come from wickedness to the knowledge of God it consumes, together with the sinews, out of their evil deeds, so that, putting off ### Scripture references - Prov 24:12: allusion, high confidence - Rom 8:18: quotation, high confidence - Rom 12:6: allusion, high confidence - Prov 24:13: allusion, high confidence - Prov 24:14: allusion, high confidence - Ps 116:15 (115:6 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 24:15: allusion, high confidence - Prov 24:17: allusion, high confidence - Prov 24:18: allusion, high confidence - 1 Tim 2:4: quotation, high confidence - Matt 5:44: allusion, high confidence - Prov 24:22: allusion, high confidence - Eph 6:17: quotation, high confidence - Eph 4:22: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - "The sufferings of the present time …": Rom 8:18. "In proportion to faith": Rom 12:6. "Precious in the sight of the Lord …": Ps 116:15 (115:6 LXX). "Who wishes all people to be saved": 1 Tim 2:4. Praying for enemies: Matt 5:44. "The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God": Eph 6:17. "Corrupted according to the desires of deceit": Eph 4:22. - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (24:12; 24:13 "eat honey, son, for the honeycomb is good"; 24:14 "if you find it, your end will be good"; 24:15 "do not bring the ungodly to the pasture of the righteous"; 24:17–18 "do not rejoice when your enemy falls … lest he turn his wrath away from him"; 24:22c–e, additions in the Septuagint: "the tongue of a king is a sword, and not of flesh; whoever is handed over to it will be crushed … he consumes men with their sinews"). A damaged phrase is marked "…". ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 227 (PG 17:228a–228d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/211/#p-227). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 229 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-229 - Source: PG 17:230a–230d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Confession brings exaltation; the fence of the soul is freedom from passion; Hades, sexual immorality and fire are never satisfied; the ravens and eagles of Prov 30:17 are powers that purify the ungodly. ### Greek text σεται καὶ εἷς ποιμήν · οί δὲ ἐλέγχοντες καὶ φρατριοῦντες διʼ ὲξαγορεύσεως τὰς ἑαυτῶν πράξεις, καὶ τάς τοῦ βελτίονος νοῦ ὲνθυ μή σε ις, φανοῦνται ὑψηλοὶ παρά Κυρίου, ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἁνακη ρυττόμενοι · ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς δὲ ἥξει, έν μὲν τῷ νῦν αίῶνι ἡ ἀγαθὴ εὐλογία τῶν πράξεων τῶν ἔργων, καὶ ἡ νοητὴ τῆς σοφίας θεωρία ο ὲν δὲ τῷ μέλλοντι, ἡ παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου διανομή. '0 πορευόμενος δπισθεν τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ προσταγμάτων, ἀνοικοδομεῖται είς δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἁγιασμόν · μετά γάρ σοφίας οἰκοδομεῖται οἶκος, 6 ὲν ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι είς κατοίκησιν Θεοῦ · είς δὲ κακότεχνον ψυχὴν οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται σοφία. El τε γὰρ ἄκανθαι, εἴτε κτήνη, ἀπόλλυσιν αὐτὸ, ὲάν μὴ εῐη 6 περικαθαίρων καὶ φυλάττων · ὡσαύτως καὶ ἄφρων· ή κακία ἔστὶν 6 νύσσων αὐτὸν είς τά τὴν βασιλείαν προξενοῦντα. ’Φραγμός ἐστιν ἀπάθεια ψυχῆς λογικῆς, ἔκ τῶν πρακτικῶν ἀρετῶν συνεστῶσα· κατασκάπτεται δὲ καὶ ἀφανίζεται τῇ τοῦ ἄφρονος προαιρέσει. Ἠ φθορά ταῦτα ἀγαπᾷ τά πράγματα, ᾅδην, ἔρωτα, καὶ γυναῖκα πορνικήν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ταῦτα πέρας οὐδὲ κόρον ἔχει· τρία δέ ἐστιν ἀ καὶ πλησθήσεται · καὶ ή τετάρτη, οὐκ ἠρκέσθη εἰπεῖν ἱκανόν · ᾅδης καὶ ἔρως γυναικὸς, καὶ γῆ οὐκ ἐμπιμπλαμένη ὓδατος· καὶ ὕδωρ, καὶ πῦρ, ούκ εἷπον ἀρκεῖ · ἀεὶ τά σπέρματα δέχεται, οἶα ὲάν καταβάλῃς, ἐφίεται · οὕτω καὶ 6 θάνατος καὶ τὸ πῦρ, ἐφʼ οἷσπερ ἐφίεται, διαφθείρει· τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ ἡ πενία · ἀναλωτικά ταῦτα τὰ πράγματα· τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ 6 ὄκνος καὶ ὴ ἀργία· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ θαυμάζει ἴσως τις, διὰ τί κόρον οὐκ ἔχει 6 ᾅδης, καίτοι δαπανῶν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, διάιτοῦτο,φησὶν, οὐδὲ ταῦτα κόρον ἔχει, οὐδὲ ἵστανται που· δρα δὲ τίνα παρέβαλε τὴν πορνείαν τῷ ᾅδῃ. Οὗτοι οἱ κόρακες, τοὺς μὲν δικαίους τρέφουσι μυστικῶς, τοὺς δὲ ἀδίκους κολάζουσι, τοὺς τῆς ἀδικίας ὀφθαλμοὺς ὲξορύττοντες · διότι τοῦ πάντων Πατρὸς καὶ Θεοῦ κατεγέλασαν, καὶ τὴν γεννῶσαν αὐτοὺς ἀρχαίαν γνῶσιν ἠτίμασαν· ὀφθαλμὸς δὲ τοῦ Πατρός ἐστιν, 6 ὲν δικαιοσύνῃ δεδομένος ἡμῖν παρʼ αὑτοῦ νόμος· καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἐξορύσσοντας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς, κόρακας εἶπεν · τοὺς δὲ ὅλον αὐτὸν κατεσθίοντας, ὠνόμασεν ἀετοὺς, διὰ τὸ τοὺς μὲν τὴν μερικὴν, τοὺς δὲ *τὴν καθόλου κάθαρσιν πεπιστεῦσθαι · θέλει γὰρ 6 Θεὸς καὶ τοὺς ἀσεὸεἶς σώζεσθαι. '0 ἀλέκτωρ τὸ ὄρνεον παρʼ ἡμῖν ἀλεκτα λέγεται. Παρὰ δὲ ταῖς συνούσαις αὐτῷ θηλείαις γνωριστά · παρέπονται δὲ αὐτῷ αἱ τῶν ὀρνίθων ἀγέλαι, διὰ τὸ πάσας ίσως περινοστεῖν τῇ περὶ αὑτὸν ἡδονῇ · εὔψυχος δέ ἐστι πάσαις αὐτὸς είς ἀγάπην· οὕτως τῷ πάντων Θεῷ αί τῶν ἀγγέλων τάξεις, οὐ μόνον φόσῳ, ἀλλὰκαὶ ### English translation (Claude) … there will be one flock and one shepherd. [Prov 24:25] Those who reprove and examine their deeds by confession, and the thoughts of the better mind, will appear exalted before the Lord, proclaimed before all; and upon them will come, in the present age, the good blessing of their deeds and works and the intelligible contemplation of wisdom; and in the age to come, the distribution of rewards from the Lord. [Prov 24:27] The one who walks after God's commandments is built up for righteousness and holiness; for with wisdom a house is built, in soul and body, for God to dwell in; but wisdom will not enter a soul that devises evil. [Prov 24:30–31] For whether thorns or cattle destroy the field, unless there is someone to weed and guard it; so too the foolish man; wickedness is what spurs him on toward what brings the kingdom. The fence is the freedom from passion of the rational soul, formed from the practical virtues; and it is dug down and destroyed by the choice of the fool. [Prov 30:15–16] Corruption loves these things: Hades, love, and the harlot woman; for these have neither limit nor satiety. And there are three things that will be filled; and the fourth was not satisfied to say "Enough": Hades and the love of a woman, and the earth not filled with water; and water and fire did not say "It is enough". The earth always receives the seeds; whatever you sow, it desires. So too death and fire destroy what they desire. Such too is poverty; these things are consuming. Such too are sloth and idleness. Since someone may wonder why Hades has no satiety, though it consumes the human being, that is why, he says, these too have no satiety, nor do they stop anywhere. See to what he has compared sexual immorality: to Hades. [Prov 30:17] These ravens feed the righteous mystically, but punish the unrighteous, digging out the eyes of injustice, because they mocked the Father and God of all, and dishonoured the ancient knowledge that bore them. The eye of the Father is the law given us by him in righteousness. And those who dig out the eyes of the ungodly he called ravens, and those who devour him whole he named eagles, because the ones have been entrusted with partial purification and the others with complete purification; for God wishes even the ungodly to be saved. [Prov 30:31] The cock, the bird, is among us called alektor; and among the hens that live with it it is well known; the flocks of fowl follow it, perhaps because all go about it for the pleasure it gives; and it is brave toward all of them in love. So too the orders of angels toward the God of all, not only by fear, but also ### Scripture references - John 10:16: quotation, high confidence - Prov 24:25: allusion, high confidence - Prov 24:27: allusion, high confidence - Prov 24:3: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 24:30: allusion, high confidence - Prov 24:31: allusion, high confidence - Prov 30:15: allusion, high confidence - Prov 30:16: quotation, high confidence - Prov 30:17: allusion, high confidence - 1 Kgs 17:6: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Tim 2:4: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 30:31: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Wis 1:4 (Wisdom of Solomon): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The first words end a quotation of John 10:16. The Septuagint arranges the end of Proverbs differently from the Hebrew (after 24:22 come 30:1–14, then 24:23–34, then 30:15–33, 31:1–9, chapters 25–29 and 31:10–31); the catena follows that order, which explains the jumps here. - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (24:25 "those who reprove will appear better, and a good blessing will come upon them"; 24:27 "walk after me, and you will rebuild your house"; 24:30–31 "the foolish man is like a farm … its stone fences are dug down"; 30:15–16; 30:17 "may ravens from the valleys dig it out, and may the young of eagles devour it"; 30:31 "and a cock walking about bravely among the hens"). - Wisdom will not enter a soul that devises evil: Wis 1:4. The ravens that fed Elijah: 1 Kgs 17:6. "God wishes even the ungodly to be saved": compare 1 Tim 2:4. The idea that punishing powers bring "partial" or "complete purification" is translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 229 (PG 17:230a–230d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-229). