Есть мудрость житейская. Связана она обычно с умом и жизненным опытом. В самом общем виде можно сказать, что это искусство правильно жить. Но общее определение сразу переводит нас к другому пониманию. Правильная жизнь для верующего – это жизнь с Богом, жизнь, приводящая к Богу. А раз так, то премудрость обязательно оказывается связанной с благочестием. Это рассуждение можно проиллюстрировать простым примером. Даже в бытовом употреблении слова мудрость присутствует элемент нравственной оценки. Словосочетание «мудрый убийца» звучит неестественно. Может быть хитрый изворотливый, очень умный. Но слово мудрый сюда не подходит. Между умным и мудрым не количественное различие, а качественное. Сколько ни умней, мудрым не станешь. «Вот, страх Господень есть истинная премудрость, и удаление от зла – разум» (Иов. 28: 28).

По слову святителя Иоанна Златоуста, «высочайшая премудрость состоит в том, чтобы почитать Бога, а не в том, чтобы заниматься излишним и производить исследование совершающегося. Нет ничего равного этому искусству, нет ничего сильнее этой мудрости, нет ничего лучше богобоязненности» [29, т. 12, с. 1073].

Начало премудрости – страх Господень. В этом особенность библейской премудрости. Перед нами не просто сборники афоризмов житейской мудрости, полезных советов по разным поводам: как лучше солить грибы, доить корову и так далее.

Ибо есть ли какой великий народ, к которому боги [его] были бы столь близки, как близок к нам Господь, Бог наш, когда ни призовем Его?» (Втор. 4: 5–7).

Таким образом, человек мудрый – это человек благочестивый и мудрость ведет его к Небесному Царству.

Очень важное для нашей темы замечание делает в своей книге митрополит Иерофей Влахос:

«Обычно говорят, что человек есть разумное существо, имея в виду, что он обладает разумом и мышлением. Однако в святоотеческом богословии разумным считается не такой человек, который обладает лишь разумом и произносимым словом, но тот, кто разумом и “разумною силою ищет и исследует, как обрести Бога” и соединиться с Ним [прп. Феогност, Добр., т. 3, с. 386]. Разумен тот, кто очищает свой ум, в котором открывается Бог, и в дальнейшем выражает этот внутренний опыт посредством слова и мышления. В противном случае человек неразумен и ничем не отличается от бессловесных животных. Конечно, такой человек обладает разумной способностью и разумом, однако, не будучи соединен с Богом, он является мертвым. Мертвая душа являет и омертвение разума.

Before the fall, reason in man had the right use, that is, the mind felt God, and reason expressed the experience of the mind. "A pure mind rightly looks at things; the mind formed by exercise places what it sees as if before the eyes of others" [St. Theognost, ibid."] [25, p. 207].

This remark is also confirmed in the book under consideration: "The profligate seeks wisdom and does not find it; but knowledge is easy for the prudent" (Proverbs 14:6).

Wisdom is not something that a person can simply achieve by his own efforts. Read all the books, listen to all the lectures – and become wise. The acquisition of wisdom requires great, if not complete, efforts. "My son! if thou wilt receive my words, and keep my commandments unto thee, that thou shalt make thy ear attentive to wisdom, and incline thy heart to meditation; if thou shalt call upon knowledge and appeal to reason; if you seek it as silver, and seek it as treasure, you will understand the fear of the Lord, and you will find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom; out of His mouth is knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:1-6).

It turns out that wisdom and piety is a gift of God, and the source of wisdom is in God Himself, Who created the world, and only God can give man wisdom. Coming from God, it leads to God – only such wisdom is revered in the Scriptures and in the Book of Proverbs as true. "Abaddon and death say, With our ears we have heard the rumor of it. God knoweth her way, and he knoweth her place. For He looketh unto the ends of the earth, and seeth under all heaven" (Job 28:22-24).

