Letter 24: When Christ said, "Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven," he was not...

That one must unfold the sacred Scriptures not carelessly, but with much diligence. You ought to take up the divine Scripture with skill, and to track out its meanings with understanding, and not rashly to presume upon mysteries that are not to be touched and not to be attained, entrusting them to unworthy hands. For it was in this way that the most reckless Uzziah [king of Judah, struck with leprosy for usurping the priestly office, 2 Chronicles 26], having grown bold to lay hands on things not to be undertaken, brought leprosy upon himself by his audacity, and was cast out, unwilling, from the palace, inasmuch as the Law also shut out from entering therein those who were marked with leprosy. These things were written for our admonition, that we may both flee acts of presumption and not suffer their punishments.

Ὅτι οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς φιλοπονίας χρὴ τὰς ἱερὰς ἀναπτύσσειν Γραφάς. Ἐπιστημονικῶς (24) τὴν θείαν Γραφὴν ἀνελήσσειν ὀφείλεις, καὶ τὰς αὐτῆς δυνάμεις νουνεχῶς ἀνιχνεύειν, καὶ μὴ κατατολμᾷν ἁπλῶς τῶν ἀψαύστων καὶ ἀνεφίκτων μυστηρίων, ἀναξίαις ταῦτα χερσὶν ἐπιτρέπων. Οὕτω γὰρ ὁ τολμηρότατος Ὀζίας ἀναθαρρήσας ἐπιβαλεῖν τοῖς ἀνεγχειρήτοις, λέπραν τῇ θράσει προσαπηνέγκατο, καὶ ἄκων ἀποῤῥιφεὶς τῶν ἀνακτόρων, καθότι καὶ νόμος τοῖς λέπρα κατεστιγμένοις τὴν εἴσω τούτων ἀπέκλειεν εἴσοδον. Ἐγράφη δὲ ταῦτα πρὸς νουθεσίαν ἡμῶν, ἵνα καὶ τὰς τόλμας φύγωμεν, καὶ τὰς κολάσεις μὴ πάθωμεν.