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to be fitting for the simpler ones; but this is contrary to the more perfect, and it is harmful to spend time in these things. So that it was not necessary to introduce legal matters now, nor for the comparison to be made from these things, that he is a high priest, and that he sacrificed, and that he prayed with a strong cry and supplication. See, then, how these things are offensive to us; but then it nourished them, in no way being offensive to them. Therefore, the oracles of God are true food, nourishing the soul. That the word is food is clear from this: For I will give them, he says, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food. He did not say, "I fed you," showing that such a thing is not food, but just as in the case of small children who are not able to be nourished with bread; for such are not given drink, but their food becomes drink for them; so also here. And he did not say, "You have need," but, "You have become in need of milk, and not of solid food"; that is, you willed it, you put yourselves into this state, into this need. For everyone who partakes of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness; for he is an infant. What is the word of righteousness? Here it seems to me he also alludes to life; which Christ also said, Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees. This he also says himself: Unskilled in the word of righteousness; that is, unskilled in the higher philosophy, he is not able to accept an extreme and exact life. Or he even calls Christ righteousness here, and the high word concerning him. That they had become dull, then, he said; but from whence, he no longer added, leaving it for them to know, and not wishing to make his discourse burdensome. But in the case of the Galatians he both marveled and was perplexed; which is much greater for consolation; as one who would never have expected this to happen. For this is perplexity. Do you see that there is another kind of infancy? Do you see another kind of perfection? Let us become perfect, then, with this perfection; it is possible for us being children and young men. 63.73 to come to that perfection; for it is not of nature, but of virtue. But solid food is for the perfect, who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. What then? Did they not have their senses exercised, nor know what is good and evil? Now his discourse is not about life, when he says, To discern good and evil; for it is possible for every person to know this and it is easy; but about sound and lofty doctrines, and those that are corrupt and base. The child does not know how to distinguish between bad and good food; at least he often put dirt into his mouth, and received what was harmful, and does everything indiscriminately; but the perfect person is not like this. Such are those who simply attend to everyone, and indiscriminately lend their ears to the unapproved. And he blames them, as being simply carried about, and now giving themselves to these, now to those; which he also hinted at toward the end, saying, Do not be carried away by diverse and strange teachings. This is, To discern good and evil. For the throat tastes foods, but the soul tests words. 4. Let us then learn this, and if you hear that one is not a Greek, nor a Jew, do not immediately think him to be a Christian, but examine all the other things as well; since both the Manichaeans and all heresies have put on this mask, in order to deceive the simpler ones in this way; but if we have the senses of the soul exercised for the discernment of good and evil, we will be able to discern such people. But how do our senses become exercised? From constant hearing, from experience of the Scriptures. For when we expose their error, and you hear today and tomorrow, and you test that it is not right, you have learned the whole thing, you have known the whole thing; and even if you do not understand today, you will understand tomorrow; Of those who have their senses, he says, exercised. Do you see that we must exercise our hearing with divine hearings, so as not to hear a strange voice? Exercised, he says, for discernment; that is, to be experienced. The one says there is not

