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to think highly of ourselves, even if we are wiser than all, nor to despise the counsels of others, even if they are lowlier than all. For if anyone gives some needful counsel, even if he be a servant, accept the advice; but if it is something destructive, even if he happens to be in the highest dignity, reject the opinion; for one must always pay attention not to the quality of the persons 51.136 counseling, but to the very nature of the counsel. This is what Moses did, teaching us not to blush when being reproved, even if a whole people is present with us. For to bear reproof nobly is a very great encomium, and no common praise, and the praise of the highest philosophy. For we do not so much praise and admire Jethro now, because he corrected Moses, as we are astonished at that holy man, because he was not ashamed at being corrected with so many present, and he committed what had happened to memory, showing his philosophy through it all, and that he exceedingly trampled upon the opinion of the many. 3. But in defending our prologues, we have again made the prologue longer; but not simply or idly, but discoursing to you on the greatest and most necessary things, that when reproved we may bear it nobly, that we may readily reprove those who sin and correct them. It is necessary then to make a defense for the length, and to say for what reason we make long prologues. For what reason then do we do this? We are speaking to such a multitude, to men who have wives, who preside over households, who live in daily labor, in the affairs of life. And not only is this the difficulty, that they are continually occupied, but that we also have them here once a week. Wishing then to make what is said easy for them to understand, through the prologues we are eager to make the teaching clearer. For he who has no work, but is always fixed upon the Scriptures, does not need prologues, does not need preparation, but on hearing the speaker immediately, receives the meaning of what is said; but a man who is for the greater part of his time bound to the affairs of life, and who has come here for a short and brief time, if he does not hear prologues and much preparation, and see the argument paved for him from all sides, departs having gained nothing. And this is not the only reason for us for the length of the prologues, but also another no less than this. For of this great number, some are present, while others often are not present. It is necessary then to praise those who are present, and to blame those who are not present, so that the former may become more earnest through praise, and the latter may put away their indifference through reproaches. There is also another need of prologues for you. We often take up a rather long subject, which it is not possible to bring to a conclusion in one day, but at times we have needed a second, a third, and a fourth exposition for the same treatise. It is necessary then on this second day to take up the end of the former teaching, so that the end being thus joined to the beginning may make the exposition clearer to those present, and the discourse, not being detached from its sequence, may not be more obscure to the hearers. And that you may learn that a discourse introduced without a prologue will be intelligible to no one, behold, I now introduce it without a prologue for the sake of an experiment. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, Peter. Do you see, do you not understand what was said? do you not know the sequence, for what reason it was said? since I introduced it without a prologue, having done the same thing as if someone should bring a man into the theatre veiled on all sides. Come then, let us now un 51.137 cover it, by giving it back its prologue. The discourse here with us formerly was about Paul, when we were discoursing about names, and

