Letter 153: On the captivity of the Jews.

To Menas. A certain man, one of those worthy of regard for both eloquence and memory, adorned with nobility of birth and of character, met with me and reported to me with tears that certain persons, sitting together by themselves, men with whom virtue counts for not a little, were saying such things as these about you. What hidden and shameful passions will these men shrink from carrying out in secret, when they do not even blush at acting disgracefully openly? What of the unseen evils would they not commit, who actually preen themselves upon the ones that are plain to see? How could they be brought to self-control to any great degree, who even laugh at those who practice self-control? How, when reproved, would they desist, who tear to pieces those who reprove them? How could they reverence the divine oracles, who actually consider them to be mere myths? How could they fear the judgment, who by their very deeds proclaim that it does not even exist? How could they obey Christ, who by the things they do proclaim Epicurus? [Epicurus: the philosopher whose name stood, in this period, for those who denied providence and the afterlife and pursued pleasure.] I, then, when I heard these things, was struck in my soul exceedingly. But you would do rightly to consider how you might wipe out this comedy. And you will wipe it out, if you will give up the contest of opinion; and you will give up that contest, if you are persuaded that the sacred Scriptures are true; and you will be persuaded, if you enjoy them continually; and you will enjoy them, if you learn their meaning; and you will learn it, if you sit attentively beside those who are wise according to God; and you will sit beside them, if you flee from wickedness; and you will flee from it, if you fear the punishments that hang over it; and you will fear them, if you believe that the Divine exists; and you will believe, if you recover from so great a madness; and you will recover, if you emulate those who have recovered; and you will emulate them, if you lay hold of virtue; and you will lay hold of it, if you fall in love with the Kingdom; and you will fall in love with it, if you consider that the things which are seen are temporary; and you will consider this, if you learn thoroughly their nothingness; and you will learn it, if you contemplate their perishableness; and you will contemplate it, if you look upon them with unbribed eyes; and you would look thus, if you cling to the things of heaven; and you will cling to them, if you make the eye of the soul more keen-sighted; and you would make it so, if you accustom yourselves to look continually toward the Divine.

Ἐντυχών μοί τις τῶν λόγῳ καὶ μνήμης ἀξίων ἀνδρῶν, καὶ εὐγενείᾳ, καὶ τρόποις κεκοσμημένων, μετὰ δακρύων ἀπήγγελλεν, ὡς συνεδρεύοντές τινες καθ' ἑαυτούς, οἷς ἀρετῆς οὐ μικρὸς λόγος, τοιαῦτά τινα περὶ ὑμῶν ἔφασκον. Τί τῶν ἀπορρήτων καὶ αἰσχρῶν παθῶν ὀκνήσουσιν οὗτοι διαπράξασθαι λανθάνοντες, οἵγε προφανῶς ἀσχημονοῦντες οὐκ ἐρυθριῶσι; Τί δὲ οὐκ ἂν ποιήσαιεν τῶν ἀφανῶν κακῶν, οἵγε ἐπὶ τοῖς προδήλοις καὶ ἐναβρύνονται; Πῶς δὲ ὑπερβολῆς (62) σωφρονισθεῖεν, οἵγε καὶ τοὺς σωφρονοῦντας γελῶσι; Πῶς δὲ ἐλεγχόμενοι παύσοιντο, οἵγε τοὺς ἐλέγχοντας διασύρουσι; Πῶς δὲ τοὺς θείους χρησμοὺς αἰδεσθεῖεν, οἵγε καὶ μύθους αὐτοὺς νομίζουσι; Πῶς δὲ κρίσιν φοβηθεῖεν, οἵγε μηδὲ εἶναι ταύτην διὰ τῶν ἔργων κηρύττουσι; Πῶς δὲ τῷ Χριστῷ πείσονται, οἵγε Ἐπίκουρον, δι' ὧν δρῶσιν, ἀνακηρύττουσιν; Ἐγὼ μὲν [οὖν] ταῦτα ἀκούσας, λίαν ἐπλήγην τὴν ψυχήν. Ὑμεῖς δὲ σκοπεῖν δίκαιοι ἂν εἴητε, ὅπως ταύτην ἐξαλείφοιτε τὴν κωμῳδίαν. Ἐξαλείφετε δέ, εἰ γνωστιμαχήσετε· γνωσιμαχήσετε δέ, εἰ πεισθήσετε ἀληθεῖς εἶναι τὰς ἱερὰς Γραφάς· πεισθήσετε δέ, εἰ συνεχῶς αὐτῶν ἀπολαύσητε· ἀπολαύσητε δέ, εἰ τὸν νοῦν αὐτῶν μάθοιτε· μάθοιτε δέ, εἰ τοῖς κατὰ Θεὸν σοφοῖς προσεδρεύσοιτε· προσεδρεύσοιτε δέ, εἰ κακίαν φύγοιτε· φεύξεσθε δέ, εἰ τὰς τιμωρίας τὰς ἐπηρτημένας αὐτῇ φοβηθείητε· φοβηθήσεσθε δέ, εἰ τὸ θεῖον εἶναι πιστεύσετε· πιστεύσετε δέ, εἰ ἐκ τῆς τοσαύτης μανίας ἀνενέγκοιτε· ἀνενέγκοιτε δέ, εἰ τοὺς ἀνενεγκόντας ζηλώσετε· ζηλώσετε δέ, εἰ ἀρετῆς ἀντιλάβεσθε· ἀντιλάβεσθε δέ, εἰ βασιλείας ἐρασθεῖητε· ἐρασθεῖητε δέ, εἰ τὰ βλεπόμενα πρόσκαιρα εἶναι νομίσετε· νομίσετε δέ, ἐὰν τὴν οὐδέναιαν αὐτῶν καταμάθοιτε· μαθήσεσθε δέ, εἰ τὸ ἐπίκηρον αὐτῶν θεωρήσητε· θεωρήσετε δέ, ἐὰν ἀδεκάστοις ὀφθαλμοῖς θεάσησθε· θεάσαισθε δέ, εἰ τῶν οὐρανίων ἀνθέξεσθε· ἀνθέξεσθε δέ, εἰ τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμὸν διορατικώτερον κατασκευάσετε. κατασκευάσαιτε δὲ, εἰ πρὸς τὸ θεῖον συνεχῶς ἀποβλέπειν ἐθίσεσθε.