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 231 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-231 - Source: PG 17:231a–231d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God reveals mysteries to the obedient; rulers of their passions must not drink the heretics' sour wine; the penitent are to drink the Lord's vineyard; the humble take the last place. ### Greek text ἀγάπῃ ὑπείκουσιν, ὅτε θέλει αὐτὸς νοεῖν αὑτὰς τὸ πρόσταγμα αὑτοῦ καὶ ποιεῖν ’ ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ περὶ ταῖς τῶν δικαίων ψυχαῖς πέφυκεν· ὅσαι γάρ ὑπόκεινται τῷ προστάγματι αὑτοῦ, οὐ μόνον τὰ ἐν ταῖς Γραφαῖς ὲναποκείμενα μυστήρια καὶ βάθη εὐδοκεῖ γινώσκειν, ἀλλά καὶ ὅσα ὲν τῷ βίῳ πέφυκε γίνεσθαι τοίς ἀνθρώποις, παρά ἀνθρώπων τε καὶ δαιμόνων, ἢ διʼ ὁράσεως νοὸς, χάριτι Θείου Πνεύματος παρέχει» πρόγνωσιν, ἢ διʼ ἀγγέλου μύησιν, ἢ διʼ ὁράματος ἀποκάλυψ ιν. Δυνάστας ἐνταῦθα τοὺς δικαίους φησὶν, οἵτινες κατά τῶν δαιμόνων καὶ τῶν παθῶν τὴν δύναμιν έχοντες, ἥντινα θυμὸν ὲκάλεσεʼ μὴ πινέτωσαν ὲκ τοῦ τὸν νοῦν μεθύσκοντος, καὶ τὰς φρένας θολοῦντος ὀξώδους οἴνου τῶν αἱρετικῶν, τοῦ κατὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίας γνώσεώς τι ἔχοντος· ἴνα μὴ πιόντες, ἐπιλάθωνται τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίας, καὶ ὀρθᾲ κρίνειν καὶ νοεῖν τὴν θεωρίαν τῆς γνώσεως, οὐκέτι οὐ μὴ δύνανται ἑαυτούς τε καὶ τοὺς ἀσθενεστέρους ὠφελεῖν κατά ψυχήν. Τοῖς ὲν ἁμαρτίαις ὀδυνωμένοις καὶ ἀπογνώσει, δότε ὲκ τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος τοῦ Κυρίου πιεῖν είς μέθην, τουτέστι νηστείαν, προσευχὴν, ἐγκράτειαν, ἐξομολόγησιν καὶ πάντα ὅσα εἰς εὐφροσύνην ψυχῆς · τοῖς δὲ ἐν ἀρχαῖς, ὀδύνας τῆς ἁμαρτίας πιεῖν εἰς κόρον, ἵνα πιόντες ἐπιλάθωνται τῆς δαιμονιώδους πενίαςο ὁ γὰρ μεθυσθεὶς ἀπὸ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Κυρίου, ἐπιλανθάνεται τὴν πρᾶξιν τῶν ὀδυνῶν. Πένητα λέγει τὸν ἐστερημένον τῇς γνώσεως, ἀσθενῆ δὲ τὸν ἀκάθαρτον ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις. '0 λόγῳ πνευματικῷ τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀποκτείνων, τὸν φθειρόμενον κατά τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης, κατορθοῖ ὲν δικαιοσύνῃ τὸν αὐτοῦ νοῦν, ὃς λέγεται θρόνος εἶναι Θεοῦ · οὐδαμοῦ γὰρ πέφυκεν ἀλλαχοῦ καθέζεσθαι σοφία καὶ γνῶσις. καὶ δικαιοσύνη, εἰ μὴ ὲν φύσει λογικῇ· ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός. Οἷος εἴ, τοιοῦτος φαίνου, καὶ μὴ ἀλαζονεύου, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ σοφῶν σίγα, καὶ ἐπὶ πρεσβυτέρων ἀκροαοῦ ° μὴ εἴπῃς, Ἐπάνω τῶν ἄστρων θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου, καὶ ἔσομαι ὅμοιος τῷ Ὑψίστῳο μὴ ἔρα τῶν πρωτείων τῆς προκαθεδρίας, ἀλλά τὸν ἔσχατον τόπον ἀπόβλεπε ° κρεῖσσον γὰρ ῥηθῆναί σοι, ’Δνάὸηθι πρός με, ἢ πρὸς τὸν ἔσχατον τόπον ἀποδοθῆναί σε μετʼ αἰσχύνης ὲν προσώπῳ δυνάστου · μήτε γάρ φρόνιμον ἑαυτὸν κήρυττε,ημήτε δίκαιον λογίζου κρεῖσσον γὰρ ῥηθῆναι περὶ σοῦ θ Διὸ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ὑπερύψωσε, καὶ ἐχαρίσατο αὐτῷ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα. Ὀπίσω λέγει τά προγεγονότατ φίλος δὲ ἡμῶν ἐστιν ό Θεὸς, ὃς διὰ τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς φιλίαν ἄνθρωπος γέγονενʼ εἴρηκε γὰρ αὐτὸς πρὸς τοὺς μαθητάςʼ Οὐκέτι λέγω ὑμᾶς δούλους, ἀλλὰ φίλους. Ἡνίκα ἄν σε ὀνειδίζῃ ὀ φίλος, ὁ Χριστὸς λέγει, διὰ τὴν ### English translation (Claude) by love, yield when he wishes them to understand his command and do it. So too it naturally is with the souls of the righteous: for to as many as are subject to his command he is pleased to make known not only the mysteries and depths laid up in the Scriptures, but also whatever is to happen in life to people, from people and from demons; he gives foreknowledge either through vision of the mind by the grace of the divine Spirit, or through initiation by an angel, or through revelation by a vision. [Prov 31:4] Here he calls the righteous rulers, who have power against the demons and the passions, which he called temper. Let them not drink of the sour wine of the heretics, which makes the mind drunk and clouds the senses, and which has something against the knowledge of God's wisdom; lest, having drunk, they forget the wisdom of God and can no longer judge rightly and understand the contemplation of knowledge, or help themselves and the weaker in soul. [Prov 31:6–7] To those in pain and despair over their sins, give to drink from the vineyard of the Lord unto drunkenness, that is, fasting, prayer, self-control, confession and all that makes the soul glad; and to those at the beginning, give the pains of sin to drink their fill, so that, having drunk, they may forget the poverty that comes from the demons. For the one who is drunk with the knowledge of the Lord forgets the practice of pains. [Prov 31:9] He calls poor the one deprived of knowledge, and weak the one unclean with sins. [Prov 25:5] The one who by a spiritual word kills the old man, corrupted according to the desires of deceit, sets his mind right in righteousness, which is called the throne of God; for wisdom, knowledge and righteousness by nature sit nowhere else than in a rational nature; and all these are Christ. [Prov 25:6–7] Appear as you are, and do not boast; but be silent among the wise, and listen among the elders. Do not say, "I will set my throne above the stars, and I will be like the Most High"; do not love the first places of the chief seat, but look to the last place; for it is better that it be said to you, "Come up to me," than that you be sent down to the last place with shame before the face of a ruler. Do not proclaim yourself prudent, nor reckon yourself righteous; for it is better that it be said of you: "Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name above every name." [Prov 25:9] "Back" means what has gone before; and our friend is God, who became man out of friendship for us; for he himself said to the disciples: "No longer do I call you servants, but friends." [Prov 25:10] When the friend, Christ, reproaches you over ### Scripture references - Prov 30:31: allusion, high confidence - Prov 31:4: allusion, high confidence - Prov 31:6: allusion, high confidence - Prov 31:7: allusion, high confidence - Prov 31:9: allusion, high confidence - Prov 25:5: allusion, high confidence - Eph 4:22: allusion, high confidence - Prov 25:6: allusion, high confidence - Prov 25:7: quotation, high confidence - Isa 14:13: quotation, high confidence - Isa 14:14: quotation, high confidence - Luke 14:10: allusion, high confidence - Phil 2:9: quotation, high confidence - Prov 25:9: allusion, high confidence - John 15:15: quotation, high confidence - Prov 25:10: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (31:4 "rulers are given to temper; let them not drink wine, lest they forget wisdom"; 31:6–7 "give strong drink to those in grief … that they may forget their poverty"; 31:9 "judge the poor and weak"; 25:5 "kill the ungodly before the king, and his throne will be set right in righteousness"; 25:6–7 "do not boast before the king … for it is better that it be said to you, Come up to me"; 25:9 "withdraw backward, do not despise"; 25:10 "lest your friend reproach you"). - "The old man … desires of deceit": Eph 4:22. "I will set my throne above the stars …": Isa 14:13–14. The last place: Luke 14:10. "Therefore God also highly exalted him …": Phil 2:9. "No longer do I call you servants …": John 15:15. - A running head at the start of the section and Migne's footnote at the end have been removed. The "sour wine of the heretics" is translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 231 (PG 17:231a–231d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-231). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 233 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-233 - Source: PG 17:234a–234d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Christ is the friend whose reproof calls us back, and the truth that sets free; wisdom belongs in a passionless mind; the coals of fire heaped on an enemy are the gifts of the Spirit that cleanse him. ### Greek text ἁμαρτίαν, ταύτης ἀπέχεσθαι, μὴ καταφρόνει, ἀλλʼ ἀναχὼρει καὶ ὑπόστρεφε πρὸς τὴν πρώτην σωφροσύνην, τουτέστι πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθ ρωπίαν. Χάριν, τὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐντολάς φησι· φιλίαν δὲ, τὴν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ πλησίον ἀγάπην. Ὀ δὲ ἀγαπῶν τὸν Θεὸν τηρησάτω αὑτὰς ὲν ὲαυτῳ, ἵνα μὴ ἐπονείδιστος γένηται παρʼ αὐτῷ, ὅτε τά κατʼ ἀξίαν ἑκάστῳ ἀπονέμῃ ° καί ὁ Σωτὴρ tv Εύαγγελίοις πρὸς τοὺς πεπιστευκότας αύτῷ Ἰουδαίους φησίν ο Ἐὰν ὑμεῖς μείνητέ ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τῷ ἐμῷ, ἀληθῶς μαθηταί μου ἐστέ] καὶ ἠ ἀλήθεια ἠλευθέρωσεν ἐκ τῆς κατάρας τοῦ νόμουο εί οὖν ὴ φιλία ἐλευθεροῖ, καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐλευθεροῖ· Χριστὸς δέ ἐστιν ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ φιλία, ὅθεν καὶ πάντες οἱ ἔχοντες γνῶσιν Χριστοῦ, φίλοι ἀλλήλων είσίν ο οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτης μόνον τῆς φιλίας οἱ τοῦ αὑτοῦ φίλοι, καὶ ἀλλων είσ) φίλοι. '0 διδαχθεὶς περὶ τῶν ἀρετῶν, καὶ ταύτας ἐνεργῶν, τά ἑαυτοῦ φυλάσσει εὐσυναλλάκτως. Ἔμῦαλε σάρδιον πολυτελὲς εἰς ὲνωτιον χρυσοῦν, καὶ σοφίαν Κυρίου εἰς νοῦν ἀπαθῆ καὶ εύήκοον Κυρίῳ. Ὥσπερ τὸ ὲκ χιόνος εκρεον ὕδωρ ὲν ἀμητῷ κατά καῦμα ὠφελεῖ, καὶ ἀναψύχει καύσωνα, οὔτως ό Θεὸς ἐπὶ τοῖς δεχομένοις τήν τε γνῶσιν καὶ σοφίαν, καὶ τά προστάγματα αὐτοῦ· καὶ ὥσπερ χιόνα τήκει καύσων, οὕτω κακίαν ψυχῆς, δικαίου παραίνεσις. Ὠσπερ ἄνεμοι καὶ νέφη πλωτῆρσιν ἐπιφανέστατοι τοῦ μὴ ναυαγῆσαι, οὕτω τοῖς ὲν σοφία Θεοῦ ὴ ψευδὴς γνῶσις, τοῦ μὴ σὺν τοῖς καυχωμένοις ὲν αύτῇ ἀπολέσθαι. Ὥσπερ τῷ σώματι τὰ ὀστᾶ ἰσχὺς καὶιάσφάλεια ῥώμης, οὓτω τῇ ψυχῇ αἱ ἀρεταὶ πεφύκασι ’ συντρίβει δὲ ταῦτα τὰ ὀστᾶ μὴ παραφυλασσομένη ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις τινὲς δὲ τὴν θυμώδη ψυχὴν ὠνόμασαν μαλακὴν, ῆτις συντρίβει τά ἑαυτῆς πρὸς Θεὸν πνευματικά ὀστᾶ, τὰ πεφυκότα λέγειν ο Κύριε, Κύριε, τίς ὅμοιός σοι; Κακοῦ ὁδὸς, ἡ κακία ἐστίʼ καὶ ποῦς παρανόμου, ἡ παρανομία ἐστίν · ἀπολεῖται δὲ tv ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως ° ἕεις διὰ τῆς ὁδοῦ, καὶ ἐνέργεια διά τοῦ ποδὸς νοηθήσεται. Ὥσπερ τὸ ὅξος tv Ducat τοῦ ἀρχὴν σῆψιν ἔχοντος ἀσύμφορον, καίτοι βρώματος ὄντος είς ἡδύτητα, τοῦ πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἑαυτὸν ἐκδόντος καὶ ἀρχὴν ἔχοντος. Γὸ γὰρ προσπίπτον τῇ καρδία πάθος, ἡ κακία ἐστίν · ἧς κατά στέρησιν τινες ἀπαθεῖς ὀνομάζονται.