Letter 489: The courage required to speak truth to the powerful, Alexandros, is different from the courage required in battle —...

To Rufinus, Praetorian Prefect, concerning the same matter: A law bars Egyptians from office on account of their cruelty, but no longer bars the Cappadocians, who are worse than them. Since, therefore, we have had experience of a Cappadocian governor and have come to know that diabolical race well, and since you have the ear of the emperor to direct as you wish, unite these with the Egyptians, lest... To Timothy the Reader, on what birthright Esau yielded to Jacob: It was not simply the title of firstborn, dearest friend, as you suppose, that Esau yielded to Jacob, but the patriarchal dignity, which was owed above all to virtue and not to seniority of birth. For since to the firstborn or the eldest were owed the kingship, the priesthood, and the patriarchal dignity, and the law of seniority called him to the rule, yet he was devoid of virtue, he was brought to such necessity that he willingly sold what he deserved to have taken from him even unwillingly. On why Reuben, though firstborn, was deemed worthy neither of the priesthood nor of the kingship: This very thing you mention, good sir, confirms as true what I wrote to you before. Since Reuben raged against his father's bed, he was therefore deemed worthy neither of the kingship nor of the priesthood, though he was firstborn. Levi, being the third, was deemed worthy of the priesthood not only because his father had promised to consecrate a tithe -- for counted from below he was tenth, but if counted from above he would have been found among those born of the handmaids -- but also on account of his piety, and because he filled his hands with kindred blood out of honor for the divine. Moses too, admiring him, said in the blessings: "He who says to his father and mother, 'I have not seen you,' and does not acknowledge his brothers, has kept the words of the Lord." And Judah, being the fourth, was deemed worthy of the kingship on account of his impartial judgment and upright verdict. For since many conceal their own transgressions and condemn others, but he voted against himself and acquitted the woman thought to have committed fornication -- for this reason he was rightly deemed worthy of the kingship. For the descendants of Levi served as priests, and those of Judah reigned as kings, not by allotment, but having received the reward of virtue.

ΥΠΘ. – ΡΟΥΦΙΝΩ, ΕΠΑΡΧΩ ΠΡΑΙΤΩΡΙΩΝ. Περὶ αὐτοῦ. Αἰγυπτίους μὲν δι᾿ ἀπήνειαν νόμος εἶργει άρχης, Καππαδόκας δὲ τοὺς χείρους ἐκείνων, οὐκ ἔτι. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἡμεῖς μὲν ἄρχοντι Καππαδόκῃ χρησάμενοι, πολλὴν πεῖραν τοῦ διαβόλου (75) ἔθνους ἐσχήκαμεν, ὑμεῖς δὲ τὴν βασιλέως γνώμην πρὸς ὁ βούλεσθε ἔχετε, ἑνώσατε Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ τούτους, μήποτε καὶ ΜΖ΄. – ΤΙΜΟΘΕΟ ΑΝΑΓΝΩΣΤΗ. Πυῖα παρεχώρησε τῷ Ἰακώβ ὁ Ἡσαῦ πρωτο- τόκια. Οὐ τὸ καλεῖσθαι ἁπλῶς πρωτότοκον, ὦ προ[σ]φιλέ- στατε, ὡς ἡγῇ, παρεχώρησε τῷ Ἰακώβ ὁ Ἡσαῦ, ἀλλὰ τὸ πατριαρχικὸν ἀξίωμα, τὸ τῇ ἀρετῇ μάλιστα καὶ οὐ τῇ πρεσβυγενείᾳ χρεωστούμενον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῷ πρωτοτόκῳ, ἢ τῷ πρεσβυτάτῳ, καὶ ἡ βα- σιλεία καὶ ἡ ἱερωσύνη, καὶ τὸ πατριαρχικὸν έχρεω- στεῖτο ἀξίωμα, καὶ ὁ νόμος ὁ τῆς πρεσβυγενείας ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτὸν ἐκάλει, ἔρημος δὲ ἦν οὗτος άρε- τῆς, εἰς τοιαύτην ἀνάγκην κατέστη, ὥστε καὶ ἑκὼν πωλῆσαι, ὅπερ καὶ ἄκων ἀφαιρεθῆναι δίκαιος ἦν. ΜΗ'. – ΤΟ ΑΥΤΟ. Διὰ τὶ ὁ ᾿Ῥουβὴμ πρωτότοκος ὢν, ούτε ἱερω- σύνης ἠξιώθη, οὔτε μὴν