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12.19 That knowledge, therefore, requires practical virtue, these things are sufficient to show. But let us see what also seemed good to the Greek philosophers concerning these matters. For we shall indeed see Plato and certain others, who have emulated his philosophy, agreeing with this account; for in the *Laws* he speaks thus: "He who is to become dear to God must, as much as possible, of necessity become such himself; and in this way the temperate man among us is a friend to God, for he is like him; but he who is not temperate is both unlike 12. and different." Therefore he too has said nothing different, but he himself also agrees, that it is possible, in dispositions concerning the good, to imitate God the maker; here, however, he called "temperate" not the one who is stronger than pleasures, but the one who has kept his rational faculty 12.21 sound and whole. And he wrote similar things in the *Theaetetus*; for he said: "But it is not possible for evils to be destroyed, O Theodorus—for it is necessary that there always be something opposite to the good—, nor for them to be established among the gods, but they haunt of necessity mortal nature and this place here; wherefore one must try to flee from here to there as quickly as possible. And flight is becoming like God, as far as is possible; and becoming like is to become just and holy with wisdom." 12.22 And very clearly and wisely in these words he taught the manner of imitation. For first he commanded to flee the things here, not by getting outside the earth, but by being freed from earthly affairs; for he has shown this in what he added; "For flight," he says, "I called the becoming like the divine." 12.23 And praiseworthy too is the addition; for he has not simply laid down the law to become like, but as is possible for men. Then he showed the form of the likeness; "For 'likeness'," he says, "I have named becoming holy and just with wisdom." And this addition is also admirable. For there are some who take the greatest care for justice, but through awkwardness they mar the beauty of the 12.24 achievement. Then, at greater length, in this very dialogue, he teaches the perfection of virtue, writing somewhat as follows: "Let us speak then of the leaders. For what could one say of those who spend their time in philosophy unlawfully? These men, I suppose, know neither the way to the marketplace, nor where a law-court or council-chamber is, or any other common meeting-place of the city; and laws and decrees, whether spoken or written, they neither see nor hear. And the strivings of political clubs for offices, and meetings and banquets, and revels with flute-girls, it does not even occur to them in a dream to do these things. Nor whether someone in the city is of bad birth, or if some evil has come to someone from his ancestors, male or female, has escaped his notice more than the 12.25 so-called