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“You compel the poets to say that the good man, being temperate and just, is happy and blessed, whether he be great and strong or small and weak, and whether he is rich or not; but if he ‘be richer than Cinyras 12.21.2 and Midas,’ but is unjust, he is miserable and lives grievously. And ‘I would not mention,’ says the poet to you, if he speaks correctly, ‘nor hold in esteem a man’ who did not practice and acquire all things called good with justice, and who, being such a man, would desire to reach for the enemy, standing near; but being unjust, may he neither dare, ‘seeing bloody slaughter,’ nor conquer, ‘outrunning the Thracian Boreas,’ nor may any other of the so-called goods ever be his; 12.21.3 for the things called good by the many are not rightly so called. For it is said that the best thing is to be healthy, second is beauty, and third is wealth; and myriad other goods are spoken of; for instance, to see and hear sharply and to have all the senses in keen condition, and further, to be a tyrant and do whatever one desires, and indeed, for the consummation of all blessedness to be possessing all these things 12.21.4 and to become immortal as quickly as possible. But you and I say this, that all these things are the best of possessions for just and holy men, but for the unjust they are all the worst, beginning with health. And indeed, to see and to hear and to perceive and to live at all is the greatest evil for one who is immortal for all time and possesses all the so-called goods except justice and all virtue, but a lesser evil, if such a man 12.21.5 lives on for the shortest possible time. These things, I think, you will persuade and compel the poets among you to say, the very things I say, and furthermore, assigning to these rhythms and harmonies that follow, to thus educate your young men. Do you not see? For I say clearly that the so-called evils are goods for the unjust, but evils for the just; while the goods are truly good for the good, but evils for the evil. Which is what I asked, then, do you and I agree, or how is it?” 12.21.6 These things are not far from the psalms of David, which, having anticipated by the divine spirit, he composed through odes and hymns, teaching who is the truly blessed man, and who is his opposite. Hence, at any rate, the book also begins for him by saying: 'Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly' and the like. And these things Plato, having adapted them, says the poets must say, 'that the good man, being temperate and just, is happy and blessed; but if he be rich, 12.21.7 but is unjust, he is miserable.' And this same thing David again expressed in this way through the psalms, saying: 'If riches increase, set not your heart upon them;' and again: 'Fear not when a man is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased.' And at your leisure you may find each of the things spoken by the philosopher lying word for word throughout the whole of the holy scripture of the psalms.

12.22.1 22. THAT IT IS NOT FOR ALL TO BE ABLE TO COMPOSE CORRECT ODES AND MELODIES, BUT ONLY FOR GOD OR SOME DIVINE MAN

“Therefore, exceedingly legislative and political. But indeed you might find other trivial things in that very place; but this point about music is both true and worthy of consideration, that it was possible after all to legislate with confidence about such things—melodies which by their nature provide correctness. But this would be the work of a god or of some divine man.” 12.22.2 It was fittingly legislated, therefore, also among the Hebrews, to accept no other hymns and odes in their divine teachings than those composed by the divine spirit through divine and prophetic men, and the melodies suitable to these, sung in the manner customary among them.

