Rabanus Maurus

In his own words on Wisdom of Solomon

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:1

  Love righteousness, you who judge the earth. Divine wisdom admonishes the rulers of God's people, to whom the power of judging has been given, that they should love righteousness and preserve equity in judgment. Otherwise, this statement may generally pertain to all who are endowed with reason and have an understanding mind, so that, judging the earth, that is, their own flesh, they may love righteousness; namely, that they do not make provision for the flesh in its lusts, but, subjecting it to the command of the spirit, devote themselves especially to the virtues by which the soul is nourished; then let them care for their body according to necessity, and not according to pleasure, always recalling that saying of the law: For man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4). think about the Lord with goodness, and seek him with simplicity of heart. But he thinks about the Lord with goodness who reads and understands Sacred Scripture according to piety, and he seeks Him in simplicity of heart who humbly submits himself to His will, namely to keep His commandments. For he who devoutly seeks the Lord honors Sacred Scripture, and does not criticize what he does not yet understand, and therefore does not resist: this is to be meek, of whom in the Gospel Truth itself says: Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth (Matt. 5:5). Therefore, philosophers of the world and their heretical followers are excluded, who think that by human reason they can grasp divine secrets, since it is written: Who shall investigate the wisdom of God that precedes all things? (Rom. 1:33) And the Apostle clearly says: The judgments of God are incomprehensible, and His ways unsearchable; He is to be worshipped in this present life with right faith, rather than with reckless conflict.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:2-3

  Because He is found by those who do not test Him, but He appears to those who have faith in Him. For it is dangerous to tempt God by human assumption, since it is written: You shall not tempt the Lord your God. (Deut. 6:16) But it is beneficial to honor Him with true faith, because the righteous shall live by faith. For true wisdom by no means enters a wicked mind, nor can it dwell in a wicked man; therefore the philosophers of the Gentiles flatter themselves in vain, and all heretics, as well as false Christians, who think that with a defiled mind and criminal conduct they can receive the wisdom of God, which only those of a pure heart deserve to receive by the gift of the Holy Spirit. For perverse thoughts separate from God; but proven virtue corrects the foolish. It is clear that every wicked thought and depraved will can in no way be joined to the Lord, nor be in harmony with the highest good; for there is no fellowship between light and darkness, nor agreement between Christ and Belial. But where the intention and pursuit of sacred virtues are present in a devout heart, they always reject the vices of the foolish and refute their errors; therefore, those who truly love wisdom must cleanse their hearts and direct the whole intention of their mind to the love of their Creator.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:4-5

  For wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins. In agreement with this testimony, the apostle James wrote similarly in his Epistle, saying: Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a vine figs? So neither can salt water make sweet. Who is wise and learned among you? Let him show by good conduct his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and strife in your hearts, do not glory and be liars against the truth. For this wisdom does not descend from above, from the Father of lights; but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where there is jealousy and dispute, there is instability and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first indeed pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, judging without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace (James 3:12-18). For true wisdom does not enter into a hateful mind, nor can it dwell in a wicked man; therefore, in vain do the philosophers of the Gentiles flatter themselves, and all heretics, as well as false Christians, who think that with a base mind and wicked conduct they can receive the wisdom of God, which only those with a pure heart are worthy to receive as a gift of the Holy Spirit. Because wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul. Therefore, it is most certain that Mani, Arius, and Eunomius, and the other heretics, composed their doctrines, most full of errors, without the grace of the Holy Spirit, because the good Spirit of the Lord always leads into the right way; but the evil spirit deceives, and drags his followers with him into the snare of eternal perdition, concerning whom it is also added: and will be put to the test when unrighteousness comes in. For when the time of retribution comes, all the wicked and sinners will receive perpetual punishment for their iniquities.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:6

  This statement refutes the error of those who, just as good thoughts are known to be inspired in us by God, also believe that evil thoughts are generated in our minds by His instigation. In no way does God, who is supremely good and wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, impose the necessity of an evil word or wicked deed on anyone, through which he might perish, as the apostle James shows when he says: "Let no one, when he is tempted, say: I am tempted by God; for God is not the tempter of evils, and He Himself tempts no one" (James 1:13); as if he were saying: Let no one, when he has committed robbery, theft, false testimony, murder, adultery, or other such things, say that he was compelled by God to do these things, and therefore could in no way have avoided their outcome. "For God is not a tempter of evils," it is understood, of temptations; for He Himself tempts no one, namely with that kind of temptation which deceives the wretched so that they sin. For there are two kinds of temptation: one which deceives, the other which tests; according to that which deceives, God tempts no one; according to that which tests, God tempted Abraham. Concerning this, the Prophet also asks: Prove me, O Lord, and try me (Ps. 26:2). But each one is tempted by his own desire, drawn away and enticed, namely, drawn away from the right path and enticed into evil, into which, however, he is permitted to fall by the just judgment of God, who did not wish to obey the Spirit of truth.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:7

  For the spirit of the Lord has filled the world. Therefore, the Holy Spirit, who in the beginning of creation was moving over the waters with invisible power, fills and contains every creature with His majesty, or by the gift of His power fills the whole world of the Church, in which He daily shows the abundance of His gift. Therefore it is added: and that which holds all things together has knowledge of what is spoken, because, as Paul says: To one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith in the same Spirit, to another the grace of healing in one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues: for all these are worked by one and the same Spirit, distributing to each one individually as He wills (1 Cor. 12:8-11).

