Nilus of Ancyra→Euthenius|c. 415 AD|nilus ancyra|From Ancyra|AI-assisted
To Euthenius the Deacon.
You give yourself airs over the reading of the Scriptures, and you boast and are puffed up over your speculations, taking delight in holding bare leaves instead of fruits, and you sneer at those who have no knowledge. But this even stage-actors will often be able to do. Rather, by works pleasing to God, set your will to beautify and adorn your own soul. "For woe," he says, "to the scribes and Pharisees who counterfeit the learning of the blessed words, because they say good things and do not do them" [cf. Matthew 23:3, 13]. First, then, act; and after that, teach.
You give yourself airs over the reading of the Scriptures, and you boast and are puffed up over your speculations, taking delight in holding bare leaves instead of fruits, and you sneer at those who have no knowledge. But this even stage-actors will often be able to do. Rather, by works pleasing to God, set your will to beautify and adorn your own soul. "For woe," he says, "to the scribes and Pharisees who counterfeit the learning of the blessed words, because they say good things and do not do them" [cf. Matthew 23:3, 13]. First, then, act; and after that, teach.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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.