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«Τοὺς ποιητὰς ἀναγκάζετε λέγειν ὡς ὁ μὲν ἀγαθὸς ἀνὴρ σώφρων ὢν καὶ δίκαιος εὐδαίμων ἐστὶ καὶ μακάριος, ἐάν τε μέγας καὶ ἰσχυρὸς ἐάν τε σμικρὸς καὶ ἀσθενὴς ᾖ καὶ ἐὰν πλουτῇ καὶ μή· ἐὰν δὲ ἄρα «πλουτῇ μὲν Κινύρα 12.21.2 τε καὶ Μίδα μᾶλλον,» ᾖ δὲ ἄδικος, ἄθλιός τέ ἐστι καὶ ἀνιαρῶς ζῇ. καὶ οὔτ' ἂν μνησαίμην, φησὶν ὑμῖν ὁ ποιητής, εἴπερ ὀρθῶς λέγει, οὔτ' ἐν λόγῳ ἄνδρα τιθείμην, ὃς μὴ πάντα τὰ λεγόμενα καλὰ μετὰ δικαιοσύνης πράττοι καὶ κτῷτο, καὶ δὴ καὶ δηίων τοιοῦτος ὢν ὀρέγοιτο ἐγγύθεν ἱστάμενος· ἄδικος δὲ ὢν μήτε τολμῴη «ὁρῶν φόνον αἱματόεντα» μήτε νικῴη «θέων Θρηίκιον Βορέην» μηδὲ ἄλλο αὐτῷ μηδὲν τῶν λεγομένων ἀγαθῶν γίγνοιτό ποτε· 12.21.3 τὰ γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν πολλῶν λεγόμενα ἀγαθὰ οὐκ ὀρθῶς λέγεται. λέγεται γὰρ ὡς ἄριστον μὲν ὑγιαίνειν, δεύτερον δὲ κάλλος, τρίτον δὲ πλοῦτος· μυρία δὲ ἄλλα ἀγαθὰ λέγεται· καὶ γὰρ ὀξὺ ὁρᾶν καὶ ἀκούειν καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἔχεται τῶν αἰσθήσεων εὐαισθήτως ἔχειν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὸ ποιεῖν τυραννοῦντα ὅ τι ἂν ἐπιθυμῇ, καὶ τὸ δὴ τέλος ἁπάσης μακαριότητος εἶναι τὸ πάντα ταῦτα κεκτη12.21.4 μένον ἀθάνατον εἶναι γενόμενον ὅτι τάχιστα. ὑμεῖς δὲ καὶ ἐγώ που τάδε λέγομεν, ὡς ταῦτά ἐστι ξύμπαντα δικαίοις μὲν καὶ ὁσίοις ἀνδράσιν ἄριστα κτήματα, ἀδίκοις δὲ κάκιστα ξύμπαντα, ἀρξάμενα ἀπὸ τῆς ὑγείας. καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸ ὁρᾶν καὶ τὸ ἀκούειν καὶ αἰσθάνεσθαι καὶ τὸ παράπαν ζῆν μέγιστον μὲν κακὸν τὸν ξύμπαντα χρόνον ἀθάνατον ὄντα καὶ κεκτημένον πάντα τὰ λεγόμενα ἀγαθὰ πλὴν δικαιοσύνης τε καὶ ἀρετῆς ἁπάσης, ἔλαττον δέ, ἐὰν ὡς ὀλί12.21.5 γιστον ὁ τοιοῦτος χρόνον ἐπιζῴη. ταῦτα δὴ λέγειν οἶμαι τοὺς παρ' ὑμῖν ποιητάς, ἅπερ ἐγώ, πείσετε καὶ ἀναγκάσετε καὶ ἔτι τούτοις ἑπομένους ῥυθμούς τε καὶ ἁρμονίας ἀποδόντας παιδεύειν οὕτω τοὺς νέους ὑμῶν. ἦ γὰρ ὁρᾶτε; ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ λέγω σαφῶς τὰ μὲν κακὰ λεγόμενα ἀγαθὰ τοῖς ἀδίκοις εἶναι, τοῖς δὲ δικαίοις κακά· τὰ δὲ ἀγαθὰ τοῖς μὲν ἀγαθοῖς ὄντως ἀγαθά, τοῖς δὲ κακοῖς κακά. ὅπερ οὖν ἠρόμην, ἆρα ξυμφωνοῦμεν ἐγώ τε καὶ ὑμεῖς ἢ πῶς;» 12.21.6 Οὐ πόρρω ταῦτα τυγχάνει τῶν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ψαλμῶν, οὓς προλαβὼν θείῳ πνεύματι συνέταξε δι' ᾠδῶν καὶ ὕμνων τίς μὲν ὁ ἀληθῶς μακάριος, τίς δὲ ὁ τούτῳ ἐναντίος παιδεύσας. ἐντεῦθεν γοῦν αὐτῷ καὶ κατάρχεται ἡ βίβλος φήσαντι· «Μακάριος ἀνὴρ ὃς οὐκ ἐπορεύθη ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν» καὶ τὰ ὅμοια. ἃ δὴ μεταβαλὼν ὁ Πλάτων φησὶ δεῖν τοὺς ποιητὰς λέγειν, «ὡς ὁ μὲν ἀγαθὸς ἀνὴρ σώφρων ὢν καὶ δίκαιος εὐδαίμων ἐστὶ καὶ μακάριος· ἐὰν δὲ ἄρα πλουτῇ, 12.21.7 ᾖ δὲ ἄδικος, ἄθλιός ἐστιν.» ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ πάλιν ὁ ∆αβὶδ ὧδέ πως ἐξέδωκε διὰ τῶν ψαλμῶν εἰπών· «Πλοῦτος ἐὰν ῥέῃ, μὴ προστίθεσθε καρδίᾳ·» καὶ πάλιν· «Μὴ φοβοῦ ὅταν πλουτήσῃ ἄνθρωπος καὶ ὅταν πληθυνθῇ ἡ δόξα τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ.» ἐπὶ σχολῆς δ' ἂν εὕροις ἕκαστα τῶν εἰρημένων τῷ φιλοσόφῳ πρὸς λέξιν κείμενα δι' ὅλης τῆς ἱερᾶς τῶν ψαλμῶν γραφῆς.

12.22.1 κβʹ. ΟΤΙ ΟΥ ΠΑΝΤΩΝ ΕΣΤΙ ΤΑΣ ΟΡΘΑΣ ΩΙ∆ΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΑ ΜΕΛΗ ∆ΥΝΑΣΘΑΙ ΠΟΙΕΙΝ ΑΛΛ' Η ΜΟΝΟΥ ΘΕΟΥ Η ΘΕΙΟΥ ΤΙΝΟΣ ΑΝ∆ΡΟΣ

«Νομοθετικὸν μὲν οὖν καὶ πολιτικὸν ὑπερβαλλόντως. ἀλλὰ δὴ ἕτερα φαῦλα ἂν εὕροις αὐτόθι· τοῦτο δ' οὖν τὸ περὶ μουσικὴν ἀληθές τε καὶ ἄξιον ἐννοίας, ὅτι δυνατὸν ἄρα ἦν περὶ τῶν τοιούτων νομοθετεῖσθαι βεβαίως θαρροῦντα μέλη τὰ τὴν ὀρθότητα φύσει παρεχόμενα. τοῦτο δὲ θεοῦ ἢ θείου τινὸς ἂν εἴη.» 12.22.2 Εἰκότως ἄρα καὶ παρ' Ἑβραίοις νενομοθέτητο μηδὲ ἄλλους ὕμνους καὶ ᾠδὰς ἐν ταῖς θείαις διδασκαλίαις ἀποδέχεσθαι ἢ τὰς ὑπὸ τοῦ θείου πνεύματος διὰ τῶν θείων καὶ προφητῶν ἀνδρῶν πεποιημένας τά τε τούτοις κατάλληλα μέλη τῷ συνήθει παρ' αὐτοῖς ᾀδόμενα τρόπῳ.