-Λύ· ιτη ἐστι φθαρτὴ στέρησις φθαρτῆς ἡδονῆς · λύπη δέ tactv ἐπαινετὴ στέρησις ἀρετῶν καὶ γνώσεως Θεοῦ. Ἄρτον ἐνταῦθα τὴν στερεὰν τῶν ἐντολῶν τῆς ψυχῆς τροφήν φησι· πόμα δὲ. τὴν θείαν γνῶσιν δηλοῖο ἄνθρακας δὲ πυρὸς τὰς τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος δωρεὰς, τὰς φλογιζούσας καὶ καθαιρούσας τάς τῶν ὶνθρώπων ῥυτίδας· ἄνθρακι γὰρ πυρὸς τῶν Ἡσαΐου σεραφεὶμ θίγει χειλέων ποτέ ο ὁ δὲ καθηράμενος, Δικαιοσύνην ### English translation (Claude) your sin, so that you may keep away from it, do not despise him, but withdraw and return to your first self-control, that is, to the love of God for humankind. [Prov 25:10a] By "grace" he means the commandments of God, and by "friendship" love toward God and neighbour. Let the one who loves God keep them in himself, so that he may not become a reproach before him when he renders to each according to his worth. And the Saviour in the Gospels says to the Jews who had believed in him: "If you remain in my word, you are truly my disciples"; and the truth has set us free from the curse of the law. If, then, friendship sets free, and the Saviour sets free, Christ is the truth and the friendship; and so all who have the knowledge of Christ are friends of one another. So it is in this friendship alone that the friends of one person are also friends of others. The one who has been taught about the virtues and practises them guards his own things in a way easy to settle. [Prov 25:12] Put a precious sardius into a golden earring, and the wisdom of the Lord into a mind free from passion and obedient to the Lord. [Prov 25:13] Just as water flowing from snow at harvest helps in the heat and refreshes from the burning, so is God to those who receive knowledge, wisdom and his commands; and as heat melts snow, so the exhortation of a righteous man melts the wickedness of the soul. [Prov 25:14] Just as winds and clouds are most conspicuous to sailors, so that they may not be shipwrecked, so for those in the wisdom of God false knowledge is conspicuous, so that they may not perish with those who boast in it. [Prov 25:15] Just as bones are strength and security of vigour to the body, so the virtues are by nature to the soul; and the soul that is not guarded breaks these bones by sins. Some have called the angry soul "soft", which breaks its own spiritual bones toward God, which by nature say: "Lord, Lord, who is like you?" [Prov 25:19] The way of the evil one is wickedness, and the foot of the lawless is lawlessness; and it will perish on the day of judgment. By "way" the habit, and by "foot" the activity, will be understood. [Prov 25:20] Just as vinegar on a wound that is beginning to fester is harmful, though it is a food for sweetness, so is passion to one who has given himself to virtue and made a beginning. For the passion that falls upon the heart is wickedness; by its absence some are called free from passion. Grief is the corruptible deprivation of corruptible pleasure; but praiseworthy grief is grief at being deprived of the virtues and the knowledge of God. [Prov 25:21–22] Here by bread he means the solid food of the commandments for the soul, and by drink he indicates divine knowledge; by coals of fire the gifts of the all-holy Spirit, which burn and cleanse the wrinkles of human beings; for once the seraph touched Isaiah's lips with a coal of fire; and he, cleansed, "Learn righteousness," ### Scripture references - Prov 25:10: allusion, high confidence - John 8:31: quotation, high confidence - John 8:32: allusion, high confidence - Gal 3:13: allusion, high confidence - Prov 25:12: allusion, high confidence - Prov 25:13: allusion, high confidence - Prov 25:14: allusion, high confidence - Prov 25:15: allusion, high confidence - Ps 35:10 (34:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 25:19: allusion, high confidence - Prov 25:20: allusion, high confidence - Prov 25:21: allusion, high confidence - Prov 25:22: allusion, high confidence - Isa 6:6: allusion, high confidence - Isa 6:7: allusion, high confidence - Isa 26:9: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (25:10a, an addition in the Septuagint: "grace and friendship set free; keep them for yourself, lest you become a reproach"; 25:12 "a precious sardius is set in a golden earring"; 25:13 "as snow melting at harvest helps in the heat"; 25:14 "as winds and clouds and rain are most conspicuous"; 25:15 "a soft tongue breaks bones"; 25:19 "the way of the evil and the foot of the lawless will perish"; 25:20 "as vinegar is harmful to a wound, so a passion that falls on the body grieves the heart"; 25:21–22). - "If you remain in my word …": John 8:31–32. "The curse of the law": Gal 3:13. "Lord, Lord, who is like you?": Ps 35:10 (34:10 LXX). The seraph and Isaiah's lips: Isa 6:6–7. "Learn righteousness": Isa 26:9 (Septuagint). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 233 (PG 17:234a–234d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-233). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 235 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-235 - Source: PG 17:235a–235d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Kindness to an enemy lets the Spirit's fire win him; the devil is the shameless face; Scripture names the soul and its thoughts by many figures; teaching must suit the hearer, and holy things are not for the unworthy. ### Greek text μάθετε, πᾶσιν ἐκραύγαζε ο διὰ γὰρ ταύη της τῆς χρηστότητος καὶ εὐποιίας καθαρίζων αύτοῐ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν, τάς πυρφόρους χάριτας τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ποιήσεις αὑτὸν βιασθῆναι, οὑ μόνον προσλαβέσθαι, ἀλλά καὶ ζηλωτήν σου αὐτὸν ἐργάσῃ ἐν πάσῃ ἀγαθοεργίᾳ, ὡς προξένου σου γεγονότος αὐτοῦ ἐν πᾶσι τῷ Θεῷ φίλοις. Τὸν διάβολον εἷπε πρόσωπον ἀναιδὲς, ἐρεθίζοντα τὴν ψυχὴν πρὸς κακίαν, καὶ ἐγείροντα, ὡς βορρᾶς νέφη, λογισμοὺς τῇ ψυχῇ πονηρούς πανταχοῦ δὲ ὁ Σολομῶν γλῶσσαν τὸν νοῦν λέγει· τοῦτο οῦν τὸ πρόσωπον αἰδεῖσθαι ὲν κρίσει οὐ καλόν. Ἐνταῦθα οὖν πίπτει δίκαιος νοῦς ἐνώπιον τοῦ Σατανᾶ, λογισμὸν ἀκάθαρτον, ἢ ψευδὲς δόγμα ὑποδεξάμενος-τὴν δὲ πηγὴν τῆς σοφίας φράσσοι τις ἀποστρεφόμενος τὴν γνῶσιν αὐτῆς, καὶ τὴν διέξοδον τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπορρυπῶν τά ’ δὲ νοήματα τοῦ νοῦ, τὰ μὲν πτώματα λέγονται, τά δὲ ὲγέρσεις, τὰ δὲ καθέδρα, τὰ δὲ στάσις, καὶ ἄλλα περίπατος, καί τινα αὐτῶν προσκόμματα ὀνομάζεται, καί ἄλλα σκληρὰ καὶ μαλακὰ, καὶ εὐώδη καὶ δυσώδη, καὶ γλυκεῖα καὶ πικρὰ, καὶ λεῖα καὶ ὀρθά, καὶ σχολιά· καὶ πάλιν, τὰ μὲν αὑτοῦ καλεῖται ἄκανθαι καὶ τρίβολοι, τὰ δὲ φῶς καλ σκότος, καὶ ζωὴ καὶ θάνατος· τά δὲ, νόσος καὶ ὑγίεια, καὶ ἄλλα πάλιν ὀνομάζεται ψεῦδος καὶ ἀλήθεια, καὶ πολλά ἕτερα ὀνόματα τίθησι Γραφὴ, κατά τε τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τῶν νοημάτων αὐτῆς. Ὀλίγα δὲ ὲκ πολλῶν ἐστιν εἰπεῖν· ἐστι δὲ ταῦτα· νοῦν, ψυχὴν, καρδίαν, ἄνθρωπον, ἄνδρα, γυναῖκα, δοῦλον, οἰκέτην, πατέρα, υίὺν, πνεῦμα, ὀφθαλμὸν, στόμα, χείλη, γλῶσσαν, λάρυγγα, κοιλίαν, κόλπον, βραχίονα, δάκτυλον, μυκτῆρα, πρόβατον, ἔριφον, ποιμένα, καῖ ἀλλα πλείονα ὀνόματα τῆς ψυχῆς, ἃ οὐ δυνατὸν νῦν παραθέσθαι κατʼ εἶδος. Βουλὴν εἶπεν ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον ῥοπὴν τῆς καρδίας· ὅταν τις οὐκ ἐπικαλούμενος τὴν βοήθειαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν ἑαυτῷ, είς βουλὴν ποιήσῃ τι ἀγαθὸν μετά σκέψεως, ἀλλά αὐθαδῶς καὶ ἀλαζονευόμενος ἄρξηται · οὐ τελεσθήσεται δὲ, ἀλλά συμπτωθήσεται ὃ ἐπιχειρεῖ, ὅτι οὐ περιετείχισεν ἑαυτὸν τῇ βοηθείᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ είς βουλήν. Ἵππον ἐνταῦθά φησι τὺν ταχὺν είς μάθησιν σοφίας, καὶ δικαιοσύνης δεκτικὸν ἄνθρωπον ο διʼ αίνιγμάτων δὲ μαστίζει· ὄνῳ δὲ κέντρον · τὸν βραδὺν ἐν τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις σκληροῖς κεντᾷν, φόβον ἐμποιοῦντας · ἔθνει δὲ ἄφρονι ῥάβδῳ τύπτεσθαι, τοὺς ἀναισθήτους οἰκέταςή ὑποχειρίους ὁρίζεται· ή ῥάβδος γὰρ σύμβολόν ἐστι κολάσεως. Ἐκ τῶν ποδῶν αὑτοῦ, κ. τ. λ. Πόδας ἐνταῦθα τοὺς οἰκέτας φησίν · ὄνειδος δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν ὁ δεσπότης ἐαυτῷ ποιεῖται, ό ἀποστέλλων λόγοι διʼ ἀγγέλου ἄφρονος, ἢ βουλῆς, ἢ σοφίας, ἢ πρεσβείας, ἥ συμμαχίας, ἢ λόγων συμπαθείας. ’0 γάρ ἄφρων ἡττᾶται ὲν παντί· καὶγὰρ ό Κύριος ὲν Εὑαγγελίοις φησίν · Οὐ δεῖ τοῖς κυσί διδόναι τὰ ἅγια, οὐδὲ,βάλλειν τοὺς μαργαρίτας ἔμπροσθεν τῶν χοίρων. ### English translation (Claude) he cried out to all. For through this kindness and good-doing, cleansing his ruling part, you will make the fire-bearing graces of the Holy Spirit compel him not only to accept you, but you will also make him your imitator in every good work, as one who has become your patron with all who are friends of God. [Prov 25:23] He has called the devil a shameless face, who provokes the soul to wickedness and raises up evil thoughts in the soul, as the north wind raises clouds; and everywhere Solomon calls the mind the tongue. It is not good, then, to respect this face in judgment. [Prov 25:26] Here, then, a righteous mind falls before Satan when it receives an impure thought or a false doctrine; and one would stop up the spring of wisdom by turning away from its knowledge and fouling the outlet of the knowledge of God. The thoughts of the mind are called sometimes falls, sometimes risings, sometimes a seat, sometimes standing, and others walking; some of them are called stumbling blocks; others hard and soft, fragrant and foul-smelling, sweet and bitter, smooth, straight and crooked; and again some are called thorns and thistles, others light and darkness, life and death; others sickness and health; and others again are named falsehood and truth; and Scripture gives many other names to the soul and its thoughts. A few may be mentioned out of many; they are these: mind, soul, heart, man, husband, woman, slave, servant, father, son, spirit, eye, mouth, lips, tongue, throat, belly, bosom, arm, finger, nostril, sheep, kid, shepherd, and many other names of the soul, which cannot now be set out one by one. [Prov 25:28] Here he has called counsel the inclination of the heart toward the better; when someone, without calling on God's help within himself, does something good after deliberation, but begins self-willed and boastful, what he undertakes will not be accomplished but will collapse, because he has not walled himself about with God's help for counsel. [Prov 26:3] Here he calls a horse the person quick to learn wisdom and receptive of righteousness: he whips him with riddles; for the ass a goad: to prick the slow with hard words that instil fear; and for a senseless nation, to be struck with a rod: he determines that senseless servants are to be kept in subjection; for the rod is a symbol of punishment. [Prov 26:6] "From his own feet," and so on. Here he calls the servants feet. The master brings reproach on himself from them when he sends words by a foolish messenger, whether of counsel, or wisdom, or embassy, or alliance, or words of sympathy. For the fool is defeated in everything; and the Lord in the Gospels says: "Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor throw your pearls before swine." ### Scripture references - Isa 26:9: allusion, high confidence - Prov 25:22: allusion, high confidence - Prov 25:23: allusion, high confidence - Prov 25:26: allusion, high confidence - Prov 25:28: allusion, high confidence - Prov 26:3: allusion, high confidence - Prov 26:6: quotation, high confidence - Matt 7:6: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (25:23 "the north wind raises clouds, and a shameless face provokes the tongue"; 25:26 "as if one should stop up a spring … so is it unseemly for a righteous man to fall before the ungodly"; 25:28 "as a city with its walls thrown down, so is a man who does anything without counsel"; 26:3 "a whip for a horse, a goad for an ass, a rod for a lawless nation"; 26:6 "he will drink reproach from his own feet who sends a word by a foolish messenger"). - "Do not give what is holy to the dogs …": Matt 7:6. The list of names for the soul is in the manner of Evagrius. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 235 (PG 17:235a–235d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-235). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 237 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-237 - Source: PG 17:238a–238d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Fools' frenzy can be broken and they can return to God; electing the unworthy to the clergy is like seizing a dog by the tail; the double-minded are consumed; hidden temptations should be confessed to God. ### Greek text , Περίελε ἄφρονος ὁδὸν κακὴν, καὶ γνῶσιν ψευδῆ μακρὰν ποίησον ἀπʼ αὑτοῦ. Ὀ μεταδιδοὺς ἄφρονι γνῶσιν, ὅμοιός ἐστι τῷ λίθον ἄτιμον ἐν σφενδόνῃ χρυσῇ προσπήξαντιο ἢ λίθον ἔντιμον ἐν σφενδόνῃ λιθοδολούσῃ λιθάσαντι. Ἐἀν συντριβῇ ἡ ἔκστασις τῶν ἀφρόνων, καθʼ ἢν ἐξέστησαν Θεοῦ, πάλιν καθαροὶ γενόμενοι προσέρχονται τῷ Θεῷ· Πᾶσα γὰρ ’σὰρξ ὄψεται τὸ Σωτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Προσεκτέον δέ ἐνταῦθα, ὅτι τὰς πα· χυνθείσας ψυχὰς ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας, σάρκας ἀφρόνων ὠνόμασεν · οὓτω καὶ ὁ Κύριός φησιν ο οὐ μὴ καταμείνῃ τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς σάρκας. ’ '0 ἀποβαλὼν, φησὶ, κακίαν αὑτοῦ, καὶ πρὸς αῦ- Βτὴν πάλιν ἐπιστρέψας, ὅμοιός ἐστι ’κυνὶ ἐσθίοντι τὸν ἴδιον ἐμετόνʼ οἷα ῆνή τοῦ Λὼτ γυνὴ, καὶ πρὸς δν τὸ ἀκάθαρτον πνεῦμα ἐπέστρεψεν. Χρηστέον τούτῳ τῷ ῥητῷ πρὸς τοὺς ψηφιζομένους τινὰς τῶν ἀναξίων ἐν ἱερωσύνῃ, ἢ ἐν κλήρῳ · οὐ γὰρ ἐκ τῶν καθʼ ἡμᾶς τις τὴν δικαιοκρισίαν καὶ ἐλευθερίαν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐποιήσατοοῆἡμετέρα ἐστὶν, ἀλλά Χριστοῦ, διʼ ῆν ἔκρινε δικαιώσας ἐαυτὸν σφαγῇ δοθῆναι, καὶ χυθῆναι τὺ αἷμα αὑτοῦ ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς οῦτω καὶὸ πᾶς τις Ἐκκλησίας οἴακας ἐγκεχειρίσθαι ἐπιθυμῶν, ὀφείλει ἑαυτὸν ἐκδοῦναι, καὶ τῆς κέρκου τοῦ πονηροῦ κρατῆσαι, καὶ τοὺς ύπὺ τὴν αὐτοῦ κακίαν ἐλευθερῶσαι, καὶ εἰς τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπίγνωσιν προσαγαγεῖν. Ὥσπερ ἐν ξύλοις τὸ πῦρ, οὕτως ἐν πονηροῖς λον γισμοίς θάλλει καὶ καίει ὁ πρὸς τά πάθη τοῦ νοῦ θυμός· ὅπου δὲ οὐκ ἐστι δίθυμος, τουτέστι δίψυχος, ἀλλʼ ἦ τῷ Θεῷ, ἢ τῷ μαμμωνᾷ, ἡσυχασθήσεται ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὸ ἓν τοῦ ἐτέρουʼ η τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόσταγμα νικῆσαν, τὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ τακήσεται, καὶ τῇ κακία προσειρηνεύσειο ἐὰν δὲ τά δύο ἕλοιτο, καὶ τῆς ζωῆς ἐκπέσοι, καὶ τῶν προσκαίρων στερηθήσεται. Χείλη ἐνταῦθα τοὺς λογισμούς φησιν· ό δέ τά χείλη τοῦ νοῦ μὴ ἀνοίγων κατά τοῦ πονηροῦ, πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐξομολογούμενος τά κακὰ, ὅσα ἐνσπείρειεν αὐτῷ κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλά κρύπτει, λύπῃ καλύπτει ἑαυτοῦ καρδίαν, ἐξ ἀφροσύνης μὴ νομίζων ἔχειν ἁμάρτημα ἐν τούτοιςο οὐκ εἰδὼς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐσπλαγχνίαν· ὅτι μᾶλλον τοῖς οὕτως ὑπομένουσι καὶ ἐξαγγέλλουσιν αὐτῷ ταῦτα, στεφάνους ἀπονέμει ὡς καθʼ ἑκάστην ἁθλοῦσι διʼ αὐτόν Ἐμπαίζει, ἀντὶ τοῦ χαίρει, ἐλαδε · ψυχὴ γὰρ καθ θαρά, κατατρυφῶσα τῆς γνώσεως τῶν Γραφῶν. χαίρει ἐμπιπλαμένη· ψυχὴ δὲ ἀκάθαρτος, καὶ τὴν ψευδώνυμον γνῶσιν. ἀληθῆ πάντως νομίζεις Ἢ τόπος καρδίας, ἀρετὴ καὶ γνῶσις, ἀφʼ ὧν ἀποξενωθεὶς ἄνθρωπος πίπτει είς κακίαν καὶ ἀγνωσίαν, καὶ γίνεται δοῦλος τῆς ἁμαρτίας ποιῶν αὑτήν · καθὸ γὰρ λογικός ἐστι, τόπος αὐτοῦ ὴ ἀρετή. ### English translation (Claude) [Prov 26:7] Take away the evil way of the fool, and put false knowledge far from him. [Prov 26:8] The one who shares knowledge with a fool is like one who fixes a worthless stone in a golden sling, or who stones someone with a precious stone from a sling. [Prov 26:10] If the frenzy of the foolish, by which they stood outside of God, is broken, they become pure again and come to God; for "all flesh will see the salvation of God." One must note here that he has called "flesh of fools" the souls made gross by wickedness; so too the Lord says: "My Spirit shall not remain in these people, because they are flesh." [Prov 26:11] The one who has cast off his wickedness and turned back to it again, he says, is like a dog eating its own vomit; such was Lot's wife, and such was the man to whom the unclean spirit returned. [Prov 26:17] This saying should be used against those who vote some unworthy persons into the priesthood or the clergy. For the righteous judgment and the freedom of the church were not established by any of us; they are not ours but Christ's, for whose sake he judged it right to give himself up to slaughter and to shed his blood for her. So too everyone who desires to have the helm of the church entrusted to him must give himself up, and take hold of the tail of the evil one, and set free those under his wickedness, and bring them to the knowledge of Christ. [Prov 26:20] As fire in wood, so in evil thoughts the temper of the mind toward the passions flourishes and burns; but where there is no double-tempered, that is, double-minded person, but one belongs either to God or to mammon, the one will be quieted by the other: either God's command will conquer, and the evil one's will melt away and make peace with wickedness; or, if he chooses both, he will fall from life and be deprived even of temporary things. [Prov 26:24–26] Here he calls the lips thoughts. The one who does not open the lips of the mind against the evil one, confessing to God the evils that the evil one sowed in him against God, but hides them, covers his heart with grief, thinking in his folly that he has no sin in these, not knowing God's compassion: that to those who thus endure and declare these things to him he gives crowns, as to those who contend each day for him. [Prov 27:7] "Mocks" means "rejoices": for a pure soul, delighting in the knowledge of the Scriptures, rejoices to be filled; but an impure soul surely thinks false knowledge true. [Prov 27:8] Or the place of the heart is virtue and knowledge; estranged from these a person falls into wickedness and ignorance and becomes a slave of sin by doing it; for, inasmuch as he is rational, his place is virtue. ### Scripture references - Prov 26:7: allusion, high confidence - Prov 26:8: allusion, high confidence - Prov 26:10: allusion, high confidence - Luke 3:6: quotation, high confidence - Gen 6:3: quotation, high confidence - Prov 26:11: allusion, high confidence - Gen 19:26: allusion, high confidence - Matt 12:44: allusion, high confidence - Prov 26:17: allusion, high confidence - Acts 20:28: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 26:20: allusion, high confidence - Matt 6:24: allusion, high confidence - Jas 1:8: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 26:24: allusion, low confidence - Prov 27:7: allusion, high confidence - Prov 27:8: allusion, high confidence - John 8:34: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (26:7 "take away … a proverb from the mouth of fools"; 26:8 "he who binds a stone in a sling is like one who gives glory to a fool"; 26:10 "all the flesh of fools is much storm-tossed, for their frenzy will be broken"; 26:11; 26:17 "as one who seizes a dog's tail, so is one who presides over another's case"; 26:20 "where there is no double-tempered man, fighting is quiet"; 27:7 "a soul that is full mocks at honeycombs"; 27:8 "so a man is enslaved when estranged from his own places"). The verse explained by the comment on "lips" is uncertain (Prov 26:23–26). - "All flesh will see the salvation of God": Luke 3:6 (Isa 40:5). "My Spirit shall not remain …": Gen 6:3. The dog and its vomit: compare 2 Pet 2:22. Lot's wife: Gen 19:26. The unclean spirit returning: Matt 12:44. Christ's blood for the church: Acts 20:28. God or mammon: Matt 6:24. Double-minded: Jas 1:8. A slave of sin: John 8:34. - The comment on Prov 26:17 concerns the election of unworthy clergy; translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 237 (PG 17:238a–238d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-237). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 239 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-239 - Source: PG 17:239a–239d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God and Christ are the friend and brother whose house we enter only with his commandments; the fig tree is God's righteousness; the brave in virtue comfort the poor whom the wicked slander. ### Greek text Νοῦς ἀπαθὴς ποικίλοις τέρπεται, σοφίᾳ καὶ σει, καὶ ὑμνῳδίᾳʼ νοῦς δὲ ἐμπαθὴς ὲν ἀγνωσία καὶ κακία καταρρήγνυται, καὶ εἰς πτῶμα ἔρχεται δυσίατον καὶ μέγα. Φίλος ἡμῶν καὶ τῶν πρόπαλαι πατέρων, καὶ τῶν μεθʼ ἡμᾶς, 6 Θεός ὲστινο αὑτὸς γὰρ εἶπεν· Ἐμὲ ἐγκατέλιπον πηγὴν ὓδατος ζῶντος, καὶ ὤρυξαν ἑαυτοῖς λάκκους συντετριμμένους. - Ἐνταῦθα ἀδελφὸς 6 Χριστός ἐστι κατά χάριν· είς δὲ τὸν οἷκον τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου, ἄνευ τῶν ἐντολῶν, ὧν ἡμῖν δέδωκεν, είς ἐξουσίαν τοῦ εἰσελθεῖν είς τὸν οἶκον αὑτοῦ, τουτέστιν είς τὴν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν, μὴ εἰσέλθῃς ἀτυχῶντούτωψ τοιοῦτος γὰρ ἦν καὶ 6 εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὸνγάμον, μὴ έχων ἔνδυμα γάμουʼ δεθεὶς δὲ χεῖρας καὶ πόδας ἐξεβλήθη τοῦ γάμου. — Ἀδελφὸς ήμῶν ἐνταῦθα 6 τῶν ἀγγέλων χορός ὲστιο κατά γὰρ τὴν τῶν ἀγγέλων φύσιν πρὸ τῆς παραβάσεως καὶ πτώσεως 6 διάβολος τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ ἡμῶν ὑπῆρχε ο φίλος δὲ ἡμῶν ἐστιν 6 Θεός· κρεῖσσον δὲ τῷ ἐγγυτέρῳ καὶ ἀληθινῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν καὶ φίλῳ ἐγγὺς καὶ πλησιεστέρως οἰκεῖν, ἦ τῷ μακρὰν ἀπʼ αὑτοῦ ἑαυτὸν ποιήσαντι διαβόλῳ, ὡς ἀδελφῷ ὑπείκειν, είς τὸ συναπολέσθαι αὑτῷ. —- Κρείσσων 6 συναπτόμενός μοι διὰ τῆς ἀληθοῦς γνώσεως, ὑπὲρ τὸν συναπτόμενόν μοι μόνον διὰ τῆς φύσεως. Τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οἶκος, ή ἀρετή· ὲάν οῦν μὴ σπουδαίως ταύτης ἐπιμελῆται, ὲν καιρῴ πειρασμῶν ἐκ· πιπτει αὑτῆς. Συκῆ ἐνταῦθα ἡ δικαιοσύνη ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν, ἢν οἱ φυτεύοντες ὲν ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ ἑτέροις μετάφυτα διο δόντες, τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς φάγονται ὲκ χειρὸς Κυρίου τοῦ μόνου δικαίου καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην βραβεύσαντοςο καὶ τοῖς τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὑτοῦ φυλάξασι σὺν ἑαυτῷ συντάττων, ἀπονέμει δικαιοσύνην, τὴν καὶ ἀγγέλους δικαιοῦσαν, ὲν τῇ ἀτρέπτῳ τῆς δικαιοσύνης λαμπρότητι· ὃς δὲ φυλάσσει τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου, τὸν Κύριον φυλάσσει ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὑτοῦ ἀχώριστον εἶναι ἀπʼ αὑτοῦο τιμηθήσεται δὲ ού μόνον ὲντεῦθεν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων, ἀλλά καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι ὑπὸ τοῦ τῶν ἀγγέλων δημιουργοῦ. Οἷον, οὑκ ἀτιμάζων τὸν ἄφρονα ἀποστήσεις τῆς ἀφροσύνης, ἀλλά διδάσκων αὑτὸν ὁποίας ἀτιμίας ἡ ,ἀφροσύνη γίνεται πρόξενος· 6 γὰρ είς πρόσωπον ἔλεγχος, ἀναισχυντότερον ποιεῖ τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα. Τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥημάτων, τά μὲν είς υἱῶν ζωὴν, τά δὲ εἰς Θεραπόντων γέγραπται. El ἔστιν ἀνδρεῖος ὲν ἀσεβείαις, ἔστιν ἀνδρεῖος καὶ tu ἀρετατςο καὶ εξ 6 ἀνδρεῖος ὲν ἀσεβείαις συκοφαντεῖ πτωχοὺς, 6 ἀνδρεῖος ὲν ἀρεταῖς παρακαλεῖ πτωχούςο οὑκοῦν πᾶς 6 παρακαλῶν πτωχοὺς ὲν ἀσεβείαις συμπράττειν, συκοφαντεί αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, τουτέστιν ἀντιδιαβάλλει, ὅπως συναπολεσθῶσιν · αὐτῷ. '0 λαῦρος ὑετὸς οὑ μόνον τοὺς καρποὺς ἀπόλλυσιν, ἀλλά καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς, τὸ τοὺς καρποὺς δια δοῦν, ὲξεδαφίζειʼ ἔστι δὲ καὶ ὑετὸς εἰρηνικὸς, ποιῶν ### English translation (Claude) [Prov 27:9] A mind free from passion delights in many things: wisdom, knowledge and hymnody; but a passionate mind is broken in ignorance and wickedness and comes to a great fall hard to heal. [Prov 27:10] Our friend, and the friend of the fathers of old and of those after us, is God; for he himself said: "They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and dug for themselves broken cisterns." Here the brother is Christ, by grace. Do not go into your brother's house unfortunately, without the commandments he has given us as authority to enter his house, that is, the kingdom of heaven; for such was the man who came into the wedding without a wedding garment; bound hand and foot, he was cast out of the wedding. Or here our brother is the choir of the angels; for by the nature of the angels, before his transgression and fall, the devil belonged to the angels and to us. And our friend is God; it is better to live near and close to our nearer and true God and friend than to yield, as to a brother, to the devil, who has made himself far from him, so as to perish with him. Better is the one who is joined to me through true knowledge than the one joined to me only through nature. The house of a person is virtue; if, then, he does not care for it earnestly, he falls away from it in the time of temptation. [Prov 27:18] The fig tree here is the righteousness of God; those who plant it in themselves and give transplants to others will eat its fruit from the hand of the Lord, who alone is righteous and awards righteousness; and ranking with himself those who have kept his righteousness, he distributes the righteousness that also makes angels righteous, in the unchangeable brightness of righteousness. The one who keeps the word of the Lord keeps the Lord in his heart, so as to be inseparable from him; and he will be honoured not only here by the angels, but also in the age to come by the Creator of the angels. [Prov 27:22] That is, you will not turn the fool from his folly by dishonouring him, but by teaching him what dishonour folly brings; for reproof to a person's face makes the sinner more shameless. [Prov 27:27] Of the words of God, some have been written for the life of sons, others for that of servants. [Prov 28:3] If there is a man brave in impieties, there is also one brave in virtues; and if the one brave in impieties slanders the poor, the one brave in virtues comforts the poor. So everyone who urges the poor to join in impieties slanders them before God, that is, accuses them in turn, so that they may perish with him. The violent rain not only destroys the fruit, but also levels the face of the earth that bears the fruit; but there is also a peaceful rain, which makes ### Scripture references - Prov 27:9: allusion, high confidence - Prov 27:10: allusion, high confidence - Jer 2:13: quotation, high confidence - Matt 22:11: allusion, high confidence - Matt 22:13: allusion, high confidence - Prov 27:18: allusion, high confidence - Prov 27:22: allusion, high confidence - Prov 27:27: allusion, high confidence - Prov 28:3: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (27:9 "the heart delights in ointments and wines … but the soul is broken by misfortunes"; 27:10 "do not forsake your friend or your father's friend, and do not go into your brother's house in misfortune; better a friend near than a brother far off"; 27:18 "he who plants a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who guards his own lord will be honoured"; 27:22 "if you whip a fool in the midst of the council, dishonouring him, you will not take away his folly"; 27:27 "you have from me strong sayings for your life and the life of your servants"; 28:3 "a brave man in impieties slanders the poor; as a violent and useless rain"). - "They have forsaken me …": Jer 2:13. The wedding garment: Matt 22:11–13. Migne's footnote marker has been removed. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 239 (PG 17:239a–239d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-239). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 241 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-241 - Source: PG 17:242a–242d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's law, unlike the lawless law of the demons, gives life and freedom from passion; temptations sown by the evil one should be confessed to God or a God-loving person; vices are the revenues of the evil king. ### Greek text eam; τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς, καὶ τρέφων καὶ ζωογονῶν τοὺς ὲν αὐτῇ καρπούς·καί 6 μὲν λαῦρος, διὰ τὴν ἀπώλειαν τῶν καρπῶν ἀποκτείνει τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, 6 δὲ εἰρηνικὸς, διὰ τῶν καρπῶν ζωογονει. Ἔστι καὶ νόμος παράνομος, καὶ νόμος δίκαιοςο καὶ 6 μὲν παράνομος τοὺς αὐτῷ πειθομένους ἀπολεῖ· 6 δὲ δίκαιος οὐ μόνον μακρότητα ἡμερῶν δωρεῖται, ἀλλά καὶ βασιλείας οὐρανῶν πρόξενος γίνεται τοῖς αὐτῷ ὑπείκουσιν, ὅτι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιʼ πᾶς δὲ 6 ἀγαπῶν τὸν Θεὸν, ἀγαπᾷ τὸν νόμον αὑτοῦ, καὶ ποιεῖ τά τοῦ νόμου ο πᾶς δὲ 6 ποιῶν τὸν νόμον, ἀπάθειαν κτᾶται καὶ γνῶσιν Θεοῦʼ εί δὲ 0i ἀγαπῶντες τὸν νόμον, παραβάλλουσιν ἑαυτοῖς τεῖχος, νῦν τεῖχος τὴν ἀπάθειαν σημαίνει καὶ τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἅπερ μόνα πέφυκε φυλάσσειν τὴν φύσιν τὴν λοἕίγπλοῦτός ἀσεβῶν κακία, ἄνδρες δὲ σοφοὶ ἀπολέσουσιν αὑτὸν, δῆλον ὡς κακίαν ἀπολλύουσιν οι δίʼκαιοι καὶ σοφοὶ, διὰ τῆς πνευματικῆς διδασκαλίας τοὺς ἀκαθάρτους πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἐπανάγοντες. Οὐχ 6 νόμος βδελύσσεταί τινος τὴν προσευχὴν, ἀλλʼ 6 δεδωκὼς τὸν νόμον Θεὸς, τοῦ ἐκκλίνοντος τὲ οὖς αὑτοῦ, καὶ μὴ εἰσακούειν ποιοῦντος τοῦ νόμου καὶ 6 Παῦλός φησι· Προειδοῦσα δὲ ὴ Γραφὴ τὸ μέλλον, ἀντὶ τοῦ, '0 τὴν Γραφὴν δεδωκὼς προῄδειττλ μέλλον. '0 τὰ ὲνσπειρόμενα ὲν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ κακὰ, μὴ ἐξαγγέλλων αὑτά Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἢ θεοφιλει ἀνθρώπῳ, οὐκ εὐοδωθήσεται ἐν τῇ κατά τοῦ πονηροῦ νίκῃο 6 δὲ ιξαγγέλλων ἀγαπηθήσεται ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ · καὶ 6 Ἰάκωβος φησιν ο Ἅλλήλοις esum-auem τὰ παραπτώματα ὑμῶν, ὅπως Ιίιθῆτεο καὶ 6 Ψαλμῳδὸς εἶπεν ο Ἑξαγορεύσω κατʼ ἐμοῦ τὴν ἀνομίαν μου Κυρίῳ, καὶσὺ ἀφῆκας τὴν ἀσέβειαν τῆς καρδίας μου. Αἱ πρόσοδοι τοῦ πονηροῦ βασιλέως, είσὶν αἱ κα.κίαι καὶ τὰ ψευδῆ δόγματα ταῦτα γὰρ αὐτῷ προσοδεύουσιν οἱ βασιλευόμενοι ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ· συκοφαντοῦνται δὲ τῷ Θεῷ οἱ τῷ πονηρῷ πειθαρχοῦντες ο ὄτι οὐ τῷ Θεῷ, ἀλλὰ ἐχθρῷ αὐτοῦ τῷ διαβόλῳ ὑπόκεινται · ἐπεὶ δὲ ὀ Θεὸς μισεῖ τὸν διάβολον διὰ τὰ ἔργα αὑτοῦ τὰ πονηρὰ, αὐτὸς πάλιν διά τῶν ἔργων αὑτοῦ συκοφαντεῖ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους πρὸς τὸν Θεόνο 6 δὲ μισῶν ἀδικῆσαι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ, τὸν μακρὸν τοῦ ἀπεράντου αἰῶνος χρόνον βιώσεται. ’Λνδρα ἐνταῦθα φονέα τὸν διάβολόν φησιν· ὁ δὲ ἐγγυώμενος τὴν ἀδικίαν, ἐγγυᾶται τὸν Σατανᾶν. ὑπισχνούμενος αὐτῷ ἐκεῖνος, τοὺς τῆς ἀδικίας ἀποι δώσειν καρπούς. —— Ἔθνος παράνομον, τά δόγματα τῶν δαιμόνων ἐστὶν, οἷς οὐχ ὑπακούει 6 παιδευθεὶς υἱός· υἱὸν δὲ τὸν νοῦν φησιν ο 6 δὲ ἐποχὴν ποιῶν τοῦ νοῦ τοῦ μὴ παραρίπτεσθαι ὲν τῇ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἔθνους κακίᾳ, ώς περιτραχήλιον κόσμον προξενεῖ λαβεῖν τῇ ### English translation (Claude) the face of the earth glad, and feeds and gives life to the fruits in it; the violent one kills people through the loss of the fruits, but the peaceful one gives life through the fruits. [Prov 28:4] There is a lawless law and a righteous law: the lawless destroys those who obey it; but the righteous not only grants length of days but also brings the kingdom of heaven to those who submit to it, because it is God's. Everyone who loves God loves his law and does what the law requires; and everyone who does the law acquires freedom from passion and the knowledge of God. And if those who love the law set a wall about themselves, the wall here signifies freedom from passion and the knowledge of God, which alone by nature guard the rational nature. [Prov 28:8] If the wealth of the ungodly is wickedness, and wise men will destroy it, it is clear that the righteous and wise destroy wickedness by bringing the impure back to virtue through spiritual teaching. [Prov 28:9] It is not the law that abhors someone's prayer, but God who gave the law, when someone turns aside his ear and does not listen to the law; as Paul too says, "And the Scripture, foreseeing what was to come," instead of "the one who gave the Scripture foresaw what was to come." [Prov 28:13] The one who does not declare to the Lord God, or to a God-loving person, the evils sown in his heart by the evil one will not prosper in the victory over the evil one; but the one who declares them will be loved by God and his angels. And James says: "Confess your sins to one another, so that you may be healed"; and the Psalmist said: "I will declare my lawlessness against myself to the Lord, and you forgave the impiety of my heart." [Prov 28:16] The revenues of the evil king are the vices and false doctrines; for those ruled by him bring these to him as revenue. And those who obey the evil one are slandered before God, because they are subject not to God but to his enemy, the devil. Since God hates the devil for his evil works, he in turn, through his works, slanders people before God. But the one who hates to wrong his soul will live the long time of the endless age. [Prov 28:17] Here he calls the devil the man guilty of murder; and the one who stands surety for injustice