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:8

  For just as the elect receive the gift of knowledge and virtue through the grace of the Holy Spirit, so heretics and all the depraved, puffed up by their own pride and incited by the evil spirit, cannot hide before the Spirit of God the wickedness of their error, which they shamelessly proclaim, and therefore they cannot escape the just punishment of vengeance; for just as the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers, so the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:9-10

  The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah has multiplied and come to the Lord, and He descended to see whether they had completed by deed the outcry that had come to Him. Therefore, the Lord rained upon the sinners sulfur and fire from the Lord, and overthrew these cities and the entire surrounding region. Therefore, also the murmuring of the children of Israel went up to the Lord, and behold, the wrath of the Lord was stirred up against the people, and He struck them with a very great plague. For the Lord God is a consuming fire, a jealous God, and He will render to each according to his works.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:11

  How wicked grumbling and detraction are can be proven by many statements of the Holy Scriptures and by examples of the judgments of the Lord; especially since the Lord Himself is often found to have sent vengeance upon those who grumble and complain. And Scripture says that every scoffer is an abomination to the Lord (Prov. 24:9). The Apostle also says: Whisperers and detractors are hateful to God (Rom. 1:30). Therefore, the psalmist also says: Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him I will destroy. And elsewhere it is read: Whoever slanders anything binds himself for the future, and just as a serpent bites in silence, so does he who secretly slanders his brother. (Ps. 101:5) Death and life are in the power of the tongue. He who is of a perverse heart finds no good, and he who twists his tongue falls into evil. And it is well said that an obscure answer will not go in vain, because it will be reserved for the judgment of the Lord. Therefore, that saying of the Lord: Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. (Matt. 12:36) For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned. and a lying mouth destroys the soul. Therefore, a lying mouth kills the soul of the liar himself, because it pierces it with the sword of sin; therefore, every lie must be most carefully avoided, although sometimes there is a kind of lie that is a lesser fault, if someone lies in order to do a good deed. This is clearly expressed by Father Augustine in his book On Lying, where he mentions that there are eight kinds of lies; anyone who wishes can find out how he discusses this there. But whoever thinks that any kind of lie is not a sin deceives himself disgracefully, while he considers himself to be an honest deceiver of others. Therefore, when examples of lying are presented to us from the Holy Scriptures, either they are not lies, but are thought to be so because they are not understood; or if they are lies, they are not to be imitated, because they cannot be just, but as it is written: God did well to the Hebrew midwives and to Rahab the prostitute of Jericho, not because they lied, but because they were merciful to the people of God. Therefore, it was not their deceit that was rewarded, but their goodwill; the kindness of their mind, not the wickedness of their lying. For just as it would not be strange or absurd if God wished to forgive evil deeds previously committed by them because of their later good deeds, so it is not surprising that, at one time and in one case, God, seeing both aspects of the same act, mercifully rewarded the act as good and, because of this good, forgave the evil in it.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:12-13

  Above, he has listed those things which are harmful to man, that is, grumbling, detraction, and lying, from which he has commanded us to guard ourselves. Now he repeats the same in other words, namely, that we should not do those things which are subject to death, because our destruction does not please God, who wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth. He who speaks through the prophet: Why will you die, house of Israel? For I do not will the death of the one who dies, says the Lord God (Ezek. 18:31-32). Turn back and live. For God is the author of our salvation, not of our destruction, who saw all that He had made, and it was very good. But according to the Apostle, the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life (Rom. 6:23).

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:14

  From this statement, as in the previous one, it is evident that the Lord is the author of good works, not of evil ones; therefore, He is a just judge, who punishes wicked deeds and sins. Nor do we sin out of necessity when we transgress, but by a stubborn will, which proceeds from the quality of free will. We therefore acknowledge God as just and good, the creator of human substance and of both inner and outer senses, so that absolutely everything pertaining to nature is from Him, and absolutely nothing that is against nature is from Him. But sin is against nature, from which death and all things that arise from death originate. Man then clothed himself with these evils when, deprived of faith and obedience, the Devil led him away from the law of God into trust in his own promises, and bound all the offspring of his successors to himself by the condition of the appointed lineage.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:15-16

  Therefore, righteousness is rightly said to be perpetual and immortal, because it frees those who obey it from eternal death. Unrighteousness, on the other hand, is the purchase of death, because the torments of Hades are the certain reward of sinners. The immoral have summoned unrighteousness with their hands and words, because they follow it in their deeds and speech, and, deceived by error, confidently believe they can sin with liberty, in no way consenting to be separated from its company, since, already condemned by the just judgment of God, they do not strive to escape it. Therefore the saying from the Gospel: But he who does not believe is already judged, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God (Jn. 3:18). And again: He who believes in the Son of God has eternal life. But he who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him (Jn. 3:36).

