53

they say. And the Nomads, our neighbors—I mean the Ishmaelites, who live in the deserts and know none of the Greek writings—are adorned with sagacity and intelligence and have a mind capable both of discerning the truth 5.74 and of refuting falsehood. And concerning the Egyptians, I think it superfluous to speak; for indeed the first of the philosophers themselves said that these were superior to the most renowned among the Greeks. And the Romans had poets and writers and orators; and those who have practiced this and that language say that their arguments are both more concise than the Greek and 5.75 their maxims more succinct. And I say these things not to diminish the Greek tongue, of which I have somehow partaken, nor to repay its nurturing with hostility, but to restrain the jaw and lower the brow of those who boast about it, and teaching them not to mock a tongue made illustrious by the truth, nor to swagger over words embellished with cosmetic art, but stripped of truth, but rather to admire the prophets of the truth, who were not taught to adorn and elaborate their words with fine language, but who show the naked beauty of the truth, having not the slightest need for foreign and imported flowers. 5.76 Compare, then, O dear men, the simple teaching of the fishermen with the babble of the philosophers, and observe the difference; and having counted the many myriads of your books, recognize the weakness of their arguments. For no one has followed either the myths of the poets or the opinions of the philosophers; but of the divine oracles, admire their brevity and praise their power, and learn the truth of divine doctrines, the divine formation of the body, the immortal nature of the soul and its rational part that governs the passions, and that the passions are necessary to nature and 5.77 useful. For both desire is most serviceable, and anger likewise, its rival. For through it we both yearn for divine things and, disdaining visible things, we imagine intelligible things and, walking upon earth, we long to see the Master in heaven and we aspire to virtue, and indeed we also live and partake of food and drink, and besides these things, the race is increased 5.78 through lawful procreation. But anger was given as a co-worker to reason, so that it might restrain the excess of desire. For since it attempts to dart beyond its established limits, the Creator yoked to it, like a colt, anger, which pulls it back, whenever it tries to go beyond what is needful. And just as the hot is opposed to the cold, but when mixed with each other they produce a most excellent blend, so desire and anger, being mixed with each other and chastened by each other, produce the most excellent blend of virtue. 5.79 Reason has control over what is done, so as to check the one and to spur on the other, or to throttle this one and to arouse that one. For desire checks the excess of anger, and anger in turn chastens the insatiability of desire. These things, then, are accomplished when reason skillfully holds the reins; but if it, either charmed by the laxity and smoothness of desire or rushing out unseasonably with darting anger, should let the reins be looser than is proper, they, like disorderly horses, run biting the bit, while he is dragged along, becoming ridiculous and 5.80 disgraceful to those who see him. For this very reason he also pays the penalty, as one who has voluntarily submitted to the passion. For indeed human laws also punish transgressors, and God has threatened the unquenchable fire to sinners. Neither would God, being good and just, have exacted punishment from those who embrace a lawless life, if indeed they sinned by necessity, nor would the wisest of men have established such laws, if they knew that human transgressions are not committed by choice, nor indeed would those who hold office have inflicted the cruelest tortures on those who dare evil things, if they had known that it was not by choice

