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De testamentis et adventu Christi

but they called him a god, whatever it was, in their folly; so then also to the empty-minded people faithful Aaron, when he brought forth a calf from the midst of the fire, exposing their outrage, another made another new god for mortals, a fiction of the mind—and sinful art attended it and wealth that rejoices in evil, and time fixed the shame, magnifying it with idols and sacrifices and feasts— few escaped, those whose mind was a defender, who said nothing was God, which the mind alone did not perceive, but the majority, following the lights with † words, forsooth †. As long as the course of evil was short, and as long as the law, which lay unwritten within, was my guide, the self-taught discernment of good and evil. But when the bosoms and wide ends of the earth were filled with wickedness, and the mire boiled up with hubris, and the creature, though tamed before by many chastisements, by divided tongues and waters and showers of fire, was unwilling to shake off the bonds of its first wickedness, but was always held in the strong knots of the flesh, concerned with lewdness and battles and idols, then indeed—this is the greatest wonder of the wise Word— in the hands of Moses, the glorious servant, God!! led the people from Egypt on their journey with great wonders, and all the nations were shaken; a pillar of fire led the way before him as he came, and of a cloud as he led them through the trackless wilderness. And once in the lonely mountains, a very great wonder, descending from heaven under the covering of a pure cloud, communing with his most pure servant alone by himself, keeping the people back with lightning, trumpets, and quakes, he gave the law; and on tablets he engraved on both sides the hidden and the manifest, as much as the stubborn people could bear, so that it might cut them off from the laws of the wickedest nations. And as a father, under the light hands of his child, guiding the newly-formed ankle of his tender foot, at first lifting it a little high from the ground, cooing gently and giving courage with his eye, but then restraining him, and drawing his foot forward after his own, he seems to lead him forward, both the running and the steps of the child, so also Christ the Lord, caring for foolish man, first cast the idols far away, but the sacrifices he was about to abolish, but nevertheless allowed them, yet placed them within the law, softening their wickedness; but at last not even the sacrifices stood any longer, but gave way, once the people were tamed. And the law, like a guardian, watched over me, an inheritance, for the child of the great father; but when the time of the child came, it willingly gave way, and the best son received the inheritance. Thus is God. For it is his custom to persuade, not to threaten us mortals; for violence is dishonorable to me. For a helper in suffering does not at once bring all grievous things to sufferings, but with kind intent he gave one thing to desire, another to sickness, so as to save even the one who is toiling, mixing better remedies for the pleasant things by the counsels of his art.

And as when a temple-builder, raising a circle in the air of stone with well-cut, sloping stones, first places supports underneath—and then he brings stones above, and winds circle upon circle; but when he has bound it, he casts away the outer support, and the circle stands firm, described in the bare air— so the law was a support for the more perfect law. Believe that the beginning of all things is God. Think that nothing in life is stable. Honoring parents, fear God most of all. Teach yourself not to speak what is not right. Strive to please God in deeds and words. Desire the life that has no end. Yielding to your friends, you will be victorious. And beautify your mind more than your form. Since you are mortal, be not at all proud. Always track the doors of the wise. Open your mouth, child, with the word of God. Never forget the memory of him. Pray soberly to God each day. Receive strangers, lest you become a stranger to God. Restrain the soul-destroying impulses of the passions. Secure your body wisely with fetters. Carry your conscience as a rod for yourself. Clearly devote yourself to the divine Scriptures. The ones of the

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De testamentis et adventu Christi

