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praiseworthy. For it is a great reason for praise to obey one's father, and especially for a good cause and for goodwill towards the gods. But what, my child, have you supposed? Whether I, having willingly turned from the good path, chose to go the opposite way, or through ignorance and inexperience of the good gave myself over 370 to destructive things? But, if you think that I willingly prefer evil things to what is beneficial and choose death over life, you seem to me, child, to have strayed far from right judgment. Do you not see with how much hardship and toil I often give myself over in campaigns against the enemy, or when occupied with some other protections of the common good, so as not to spare myself from hunger and thirst, from marching on foot and sleeping on the ground, if it is necessary? And I have such disregard and contempt for wealth and money that at times I have unstintingly emptied all the treasuries of my palace to rebuild the greatest temples of the gods and to adorn them with every kind of ornament, or to distribute the treasures of money lavishly to the armies. Therefore, possessing such disdain for pleasures and endurance in terrible things, if I knew the religion of the Galileans to be better than the one at hand, would I not have judged the matter worthy of great effort, to despise all things and secure my own salvation? But if you condemn me for ignorance and inexperience of the good, consider how many sleepless nights I have often passed when some question was proposed, sometimes not even a very necessary one, giving myself no rest at all until I found a clear and most suitable solution to what was sought. If, therefore, I do not hold even the smallest of these temporary matters in contempt, until everything might be accomplished beneficially and for the profit of 372 all, and since it has been testified by all that the investigation of secret things is examined more accurately by no one else in the entire world, I think, than by me, how could I have considered divine things, and what it is lawful to revere and speak of as divine, to be contemptible, and not occupied myself with all zeal, all power, with my whole soul and whole mind, in the search for these things, to find what is true and most fitting? And indeed I sought laboriously, spending many nights as well as days on these things, summoning many wise and knowledgeable men to this council, and speaking with many of the so-called Christians. And by unwearying discussion and fervent investigation the way of truth was found by me, testified to by wise men honored for their eloquence and understanding, that there is no other faith than the one we follow today, worshipping the greatest gods and holding to the sweet and pleasant life, which has been granted to all men by them, which is filled with the greatest delight and gladness, which the leaders and mystagogues of the Galileans foolishly rejected, so as to readily give up this sweet light and all the pleasant things which the gods have bestowed on us for enjoyment, in the hope of some other, uncertain life, not knowing what they are saying or about what they are affirming. But you, dearest son, be persuaded by your father who has found what is truly good through precise and most true investigation. For behold, it has been demonstrated that neither willingly, nor indeed by way of ignorance, did I miss the 374 good, but I found and embraced it; and I desire that you too not wander senselessly, but follow me. Therefore, respect your father. Or do you not know what a good thing it is to obey your father and to please him in all things? And conversely, how destructive and accursed it is to provoke a father and to set his commands at naught? For all who have done this have perished miserably; with whom may you, child, not be numbered; but, by doing what is pleasing to your parent, may you obtain all good things, and become an heir of my blessing and kingdom. But the great-minded and truly noble youth of the

