Wisdom And The Serpent

Τοῦ γνῶναι σοφίαν καὶ παιδείαν.  Σοφία ἐστὶν ἐπιστήμη θείων καὶ ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων κατάληψις· κατὰ δέ τινας, ἀτμίς ἐστι τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμεως, καὶ ἀπόῤῥοια τῆς τοῦ Παντοκράτορος δόξης εἰλικρινής· οὐδὲν γὰρ εἰς αὐτὴν σκοτεινὸν ἐμπίπτει· ἀπαύγασμα γάρ ἐστι φωτὸς ἀϊδίου, καὶ ἔσοπτρον ἀκηλίδωτον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνεργείας, καὶ εἰκὼν τῆς ἀγαθότητος αὐτοῦ. Ὁ γινώσκων ἔργα σοφίας, ταῦτα γινώσκει, τουτέστι, τὸ ἀπαύγασμα τοῦ ἀϊδίου, καὶ τὸ ἀκηλίδωτον ἔσοπτρον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνεργείας, καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα τῆς ἀγαθότητος αὐτοῦ. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἢ γνῶναι τὸν Υἱὸν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγάπης, καὶ τὴν σοφίαν τὸν Χριστόν. Χριστὸς γὰρ Θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ Θεοῦ σοφία. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἀπὸ σαρκὸς καὶ αἵματος, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανίου Πατρὸς ἀποκαλύπτεται. Γινώσκει δὲ σοφίαν, καὶ ὁ τὴν ἐπιστήμην εἰδὼς τῶν θείων, νομικῶν καὶ προφητικῶν, εὐαγγελικῶν τε καὶ ἀποστολικῶν λο γίων. Ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν τίθησι τὸν θεμέλιον, τουτέ στιν ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει Χριστοῦ, ὡς ἀντέχειν πρὸς βροχὰς, καὶ ἀνέμους, καὶ πνεύματα, δηλαδὴ τοὺς ὁθεν οῦν γινομένους πειρασμούς. Εἰ δέ φησιν ὁ Λουκᾶς ὡς ἐπῄνεσε τὸν οἰκονόμον τῆς ἀδικίας, κατεχρήσατο, τὸν ἔπαινον ἐπὶ τῆς ἐντρεχείας λαβὼν, διά τε τῆς δια νοίας ὀξύ· ὅπερ ἔοικε δηλοῦσθαι κἀν τῷ, Ὁ δὲ ὄφις φρονιμώτατος πάντων τῶν θηρίων, καθ' ὃ λέλεκται καὶ τὸ, Γίνεσθε φρόνιμοι ὡς ὁ ὄφις· οἱονεὶ μὴ ἄπειροι τῶν τοῦ ὄφεως πανουργημάτων. Ὠριγένης, Ἐκλογαὶ Εἰς Παροιμίας Source: Migne PG 13.17b-19b

To know wisdom and instruction. 1   Wisdom is the knowledge of Divine things and the understanding of human deeds, and according to which: 'She is a breath of the power of God and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty, therefore nothing defiled enters into her, for she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the workings of God, and an image of His goodness.' 2 He who knows the works of God, knows these things, that is, the reflection of the eternal, a spotless mirror of the power of God and an image of His goodness. And this is nothing else than to know the the beloved Son of God and the wisdom that is Christ, for Christ is the wisdom of God and the power of God. And this is revealed here not in flesh and blood but in the revelation of the Divine Father. For indeed he knows wisdom, who knows the wisdom of the Divine words of the Law and the Prophets and the Evangelists and the Apostles. Upon this stone he has set his foundation, certainly on the faith of Christ, that He resist the waters and winds and spirits and trials, whenever they should burst forth. So Luke says that 'He praised the steward's cunning.' 3 speaking obliquely in this praise of cunning, touching on the acuity of the mind, which seems to be made clearer with: 'The serpent was the most cunning of all the animals;' 4 for He said: 'Be as wise as the serpent,' 5 as if He said:'Do not be ignorant of the cleverness of the serpent.' Origen, On Proverbs, Fragment 1 Proverbs 1.2 2 Wisdom 7.25-26 3 Lk 16.8 4 Gen 3.1 5 Mt 10.16