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 2:1-9

  This is the voice of the lost, who, like brute animals, look only at the present and do not think about the future, nor do they have any hope of eternal rest after the end of this life, about whom it is said by the psalmist: Man, when he was in honor, did not understand; he was compared to the senseless beasts, and became like them (Ps. 49:20). The prophet Isaiah rebukes their voice, saying: For you have said: We have made a covenant with death, and with hell we will make an agreement. When the overwhelming scourge passes through, it will not come upon us, for we have made lies our hope, and we are protected by falsehood (Isa. 28:15). Therefore says the Lord: I will set judgment as a measuring line, and righteousness as a plumb line; hail will sweep away the hope of falsehood, and waters will overflow the shelter, and your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Hades will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be trampled by it; whenever it passes through, it will take you away (Isa. 28:17-18). To which the prophet Amos added similar words, saying: Woe to you who are wealthy, and separated for the day of evil, and who draw near to the throne of iniquity; who sleep on beds of ivory, and indulge on your couches; who eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the midst of the herd; who sing to the sound of the harp, and, like David, think themselves to have instruments of song. Who drink wine in bowls, and are anointed with the best ointment, and do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore now you will go into exile at the head of the exiles, and the revelry of those who indulge will be taken away (Amos 6:4-7). And again: Because you plundered the poor, and took the best spoil from him, you build houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you plant pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine: for I know your many crimes, and your mighty sins. (Amos 5:11-12)

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 2:10-11

  Although these things may generally pertain to those who, despising God, spare neither sex nor age, but through injustice and greed wish to oppress all, nevertheless, in a deeper sense, they can be applied to the treacherous persecutors of Christians and to heretics, who burden the poor people of the Church with their wickedness and persecutions, and that widow of whom it is written: "Blessing, I will bless his widow, I will satisfy his poor with bread," (Ps. 132:15) they intend to crush with the worst will, and strive to find fault with the prophets and apostles, whom he here calls elders, in their words; by no means do they endeavor to keep the statutes of the divine law, but strive to proceed in the unorthodoxies of their own error, nor do they themselves obey our Head, but presume to utter such words of wickedness against Him.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 2:12-16

  The dishonest Jews were then planning to bypass righteousness, when, confronted by the words of the Gospel, they were admonished through Christ to abandon their former filth of vices and to follow the truth of God's commandments. But where they ought to have hoped for the cause of salvation, taking grave offense, they considered killing him as if he were a blasphemer. As it is written in the Gospel: The Jews took up stones to stone him. Jesus answered them: I have shown you many good works from my Father; for which of these do you stone me? The Jews answered him: We do not stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy, and because you, being a man, make yourself God, etc. (Jn. 10:31-33). For, instigated by envy, they did not consider what he was doing, but what they themselves were unwilling to do; in the rays of light they became darkened. Therefore such words suited them, so that they said: He is even a burden to us to look upon, because his life is different from others, and he keeps himself away from our ways as from filth. And because they did not think about the future life, they therefore grieved that the hope of future life was preferred to their own pleasure; and therefore, by wicked counsels, they aimed at his death, as the following words demonstrate.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 2:17-20

  They are clearly described in the Gospel, where the chief priests and Pharisees took counsel on how they might deliver Jesus to death, and when he was placed on the cross, the chief priests with the scribes and elders, mocking, said: He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he is the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him now if he will have him; for he said, I am the Son of God (Matt. 27:42-43). He calls the most shameful death the cross, because until the passion of Christ it was the punishment of criminals, which now is the trophy of victory and the glory of believers. For when he says, "for there will be an examination of him according to his words," this refers to his resurrection; for the unbelieving Jews wanted to test whether he could raise his flesh after death, because they remembered that he had said: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up (Jn. 2:19). And elsewhere: Behold, he said, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered to the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on; and after they have scourged him, they will kill him, and the third day he shall rise again (Luke 18:31-34). Wherefore, even during His Passion, they said to Pilate: Lord, we remember that this deceiver said while still alive: After three days I will rise again. Therefore, command that the tomb be guarded until the third day, lest perhaps His disciples come and steal Him away, and say to the people: He has risen from the dead; and the last error will be worse than the first (Matthew 27:64).

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 2:21-22

  Therefore, they were not able to grasp the mystery of God's counsel, envious and deceitful, "for wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul" (Wis. 1:4); nor could they understand that the death of Christ is the honor and salvation of holy souls, because through it they hope for the reward of justice, and receive entrance into the heavenly kingdom.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 2:23-24

  By this statement, the error of the Manichaeans is refuted, who introduced two natures and substances, that is, good and evil: because our Creator is not the author of our downfall, and as far as the truth of nature is concerned, we were created immortal by Him. However, by assenting to the serpent's suggestion, we were subjected to the sentence of death; yet the first robe of immortality, which the human race, created in the image of God from the beginning but lost in Adam through the Devil's envy and seduction, was received again through the death of Christ: for our death was destroyed in His death, and our life was restored in His resurrection, although those who choose to be imitators of the Devil's envy rather than of Christ's humility and gentleness do not belong to that destiny.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:1

  In the previous chapter, the opinion of the wicked was expressed, which they put forth against our head with perverse understanding and nefarious words. Now, however, their error is condemned, which they believed occurred in the destruction of his members, when they slaughtered them with various punishments for the confession of his name. But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, that is, under his protection, and the torment of eternal death cannot harm them in any way.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:2-3

  They were truly foolish when they considered the suffering and extermination of the martyrs to be a defeat, since these were for them the cause of victory and perpetual peace.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:4-6