53

φασιν. Καὶ οἱ Νομάδες δέ, οἱ ἡμέτεροι πρόσχωροι-τοὺς Ἰσμαηλίτας λέγω, τοὺς ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις βιοτεύοντας καὶ μηδὲν τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν ξυγγραμμάτων ἐπισταμένους- ἀγχινοίᾳ καὶ ξυνέσει κοσμοῦνται καὶ διάνοιαν ἔχουσι καὶ ξυνιδεῖν τἀληθὲς δυ 5.74 ναμένην καὶ διελέγξαι τὸ ψεῦδος. Περὶ δὲ Αἰγυπτίων περιττὸν οἶμαι λέγειν· καὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ τῶν φιλοσόφων οἱ πρῶτοι κρείττους εἶναι τούτους ἔφασαν τῶν ὀνομαστοτάτων γεγενημένων παρ' Ἕλλησιν. Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ καὶ ποιητὰς ἔσχον καὶ ξυγγραφέας καὶ ῥήτορας· καί φασιν οἱ ταύτην γε κἀκείνην ἠσκημένοι τὴν γλῶτταν καὶ πυκνότερα τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν τὰ τούτων ἐνθυμήματα εἶναι καὶ 5.75 ξυντομωτέρας τὰς γνώμας. Καὶ ταῦτα λέγω οὐ τὴν Ἑλλάδα σμικρύνων φωνήν, ἧς ἁμηγέπη μετέλαχον, οὐδὲ ἐναντία γε αὐτῇ ἐκτίνων τροφεῖα, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐπὶ ταύτῃ μεγαλαυχουμένων ξυστέλ λων τὴν γνάθον καὶ τὴν ὀφρὺν καταστέλλων καὶ διδάσκων μὴ κωμῳδεῖν γλῶτταν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ λαμπρυνομένην μηδέ γε βρενθύε σθαι ἐπὶ λόγοις κομμωτικῇ τέχνῃ πεποικιλμένοις, τῆς δὲ ἀληθείας γεγυμνωμένοις, ἀλλὰ θαυμάζειν τοὺς τῆς ἀληθείας ὑποφήτας, κομμοῦν μὲν καὶ δαιδάλλειν εὐεπείᾳ τοὺς λόγους οὐ διδαχθέντας, γυμνὸν δὲ δεικνύντας τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ κάλλος καὶ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων καὶ ἐπεισάκτων ἀνθέων ἥκιστα δεηθέντας. 5.76 Παράθετε τοίνυν, ὦ φίλοι ἄνδρες, τῷ ὕθλῳ τῶν φιλοσόφων τὴν ἁπλῆν τῶν ἁλιέων διδασκαλίαν, καὶ ἀθρήσατε τὸ διάφορον· καὶ τὰς πολλὰς τῶν ὑμετέρων βίβλων ἀριθμήσαντες μυριάδας, τὴν τῶν λόγων ἀσθένειαν καταμάθετε. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ οὔτε τοῖς ποιητικοῖς μύθοις οὔτε ταῖς τῶν φιλοσόφων ἠκολούθησε δόξαις· τῶν δὲ θείων λογίων καὶ τὴν ξυντομίαν θαυμάσατε καὶ τὴν δύνα μιν ἀνυμνήσατε καὶ μάθετε θείων δογμάτων ἀλήθειαν, σώματος θείαν διάπλασιν, ψυχῆς φύσιν ἀθάνατον καὶ τὸ ταύτης λογικὸν ἡγούμενον τῶν παθῶν καὶ τὰ πάθη ἀναγκαῖα τῇ φύσει καὶ 5.77 χρήσιμα. Ἥ τε γὰρ ἐπιθυμία προυργιαιτάτη, καὶ ὁ θυμὸς ὡσαύ τως, ὁ ταύτης ἀντίπαλος. ∆ι' ἐκείνην μὲν γὰρ καὶ τῶν θείων ὀριγνώμεθα καὶ τῶν ὁρωμένων ὑπερορῶντες τὰ νοητὰ φανταζό μεθα καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς βαδίζοντες τὸν ἐν οὐρανοῖς δεσπότην ἰδεῖν ἱμειρόμεθα καὶ ἀρετῆς ἐφιέμεθα, καὶ μέντοι καὶ διαζῶμεν καὶ ἐδωδῆς μεταλαγχάνομεν καὶ ποτῶν, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις αὔξεται 5.78 διὰ τῆς ἐννόμου παιδοποιΐας τὸ γένος. Ὁ δέ γε θυμὸς ξυνεργὸς ἐδόθη τῷ λογισμῷ, ἵνα τῆς ἐπιθυμίας κωλύῃ τὴν ἀμετρίαν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καὶ πέρα τῶν κειμένων ὅρων ᾄττειν ἐπιχειρεῖ, ξυνέζευξεν αὐτῇ οἷόν τινα πῶλον τὸν θυμὸν ὁ ποιητὴς ἀνθέλκοντα, ὅταν γε ἐκείνη πέρα τῆς χρείας προβαίνειν βιάζηται. Καὶ καθά περ ἀντίπαλον μὲν τῷ ψυχρῷ τὸ θερμόν, κεραννύμενα δὲ ἀλλή λοις κρᾶσιν ἀρίστην ἐργάζεται, οὕτως ἡ ἐπιθυμία καὶ ὁ θυμός, ἀλλήλοις κεραννύμενα καὶ ὑπ' ἀλλήλων κολαζόμενα, τῆς ἀρετῆς 5.79 τὴν ἀρίστην ἀπεργάζεται κρᾶσιν. Ἔχει δὲ τῶν δρωμένων τὸ κράτος ὁ λογισμός, ὥστε καὶ ταύτην ἐπέχειν καὶ τοῦτον αὖ νύτ τειν, ἢ τοῦτόν γε ἄγχειν καὶ διεγείρειν ἐκείνην. Καὶ γὰρ ἡ ἐπι θυμία τοῦ θυμοῦ παύει τὴν ἀμετρίαν, καὶ ὁ θυμὸς αὖ πάλιν κολάζει τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τὴν ἀπληστίαν. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἀποτελεῖ ται, τοῦ λογισμοῦ τὰς ἡνίας ἐπιστημόνως κατέχοντος· ἢν δὲ οὗτος, ἢ τῷ χαλαρῷ καὶ λείῳ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας καταθελχθεὶς ἢ τῷ θυμῷ ᾄττοντι παρὰ καιρὸν ξυνεξορμήσας, χαυνοτέρας ἢ προσῆκε τὰς ἡνίας ἐάσῃ, οἱ μὲν ἀτάκτως καθάπερ ἵπποι θέουσιν ἐνδακόντες τὸν χαλινόν, ὁ δὲ συρόμενος φέρεται, καταγέλαστός τε καὶ ἐπ 5.80 ονείδιστος τοῖς ὁρῶσι γινόμενος. Ταύτῃ τοι καὶ δίκας εἰσπράττεται, ὡς ἐθελοντὴς ὑπομείνας τὸ πάθος. Καὶ γάρ τοι καὶ οἱ ἀνθρώ πειοι νόμοι τοὺς πλημμελοῦντας κολάζουσι, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι τὸ ἄσβεστον ἠπείλησε πῦρ. Οὐκ ἂν δὲ οὔτε ὁ Θεός, ἀγαθός γε ὢν καὶ δίκαιος, ποινὴν τοὺς παράνομον βίον ἀσπαζομένους εἰσέπραξεν, εἴπερ ἄρα κατ' ἀνάγκην ἡμάρτανον, οὔτε τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἱ σοφώτατοι τοιούτους ἂν ἔθεσαν νόμους, εἴπερ ᾔδεσαν οὐ γνώμῃ τὰ ἀνθρώπεια τελούμενα πλημμελήματα, οὔτε μὴν οἱ τὸ ἄρχειν λαχόντες τὰς ὠμοτάτας ἂν βασάνους τοῖς τὰ πονηρὰ τολμῶσι προσέφερον, εἴπερ ἐγνώκεσαν οὐχ αἱρέσει