Letter 1084: Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
Those who stumble conspicuously in matters that are universally acknowledged and beyond dispute are hardly fit to make pronouncements about what seems doubtful and controverted. For if it is not even permitted to those who embrace vice to raise a word about the divine ordinances — "For to the sinner God has said: Why do you declare my ordinances?" — how can it be lawful for those who insult even the ordinances themselves by their deeds to discourse about doctrines? If, therefore, virtue begets piety, we must be zealous to possess it, through which piety will be rendered worthy of credence. For no one will be persuaded by one who does not live well, since vice dishonors even right doctrines and does not allow them to be received. We must therefore hold fast to both virtue and piety: the one is the foundation, while the other is the crown and adornment.
On the same topic. Have you escaped your own notice, that you do not possess right judgment of affairs, or is it I who am thought to possess it firmly? If then you have escaped your own notice, make use of an earnest teacher, for if you seek, you will find; and you will seek, if you come to believe that you know nothing. For to think that you know is the very cause of not even finding. But if it has escaped my notice, show your judgment through the facts themselves; and you would show it, if your life should run alongside your words.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
Οἱ περὶ τὸ () ὁμολογούμενον () λαμπρῶς πταίοντες, οὐχ ἂν εἶεν ἀξιόχρεῳ περὶ τοῦ δοχοῦντος ἀμφισδητησίμου ἀποφαινόμενοι. Εἰ γὰρ τοῖς καχίαν ἘΡΙΘΤΟΙΑΒῸΜ ΚΒ. 1Υ. -- ΕΡΙΘΤ. ΧΧΙ. ΧΙΧ, ---- ΠΟΚΟΤΗΕΟ. Ὀ᾽βοαβδίβιϊ τὰ αυϊάδπι Ὠΐης αυδεὶ ΟΟἰ ΘΓ ΠῚ ΓΟΥαῦ ΒΌΓΙ15 : δὸ(ὶ ποβοίο αυὸ ργΓΦίοΓ΄υδη) ὈΓοιἾ96- γ88 ᾿ΠΠ γϑι)δηϑ8[5ι ; [ογι δυίθηι σοηβί ϊο, αἱ ᾿ΠἸυ5 Ἰοοΐ Βομηΐη68 ἰυγνεδ, οἱ οαρία8, οἱ ( νῖϑι0 - ἀυοδ8. ()υῶγα 5δ' νϑγᾷ δϑί [ πιθᾷ διιβρίοἷο, γοϊρβᾶ [ο6 οδίθηάδ, υἱ αυδπὶ χ )δθηι18 ἰυὰ ρογεὶρίπιυς το οδιἰδ), [ ἀχβροοίδιίοαα ργοϊαγὶ [λοϊηογὶβ ἀορο!