Having said that God is the source of wisdom, let us finally move on to the highest level of understanding: He Himself reveals Himself as Wisdom. Wisdom in Solomon appears personified: it says something, calls for something, does something (Proverbs 8:9). As we shall see, we are talking about the Hypostatic Wisdom of God. "From Him also ye are in Christ Jesus, Who was made unto us wisdom from God, righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption," writes the Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 1:30).

Three Invocations of Wisdom. The first part of the book contains the so-called appeals of the Wisdom of God to people [see, e.g., 23, col. 127-129]. The first proclamation is contained in chapter 1: "Turn to my chastisement: behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you, I will declare my words to you. I called, and you did not listen; She stretched out my hand, and there was no one to hear; and you have rejected all my counsels, and have not received my reproofs. For this I will laugh at your destruction; I will rejoice when terror comes upon you; when terror comes upon you like a storm, and trouble comes upon you like a whirlwind; when sorrow and distress come upon you. Then they will call me, and I will not hear; In the morning they will seek me, and they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord for themselves, did not accept my counsel, despised all my reproofs; therefore they will eat of the fruit of their ways, and be satisfied with their thoughts. For the stubbornness of the ignorant will kill them, and the carelessness of fools will destroy them, but he who hears me will live safely and quietly, fearing no evil" (Proverbs 1:23-33). Here it is quite obvious that wisdom is not identical with knowledge, since the misfortunes that will befall a person who does not have it, and, conversely, the safety of people who follow wisdom, clearly exceeds the consequences of the possession or absence of ordinary knowledge. These words are very reminiscent of the Old Testament prophetic preaching.

The second proclamation of Wisdom is contained in chapter 8. Wisdom "stands in high places, by the wayside, at the highways; She cries out at the gates at the entrance to the city, at the entrance to the doors: To you, people, I cry, and to the sons of men my voice!<... >Hear, for I will speak important things, and the utterance of my mouth is righteousness; for my tongue shall speak the truth, and wickedness shall be an abomination to my mouth; all the words of my mouth are just; there is no deceit or deceit in them; all of them are clear to the prudent and just to those who have acquired knowledge. Receive my teaching, and not silver; knowledge is better than choice gold; for wisdom is better than pearls, and nothing that is desired compares with it. I, O wisdom, dwell with understanding, and seek prudent knowledge. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and evil ways and deceitful lips I hate. I have advice and truth; I am the mind, I have power. By Me kings reign, and rulers legitimize righteousness; I am ruled by rulers and nobles and all the judges of the earth. Those who love me I love, and those who seek me will find me; riches and glory are mine, a treasure that does not perish, and righteousness; My fruits are better than gold, and the purest gold, and I am more profitable than the choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, to bring great good to those who love me, and I fill their treasuries. The Lord had me as the beginning of His way, before His creatures, from time immemorial; I was anointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the existence of the earth. I was born when there were no abysses, when there were no springs abounding in water. I was born before the mountains were erected, before the hills, before He had yet created the earth, nor the fields, nor the primordial specks of dust of the universe. When He prepared the heavens, I was there. When He drew a circular line on the face of the deep, when He established the clouds above, when He strengthened the fountains of the deep, when He gave the sea a statute that the waters should not overstep its boundaries, when He laid the foundations of the earth, then I was a painter with Him, and I was a joy all the day, rejoicing before Him all the time, rejoicing in His earthly circle, and my joy was with the sons of men. So, children, listen to me; and blessed are those who keep my ways! Listen to the instruction and be wise, and do not depart from it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching every day at my gates, and standing on guard at my doors! for whoever has found me has found life, and will receive grace from the Lord; but he who sins against me injures his soul: all who hate me love death" (Proverbs 8:2-4, 6-36). Wisdom was born "before all ages." Wisdom, which appeared in the midst of people, appears here as the creative power of God, through which the Lord creates the world. We know that the Lord creates the world through the Son, "in whom all things were." The gift of Wisdom is like a pearl and a treasure. He who seeks wisdom learns its teaching and through it is delivered from death. In terms of content, this passage reminds us of the Gospel preaching of the Savior (especially the speeches contained in the Gospel of John).