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after those labors, someone, from much inexperience, falling into heresy, is separated from the body of the Church? A thing which I know many have suffered. What profit is there for him in endurance? None, just as there is none from sound faith, when one's conduct is corrupt. For these reasons especially, he whose lot it is to teach others must be experienced in all such conflicts. For even if he himself stands in safety, suffering no harm from his opponents, yet the multitude of the simpler folk under his charge, when they see their leader defeated and having nothing to say to his adversaries, blame not his weakness for the defeat, but the unsoundness of the doctrine, and through the inexperience of one man the great mass of the people is plunged into utter destruction; for even if they do not entirely become opponents, they are nevertheless forced to doubt those things in which they had confidence, and those things which they approached with unwavering faith, they can no longer hold to with the same firmness, but so great a storm enters their souls from their teacher's defeat, that the evil ends in shipwreck. And how great the destruction, and how much fire is gathered on his wretched head for each one of these who are perishing, you will have no need to learn from me, since you know all these things exactly yourself. Is it then desperation, is it vainglory, not to wish to become the cause of destruction for so many, nor to procure for myself a greater punishment than that which is now laid up for me there? And who would say these things? No one, unless someone should wish to find fault in vain and to philosophize on the misfortunes of others.

5.1 BOOK V

1. That public discourses require much labor and zeal. Now how much

experience a teacher needs for conflicts on behalf of the truth, has been sufficiently demonstrated by us; but in addition to these, I have something else to say which is the cause of countless dangers. Or rather, I would not call that the cause, but those who do not know how to use it well, since the thing itself is a source of salvation and of many good things, when it finds those who minister it to be zealous and good men. What then is this? The great labor spent on the public addresses to the people. For, in the first place, most of those under rule are not willing to be disposed as towards teachers when men speak, but overstepping the role of learners, they take on that of spectators at secular contests. And just as there the crowd is divided, and some attach themselves to this man, and others to that, so here too they are divided, some being with this man, others with that, hearing what is said with partiality and with prejudice. And not only is this difficult, but there is also another thing no less so; for if it should happen that one of the speakers weaves into his discourses some portion of what has been labored on by others, he endures more reproaches than those who steal money; and often, even though he has taken nothing from anyone, but is only suspected, he suffers the fate of those who have been caught. And why do I speak of things labored on by others? It is not possible for him to use his own discoveries continually; for the multitude are accustomed to listen not for profit, but for pleasure, sitting like judges of tragedians or cithara players, and that power of speech which we have just now cast out becomes as desirable here as it is not even for sophists when they are compelled to contend against one another. Here too, therefore, there is need of a noble soul, far surpassing our own smallness, so that it may correct the disorderly and unprofitable pleasure of the multitude and lead it to what is more beneficial

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μετὰ τοὺς μόχθους ἐκείνους ἀπὸ τῆς πολλῆς τις ἀπειρίας εἰς αἵρεσιν ἐκπεσὼν ἀποσχισθῇ τοῦ σώματος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας; Ὅπερ οἶδα πολλοὺς παθόντας ἐγώ. Ποῖον αὐτῷ κέρδος τῆς καρτερίας; Οὐδέν, ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲ ὑγιοῦς πίστεως, τῆς πολιτείας διεφθαρμένης. ∆ιὰ δὴ ταῦτα μάλιστα πάντων ἔμπειρον εἶναι δεῖ τῶν τοιούτων ἀγώνων τὸν διδάσκειν τοὺς ἄλλους λαχόντα. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ἕστηκεν ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ, μηδὲν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀντιλεγόντων βλαπτόμενος, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῶν ἀφελεστέρων πλῆθος τὸ ταττόμενον ὑπ' ἐκείνῳ, ὅταν ἴδῃ τὸν ἡγούμενον ἡττηθέντα καὶ οὐδὲν ἔχοντα πρὸς τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας εἰπεῖν, οὐ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τὴν ἐκείνου τῆς ἥττης ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ δόγματος αἰτιῶνται σαθρότητα, καὶ διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἑνὸς ἀπειρίαν ὁ πολὺς λεὼς εἰς ἔσχατον ὄλεθρον καταφέρεται· κἂν γὰρ μὴ πάντῃ γένωνται τῶν ἐναντίων, ἀλλ' ὅμως ὑπὲρ ὧν θαρρεῖν εἶχον ἀμφιβάλλειν ἀναγκάζονται, καὶ οἷς μετὰ πίστεως προσῄεσαν ἀκλινοῦς, οὐκέτι μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς δύνανται προσέχειν στερρότητος, ἀλλὰ τοσαύτη ζάλη ταῖς ἐκείνων εἰσοικίζεται ψυχαῖς ἀπὸ τῆς ἥττης τοῦ διδασκάλου, ὡς καὶ εἰς ναυάγιον τελευτῆσαι τὸ κακόν. Ὅσος δὲ ὄλεθρος καὶ ὅσον συνάγεται πῦρ εἰς τὴν ἀθλίαν κεφαλὴν ἐκείνου, καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν ἀπολλυμένων τούτων, οὐδὲν δεήσῃ παρ' ἐμοῦ μαθεῖν, ἅπαντα αὐτὸς εἰδὼς ἀκριβῶς. Τοῦτο οὖν ἀπονοίας, τοῦτο κενοδοξίας, τὸ μὴ θελῆσαι τοσούτοις ἀπωλείας αἴτιον γενέσθαι, μηδὲ ἐμαυτῷ μείζονα προξενῆσαι τιμωρίαν τῆς νῦν ἀποκειμένης ἐκεῖ; Καὶ τίς ἂν ταῦτα φήσειεν; Οὐδείς, πλὴν εἴ τις μάτην μέμφεσθαι βούλοιτο καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἀλλοτρίαις φιλοσοφεῖν συμφοραῖς.

