Letter 481: You have asked me whether the philosophical education you received serves your faith or works against it.

No one who is illuminated is harmed by the light. But if you think these are merely human reasonings, I shall attempt to convince you from the divine Scriptures. For what was more wicked than Balaam? Yet God made use of his tongue for blessings. And what of Caiaphas? Yet he prophesied, and the grace touched his tongue but did not touch his will. And if you wish to learn something even more paradoxical, God fed the heaven-traversing Elijah through a raven, an unclean bird. Therefore do not doubt whether the divine and supernatural gifts are given through certain sinful priests — for one must not condemn all, nor would that be just. To Zosimos. I am greatly amazed that, neither compelled by any example nor having anyone who would imitate you — for may no one ever fall into such a pit, and may you too be lifted out of this deadly intoxication — you slander priests who are adorned with virtues and brimming with spiritual achievements, thinking that the mockery of others provides you a defense for your own conduct. But this is not so, O best of men, it is not so! Rather, both before men you incur laughter and condemnation, and from God you will endure many punishments: because you embraced wickedness, because you dishonored virtue, because you slandered those who are nourished by it, because you committed outrage and drunken violence against the priesthood — so that most people, if not all, having been scandalized by you, have come to think that the very symbols of salvation have been brought into disrepute. Therefore, in order to be delivered from all these evils — for I pray for this — know yourself. To Arabianos the Bishop. On what manner of man the best priest should be. Do not think it sufficient merely to be above reproach, but strive to be filled with praise as well. For the former belongs even to ordinary people, while the latter belongs to those who have reached the summit of virtue. To Eudaimon the Deacon. On self-sufficiency. Since our nature has very many needs, the most divine Word of the Father — His divine proclamation He calls a kingdom. For the kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed. The divine seed indeed seems the smallest and most imperfect of all human words, both Greek and barbarian; but it carries within itself no ordinary power.

ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΑΡUM LIB.II.-ΕΠΙΣΤ. XL. φωτιζόμενος παραβλάπτεται (17). Εἰ δὲ λογισμοὺς οἴει ταῦτ᾽ εἶναι ἀνθρώπων, ἀπὸ τῶν θείων σε πιστώσασθαι λογίων πειράσομαι. Τί γὰρ τοῦ Βαλαὰμ γέγονε μιαρώτερον; ᾿Αλλ' ὅμως τῇ γλώττῃ αὐτοῦ εἰς εὐλογίας κατεχρήσατο ὁ Θεός. Τί δὲ τοῦ Καϊάφα; Ἀλλ' ὅμως προεφήτευσε, καὶ ἡ χάρις τῆς μὲν γλώτ-της ἥψατο, τῆς δὲ γνώμης οὐχ ἥψατο. Εἰ δὲ καὶ παραδοξότερόν τι ἐθέλεις μαθεῖν, διὰ κόρακος, άκα-θάρτου πτηνοῦ, τὸν οὐρανοδρόμον ἔτρεφεν Ἠλίαν (18). Μὴ τοίνυν ἀμφίβαλλε, εἰ δι' ἱερέων τινῶν ἁμαρτω-λῶν (οὐδὲ γὰρ πάντων καταψηφίσασθαι χρὴ, οὐδὲ δίκαιον) τὰ θεῖα καὶ ὑπερφυῆ δίδοται χαρίσματα. ---LETTER AH΄. – ΖΩΣΙΜΟ. Λίαν θαυμάζω, πῶς μήτε παραδείγματι ἐκβια-σθεὶς, μήτε ἕξων τὸν μιμησόμενον (μὴ γὰρ δὴ γέ-νατό τινα εἰς τοσοῦτον βάραθρον καταπεσεῖν, γέ-νοιτο δὲ καὶ σὲ ἀνενεγκεῖν ἐκ τῆς ὀλεθρίου ταύτης μέ-θης), τοὺς ἀρεταῖς κομῶντας ἱερέας, καὶ πνευματικοῖς κατορθώμασι βρύοντας κακηγορεῖς, νομίζων ἀπολο-γίαν ἔχειν τῶν οἰκείων πραγμάτων (19), τὴν τῶν ἄλλων κωμῳδίαν. ᾿Αλλ' οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο, ὦ βέλτιστε, οὐκ ἔστιν· ἀλλὰ καὶ παρ' ἀνθρώποις γέλωτα ὀφλι-σκάνεις καὶ κατάγνωσιν, καὶ παρὰ Θεοῦ πολλὰς ὑπο-μενεῖς τιμωρίας, ὅτι τε κακίαν ἡσπάσω, καὶ ὅτι τὴν ἀρετὴν ἡτίμασας, καὶ ὅτι τοὺς ταύτης τροφίμους ἐκακηγόρησας, καὶ ὅτι εἰς τὴν ἱερωσύνην παροινή-σας ἐξύβρισας, ὡς τοὺς πλείστους τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἵνα μὴ λέγω πάντας, σκανδαλισθέντας ὑπὸ σοῦ, νο-μίσαι (20) εἰς τὰ τῆς σωτηρίας παραβεβλάφθαι σύμβολα. Ἵν᾿ οὖν τούτων ἁπάντων ἀπαλλαγείης τῶν κακῶν (εὔχομαι γὰρ), γνῶθι σαυτόν. ---LETTER ΑΘ΄. – ΑΡΑΒΙΑΝΟ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟ. Περὶ τοῦ ὁποῖος ἂν ἡ ἄριστος ἱερεύς. Μὴ μόνον μέμψεως κρείττονα οἷου δεῖν εἶναι σαυτὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπαίνων ἔμπλεων· τὸ μὲν γὰρ καὶ τῶν τυχόντων ἐστὶ, τὸ δὲ τῶν ἄκρων εἰς ἀρετὴν. ---LETTER Μ΄. – ΕΥΔΑΙΜΟΝΙ ΔΙΑΚΟΝΟ. Περὶ αὐταρκείας. Ἐπειδὴ πλείστας ἡ φύσις ἡμῶν ἀνάγκας ἔχουσα, Ρ. 481. - LIB. II, ΕΡ. 198. Ρ. 216, lit. Β, lin. 9. Ρ. ὁ θειότατος, ὦ σοφὲ, τοῦ Πατρὸς Λόγος, καὶ τὸ θεῖον ἑαυτοῦ κήρυγμα βασι- λείαν καλεῖ, ὡς ὠδῖν., κ. τ. λ. Cat. τὸ θεῖον κή- ρυγμα ὁ Χριστὸς βασιλείαν καλεῖ, ὡς ὠδῖν., κ. τ. λ. [...]μια. 11. ὁμοία γάρ έστιν. – Lit. C. Ιία. 3. γίνεται. des, in cat. - Lit. C, lin. 3. P. ὁ δὲ λέγει, και, καὶ φησιν, ibid. 5. Ρ. ἀποκρύψαι, και, ἀποκρύπτειν. jbid. 7. ἀγροικιζομένῃ deest in cat. ibid. 8. Post παρεχώρησεν, cai, auct. pergit in hune modum, διὰ πολλὰ δὲ κόκκω σινάπεως τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐ- ρανῶν ἀπ., κ. τ. λ. Cfr. lib. 1, ep. 199, P. 59, lit, A, lin. 7. πλείστων ἕνεκα τρόπων des. in cat. Lit. B. lin. 5. τὴν deest in cat. ibid. 9. συντεταγμένην, αἰt. ep. vocab. - Cat. auet. addit, καὶ ἁπλῶς βραχὺς μὲν ἐστιν, κ. τ. λ. Cfr. lib. IV, ep. 76. P. 455, lit. E, lin. 7. ibid. 8. σπειρόμενος deest in cat. ibid. 9. Ρ. λεγομένων, cal. λελεγμένων. ibid. 10. xal deest in cat. P. 454, lit. A, lin. 1. Ρ. ἐπαγγέλλεται, cat. ἀπαγγ. ibid. 6. Ρ. οὐ τὸ ψεῦδος, και, τὸ ψευδ. οὐ. ibid. 7. δὲ ἀληθ., cat. δ' άληθ. ibid. 9, 10. Ρ. ἐφίενται, cat. αφίενται. – Lit. B. lin. 1. πρὸς αὐτήν. Omissis om- ibus, quæ in ed. Par. hæc verba sequuntur, pergit catenæ auctor hisce verbis: Δοκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ὁ θεῖος σπόρος σμικρότατος εἶναι καὶ ἀτελέστατος τῶν παρὰ ἀνθρώποις λόγων, Ἑλληνικῶν τε καὶ βαρβαρικών· δύναμιν δὲ οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ἐν ἑαυτῷ φέρει, ὡς και