Fortifying Wisdom

Περιχαράκωσον αὐτήν καὶ ὑψώσει σε τίμησον αὐτήν ἵνα σε περιλάβῃ Καὶ πῶς ἐστι, περιχαράκωσον; Λογισμοὺς αὐτῇ κύκλῳ περίθες ἱερούς· πολλῆς γάρ σοι δεῖ τῆς ἀσφαλείας ἐπιὲ καὶ πολλὰ τὰ ἐπιβουλεύοντα τῇ τοιαὐτῃ κτήσει· εἰ δὲ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστι τὸ περιχαρασκοῦν αὐτὴν, αἱ δὲ ἁρεταὶ ἐφ' ἡμὶν, χάρακες ἄρα εἶεν, αἱ ὑψοῦσαι τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ· οἴον, ἄσκησις, μελέτη, καὶ ὁ ἀλλος τῶν ἀρετῶν ὁρμαθός· ἅς ὁ τηρῶν, τὴν σοφίαν τιμᾷ· μισθὸς δὲ, τὸ πρὸς αὐτὴν μετεωρισθῆναι καὶ περιληφθῆναι ὑπ' αὐτῆς ἐν τῷ ὑπερκοσμίῳ παστῷ. Ὁδοὺς ἀσεβῶν μὴ ἐπέλθῃς μηδὲ ζηλώσῃς ὁδοὺς παρανόμων. Ἀσεβεῖς μὲν οἱ ἑτερόδοξοι, παράνομοι δὲ οἱ παραβάται τοῦ νόμου· ὦν τὰς ὁδοὺς, ἤτοι τὰς πράξεις, μὴ ἐπελθεῖν φησί. Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὀρθὰ βλεπέτωσαν τὰ δὲ βλέφαρά σου νευέτω δίκαια. Ὀρθὰ ὁρᾷ, ὁ λογισμοὺς ἔχων ἀπαθεὶς· καὶ δόγματα ἀληθῆ, ὁ μὴ περὶ τὰς ἔξω φαντασίας ἐπτοημέννος· ὅταν λέγῃ ὅτι οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὁρθὰ βλεπέτωσιν, τὴν ὅρασιν δηλοῖ τῆς ψυχῆς· καὶ ὅταν παραινῇ, φάγε μέλι, υἱὲ, ἵνα γλυκανθῇ ὁ φάρυγξ σου, μέλι τροπικῶς τὴν θείαν λέγει διδασκαλίαν, ἤτις τὴν πνευματικὴν καταρτίζει τῆς ψυχῆς γνῶσιν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἅπτεται ψυχῆς ἡ σοφία· ἐράσθητι γὰρ, φησὶν, αὐτῆς, ἵνα σε περιλάβῃ· ψυχὴ δὲ διὰ περιπλοκῆς σοφίᾳ ἐνωθεῖσα, ἁγισαμοῦ πληροῦται καὶ καθαρότητος· ἔτι γε μὴν τῶν Χριστοῦ μύρων ἡ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀντιλαμβάνεται ὅσφρησις. Μὴ ἐκκλίνῃς εἰς τὰ δεξιὰ μηδὲ εἰς τὰ ἀριστερά ἀπόστρεψον δὲ σὸν πόδα ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ κακῆς. Ἡ ἀρετὴ μεσότης· διὸ καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν μεταξὺ τῆς θρασύτητος καὶ τῆς δειλίας εἶναί φησι· νῦν δὲ ὀνομάζει δεξιά· οὐ τὰ φύσι δεξιὰ ἐστὶν αἱ ἀρεταὶ, ἀλλὰ τὰ φαινόμενα σοὶ δεξιὰ διὰ τὰς ἡδονάς· ἡδοναὶ δέ εἰσον, οὐ μόνον Ἀφροδίσια, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλοῦτος καὶ τρυφή. ἀριστερὰ δὲ, φθόνος, ἁρπαγαὶ, καὶ τὰ τούτοις ὅμοια· βορέας γὰρ, φησὶ, σκληρὸς ἄνεμος, ὀνόματι δὲ ἐπιδέξιος καλεῐται· βορέαν γὰρ συμνολικῶς τὸν πονηρὸν καλεῖ ἤτοι τὸν διάβολον, ἀφ' οὖ ἐξεκαύθῃ πάντα τὰ κακὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· ὀνόματι δὲ οὖτος ἐπιδέξιος, ὅτι ἄγγελος καλεῖται δεξιῷ ὀνόματι. Σὺ, φησὶν, ἔκκλινον ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καὶ τῷ Θεῷ μελήσει τοῦ τέλους· προπορεύεται γάρ σου· καταλύων τοὺς πολεμίους, ὡς ἐν εἰρήνῃ σε βαδίσαι. Ἅγιος Ἱππόλυτος Ρώμης, Εἰς Τας Παροιμίας Source: Migne PG 10.617a-c

Fortify wisdom and she shall exalt you, and she shall glorify you when you embrace her. 1 And what is meant by 'fortify'? Surround her with holy thoughts; for you have need of great defense when there are many things to imperil such a possession. But only if it is in us to fortify her, if there are virtues in us which fortify, which elevate the knowledge of God, as, practice, study, and the rest of the chain of virtues. He who has these, honours wisdom. And the reward is to be exalted to be with her, and to be embraced by her in the bridal chamber of heaven. Do not enter into the ways of the impious, nor be eager for the ways of lawless men. 2 The impious are the heterodox, and the lawless are the transgressors of the law, whose ways, that is, their deeds, he bids us not enter on. Let your eyes see straight, and your vision look to righteousness. 3 He looks straight who has thoughts free of passion, and he has true judgments who is not troubled by external appearances. When he says, 'Let your eyes see straight,' this clearly is the vision of the soul. And when he exhorts: 'Eat honey, O son, that it may be sweet to your throat,' 4 honey is a figure meaning Divine teaching, which restores the spiritual knowledge of the soul. But wisdom also touches the soul; he says: 'Love her, that she may embrace you.' And the soul, by her embrace being made one with wisdom, is filled with holiness and purity, and even the fragrances of Christ are laid hold of by the soul's sense of smell. Inclining neither to right nor left, but keeping your steps from the way of evil. 5 Virtue occupies the middle, whence also it says that courage is the mean between recklessness and cowardice. And now when he says the 'right,' he does not mean things right by nature, the virtues, but things which seem to be right to you because of pleasure. Pleasures are not only the things of Aphrodite, but also riches and luxury. The left is envy, theft, and the like. 'For Boreas,' he says, 'is a hard wind and called by the name of 'right hand'. 6 For, symbolically, by Boreas he names the wicked one, that is, the devil, by whom every evil is kindled on the earth. And this one has the name 'right,' because an angel is called by a right name. Turn away from evil, he says, and God will take care of the end, for He will go before you, scattering those who fight against you, that you may walk in peace. Saint Hippolytus of Rome, Fragment On Proverbs 1 Prov 4.8 2 Prov 4.14 3 Prov 4.25 4 Prov 24.13 5 Prov 4.27 6 Prov 27.16