Fragments on Proverbs

for these passions conceal the irrational impulses; and the title "solitary" can signify angers and wraths. ^A

XVIII. Fol. 81 a. On verse 18 of the same psalm: *Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand; and upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself*: these things are found: Didymus: *He made himself strong, not allowing the constitution of his body to have its origin from the casting of man's seed*. For the Holy Spirit having come upon the Virgin, the holy birth came to be, which also prepared the vine for the bearing of fruit.

*Hactenus omnia Didymi loca, quæ supersunt, aut legi possunt in hacce catena, exscripsi. Fol. quidem 42a legebatur alius Didymi locus, sed nunc litteræ evanuerunt.*

DIDYMI FRAGMENTA IN PROVERBIA.

That Solomon's Proverbs were explained by Didymus the Alexandrian in his commentaries is evidently testified to by the catenas—the Latin, namely, of Peltanus, and the Greek of the Vatican codices (A); Vat. Ottob. (B); Vat. reg. (C); not to mention other testimonies from the codices of foreign libraries which I might summon in vain. Cassiodorus stated in his *Institutiones divinarum litterarum*, cap. 5, that he possessed this work of Didymus: "In which book [of Proverbs] we find Didymus as expositor in the Greek language, who was most diligently translated into the Latin tongue by our friend, a most learned man, Epiphanius." Since we have already collected in our fourth volume, so far as possible, the work of Didymus on Second Corinthians and the Gospel of John, now, not unwillingly, we have gathered together his remains on the divine Proverbs, which have filled about fifteen pages for us.

FROM DIDYMUS' COMMENTARIES ON THE PROVERBS OF SOLOMON.

CHAPTER FIRST.

Proverb is, as if one were to say: *Sweet is war to the inexperienced*; and, *A constant drop hollows a stone*. ^B The name "proverb" arose from the fact that when in former times paths were not marked by any signs—those which are now called mile-markers (milliaria) by the Romans, but were previously called "signs"—the men of old placed them in certain spots along the road, and they inscribed upon these certain questions. They did this for two reasons: both to indicate to the traveler the length of the road, and so that, while he was reading the inscription and engaging his mind in its meaning, he might be lightened of his fatigue. For the road is called *oimos* (whence *paroimia*, "proverb," is derived).

^A

Vers. 2. *To know words of prudence*, is primarily the office of virtue, as the other interpreters also clarify, rendering it not as "of prudence," but "of understanding." Or, by "words of prudence" he means those which are sophistical and subtly elaborated.

Vers. 3. The sacred discourse, rebuking those who feign justice and claim to possess it as they ought, says: *If you truly speak justice, judge rightly, O you sons of men.*

Vers. 6. I hear of the interpretation of Theodotion, which Symmachus also placed in his edition; for they have written "problem." What, therefore, is a dark discourse? It is one confounded in sense and phrasing; like that which is found in the prophet Isaiah: *Woe to the land of ships beyond the rivers of Ethiopia! Sending envoys by sea, and papyrus letters over the waters.* For none of these has [in this place] either a clear diction in the manner of a parable, or a manifest narration of any history. Now, while the literal sense of an enigma can at least be understood, the literal sense of a dark discourse cannot even be understood. "Dark discourse" is a general term; "parable" is a specific one. It is called dark not on account of a lack of light, but because it is abstruse, so that darkness arises for the one who is ignorant. "Utterances" are graceful aphorisms; an "enigma" is a discourse signifying the truth in a hidden way; such as that which says: *Open, O Lebanon, thy doors, and let fire devour thy cedars.* ^B

Vers. 7. *True fear is reverence in religion.* But it is good *understanding*. A stop should be placed here. For it is not sufficient for blessedness to know the good, unless one also practices it in deed. But piety toward God is the *beginning of understanding*.