δυ8. Ἐὰ δηΐπι ϑχίογγίθυβ [Δοΐ! ἰηἀυ! σοὈ]!, εἰογίας θοπλὶηΐοδ πδυἀ φγάνδὶθ ἰθγπιΐηο08 ΘΟΠΟΘ . ΧΧ. --- ΠΙΌΥΜΟ ΡΒΕΒΒΎΤΕΒΟ. Ουΐ ἐνϊάθηϊον οἶγοα ἰά αυοὰ ον θδπ8 δίᾳιιδ δρυΐ ΟΠΠ68 ἰιοπλΐηθ ἰῃ σομΐθδ80 6δῖ, δ᾽ υοσϊπαηίυγ, ποῃ δύη! ργοίδοίο ἰάἀοπαὶ δὺὶ ἀΐφηΐ, ᾳυδηάο ργοηυη- ἀσπαζομένοις, οὐδὲ περὶ τῶν θείων διχαιωμάτων ἰἶδηι ( τὸ αὐδὸ ἀυδῖα νἱάθίυγ δἱ Θοηίγουθγβᾶ. λόγον χινεῖν θέμις" ε« Τῷ γὰρ ἀμαρτωλῷ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός " Ἵνα τί σὺ ἐχδιηγῇ τὰ δικαιώματά μου; » πῶς τοῖς χαὶ αὐτὰ τὰ διχαιώματα δι᾽ ὧν πράττουσιν ὑδρίζουσι περὶ δογμάτων διαλέγεσθαι θέμις ; Εἰ τοίνυν ἡ ἀρετὴ τὴν εὐσέδειαν ἐγγνᾶται, σπουδα- στέον αὐτὴν ἔχειν, δι᾽ ἦν ἡ εὐσέδεια ἀξ'όχρεως ἀποφαγνθήσεται. Τῷ γὰρ οὐχ εὖ βιοῦντι οὐδεὶς πει- σθήσεται, τῆς χαχίας χαὶ τὰ ὀρθὰ χαθυόδριζούσης δόγματα, καὶ χαταδεχθῆναι () μὴ συγχωρούσης. ᾿Αρετῆς τοίνυν χαὶ εὐσεδείας ἀνθεχτέον" ὡς ἡ μὲν «θεμέλιός ἔσνιν, ἢ δὲ στεφάνη χαὶ ἐγχαλλώ- κια!α. Νδιη 5ἱ ἱπιργοθιδίοπι δἱ υἱ εἴ βϑοϊδῃιυ8 π6 αυΐάδηι ἀ6 αἰνίηἷ5 [υβι Π Διο νογὰ ἴδοσγα [Ἀ8 θδῖ : « Ρεροδίοτγί δπΐπι αἰτία θθὺ8 : Οὐδγα ( ΘηδΓΓΔ5 ἰυ - 5ιἰι185 πηθ88 ". » 4υἃ ἰδΔηιἰ6πὶ Γα(οΠὸ [ αΥγὶϊ , 4υΐ ᾿ρ885 υ8. ΠπΔ1 10η68 ρ6Γ αὐυῷ [δοΐυν!, οοιία- πιο οἰοίπηϊ, ἀ6 ἀορηιδιΐυυβ ἀϊβρυίλτε ᾽ ] ἰφίίυν νἱγίυϑ δἱ ργο δία υἱια: γδίίο ρἰοἰδίοπι) δδίγυϊ! ἃς νους μι οΓροβὶ (ἃ βροηβίομα ἤγημμδι (υἱ σαΓία [δοϊ), ἀδιι ΠΟ . ΟροΡΆ δϑῖ, υἱ ᾿ἰδιὴ θ6ϑπιυ8, ρ6Γ 4υδπ) ρίο- ( ἀοοίγίηα ονδύοι ἀΐξηδ. Νϑβην οἱ αυΐ ποῖ: "δι υἱνῖ(, ἤθῆὺ ἤάθιιν δά! "θυ ἷ., νἱ φυΐρρα 6ἱ τοεῖδ ἀορπιδῖδ ἀεδἰοπμοβίδηιθ, λυ ΓΟΟΪΡῚ Ποη ροΓ- τοἰϊίοηις. ὕϊγυμπαυς ἱρίίυν ρϑτὶ βιυάϊο γοιθθάυπι , ἰΔ:ὰ Υἱγίυβ αυᾶπὶ δᾶπἃ ρῥίθίαιϊβ ἀοοίτγίμα,, υἱ αυόγυα! δἰίδγυι 5ἰι ἰαμἀδηνοιίυθ, ἀἰίογαπ) οογοπᾶ δίᾳιυ6 ΟΓηδιμθπίυπι ΚΑ’, --- ΘΕΩΝΙῚ (). Εἰς τὸ αὐτό. Ἄρα σαυτὸν λέληθας, ὅτι οὐχ ἔχεις τὴν χρίσιν () πραγμάτων ὀρθὴν, ἣ ἐμὲ ἔχειν ταύτην ἐῤῥωμένην. Εἰ μὲν οὖν σαυτὸν λέληθας, χρῆσα: σφοδρῷ διδα- σχάλῳ εἰ γὰρ ζητήσειας, εὕροι; ἄν" ζητήσεις δὲ, εἴγε οἰηθείης μηδὲν εἰδέναι. Τὸ γὰρ οἴεσθαι εἰδέναι, ταῦ μηδὲ εὑρεῖν αἴτιόν ἐστιν. Εἰ δὲ ἐμὰ ἔλαθε, δεῖξον διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν χρίσιν " δείξειας δὲ, εἰ συν- δράμοι ὁ βίος τῷ λόγῳ.
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