stands surety for Satan, who promises him that he will repay the fruits of injustice. The lawless nation is the doctrines of the demons, which the instructed son does not obey; and he calls the mind the son. The one who restrains his mind so as not to be cast into the wickedness of the evil nation obtains for his ### Scripture references - Prov 28:3: allusion, high confidence - Prov 28:4: allusion, high confidence - Prov 28:8: allusion, low confidence - Prov 28:9: allusion, high confidence - Gal 3:8: quotation, high confidence - Prov 28:13: allusion, high confidence - Jas 5:16: quotation, high confidence - Ps 32:5 (31:5 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 28:16: allusion, high confidence - Prov 28:17: allusion, high confidence - Prov 1:9: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (28:4 "those who love the law set a wall about themselves"; 28:9 "he who turns away his ear from hearing the law, his prayer too is abhorred"; 28:13 "he who covers his impiety will not prosper, but he who declares reproofs will be loved"; 28:16 "a king in want of revenues is a great slanderer, but he who hates injustice will live a long time"; 28:17 and its additions in the Septuagint, 28:17a–d: "instruct your son … and you shall not obey a lawless nation"). The verse behind the comment on "the wealth of the ungodly" is uncertain (perhaps Prov 28:8); the words before it are garbled in the scan. - "The Scripture, foreseeing …": Gal 3:8. "Confess your sins to one another …": Jas 5:16. "I will declare my lawlessness …": Ps 32:5 (31:5 LXX). The ornament for the neck: Prov 1:9. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 241 (PG 17:242a–242d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-241). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 243 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-243 - Source: PG 17:243a–243d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The merciful will reign over the envious; the ungodly "perish" by becoming righteous, as Matthew did; healing is possible after the fire of passion is quenched; the Father rejoices in those who imitate Christ. ### Greek text ίδίᾳ ψυχῇ ἄφθαρτον ὲκ χειρὸς Κυρίου. '0 καθαίρων ἑαυτὸν ὲκ τῶν παθῶν, καλ ἐργαζόμενος τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῦ ψυχοτρόφου ἄρτου σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως Θεοῦ ἐμπλησθήσεται · ὸ δὲ διώκων σχολὴν τοῦ μὴ ποιεῖν τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ, πλησθήσεται πενίας. οι νῦν ἐλεήμονες, ὲν τῷ αἰῶνι τῷ μέλλοντι ὲλεηθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ γενόμενοι ἄγγελοι, ἄρξουσι τῶν βασκάνων καὶ πλουσίων ἀσεὸὦνο τοιοῦτον δὲ ἀξίωμα καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὑτοῦ ὑπέσχετο δώσειν Κύριος, τὸ καθίσαι αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ δώδεκα θρόνων, κρίνοντας δώδεκα φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· θρόνος δέ ἐστιν ἐν ᾧ ὁ νοῦς καθέζεται, πλήρης γνώσεως πνευματικῆς, τοὺς πλανηθέντας ἀπὸ τῆς θεοσεβείας ima-w— άγουσα · τὸ δὲ κρίνειν ἐνταῦθα, τὸ διδάσκειν σημαίνει· ὡς καὶ τὸ, Ἀνοιγε σὸν στόμα λόγῳ Θεοῦ, καὶ κρῖνε πάντα ὑγιῶς, ἀντὶ τοῦ, δίδασκε · ἄμα δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἰστέον, ὃτι ὁ ἐλεήμων κρατήσας τοῦ βασκάνου, αὐτὸς μὲν οὐ γενήσεται βάσκανος, ἐλεήμονα δὲ μᾶλλον ποιήσει τὸν βάσκανον. Ἐὰν ἀποθῶνται οἱ ἀσεβεῖς τὸ εἷναι ἀσεβεῖς, γενήσονται δίκαιοι· ή γὰρ ἀπώλεια νῦν τὴν ἀναίρεσιν τῆς ἀσεβείας σημαίνει· οὕτω καὶ Ματθαῖον τοῦ τελωνείου ἀπολέσας ὁ Κύριος, δικαιοσύνην αὐτῷ ἐχαρίσατο · πληθύνονται γὰρ οἱ δίκαιοι, ὅταν οἱ ἀσεβεῖς καταλείψωσι τὴν ἀσέβειαν, καὶ σὺν τοῖς δικαίοις γενήσονται δίκαιοι στένουσι δὲ καὶ οἱ δίκαιοι καὶ όδυνῶνται, ὁρῶντες τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς ὲν τόπῳ τῆς ἀσεβείας ἱσταμένους, καὶ μὴ μετανοοῦντας. Κρείσσων γὰρ ἀνὴρ ὁ ὲν παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ Κυρίου ἐλέγχων, ἢ ὁ ὲν σκληρᾷ καρδίᾳ παραινῶν καὶ ὑπισχνούμενος συναπολαῦσαι αὐτῷ τῶν ἐν κακίᾳ· ἐξαπίνης γὰρ φλεγομένου αὑτοῦ ὲν τῇ ὀρέξει τῶν παθῶν, ὁ ἐπὶ πάντας θάνατος, ἐπελθὼν ἐπὶ τοὺς me" αὐτῶν συμπράκτορας, οὐκ ἐστιν ῐασις τῇ ψυχῇ αὺτῶνʼ οὑκ εἶπεν δὲ, ὅτι παυσαμένης τῆς φλογὸς οὐκ ἔσται ἴασις, ἀλλὰ φλεγομένου αὑτοῦ οὐκ ἔσται ἴασις, ὡς ἔχοντος δηλονότι τὰ τῶν παθῶν ὑπεκκαύματα, ξύλα, χόρτον, καλάμην ο εἴπερ καὶ τοῖς καιομένοις μετὰ τὸν καυτῆρα πέφυκεν ή ὑγίεια προσγίνεσθαι. Ἐγκωμιαζομένων τῶν δικαίων ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου ὲν τῇ τῆς κρίσεως ἡμέρᾳ, οἱ τῆς αὐτῶν μερίδος λαοὶ εὐφρανθήσονται· ὅσοι δέ εἰσιν ὑπὸ τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ὲξουσίας,καὶ τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, οὗτοι πάντως τότε στένουσιν. Πατέρα ἐνταῦθα τὸν Θεόν φησιν· ό δὲ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ τοῦ Κυρίου ήμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοὺς κατά Χριστὸν ὲπονομαζομένους, ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ καὶ σοφίᾳ ἑπομένους τε καὶ μιμουμένους αὐτὸν, θεωρῶν αὐτοὺς, εὐφραίνεται ἐπʼ αὐτοῖςʼ ποιμὴν δέ, ἐστιν ἀγαθὸς νοῦς, ἀπαθεῖς λογισμοὺς κεκτημένος· εί δὲ τοῦτο, οὐκοῦν ἐριφός ἐστι λογισμὸς ὲμπαθής · καὶ πρόβατόν ἐστι λογισμὸς ἀπαθής· διὸ καὶ τοὺς ὲρίρους ### English translation (Claude) own soul an incorruptible ornament for the neck from the hand of the Lord. [Prov 28:19] The one who cleanses himself from the passions and works the commandments of God will be filled with the soul-nourishing bread of wisdom and the knowledge of God; but the one who pursues leisure so as not to do the commandments of God will be filled with poverty. [Prov 28:22] Those who are merciful now, having received mercy from God in the age to come and having become angels, will rule over the envious and the rich ungodly. Such a dignity the Lord also promised to give his disciples, to sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. The throne is that on which the mind sits, full of spiritual knowledge, leading back those who have strayed from piety; and "judging" here signifies teaching, as in "Open your mouth with the word of God, and judge all things soundly," that is, teach. At the same time one must know this: that the merciful man who has prevailed over the envious will not himself become envious, but will rather make the envious man merciful. [Prov 28:28] If the ungodly put away their being ungodly, they will become righteous; for "destruction" here signifies the removal of ungodliness. So too the Lord, having "destroyed" Matthew from the tax office, gave him righteousness as a gift. For the righteous are multiplied when the ungodly abandon their ungodliness and become righteous with the righteous; and the righteous groan and are pained when they see the ungodly standing in the place of ungodliness and not repenting. [Prov 29:1] Better is the man who reproves in the instruction and admonition of the Lord than the one who with a hard heart urges and promises to share with him the enjoyment of evil; for when he is suddenly inflamed with the appetite of the passions, death, which comes upon all, coming upon them as his fellow workers, there is no healing for their soul. He did not say that when the flame has stopped there will be no healing, but that while he is burning there will be no healing, as one who clearly has the kindling of the passions, wood, grass, straw; since health naturally comes to those who are burned after the cautery. [Prov 29:2] When the righteous are praised by the Lord on the day of judgment, the peoples of their portion will rejoice; but all who are under the rulers and authorities and the world-rulers of this world will surely groan then. [Prov 29:3] Here he calls God the father. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, seeing those who are named after Christ, who follow and imitate him in deed, word and wisdom, rejoices over them. The shepherd is a good mind that has thoughts free of passion. If so, then a kid is a passionate thought, and a sheep a thought free of passion. That is why the Lord sets the kids ### Scripture references - Prov 28:17: allusion, high confidence - Prov 28:19: allusion, high confidence - Prov 28:22: allusion, high confidence - Matt 19:28: allusion, high confidence - Prov 31:8: quotation, high confidence - Prov 28:28: allusion, high confidence - Matt 9:9: allusion, high confidence - Prov 29:1: allusion, high confidence - Eph 6:4: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 3:12: allusion, high confidence - Prov 29:2: allusion, high confidence - Eph 6:12: allusion, high confidence - Prov 29:3: allusion, high confidence - Matt 25:33: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (28:19 "he who works his own land will be filled with bread, but he who pursues leisure will be filled with poverty"; 28:22 "the envious man hastens to be rich, and does not know that the merciful will rule him"; 28:28 "in the places of the ungodly the righteous groan, but in their destruction the righteous will be multiplied"; 29:1 "when he is suddenly inflamed there is no healing"; 29:2; 29:3 "when a man loves wisdom his father rejoices"). - Twelve thrones: Matt 19:28. "Open your mouth with the word of God …": Prov 31:8 (Septuagint). Matthew at the tax office: Matt 9:9. "In the instruction and admonition of the Lord": Eph 6:4. Wood, grass, straw: 1 Cor 3:12. "Rulers, authorities, world-rulers": Eph 6:12. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 243 (PG 17:243a–243d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-243). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 245 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-245 - Source: PG 17:246a–246d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Kids and sheep, tares and wheat, are named from the dispositions people choose; the wise judge is the apostolic teacher, the base man the heretic; no one is hard of heart by nature. ### Greek text ὀ Κύριος ῖστησιν ἐξ ἀριστερῶν, τὰ-δὲ πρόβατα ὲκ δεξιῶν· ἐρίφους λέγων τοὺς κεκτημένους λογιεμοὺς ἐμπαθεῖς ο οὕτω καὶ τοὺς ἔχοντας τὰ ζιζάνια, ζιζάνια προσηγόρευσε · καὶ τοὺς τὸν σῖτον ἔχοντας, σῖτον, άπὸ τῆς χειρία-της καὶ ἀρίστης ἕξεως ὀνομάσας αὐτούς ο τοιοῦτόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ παρὰ τῷ Παύλῳ λεγότὴν ἀγάπην. '0 μὲν Χριστὸς ἀνίστησι τὴν φύσιν τὴν λογικὴν διὰ τῶν ὲντολῶν αὑτοῦ · ὁ δὲ παράνομος Ἀντίχριστος, πρὸς ἀπώλειαν ἑρεθίξει τὺ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων. 