Letter 1523: I cannot understand how unbelievers manage to make light of faith in God, whose knowledge is easy to acquire, whose...
On the nature of faith. I do not know how faith in God is to be communicated to one who does not possess it, for faith is not a matter of demonstration but of disposition. Its recognition is easy and its acquisition free, yet its possession is firm, and its end most sweet and inexpugnable. No argument can compel faith, and no proof can produce it; yet once it is received, no argument can destroy it and no proof can shake it. This is because faith rests not on the shifting sands of human reasoning but on the solid rock of divine revelation. The one who believes does so not because he has been persuaded by clever arguments but because he has been touched by the grace of God. And the one who disbelieves does so not because the arguments for faith are insufficient but because his heart is closed to the grace that alone can open it. Therefore pray for faith, and do not merely argue about it, for it is a gift from above, not a product of human ingenuity.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
ΕἸάοὶ εοπιηιοι αἰϊο. ΕἸάεπ) ἴῃ Ῥοιπὶ ποδοὶο αυοπιοάο ἐοπιδιηηυπὶ [ἢ ἀ6 . : οὐὐὰβ φυΐϊάθαη ῥγοπα οἱ ἴδοὶ ἢβ οοχηΐο εδί, ἤἥγιηα υργὸ μοββϑβϑίο, ἢπἷ8 ἀδηΐίᾳυσ ᾿μυἱοίυ8 οἱ ἱποχρυρβηλ . ΟΙ!. --- ΠΑΒΡΟΟΒΖ ΒΟΡΗΠΒΤΕ. Τὴν εἰς θεὸν πίστιν οὐκ οἶδ᾽ ὅπως ἐξεντελίζουσιν οἱ ἄπιστοι " ἧς εὐμαρὴς μὲν ἣ γνῶσις, ἀσφαλὴς δὲ ἡ χτῆσις, ἀήττητον δὲ τὸ πέρας. ΡΒ'. --- ΑΡΠΟΚΡᾺ ΣΟΦΙΣΤΗ. Γαμάα (ἐἰπρια ἰἰϑοτίαίεηι, φια ἱπιρτοϑογμηι υἱίΐα ἱπξεοίαί" [μεγαϊ. ἸΓΩΝ: ἐρῖει. , δ, , ε᾽ει5 πιοποάϊα, Πιοπὶ ορίει. φογμεπίϊα εἰ .) Τ,δυάο δαυΐϊἀαπὶ οἱ Δ πηΐγοῦ ἰσὯπὶ οὐπὰ ργυάεοιια ὃ ςοπὐιποίδη) ἀϊοοηΐ ᾿ἰθογίδι θη), αυδπὶ 4υΐ 56γν Βυπὶ ἃς ἀδραπογα ργφ ἰ ᾿ηροηΐο ἐηρτγοῦθάηι, γαιὶ δυ δὲ ἱπιργο 14ι δίᾳφυο οἰεπηηαι! δηΐπηΐ ἢ1- δίδπη γρργο!