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succeeding. For see, he says, how wise he is: he shares his possessions, he is merciful, he is a lover of mankind; he understood that nature is common; he understood the use of money, that it is of no account; that one must spare one’s own body more than money. Therefore, despising glory, he is also a philosopher; for he knows human affairs. Philosophy is the knowledge of things divine and human. Therefore he knows what things are divine and what are human, and he abstains from the one, and practices the other; he knows, and gives thanks to God in all things; he considers the present life to be nothing; for this reason he neither takes pleasure in good things, nor is he grieved by their opposites. Do not wait for another teacher; you have the oracles of God; no one teaches you as they do. For a human teacher often conceals many things both through vainglory and through envy. Hear, I beseech you, all you who are occupied with the affairs of this life, and acquire books, the medicines of the soul. If you want nothing else, at least acquire the New Testament, the Acts of the Apostles, the Gospels, as constant teachers. If grief befalls you, delve into them as into a storehouse of medicines; take from there comfort for the terrible thing, whether it be a loss, or a death, or the bereavement of loved ones; or rather, do not just delve into them, but take them all in, keep them in your mind. This is the cause of all evils, not knowing the Scriptures. We go to war without weapons 62.362; and how should we be saved? It is a wonder to be saved with these, let alone without them. Do not cast everything upon us; you are sheep, but not irrational, but rational; Paul entrusts many things to you also. Those who are being taught do not spend all their time in learning, since they are not being taught; if you are always learning, you will never have learned. Do not come in such a way, as one who will always be learning; since you will never know, but as one who will also unlearn, and teach another. But tell me, do not all men remain for set periods in their studies, and in all arts in general? Thus we all set a clear time; but if one is always learning, it is proof of having learned nothing. 2. This reproach God spoke to the Jews: Carried from the womb, and taught even to old age. If you were not always expecting this, everything would not have gone backward so. If it were possible for some to be those who have learned, and others to be those who are about to, our work would have progressed; you would have made way for others, and you would have helped us as well. Tell me, if some were to go to a grammarian, and then remain always learning the elements, would they not cause the teacher much labor? How long shall we discourse to you about life? It was not so in the time of the apostles, but they were continually moving on, making those who had previously learned teachers of some other disciples. Thus they were able to go round the world, by not being bound to one place. How much teaching do you think your brothers in the fields need, and their teachers? But you hold me back, having nailed me down. For before the head is well-disposed, it is superfluous to go to the rest of the body. You cast everything upon us. You ought to learn from us only; but the wives from you, the children from you; but you leave everything to us. For this reason the labor is great. Teaching, he says, and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. See also the gentleness of Paul. Since reading has labor, and is very burdensome, he led them not to histories, but to psalms, so that at the same time you might both delight the soul by singing, and steal away the labor. With hymns, he says, and spiritual songs. But now your children choose satanic songs and dances, just like the cooks and fishmongers and dancers; but no one knows any psalm, but the thing seems to be a shame and a mockery and a laugh. From there all evils are preserved. For of whatever kind of earth the plant stands in, such fruit it bears