Vers. 8. *Father of the righteous is God.* For everyone who performs justice has been born of God. Our *mother* is the Church, of whom our Lord Jesus Christ is the bridegroom. The *laws* are the apostolic constitutions. Although the things said above also have an anagogical sense, yet they are also adapted to natural parents when they raise their children in accordance with their own piety toward God. Now, since there is a man, that teacher who begets his pupils through the Gospel, the spouse to this man, and the mother of those begotten, is the Church, or rather, the ecclesiastical doctrine and way of life. If, therefore, he says, you will listen to me, the author of the proverbs, now as a guide and father, and now as the mother, that is, of wisdom and virtue, you will be girded with a crown of graces, and your neck will be adorned with a collar made of intellectual gold and ornaments. For the material of the crown, with which the head of the inner man is girded, is the circle of virtues, which are called graces. Therefore, in harmony with the intellectual crown, one must also understand the golden collar cast about the neck of the soul, that is, its obedience. ^C

Vers. 9. He calls the *mind* the crown and the neck; and he calls the *golden collar* the knowledge and the intellectual adornment of the soul; or, the golden collar is the subjection to God and the protection of the divine oracles. ^D

^A Ver. 10. To sin with others is not without penalty. The men are impious, perfected in iniquity.

Ver. 11. They bury them under the earth, those whom they have persuaded to think on earthly things. But you shall regard as a just man him who has a heavenly sense of mind. These things can be understood as applying to Christ and to the Jewish people. The Scripture denotes the sufficiency by the word "to swallow," as in that place: *Lest such a one be swallowed up by overmuch sorrow.* They say, therefore, that those who have overcome and defeated the one who has a heavenly sense of mind, transfer him to themselves, so that he may think on earthly things. But the one who has a right opinion concerning what must be done, and casts this away, is swallowed up while still alive.

CAPUT II. Ver. 11. He calls *counsel* the resolve of the mind, by which we determine to do what we ought, or otherwise. But he calls *thought* that which is concerned with visible things, so that we may omit these, and approach God, and observe his commandments to the best of our ability. ^B

CAPUT III. Ver. 3. He who has the habit of the virtues, and is not easily sluggish in the exercise of them, has them inscribed on the tablet of his heart, that is, in the depth of his soul—or rather, the constant longing—so that the adversary may not subvert you.

Ver. 8. I say the *body* is the collection of the powers of the soul; the *bones* are its firm powers; for all our bones shall say: Lord, Lord.

Ver. 16. Its *right hand* is the knowledge of divine matters, from which comes eternal life; but the *left* is the knowledge of human affairs. ^C

Ver. 18. Here again he calls the cross the tree of life. For to those who are sincerely attached to Christ, a varied life flows from the wood; and for those leaning upon its foundations, a fortified firmness stands unswervingly, just as for those who are securely founded upon the Lord. But if the tree of life is the wisdom of God, justly was Adam prohibited from partaking of it. For wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul, since the tree of life grows from the fruits of righteousness. But not finding anyone to whom he might compare the one who hopes in the Lord, he turns the discourse to himself, saying, as it were, "in the Lord"; for he who leans upon Him, because he hopes in God, is secure.

Ver. 20. This also applies now to the Son of God, who is the wisdom and prudence of God. But the faithful soul is also earth, bringing forth hundredfold fruit. This soul becomes wise from the fatness of wisdom, with God the Father establishing it upon it. For He founds the mastery of doctrine in it, joining it together with wisdom, and always advancing it for the better, making it like the heaven, a most pure creature, a dwelling place for angels and intellectual substances. Having received a perception of the Existent, and considering the accuracy of things, as if a great abyss

of the judgments of God, he called these "clouds"; or he called the prophets "clouds," and the teaching "dew."

Do not be far from the drinkable water of life. By "counsel," he means the movement regarding things to be done; by "meditation," that which occurs regarding theoretical matters. He calls the soul itself "the neck," which bears the yoke of the Lord. And just as the neck is encircled by the pectoral pieces, so the soul shall bear the gifts of God in the kingdom, just as it bears his commandments here.