choes of the sea. And of all these things, he does not even know that he does not know them; for he does not abstain from them for the sake of a good reputation, but in reality only his body is situated and resides in the city, but his mind, considering all these things small and as nothing and disdaining them, flits about everywhere, according to Pindar, 'both things beneath the earth' and measuring the things on its surface, studying the stars 'above the heavens,' and investigating every nature in its entirety." 12.26 In these words Plato depicted the way of life of our philosophers; for indeed no such person existed among them. For Socrates, the chief of the philosophers, continually engaged in dialogue both in the gymnasia and in the workshops; and sometimes he spent his time in the city, and at other times going down to the Piraeus he watched the processions; and being arrayed with the hoplites he was drawn up for battle both at Potidaea and at Delium; and moreover, going to common meals he put up with Aristophanes making comedies and Alcibiades revelling—for Plato's *Symposium* 12.27 teaches this—and going up into the theatre he watched together with the people. Therefore it least of all befits him what was said by Plato. But if it did not befit him, scarcely would it suit any other. But those who have loved the evangelical philosophy have kept far from political disturbances; having occupied the mountain tops or loving the life in desert places, to the contemplation of divine things and to what is consonant with this they have devoted themselves

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12.19 Ὅτι μὲν οὖν δεῖται ἡ γνῶσις τῆς πρακτικῆς ἀρετῆς, ἱκανὰ καὶ ταῦτα δηλῶσαι· ἴδωμεν δέ, τίνα καὶ τῶνδε πέρι τοῖς Ἑλλή νων ἔδοξε φιλοσόφοις. Ὀψόμεθα γάρ τοι τὸν Πλάτωνα καί τινας ἄλλους, τὴν τούτου φιλοσοφίαν ἐζηλωκότας, τῷδε ξυμφωνοῦντας τῷ λόγῳ· καὶ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς Νόμοις οὕτω φησίν· "Τὸν οὖν τῷ θεῷ προσφιλῆ γενησόμενον, εἰς δύναμιν ὅτι μάλιστα καὶ ἑαυτὸν τοιοῦτον ἀναγκαῖον γίνεσθαι· καὶ κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ὁ μὲν σώφρων ἡμῶν θεῷ φίλος· ὅμοιος γάρ· ὁ δὲ μὴ σώφρων ἀνόμοιός 12. τε καὶ διάφορος." Οὐδὲν τοίνυν ἀλλοῖον οὐδὲ οὗτος εἴρηκεν, ἀλλὰ ξυνομολογεῖ καὶ αὐτός, ὡς δυνατόν, ἐν ταῖς περὶ τἀγαθοῦ διαθέσεσι τὸν πεποιηκότα μιμεῖσθαι Θεόν· ἐνταῦθα μέντοι σώφρονα οὐ τὸν ἡδονῶν ἐκάλεσε κρείττονα, ἀλλὰ τὸν σῶον καὶ ἄρτιον τὸ 12.21 λογικὸν διασώσαντα. Παραπλήσια δὲ κἀν τῷ Θεαιτήτῳ ξυγγέγρα φεν· ἔφη γάρ· "Ἀλλ' οὔτε ἀπόλλυσθαι τὰ κακὰ δυνατόν, ὦ Θεόδωρε-ὑπεναντίον γάρ τι τῷ ἀγαθῷ ἀεὶ εἶναι ἀνάγκη-, οὔτε ἐν θεοῖς αὐτὰ ἱδρῦσθαι, τὴν δὲ θνητὴν φύσιν καὶ τόνδε τὸν τόπον περιπολεῖ ἐξ ἀνάγκης· διὸ καὶ πειρᾶσθαι χρὴ ἐνθένδε ἐκεῖσε φεύγειν ὅτι τάχιστα. Φυγὴ δὲ ὁμοίωσις θεῷ κατὰ τὸ δυνατόν· ὁμοίωσις δὲ δίκαιον καὶ ὅσιον μετὰ φρονήσεως γενέ σθαι." 12.22 Μάλα δὲ καὶ σαφῶς καὶ σοφῶς ἐν τούτοις τὸν τῆς μιμήσεως ἐξεπαίδευσε τρόπον. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ φυγεῖν τὰ τῇδε ἐκέλευσεν, οὐκ ἔξω τῆς γῆς γινόμενον, ἀλλὰ τῶν περιγείων πραγμάτων ἀπαλλαττόμενον· τοῦτο γὰρ δεδήλωκεν, ἐν οἷς ἐπήγαγεν· "Φυ γὴν" γάρ φησιν "ἐκάλεσα τὴν πρὸς τὸ θεῖον ὁμοίωσιν." 12.23 Ἀξιέπαινος δὲ καὶ ἡ προσθήκη· οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς ὁμοιωθῆναι νενομοθέτηκεν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀνθρώποις ἐστὶ δυνατόν. Εἶτα τὸ τῆς ὁμοιώσεως ἐπέδειξεν εἶδος· "Ὁμοίωσιν" γάρ φησι "προσηγό ρευσα τὸ ὅσιον καὶ δίκαιον γενέσθαι μετὰ φρονήσεως." Καὶ αὕτη δὲ ἀξιάγαστος ἡ προσθήκη. Εἰσὶ γὰρ δή τινες πλείστην μὲν τοῦ δικαίου φροντίδα ποιούμενοι, σκαιότητι δὲ τῷ τοῦ κατορθώματος 12.24 λυμαινόμενοι κάλλει. Ἔπειτα διὰ πλειόνων ἐν αὐτῷ γε τῷ διαλόγῳ τὴν τελειότητα διδάσκει τῆς ἀρετῆς, ὧδέ πῃ γράφων· "Λέγωμεν δὴ περὶ τῶν κορυφαίων. Τί γὰρ ἄν τις τοὺς παρα νόμως ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ διατρίβοντας λέγοι; οὗτοι δέ που οὔτε εἰς ἀγορὰν ἴσασι τὴν ὁδόν, οὔτε ὅπου δικαστήριον ἢ βουλευτήριον ἤ τι κοινὸν ἄλλο τῆς πόλεως συνέδριον· νόμους δὲ καὶ ψηφίσματα λεγόμενα ἢ γραφόμενα οὔτε ὁρῶσιν οὔτε ἀκούουσιν· σπουδαὶ δὲ ἑταιριῶν ἐπ' ἀρχὰς καὶ ξύνοδοι καὶ δεῖπνα καὶ οἱ ξὺν αὐλη τρίσι κῶμοι οὐδὲ ὄναρ πράττειν προσίσταται αὐτοῖς. Οὐδὲ εἰ κακῶς τις γέγονεν ἐν πόλει, ἤ τί τῳ κακόν ἐστιν ἐκ προγόνων γεγονὸς πρὸς ἀνδρῶν ἢ γυναικῶν, μᾶλλον αὐτὸν λέληθεν ἢ τῆς 12.25 θαλάττης οἱ λεγόμενοι χόες. Καὶ ταῦτα πάντα οὐδ' ὅτι οὐκ οἶδεν, οἶδεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτῶν ἀπέχεται τοῦ εὐδοκιμεῖν χάριν, τῷ ὄντι δὲ τὸ σῶμα μόνον ἐν τῇ πόλει κεῖται αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπιδημεῖ, ἡ δὲ διάνοια, ταῦτα πάντα ἡγησαμένη σμικρὰ καὶ ὡς οὐδὲν ἀτιμά σασα, πανταχῇ πέταται, κατὰ Πίνδαρον, "τά τε γῆς ὑπένερθεν" καὶ τὰ ἐπίπεδα γεωμετροῦσα "οὐρανοῦ τε ὕπερ" ἀστρονομοῦσα, καὶ πᾶσαν πάντῃ φύσιν διερευνωμένη." 12.26 Ἐν δὲ τούτοις ὁ Πλάτων τὴν τῶν ἡμετέρων φιλοσόφων ἐζω γράφησε πολιτείαν· οὐ γὰρ δή τις παρ' ἐκείνοις τοιοῦτος ἐγένετο. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Σωκράτης, τῶν φιλοσόφων ὁ κορυφαῖος, κἀν τοῖς γυμνασίοις κἀν τοῖς ἐργαστηρίοις διαλεγόμενος διετέλει· καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ἐν ἄστει διέτριβε, ποτὲ δὲ εἰς Πειραιᾶ κατιὼν τὰς πομπὰς ἐθεώρει· καὶ τοῖς ὁπλίταις δὲ ξυνταττόμενος καὶ ἐν Ποτιδαίᾳ καὶ ἐν ∆ηλίῳ παρετάττετο· καὶ μέντοι καὶ εἰς ξυσσίτια ἀπιὼν ἠνείχετο καὶ Ἀριστοφάνους κωμῳδοῦντος καὶ Ἀλκιβιάδου κωμάζοντος-τοῦτο γὰρ διδάσκει τοῦ Πλάτωνος τὸ Ξυμπό 12.27 σιον-καὶ εἰς θέατρον ἀναβαίνων ξυνεθεᾶτο τῷ δήμῳ. Ἥκιστα τοίνυν αὐτῷ προσήκει τὰ παρὰ Πλάτωνος εἰρημένα. Εἰ δὲ τούτῳ οὐ προσῆκε, σχολῇ γ' ἂν ἄλλῳ τῳ ἁρμόσειεν. Οἱ δὲ τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς ἐρασθέντες φιλοσοφίας πόρρωθεν τῶν πολιτικῶν θορύβων γεγένηνται· τὰς δὲ τῶν ὀρῶν ἀκρωνυχίας κατειληφότες ἢ τὸν ἐν ἐρήμοις χωρίοις ἀγαπήσαντες βίον, τῇ θεωρίᾳ τῶν θείων καὶ τῷ ταύτῃ ξυνηρμοσμένῳ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀπεκλήρωσαν