Letter 456: Do not think you need only to be above reproach, Arabianus.
To Elias the Presbyter: He who cannot teach but wishes to learn is worthy of acceptance. But he who, in addition to not knowing, also professes to teach -- afflicted with the utmost ignorance -- will not even be able to learn, since the presumption of knowing leaves no room for it.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
ΥΞΖ. – ΗΛΙΑ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ.
Ὁ διδάσκειν μὲν μὴ δυνάμενος, μαθεῖν δὲ βουλό-
μενος ἀποδοχῆς ἐστιν ἄξιος. Ὁ δὲ πρὸς τῷ μὴ εἰδέναι
καὶ διδάσκειν ἐπαγγελλόμενος, ἐσχάτην ἀπαιδευσίαν
νοσῶν, οὐδὲ μαθεῖν δυνήσεται, τοῦ δοκεῖν εἰδέναι χώ-
ραν μὴ παρέχοντος.
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