Even the splendid things of the impious are struck with a curse; but even the lowly things of the just are blessed. By "house," he means the faculties of the rational soul; by "huts," the irascible and concupiscible part: for therein dwell the irrational passions.

CHAPTER IV

Vers. 8. The honor of wisdom is the observance of the commandments. Wisdom is Christ, whose bride is the soul that honors him with virtues, which he shall embrace.

Vers. 20. Like a young child, he always sets prizes for the attentions of the simple, and raises up the one who occasionally falls. The fountains of life are the virtues, from which comes the living water, the knowledge of Christ. To one who is advancing in wisdom, there are many fountains, and not just one, but according to the number of the virtues. To those who observe these admonitions, they become life: these are the prize.

Vers. 26. Pursue the journey according to life rightly, he says. The feet are the transiency-making impulses of this soul; for virtue holds the middle course.

CHAPTER V

Vers. 2. Beware of attending to fraudulent doctrine, which ensnares through pleasant speech, that is, heresy, and idolatry, and vain words.

Vers. 3. The goodness of these things is only as far as the hearing. Such indeed is the nature of error: it is accustomed to hide the destruction, and to put forward the sweet, so that it may deceive; for otherwise men would immediately flee away. But God is not so; rather, he hides the sweet and puts forward the laborious. And he did not say, "It flows away," but "It distills," so that the bitterness might not seem satiating; yet afterwards it is felt to be more bitter than gall. Not as great as the pleasure (of vice) is the bitterness, but much greater.

Vers. 8. By the name of "way," he denoted here the mind that tends toward virtue; or perhaps he commands virtue to separate us from wickedness.

Vers. 11. That is, in old age; or by the wasting away of the flesh, he denotes intemperance, which is a certain corruption.

Vers. 12, 14. He introduces the corrupt man who blames himself because he hated discipline, and says: "I perished and wasted away, wearing out my flesh in luxuries, and I have all but cast away life itself. Therefore my punishment became manifest in the midst of the Church and the Synagogue." For this is the voice of a penitent, who is not yet in that extremity to which he was close. Equal to that is: "My steps had well-nigh slipped." For having awakened, he perceives...

"Where," he says, "did I come near?" How then can we heal the madness arising from nature?

^B Vers. 15. Knowledge is at once a well and a fountain: for those who are approaching the virtues, it is a well; for those who have been perfected in them, it is a fountain. Knowledge is also called mother, and wife, and sister: mother, because through it we are begotten by the teacher; wife, because in union it brings forth virtues and right doctrines; sister, because we have come into existence from one God. "And I said unto wisdom, You are my sister."

Vers. 16, 17. See how it shows not only the ease through abundance, but also by having no one as a sharer in its enjoyment. It doubles the matter, moreover, and calls it an acquisition; for it knows the pleasure of such a thing.

CHAPTER VI

Vers. 8. Imitate the very natural labor of the brutes; or "go" is said for "know." For many act well only as far as theory and hearing go, but not as far as discipline. He calls the prophets and apostles bees, whose labors are useful both to those of high condition and to the lowly; he calls the affairs the honeycomb, and the theory of these, the honey. Just as the bellwether leads the goats, so the king leads the bees. Order, therefore, is a beautiful thing in every life.

Vers. 12. The fool is the atheist, who abolishes the theoretical; the iniquitous is he who abolishes the practical.

CHAPTER VII

^C Vers. 1. In a general sense it is said "keep"; that it may happen to you, he says, to enjoy eternal life and to become contemplative. For by far more brilliant than the light of the eyes is the observance of the divine commandments shining upon us.

Vers. 3. The hand is the whole action; the finger, a part of it. If you obey me, you will have a wide heart for the reception of the virtues.

Vers. 19. She feigns to dwell with a husband, as if living according to the norm of the law; and she removes all fears and hindrances, putting forward the absence of her husband.

Vers. 27. Her house is the ways of Hades, leading down to the chambers of death. For those who are persuaded by her, becoming muddy from her and earthly, thus perish. As for what is said here, "To the trap of Hades," other ^D interpreters write "depth."

CHAPTER VIII

Vers. 22. Since "beginning" signifies many things, as we said, here it signifies the eternal, and the causal, and the creative. Now the beginning of something is a commencement; and it demonstrates a relation, not a substance. For this is the account of things which are relative, like "right" and "left." Since, therefore, the wisdom of God is a substance, it is not the beginning of anything; for even before the creation, wisdom existed. But after it began to have a relation toward created things, then it becomes the beginning of the ways of God, creative and providential, regarding the works which

possess existence from the Creator, which however confer nothing upon it so that it might be wisdom; but the relation, on account of which it is called the beginning and creative, then had substance when the created things also existed: for a beginning does not exist before those things of which it is the beginning; nor are they said to be after it, if created things receive substance in time. For since wisdom is eternal, it is not subject to time. The beginning, therefore, is linked to the creatures. Being pre-existent to the creation, being wisdom, the Son of God, if He says: "The Lord created me," he does not have the thought of substance, but of his relation toward the creatures. For he says ^A that he was created for the works, for the purpose that he might be the beginning of the active and providential ways of God, that is to say, the Cause, if we may speak in the scholastic manner. The Son of God became man, having assumed the form of a servant; and though he is eternal before the ages, insofar as he is the Word of God, he is nonetheless spoken of as created after he received birth from Mary, having become flesh: so that those who wish to walk according to God, and toward God, might use him as a teacher, as an example of a most excellent life, and as one who hands down the teaching to his disciples. Finally, that the word "created" does not everywhere signify the making of a substance, David is witness, who says: "Create a clean heart in me, O God." He asks ^B not as one who does not have a heart, but because he had defiled it, he desires to regain it cleansed. Paul also, while saying that the two are created into one new man, shows not a substance conferred upon men, but a unity arising from concord. This is what the translators rendered as "He created me."

Vers. 23. This says to the effect of: He brought forth the cause and foundation of the creatures. According to that: "All things consist in him, and he is before all things." And the Lord himself also says: "I am the beginning of the creation of God." For as he consented to become man, wishing to be the foundation of the Church, so that it might be established immovable upon him; so also, wishing to give existence to the creatures, he accommodated himself to their standard, introducing the aforementioned relation, becoming the beginning and cause for the things that are to be. Yet although according to these things I was created, before all else God begot me, who is clearly the Son.

Vers. 27. He speaks of the throne as his kingdom, and the winds as the intellectual spirits. Or as David says: "Who walks upon the wings of the winds;" by which words he wishes to denote the lightness and incorporeity of the substance of God. ^C

Vers. 29. Observe the works distributed between them, wisdom and God. He was making, he says; and I was disposing. Why, however, are they solid? Because they stand in need of no foundation; for they exist by the sole will of God.

Vers. 35. Either because as soon as I appear I provide life, or because condescending through revelation to someone ^D regarding the testimony of the work.

^A that signifies infirmity to him, then it goes forth; for being life, and having come outside the sight of men, it provides life. He calls it "will" or "love"; or it is because he made us masters of our own actions, so that we might be ready to perform what is necessary.

CHAPTER IX

Vers. 2. Let him decline, I say, so that he may learn prudence; for the imperfect is strengthened by the words and mysteries of wisdom.

Vers. 5. The same food is named both flesh, and bread, and milk, and wine. Nevertheless, the foolish are said to partake of them as if of bread and of mixed wine. ^B But if this were the case, how are we to understand those words: "Man ate the bread of angels"? By bread, understand for me the solid commandments of God, and by wine, the knowledge of him derived from the meditation of the divine Scriptures; and in the same way, also his divine body and precious blood.

