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they are ashamed; so that one should be more vexed at these, than wonder at the others. And for this reason, leaving them aside, I myself will speak gently and with much forbearance to those who are most concerned about their children, or rather to those who ought to be concerned, but are not concerned at all, asking only this of them, not to be vexed, nor to be indignant, if someone should say that he knows what is beneficial for their children better than they themselves do. For it is not enough to have begotten a child to teach the begetter what is advantageous for the one begotten, but while this would contribute greatly to affection for the one born, yet for learning exactly what is beneficial for him, neither begetting nor loving would be sufficient. For if this were so, no man should have seen what is useful for the child more than his father, since no one else could love him more than he; but as it is, fathers themselves confess by what they do that they are ignorant of this, when they take their children to teachers, when they entrust them to tutors, when they take on countless advisors, deliberating about the choice of life to which their son must be led. And this is not yet surprising, but that often when a deliberation takes place, they invalidate their own counsel and establish that of others, when deliberating for their own children. Therefore let them not be displeased with us either, if we should say we know what is advantageous for them better; but if we should not prove it through our words, then let them accuse, then let them slander us as being boasters and destroyers and enemies of all nature.

2. How then will this be clear and whence shall we know who is the one who truly sees what is advantageous, and who is the one who seems to see, but does not see at all? If we compel the arguments from me, like some antagonists, to come down for examination and to engage in conflict, we shall entrust the examination concerning these things to impartial judges. The law of the contest, then, bids us to strip for action against the Christian, and to contend against him alone, and demands nothing more from us. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? says the blessed Paul. But since it happens that many fathers of children drawn towards heaven are also unbelievers; although the law of the contests releases us from the fight against them, we ourselves will willingly and with eagerness strip for action against them first. And would that 47.333 our contest were only against them, although it is both more difficult, and has more holds; For the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit; for they are foolishness to him; and the same thing happens, as if someone were persuading a man to love a kingdom who is unwilling to be persuaded first that the thing exists. But nevertheless, even with our arguments thus confined to a narrow space, I would have wished this contest of mine to be against them alone. For in the case of the believer, we have many points of justification, but nevertheless the pleasure from the abundance of just points is overshadowed by the excess of shame. For I am ashamed when I am forced to contend against him also about these things, and I fear lest the Greek should have only this just accusation to bring forward against me; since in other matters we will easily defeat him by the grace of God, and if he should be willing to be reasonable, we will quickly change him not only to the love of this life, but also to the desire for the doctrines themselves, from which this life has its foundation. For so far am I from fearing the contest against him, that having first made it more difficult for him in argument, I will so engage in the struggles. For let it be supposed that this father is not only a Greek, but also richer than all men and conspicuous, and that he is established in great power, and let him have many fields, and many houses, and ten thousand talents of gold; and let him be of the most royal country, and of the most illustrious family, and let him have no other children, nor hope to have any for the future, but let his hopes ride on this one alone; and let this very son be in good hopes, and that he will soon ascend to the same office

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αἰσχύνονται· ὥστε ὑπὲρ τούτων μᾶλλον δυσχεραινόντων, ἢ τῶν ἄλλων θαυμάζειν χρή. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκείνων ἀφέμενος, τούτοις οἷς μάλιστα μέλει τῶν παίδων, μᾶλλον δὲ οἷς μέλειν μὲν ἔδει, μέλει δὲ οὐδαμῶς, διαλέξομαι προσηνῶς καὶ μετ' ἐπιεικείας πολλῆς, τοσοῦτον αὐτοὺς παραιτησάμενος μὴ δυσχεραίνειν, μηδὲ ἀγανακτεῖν, εἴ τις τὸ λυσιτελὲς τοῖς ἐκείνων παισὶ μᾶλλον αὐτῶν ἐκείνων εἰδέναι λέγοι. Οὐ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ τὸ σπεῖραι παῖδα πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον τὸν γεννηθέντα διδάξαι τὸν γεννησάμενον, ἀλλὰ πρὸς μὲν τὴν φιλοστοργίαν τοῦ τεχθέντος μεγάλα ἂν τοῦτο συμβάλοιτο, πρὸς δὲ τὸ μαθεῖν αὐτοῦ τὸ λυσιτελὲς ἀκριβῶς, οὔτε τὸ σπείρειν οὔτε τὸ φιλεῖν ἀρκέσειεν ἄν. Ἐπεὶ εἰ τοῦτο ἦν, οὐδένα ἀνθρώπων πατρὸς μᾶλλον τὸ χρήσιμον ἐχρῆν ὁρᾷν τῷ παιδὶ, ἐπειδὴ μήτε φιλεῖν μᾶλλον αὐτοῦ τῶν ἄλλων δύναιτό τις τοῦτον· νῦν δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ πατέρες δι' ὧν ποιοῦσιν ὁμολογοῦσι τοῦτο ἀγνοεῖν, ὅταν πρὸς διδασκάλους ἄγωσιν, ὅταν παιδαγωγοῖς ἐγχειρίζωσιν, ὅταν μυρίους παραλαμβάνωσι συμβούλους, περὶ τῆς τοῦ βίου προαιρέσεως, ἐφ' ἣν τὸν παῖδα ἄγειν δεῖ, βουλευόμενοι. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτό πω θαυμαστὸν, ἀλλ' ὅτι πολλάκις βουλῆς γινομένης, τὴν αὐτῶν ἀκυρώσαντες, τὴν ἑτέρων ἔστησαν ὑπὲρ τῶν οἰκείων βουλευόμενοι παίδων. Μὴ τοίνυν μηδὲ πρὸς ἡμᾶς δυσχερῶς ἐχέτωσαν, εἰ λέγοιμεν τὸ συμφέρον αὐτοῖς εἰδέναι μᾶλλον· ἀλλ' εἰ μὴ διὰ τῶν λόγων ἀποδείξαιμεν, τότε κατηγορεῖν, τότε διαβάλλειν ὡς ἀλαζόνας ὄντας καὶ λυμεῶνας καὶ τῆς φύσεως ἁπάσης ἐχθρούς.