βασιλείας. Καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο, ὁ ἔφης, ὦ τᾶν, συνίστησιν ἀληθὲς ὂν, τὸ πρώην σοι παρ᾿ ἐμοῦ γραφέν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐπελύττησε τῇ πατρώᾳ εὐνῇ ὁ ᾿Ῥουβείμ, διὰ τοῦτο οὔτε βασιλείας οὔτε ἱερωσύνης ἠξιώθη, καίτοι πρωτότοκος ὧν· ἀλλ᾽ ὁ μὲν Λευῖ τρίτος ὧν, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὸ ἐπαγγείλασθαι τὸν πατέρα δεκάτην ἀφιερώ- σειν (κάτωθεν γὰρ ἀριθμούμενος δέκατος ἦν, ἄνω- θεν δὲ εἰ ἠριθμήθη, εἷς τῶν ἐκ παιδισκῶν ηὑρίσκετο), ἀλλὰ καὶ δι᾽ ὁσιότητα, καὶ τὸ συγγενικῶν αἱμάτων, διὰ τὴν εἰς τὸ Θεῖον τιμὴν, τὰς χεῖρας ἐμπλῆσαι, ἱε- ρωσύνης ἠξιώθη. Ονπερ καὶ θαυμάζων ὁ Μωϋσῆς, ἐν ταῖς εὐλογίαις ἔλεγεν· «Ὁ λέγων τῷ πατρὶ ἢ τῇ μητρὶ, Οὐχ εώρακά σε, καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ [οὐκ] (25) ἐπέγνω, ἐφύλαξε τὰ λόγια Κυρίου.» Ο δὲ Ἰούδας τέταρτος ὢν, διὰ τὴν ἀδέκαστον κρίσιν, καὶ τὴν ὀρθὴν ψῆφον, βασιλείας ἠξιώθη. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλοὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα κρύπτοντες πλημμελήματα, ἑτέρους καταδικάζουσιν· οὗτος δὲ ἑαυτοῦ μὲν κατ- εψηφίσατο, τὴν δὲ πεπορνεῦσθαι νομισθεῖσαν ἀπήλ- λαξε τῆς τιμωρίας· διὰ τοῦτ᾽ εἰκότως τῆς βασιλείας ἠξιοῦτο. Ἱερῶντο γὰρ οἱ ἐκ Λευῖ, ἐβασίλευον δὲ οἱ ἐξ Ἰούδα, οὐ κατὰ ἀποκλήρωσιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀρετῆς γέρας εἰληφότες. Ὅτε γοῦν τινες ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἐκ τοῦ Ῥου- βεὶμ καταγόμενοι, καὶ νομίζοντες ἱερωσύνης ἄξιοι εἶναι, διὰ τὸ τοῦ πρωτοτόκου εἶναι ἀπόγονοι, κατὰ τῶν ἱερωμένων ἐμάνησαν, Μωσέα νομίσαντες κατά χάριν τῷ τε ἀδελφῷ τοῖς τε ἀδελφιδοῖς τὴν ἱερω- σύνην προπεπωκέναι · τότε δὴ σκηπτοῖς καὶ κεραυ- νοῖς οὐρανόθεν κατετοξεύοντο, τῆς δίκης οὐ τῇ πρεσβυγενείᾳ, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἀρετῇ, τὸ τῆς ἱερωσύνης γέ- ρας βεβαιούσης. ``` Β Τοῖς μὲν μηδὲν χρηστὸν περὶ τῶν χρηστῶν λέγουσι, τὸ μηδὲν ἀγαθὸν λαβεῖν · τοῖς δὲ καὶ κακηγοροῦσι τὸ κακόν τι προσλαβεῖν ἀκολουθεῖ. Ρ. 489. - LIB. 1, ΕΡ. 195. Ρ.57, lit. Ε, lin. 2. Ρ. θέλεις ἀπ., κ. τ. λ., cat. δοῦλοι δ' ἂν εἶεν οἱ λέγοντες· Θέλεις ἀπ., κ. τ. λ. Ibid. 3, 4. Ρ. ἀεὶ τῷ θ. θ. εὖν, και, τῷ θ. θ. ἀεὶ εὐν, ibid. 5. Θεοῦ, και. Χριστοῦ. ibid. 7. Ρ. συνεκτμηθῇ. και, συνεκτηθείῃ. Ρ.58, lit. A, lin. 1. ἔτι, cat. ἔστι. ibid. ὄντα deest in cat, ibid. 4. Ρ. ὁ δὲ Κύριος καὶ συνιεῖ, καὶ πολλάκις ἐποίησεν. Οὐκ κ. τ. λ., cal. ὁ δὲ Κύριος πάντα εἰδὼς πρὸ γενέσεω; αὐτῶν οὐκ, κ. τ. λ. P. 58, lit. lin. 5. Ρ. τὸν Ἡσαῦ, cat. Ἡσοῦν. ibid. 6. Ρ. συνεκτίλλῃ, cat. συνεκτέμῃ. ibid. 7. Ρ. μὴ θανατώσας, cat. οὐκ ἐθανάτωσε. ibid. 8. Ρ. μὴ νε- κρώσας, cat. οὐκ ἐνέκρωσεν. ibid. 10. Ρ. μὴ άμυνά- μένος, cal. οὐκ ἠμύνατο. ibid. 10. Ρ. τοῦ Πέτρου τὴν ἄρνησιν, cal. τὴν ἄρν. Πέτρου. - Lit. B. lin. 1. Ρ. μὴ ἐκκόψας, cat. οὐκ ἐξέκοψε. ibid. 2. τὸν deest in cat. ibid. 3. Ρ. τέρματα, cal. πέρατα. Cæterum catenæ auctor, tota hac epistola deseri- pta, hæc addit: Ὅσοι δὲ βαθύῤῥιζοί εἰσι καὶ πολύ- καρποι, ὧν οἱ στάχυες κομῶντες, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ καρ- που βριθόμενοι καρηβαρήσουσιν ὑπὸ τῆς πρὸς ἄμη- τον ώρας, μονονουχὶ ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτοὺς καλοῦντες τὴν τῶν Περιστῶν δρεπάνην, τούτους ὁ Χριστὸς εἰς τὰς οὐρα νίους λήξεις ἀποκομίσαι τοῖς ἀγγέλοις προσέταξε συν- μυρτάσοντας καὶ συμβασιλεύσοντας, καὶ ἀτελευτήτου θυμηδίας μεθέξοντας. Р. 489. - LIB. III, ΕΡ. 107. P. 299, lit. E, lin. 5. Ρ. ἐπειδὴ γέγραφας, cat. εἰ ἀπορεῖς. ibid. 8. Ρ. ἔφησε δὲ καὶ, και, εἶπε δὲ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, ibid. 8. Inter ζιζανίων ει παραβολῇ inserit δηλαδή cat. auct. ibid.