Letter 130: On the Arians and Eunomians.

To Hypatius. On what it is to offer oneself in common, and what to offer oneself equally; and what it is to dispute, and not to be contentious; and what it is to be gladdened, and what to take pleasure. Many people - not only those who compete in the contests of the world outside, but also those who attempt to interpret the divine Scriptures - by not offering themselves as impartial hearers, become the cause of many and varied evils. For some, caring nothing for the truth, applaud to gratify the speakers, as though they were the besotted admirers of charioteers or dancers; while others hiss out of hostility - and this they do often without even having listened carefully to what was said, much less understood it. And from this it often happens that certain men who are not wise, who do not even speak well - perhaps who even speak badly - taking no account of the goodwill of their hearers, nor of their friendship toward them, nor of the hostility of their opponents, on account of which they were applauded; and not only made winged by the applause, but also drunk with self-love, and moreover mastered by prejudice, lay down as doctrine many ill-reputed and laughable opinions; and then, when they ought not even to utter them with their tongue, they try to maintain them as firm. Those, therefore, who attend such discourses ought, knowing that the danger concerns the soul, and that nothing is more to be put first than the truth - and moreover bearing in mind the evils that are born of hostility and of prejudice - to offer themselves as common hearers of the two who speak, yet not as equal hearers. For it is not the same thing, as some suppose. One must indeed listen to both in common, but not assign the equal share to each; rather more to the more intelligent, and less to the more ignorant; and to the wise man, praises, but to the uninstructed man, if he is the sort who can be brought to his senses by censures, censures - and if not, silence. Let this, then, be said concerning the hearers. As for the speakers, I say it is more fitting to dispute, but not to provoke. For men often dispute with friends, but it is the ill-disposed who quarrel contentiously. For in this way the discourse together will become most excellent and most beneficial both to those who expound and to those who listen. For the speakers would in this way be most well-reputed among their hearers, yet not be flattered with praise. For to be well-reputed is, properly, to be judged worthy of acceptance in the souls of the hearers - those souls that cast their votes incorruptibly, without deceit; whereas to be extolled is often done in speech that breathes flattery and is true in nothing. And the hearers would most be gladdened, yet not take mere pleasure. For to be gladdened is to learn something of the finest things, and to whet one's understanding toward the better; whereas to take pleasure is the act of one who is eating something, or doing some such thing through the body. Let these things be observed; let these things be defined; let these things be kept guarded; and there will be great advancement, not only among the hearers toward virtue, but also among those who attempt to speak toward philosophy.

