Letter 1614: The one who practices virtue may justly call upon the divine inclination for help.
"αὐοτανιὶ εἰ [αεἰθηιὶ γμαμῖμπι ἱπ 8ὲ εεἰ, ειι5 [τὶ αἰιαἑμηι. Υἱτιαπὶ ἰαμδ. (. ερῖει!. διῦ εἰ .͵ Ὃ μὲν ἀρετὴν ἀσχῶν, δίχαιος ἂν εἴη χαὶ τὴν θείαν εἰς βοήθειαν ἐπιχαλεῖσθαι ῥοπήν" ὁ ὃὲ μηδ- ὅλως φροντίζων ἀρετῆς, οὐδ᾽ ἂν χαλοίη, ἐπήχοον ἕξει τὸ Θεῖον. Τῷ γὰρ πάντα τὰ παρ᾽ ἑαυτοῦ πλη- ροῦντι εὐμενῶς ἐπινεύει. Ἵνα δὲ καὶ διὰ παρα- δειγμάτων βαδίσας ὁ λόγος σαφέστερον τοῦτο ποιή- σῃ, παρεὶς τὸ φάναι. Ε! ἡ πόρνη βούλεται μὲν σω- θῆναι, οὐ βούλεται δὲ σωφρονῆσαι, πῶς σωθήσε- ται; Ἐχεῖνο φράσω. "Ἔστω τις γράμματα μὲν ἐπι- θυμῶν μαθεῖν, εἰς διδασχάλου δὲ μὴ φοιτῶν " εἶτα τῷ γραμματιστῇ ἀγοράξοντι ἐντυχὼν λέξοι" ἸΙοἱτσόν με μαθεῖν γράμματα ἄρ᾽ οὐχ ἡγῇ ἐχεῖ- γον λαμπρῶς ἀποχρίνεσθαι λέγοντα’ Ἐμόρόντητε, χαὶ πῶς ἂν δύναιο μαθεῖν, μήτε εἰς διδασχάλου φοιτῶν, μῆτε γραφίδα καὶ δέλτον χεχτημένος, μήτε “πονεῖν βουλόμενος ; Τῇ μὲν γὰρ ἐπιθυμίᾳ τῇ σῇ εἰ : ὁ πόνος συναφθείη χαὶ ἡ ἐμὴ σπουδὴ, ἔσται τι τιἀέον. Εἰ δὲ λέγοις μὲν ἐπιθυμεῖν, μηδὲ ποιοῖς ὧν οὐ ἐπιθυμοῦντες ποιοῦσι, πῶς μαθεῖν δυνήσῃ; Τοιοῦτοί εἰσι χαὶ οἱ ἀρετῆς λέγοντες μὲν ἐπιθυμεῖν, τὴν δὲ εἰς αὐτὴν φέρουσαν ὁδὺν ἀποδιδράσχοντες,
Related Letters
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
To the Presbyter Archibius,
1. Our son Classicianus, a man of rank, has addressed to me a letter complaining bitterly that he has suffered excommunication wrongfully at the hand of your Holiness. His account of the matter is, that he came to the church with a small escort suitable to his official authority, and begged of you that you would not, to the detriment of their ow...
1. You requested an answer from me as a proof that I had gladly received your letter. Behold, then, I write again; and yet I cannot express the pleasure I felt, either by this answer or by any other, whether I write briefly or at the utmost length, for neither by few words nor by many is it possible for me to express to you what words can never ...