'Ev παντὶ τὸ κρίνειν, διδάσκειν λέγεται υ καὶγὰρ ὁ μεταεὺ δύο ἢ καὶ πλειόνων, περὶ ἐνὸς πράγματος κρίνων, διδάσκει τὸ δίκαιον, καὶ ἀπέχεσθαι ἀδικίας ὡσαύτως καὶ ἐπὶ ἀρετῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν ἀγαθὸν, τὸ κρίνειν διδάσκειν λέλεκται-ἄνδρα δὲ ἐνταῦθα κρίέ vew ἔθνη, τὸν Πέτρον φησὶ, τὸν τὴν οἰκουμένην διδάξαντα τὴν είς Χριστὸν πίστιν καὶ εὐσέβειαν καὶ Παῦλον, καὶτοὺς λοιποὺς μετέπειτα διδασκάλουςο ἄνδρα δὲ φαῦλον, τοὺς κατὰ Θευδᾶν καὶ Ἰούδαν, καὶ Σαμοσατέα, καὶ τοὺς τούτων ὁμόφρονας ἐπὶ δὲ τὸν φαῦλόν φησινὸ Δαυῒδ · Καὶ ἐπάὺτὸν γελάσονται, καί ἐροῦσιν · Ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος, ὃς οὐκ ἔθετο τὸν Θεὸν βοηθὸν αὐτοῦ. Ἄνδρες αἱμάτων oi δαίμονές είσιν, οι τοὺς ὲν Χριστῷ ζῶντας ὲκχύσει αῐματος ἀποκτείναντες· οῑ δὲ εὑθεῖς ἑκζητήσουσι ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ ι οὗτοι οἱ τα αὐτῶν πρακτέα καὶ νενοημένα ποιῆσαι καὶ νοῆσαι βουλόμενοι. . Ὄντως ό ἄφρων ἁκράτητον ἔχει τὸν θυμὸν αὑτοῦ · οὗτος δὲ ταμιεύεται κατὰ μέρος, ἧγουν ἐπὶ τοῖς δι·καίοις ὀργιζόμενος πράγμασι. Καὶ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ἁπλουστέρους λεκτέον τοῦτο ο πρὸς δὲ τοὺς σπου· δαίους. ὁ διὰ τῆς μακροθυμίας καταναλίσκων τὸν θυμὸν κατὰ μέρος. Τοῖς μὲν φυλάξασι τὸν νόμον ὑπάρξει ἐξηγητὴς ὁ Κύριος ὲν τῇ βασιλείᾳ ' τοῖς δὲ παρανομήσασιν, ἔξω ηγητὴς μὲν οὑχ ὑπάρξει, κολαστὴς δὲ ὑπάρξει. Ὅτι οὐδεὶς κατὰ φύσιν σκληρὸς, παρίστησι τὸ, Ἐὰν γάρ καὶ νοήσῃ οὑχ ὑπακούσεται· ὁ γὰρ κατὰ φύσιν σκληρὸς, οὑκ ἂν ὀρθόν τι νοήσοι ποτέ · τοῦτο δὲ. λέγω διὰ τὸν Φαραὼ σκληρυνθέντα ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ οὐ λόγοις ἁλλὰ μάστιξι παιδευθέντα. Εἰ τὺ κατασπαταλᾷν, ἁμαρτάνειν ποιεῖ, πᾶς δὲ 6 ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν δοῦλός ἐστι τῆς ἁμαρτίας, πᾶς ἄρα ὁ σπαταλῶν δοῦλός ἐστι τῆς ἁμαρτίας· ὲν δὲ τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ οὑκ ὀλίγαι ἐφʼ ἑαυτῷ ὀδυνηθήσεται. ’Υβριστὰς ταπεινοῖ Κύριος, ταπεινοῖς δὲ δίδωσι Βόξαν.-”Υβριν τὴν κακίαν φησίν· ὓβριν δὲ καὶ ταπείνωσιν ἀπωλείας προξενεῖ ἡ κακία τοῖς πράττουσιν αὐτὴν, ὲν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεωςʼ τοὺς δὲ ταπεινόφρονας ### English translation (Claude) on the left and the sheep on the right, calling kids those who have passionate thoughts. So too he called those who have the tares "tares", and those who have the wheat "wheat", naming them from their worst or their best disposition. Such too is what is said by Paul … love. [Prov 29:4] Christ raises up the rational nature through his commandments; but the lawless Antichrist provokes the human race to destruction. [Prov 29:9] In every case judging is called teaching; for the one who judges between two or more about one matter teaches what is just and to abstain from injustice; and in the same way, with respect to virtues and everything good, judging is said to be teaching. And here by "a wise man judges nations" he means Peter, who taught the world faith and piety toward Christ, and Paul, and the other teachers after them; and by the base man, those like Theudas and Judas and the man of Samosata, and those of like mind with them. Of the base man David says: "And they will laugh at him and say: Behold the man who did not make God his helper." [Prov 29:10] The men of blood are the demons, who killed those living in Christ by shedding their blood; but the upright will seek his soul: these are those who wish to do and understand what is to be done and understood. [Prov 29:11] Truly the fool has an unrestrained temper; but this man dispenses it in part, that is, being angry at just matters. This is to be said to the simpler; but to the earnest: he is the one who consumes his temper by long-suffering, little by little. [Prov 29:18] To those who have kept the law the Lord will be an interpreter in the kingdom; but for those who have transgressed there will be no interpreter, but there will be a punisher. [Prov 29:19] That no one is hard by nature is shown by "For even if he understands, he will not obey"; for one hard by nature would never understand anything rightly. I say this because of Pharaoh, who was hardened against Israel and was instructed not by words but by scourges. [Prov 29:21] If living luxuriously causes one to sin, and everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin, then everyone who lives luxuriously is a slave of sin; and on the last day he will be pained not a little over himself. [Prov 29:23] The Lord humbles the insolent, but gives glory to the humble. He calls wickedness insolence; and wickedness brings insolence and the humiliation of destruction on those who practise it, on the day of judgment; but the humble-minded ### Scripture references - Matt 25:33: allusion, high confidence - Matt 13:30: allusion, high confidence - Prov 29:4: allusion, high confidence - Prov 29:9: allusion, high confidence - Acts 5:36: allusion, high confidence - Acts 5:37: allusion, high confidence - Ps 52:6 (51:8 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 52:7 (51:9 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Prov 29:10: allusion, high confidence - Prov 29:11: allusion, high confidence - Prov 29:18: allusion, high confidence - Prov 29:19: quotation, high confidence - Exod 7:13: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 29:21: allusion, high confidence - John 8:34: quotation, high confidence - Prov 29:23: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The sheep and kids: Matt 25:33. The tares and wheat: Matt 13:24–30. A phrase about a saying of Paul is lost in the scan ("…"). - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (29:4 "a righteous king raises up a land, but a lawless man digs it down"; 29:9 "a wise man will judge nations, but a base man, being angry, is laughed at"; 29:10 "men of blood … the upright will seek his soul"; 29:11 "a fool lets out all his temper, but a wise man dispenses it in part"; 29:18 "there will be no interpreter for a lawless nation"; 29:19 "a hard servant will not be instructed by words; for even if he understands, he will not obey"; 29:21 "he who lives luxuriously from childhood will be a servant"; 29:23). - Theudas and Judas: Acts 5:36–37. "The man of Samosata" is Paul of Samosata, bishop of Antioch deposed in 268; his mention shows this note is later than Origen. "Behold the man who did not make God his helper": Ps 52:6–7 (51:8–9 LXX). Pharaoh: Exod 7–12. "Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin": John 8:34. "No one is hard by nature" is a teaching on free will; translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 245 (PG 17:246a–246d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-245). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 247 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-247 - Source: PG 17:247a–247d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Whoever shares with the thief, the devil, hates his own soul; sins must be confessed; the angels set over the nations lead us; the valiant woman of Prov 31 is the soul that conquers the enemy and spins the threads of contemplation. ### Greek text ἡ δόξα, ἥν ἐδόξαζον τὸν Θεὸν ἐν ὕμνοις καὶ τηρήσει τῶν ἐντολῶν αὑτοῦ, δοξάσει αὐτούς · δόξα γὰρ Θεοῦ τὸ ποιεῖν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ· καθὼς αὑτός φησινό Κύριος ἀλλʼ ἢ, Τοὺς δοξάζοντάς με δοξάσωο ή δὲ κακία ὕβριν λογικῆς ψυχῆς προξενεῖ. Κλέπτην οὐκ ἄλλον τινὰ, εί μὴ τὸν διάβολον λέγει· ὁ δέ μεριζόμενος, ῆγουν μέρος μὲν τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ προσταγμάτων τηρῶν, μέρος δὲ τοῦ πονηροῦ ποιῶν, οὗτος μισεῖ τὴν ἐαυτοῦ ψυχήν · μικρὸν γὰρ ὅσον καὶ τέλειον αὐτὸν κλέψας 6 διάβολος, θύσει ἐαυτῷ. '0 κλέπτης γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐκ ἔρχεται, εὶ μὴ ἵνα κλέψῃ καὶ θύσῃ, καὶ ἀπολέσῃ. -- Ὅρκον εἷπε τὸν νόμον ὥσπερ γὰρ 6 ὅρκος τίθησι τὸν Θεὸν ἐν ψυχῇ, οὕτω καὶ 6 νόμος εἰσάγει Θεὸν είς ψυχήν· καὶ ὃν τρόπον πάλιν ἀναιρεί ἡ ἐπιορκία Θεὸν ἐκ ψυχῆς, οὕτω καὶ ἡ παρανομία ἐκβάλλει Θεὸν ἀπʼ αὐτῆς. Ἐάν οὖν, φησι, νόμου τεθέντος ἀκούσαντες μὴ ἐξαγορεύσωσιν ἑαυτῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας, φοβηθέντες καὶ αἰσχυνθέντες ἀνθρὼπους, ὑποσκελισθήσονται πρὸς ἀπώλειαν ' οὕτω φησι καὶ 6 Δαυτδ · Ἐἷπα- Ἐ ξ ἀγορεύσω κατʼ ἐμοῦ τὴν droμίαν μου τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ σὺ ἀφῆκας τὴν ἀσέβειαν τῆς καρδίας μου ο καί ο Λέγε σὺ πρῶτος τὰς ἁμαρ. τίας σου, ινα δικαιωθῇς · καὶ πάλιν 6 Σολομῶν φησιν· '0 ἐπικαλύπτων ἀσέβειαν αὑτοῦ, οὐκ εὐοδωθήσεται · ὁ δὲ ἐξηγούμενος καὶ ἐλέγχων ἀγαπηθήσεται. Ὅσοι κατορθοῦμεν τὰς ἐντολὰς, θεραπεύομεν τοὺς ἀγγέλους· αὐτοὶ γάρ εἰσιν οἱ ἡγούμενοι ἡμῶν, ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς λαβόντε ς ἡμᾶς, ὅτε διεμέριζεν 6 ’Υψιστος ἔθνη, καὶ ἔστησεν ’ὅρια ἐθνῶν κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ· ἐν δὲ τῷ θεραπεύειν ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἡγουμένους ἡμῶν ἀγγέλους, ἐν τῷ θελήματι τοῦ Κυρίου, ἐν τῇ κρίσει δίκαιον ὑπάρξει ἡμῖν παρά τοῦ Κυρίου ἐν ἐκείνῃ,τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ὅτε κρινεῖ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν δικαιοσυνῃ εἴ γε πᾶσαν τὴν κρίσιν 6 Πατὴρ δέδωκε τῷ Υἰῷ. Ἀνδρεία ἐστὶν ἕξις ἀρίστη λογικῆς ψυχῆς, καθʼ ἢν τῶν ἀντικειμένων αὕτη κεκράτηκεν ἐχθρῶν. Νικήσαντες τὴν ’ἀντικειμένην δύναμιν, σκυλεύομεν αὐτὴν, τοὺς περὶ αὐτῆς λόγους μανθάνοντες · ἵνα τὰ κατʼ αὐτὴν φαῦλα δῆλα ποιήσαντες, ἀπαγίδευτοι μέ- . νωσι, μὴ μόνον oi άπλούστεροι, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ συλλαγωγηθέντες ῥᾳδίως ἐκφεύγωσιν ἀπʼ αὐτῆς. Μηρύεται τὸ έριον καὶ λίνον ψυχὴ, τοὺς περὶ ἐμψύχων καὶ ἀψύχων λόγους γυμνάζουσα · ἢ τοὺς περὶ πρακτικῆς καὶ φυσικῆς ἐξετάζουσα λόγους· ῆτὴν περὶ σωμάτων καὶ ἀσωμάτων θεωρίαν διὰ τῆς πρακτικῆς ἕλκουσα πρὸς αὐτὴν ἕξεως. Ἢ καὶ τὴν ἐκ νυκτὸς ἀνισταμένην ψυχὴν. γρηγοροῦσαν εὑρίσκει 6 τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος νυμφίος· πάντως δὲ καὶ προσευχομένην τοῦ μὴ ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς πειρασμὸν, λέγουσαν τὸ, Ἠγρύπνησα καὶ ἐγενόμην ὡς στρουθίον μονάζον ἐπὶ δώματος ’ βρῶμα δέ ἐστι ψυχῆς, ἡ μελέτη τῶν θείων λόγων · ἔργα δὲ, ai ἀρεταί ο ### English translation (Claude) the glory with which they glorified God in hymns and in keeping his commandments will glorify; for the glory of God is to do his commandments, as the Lord himself says: "Those who glorify me I will glorify"; but wickedness brings insolence on the rational soul. [Prov 29:24] By the thief he means none other than the devil; and the one who shares with him, that is, who keeps part of God's commands and does part of the evil one's, hates his own soul; for the devil, having stolen him little by little and then completely, will sacrifice him to himself. "For the thief," he says, "comes only to steal and sacrifice and destroy." He has called the law an oath: for just as an oath sets God in the soul, so the law brings God into the soul; and just as perjury takes God out of