οἱ δὲ θεὸν προσέειπον, ὅσ' ἔπλετο, ἀφραδίῃσιν· ὣς τότε καὶ λαῷ κενεόφρονι πιστὸς Ἀαρών, μόσχον ὅτ' ἐξανέηκε μέσου πυρὸς ὕβριν ἐλέγχων, ἄλλος δ' ἄλλον ἔτευξε θεὸν νέον ἡμερίοισιν, πλάσμα νόου-τέχνη δ' ἄρ' ἐφωμάρτησεν ἀλιτρὴ καὶ πλοῦτος κακόχαρτος, ὁ δὲ χρόνος αἶσχος ἔπηξεν πλάσμασι καὶ θυέεσσι καὶ εἰλαπίνῃσιν ἀέξων- παῦροι μὲν διάλυξαν, ὅσοις νόος ἦεν ἀμύντωρ, οἳ θεὸν οὐδὲν ἔειπον, ὃ μὴ νόος ἔδρακεν οἶος, οἱ πλέονες δὲ † ἔπεσσιν δῆθεν † ἐπισπόμενοι φαέεσσιν. ὄφρα μὲν ἦν κακίης ὀλίγος δρόμος, ὄφρα δ' ἔμοιγε καὶ νόμος ἡγεμόνευεν, ὃς ἄγραφος ἔνδον ἔκειτο, ἐσθλοῦ τ' ἠδὲ κακοῖο διάκρισις αὐτοδίδακτος. αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ κόλποι τε καὶ εὐρέα πείρατα γαίης πλῆσθεν ἀτασθαλίης, ὕβριν δ' ἐξέζεσεν ἰλὺς καὶ πολλοῖσι πάρος παιδεύμασι πλάσμα δαμασθέν, γλώσσαις τεμνομένῃσι καὶ ὕδασι καὶ πυρὸς ὄμβροις, οὐκ ἔθελεν πρώτης κακίης ἀπὸ δεσμὰ τινάξαι, ἀλλ' αἰεὶ κρατεροῖσιν ἐν ἅμμασιν εἴχετο σαρκός, μαχλοσύναις τε μόθοις τε καὶ εἰδώλοισι μεμηλός, δὴ τότε-μητιέταο λόγου τόδε θαῦμα μέγιστον- Μωσῆος θεράποντος ἀγακλέος ἐν παλάμῃσι λαὸν ἀπ' Αἰγύπτοιο θεὸς!! ῆγε πορείης θαύμασι σὺν μεγάλοισι, τινάσσετο δ' ἔθνεα πάντα· ἐρχομένου τοῦ πρόσθε πυρὸς στύλος ἡγεμόνευεν, καὶ νεφέλης ἕλκοντος ἀσημάντου δι' ἐρήμης. καί ποτ' ἐρημαίοισιν ἐν οὔρεσι, θαῦμα μέγιστον, οὐρανόθεν καταβὰς νεφέλης ὑπὸ κεύθεσιν ἁγνῆς ἁγνοτάτῳ θεράποντι μόνῳ ξυνούμενος οἴῳ ἀστεροπῇ, σάλπιγξι, τινάγμασι λαὸν ἐέργων δῶκε νόμον· πλαξὶν δὲ χαράξατο ἀμφοτέρωθεν κρυπτόν τ' ἀμφάδιόν τε, ὅσον σθένε λαὸς ἀτειρής, ὥς μιν ἀποτμήξειε νόμων ἐθνῶν τε κακίστων. ὡς δὲ πατὴρ οὗ παιδὸς ὑπαὶ παλάμῃσιν ἐλαφραῖς ἰθύνων ἁπαλοῖο ποδὸς νεοπηγέα ταρσὸν βαιὸν μὲν πρώτιστον ἀπὸ χθονὸς ὑψόσ' ἀείρων, μείλιχα παππάζων καὶ ὄμματι θάρσος ὀπάζων, αὐτὰρ ἔπειτ' εἴργων μιν, ἐπ' ἴχνεϊ δ' ἴχνος ὑφέλκων πρόσθεν ἄγει δοκέει τε δρόμον καὶ ἴθματα παιδός, ὣς καὶ Χριστὸς ἄναξ κομέων βροτὸν ἀφραδέοντα εἴδωλα πρώτιστον ἑκὰς βάλε, τὰς δὲ θυηλὰς μέλλεμέν, ἔμπα δ' ἔασε, νόμου γε μὲν ἐντὸς ἔθηκεν μαλθάσσων κακότητα· τὸ δ' ὕστατον οὐδὲ θυηλαὶ στῆσαν ἔτ', ἀλλ' ὑπόειξαν, ἅπαξ λαοῖο δαμέντος. καί με νόμος, κλῆρόν τιν' ἐπίτροπος ὡς, ἐφύλασσεν παιδὶ πατρὸς μεγάλοιο· χρόνος δ' ὅτε παιδὸς ἐπῆλθεν, εἶξεν ἑκών, κλῆρον δ' ὑπεδέξατο υἱὸς ἄριστος. ὧδε θεός. πείθειν γὰρ ἔχει ἔθος, οὐ βλεμεαίνειν οἷσιν ἐφημερίοισι· βίη δ' ἀγέραστος ἔμοιγε. καὶ γάρ τις παθέων ἐπιτάρροθος οὐχ ἅμα πάντα λυπρὰ φέρει παθέεσσι, πόθῳ τὸ μέν, ἄλλο δὲ νούσῳ δῶκε φίλα φρονέων, ὡς καὶ μογέοντα σαῶσαι, φαρμάσσων τερπνοῖσιν ἀρείονα μήδεσι τέχνης.

ὡς δ' ὅτε ναοδόμος τις ἐπ' ἠέρι κύκλον ἐγείρων λαΐνεον ξεστοῖσιν ἐπιρρεπέεσσι λίθοισιν νέρθε πρῶτον ὀχήματ' ἐρείσατοτῶν δ' ἀρ' ἔπειτα λᾶας ἄγει καθύπερθε, κύκλῳ δ' ἐπὶ κύκλον ἑλίσσει· αὐτὰρ ἐπὴν δήσῃσι, τὸ μὲν βάλεν ἐκτὸς ἔρεισμα, κύκλος δ' ἔμπεδός ἐστι περίγραφος ἠέρι γυμνῷ- ὣς νόμος ἦεν ἔρεισμα τελειοτέροιο νόμοιο. Ἀρχὴν νόμιζε τῶν ὅλων εἶναι Θεόν. Βέβαιον οὐδὲν ἐν βίῳ δόκει πέλειν. Γονεῖς τιμῶν μάλιστα Θεὸν φοβοῦ. ∆ίδασκε σαυτὸν μὴ λαλεῖν ἃ μὴ θέμις. Ἔργοις δ' ἀρέσκειν σπεῦδε καὶ λόγοις Θεῷ. Ζωὴν πόθησον τὴν ἔχουσαν μὴ τέλος. Ἡττῶν σεαυτὸν τοῖς φίλοις νικῶν ἔσῃ. Καὶ νοῦν δὲ καλλώπιζε τῆς μορφῆς πλέον. Θνητὸς δ' ὑπάρχων μηδόλως μέγα φρόνει. Ἰχνηλάτει μὲν τῶν σοφῶν ἀεὶ θύρας. Λόγῳ Θεοῦ ἄνοιγε σόν, τέκνον, στόμα. Μνήμης δὲ αὐτοῦ μηδαμῶς λάθῃ ποτέ. Νήφων προςεύχου τῷ Θεῷ καθ' ἡμέραν. Ξένους ξένιζε, μὴ ξένος γένῃ Θεοῦ. Ὁρμὰς χαλίνου τῶν παθῶν ψυχοφθόρους. Πέδαις τὸ σῶμα ἀσφαλίζου σωφρόνως. Ῥάβδον σεαυτῷ τὴν συνείδησιν φέρε. Σαφῶς σχόλαζε ἐν Γραφαῖς ταῖς ἐν θέοις. Τὰς τῶν