βʹ. Πῶς οὖν τοῦτο ἔσται δῆλον καὶ πόθεν εἰσόμεθα τίς μὲν ὁ τὸ συμφέρον ὄντως ὁρῶν, τίς δὲ ὁ δοκῶν μὲν ὁρᾷν, ὁρῶν δὲ οὐδαμῶς; Ἂν τοὺς παρ' ἐμοῦ λόγους καθάπερ τινὰς ἀνταγωνιστὰς εἰς ἐξέτασιν κατιέναι καταναγκάσαντες καὶ συμπλακῆναι, περὶ τούτων ἀδεκάστοις κριταῖς ἐπιτρέψωμεν τὴν ἐξέτασιν. Ὁ μὲν οὖν τοῦ ἀγῶνος νόμος πρὸς τὸν Χριστιανὸν ἀποδύεσθαι κελεύει, καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἀγωνίζεσθαι μόνον, καὶ πλεῖον οὐδὲν ἀπαιτεῖ παρ' ἡμῶν. Τί γάρ μοι καὶ τοὺς ἔξω κρίνειν; ὁ μακάριος Παῦλός φησιν. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ συμβαίνει πολλοὺς καὶ ἀπίστους εἶναι τῶν πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἑλκομένων παίδων πατέρας· καίτοι γε τοῦ νόμου τῶν ἀγώνων ἀφιέντος ἡμᾶς τῆς πρὸς τούτους μάχης, ἑκόντες αὐτοὶ καὶ μετὰ προθυμίας καὶ πρὸς τούτους ἀποδυσόμεθα πρώτους. Καὶ εἴθε 47.333 πρὸς τούτους μόνον ἦν ἡμῶν ὁ ἀγὼν, καίτοι γε δυσχερέστερός τέ ἐστι, καὶ πλείονας ἔχει λαβάς· Ψυχικὸς γὰρ ἄνθρωπος οὐ δέχεται τὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος· μωρία γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐστι· καὶ συμβαίνει ταυτὸν, οἷον ἂν εἴ τις βασιλείας ἐρᾷν πείθῃ τὸν οὐκ ἐθέλοντα πεισθῆναι πρότερον, ὅτι τὸ πρᾶγμα ὑφέστηκεν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ οὕτως εἰς στενὸν ἡμῖν κατακεκλεισμένων τῶν λόγων, πρὸς τούτους ἠθέλησα ἂν μόνους τὸν ἀγῶνά μοι γενέσθαι τοῦτον. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ πιστοῦ πολλὰ μὲν ἡμῖν τὰ δικαιώματα, ἀλλ' ὅμως τὴν ἐκ τῆς τῶν δικαίων περιουσίας ἡδονὴν συσκιάζει τῆς αἰσχύνης ἡ ὑπερβολή. Αἰσχύνομαι γὰρ ὅταν καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ὑπὲρ τούτων ἀποτείνεσθαι ἀναγκάζωμαι, καὶ δέδοικα μὴ τοῦτό μοι μόνον ὁ Ἕλλην ἔγκλημα δίκαιον ἔχοι προβάλλεσθαι· ἐπεὶ τοῖς γε ἄλλοις αὐτὸν τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι ῥᾳδίως αἱρήσομεν, κἂν εὐγνώμων εἶναι ἐθέλοι, ταχέως αὐτὸν οὐ πρὸς τὸν ἔρωτα τοῦ βίου τούτου μεταστήσομεν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν τῶν δογμάτων τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, ἀφ' ἧς ὁ βίος ἔχει τὴν ὑπόθεσιν οὗτος. Τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἀπέχω φοβηθῆναι τὸν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀγῶνα, ὅτι καὶ χαλεπώτερον αὐτὸν πρότερον καταστήσας τῷ λόγῳ, οὕτως ἅψομαι τῶν παλαισμάτων. Κείσθω γὰρ μὴ μόνον Ἕλληνα εἶναι τοῦτον τὸν πατέρα, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλούσιον ὑπὲρ πάντας ἀνθρώπους καὶ ἀπόβλεπτον, καὶ ἐν δυναστείᾳ καθεστάναι μεγάλῃ, καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν ἀγροὺς ἐχέτω, πολλὰς δὲ οἰκίας, μυρία δὲ χρυσίου τάλαντα· ἔστω δὲ καὶ πατρίδος τῆς βασιλικωτάτης, καὶ γένους τοῦ περιφανεστάτου, καὶ μήτε ἐχέτω παῖδας ἑτέρους, μήτε ἕξειν ἐλπιζέτω τοῦ λοιποῦ, ἀλλ' ἐν τούτῳ σαλευέτω μόνον· ἔστω δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς οὗτος ἐν ἐλπίσι χρησταῖς, καὶ ταχέως ἐπὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἀρχὴν ἀναβήσεσθαι