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κατορθοῦντος. Ὅρα γὰρ, πῶς σοφός ἐστι, φησί· μεταδίδωσι τῶν ὄντων, ἐλεήμων ἐστὶ, φιλάνθρωπος· ἐπέγνω τὴν φύσιν ὅτι κοινή· ἐπέγνω τὴν τῶν χρημάτων χρῆσιν, ὅτι οὐδενὸς ἀξία λόγου· ὅτι τῶν σωμάτων τῶν οἰκείων δεῖ φείδεσθαι μᾶλλον, ἢ τῶν χρημάτων. ∆ιὸ δόξης καταφρονῶν καὶ φιλόσοφός ἐστιν· οἶδε γὰρ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα πράγματα. Τῶν θείων καὶ ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων γνῶσις ἡ φιλοσοφία. Οὐκοῦν οἶδε μὲν ποῖα θεῖα, ποῖα δὲ ἀνθρώπινα, καὶ τῶν μὲν ἀπέχεται, ταῦτα δὲ ἐργάζεται· οἶδε, καὶ εὐχαριστεῖ τῷ Θεῷ ἐν πᾶσιν· οὐδὲν εἶναι νομίζει τὸν παρόντα βίον· διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ ἥδεται τοῖς χρηστοῖς, οὔτε λυπεῖται τοῖς ἐναντίοις. Μηδὲ περιμείνῃς ἕτερον διδάσκαλον· ἔχεις τὰ λόγια τοῦ Θεοῦ· οὐδείς σε διδάσκει ὡς ἐκεῖνα. Οὗτος μὲν γὰρ πολλὰ καὶ διὰ κενοδοξίαν καὶ διὰ βασκανίαν ἐπικρύπτει πολλάκις. Ἀκούσατε, παρακαλῶ, πάντες οἱ βιωτικοὶ, καὶ κτᾶσθε βιβλία φάρμακα τῆς ψυχῆς. Εἰ μηδὲν ἕτερον βούλεσθε, τὴν γοῦν Καινὴν κτήσασθε, τῶν ἀποστόλων τὰς Πράξεις, τὰ Εὐαγγέλια, διδασκάλους διηνεκεῖς. Ἂν λύπη συμβῇ, ὥσπερ εἰς ἀποθήκην φαρμάκων ἔγκυψον· λάβε παραμυθίαν ἐκεῖθεν τοῦ δεινοῦ, ἂν ζημία, ἂν θάνατος, ἂν ἀποβολὴ οἰκείων· μᾶλλον δὲ μὴ ἔγκυπτε, ἀλλὰ ἀνάλαβε πάντα, ἔχε ἐπὶ τῆς διανοίας. Τοῦτο πάντων αἴτιον τῶν κακῶν, τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι τὰς Γραφάς. Χωρὶς ὅπλων 62.362 εἰς πόλεμον βαδίζομεν· καὶ πῶς ἔδει σωθῆναι; Ἀγαπητὸν μετὰ τούτων σωθῆναι, μήτι γε χωρὶς τούτων. Μὴ τὰ πάντα ἐφ' ἡμᾶς ῥίπτετε· πρόβατά ἐστε, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἄλογα, ἀλλὰ λογικά· πολλὰ καὶ ὑμῖν ὁ Παῦλος ἐπιτρέπει. Οἱ διδασκόμενοι οὐ διαπαντὸς ἐπὶ τὸ μαθεῖν διατρίβουσιν, ἐπεὶ οὐ διδάσκονται· ἂν ἀεὶ μανθάνῃς, οὐδέποτε μαθήσῃ. Μὴ οὕτως ἔρχου, ὡς ἀεὶ μαθησόμενος· ἐπεὶ οὐδέποτε εἴσῃ, ἀλλ' ὡς καὶ ἀπομαθησόμενος, καὶ διδάξων ἕτερον. Εἰπὲ δέ μοι, οὐχὶ ὡρισμένους καιροὺς παραμένουσιν ἅπαντες ἐν τοῖς μαθήμασι, καὶ ἐν πάσαις ἁπλῶς ταῖς τέχναις; Οὕτως ἅπαντες ὁρίζομεν φανερὸν καιρόν· ἂν δὲ ἀεὶ μανθάνῃ, τεκμήριόν ἐστι τοῦ μηδὲν μαθεῖν. βʹ. Τοῦτο τὸ ὄνειδος τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ὁ Θεὸς εἶπεν· Αἰρόμενοι ἐκ κοιλίας, καὶ παιδευόμενοι ἕως γήρως. Εἰ μὴ ἀεὶ τοῦτο προσεδοκᾶτε, οὐκ ἂν οὕτως εἰς τοὐπίσω πάντα ἀπῄει. Εἰ ἐνῆν τοὺς μὲν εἶναι μεμαθηκότας, τοὺς δὲ μέλλοντας, προέκοψεν ἂν τὸ ἔργον ἡμῖν· παρεχωρήσατε ἂν ἑτέροις, καὶ συναντελάβεσθε καὶ ἡμῖν. Εἰπέ μοι, εἰ πρὸς γραμματιστήν τινες ἀπίοιεν, εἶτα μένοιεν ἀεὶ τὰ στοιχεῖα μανθάνοντες, οὐ πολὺν τῷ διδασκάλῳ πόνον παρέξουσι; Μέχρι τίνος ὑμῖν περὶ βίου διαλεγόμεθα; Ἐπὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων οὕτως οὐκ ἦν, ἀλλὰ συνεχῶς μετεπήδων, τοὺς πρότερον μανθάνοντας διδασκάλους καθιστῶντες ἑτέρων τινῶν μαθητευομένων. Οὕτως ἠδυνήθησαν τὴν οἰκουμένην περιελθεῖν, τῷ μὴ προσδεσμεῖσθαι τόπῳ ἑνί. Πόσης οἴεσθε διδασκαλίας δεῖσθαι τοὺς ὑμετέρους ἀδελφοὺς τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγρῶν, καὶ τοὺς ἐκείνων διδασκάλους; Ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς με κατέχετε προσηλώσαντες. Πρὶν ἢ γὰρ τὴν κεφαλὴν καλῶς διατεθῆναι, περιττὸν ἐπὶ τὸ λοιπὸν σῶμα ἱέναι. Πάντα ἡμῖν ἐπιῤῥίπτετε. Ὑμᾶς ἐχρῆν παρ' ἡμῶν μανθάνειν μόνον· τὰς δὲ γυναῖκας παρ' ὑμῶν, τὰ παιδία παρ' ὑμῶν· ἀλλὰ πάντα ἡμῖν καταλιμπάνετε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πολὺς ὁ κόπος. ∆ιδάσκοντες, φησὶ, καὶ νουθετοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς ψαλμοῖς καὶ ὕμνοις καὶ ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς. Ὅρα καὶ τὸ ἀνεπαχθὲς τοῦ Παύλου. Ἐπειδὴ ἡ ἀνάγνωσις ἔχει πόνον, καὶ πολὺ τὸ φορτικὸν, οὐκ ἐφ' ἱστορίας ἤγαγεν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ ψαλμοὺς, ἵνα ὁμοῦ καὶ τέρπῃς τὴν ψυχὴν ᾄδων, καὶ ὑποκλέπτῃς τὸν πόνον. Ὕμνοις, φησὶ, καὶ ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς. Νῦν δὲ σατανικὰς μὲν ᾠδὰς καὶ ὀρχήσεις αἱροῦσιν οἱ παῖδες οἱ ὑμέτεροι, καθάπερ οἱ μάγειροι καὶ οἱ ὀψῶναι καὶ οἱ χορευταί· ψαλμὸν δὲ οὐδεὶς οὐδένα οἶδεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αἰσχύνη τὸ πρᾶγμα δοκεῖ εἶναι καὶ χλευασία καὶ γέλως. Ἐκεῖθεν ἅπαντα τὰ κακὰ σώζεται. Ἐν οἵᾳ γὰρ ἂν ἑστήκῃ γῇ τὸ φυτὸν, τοιοῦτον φέρει