12

more considerate, than to move an uneducated tongue; having discussed these things with ourselves, and with counselors who were perhaps not bad, or if not, at least well-disposed, and not knowing what ought to be said and done, rather than teaching what we are ignorant of, we have approved. For it is a desirable thing for one whose discourse has attained to a hoary old age, and is able to benefit a soul young in piety. But to attempt to teach others, before one has been sufficiently taught oneself, and to learn pottery on the wine-jar, as the saying goes, to practice piety on the souls of others, seems to me to be the mark of exceedingly foolish or rash men; foolish, if they are not even aware of their own ignorance; audacious, if, even when aware of it, they dare to undertake the matter.

48. The wiser among the Hebrews, then, say that there was of old a law among the Hebrews, an excellent and highly praised one, that not every age should be given over to every Scripture; for this was not more profitable, because not all of it is immediately comprehensible to everyone, and the deeper meaning might greatly harm the many by its appearance; but that some books from the beginning were released to all and were common, of which the literal sense is not to be rejected; but others were to be entrusted to no one 35.457 except to those who had passed their twenty-fifth year, as many as conceal their mystical beauty under a humble garment, as a prize for diligence and a splendid life, flashing forth and being revealed only to those whose minds are purified, since this age alone is capable of rising above the body, and of ascending rightly from the letter to the spirit.

49. But for us there is no boundary for teaching and being taught, like the stones of old for the tribes beyond the Jordan and those within the Jordan; nor is that permitted to some, and this to others; nor is there any rule of qualification. But the matter has been cast down and confused, and we are in such a bad state that most of us, not to say all, before we have almost shed our first hair and our childish lisp, before we have entered the divine courts, before we know even the names of the sacred books, before we recognize the character and the authors of the New and Old Testaments; for I am not yet saying, before washing off the mire, and the shames of the soul which wickedness has impressed upon us, if we practice two or three pious phrases, and these from hearsay, not from reading, or converse briefly with David, or wrap our cloak well, or philosophize as far as the belt, having colored ourselves with some pretense and appearance of piety; Oh, the presumption and the arrogance! Samuel was holy even from his swaddling-clothes; we are immediately wise and teachers, and lofty in divine things, and the first of scribes and lawyers, and we appoint ourselves heavenly, and seek to be called Rabbi by men, and the letter is nowhere, and everything must be understood spiritually, and our dreams are wide-spread 35.460 nonsense; and we would be indignant if we were not highly praised. This is true of the better and simpler among us; but what of those who are more spiritual and nobler? Having condemned us on many points, if they so decide, and having examined us, and having held us in no esteem, they departed, having spurned our fellowship as that of impious men.

50. But if we should say to one of them, bringing the argument forward thus gently and reasonably: Tell me, O wonderful one, do you call dancing something, and flute-playing? They would certainly say yes. What then of wisdom and being wise, that which we hold to be the knowledge of things divine and human? They will grant this too. And whether it is better and loftier, these things than wisdom, or wisdom by far than these things? And I know well they will say this of all of them; and up to this point they are reasonable. Is there then for dancing and flute-playing teaching and learning, and is time needed for this, and frequent sweat and toils, and sometimes to pay fees, and to need introductions, and to travel to distant places, and to do all some things, and suffer others, by which experience is gathered; but wisdom, which