ΠΑ΄. – ΥΠΑΤΙΩ. Τί κοινὸν παρέχειν ἑαυτὸν, καὶ τί ἴσον· καὶ τί ἀμφισβητεῖν, καὶ μὴ φιλονεικεῖν· καὶ τί εὐ- φραίνεσθαι· καὶ τί ἥδεσθαι. Πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οὐ μόνον τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἔξω- θεν ἀγῶσιν ἁμιλλωμένων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν τὰς θείας ἑρμηνεύειν πειρωμένων Γραφὰς (33), οὐχ ὁμοίως ἀκροατὰς παρέχοντες ἑαυτοὺς, πολλῶν καὶ ποικίλων κακῶν αἴτιοι γίνονται· οἱ μὲν γὰρ τῆς ἀληθείας μηδὲν φροντίζοντες, πρὸς χάριν τῶν λεγόντων κρο- τοῦσιν (34), ὥσπερ ἡνιόχων ἢ ὀρχηστῶν τυγχάνον- τες ἐρασταί· οἱ δὲ πρὸς ἐχθρὰν συρίττουσι· καὶ ταῦτα πολλάκις μηδ’ ἀκριβῶς ἐπακούσαντες τῶν λεγομένων, μήτε γε νοήσαντες· καὶ ἐκ τούτων (35) πολλάκις τῶν οὐ σοφῶν, οὐδὲ καλῶς λεγόντων τινές· τυχὸν δὲ καὶ κακῶς φραζόντων· οὐ τὴν τῶν ἀκουόν- των εὔνοιαν, οὐ τὴν τῶν πρὸς αὐτοὺς φιλίαν, οὐ τὴν τῶν ἐναντίων ἔχθραν, δι᾽ ἣν ἐκροτήθησαν, ἐννοοῦντες, οὐ μόνον ὑπὸ τῶν κρότων πτερωθέντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὸ φιλαυτίας μεθύοντες, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὸ προλήψεως κεχειρωμένοι, δογματίζουσι πολλάκις ἀδοξάτινα καὶ καταγέλαστα δόγματα· ἔπειτα, δέον μηδὲ διὰ γλώττης προφέρεσθαι, κρατύνειν πειρῶνται. Χρὴ τοιγαροῦν τοὺς ἐν τοῖς τοιοῖσδε λόγοις φοιτῶντας, γινώσκοντας, ὅτι περὶ ψυχῆς ἐστιν ὁ κίνδυνος, καὶ ὅτι τῆς ἀληθείας οὐδὲν προὐργιαίτερον· οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐννοοῦντας τὰ κακά, τὰ ἐκ τῆς ἔχθρας καὶ τῆς προλήψεως τικτόμενα, κοινοὺς μὲν ἑαυτοὺς παρέχειν τοῖν λεγόντοιν ἀκροατάς, οὐ μὴν ἴσους· ἔστι δ᾽ οὐ ταὐτόν, ὡς οἴονταί τινες. Κοινὴν μὲν γὰρ χρὴ ἀκροᾶσθαι ἀμφοτέρων· οὐ μὴν ἑκατέρῳ νέμειν τὸ ἴσον· ἀλλὰ τῷ συνετωτέρῳ μᾶλλον, τῷ δὲ ἀμαθεστέρῳ ἧττον· καὶ τῷ σοφῷ ἐπαίνους, τῷ δὲ ἀπαιδεύτῳ, εἰ μὲν ὑπὸ ψόγων οἷός τε εἴη σωφρονισθῆναι, ψόγους· εἰ δὲ μή, σιγήν. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν περὶ τῶν ἀκρωμένων εἰρήσθω. Τοὺς δὲ λέγοντας, πρεπωδέστερον εἶναί φημι, ἀμφισβητεῖν μὲν, μὴ ἐρεθίζειν (36) δέ. Ἀμφισβητοῦσι μὲν γὰρ πολλάκις πρὸς φίλους· φιλωνεικοῦσι δὲ οἱ δυσμενεῖς. Οὕτω γὰρ καλλίστη καὶ ὠφελιμωτάτη ἡ συνουσία τοῖς τε φράζουσι, τοῖς, τ᾽ ἀκούουσι γενήσεται. Οἵ τε γὰρ λέγοντες, μάλιστα ἂν ἐν τοῖς ἀκρωμένοις οὕτως εὐδόκιμοι ἦσαν μὲν, οὐκ ἐπαινοῖντο δέ. Εὐδόκιμοι μὲν γὰρ ἐστι κυρίως τὸ ἀποδοχῆς ἀξιοῦσθαι ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς τῶν ἀκουόντων, ταῖς ἄνευ ἀπάτης ἀδεκάστως τὰς ψήφους φερούσαις· ἐγκωμιάζεσθαι ἐν λόγῳ πολλάκις κολακείαν πνέοντι, καὶ μηδὲν ἀληθεύοντι. Οἵ τε ἀκούοντες μάλιστα εὐφραίνοιντο μέν, οὐχ ἥδοιντο δέ. Εὐφραίνεσθαι μὲν γάρ ἐστι, τὸ μαθεῖν τι τῶν καλλίστων, καὶ τὴν φρόνησιν ἐπὶ τὸ ἄμεινον ἀκονῆσαι· ἥδεσθαι δέ, ἐσθίοντα ἥ τι, τοιοῦτον διαπραττόμενον διὰ τοῦ σώματος. Ταῦτα κεχρήσθω· ταῦτα ὡρίσθω· ταῦτα πεφυλάχθω· καὶ πολλὴ ἐπίδοσις ἔσται οὐ μόνον ἐν τοῖς ἀκρωμένοις εἰς ἀρετήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς λέγειν πειρωμένοις εἰς φιλοσοφίαν.