Letter 64: Some people prefer Epicurus to Christ — and the reason is obvious, even if they will not admit it.
On the saying spoken by John to the crowds: "But already the axe is laid to the [root]" [John the Baptist's words at Matthew 3:10 / Luke 3:9].
Seeing the unfruitful disposition of the Jews, John likened them to barren trees, declaring that the axe lies at their root - that is, the sharp and summary division wrought by the Gospel, by which every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down, not dug up. For the natural stock of the roots, namely the Law, is left in place, onto which the new people is grafted.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
Εἰς τὸ εἰρημένον ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου τοῖς ὄχλοις·
«Ἤδη δὲ ἡ ἀξίνη πρὸς τὴν»
Τὴν ἄκαρπον Ἰουδαίων θεωρῶν ὁ Ἰωάννης προ-
αίρεσιν, δένδροις αὐτοὺς ἀκάρποις παρεἴκασε, πρὸς
τὴν ῥίζαν αὐτῶν κεῖσθαι τὴν ἀξίνην ἀποφηνάμενος, A
τὴν ὀξεῖαν καὶ σύντομον τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου διαίρεσιν,
ὑφ’ ἧς πᾶν δένδρον μὴ ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλόν, ἐκ-
κόπτεται (62), οὐκ ὀρύσσεται. Ἡ γὰρ φυὴ τῶν ῥιζῶν,
ὁ νόμος δηλαδή, καταλείπεται, ἐφ’ ἣν ὁ νέος λαὸς ἐγ-
κεντρίζεται.
Revision history
- 2026-05-27v2.2.34-import
Initial corpus import from modern isidore pelusium workflow v1.
Fields: letter text, metadata, source links. Source: https://archive.org/details/PatrologiaGraeca (PG vol.78)
Related Letters
Pascentius challenges Augustine on how three divine persons can be one God.
, a newly-professed monk Concerning the need always to be sober You have grasped the ploughshare well and to the point.
1. Last year I sent by the hand of our brother, the subdeacon Asterius, a letter conveying to your Excellency a salutation due to you, and readily rendered by me; and I think that my letter was delivered to you. I now write again, by my holy brother the deacon Præsidius, begging you in the first place not to forget me, and in the second place to...
Chrysostom apologizes to Anysius for late writing and thanks him for his church zeal.
Just the other day — during the recent consulship of Aristaenetus [404 AD] and, I forget the name of his colleague —...