12

μᾶλλον εὐγνώμονα, ἢ γλῶσσαν κινεῖν ἀπαίδευτον· ταῦτα διαλεχθέντες ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἴσως οὐ φαύλοις συμβούλοις, εἰ δὲ μή γε, ἀλλ' οὖν εὔνοις, καὶ τὰ ῥητέα καὶ τὰ πρακτέα μαθεῖν οὐκ εἰδότες, μᾶλλον ἢ διδάσκειν ἀγνοοῦντες, ἐδοκιμάσαμεν. Ἀγα πητὸν γὰρ ὅτῳ κἂν εἰς βαθὺ γῆρας λόγος ἀφίκοιτο πολιὸς, καὶ ὠφελῆσαι νέαν ἐν εὐσεβείᾳ ψυχὴν δυνάμενος. Ὡς τό γε παιδεύειν ἄλλους ἐπιχειρεῖν, πρὶν αὐτοὺς ἱκανῶς παιδευθῆναι, καὶ ἐν πίθῳ τὴν κεραμείαν μανθάνειν, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἄλλων ψυχαῖς ἐκμελετᾷν τὴν εὐσέβειαν, λίαν εἶναί μοι φαίνεται ἀνοήτων ἢ τολμηρῶν· ἀσυνέτων μὲν, εἰ μηδὲ αἰσθάνοιντο τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἀμαθείας· θρασέων δὲ, εἰ καὶ συνιέντες, κατα τολμῶσι τοῦ πράγματος.

ΜΗʹ. Ἑβραίων μὲν οὖν οἱ σοφώτεροι λέγουσιν, ὡς ἄρα ἦν τις πάλαι νόμος Ἑβραίοις, ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα εὖ ἔχων καὶ ἐπαινούμενος, μὴ πᾶσαν ἡλι κίαν πάσῃ Γραφῇ ἐνδίδοσθαι· μηδὲ γὰρ εἶναι τοῦτο λυσιτελέστερον, ὅτι μηδὲ πᾶσαν εὐθέως εἶναι παντὶ ληπτὴν, καὶ τὰ μέγιστα ἂν τοὺς πολλοὺς κα κῶσαι τῷ φαινομένῳ, τὴν βαθυτέραν· ἀλλὰ τὰς μὲν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἀνεῖσθαι πᾶσι καὶ εἶναι κοινὰς, ὧν καὶ τὸ σωματικὸν οὐκ ἀδόκιμον· τὰς δὲ μὴ ἄλλοις 35.457 ἢ τοῖς ὑπὲρ εἰκοστὸν καὶ πέμπτον γεγονόσιν ἔτος πιστεύεσθαι, ὅσαι δι' εὐτελοῦς τοῦ ἐνδύματος τὸ μυστικὸν κάλλος περικαλύπτουσιν, ἆθλον φιλοπονίας καὶ λαμπροῦ βίου, μόνοις τοῖς κεκαθαρμένοις τὸν νοῦν ὑπαστράπτον καὶ φανταζόμενον, ὡς μό νης δυναμένης τῆς ἡλικίας ταύτης ὑπὲρ τὸ σῶμα γενέσθαι, καὶ ἀναβῆναι καλῶς ἐπὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ἀπὸ τοῦ γράμματος.

