Letter 1110: Character is revealed not by what a person says but by what he does when no one is watching.
That it was not beneficial to have knowledge of all things. I consider wise the very thing which you call irrational. For if all things were manifest, where would we have need of intelligence, since there would be no inquiry? If all things were clear and nothing hidden, the mind would grow idle and understanding would wither from disuse. But since some things are plain and others obscure, since some things are near at hand and others require diligent search, the soul is exercised and sharpened, and through the labor of inquiry it grows stronger. For it is with the understanding as it is with the body: exercise strengthens it, while ease makes it sluggish. A truly golden chain is woven when one uses life as a guide and contemplation as the seal of life. For practice is the gateway to contemplation, and contemplation perfects practice. Athanasius the Great understood this rightly. And if you consider the matter carefully, you will see that even in natural things God has not made everything equally obvious: some things he placed on the surface for our immediate use, while others he buried deep to reward our diligent searching. He did this not out of grudging, but out of wisdom, knowing that what is easily obtained is cheaply held, while what is won through labor is cherished and retained.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
Ὅτι οὖκ ἣν συμφέρον, τῶν πάντων γγῶσιν ἔχειν Σοφὸν ἔγωγε καὶ τοῦτ᾽ εἶναι ἡγοῦμαι, ὃ σὺ φὴς παράλογον. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ πάντα ἦν δῆλα (), ποῦ τῇ. συνέσει ἐχρησάμεθα, μὴ οὔσης ζητήσεως ; Εἰ δὲ ΝΑΒΙΕ ΓΕΟΤΙΟΝΕΒ ΕΥ̓ ΝΟΤΕ. () Τῆς πράξεως τὴν γγῶσιν τικτούσης. Ἐο- εἶδα δθηϑὰ ατἴεᾷ. Νασίλη2. δυγθὰη) ὕλης ῃδοιἱ (ἂς ἰοιδπὶ ἴῃ ογαιΐοης Εἰς τὸν μέγαν ᾿Αθαγάσιτον " Χρυσῇ ὄντως σειρὰ πλέχεται ὅταν τις βίῳ μὲν ὁδηγῷ, θεωρία δὲ σφραγίδι βίου χρῆται. [Δἀδιμαυς ΤΙ ΘΟΙΟβι5 ΠῚ μὸν πρᾶξιν θεωρίας πρόξενον Δρρείἶαι. δὶς ᾿)- μυεὲ ογάο ἰῃ γοῖκι8 ἀϊνὶηἰδ : ογοάθηυμ ρῥείυδβ, οἱ [- εἰεπάυπι, φυλαὶ ἰπιεἰ ροϑιίαπι ὀάτυη ἰἰοθδὶ οοπ- δυ4εὶ. ἈΙττ. (ς1) υτι βοᾳυθιιὶν. οοπίογ αρ. . τ΄. [ἴ»Ρ. (θ2) ΡῬγυ διαμονὴν δογὶ νὴ ἰάθι) παραμονήν. ῬΟΒΑΙΝ. () ᾿Αποστολιχῆς πυϊδᾶὶ ἰάειη ἴῃ ἀποστολῆς οἱ ροϑι ἠξιώθη οἰηϊμἰϊ ἘΠ ῚΣ ἴο. () ᾿Εκεῖνά σοι. Μαϊϊιη ἐχείνας, πἰδὶ ΄ε ἀἰεϑί βαϊίζυιη ἤογὶ οχ ρδη. ἴδι). ἰῃ ποῖ. δδιί ργδβϑίδγα νἱάοιυν ἐχείνας, υἱ γοίογλίυΓ δ4 μεταδολάς. Β᾿ττ. () δὶ μὲν γὰρ πάντα ἦν δη.1α. ) 5δρίοηιϊ5- 5ἰΠ10 ἰδ ρΡογδηθ αὺο θόὺυδ ἰῃ ϑοείριυτί!