CHAPTER X

Vers. 5. The prudent natural man hears: "The sun shall not burn you by day, nor the moon by night." He calls worldly cares heat; and those who are withered by it, he calls hay. But the Savior in the parable indicates that these are tribulations; and he has called the trials against the sacred doctrine, and also persecutions, heat. ^C

Vers. 13. The wise man, by word of rebuke, brings the empty-hearted man to his senses.

CHAPTER XI

Vers. 7. Do you see that it is not the desiring that is evil, but desiring in such a way, that is evil? But the hopes of the impious are also evil; for whatever the impious hopes for is destruction.

Vers. 8. The words "For the just" are not spoken as if he were subject to condemnation, but because when a snare has been set by the wicked against the just, the pious man is indeed snatched from it by God, but the impious, having been abandoned by divine Providence, falls into it; or because, since even the just man is subject to certain sins, as being human, if the impious man comes and harms the just man, he rescues him from his sins and future punishments, ^D but diverts those penalties onto himself. He is delivered, however, not by another, but by his own malice, since he had already delivered himself into a reprobate mind.

Vers. 24. Those who gather corruption are diminished in virtues; or it is understood as those who accumulate learning and do not share it.

Vers. 29. He who is vexed at each of the defects of his own household will be homeless; and the foolish man will serve the prudent.

Vers. 31. Therefore, he says, the impious is he who hates God; the sinner is he who is wicked in his actions; and by the "just" in this place he means the man who is active with both word and knowledge; for the rigor of justice is great.

DIDYMI ALEXANDRINI CHAPTER XII.

Vers. 2. "Better" is not here a comparative, but is said in place of "good." ^A

Vers. 9. A man of action, even if he be unlearned, is more honorable than he who is pompous in speech but inactive.

Vers. 12. That is, the roots of the just shall not be plucked up, meaning their good habits.

Vers. 17. Whatever he says, he confirms by his works; and if anything is more credible than a work—or rather, he speaks in order to show that [the truth] is clear, tested, irreproachable, and sufficient in itself. He calls him a witness of an unjust thing who, even if he performs unjust acts, defends them; and [he calls him] deceitful, who possesses nothing upright. ^B

Vers. 25. The discourse on punishments terrifies him who has recently approached the active life; but the message of the promises refreshes him. For the perfect just man will not be afraid of a bad report, having the fear of the Lord which is superior to all things.

Vers. 26. The just man, conscious of human weakness, is forgiving, even if a friend has sinned; or else, because knowing that his friend is made in the image of God, he is in harmony with himself, holding a modest opinion, restraining himself, and retaining nothing of hostile malice, he fosters tranquil thoughts.

CHAPTER XIII.

Vers. 2. The just man shall attain the end of his virtue, but the unjust shall not reap mature fruit. The iniquitous man shall terrify himself, finding no defense for his sin. ^C

Vers. 14. The natural law, from which the cause of life springs, for to the just person the law is not set; but there is punishment unto death for the one ensnared in sins. The fountain of life is the execution of the commandments. To the just among the Gentiles, the wealth of the circumcised shall accrue.

CHAPTER XIV.

Vers. 10. The mind conscious of sin gives pain to the soul; the homes of the impious are their habits and customs; their tabernacles are their inner intentions. There is a way that appears straight, which prefers things that seem to exist over those that truly do. Constantly it deliberates on what must be done. They shall hold a portion, or share it equally among themselves; for the bold man would not be a coward. ^D

Vers. 20, 23. It seems to me that he states this not for the sake of an exhortation, but narrating what is wont to happen. Then the following words contain the reason for correction: "He who despises the poor sins"—for the evil consequences are clear from this. Unless someone corrects [this], who of these would repent? Who would praise others? He who is eager for virtue abounds in work and knowledge; for by always thinking of his duty, he will progress more. But the soft and indolent man—that is, the one who avoids labors—will labor in his lack of virtues.

CHAPTER XVI.