  Temporal death and the affliction of this present life have brought perpetual prosperity as a reward to the saints of God, because their hope was unfailing and their solid faith endured to the end. For God chastised them with various temptations, and through the endurance of patience proved them worthy of the eternal crown. The two examples he set forth, that is, gold tested in the furnace and holocausts burned in fire, show their most thorough examination and perfect purity, because just as gold is not burned by fire but tested, so the holy substance of the martyrs is not brought to destruction, but prepared for immortality and future glory; and just as the holocaust, which is wholly offered to God through fire, is a most acceptable sacrifice, so also the passion of the martyrs, offered to the Lord in the fragrance of sweetness through the heat of faith and the fervor of love, stands as a most pleasing gift and a most precious offering to Him. Therefore it is said by the Psalmist: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. (Ps. 116:15) And what is added: as gold in the furnace he proved them, signifies that the death of the saints is not perpetual according to the estimation of the reprobate; but rather, on the day of judgment, when Christ judges, their reward will be most abundant.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:7

  By presenting another example, he demonstrates that at the final judgment there will be a sudden reward for the saints, and a swift punishment for the depraved. For when the elect are changed from corruption to incorruption, from mortality to immortality, from disgrace to glory, then they will rise to judge their adversaries, and just as a spark of fire suddenly kindles a flame in a field of reeds, so the sentence of the just Judge of the saints brings strong and swift vengeance of punishments upon the reprobate.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:8

  The saints will judge the nations, but through them God judges, who presides over their minds. They will rule over peoples, for no adversity of opposition resists them. Their Lord will reign forever, because the kingdom of Christ will endure without any end. Concerning this, the angel said to Mary: The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end (Luke 1:32-33). Therefore, it is also said through Isaiah: His dominion will be multiplied, and there will be no end of peace (Isa. 9:7). The saints will also reign with their king, that is, the members with their head, as the words of the angel testify to Daniel in prophetic vision, saying: But the kingdom and power and greatness of the kingdom under all heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is everlasting, and all kings will serve him and obey him. (Dan. 7:27)

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:9

  It is clear that whoever perfectly trusts in the Lord in this present life, according to the distribution of the Holy Spirit, perceives here an understanding of the truth in a manner appropriate to himself; because now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face; now we know in part, but then we shall know even as we are known. But now remain faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor. 13:12-13) Because when the others pass away, that alone remains, therefore it is said: The faithful shall abide with him in love, for the elect of God, after the end of the world, delighting in the good which they formerly sought with faith and hope, will in no way be able to be separated from His company, since, rewarded with the gift of eternal satisfaction, they will enjoy perpetual peace.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:10

  The sentence of the universal judgment will be completed when the saints, united with their King, joyfully enter the kingdom of their heavenly homeland; then the wicked and sinners who were negligent regarding their salvation, according to the wickedness of their hearts and actions, will be plunged with the Devil into the abyss of Gehenna, where they will be tormented without end, for their worm does not die, and the fire is not extinguished. (Mark 9:48)

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:11

  Now he shows what this is, which he previously said had departed from the Lord, that is, to cast away wisdom and discipline, of which hope is empty, and labors are without fruit, because they vainly hope that they can use temporal things perpetually, or that by committing sins they can escape unpunished. The labors of these people are without the fruit of future reward, and their works are rundown: for the workers themselves cannot make anyone a participant in the heavenly dwelling. Against this, when the Psalmist foretold the crimes of the chief of all the wicked by reproaching him, he said: Therefore God will destroy you forever, He will pluck you out and remove you from your tent, and uproot your root from the land of the living (Ps. 52:5). Heretics also cannot inappropriately be understood in this statement, who, rejecting divine wisdom and the rule of right faith, spend the labors of their doctrine and the sects of their errors in vain and without the fruit of eternal life, whose intention is foolish and whose works are most wicked.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:12

  He calls women either carnal desires or interpretations of wicked sense: from which the most wicked children, that is, nefarious acts or perverse doctrines, proceed, who are liable not to the reward of the heavenly kingdom, but to the torment of Hades.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:13

  The cursed creature of those, that is, their creation. For divine wisdom does not impose the mark of a curse on the creatures of God, whom their Creator blessed at the beginning when He created them, but shows that the work of the depraved is worthy of eternal curse. for the barren woman is happy; and the undefiled one, who has not known the bed in sin, will have fruit in the consideration of holy souls. He praises the barren, that is, the chaste and disciplined soul, which is not defiled by the filth of heretics, nor contaminated by the impurities of idolatry; for this soul will have fruit in the regard of holy souls, indeed on the day of judgment, when the saints will be taken up to contemplate the glory of God, then she too will receive the reward of her labor in heavenly blessedness.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:14