β ι.᾽ , ἀν ἤο4υ6 οπμηΐα ρίδηϑ αἴφσυς οὐνία ευΐν] νοϊυἱ!, π6η16 ΓυΓδὺμ οπιηΐα ἰδαι6 οὔϑοθγῶ, δἰ) Δίᾳυο οὐδίγιι88, ργώροίϑγο πιοπειῖ οἱ δὶ . βδ- ἰγ65, ἐχ υΐϑθυβ ἤυης ἰαυάάγο ρμίλοοι (ἰἸοιμοηίοπι Αἰοχ., ϑυδιω. ΟἸιγγβοδιοηιυπι, Αὐβυδιίηυπι, οἱ οὖν ἀἰδείρυϊα Ρεοβρογυιῃ Δᾳυϊιδηΐευιϊῃ. ἈΠῈ τ. ἘΡΙΘΤΟΙΛΆΓΝ .. . --- ἘΡΙΒῚΤ, ΤΆΧΧΥ. πάντα ἄδηλα, καὶ οὕτως ἀναπεπτώχειμεν ἂν, μὴ Α πιαπί[εδι8 (1π αἰν εἷς , οἱ ργυδεπιῖα υδὲ. οὔσης εὑρέσεως. Νῦν δὲ διὰ τῶν δῆλων, καὶ τὰ ἄδηλα τρόπον τινὰ χαταλαμθάνεται. Εἰ δὲ διαφύγοι, γα: οὕτως ἡμᾶς ὠφελεῖ, τὸ φύσημα ἡμῶν χαταστέλλοντα. [υ͵ἱδδαπηβ, Τοπηοῖδ ἱπαυ δ᾽ ἰοπὸ Ὁ δἰ) δυΐδπι ΟἸΝἴ8 [υἱϑιοηῖϊ οὐὔδοῦγᾶ, φυοφιο οχοϊββοιπα5 (Π0ρ6 -" ιἶἰ90.), σαν ἱπνθηιῖο. Ναης αὐϊδι ΡῈ βιιηΐ οἰατᾶ, φυυδαπιποίυ διΐϑιῃ δὰ δοιηρτθιιδα αμίυτ, θ0πὶ οὐϑοῦγα οἱ ἀϑυΐία. Θαοὰ [᾽ πο- δίγδηιν [ οοφη οηθην οἰὔιςσίάηι, δίς φυοαυθ ποθ υἱἱ δἴῖοηι οἃ γο8 ὁδδγί (ποι ρα δηἀ4: ἀσὰι αἷ-᾿ πιΐγυιη [Δ5108 ΠΟΒΙΟΓ γαιίοηα Ομ ργὶ ἱυΓ. ΠΙ". --- ΕΥ̓ΛΟΓΙ͂Ω. Περὶ ἁκαταλήπτου «((θ0). Τὰ μὲν ἐφιχκτὰ ῥάδιον θηρᾶται, ἅτε οὐ πολλῆς δεόμενα πραγματείας" τὰ δὲ δυσέφιχτα, εἰ χαὶ ἐργω- δέστερα, ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως ἁλωτὰ καθέστηχε᾽ τὰ δὲ ἀν- έφικτα, οὐδαμῶς ἁλώσιμα ὄντα, πόνον μὲν προξενεῖ τοῖς τολμῶσιν ἐπὶ θήραν ἐξελθεῖν’ καὶ οἱῳδῆποτε ΠΈΧΧΧΙΗ. ---- ΕὔΠΟΟΙΟ. ἢὲ ἱπεοηιρτοϊοιιεὶδὶἰὶ. ΕΔ φιΐάοιῃ τὸβ, αυῷ οομῃργο θη μούδυηί, (Ἀο ἰὼ , ἱηνοριίφωμευγ, υἱροιὰ ἤθη τυ πΘ40110 ᾿μυϑΐμθι!θ5:, νόγῸ .:Γ0 οοιῃργοί δ πὰ ϊ φιθυηὶ, ᾿ἸΔπιοίβ, ορεγο- δἰογθα βἰηϊ, διίδδιθη οὐ υϑιποῦϊ βυμῖ, οἱ οαμὶ ἰΔηάθιι. . φροϑδίιδ ; 4υᾷ νΘΙῸ ὈἰΔη6 ΘΟ ρΓο θη ποαυδυμί,. καιρῷ () πρᾶγμα πάσης θήρας κρεῖττον θηρᾷν ἐπι- Β ε͵ιι5 νἱάεἰἰοοὶ πδίυγῆδ,, αἱ οαρίθα. οἰδυοπὶ οἰδιρίαπι,, χειροῦντες, τοῦ τέλους διαμαρτάνουσιν. δῷ ἰδθογϑιῃὴ φιϊάδηι δρ μιοϊοβιϊδηι οοπεἰ ἴδηι . 4υϊ δὰ δάγυηι ἰηνοβιϊ αι ὁ" πὶ οοηιυϊογίωϊ : ἂἱ αυΐ φυονὶϑ ἰθιῶρογα Γβθπὶ οπιμΐ οαρία . ρογογ πὶ γ6- μδΓ] ἀρργούϊυπίυγ, θπο (Δ. νοῖο ) ἀχοϊἀμηϊ. ΠΔ'΄. --- ΛΟΥΚΊΙΑΝΩ (). Καχὸν μὲν τὸ ἀδικεῖν" χάχιον δὲ τὸ ἀδίχως ψηφίζε- σθαι. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐλπίδα βοηθείας χαταλιμπάνει τῷ ἀδιχηθέντι" τὸ δὲ χαὶ ταύτην ἀφαιρεῖται, βεδαιῶσαν τὸ ἀδίχημα, Μήτ᾽ οὖν ἀδιχῶμεν" μήτ᾽, ἂν χρίταὶ εὑ- ρεθείημεν (), ἀδίχως Ψψηφιζώμεθα.
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