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15.1 And of almost all other things, whatever makes their possessors blessed, we Cappadocians are poor, 15.2 and poorest of all in those able to write. This, you see, is also the cause of the great tardiness of the discourse; for though my refutation against the heresy was composed a long time ago, there was no one to copy it, and the lack of secretaries would likely have brought upon us the suspicion of laziness or of 15.3 weakness in argument. But since now at least, by God's grace, both he who writes and he who proofreads what is written have been found, I have sent to you the discourse not, as Isocrates says, as a gift (for I do not reckon anything in it of such a nature as to become a possession for the one receiving it), but as an exhortation to you, so that, being full of vigor in the prime of your youth, you may take courage for the battle against the adversaries, stirring up the boldness of 15.4 youth by the zeal of an old man. But if anything of the discourse should seem worthy also of the sophist's hearing, having approved certain parts, especially those before the main arguments, as many as are of the epideictic kind, bring them up; and perhaps some of the dogmatic points will also appear to you not ungracefully expounded. And whatever you read, it is clear that you will read it as to a teacher and corrector.

16.τ To Strategius

16.1 Just as those who play with a ball do, when, standing in three places, they send the ball back and forth to each other with an accurate throw, one receiving it from another, and they make sport of the one in the middle leaping up for it, having feigned the throw to the right or left by the contrived motion of the face and a certain signal of the hand, and wherever they see him rushing, sending it to the opposite side they have belied his hope by deceit; such things have been accomplished even now by many of us, who, having given up on earnestness, treat people like a ball with our cleverness, deceiving the souls of those who hope 16.2 in us by the perversity of our actions instead of the right-handed hope we held out. Letters of reconciliation, courtesies, tokens, gifts, affectionate embraces through letters, these are the feint of the ball that is shown toward the right; but instead of the joy hoped for through these, there are accusations, conspiracies, slanders, reproaches, charges, the snatching of one-sided decisions. Blessed in your hopes are you who through such things gain 16.3 boldness before God. But we entreat you not to look to our affairs, but to the Master's teaching of the gospel (for who could be a comfort to another in his pains [could another be], being himself overwhelmed by pains?), so that matters may take their own course, as he says: Vengeance is mine, I 16.4 will repay, says the Lord. But you, my excellent friend, act worthily of yourself and hope in God and not be hindered from being noble and good because of our examples, but entrust to God the righteous judge the expedient and just outcome of affairs, and proceed in this way, 16.5 wherever the divine wisdom may direct. Certainly Joseph was not distressed by the envy of his brothers, because the wickedness of his kinsmen became for him the path to the kingdom.

17.τ To the presbyters in Nicomedia

17.1 May the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who

orders all things in wisdom for what is expedient, visit and comfort you through his own grace, working in you what is well-pleasing to himself, and may his grace come upon you

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15.1 Καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων μικροῦ δεῖν, ὅσα ποιεῖ τοὺς κεκτημένους

εὐδαίμονας, πένητες οἱ Καππαδόκαι ἡμεῖς, 15.2 πλέον δὲ πάντων πένητες τῶν γράφειν δυναμένων. τοῦτό τοι καὶ τῆς πολλῆς τοῦ λόγου βραδυτῆτος αἴτιον· πρὸ πλείονος γάρ μοι χρόνου πεπονημένης τῆς πρὸς τὴν αἵρε σιν ἀντιρρήσεως, ὁ μεταγράφων οὐκ ἦν, καὶ τῶν ὑπογραφέων ἡ ἀπορία ῥᾳθυμίας ἡμῖν κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς ἢ τῆς περὶ 15.3 τὸν λόγον ἀσθενείας προσετρίψατο ἂν ὑπόνοιαν. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ νῦν γοῦν κατὰ θεοῦ χάριν ὅ τε γράφων καὶ ὁ δοκιμάζων τὰ γεγραμμένα εὑρέθησαν, ἀπέσταλκα ὑμῖν οὐ, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἰσοκράτης, δῶρον τὸν λόγον (οὐδὲ γάρ τι τοιοῦτον ἐν τούτῳ λογίζομαι, ὡς ἀντὶ κτήματος τῷ δεξομένῳ γενέσθαι), ἀλλ' ὡς ἂν γένοιτο ὑμῖν προτροπή, ὥστε σφριγῶντας τῇ ἀκμῇ τῆς νεότητος καταθαρσῆσαι τῆς πρὸς τοὺς ἐναντίους μάχης, ἐν τῇ τοῦ γέροντος προθυμίᾳ τὸ τῆς 15.4 νεότητος εὐθαρσὲς ἀνεγείροντας. εἰ δὲ φανείη τι τῶν ἐκ τοῦ λόγου καὶ τῆς ἀκοῆς τοῦ σοφιστοῦ ἄξια, δοκιμάσαντες μέρη τινά, τὰ πρὸ τῶν ἀγώνων μάλιστα, ὅσα τῆς ἐπιλεκτικῆς ἐστιν ἰδέας, ἀνενέγκατε· ἴσως δέ τινα καὶ τῶν δογματικῶν φανήσεται ὑμῖν οὐκ ἀχαρίστως ἡρμηνευμένα. ἅπερ δ' ἀναγινώσκοιτε, δῆλον ὅτι ὡς διδασκάλῳ καὶ διορθωτῇ ἀναγνώσεσθε.

