Letter 166: On the text: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" [John 2:19].
A word spoken at the right time is like a seed planted in fertile soil; it produces a harvest beyond all expectation. But a word spoken at the wrong time, however true and well-intentioned, is like seed cast upon frozen ground; it lies dormant and may even perish. Study the season before you sow, and you will reap abundantly.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
Εἰς τὸ, « Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον " καὶ ὃν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν. » Ἐπειδὴ ἐνόμισας () ἐναντιολογίαν τινὰ γεγρά- φθαι ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ, ἐμήνυσας, δι᾽ ἣν αἰτίαν γευδομαρτυρίαν ἐχάλεσε () τὸ εἰρηχέναι () περὶ εἧς λύσεως χαὶ ἀναστάσεως τοῦ ναοῦ " εἴρηται γάρ" ἘΡΙΘΤΟΙΑΆΙΝ ,[Β. ΙΝ. -- ἘΡΙΤ. ΟΟΧΥΤΙ.
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