  According to the rule of the figurative interpretation, in the name of this blessed barren one, or eunuch, virgins can be understood, about whom it is written accordingly in Isaiah: Let not the eunuch say, "Behold, I am a dry tree," for thus says the Lord to the eunuchs: "Who have kept my sabbaths, and have chosen what I desired, and have held fast my covenant, I will give them in my house and within my walls a place and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not perish" (Isa. 56:3-5). This barren one is fruitful in virginity. This eunuch forces his way into the kingdom of heaven and aggressively seizes it. He is the keeper of the sabbaths, and will never perform the works of marriage. He has chosen what the Lord wished, so as to offer more than is commanded, so that he considers not the apostle's indulgence but the Lord's will. He holds fast the Lord's eternal covenant, so that he does not devote himself to prayer only for a time and then return again to it, but knows that he will receive in the house of the Lord, which is His Church, the best place: for there are many dwelling places with the Father. (Jn. 14:2) And whoever is a eunuch and does all that is written, will have the best place within its walls, so that he may indeed become a tower of the Lord, and stand in the priestly rank, so that for sons of the flesh he may have many spiritual sons. Such a eunuch, whom Jesus loved most dearly, was the evangelist John, as ecclesiastical histories relate; he who reclined on the breast of Jesus (Jn. 13:23); who, while Peter walked more slowly, ran to the Lord, lifted on the wings of virginity. Therefore, let all the mockery of the Jews be put away, and let them cease to make themselves a laughingstock by claiming that the kingdoms of heaven are closed to eunuchs, since it is by chastity, not by bodily weakness, but by the will of the spirit; nor will sloth have the merit of a good reward, but virtuous striving.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:15

  The fruit of good labors is indeed glorious; for eternal joy and certain rest follow them, nor do those seeds of doctrines or actions which have proceeded from the root of true wisdom ever fail, but they will bring forth the fruit of everlasting salvation. But on the contrary, the dogmas of heretics and the disciples and followers of their wickedness will be exterminated; nor will they have hope of salvation, but condemned to a bitter death, they will be given to perpetual oblivion.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:16-19

  Indeed, heretics are adulterers, who, adulterating the word of God, attempt to transfer it into another meaning. Their children, that is, their disciples, will be at the end, because they tend toward eternal perdition. These, having been brought up from a wicked bed, nourished by the poisonous nourishment of a polluted conscience, even if they are long-lived upon the earth, yet this will profit them nothing, when they are to be destined for the burning of eternal fire. and their old age shall be dishonorable, because their memory will forever lack blessing, nor on the day of recognition, namely at the hour of the universal judgment, when the elect, recognized by their judge, will be invited to the possession of the heavenly kingdom, will they be consoled by any hope of their restoration, but will be expelled to be tormented forever from the presence of the human king.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 4:1-2

  Just as he previously criticized the lead heretics and their schismatic followers, so now he praises the Catholics and their disciples, whose faith is pure, and whose doctrine is simple and eternal; therefore, they are worthy of remembrance, because their generation is approved by the Lord and honorably accepted among men. In this present life, this produces fruit through sacred examples of good works, and when transferred to the heavenly kingdom, it leaves a worthy remembrance of itself to generations to come, nor will there be any sorrow for the completed struggle, when the greatness of persecutions is surpassed by the reward.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 4:3

  For he alternates, speaking of Catholics and heretics, so that he may show the praiseworthy wisdom of the former and demonstrate the blameworthy cunning of the latter. Indeed, the diverse and various doctrine of the heretics will not be useful, but harmful; nor do their redundant arguments, which indicate spurious offspring, have the root of truth, therefore they do not have the foundation of strength, but when touched by the wind of persecutions or the test of strict judgment, they quickly fall from their firmness.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 4:4-5

  He names branches as the sayings of perverse scriptures, and the fruits as the meanings of those sayings; by winds, he also signifies either the troubles of persecutions or the debates of judgment: because just as fragile branches are broken by the wind, so their imperfect sayings, when struck by any hardship or debate, are easily broken, and their fruits are useless and bitter, because the meanings of their words are depraved and poisonous, and therefore suited to no usefulness.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 4:6

  He calls the sons of the wicked either disciples or works, because just as the followers of heretics are, on the day of judgment, an increase of sorrow for those who have been led astray by false doctrines, so evil works, at the time of the final examination, are proof of their wickedness, for which reason they are deservedly condemned.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 4:7

  Having previously spoken about the destruction of the wicked, he now afterward explains the rest of the good, because after the end of the present life, which is common to both good and bad, the just will then begin to live better, when they seem to be utterly destroyed by the wicked, since eternal rest will then be given to them, when perpetual punishment follows for these.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 4:8-9

  He shows what should be sought in old age, because it is not the age of the body, but the maturity of the mind and the uprightness of character that are praised in it. Therefore, in the Book of Numbers, the Lord commanded Moses to choose seventy elders, whom He Himself knew to be elders, so that He might appoint them as teachers and judges of the people. (Num. 11:16-17) And Paul, writing to Timothy, says: Let no one despise your youth; but be an example to the faithful in word, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. (1 Tim. 4:12)

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 4:10-11

  God does not therefore take a man whom He loves out of this world because He cannot keep him, living among sinners, free from sin; He who, sending His disciples as lambs among wolves, praised them to the Father, saying: I do not pray that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from evil (Jn. 17:15); but rather, so that He may observe the order of His judgment: those whom He foreknew and predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, He calls, justifies, magnifies, and glorifies; but the rest, on account of their iniquity, He condemns by His just judgment. Concerning this, the Apostle Peter says: God knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation, but to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment (2 Peter 2:9).