16.τ Στρατηγίῳ

16.1 Οἷόν τι ποιοῦσιν οἱ τῇ σφαίρᾳ παίζοντες, ὅταν τριχῆ διαστάντες ἀντιπέμπωσιν ἀλλήλοις ἐν εὐστοχίᾳ τὴν βολὴν ἄλλος παρ' ἄλλου διαδεχόμενοι, διαπαίζουσι δὲ τὸν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀναπηδῶντα, τῇ ἐσχηματισμένῃ τοῦ προσώπου ὁρμῇ καὶ τῇ ποιᾷ τῆς χειρὸς ἐνδείξει κατὰ τὸ δεξιὸν ἢ εὐώνυμον τὴν βολὴν προδείξαντες, ἐφ' ὅπερ <δ'> ἂν ἴδωσιν αὐτὸν ὁρμῶντα, κατὰ τὸ ἐναντίον ἀποπεμπόμενοι καὶ τὴν ἐλπίδα δι' ἀπάτης ἐψεύσαντο· τοιαῦτα κατώρθωται καὶ νῦν παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἡμῶν, οἳ τὸ σπουδάζειν ἀφέντες, ἐν εὐφυΐᾳ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους σφαιρίζομεν, ἀντὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς ἐλπίδος, ἣν προϊσχόμεθα, τῇ σκαιότητι τῶν γινομένων τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ἐλπιζόντων 16.2 <ἐφ'> ἡμῖν παρακρουόμενοι. γράμματα καταλλακτήρια, φιλοφροσύναι, σύμβολα, δῶρα, ἀγαπητικαὶ διὰ γραμμάτων περιπλοκαί, ταῦτά ἐστι τῆς σφαίρας ἡ ἔνδειξις ἡ κατὰ τὸ δεξιὸν προδεικνυμένη· ἀλλ' ἀντὶ τῆς ἐλπισθείσης διὰ τούτων εὐφροσύνης κατηγορίαι, συσκευαί, διαβολαί, μέμψεις, ἐγκλήματα, μονομερῶν ἀποφάσεων ὑφαρπαγαί. μακάριοι τῶν ἐλπίδων ὑμεῖς οἱ διὰ τῶν τοιούτων τὴν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν παρρησίαν πραγ16.3 ματευόμενοι. ἀλλὰ παρακαλοῦμεν ὑμᾶς μὴ πρὸς τὰ ἡμέτερα βλέπειν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν δεσποτικὴν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου διδασκαλίαν (τίς γὰρ ἂν ἑτέρῳ τῶν ὀδυνῶν παραμυθία γένοιτο [ἂν ἄλλος] αὐτὸς ταῖς ὀδύναις ὑπερβαλλόμενος;), ὡς [δ'] ἂν τὴν ἰδίαν διέξοδον λάβῃ τὰ πράγματα, ὥς φησιν· Ἐμοὶ ἐκδίκησις, ἐγὼ 16.4 ἀνταποδώσω, λέγει κύριος. σὺ δέ μοι, ὦ ἄριστε, πράττειν σεαυτοῦ ἀξίως καὶ τῷ θεῷ ἐπελπίζειν καὶ μὴ ἐγκόπτεσθαι πρὸς τὸ καλός τε καὶ ἀγαθὸς εἶναι διὰ τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν ὑποδείγματα, ἐπιτρέπειν δὲ τῷ θεῷ τῷ δικαιοκρίτῃ τὴν συμφέρουσάν τε καὶ δικαίαν τῶν πραγμάτων ἀπόβασιν, ταύτῃ τε ἄγειν, 16.5 ὅπηπερ ἂν ἡ θεία κατευθύνῃ σοφία. πάντως οὐδὲ ὁ Ἰωσὴφ τῷ φθόνῳ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐδυσχέραινε, διότι τῶν ὁμογενῶν ἡ κακία ὁδὸς αὐτῷ πρὸς τὴν βασιλείαν ἐγένετο.

17.τ Τοῖς ἐν Νικομηδείᾳ πρεσβυτέροισ

17.1 Ὑμᾶς μὲν Ὁ πατὴρ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν καὶ θεὸς πάσης παρακλήσεως, ὁ

πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον οἰκονομῶν, διὰ τῆς ἰδίας ἐπισκοπήσειε χάριτος καὶ παρακαλέσειεν, ἑαυτῷ ποιῶν ἐν ὑμῖν τὸ εὐάρεστον, καὶ ἔλθοι ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἡ χάρις