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DISCOURSE 17.

On education and philosophy. John 7. Jesus went up into the temple, (820) and taught the crowds. They marveled

and the Jews, saying, How does this man know letters, having never learned?

1 Cor. 3. If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.

Prov. 1. Wisdom is sung in the gates, and in the squares it speaks boldly.

Sirach 26. There is no exchange for an educated soul.

Sirach 6. Child, in your youth choose instruction; and as one plowing and sowing, approach it, and await its good fruits.

Of Basil. It is better and more profitable to be unlearned and of little learning, and through love to draw near to God, than to seem to be of much learning and experience, and be found blasphemers against their own Master.

Of the same. Those occupied with vain wisdom are like the eyes of an owl. For its sight is strong at night, but when the sun shines, it is dimmed. And their mind is most sharp for the contemplation of vanity, but for the understanding of the true light, it is utterly dimmed.

Of the Theologian. And I think it would be acknowledged by all who have understanding, that education is the first of our goods.

You who are concerned with words, do not trust too much in words, nor be excessively clever beyond reason; nor desire to conquer all things wrongly; but there are some things which you should also endure to lose well.

First wisdom, a praiseworthy life and one purified for God.

First wisdom is to disdain wisdom, that which lies in speech and turns of phrases, and in counterfeit and excessive antitheses. But may it be for me to speak five words in the church with understanding than ten thousand in a tongue.

For he who is wise in words is not wise to me, nor he who has a nimble tongue, but an unstable and uneducated soul; but he who utters few things about virtue, but demonstrates many things by what he does and adds credibility to his speech through his life. For beauty that is seen is better than that painted in words; and wealth which the hands hold, than that which dreams fashion. And wisdom is not that which is made brilliant by speech, but that which is proven by deeds. For good understanding, he says, is to all those who do it, but not to those who proclaim it.

For one must either philosophize, or honor philosophy, if we are not to care at all about falling completely outside of the good, (821) nor to be condemned for irrationality, having been made rational beings, and through reason hastening to the Word.

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ΛΟΓΟΣ ΙΖ´.

Περί παιδείς καί φιλοσοφίας. Ἰωάν. ζ´. Ἀνέβη ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τό ἱερόν, (820) καί ἐδίδασκε τούς ὄχλους. Ἐθαύμαζον

δέ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, λέγοντες, Πῶς οὖτος οἶδε γράμματα, μή μεμαθηκώς;

Α´ Κορ. γ´. Εἴ τις δοκεῖ σοφός εἶναι ἐν ὑμῖν, ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, μωρός γινέσθω, ἵνα γένηται σοφός. Ἡ γάρ σοφία τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, μωρία παρά τῷ Θεῷ ἐστιν.

Παροιμ. α΄ .Σοφία ἐν ἐξόδοις ὑμνεῖται, ἐν δέ πλατείαις παῤῥησίαν ἄγει.

Σιράχ κς´. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἀντάλλαγμα οὐδέν πεπαιδευμένης ψυχῆς.

Σιράχ στ´. Τέκνον ἐν νεότητί σου ἐπίλεξαι παιδείαν· καί ὡς ἀῤῥοτριῶν καί σπείρων πρόσελθε αὐτῇ, καί ἀνάμενε τούς ἀγαθούς καρπούς αὐτῆς.

Βασιλείου. Ἄμεινον καί συμφερώτερον ἰδιώτας καί ὀλιγομαθεῖς ὑπάρχειν, καί διά τῆς ἀγάπης πλησίον γενέσθαι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἤ πολυμαθεῖς καί ἐμπείρους δοκοῦντας εἶναι, βλασφήμους εἰς τόν ἑαυτῶν εὑρίσκεσθαι ∆εσπότην.

Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ἐοίκασι τοῦς ὀφθαλμοῖς τῆς γλαύκης, οἱ περί τήν ματαίαν σοφίαν ἠσχοληκότες. Καί γάρ ἐκείνης αἱ ὄψεις νυκτός μέν ἔῤῥωνται· ἡλίου δέ λάμψαντος, ἀμαυροῦνται. Καί τούτων ἡ διάνοια, ὀξυτάτη μέν πρός τήν τῆς ματαιότητος θεωρίαν· πρός δέ τήν τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτός κατανόησιν, ἐξαμαυροῦται.

Θεολόγου. Οἶμαι δέ πᾶσιν ἄν ὁμολογεῖσθαι τῶν νοῦν ἐχόντων, τήν παίδευσιν τῶν παρ᾿ ἡμῶν ἀγαθῶν εἶναι τό πρῶτον.

Οἱ περί λόγους, μή σφόδρα τοῖς λόγοις θαῤῥεῖτε, μηδέ σοφίζεσθε περισσά καί ὑπέρ λόγον· μηδέ νικᾷν ἐπιθυμεῖτε πάντα κακῶς· ἀλλ᾿ ἔστιν ἅ καί ἡττᾶσθαι καλῶς ἀνέχεσθε.

Σοφία πρώτη, βίος ἐπαινετός καί Θεῷ κεκαθαρμένος.

Σοφία πρώτη σοφίας ὑπερορᾷν, τῆς ἐν λόγῳ κειμένης καί στροφαῖς λέξεων, καί ταῖς κιβδήλαις καί περιτταῖς ἀντιθέσεσιν. Ἐμοί δέ γένοιτο πέντε λόγους ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ λαλεῖν μετά συνέσεως ἤ μυρίους ἐν γλώσσῃ.

Οὐ γάρ ὁ ἐν λόγοις σοφός, οὗτός μοι σοφός, οὐδ᾿ ὅστις γλῶσσαν μέν εὔστροφον ἔχει, ψυχήν δέ ἄστατον καί ἀπαίδευτον· ἀλλ᾿ ὅστις ὀλίγα μέν περί ἀρετῆς φθέγγεται, πολλά δέ οἷς ἐνεργεῖ πραδείκνυσι καί τό ἀξιόπιστον τῷ λόγῳ διά τοῦ βίου προστίθησιν. Κρείσσων γάρ εὐμορφία θεωρουμένη, τῆς λόγῳ ζωγραφουμένης· καί πλοῦτος ὅν αἱ χεῖρες κατέχουσιν, ἤ ὄνειροι πλάττουσι. Καί σοφία, οὐχ ἡ τῷ λόγῳ λαμπρυνομένη, ἀλλ᾿ ἡ διά τῶν ἔργων ἐλεγχομένη. Σύνεσις γάρ ἀγαθή πᾶσι τοῖς ποιοῦσιν αὐτήν, φησίν, ἀλλ' οὐ τοῖς κηρύττουσιν.

Ἡ γάρ φιλοσοφητέον, ἤ τιμητέον φιλοσοφίαν, εἴπερ μή μέλοιμεν παντελῶς ἔξω τοῦ καλοῦ πίπτειν, (821) μηδέ ἀλογίαν κατακριθήσεσθαι λογικοί γεγονότες, καί διά λόγου πρός λόγον σπεύδοντες.