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 4:12

  By this statement, although generally the immorality of the wicked is denoted, more clearly, however, the cunning of heretics is reproved in it, which, by depraved doctrines and harmful desire, turns the mind of man away from the path of truth; for it fascinates, that is, it burdens, whoever hinders by flattering or deceives by praising. We read in the Apostle: You were running well; who has fascinated you? (Gal. 3:1). And in Proverbs: The gift of the envious torments the eyes. (Sir. 18:18) He who is envious among us is more significantly called a fascinator among the Greeks. In these examples, we are taught that either the envious person is tormented by another's happiness, or he in whom there are some good things is harmed by another who fascinates or envies. For the envy of heretics, which is accustomed to offer mere plays, not the foundation of truth, often obscures the good things of mortality in the simple, as in that saying: Evil communications corrupt good manners (1 Cor. 15:33). Therefore Wisdom forbids having fellowship with such people, saying in Proverbs: Do not eat with an envious man, nor desire his foods, for he estimates what he does not know as the likeness of a diviner and a soothsayer. Eat and drink, he will say to you, but his heart is not with you. The foods which you have eaten you will vomit up, and you will lose your beautiful words (Prov. 23:6-8).

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 4:13-14

  Just as in the previous verse he exposed the deceit of the heretics, so now in the following he expresses the glory of the martyrs, who, although they spent their admirable lives in a short time through the tortures of their persecutors, nevertheless that very death is reckoned to them as a long life, because it brought them eternal life. Indeed, their Creator, loving them, separated them from the company of the wicked, and led them out from the oppression of this present life, so that in the heavenly kingdom he might hide them in the secret of his face, from the disturbance of men, and protect them in his tabernacle from the contradiction of tongues.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 4:15

  Therefore, the persecutors of the martyrs could by no means recognize the future glory that followed them, but thought that they would perish together with the torments of their bodies, and that they could not receive the blessedness of eternal life after death; but everything happens differently for each side, because just as life and victory will follow the good after death, so also death and perpetual damnation will follow the wicked after temporal life.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 4:16

  It is clear indeed that the martyrs of Christ will be judges of their persecutors after death, just as in the Apocalypse, in the condemnation of Babylon, the divine voice shows, saying: Come out of her, my people, so that you do not partake in her sins, and so that you do not receive of her plagues, for her sins have reached up to heaven, and the Lord has remembered her iniquities. Render to her as she herself rendered, and double the double according to her works. In the cup which she mixed, mix for her double; as much as she glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her that much torment and grief, because in her heart she says: I sit as a queen, and am no widow, and will never see mourning. Therefore in one day her plagues will come, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned with fire (Rev. 18:4-8).

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 4:17-19

  For the persecutors of the Church of Christ, as we have said, believed that the end of the martyrs was destruction, and therefore they despised the steadfastness of their faith. But the Lord will mock them, when He shows them that what they hoped would benefit them has completely harmed them; for when they wished to defend the false deities of their gods against the followers of Christ, they delivered themselves into perpetual damnation. [Verse 19] For the Lord will overthrow them, swollen with pride, without a word of excuse, so that they will then be in all things inexcusable, because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or give thanks; but they became fruitless in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools; and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds and serpents and four-footed animals. Therefore God gave them up to shameful passions, and to a debased mind, to do things that are not fitting, filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, fornication, greed, malice, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malevolence, whisperers, slanderers, hateful to God, rude, proud, arrogant, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, senseless, untrustworthy, without affection, without covenant, without mercy; who, although they knew the justice of God, did not understand that those who do such things are worthy of death (Rom. 1:22-32); and He will shake them from their foundations, because He will utterly overthrow the state of their life, and they will be desolate even to the utmost; for never after this will they be relieved by any comfort, but they will be groaning in torments, and their memory will perish forever.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 4:20

  Therefore, the wicked will come into judgment, timid because of the conscience of their sins, for their thoughts accuse them for the evil deeds they have previously committed, nor is any place given for defense, where there is no fruit of good works in the conscience.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 5:1-5

  Then indeed the righteous will stand with great determination against their persecutors, who afflicted them here with undeserved punishments and reproached their labors as foolish; for, being raised by heavenly brightness, they will judge according to truth those who had previously condemned them unjustly. Therefore, when these persecutors see themselves suddenly changed from glory to humiliation, and equally see their adversaries transferred from temporal affliction to heavenly honor, they will then seek with late and fruitless repentance what they could previously have obtained fruitfully, if they had wished, while it was permitted.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 5:6

  The way of truth is the Gospel of Christ, and the divine law, from which the sinful have strayed, because they were unwilling to believe and obey. For them, the light of righteousness did not shine, and the sun of understanding did not rise, because for them Christ is not the true light, which enlightens every man coming into this world (Jn. 1:9), and the sun of righteousness who rises for those who fear Him. (Mal. 4:2) In whose punishments, too, there is true healing, since in His protection the abundance of eternal life is assured. He did not shine for the faithless philosophers of the Gentiles, nor for the heretics, because, by despising the path of truth, they preferred to follow vain traditions and wicked sects.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 5:7

  The philosophers were left on the path of evil and destruction, because by reasoning they wished to elevate the machinery of the world to divine honor, and chose rather to serve the creature than the Creator: in their very inquiry they failed, and found not salvation but destruction. Similarly, the heretics, by walking difficult paths in pride, composed wicked sects, nor did they recognize the way of the Lord, which is truth and life; therefore, they delivered themselves to perpetual destruction, nor did their pursuit of the present life bring them any benefit, for after death not reward but punishment awaited them.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 5:8-13

