13.  When sufficiently trained at home, as he ought to fall short in no form of excellence, and not be surpassed by the busy bee, which gathers what is most useful from every flower, he set out for the city of Cæsarea,19    Cæsarea, the Cappadocian city, as seems plain from the context.  Yet Tillemont and Billius incline to think Cæsarea in Palestine is meant. to take his place in the schools there, I mean this illustrious city of ours, for it was the guide and mistress of my studies, the metropolis of letters, no less than of the cities which she excels and reigns over:  and if any one were to deprive her of her literary power, he would rob her of her fairest and special distinction.  Other cities take pride in other ornaments, of ancient or of recent date, that they may have something to be described or to be seen.  Letters form our distinction here, and are our badge, as if upon the field of arms or on the stage.  His subsequent life let those detail who trained him, or enjoyed his training, as to what he was to his masters, what he was to his classmates, equalling the former, surpassing the latter in every form of culture, what renown he won in a short time from all, both of the common people, and of the leaders of the state; by showing both a culture beyond his years, and a steadfastness of character beyond his culture.  An orator among orators, even before the chair of the rhetoricians,20    Chair, etc., Before he had studied rhetoric and philosophy. a philosopher among philosophers, even before the doctrines of philosophers:  highest of all a priest among Christians even before the priesthood.  So much deference was paid to him in every respect by all.  Eloquence was his by-work, from which he culled enough to make it an assistance to him in Christian philosophy, since power of this kind is needed to set forth the objects of our contemplation.  For a mind which cannot express itself is like the motion of a man in a lethargy.  His pursuit was philosophy, and breaking from the world, and fellowship with God, by concerning himself, amid things below, with things above, and winning, where all is unstable and fluctuating, the things which are stable and remain.

Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἱκανῶς εἶχε τῆς ἐνταῦθα παιδεύσεως, ἔδει δ' αὐτὸν μηδὲν τῶν καλῶν διαφυγεῖν, μηδὲ τῷ φιλοπόνῳ τῆς μελίσσης ἀπολειφθῆναι συλλεγούσης ἐκ παντὸς ἄνθους τὰ χρησιμώτατα, ἐπὶ τὴν Καισαρέων πόλιν ἐπείγεται, τῶν τῇδε μεθέξων παιδευτηρίων: ταύτην δὲ λέγω τὴν περιφανῆ τε καὶ ἡμετέραν, ἐπεὶ καὶ τῶν ἐμῶν λόγων αὕτη καθηγεμὼν καὶ διδάσκαλος, τὴν οὐχ ἧττον λόγων μητρόπολιν ἢ τῶν πόλεων ὧν ὑπέρκειται καὶ καθ' ὧν ἔχει τὴν δυναστείαν: ἣν εἴ τις τοῦ ἐν λόγοις κράτους ἀποστερήσειεν, ἀφῃρηκὼς ἔσται αὐτὸ τὸ κάλλιστόν τε καὶ ἰδικώτατον. Ἄλλαι μὲν γὰρ τῶν πόλεων ἄλλοις ἀγάλλονται καλλωπίσμασιν ἢ παλαιοῖς ἢ νέοις, ὅπως ἂν οἶμαι τῶν διηγημάτων ἔχωσιν ἢ τῶν ὁρωμένων: τῇδε λόγοι τὸ γνώρισμα, ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις ἢ τοῖς δράμασι τὰ ἐπίσημα. Τὰ δὲ ἑξῆς αὐτοὶ διηγείσθωσαν, οἱ καὶ παιδεύσαντες τὸν ἄνδρα παρ' ἑαυτοῖς καὶ τῆς παιδεύσεως ἀπολαύσαντες: ὅσος μὲν ἦν διδασκάλοις, ὅσος δὲ ἥλιξι, τοῖς μὲν παρεκτεινόμενος, τοὺς δὲ ὑπεραίρων κατὰ πᾶν εἶδος παιδεύσεως: ὅσον κλέος ἐντὸς ὀλίγου χρόνου παρὰ πᾶσιν ἠνέγκατο, καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τοῦ δήμου καὶ τοῖς πρώτοις τῆς πόλεως, μείζω μὲν τῆς ἡλικίας τὴν παίδευσιν, μείζω δὲ τῆς παιδεύσεως τὴν τοῦ ἤθους πῆξιν ἐπιδεικνύμενος: ῥήτωρ ἐν ῥήτορσι καὶ πρὸ τῶν σοφιστικῶν θρόνων, φιλόσοφος ἐν φιλοσόφοις καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ δογμάτων: τὸ μέγιστον, ἱερεὺς Χριστιανοῖς καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἱερωσύνης: τοσοῦτον ἦν αὐτῷ τὸ παρὰ πάντων συγκεχωρηκὸς ἐν ἅπασιν! Τῷ δὲ λόγοι μὲν τὸ πάρεργον ἦσαν, τοσοῦτον ἐξ αὐτῶν δρεπομένῳ ὅσον εἰς τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς φιλοσοφίαν συνεργοὺς ἔχειν, ἐπειδὴ δεῖ καὶ τῆς ἐν τούτοις δυνάμεως πρὸς τὴν τῶν νοουμένων δήλωσιν: κίνημα γὰρ ναρκώντων ἐστὶ νοῦς ἀνεκλάλητος. Φιλοσοφία δὲ ἡ σπουδή, καὶ τὸ ῥαγῆναι κόσμου καὶ μετὰ Θεοῦ γενέσθαι, τοῖς κάτω τὰ ἄνω πραγματευόμενον καὶ τοῖς ἀστάτοις καὶ ῥέουσι τὰ ἑστῶτα καὶ μένοντα κατακτώμενον.