Vers. 16. "Nidus" (nest) signifies at times a place, at times a philosophical thought. [alt-version omitted]

^A Since therefore the place of wisdom is the theorems in which it dwells, these are to be preferred to "falsely named knowledge"; or else, they are "the brood of wisdom." For just as gold is better than silver, so is wisdom superior to prudence; for the one deals with knowing, the other with interpreting what is known. Or understand by the "nest of wisdom" the Churches, or the dwellings of the saints in the heavens; but wisdom is Christ.

Vers. 17. Holding to a perpetual series of actions, they have the duration of a life that is consistent, turning away from evils, that is, from death.

Vers. 29. Here he calls the iniquitous man the devil, who tempts men, wishing to know who among them are like him and willing to sin; and he drives them into paths, that is, into actions that are not good. He it is who fixes his eyes upon each individual man, ^B observing carefully to which lust he is prone; and when he knows this from his movements, he sets his snares; and having caught him, he leads him into all evils. By "defining with his lips" he implies that by his wicked suggestions he strives to see whatever he desires fulfilled in deed through men; he is the furnace of iniquity, which inflames the one it has caught with his enticements unto every kind of wickedness.

Vers. 30. "An eye seeing good things," that is, one that distinguishes. But what are the good things? One must inquire. One is not pained because one does not see gold, or waste away because one does not look upon a beautiful body. But hear what the good things are: ^C Heaven, earth, the sea, and the entire creation. Look upon such things as these, which gladden the soul; for what profit is there in the eye being delighted, if nothing of utility is gained, but rather one's soul is corrupted?

Vers. 31. Having already spoken above of many of the devil's iniquities, we shall add to what has been said the things that remain. To all his exaggerations he also says these things to his followers: "This thing is a necessity (having sharpened one's perception toward evil), therefore one must use it. Pleasure is natural, one must enjoy it. Wealth comes from God, one must rejoice in it." And when he has persuaded his subject of all these things, then he makes him boast in his mind as if he were performing great acts of righteousness, ^D and he stores this up in the honors of old age.

CHAPTER XVII.

Vers. 6. The faithful man, not being eager about sensible things, is seen as having everything; but he who is eager about them, is seen as having nothing. For he who loves money will not be satisfied with money. Or, the faithful man will perceive whatever is said about this world as being tropes for the riches of the mind; but the infidel will not attain the teaching of any matter because of the impurity of his soul.

Vers. 28. "A fool" [is he who] by silence hides his own ignorance, or who hides a passion either within himself or from his neighbors.

CHAPTER XIX

Vers. 7. He does not perform every wickedness (for it is impossible), but he performs those that are able to co-exist; yet he does not cease from doing evil. He calls Christ the good thought; for He himself provides it. And everyone who does good will find Him; for he calls anyone who performs every good work "prudent." ^A

Vers. 24. He who does not live rightly hides his hands unjustly in his soul. [Being] unwilling to cultivate his own field, how will he be filled with bread? For the practical virtues take the place of hands, bringing our bread—the bread that comes down from heaven—to our mouth. Therefore, such a one cannot be helped even from the beginning, because he is slothful.

CHAPTER XXI

Vers. 21. That is, the judgment covers over the defense of the ungodly. For God excels those who do good with His rewards. ^B

CHAPTER XXII

Vers. 26. Do not surrender yourself to postponing repentance, out of respect for anyone. For if you die and have no time to repent, you will no longer have rest.