  Through the five types of likenesses, which, by presenting, he laments that the fruitless repentance of the wicked causes their efforts to flow away, the fleeting nature of life and the deficiency of earthly things are shown to us. For just as a shadow has no firmness in its state, nor does a messenger running about endure delay, and just as a bird in the sky, or a ship in the sea, or an arrow in the air, proceed on an uncertain path, so too is the course of brief life always unstable and uncertain, nor does anything from it remain fixed, except what is expended with virtuous effort for the attainment of eternal life. According to the allegory, however, the shadow can be understood as forgetfulness of the mind or death of the flesh, to which human life is subject. In the messenger running, we can see the passions of the soul or illnesses of the body, which indicate and proclaim the end of corruptible life. By the bird, however, is signified the arrogance of worldly boasting, or heresy. But by the ship is signified the lightness of the human mind, which is tossed by the bitter waves of this age and the blasts of unclean spirits. By the arrow are signified the deceits and snares of the wicked. For all these things are involved in the tribulations of the present life, but after the end is accomplished, they leave fruitless repentance to their possessors in the underworld, for whom they will always groan and will be uplifted by no consolation.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 5:14-15

  He has further introduced four other examples to demonstrate the weakness of the hope of the wicked, by which they either believed that present things were stable and would endure, or thought that they could live in sin and escape with impunity. For the fuzz that arises from the withering flower of herbs expresses the frailty of the flesh, which is taken away by the wind of sickness or bodily distress, nor is it permitted to remain long, because all flesh is grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass has withered, and its flower has fallen; but the word of the Lord endures forever (Isa. 40:8). But the foam which is produced from the waters and floats on the waters can be understood as the desire for human favor and common boasting: which is scattered by the storm of temptations or the scrutiny of future judgment, because their vanity is proven by such contact. Likewise, smoke demonstrates the vanity of a fleeting life; for just as smoke is dispersed by the wind, so human life is dissolved by the change of times. Therefore, by analogy, it is compared to a passing guest; for we are all guests and strangers here, of which Ecclesiastes says: One generation passes away, and another generation comes, but the earth stands forever; therefore, all is vanity (Eccles. 1:4). For what is more vain than this vanity, that the earth remains, which was made for the sake of men, and man himself, the master of the earth, is suddenly dissolved into dust? Therefore it follows: The sun rises and sets, and returns to its place (Eccles. 1:5). For the sun itself, which is given to mortals for light, daily indicates the destruction of the world by its rising and setting; and all this is to teach that by the changes of times and the rising and setting of the stars, human life slips away and perishes while it is unaware. Therefore, it is just that the wicked, placed in Hades, grieve that they put their hope in that which has no stability, and turned their minds away from Him who, before all things and after all things, remains the same now and forever.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 5:16-17

  But when he described the punishments of sinners and their late repentance in Hades, he consequently recounted the glory and reward of the just with the Lord in heaven, who, having been received into the heavenly kingdom, enjoy a blessed life in the contemplation of God; and this is because they placed all their hope and the intention of their mind in the goodness of their Creator, by whose hand they are also crowned and protected by the right hand of His strength. For the hand of God, and the right hand, and the arm, because of their effective power, signify the only-begotten Son of God: through whom all things were made, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, whom the Father raised from the dead and set at His right hand in the heavenly places, above every principality and power and virtue and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come, and He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the Church, which is His body and the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 5:18-21

  According to history, therefore, the Creator of all, whose weapons are truth, justice, and judgment, through the creature subject to Him, rebukes and strikes those who do wrong. According to the allegory, however, the same Lord arms the creature for the vengeance of His enemies, when through the preachers of the Gospel He reproves the treachery of the Jews, the foolishness of the Gentiles, and the deceit of heretics, concerning sin and righteousness, and judgment, and pierces their hearts with the darts of words, so that, terrified by wholesome fear, they may yield to the hand of Almighty God and learn to be subject to Him, whose admonition they ought by no means to resist, since they are in no way able to withstand His power. But when he says that the whole world fights with Him against the senseless, he shows that the entire Church of Christ, together with its King, that is, the members with the head, fights against the errors and wickedness of the unjust, through the weapons of truth and justice. And which, founded by the authority of the Lord upon the most solid rock, in no way fears ruin: Because the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18); but fixed and unshaken, it remains through all ages.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 5:22

  Lightning emissions are the thunder of proclamations, or the flashes of miracles, which will go directly: because, according to the privilege of their author, they occur for the benefit of the elect or for the damnation of the reprobate. They will be discharged like from a well-bent bow of clouds, when, by the authority of the divine Scriptures, through the virtuous intention of the holy doctors, they are brought forth to terrify adversaries; and they will leap to a certain place, because they proceed in a straight path against those whom it is necessary, nor can it be confused, what divine wisdom is known to be ordered. And hailstones are sent from the stony wrath: because, according to the equality of merits, harsh rebukes are issued.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 5:23

  And the water of the sea will burn upon them, and the rivers will rush together violently. He calls the disturbances of the sea the troubles of the world, the rivers the agitations of persecutions; because often the hearts of the wicked, which the teachings of preaching do not soften, are broken by the scourges of various corrections through fear. The spirit of virtue is the vengeance of the final judgment, which will separate the wicked and ultimately bring all the land to the end of their iniquity, when it will imitate earthly substance and carnal works; by its sentence, the just judge will assign punishment in Gehenna and eternal desolation. For wickedness will overthrow the seats of the mighty, because the evil of the reprobate is the cause of their damnation.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 6:1

  Wisdom, therefore, wherever it dwells, always governs the mind well. For the powers of the body, being mostly foolish, often cast themselves into the abyss of sins: therefore the wise is preferred to the strong, because wisdom directs the steps of man; but bodily strength, although sometimes, when it has overcome someone through power, may imitate strength, yet without the guidance of carefulness it will appear weak, when it is exhausted by foolish labor. Therefore it is written in the psalm: He will not take pleasure in the strength of the horse; nor is there delight in the legs of a man. The Lord's delight is in those who fear Him, and in those who hope in His mercy (Ps. 147:10–11).