5.1 ΛΟΓΟΣ Εʹ

αʹ. Ὅτι πολλοῦ πόνου καὶ σπουδῆς αἱ ἐν τῷ κοινῷ ὁμιλίαι δέονται Ὅσης μὲν

ἐμπειρίας τῷ διδασκάλῳ δεῖ πρὸς τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀγῶνας, ἱκανῶς ἡμῖν ἀποδέδεικται· ἔχω δέ τι καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἕτερον μυρίων αἴτιον κινδύνων εἰπεῖν. Μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ ἐκεῖνο εἴποιμι ἂν αἴτιον ἔγωγε, ἀλλὰ τοὺς οὐκ εἰδότας αὐτῷ χρῆσθαι καλῶς, ἐπεὶ τό γε πρᾶγμα αὐτὸ σωτηρίας τε καὶ πολλῶν πρόξενον γίνεται ἀγαθῶν, ὅταν τοὺς διακονουμένους εὕρῃ σπουδαίους τε ἄνδρας καὶ ἀγαθούς. Τί οὖν τοῦτό ἐστιν; Ὁ πολὺς πόνος ὁ περὶ τὰς διαλέξεις τὰς κοινῇ πρὸς τὸν λαὸν γινομένας ἀναλισκόμενος. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ τὸ πλέον τῶν ἀρχομένων οὐκ ἐθέλουσιν ὡς πρὸς διδασκάλους διακεῖσθαι τοὺς λέγοντας, ἀλλὰ τὴν τῶν μαθητῶν τάξιν ὑπερβάντες ἀντιλαμβάνουσι τὴν τῶν θεατῶν τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἔξωθεν καθεζομένων ἀγῶσι. Καὶ καθάπερ ἐκεῖ τὸ πλῆθος μερίζεται, καὶ οἱ μὲν τούτῳ, οἱ δὲ ἐκείνῳ προσνέμουσιν ἑαυτούς, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα διαιρεθέντες, οἱ μὲν μετὰ τούτου, οἱ δὲ μετὰ ἐκείνου γίνονται, πρὸς χάριν καὶ πρὸς ἀπέχθειαν ἀκούοντες τῶν λεγομένων. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ χαλεπόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερον οὐδὲν ἔλαττον τούτου· ἢν γάρ τινα συμβῇ τῶν λεγόντων μέρος τι τῶν ἑτέροις πονηθέντων ἐνυφῆναι τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ, πλείονα τῶν τὰ χρήματα κλεπτόντων ὑφίσταται ὀνείδη, πολλάκις δὲ οὐδὲ λαβὼν παρ' οὐδενὸς οὐδέν, ἀλλ' ὑποπτευθεὶς μόνον, τὰ τῶν ἑαλωκότων ἔπαθε. Καὶ τί λέγω τῶν ἑτέροις πεπονημένων; Αὐτὸν τοῖς εὑρήμασι τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ συνεχῶς χρήσασθαι οὐκ ἔνι· οὐ γὰρ πρὸς ὠφέλειαν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τέρψιν ἀκούειν εἰθίσθησαν οἱ πολλοί, καθάπερ τραγῳδῶν ἢ κιθαρῳδῶν καθήμενοι δικασταί, καὶ ἡ τοῦ λόγου δύναμις ἣν ἐξεβάλομεν νῦν, οὕτως ἐνταῦθα γίνεται ποθεινὴ ὡς οὐδὲ τοῖς σοφισταῖς ὅταν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγωνίζεσθαι ἀναγκάζωνται. Γενναίας οὖν δεῖ κἀνταῦθα ψυχῆς καὶ πολὺ τὴν ἡμετέραν ὑπερβαινούσης σμικρότητα ἵνα τὴν ἄτακτον καὶ ἀνωφελῆ τοῦ πλήθους ἡδονὴν κολάζῃ καὶ πρὸς τὸ ὠφελιμώτερον μετάγειν