the soul, so lawlessness casts God out of it. If, then, he says, when the law has been set before them and they have heard it, they do not declare their sins, because they fear and are ashamed before people, they will be tripped up to destruction. So David too says: "I said, I will declare my lawlessness against myself to the Lord, and you forgave the impiety of my heart"; and: "Tell your sins first, so that you may be justified"; and again Solomon says: "He who covers his impiety will not prosper; but he who declares and reproves will be loved." [Prov 29:26] As many of us as keep the commandments serve the angels; for they are our leaders, who took us from the beginning, when the Most High divided the nations and set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of his angels. And by serving the angels who lead us, in the will of the Lord, there will be justice for us from the Lord at the judgment on that day when he will judge the world in righteousness, since the Father has given all judgment to the Son. [Prov 31:10] Courage is the best habit of the rational soul, by which it has prevailed over the opposing enemies. [Prov 31:11] Having conquered the opposing power, we strip it of its spoils by learning the teachings about it, so that, having made its evils plain, not only the simpler may remain unsnared, but also those who were carried off may easily escape from it. [Prov 31:13] The soul spins wool and flax when it exercises itself in the teachings about animate and inanimate things; or examines the teachings about practical and natural things; or draws to itself the contemplation of bodies and incorporeal things by the habit of the practical life. [Prov 31:15] Or else the Sun of righteousness, the bridegroom, finds the soul that rises by night awake, and surely praying not to fall into temptation, saying: "I kept watch and became like a sparrow alone on a housetop." The food of the soul is meditation on the divine words; the works are the virtues; ### Scripture references - 1 Sam 2:30: quotation, high confidence - Prov 29:23: allusion, high confidence - Prov 29:24: allusion, high confidence - John 10:10: quotation, high confidence - Ps 32:5 (31:5 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Isa 43:26: quotation, high confidence - Prov 28:13: quotation, high confidence - Prov 29:26: allusion, high confidence - Deut 32:8: quotation, high confidence - Acts 17:31: quotation, high confidence - John 5:22: quotation, high confidence - Prov 31:10: allusion, high confidence - Prov 31:11: allusion, high confidence - Prov 31:13: allusion, high confidence - Prov 31:15: allusion, high confidence - Mal 4:2 (3:20 LXX): allusion, medium confidence - Matt 26:41: allusion, high confidence - Ps 102:7 (101:8 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - "Those who glorify me I will glorify": 1 Sam 2:30. "The thief comes only …": John 10:10. "I will declare my lawlessness …": Ps 32:5 (31:5 LXX). "Tell your sins first …": Isa 43:26 (Septuagint). "He who covers his impiety …": Prov 28:13. "According to the number of his angels": Deut 32:8 (Septuagint). "He will judge the world in righteousness": Acts 17:31. "The Father has given all judgment to the Son": John 5:22. Prayer not to enter temptation: Matt 26:41. "I kept watch …": Ps 102:7 (101:8 LXX). "Sun of righteousness": Mal 4:2. - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (29:24 "he who shares with a thief hates his own soul; and if, when an oath is set before them, they do not declare it …"; 29:26 "many court the faces of leaders, but justice comes to a man from the Lord"; then, in the Septuagint order, 31:10 "a courageous woman"; 31:11 "she will not lack good spoils"; 31:13 "spinning wool and flax"; 31:15 "she rises by night and gives food to her household and works to her maidservants"). ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 247 (PG 17:247a–247d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/229/#p-247). ## Fragments on Proverbs, column 249 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/249/#p-249 - Source: PG 17:250a–250d - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The valiant woman is the soul, and the church born from Christ's side; the mind free from passion lingers in contemplation; the ungodly seek to seize the righteous man's possession, his wisdom. ### Greek text θεραπαινίδες δέ, al αίσθήσεις· ταῦτʼ οὖν παρέχει ἡ τιμιωτέρα λίθων πολυτελῶν ψυχὴ τῷ σωματικῷ αὐτῆς οίκῳ. Τὴν τοῦ σπουδαίου ψυχήν φησιν ἔχουσαν Ἐκκλησίαν ξύλον γνώσεως καὶ ξύλον ζωῆς· γνώσεως μὲν ὡς νόμου, ζωῆς δὲ ὼς λόγου· αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ὴ ἐκ πλευρᾶς Χριστοῦ προελθοῦσα, καὶ νύμφη τούτου εὑρεθεῖσα, ἡ σώφρων καὶ ἀνδρεία γυνὴ, ἡ τὴν πίστιν τούτου τηρήσασα, καὶ τοῦτον νυμφίον ἀπʼ οὐρανῶν πάλιν προσδοκῶσα. ,Δτρακτὸς ἔστι νοῦς καθαρὸς, συμπλέκων ἀρετὴν ἐπʼ ἀρετῇ, καὶ δόγματι δόγμα · ἢ λόγος προφορικὸς, ἕλκων ἀπὸ τοῦ νοῦ πνευματικὴν θεωρίαν. Οὐκ ἂν προέλθοι νοῦς, ούδέ ἐν θεωρία γένοιτο τῶν ἀσωμάτων, μὴ τά ἔνδον διορθωσάμενος ° ἡ γὰρ ταραχὴ τῶν οἰκείων ἐπιστρέφειν αὐτὸν εῐωθε τὰ ἀφʼ ὧν ἐξελήλυθεν· ἀπάθειαν δὲ κτησάμενος, χρονίσει τε ἐν τῇ θεωρίᾳ, καὶ οὺ φροντίσει τῶν ἐν οἴκῳ · ἐνιδέδυνται γὰρ πάντες οί παρʼ αὐτῆς · ὁ μέν θυμὸς, πραότητα καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνην · ἡ δέ ἐπιθυμία, σωφροσύνην καὶ ἐγκράτειαν. Σῖτα δκνηρὰ, τὰ ὀκνοποιοῦντα τυχεῖν τῆς βασιλείας τοίδς ἁπλουστέρους καὶ ἁφελεστέρους, ὴ εὐγνώτ μων καὶ θεοφιλὴς ψυχὴ οὐκ ἐσθίει, οὔτε μὴν τούτων γεύεται, εί τάχα τύχοι αὐτῶν ἐπιθυμῆσαι· τὰς κακίας γάρ φησι σῖτα ὀκνηρά. Ψευδεῖς άρέσκειαι, καὶ ’μάταιον κάλλος. 'H ἁφροτ νεστάτη ψυχὴ ού μόνον ἐννοεί καὶ φαντάζεται τὸ αύτῇ ἀρεστὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔργῳ ἐγχειρεῖ πληρῶσαι τὴν θεωρίαν· εἰδὲ ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος Κυρίου, 6tκαίως ἡ τυχοῦσα σοφίας ψυχὴ αἰνεῖ τὸν φόβον τοῦ Κυρίου, ὃς γέγονεν αὐτῇ τῆς τοιαύτης γνώσεως πρός ξενος. Ἴσασι γὰρ ὅτι τὴν μὲν περὶ τὰ πρακτέα κέκτηται γνῶσιν, ἀρετῆς μὲν αἵρεσιν, φυγὴν δὲ κακίας, καὶ ὅτι κτῆσιν ἔχει τοὺς διδασκομένους ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ · φασὶν οὖν ὡς αὐτὸν ἑλόντες, καὶ τούτοις χειρούμεθα · ἄλλως δὲ κτῆσις τοῦ δικαίου, σοφία καὶ φρόνησις, σύνεσίς τε καὶ ἀρετή · καταλαμβάνονται δὲ τὴν κτῆσιν ταύτην οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, πείθοντες τὸν δίκαιον ποιῆσαί τι τῶν ἀπηγορευμένων Θεῷ· ἴνα τυφλωθεὶς ἀπὸ-τῆς ἁμαρ·τίας ὁ νοῦς ἐκπέσῃ τῶν ἁγίων τούτων κτημάτων. Τὸ μὲν συνετῷ δικαίῳ, καὶ τὰ δυσχερῆ τῶν πραγμάτων εὔκολα γίνεται· τῷ δὲ ἑτέρως ἔχοντι, καὶ τὰ εὔκολα καὶ ἀνάψυξίν τινα ἔχοντα, δυσχερῆ καθίσταται. Λόγον γὰρ έχουσι θεωρημάτων ἐπιστήμονα, μηδὲν ἔχοντες ὑψηλόν. ### English translation (Claude) and the maidservants are the senses. These, then, the soul more precious than costly stones provides to its bodily house. He says that the soul of the earnest has, as the church does, the tree of knowledge and the tree of life: of knowledge as law, and of life as word. For this is she who came forth from the side of Christ and was found to be his bride, the self-controlled and courageous woman, who kept faith with him and awaits him again as bridegroom from heaven. [Prov 31:19] The spindle is a pure mind, weaving virtue upon virtue and doctrine upon doctrine; or else the spoken word, drawing spiritual contemplation from the mind. [Prov 31:21] The mind would not go forth, nor come into the contemplation of incorporeal things, unless it has set in order the things within; for disturbance in its own house usually turns it back to the things from which it went out. But having acquired freedom from passion, it will linger in contemplation and not worry about those at home; for all who belong to her are clothed: the temper with meekness and humility, and desire with self-control and continence. [Prov 31:27] Slothful food, which makes the simpler and more artless sluggish in attaining the kingdom, the well-disposed and God-loving soul does not eat, nor even taste, even if perhaps it should happen to desire it; for he calls the vices slothful food. [Prov 31:30] "Deceitful charms and vain beauty." The most foolish soul not only conceives and imagines what pleases it, but also sets about fulfilling the image in deed. And if the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the soul that has obtained wisdom rightly praises the fear of the Lord, which brought it such knowledge. [Prov 1:13] For they know that he has acquired knowledge about what is to be done, the choice of virtue and the flight from wickedness, and that his possession is those he teaches; so they say: "Having seized him, we shall master these too." Otherwise, the possession of the righteous is wisdom and prudence, understanding and virtue; and the ungodly seize this possession by persuading the righteous man to do something forbidden by God, so that his mind, blinded by sin, may fall away from these holy possessions. [Prov 8:9] To the understanding and righteous man even difficult things become easy; but to one otherwise disposed even easy things that offer some refreshment become difficult. For they have a word of learned speculations, but nothing lofty. ### Scripture references - Prov 31:15: allusion, high confidence - Prov 31:10: allusion, high confidence - Gen 2:9: allusion, high confidence - John 19:34: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 31:19: allusion, high confidence - Prov 31:21: allusion, high confidence - Prov 31:27: allusion, high confidence - Prov 31:30: quotation, high confidence - Prov 1:7: allusion, high confidence - Prov 1:13: allusion, medium confidence - Prov 8:9: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The verses are identified from the Septuagint (31:10 "more precious than costly stones"; 31:15; 31:19 "she sets her hands to the spindle"; 31:21 "her husband does not worry about those at home when he lingers anywhere, for all hers are clothed"; 31:27 "she did not eat slothful food"; 31:30 "charms are false and beauty vain … let her praise the fear of the Lord"). - The tree of knowledge and the tree of life: Gen 2:9. The church from Christ's side: compare John 19:34. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom": Prov 1:7. - The last two comments return to earlier verses, Prov 1:13 ("let us seize his precious possession") and Prov 8:9 ("all things are plain to those who understand"), apparently from a supplementary series. The scan text of the work ends here; whether anything followed is not known. ### Citation (SBL) Origen, Frag. Prov. 249 (PG 17:250a–250d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/origen-fragmenta-proverbia/249/#p-249).