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ἐπαινετός. μέγα γὰρ εἰς ἐπαίνου λόγον τῷ πατρὶ ὑπακούειν, καὶ μάλιστα ἐπ' ἀγαθῷ καὶ τῇ εἰς θεοὺς εὐνοίᾳ. τί δέ, τέκνον, ὑπέλαβες; πότερον ὡς ἑκὼν τῆς ἀγαθῆς ἐκκλίνας ὁδοῦ τὴν ἐναντίαν ἰέναι προέκρινα, ἢ ἀγνοίᾳ καὶ ἀπειρίᾳ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τοῖς ὀλεθρίοις ἐμαυτὸν 370 ἐξέδωκα; ἀλλ', εἰ μὲν ἑκόντα με νομίζεις τοῦ συμφέροντος προτιμᾶν τὰ κακὰ καὶ τῆς ζωῆς προκρίνειν τὸν θάνατον, πάνυ μοι δοκεῖς, τέκνον, τῆς ὀρθῆς ἀποσφαλῆναι κρίσεως. ἦ οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅσῃ κακουχίᾳ καὶ ταλαιπωρίᾳ πολλάκις ἐμαυτὸν ἐκδίδωμι ἐν ταῖς κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἐκστρατείαις, ἢ ἄλλαις τισὶ τοῦ κοινοῦ προστασίαις ἀσχολούμενος, ὡς καὶ πείνης τε καὶ δίψης, πεζοπορίας τε καὶ χαμαικοιτίας, οὕτω δεῆσαν, μὴ φείσασθαι; πλούτου δὲ καὶ χρημάτων τοσαύτη μοι πρόσεστιν ὑπεροψία τε καὶ καταφρόνησις, ὡς ἀφθόνως ἔσθ' ὅτε τὰ ταμιεῖα πάντα τοῦ ἐμοῦ παλατίου κατακενῶσαι εἰς τὸ ἀνοικοδομῆσαι τοὺς τῶν θεῶν μεγίστους ναοὺς καὶ παντοίῳ τούτους καταλαμπρῦναι κόσμῳ ἢ τοῖς στρατοπέδοις ἀφθόνως διανεῖμαι τοὺς θησαυροὺς τῶν χρημάτων. τοιαύτης οὖν μετέχων τῶν ἀπολαυστικῶν ὑπεροψίας καὶ τῆς ἐν τοῖς δεινοῖς καρτερίας, εἰ τὴν τῶν Γαλιλαίων ἐγίνωσκον θρησκείαν κρείττονα τῆς ἐν χερσὶν ὑπάρχειν, πόσης ἂν οὐκ ἔκρινα τὸ πρᾶγμα σπουδῆς ἄξιον, πάντων μὲν ὑπεριδεῖν καὶ τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ περιποιήσασθαι σωτηρίαν; εἰ δὲ ἄγνοιάν μοι καὶ ἀπειρίαν τοῦ καλοῦ καταγινώσκεις, σύνες ὅσας πολλάκις νύκτας ἀΰπνους διετέλεσα, ζητήματός τινος προτεθέντος, ἔσθ' ὅτε καὶ οὐ πολὺ ἀναγκαίου, μὴ παρέχων ὅλως ἐμαυτῷ ἀνάπαυσιν, πρὶν ἢ τοῦ ζητουμένου σαφῆ καὶ εὐπρεπεστάτην εὕροιμι τὴν λύσιν. Εἰ οὖν τῶν προσκαίρων τούτων πραγμάτων οὐδὲ τὸ σμικρότατον ἔχω εὐκαταφρόνητον, ἄχρις οὗ πάντα συμφερόντως καὶ ἐπὶ λυσιτελείᾳ τῶν 372 ἁπάντων ἐπιτελεσθείη, καὶ οὐδενὶ ἑτέρῳ ἀκριβέστερον ἡ τῶν ἀπορρήτων διάγνωσις ἐν πάσῃ, ὡς οἶμαι, τῇ ὑφηλίῳ διερευνᾶσθαι ὡς ἐμοὶ παρὰ πάντων μεμαρτύρηται, πῶς τὰ θεῖα, καὶ ἃ σέβεσθαι καὶ θεολογεῖν θέμις, εὐκαταφρόνητα ἂν ἐλογισάμην, καὶ μὴ πάσῃ σπουδῇ, πάσῃ δυνάμει, ὅλῃ τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ ὅλῳ τῷ νοΐ, εἰς τὴν τούτων ἀπησχόλησα ἐμαυτὸν ζήτησιν, τοῦ εὑρεῖν τἀληθῆ καὶ πρεπωδέστατα; καί γε ἐζήτησα ἐμπόνως, πολλὰς μὲν νύκτας ἴσα ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐν τούτοις ἀναλώσας, πολλοὺς δὲ σοφοὺς καὶ ἐπιστήμονας εἰς τήνδε τὴν βουλὴν συγκαλέσας, πολλοῖς δὲ καὶ τῶν λεγομένων Χριστιανῶν ὁμιλήσας. καὶ τῇ ἀόκνῳ συζητήσει καὶ διαπύρῳ ἐρεύνῃ εὑρέθη μοι ἡ τῆς ἀληθείας ὁδός, παρὰ σοφῶν τῇ τε λογιότητι καὶ συνέσει τετιμημένων μαρτυρηθεῖσα ὡς οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλη πίστις εἰ μὴ ἣν σήμερον πορευόμεθα, τοῖς μεγίστοις θεοῖς λατρεύοντες καὶ τῆς γλυκείας βιοτῆς καὶ ἐνηδόνου ἀντεχόμενοι, τῆς πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις παρ' αὐτῶν δεδωρημένης, ἥτις τερπνότητος ὅτι πλείστης καὶ θυμηδίας πεπλήρωται, ἣν οἱ τῶν Γαλιλαίων ἔξαρχοι καὶ μυσταγωγοὶ ἀφρόνως ἀπώσαντο, ὡς καὶ τὸ γλυκὺ τοῦτο φῶς καὶ τὰ τερπνὰ πάντα, ἅπερ εἰς ἀπόλαυσιν ἐχαρίσαντο ἡμῖν οἱ θεοί, ἐλπίδι τινὸς ἑτέρας ἀδήλου ζωῆς ἑτοίμως προΐεσθαι, μὴ εἰδότες τί λέγουσιν ἢ περὶ τίνων διαβεβαιοῦνται. Σὺ δέ, φίλτατε υἱέ, τῷ σῷ πείσθητι πατρὶ δι' ἀκριβοῦς καὶ ἀληθεστάτης ἐρεύνης τὸ ὄντως καλὸν εὑρηκότι. ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἀποδέδεικται ὡς οὔτε ἑκών, οὔτε μὴν ἀγνοίας τρόπῳ, διήμαρτον τοῦ 374 ἀγαθοῦ, ἀλλ' εὗρον καὶ προσελαβόμην· ἐπιποθῶ δὲ καὶ σὲ μὴ ἀνοήτως πλανᾶσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐμοὶ ἀκολουθῆσαι. αἰδέσθητι οὖν τὸν πατέρα σου. ἢ οὐκ οἶδας ὁποῖόν ἐστι καλὸν τῷ πατρὶ πείθεσθαι καὶ αὐτῷ ἐν πᾶσι χαρίζεσθαι; ὡς ἔμπαλιν ὀλέθριον καὶ ἐπάρατον τὸ πατέρα παραπικραίνειν καὶ τὰς αὐτοῦ παρ' οὐδὲν τιθέναι ἐντολάς; ὅσοι γὰρ τοῦτο ἐποίησαν, κακοὶ κακῶς ἀπώλοντο· οἷς σύ, τέκνον, μὴ συναριθμηθείης· ἀλλά, τὰ τῷ τεκόντι κεχαρισμένα ποιῶν, πάντων ἐπιτύχοις τῶν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ κληρονόμος γένοιο τῆς εὐλογίας τῆς ἐμῆς καὶ βασιλείας. Ὁ δὲ μεγαλόφρων καὶ εὐγενὴς ὡς ἀληθῶς νεανίας τῆς