ΜΘʹ. Ἡμῖν δὲ οὐδεὶς ὅρος τοῦ παιδεύειν καὶ τοῦ παιδεύεσθαι, ὥσπερ οἱ λίθοι πάλαι ταῖς ὑπὲρ τὸν Ἰορδάνην καὶ ταῖς ἐντὸς Ἰορδάνου φυλαῖς· οὐδὲ τισὶ μὲν ἐκεῖνο, τισὶ δὲ τοῦτο ἐπιτρεπτέον· οὐδέ τις κανὼν τῶν ἕξεων· ἀλλ' οὕτω τὸ πρᾶγμα ἔῤῥιπται καὶ συγκέχυται, καὶ οὕτω κακῶς διακείμεθα, ὥστε οἱ πλείους ἡμῶν, ἵνα μὴ λέγω πάντες, πρὶν ἀποθέσθαι σχεδὸν τὴν πρώτην τρίχα καὶ τὸ τὰ παιδικὰ ψελλίζεσθαι, πρὶν παρελ θεῖν εἰς τὰς θείας αὐλὰς, πρὶν τῶν ἱερῶν βίβλων γνῶναι κἂν τὰ ὀνόματα, πρὶν Καινῆς καὶ Πα λαιᾶς χαρακτῆρα γνωρίσαι καὶ τοὺς προστά τας· οὔπω γὰρ λέγω πρὶν ἢ τὸν βόρβορον ἀπο πλύνασθαι, καὶ τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς αἴσχη ὅσα ἡ κακία ἡμῖν προσεμάξατο, ἂν δύο ἢ τρία ῥήματα τῶν εὐσε βῶν ἐξασκήσωμεν, καὶ ταῦτα ἐξ ἀκοῆς, οὐκ ἐντεύ ξεως, ἢ τῷ ∆αβὶδ βραχέα καθομιλήσωμεν, ἢ τὸ τρι βώνιον εὖ περιστειλώμεθα, ἢ μέχρι τῆς ζώνης φιλοσοφήσωμεν, εὐσεβείας τι πλάσμα καὶ ὄψιν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς περιχρώσαντες· βαβαὶ τῆς προ εδρίας καὶ τοῦ φρονήματος! Ἱερὸς καὶ ἐκ σπαργά νων ὁ Σαμουήλ· εὐθύς ἐσμεν σοφοὶ καὶ διδά σκαλοι, καὶ ὑψηλοὶ τὰ θεῖα, καὶ γραμματέων τὰ πρῶτα καὶ νομικῶν, καὶ χειροτονοῦμεν ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς οὐρανίους, καὶ καλεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ῥαββὶ ζητοῦμεν, καὶ οὐδαμοῦ τὸ γράμμα, καὶ πάντα δεῖ νοηθῆναι πνευματικῶς, καὶ λῆρος πλατὺς τὰ 35.460 ὀνείρατα· καὶ ἀγανακτοίημεν ἂν, εἰ μὴ σφόδρα ἐπαι νοίμεθα. Τοῦτο ἡμῶν οἱ χρηστότεροι καὶ ἁπλούστε ροι· τί δὲ οἱ πνευματικοὶ μᾶλλον καὶ γεν ναιότεροι; Πολλὰ κατακρίναντες ἡμᾶς, ἂν οὕτω δόξῃ, καὶ βασανίσαντες, καὶ οὐδαμοῦ θέντες, ἀπῆλ θον, καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν ὡς οὐκ εὐσεβῶν διαπτύ σαντες.

Νʹ. Ἂν δέ τινι αὐτῶν λέγωμεν οὑτωσὶ πράως καὶ λογικῶς προβιβάζοντες· Εἰπέ μοι, ὦ θαυμάσιε, καλεῖς τι τὸ ὀρχεῖσθαι, τό τε αὐλεῖν; Πάνυ γε εἴ ποιεν ἄν. Τί δαὶ σοφίαν τε καὶ σοφὸν εἶναι, τοῦθ' ὃ δὴ θείων τε καὶ ἀνθρωπίνων ἐπιστήμην τι θέμεθα; Καὶ τοῦτο δώσουσι. Πότερον δὲ κρεῖττον εἶναι καὶ ὑψηλότερον, ταῦτα σοφίας, ἢ τούτων μα κρῷ τὴν σοφίαν; Καὶ πάντων εὖ οἶδ' ὅτι φή σουσι· καὶ μέχρι τούτων εἰσὶν εὐγνώμονες. Ἆρ' οὖν ὀρχήσεως μὲν καὶ αὐλήσεώς ἐστι διδασκαλία καὶ μάθησις, καὶ χρόνου πρὸς τοῦτο δεῖ, καὶ ἱδρώ των συχνῶν καὶ πόνων, καὶ μισθοὺς καταβαλεῖν ἔστιν ὅτε, καὶ προσαγωγῶν δεηθῆναι, καὶ ἀπο δημῆσαι μακρότερα, καὶ τἄλλα τὰ μὲν ποιῆσαι πάντα, τὰ δὲ παθεῖν, οἷς ἐμπειρία συλλέγεται· τὴν δὲ σοφίαν, ἢ