CHAPTER XXIII

Vers. 23. He introduces the envious devil to himself, and eats his bread with him, who for the sake of vainglory, or to please men, does any of his good works; for such a one receives his reward. For the devil manifests these things to men, so that, through human praise, the time-server might be corrupted and robbed of eternal blessings. ^C

CHAPTER XXIV

Vers. 20. The wicked will not produce virtues and right dogmas (for these are the offspring of the soul), because they do not fear the Lord. But those who remain in the fear of the Lord will bring forth offspring daily, and their hope will not depart. These things follow what was said. For the enemies, he says, being wicked, rejoiced in the falls of others; but that which you censure, do not imitate. For their worldly splendor and illusion [last] only up to this life, and are extinguished by death; often, indeed, they vanish while the guilty are still living. ^D

CHAPTER XXX

Vers. 7. The wise man says these things to Wisdom itself, or the servant of Christ to the Lord. And having mentioned two [things], he asks for more; but what seems to be the first request is rather the preamble of the request; for he prays to obtain what he asks, saying: Do not shut your ears to my prayers, but grant the grace. After which, he adds the first petition: Drive far from me an empty word and a false opinion, so that, having been filled with these, I might not become a liar. A sense of fullness creates pride and makes a man consider himself above rebuke, innocent in word and deed. For [in saying] "Who sees me?" he speaks [as if] for "Who will convict me?" so that, not being filled with wisdom, I might not seem incomprehensible to others, or even appear as a liar, speaking things above their grasp.

Vers. 15. The leech is born in sweet waters, from

which it is a kind of worm-like animal; it is extremely smooth to the touch and, to those who drink the water with open mouths, it subtly enters on account of its smoothness. Then, having wound itself within some inner part, it does not break away until it has killed the man by drinking his blood; for it is a blood-sucker, and from this it is nourished and grows. He now likens the devil to this creature, who, not being able to master men by force—for he mostly uses three attacking forces against them: pleasure, allurement, and deceit, and because of this, killing them little by little and secretly—first leads them to perdition by the ways of false doctrine, which he also calls Hades, by showing at the end of the judgment the magnitude of sin. Then he overwhelms them with the sweetness of dissipation, which he calls the love of women. Following these is the love of money, or greed, which he also calls the earth, never satisfied with water; for such is the sandy and insatiable thing. These, therefore, are the passions that the evil one has devised for the destruction of men, which he so loves and cherishes as if they were his own daughters. He calls the fourth thing the practice and habit of these. For he who has once held a wrong opinion, or committed fornication, or craved more, does not immediately fall into these passions, but rather he who has been defeated by habit and ^B sensation. For you would find such people, buried in false doctrines, never satisfied, but always further intensifying their passions, to the point that they urge others also toward them. Just as water and fire, when supplied with suitable matter, do not cease, nor do they say, "It is enough," but rather increase; and likewise water, with the influx of water, does not subside but grows. Which things you, O child, knowing, refrain from, lest, being unaware, you become prey to pleasure little by little, just as to a most smooth leech, and be despoiled of your life.

Vers. 19, 20. The tracks of a flying eagle: the soul of the wise person, which, though wise, is unable to know by itself the flights of the intellectual eagle. Concerning which it is written: “The great eagle, long in its extension and full of talons," having no trace of the presence of the devil; whether it flew in upon me from somewhere, I do not know. For the evil one, turning aside from me, I did not recognize, as I had no desire for him. Such is the way of an adulteress, namely, spurious doctrine.

Vers. 22. The people from the Gentiles, who were formerly a slave of sin and the devil. So that passage: “I will provoke you to jealousy with a foolish nation,” and: “The foolish man shall be filled with the food of life,” and: “The odious woman,” that is, the harlot. For the Church from the Gentiles was formerly a harlot, going after strange gods. ^C And the maidservant shall cast out her mistress; the Church of the Gentiles [shall cast out] the Synagogue, which was the mistress; for the law and the prophets are subject to it. A slave of intellectual scrutiny was that which is according to the letter, which the Jews formerly revered as a mistress. But the nations, converting the material word into the spiritual, cast out that which was mistress among them—namely, the corporal observance of the law.

Vers. 25. He says "the nations," who have no strength, and yet they store up for themselves eternal life by good works.

