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But it is for the perfect man, who has his senses exercised through practice, to be able to distinguish the nature of the good from the evil. And of an approved money-changer to hold fast to what is good, and to abstain from every form of evil; but for one having a corrupted criterion of the soul, to render altered testimonies concerning the worth of each thing. And there seems to be a great facility in human nature for opining things contrary to the truth concerning each thing. And would that this disagreement reached only those outside the faith according to the Scriptures, who, saying that the arguments concerning each matter and all evidence are of equal weight, as far as it is in them, lead into doubt, saying that silver is black, from the rust which it gives off; and that the sun is black, from its blackening bodies with which it has excessive contact. And from such things they construct the doctrine of suspension of judgment, as if sense perception contains fallacies, and does not apprehend things as they are in nature, but the eyes are deceived by a painting; and on the neck of the dove, taking on different colors at different times according to the inclinations of the animal, and its relations to the light ray, the appearance changing along with them. For this reason, having suspended judgment on the apprehension through the eyes, they neither agree to the day, nor confess the night; and consequently they also fall into atheism, agreeing neither that the universe is governed by the providence of God, nor that it moves of its own accord. But you might see many even of those who have believed the writings of the law and the prophets, with a plausible objection concerning each thing fighting against the clear evidence, so that the truth in the doctrines is made unsound and shaken. But some confess to believe in Christ Jesus, but are found not to be perfected in the same mind and in the same judgment, but are being torn apart into the most contrary disagreements; some on account of ignorance, and not a few on account of love of power and vainglory, wishing to show off to the many that they are indeed wise, and possess knowledge beyond the others. For this reason everything is filled with those fighting each other and dogmatizing against each other, each one contentiously adhering to his own doctrine, and with most vehement exertion trying to overturn and refute the things of the other. Would that those boasting to have kept the apostolic teaching and to have received by succession from them the preaching of the Gospel, would show by their harmony concerning the doctrines, that they are parts of the one Church of Christ. 5.173 But this confusion does not reach only to knowledge, but also to actions; since indeed There are ways of a man that seem to be right, but their end looks to the bottom of Hades. And There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and a wicked man who remains in his wickedness. For if anything is difficult to contemplate, true righteousness would also be of this kind. Wherefore also Solomon, numbers these things together as of equal value, saying: To understand parables and an obscure saying, the words of the wise and their riddles; to understand true righteousness and to direct judgment. Therefore many hastily bring forth perverted judgments, before comprehension that comes from sufficient reason and from further investigation, rashly and without examination tossing out their assents concerning each doctrine. But the nature of dialectic is especially trusted to be able to provide these things; to divide clearly the natures of things and to know what is of the same kind and to distinguish what is contrary. Wherefore, being conscious to himself of possessing the divine dialectic, he said: May my meditation be sweet to you. For the dialectic of the contentious and of those who contentiously approach matters is not sweet, but is rather embittering. And there being three pairs (of light and darkness, of good and evil, of bitter and sweet) are these one in subject, or are they separated from each other by genus? Now then, with respect to the