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ἀφελεστέροις ἁρμόζειν· τοῦτο δὲ ἐναντίον τοῖς τελειοτέροις, καὶ βλαβερὸν τὸ ἐν τούτοις διατρίβειν. Ὥστε οὐκ ἔδει τὰ νομικὰ ἐπεισφέρεσθαι νῦν, οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τούτων τὴν σύγκρισιν γίνεσθαι, ὅτι ἀρχιερεὺς, καὶ ὅτι ἔθυσε, καὶ ἐδεήθη μετὰ κραυγῆς καὶ ἱκετηρίας. Ὅρα γοῦν πῶς ἡμῖν ταῦτα προσίσταται· ἀλλ' ἐκείνους τότε ἔτρεφεν, οὐδαμοῦ προσιστάμενα αὐτοῖς. Ἄρα οὖν ἀληθὴς τροφὴ τὰ λόγια τοῦ Θεοῦ, τρέφουσα τὴν ψυχήν. Ὅτι δὲ ὁ λόγος τροφὴ, δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν· ∆ώσω γὰρ αὐτοῖς, φησὶν, οὐ λιμὸν ἄρτου, οὐδὲ δίψαν ὕδατος, ἀλλὰ λιμὸν τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι λόγον Κυρίου. Γάλα ὑμᾶς ἐπότισα, οὐ βρῶμα. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἔθρεψα, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι τὸ τοιοῦτον τροφὴ, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν παιδίων τῶν μικρῶν τῶν οὐ δυναμένων ἄρτῳ τρέφεσθαι· τὰ γὰρ τοιαῦτα οὐ ποτίζεται, ἀλλ' ἡ τροφὴ αὐτοῖς ἀντὶ ποτοῦ γίνεται· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Χρείαν ἔχετε, ἀλλὰ, Γεγόνατε χρείαν ἔχοντες γάλακτος, καὶ οὐ στερεᾶς τροφῆς· τουτέστιν, Ὑμεῖς ἠθελήσατε, ὑμεῖς ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τοῦτο κατεστήσατε, εἰς ταύτην τὴν χρείαν. Πᾶς γὰρ ὁ μετέχων γάλακτος, ἄπειρος λόγου δικαιοσύνης· νήπιος γάρ ἐστι. Τί ἐστιν ὁ λόγος τῆς δικαιοσύνης; Ἐνταῦθά μοι δοκεῖ καὶ βίον αἰνίττεσθαι· ὅπερ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλεγεν, Ἐὰν μὴ περισσεύσῃ ἡ δικαιοσύνη ὑμῶν πλέον τῶν Γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων. Τοῦτο καὶ αὐτός φησιν· Ἄπειρος λόγου δικαιοσύνης· τουτέστι, τῆς ἄνω φιλοσοφίας ἄπειρος, οὐ δύναται παραδέξασθαι βίον ἄκρον καὶ ἠκριβωμένον. Ἢ καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἐνταῦθα τὸν Χριστόν φησι, καὶ τὸν ὑψηλὸν περὶ αὐτοῦ λόγον. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν νωθροὶ γεγόνασιν, εἶπε· πόθεν δὲ, οὐκέτι προσέθηκεν, αὐτοῖς ἀφιεὶς εἰδέναι, καὶ μὴ βουλόμενος ἐπαχθῆ τὸν λόγον ἐργάσασθαι. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν Γαλατῶν καὶ ἐθαύμασε καὶ ἠπόρησεν· ὃ πολλῷ μεῖζον πρὸς παραμυθίαν ἐστίν· ὡς οὐκ ἂν προσδοκήσαντός ποτε τοῦτο γενέσθαι. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ἡ διαπόρησις. Ὁρᾷς νηπιότητα ἑτέραν οὖσαν; ὁρᾷς τελειότητα ἑτέραν; Γενώμεθα τέλειοι τοίνυν ταύτην τὴν τελειότητα· ἔνεστι καὶ παῖδας ὄντας καὶ νέους. 63.73 πρὸς ἐκείνην ἐλθεῖν τὴν τελειότητα· οὐ γάρ ἐστι φύσεως, ἀλλ' ἀρετῆς. Τελείων δέ ἐστιν ἡ στερεὰ τροφὴ, τῶν διὰ τὴν ἕξιν τὰ αἰσθητήρια γεγυμνασμένα ἐχόντων πρὸς διάκρισιν καλοῦ τε καὶ κακοῦ. Τί δαί; οὐκ εἶχον τὰ αἰσθητήρια γεγυμνασμένα ἐκεῖνοι, οὐδὲ ᾔδεισαν τί καλὸν καὶ κακόν; Νῦν οὐ περὶ βίου αὐτῷ ὁ λόγος, ὅταν λέγῃ, Πρὸς διάκρισιν καλοῦ καὶ κακοῦ· τοῦτο γὰρ παντὶ ἀνθρώπῳ δυνατὸν εἰδέναι καὶ εὔκολον· ἀλλὰ περὶ δογμάτων ὑγιῶν καὶ ὑψηλῶν, διεφθαρμένων τε καὶ ταπεινῶν. Τὸ παιδίον οὐκ οἶδε τὴν φαύλην καὶ τὴν δόκιμον τροφὴν διαιρεῖν· πολλάκις γοῦν καὶ χοῦν ἐνέβαλεν εἰς τὸ στόμα, καὶ τὸ βλαβερὸν ἐδέξατο, καὶ πάντα ἀδιακρίτως ποιεῖ· ἀλλ' οὐ τὸ τέλειον τοιοῦτον. Τοιοῦτοί εἰσιν οἱ πᾶσιν ἁπλῶς προσέχοντες, καὶ ἀδιακρίτως τὰς ἀκοὰς ἐκδιδόντες ἀδοκίμοις. Καὶ τούτους αἰτιᾶται, ὡς ἁπλῶς περιφερομένους, καὶ νῦν μὲν τούτοις, νῦν δὲ ἐκείνοις διδόντας ἑαυτούς· ὃ καὶ πρὸς τῷ τέλει ᾐνίξατο λέγων, ∆ιδαχαῖς ποικίλαις καὶ ξέναις μὴ παραφέρεσθε. Τοῦτό ἐστι, Πρὸς διάκρισιν καλοῦ τε καὶ κακοῦ. Λάρυγξ μὲν γὰρ σῖτα γεύεται, ψυχὴ δὲ δοκιμάζει λόγους. δʹ. Καὶ ἡμεῖς τοίνυν τοῦτο μάθωμεν, καὶ μὴ, ἐὰν ἀκούσῃς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν Ἕλλην, οὐδὲ Ἰουδαῖος, εὐθέως Χριστιανὸν εἶναι νομίσῃς, ἀλλ' ἐξέτασον καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἅπαντα· ἐπεὶ καὶ Μανιχαῖοι καὶ πᾶσαι αἱρέσεις τοῦτο ὑπέδυσαν τὸ προσωπεῖον, πρὸς τὸ οὕτως ἀπατᾷν τοὺς ἀφελεστέρους· ἀλλ' ἐὰν ἔχωμεν τὰ αἰσθητήρια τῆς ψυχῆς γεγυμνασμένα πρὸς διάκρισιν καλοῦ τε καὶ κακοῦ, δυνησόμεθα τοὺς τοιούτους διακρίνειν. Πῶς δὲ γεγυμνασμένα γίνεται ἡμῶν τὰ αἰσθητήρια; Ἀπὸ τῆς συνεχοῦς ἀκροάσεως, ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν Γραφῶν ἐμπειρίας. Ὅταν γὰρ προθῶμεν αὐτῶν τὴν πλάνην, καὶ σήμερον ἀκούσῃς καὶ αὔριον, καὶ δοκιμάσῃς μὴ καλῶς ἔχειν, τὸ πᾶν ἔμαθες, τὸ πᾶν ἔγνως· κἂν σήμερον μὴ καταλάβῃς, αὔριον καταλήψῃ· Τῶν τὰ αἰσθητήρια, φησὶ, γεγυμνασμένα ἐχόντων. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι χρὴ γυμνάζειν ἡμῶν τὴν ἀκοὴν ταῖς ἀκροάσεσι ταῖς θείαις, ὥστε μὴ ξενοφωνεῖσθαι; Γεγυμνασμένα, φησὶ, πρὸς διάκρισιν· τουτέστιν, ἔμπειρον εἶναι. Ὁ μὲν λέγει μὴ εἶναι