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ἑαυτοῖς μέγα φρονεῖν, κἂν ἁπάντων ὦμεν σοφώτεροι, μηδὲ ἀτιμάζειν τὰς παρ' ἑτέρων συμβουλίας, κἂν ἁπάντων ὦσιν εὐτελέστεροι. Ἂν μὲν γάρ τι τῶν δεόντων συμβουλεύσῃ τις, κἂν οἰκέτης ᾖ, δέξαι τὴν παραίνεσιν· ἂν δέ τι τῶν ὀλεθρίων, κἂν ἐν ἀξιώματι τυγχάνῃ μεγίστῳ, παράπεμψαι τὴν γνώμην· οὐ γὰρ τῇ ποιότητι τῶν προσώπων 51.136 τῶν συμβουλευόντων, ἀλλ' αὐτῇ τῆς συμβουλῆς τῇ φύσει προσέχειν δεῖ πανταχοῦ. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ Μωϋσῆς ἐποίησε, παιδεύων ἡμᾶς μὴ ἐρυθριᾷν ἐλεγχομένους, κἂν ὁλόκληρος ἡμῖν δῆμος παρῇ. Ἐγκώμιον γὰρ τοῦτο μέγιστον, καὶ ἔπαινος οὐχ ὁ τυχὼν, καὶ φιλοσοφίας ἔπαινος τῆς ἀνωτάτω, τὸ φέρειν ἔλεγχον γενναίως. Οὐχ οὕτω γὰρ τὸν Ἰοθὼρ ἐπαινοῦμεν καὶ θαυμάζομεν νῦν, ὅτι τὸν Μωϋσέα διώρθωσεν, ὡς ἐκπληττόμεθα τὸν ἅγιον ἐκεῖνον, ὅτι οὔτε ᾐσχύνθη διορθούμενος τοσούτων παρόντων, καὶ μνήμῃ τὸ γεγενημένον παρέδωκε, διὰ πάντων τὴν αὐτοῦ φιλοσοφίαν δείξας, καὶ ὅτι μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ὑπερβολῆς τὴν παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν κατεπάτησε δόξαν. γʹ. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὑπὲρ προοιμίων ἀπολογούμενοι, πάλιν μεῖζον τὸ προοίμιον πεποιήκαμεν· ἀλλ' οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ εἰκῆ, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῶν μεγίστων ὑμῖν διαλεγόμενοι καὶ ἀναγκαιοτάτων, ἵνα γενναίως ἐλεγχόμενοι φέρωμεν, ἵνα προθύμως ἐλέγχωμεν τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας καὶ διορθῶμεν. Ἀνάγκη δὲ λοιπὸν ἀπολογήσασθαι ὑπὲρ τοῦ μήκους, καὶ εἰπεῖν τίνος ἕνεκεν μακρὰ ποιοῦμεν προοίμια. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν τοῦτο ποιοῦμεν; Πλήθει τοσούτῳ διαλεγόμεθα, ἀνθρώποις γυναῖκας ἔχουσιν, οἰκίας προεστηκόσιν, ἐν ἐργασίᾳ καθημερινῇ ζῶσιν, ἐν βιωτικοῖς πράγμασι. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ δυσχερὲς, ὅτι διηνεκῶς εἰσιν ἠσχολημένοι, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ἅπαξ τῆς ἑβδομάδος αὐτοὺς ἐνταῦθα λαμβάνομεν. Βουλόμενοι τοίνυν εὐσύνοπτα κατασκευάζειν αὐτοῖς τὰ λεγόμενα, διὰ τῶν προοιμίων σαφεστέραν ποιῆσαι τὴν διδασκαλίαν σπουδάζομεν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ μηδὲν ἔργον ἔχων, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ ταῖς Γραφαῖς προσηλωμένος, οὐ δέεται προοιμίων, οὐ δεῖται κατασκευῆς, ἀλλ' ἀκούσας εὐθέως τοῦ λέγοντος, δέχεται τῶν λεγομένων τὴν διάνοιαν· ἄνθρωπος δὲ τὸν μὲν πλείω χρόνον πράγμασι βιωτικοῖς προσδεδεμένος, ὀλίγον δὲ καὶ βραχὺ ἐνταῦθα παραγενόμενος, ἂν μὴ προοιμίων ἀκούσῃ καὶ κατασκευῆς πλείονος, καὶ πανταχόθεν ἴδῃ προοδοποιηθέντα αὐτῷ τὸν λόγον, οὐδὲν κερδάνας ἀπέρχεται. Οὐ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον ἡμῖν ἐστιν αἴτιον τοῦ μήκους τῶν προοιμίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερον οὐκ ἔλαττον τούτου. Τῶν γὰρ πολλῶν τούτων οἱ μὲν παραγίνονται, οἱ δὲ οὐ παραγίνονται πολλάκις. Ἀνάγκη τοίνυν τοὺς μὲν παραγενομένους ἐπαινέσαι, τοὺς δὲ μὴ παραγενομένους μέμψασθαι, ἵνα ἐκεῖνοι μὲν τοῖς ἐπαίνοις σπουδαιότεροι γένωνται, οὗτοι δὲ διὰ τῶν ἐγκλημάτων τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν ἀποθῶνται. Ἔστι καὶ ἑτέρα χρεία προοιμίων ὑμῖν. Ὑποθέσεως ἁπτόμεθα μακροτέρας πολλάκις, ἢν οὐ δυνατὸν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ πρὸς τέλος ἀγαγεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ δευτέρας καὶ τρίτης καὶ τετάρτης ἡμῖν ἔστιν ὅτε ἐξηγήσεως εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν ἐδέησε πραγματείαν. Ἀνάγκη τοίνυν καὶ ταύτῃ τῇ δευτέρᾳ ἡμέρᾳ τὰ τέλη τῆς προτέρας διδασκαλίας ἀναλαβεῖν, ἵν' οὕτως ἁρμοσθὲν τῇ ἀρχῇ τὸ τέλος, σαφεστέραν ποιῇ τοῖς παροῦσι τὴν ἐξήγησιν, καὶ μὴ τῆς ἀκολουθίας ἀπηρτημένος ὁ λόγος ἀφανέστερος ᾖ τοῖς ἀκροαταῖς. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι χωρὶς προοιμίων εἰσαγόμενος λόγος οὐδενὶ γνώριμος ἔσται, ἰδοὺ χωρὶς προοιμίων αὐτὸν εἰσάγω νῦν πείρας ἕνεκεν. Ἐμβλέψας δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπε, Σὺ εἶ Σίμων υἱὸς Ἰωνᾶ, σὺ κληθήσῃ Κηφᾶς, ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται Πέτρος. Ὁρᾶτε, μὴ συνίετε τὸ λεχθέν; μὴ ἴστε τὴν ἀκολουθίαν, τίνος ἕνεκεν εἴρηται; ἐπειδὴ χωρὶς προοιμίου αὐτὸ εἰσήγαγον, ταὐτὸν ποιήσας, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις ἄνθρωπον πάντοθεν περιβαλὼν εἰς τὸ θέατρον εἰσαγάγοι. Φέρε οὖν, αὐτὸν λοιπὸν ἐκκα 51.137 λύψωμεν, τὸ προοίμιον ἀποδόντες αὐτῷ. Περὶ Παύλου δὲ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρώην ἡμῖν ἐνταῦθα, ὅτε περὶ τῶν ὀνομάτων διελεγόμεθα, καὶ