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Τελείου δέ ἐστι τοῦ διὰ τὴν ἕξιν γεγυμνασμένα ἔχοντος τὰ αἰσθητήρια, διακρίνειν δύνασθαι τὴν τοῦ καλοῦ φύσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ. Καὶ δοκίμου τραπεζίτου τὸ καλὸν κατέχειν, ἀπὸ δὲ παντὸς εἴδους πονηροῦ ἀπέχεσθαι· διεφθαρμένον δὲ ἔχον τος τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ κριτήριον, ἐνηλλαγμένας τὰς μαρτυρίας περὶ τῆς ἑκάστου ἀξίας ἀποδιδόναι. Καὶ ἔοικε πολλή τις εὐχέρεια εἶναι τῇ ἀνθρωπείᾳ φύσει πρὸς τὸ τὰ ἐναντία δο ξάζειν τῇ περὶ ἕκαστον ἀληθείᾳ. Καὶ εἴθε ἐπὶ μόνους τοὺς ἔξω τῆς κατὰ τὰς Γραφὰς πίστεως ἔφθανεν ἡ διαφωνία αὕτη, οἳ ἰσοπαλεῖς λέγοντες εἶναι τοὺς περὶ ἑκάστου πράγ ματος λόγους καὶ πᾶσαν ἐνάργειαν, τὸ ὅσον ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς, εἰς ἀμφιβολίαν ἄγουσι, μέλανα εἶναι τὸν ἄργυρον, ἐκ τοῦ ἰοῦ ὃν ἀφίησι· καὶ μέλανα εἶναι τὸν ἥλιον, ἐκ τοῦ μελαίνειν τὰ σώματα, οἷς ἂν ἐπὶ πλέον προσομιλήσῃ, λέγοντες. Καὶ ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων τὸ τῆς ἐποχῆς κατασκευάζουσι δόγμα, ὡς τῆς αἰσθήσεως παραλογισμοὺς ἐχούσης, καὶ οὐχ οἷά ἐστι τῇ φύσει καταλαμβανούσης τὰ πράγματα, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ μὲν ζω γραφίας ἀπατωμένων τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ τραχήλου τῆς περιστερᾶς, ἄλλοτε ἄλλας χρόας μεταλαμβανόντων πρὸς τὰς ἐκκλίσεις τοῦ ζώου, καὶ τὰς πρὸς τὴν ἀκτῖνα σχέσεις, συμμεταβαλλομένης τῆς ὄψεως. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπιστήσαντες τῇ διὰ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν καταλήψει, οὔτε τῇ ἡμέρᾳ συντίθενται, οὔτε τὴν νύκτα ὁμολογοῦσιν· ἐκ δὲ τοῦ ἀκολούθου καὶ εἰς ἀθεότητα ἐκπίπτουσι, μήτε εἰ προ νοίᾳ Θεοῦ διοικεῖται τὸ πᾶν, μήτε εἰ αὐτομάτως φέρεται συντιθέμενοι. Ἴδοις δὲ ἂν πολλοὺς καὶ τῶν πεπιστευκότων τοῖς νομικοῖς καὶ προφητικοῖς γράμμασι, τῇ περὶ ἕκαστον ἐνστάσει μετὰ πιθανότητος ἀπομαχομένους πρὸς τὴν ἐνάρ γειαν, ὥστε σαθροῦσθαι καὶ διασαλεύεσθαι τὸ ἐν τοῖς δόγ μασιν ἀληθές. Ἀλλὰ πιστεύειν μὲν εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ὁμολογοῦσί τινες, εὑρίσκονται δὲ μὴ Κατηρτισμένοι ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ νοῒ καὶ ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ γνώμῃ, ἀλλ' εἰς τὰς ἐναντιωτάτας διαφωνίας ἀποσχιζόμενοι· οἱ μὲν διὰ ἰδιωτισμὸν, οὐκ ὀλίγοι δὲ καὶ οἱ διὰ φιλαρχίαν καὶ κενοδοξίαν, ἐνεπιδείκνυσθαι θέλοντες τοῖς πολλοῖς ὡς ἄρα εἶεν σοφοὶ, καὶ ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἄλλους τὴν γνῶσιν ἔχουσι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάντα μαχομένων ἀλλήλοις καὶ ἀντιδογμα τιζόντων πεπλήρωται, ἑκάστου φιλονείκως τῷ ἰδίῳ δόγ ματι παρισταμένου, καὶ μετὰ διατάσεως σφοδροτάτης τὰ τοῦ ἑτέρου ἀνατρέπειν καὶ διελέγχειν βιαζομένου. Ὄφελον δ' οἱ αὐχοῦντες τὴν ἀποστολικὴν διδασκαλίαν τετηρηκέναι καὶ κατὰ διαδοχὴν ἀπ' ἐκείνων τὸ κήρυγμα τοῦ Εὐαγγε λίου παρειληφέναι, διὰ τῆς περὶ τῶν δογμάτων ὁμοφωνίας ἐδείκνυον, ὅτι μιᾶς εἰσι μέρη τῆς Χριστοῦ Ἐκκλησίας. 5.173 Οὐκ ἐπὶ τὴν γνῶσιν δὲ μόνον φθάνει αὕτη ἡ τα ραχὴ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς πράξεις· εἴπερ Εἰσὶν ὁδοὶ ἀνδρὸς δοκοῦσαι ὀρθαὶ εἶναι, τὰ δὲ τελευταῖα αὐτῶν βλέπει εἰς πυθμένα ᾅδου. Καὶ Ἔστι δίκαιος ἀπολλύμενος ἐν δικαίῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀσεβὴς μένων ἐν κακίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Εἰ γάρ τί ἐστι δυσθεώρητον, τούτου τοῦ γένους ἂν εἴη καὶ ἡ ἀληθὴς δικαιοσύνη. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Σολομὼν, ὡς ὁμότιμα ταῦτα ἀλλήλοις συναριθμεῖ, λέγων· Νοῆσαί τε παραβολὰς καὶ σκο τεινὸν λόγον, ῥήσεις τε σοφῶν καὶ αἰνίγματα· νοῆσαι δικαιο σύνην ἀληθῆ καὶ κρίμα κατευθύνειν. Πολλοὶ οὖν κατὰ συναρ παγὴν παρηλλαγμένας τὰς κρίσεις ἐκφέρουσι, πρὸ καταλή ψεως τῆς ἐξ ἱκανοῦ λόγου καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐρευνηθέντος ἐγγινομένης, ἀβασανίστως κατὰ προπέτειαν τὰς περὶ ἑκάστου δόγματος ῥιπτοῦντες συγκαταθέσεις. Ἡ δὲ τῆς διαλεκτικῆς φύσις μάλιστα πεπίστευται ταῦτα παρέχειν δύνασθαι· διαιρεῖν εὐκρινῶς τὰς τῶν πραγμάτων φύσεις καὶ τὰ ὁμογενῆ γνωρίζειν καὶ τὰ ἐναντία διακρίνειν. ∆ιόπερ συνειδὼς ἑαυτῷ τὴν θείαν διαλεκτικὴν ἔχοντι, ἔλεγε τὸ Ἡδυνθείη σοι ἡ διαλογή μου. Ἡ γὰρ τῶν ἐριστικῶν καὶ φιλονείκως ἐπιβαινόντων τοῖς πράγμασι διαλεκτικὴ οὐχ ἡδεῖα, ἀλλὰ παραπικραίνουσά τίς ἐστι. Τριῶν δὲ συζυγιῶν οὐσῶν (φωτὸς καὶ σκότους, καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ, πικροῦ καὶ γλυκέος) πότερον ἕν ἐστι τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ ταῦτα, ἢ κατὰ γένος ἀλλήλων ἀποδιέστηκεν; Ὡς μὲν οὖν πρὸς τὸ