Chapter V.—Closing appeal.

Henceforth, ye Greeks, come and partake of incomparable wisdom, and be instructed by the Divine Word, and acquaint yourselves with the King immortal; and do not recognise those men as heroes who slaughter whole nations. For our own Ruler,12    Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἡμῶν. the Divine Word, who even now constantly aids us, does not desire strength of body and beauty of feature, nor yet the high spirit of earth’s nobility, but a pure soul, fortified by holiness, and the watchwords of our King, holy actions, for through the Word power passes into the soul. O trumpet of peace to the soul that is at war! O weapon that puttest to flight terrible passions! O instruction that quenches the innate fire of the soul! The Word exercises an influence which does not make poets: it does not equip philosophers nor skilled orators, but by its instruction it makes mortals immortal, mortals gods; and from the earth transports them to the realms above Olympus. Come, be taught; become as I am, for I, too, was as ye are.13    [He seems to quote Gal. iv. 12.] These have conquered me—the divinity of the instruction, and the power of the Word: for as a skilled serpent-charmer lures the terrible reptile from his den and causes it to flee, so the Word drives the fearful passions of our sensual nature from the very recesses of the soul; first driving forth lust, through which every ill is begotten—hatreds, strife, envy, emulations, anger, and such like. Lust being once banished, the soul becomes calm and serene. And being set free from the ills in which it was sunk up to the neck, it returns to Him who made it. For it is fit that it be restored to that state whence it departed, whence every soul was or is.14    [N. B. —It should be stated that modern critics consider this work as not improbably by another author.]

Ἔλθετε λοιπόν, ἄνδρες Ἕλληνες, καὶ σοφίᾳ ἀπαραμιλλήτῳ κοινωνήσατε, καὶ θείῳ λόγῳ παιδεύθητε, καὶ μάθετε βασιλέα ἄφθαρτον, καὶ τοὺς τούτου ἥρωας ἐπίγνωτε οὔποτε λαοῖς φόνον ἐργαζομένους. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἡμῶν ὁ στρατηγὸς οὐ βούλεται σωμάτων ἀλκὴν καὶ τύπων εὐμορφίαν οὐδ' εὐγενείας φρύαγμα, ἀλλὰ ψυχήν τε καθαράν, ὁσιότητι τετειχισμένην, καὶ τὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἡμῶν συνθήματα, καὶ πράξεις θείας, ὡς διὰ λόγου δυνάμεως εἰς ψυχὴν διικνουμένης (ὢ σάλπιγξ εἰρηνικὴ ψυχῆς πολεμουμένης, ὢ παθῶν δεινῶν φυγαδευτήριον, ὢ πυρὸς ἐμψύχου σβεστικὸν διδασκάλιον!), ἥτις οὐ ποιητὰς ποιεῖ, οὐ φιλοσόφους κατασκευάζει οὐδὲ ῥήτορας δεινούς, ἀλλὰ παιδεύουσα ποιεῖ τοὺς θνητοὺς ἀθανάτους, τοὺς βροτοὺς θεούς, ἐκ γῆς δὲ μετάγει εἰς τοὺς ὑπὲρ Ὄλυμπον ὅρους. Ἔλθετε, παιδεύθητε: γίνεσθε ὡς ἐγώ, ὅτι κἀγὼ ἤμην ὡς ὑμεῖς. Ταῦτά με εἷλε, τό τε τῆς παιδείας ἔνθεον καὶ τὸ τοῦ λόγου δυνατόν: ὅτι καθάπερ ἐπαοιδὸς ἀγαθὸς ἐκ φωλεοῦ ἐξερπύσαι ποιήσας φυγαδεύει δεινὸν ἑρπετόν, οὕτως ὁ λόγος ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς μυχῶν τὰ δεινὰ τῆς αἰσθήσεως ἀπελαύνει πάθη, πρῶτον ἐπιθυμίαν, δι' ἧς πᾶν δεινὸν φύεται, ἔχθραι ἔρεις ζῆλος ἐριθεῖαι θυμοὶ καὶ τὰ ὅμοια τούτοις. Ἐπιθυμίας οὖν ἀπελαθείσης εὔδιος ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ γαληνιῶσα γίνεται. Παραλυθεῖσα δὲ τῶν περὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτῆς κακῶν περιῤῥεόντων ἀπέρχεται πρὸς τὸν ποιήσαντα αὐτήν: δεῖ γὰρ ἀποκατασταθῆναι ὅθεν ἀπέστη.