Letter 710: The god has raised our hierophant [the chief priest of a mystery cult] from his bed.

LibaniusCelsus, governor of Cilicia|c. 381 AD|Libanius
illness

Τῷ αὐτῶ. (362)

Τὸν ἱεροφάντην ἡμῖν ἐκ τῆς κλίνης ἀνέστησεν ὁ θεός.
καὶ τοσοῦτον ἄρα ἐστὶ θεὸς μένος ἐμπνέων, ὥσθ’ ὁ πρὶν φε-
ρόμενος ὁ γέρων ἐβάκχευσεν ἄμεινον τῶν ἐρρωμένων καὶ
νέων.

ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς δὴ προθυμίας τε καὶ ῥώμης καὶ
παρ’ ὑμᾶς τρέχει βίβλους τὰς παρ’ ἡμῖν οὐκ ὀρθῶς ἐχούσας
ἐκ τῶν παρ’ ὑμῖν ἐπανορθώσων.

ἐγὼ δ’ οὐχ ἴνα οὗτος
κερδάνῃ τι παρὰ τῶν γραμμάτων, ἔγραψα, πολλαχόθεν γὰρ
αὐτῷ τιμῆς ἀφορμαί, ἀλλ’ ἕν’ ἐν τοῖς ὑπὲρ τῶν ἱερῶν πονοῦσι
καὶ αὐτὸς ἀριθμῶμαι.

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