^A And the *choerogryllii*—a kind of fish, or rather the hares which are called *oistroi*—are the nations formerly weak, who took refuge in Christ; for the rock is a place of refuge for the *choerogryllii*, which dwell in the rocks. You, too, therefore, He says, even if you are a weak animal, take refuge in the rock of the true faith, and there amend your life. By relying on works, one enters into the kingdom. Therefore you too, He says, do not despair of the kingdom of the heavens because of the weakness of your faith, but, trusting in the promise concerning it, pursue the commandments that produce it. The lion is Christ; for all rational beings are as beasts of burden before Him. For Moses says: "But I am an infant." On account of its natural alacrity, it is said to walk freely.

Vers. 51. Truly He, having been offered as a sacrifice for sins, and walking on high, has the flock following Him. "For when I am lifted up," He says, "I will draw all men to myself." The rooster plays the role of a teacher, who, sowing doctrine in souls, strongly proclaims the light: "Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near." This was He who from the beginning awakened the hearts of men, and, through many things, was announcing in advance the day of His presence in the flesh; He was dispelling the darkness and clearly showing the eternal light to all. Walking ^B nimbly among the females—that is, in the Churches—nimbly and bravely, as He says: "Behold, I am with you all the days, even to the end of the age."

Vers. 32. Or if you set yourself to the meaning of the Scriptures; or, unless you have a teachable ear, but are contentious, will you hear? "But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom."

CHAPTER XXXI

Vers. 3. Do not give your wealth to strange pleasures or doctrines. Drink wine prudently; that is, drink the wine of the true vine—the interpretation of the Scriptures, and the contemplation of things that are—and exercise your mind with much discernment.

Vers. 6. Now He calls labor "sorrow." Therefore, those who labor and suffer for God, after they have been inebriated ^C with the fatness of the Lord's house, will forget their sorrows.

Vers. 8. Strengthen your purpose to attend to my words, which are of God Himself.

CHAPTER XX (in Greek)

Vers. 23. The north wind is the devil, who stirs up and tempts the saints who are placed on high, and who does not want them to work; or it means stirring up words against His own dogmas.

CHAPTER XXVI (in Greek)

Vers. 3. Therefore, just as these things bring animals to their duty, so the rod, that is, reproof, corrects the lawless nation.

Vers. 7. Of such as these, He says, rather extinguish their authority, and concede them neither practical nor theoretical rule. ^D

Verse 15. If the tree of life grows from the fruits of justice, whoever buries justice with iniquity, which is called a hand, shall not eat of the tree of life.

CHAPTER XXVII (in Greek).

CHAPTER XXXI (in Vulg.).

THE SAME DIDYMUS: UNPUBLISHED FRAGMENTS OF THE COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

^A I. ^B CAP. IV. Vers. 24. God is Spirit. Since God is invisible, and incorporality follows invisibility; since God is incorporeal, He is also invisible. If this is so, then He who is called Spirit in this place will not be moved air. For it is not because "spirit" signifies wind among men that it must necessarily have the same meaning in God. Just as, therefore, when the same God is called light, because He illuminates not the eye but the mind, He is not a body but an intellectual light; and furthermore, when He is called love, He is not a certain affection, but a substance loving those things which He creates and over which He provides; so when God is called Spirit, He denotes not wind, but an incorporeal and life-giving substance. ^C But everyone who has learned that God is Spirit, worshipping Him spiritually, in spirit and in truth, no longer worships the God of all things in a figurative way. For the sake of distinguishing from the letter, He says "in spirit," and to distinguish from a figure, He says "in truth." For these things were valid as long as the appropriate time lasted; but with the coming of the truth, that is, the presence of Christ, all things have ceased.

^B II. CAP. V. Vers. 29. They shall go forth who have done good, unto the resurrection of life; but they who have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment. With men divided according to their disposition into the impious or the unbelieving, and the religious or the believers, those former ones, that is, the impious and the unbelieving, also rise in the universal resurrection, yet not to judgment, because he who does not believe has already been judged. ^D But those who have believed in the Savior, and who in addition have performed good works, these shall rise in a resurrection to life, not to be condemned; while conversely those others,