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 6:2-6

  They admonish the rulers of the Church to keep the justice of God's commandments, and to hurry to learn and understand the truth of the divine testimonies: for just as they themselves, having been appointed by the Lord with given authority, are made teachers and judges of their brethren so that they may judge them according to the principle of impartiality, and teach them to keep the rule of faith with good works, so they themselves also await divine judgment, which neither deceives nor can be deceived, who judges not only their deeds but also their thoughts and wills, and will judge with strict examination those who did not live according to the will of God and the law of the commandments, nor even taught or judged others.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 6:7

  To those who, through ignorance or weakness or even necessity, have committed certain crimes, and yet have not ceased through humility and repentance to erase those sins, the most merciful Judge grants the grace of forgiveness. But for those who, through stubbornness and contempt for the commandments of God, have committed many and grave crimes, and have neglected to repent of them, more severe torments are assigned in Hades: for just as they were more powerful in the act of wickedness, so they endure stronger punishments in the fire of Gehenna.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 6:8-9

  For God is not a respecter of persons, as the apostle Peter testifies; but in every nation, whoever fears God and works righteousness is accepted by Him (Acts 10:35). But for those who are false teachers and introduce destructive sects, and deny the Lord who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction (2 Peter 2), the gloom of darkness is reserved. For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to Hades, delivering them into chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment and punishment, and did not spare the original world, but preserved Noah, the eighth, a preacher of righteousness, bringing the flood upon the world of the ungodly; and condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, reducing them to ashes, making them an example to those who would act wickedly; and delivered righteous Lot, oppressed by the unjust conduct of the lawless; for by sight and hearing he was righteous, living among them, tormenting his righteous soul day by day by their wicked deeds: so also now those who walk after another flesh in lust and impurity, bold, self-pleasing, and do not fear to make sects, blaspheming, will perish in their own corruption, receiving the reward of their injustice. For God fears no one's greatness, because He Himself is above all and His greatness has no end. He accepts no one's person, because He will judge each according to his ways. He cares equally for all, because He is the creator of all, and He takes proper care of His work and provides the help by which it may subsist. Therefore, after wisdom has spoken to the powerful and rebuked the hardness of their hearts with words, it now turns the speech of exhortation to the rulers themselves, and wonderfully explains the praise of wisdom.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 6:10-11

  They admonish ecclesiastical rulers, indeed all generally to whom governance of their souls is entrusted, to learn divine wisdom, so that they may not transgress the commandments of God. For those who keep what is just will be justly justified, that is, those who pursue justice will receive from the just Judge the reward of their justice; and those who have learned what is just, surely by believing rightly and acting well, to them it will be given what to answer when the examination of each one takes place, because the good merit of the present life seeks the blessed reward of eternal glory.

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 6:12

  It is true that whoever loves wisdom and is hard-working in its meditation preserves discipline in morals, nor can a lover of wisdom be proven otherwise unless he is a preserver of discipline. Therefore, Truth itself says: If you love me, keep my commandments (Jn. 14:15). And again: If anyone loves me, he will keep my word (Jn. 14:23). Therefore James also says: Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves, because not the hearers of the law will be justified before the Lord, but the doers of the law (James 1:22).

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 6:13

  The glory of wisdom is unfading, and it is open only to those who truly love it and diligently seek it. But those who seek it falsely will in no way attain it, because, as was said above, the Holy Spirit of discipline will flee from deceit, and wisdom will not enter into a wicked soul. Therefore, in Proverbs, wisdom says: I love those who love me, and those who rise early to seek me will find me (Prov. 8:17). And again: Blessed is the man who listens to me, who watches daily at my gates, and waits at the posts of my doors. Whoever finds me finds life, and will draw salvation from the Lord. But whoever sins against me injures his own soul. All who hate me love death (Prov. 8:34-36)

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109

• Wisdom of Solomon 6:14-15

  This wisdom is Christ, the Son of God, of whom the Apostle says: I speak of Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God, in whom all the fullness of divinity dwells bodily (Col. 2:9). Therefore, he anticipates all with his grace, whoever longs for his love, because he himself is the way, the truth, and the life; through him one goes, toward him one strives, to him one arrives. But he who has vigilantly watched with a devoted heart from the origin of dawning faith in himself is not consumed by empty labor but is crowned by him for the zeal of good works. For he will find her sitting at his doors, because he will always have her help ready. Therefore, in the Apocalypse he himself says: Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone opens to me, I will enter to him, and will dine with him, and he with me (Rev. 3:20).

  Commentary on Wisdom, PL 109