θηδίοϑη). ΕὈΥΪΐ δἰδηΐ ἢ πηδῖι] οὐ Γ6Β ) ἃ β65[Δ5, δἰ ΘΟΠΟΌΡΓΘΗΙ65 Οπὶ , αυΐ - θεῖ φυζοφυθ ἀθδρυηϊ, ἱπιθρογδηίοβ δυ88 δουυηὶ ᾿ηζυδβ. Τῃγοη. ΗΠ, . "Αγαμαΐ σου τὴν ἔμφρονα παῤῥησίαν, ἣν οἱ ἀγεν- νεῖς χαὶ δουλοπρεπεῖς καχίζουσιν, ἔλεγχον τῆς σφῶν χαχίας τε καὶ ἀνανδρίας ταύτην εἰχότως εἶναι ἡγούμενοι. Μεθύοντες γὰρ τῷ φόδῳ τῶν κχαχῶς αὐτοῖς δρωμένων, καὶ κατασειόμενοι κατὰ τῶν χαθ- αρῶς νηφόντων, τὰς ἀχρατεῖς ἑαυτῶν ὁπλίζουσι͵͵ γλώττας. ΥΔΠΙΣ ΚΕΟΤΙΟΝΕΒ ΕΤ ΝΟΤΕ. ΔΥ6Π) τε οοἸοηάϊ οὔοίυη). ΡῬίυγα (, ΡΙ] πΐὰ5 ἰν. χν Ναίιν. ἩΠ δι., οὐ ἰῃ (ευτοὶοἰδ Μᾶτο Ιἰ". » ν. , οι . [Ιοταιϊυ5 Θρούο ]. βεαίιι5 ἐ , φμὶ ρ»γοσι! ποροίϊὶδ, ὕτ γυΐεοα φομ πιοτίαἰΐμιηι, εἰ6. ΟΠΟΤΤ. () [πιὸγ διὸ δἱ μὲν τὸ πῃ τὸν τηυϊδηὶ οοάά. γι. οἱ ΑΙι., οἱ γϑγβ. ἰβ6 ὅ, ἰἰθγυι ργὸ τὸ δεγίβυμι τόν. ῬΟΒΒΙΝ, ΡΓ΄. --- ΟΛΥΜΠΙῺ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ. ἘΕΡΙΘΤΟΙΛΛΆΠΜ . Υ. -- ἘΡΙ͂ΘΤ. ΟΥ. ΟἿ. --- ΟΟΥ̓́ΜΡΙΟ ΡΆΈΒΒΥΤΕΒΟ. Βοσαῖ, μι Ῥ»υτὸ ἀδϑρεταία πεφμὶα ποπιπὶδμς θειπι οτεὶ. Υἱάς ἐρίδι. . Εἰ χαὶ τὸ μὲν ἐπιτιμᾷν ῥάδιον, καὶ παντός ἐστιν ἀνθρώπου, τὸ δὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν πρεπόντων ὅ τι χρὴ πράττειν ἀποφαίνεσθαι, ἀρίστου συμούλου “ ἀλλ᾽ οὔτε ἐπιτιμᾶσθαι ἀνέχονται οἱ περὶ Ζώσιμον χαὶ Μάρωνα, οὔτε συμθουλεύεσθαι - ἀλλ᾽ εἰς τοσαύτην ἤλασαν μανίαν, ὥστε χαὶ τοὺς ἐπιτιμῶντας λοιδο- ρεῖν, χαὶ τοὺς συμδουλεύοντας χαχηγορεῖν. Ἐπειδὴ δέ τινες οὔτε ἐπιτιμηθέντες, οὔτε σνμθουλευθέντες, θρηνηθέντες δὲ ἀνήνεγχαν, χαὶ τοῦτο τὸ εἶδος τῆς θεραπείας ἤλεγξαν" γελῶσι γὰρ τοὺς τοῦτο ἐχ πολ- λῆς φιλοστοργίας δρῶντας. Τί οὖν χρὴ ποιῆσαι ; Ἐγὼ γάρ σε λοιπὸν ἐρήσομαι, τὸν πράγματα ἡμῖν παρέχοντα, χαὶ ἐνοχλοῦντα ὡς δυναμένοις ἀπελάσαι Β αὐτῶν τὴν μανίαν. Εἴθε μὲν οὖν ἐδυνάμην, χαὶ οὐκ ἂν ἐδεήθην τοῦ συμόουλεύοντος, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὸς ἂν ταχί- στὴν ἐποιησάμην τὴν διόρθωσιν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ χρεῖτ- τὸν πάσης θεραπείας ἐστὶ τὸ πάθος, χαὶ τοῖς ἰατρι- χοῖς φαρμάχοις ἐπιτρίδεται μᾶλλον, τὴν ἀπὸ τῶ" ἁγίων σου εὐχῶν χάρισαι αὐτοῖς βοήθειαν " τάχα πως ἃ χαὶ παθῶν χαὶ πάσης περιγινόμενος χαχίας αὐτοὺς ἰάσεται.
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