spoken of; for I consider leprosy to be taken for the irrational passions of the soul; and the living skin, for the rational state; 17.22.40 therefore the saying seems to me to contain a mystery; for in the age of infants the soul is blameless, since irrationality releases it from all blame; but if living skin should appear in it, that is, if the beginnings of reason should spring up, then the beginning of sin comes into being, until the living skin has prevailed, that is, reason growing and being perfected, reason becomes the living skin, and the leprosy is completely made to disappear.

λεγομένην· ἡγοῦμαι γὰρ τὴν λέπραν ἀντὶ ἀλόγων λαμβάνεσθαι τῆς ψυχῆς παθημάτων· τὸν δὲ ζῶντα χρῶτα, ἀντὶ τῆς λογικῆς καταστά 17.22.40 σεως· δοκεῖ οὖν μοι μυστήριον περιέχειν ὁ λόγος· ἐν γὰρ τῇ τῶν βρεφῶν ἡλικίᾳ ἀνέγκλητός ἐστιν ἡ ψυχὴ, τῆς ἀλογίας ἀπολυούσης αὐτὴν παντὸς ψόγου· ἐὰν δὲ ὀφθῇ χρὼς ζῶν ἐν αὐτῇ, ὅ ἐστιν ἐὰν ἀρχαὶ τοῦ λόγου ὑποφύωσι, τότε ἀρχὴ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὑφίσταται, ἕως ἐπικρατήσαντος τοῦ χρωτὸς τοῦ ζῶντος, τουτέστι τοῦ λόγου αὐξάνοντος καὶ τελειουμένου, ὁ λόγος γένηται ὁ χρὼς ζῶν, καὶ τέλεον ἡ λέπρα ἐξαφανισθῇ.