Letter 804: The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
Just as — to use a vivid example — Jerusalem, when she was armed with the divine alliance, stood upright and set up her trophies effortlessly and without bloodshed; but when she was deprived of this alliance because she raged against it, hostile fire easily laid her low: so too the soul, when it is fenced about by the heavenly favor on account of its steadfastness in conduct, will easily overcome its enemies; but when it sins, it will be captured here by the fire of the passions, and punished there by the fire of judgment.
To Asclepius the Sophist: If Xerxes, O sophist — for I shall speak to you from your own examples — bridged the Hellespont yet was unable to bridge the spirit of the Athenians with the yoke of slavery, but though he moved everything and overturned the order appointed to the elements, yet could not move them from their resolve: do you think that by mere counsel you can move our spirit and turn it to flattery? How is this not absurd? Cease therefore from such attempts; or else we shall separate you from the choir of friends.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
Ὥσπερ, ἵνα χαὶ ἐναργεῖ παραδείγματι χρήσωμαι, Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ὅτε μὲν τῇ θείᾳ συμμαχίᾳ ὥπλιστο, ὀρθὴ ἑστῶσα ἀπονῃτὶ καὶ ἀναιμακχτὶ τὰ τρόπαια ἵστη ὅτε δὲ ταύτης διὰ τὸ ἐπιλυττῆσαι χατ᾽ αὐτῆς, ἐστέ- ρῆτο, πῦρ πολέμιον αὐτὴν ῥᾳδίως ἔχλινον" οὕτω χαὶ Ψυχὴ, ὅταν μὲν τῇ ἄνωθεν ῥοπῇ δι᾽ εὐστάθειαν τρό- σταὺν περιφράττηται, ῥᾳδίως τοὺς πολεμίους καταγω- νιεῖται ᾿ ὅταν δ᾽ ἀμάρτῃ, ἐνταῦθα μὲν τῷ πυρὶ τῶν παθῶν ἁλώσεται, ἐκεῖσε δὲ τῷ τῆς χρίσεως τιμωρη- θήσεται. ΚΡ. -- ΑΣΚΛΗΠΙῺ ΣΟΦΙΣΤΗ. ΕΓ Ξέρξης, ὦ σοφιστά - ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν σῶν σοι διὰ- λέξομαι " τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον ζεύξας, τὸ τῶν ᾿Αθηναίων φρόνημα οὐχ ἠδυνήθη ζεῦξαι τῷ τῆς δουλείας ζυγῷ, ἁλλὰ πάντα μὲν ἐχίνει, χαὶ τὸν ταγέντα τοῖς; στοι- χείοις ἑκαινοτόμει θεσμόν" ἐχείνους δὲ τῶν δεδογμέ- ψων οὐ μετεχίνει " σὺ ἀπὸ συμδουλῇς ψιλῆς ἐνόμι- σας ἡμῶν μεταχινεῖν τὸ φρόνημα, χαὶ εἰς θωπείαν Ῥλτδοι. ἀκ. ΕΧΧΥ ΤΙ]. οοἰδὶ διᾳιθ οὔϑορνοῖ, ης ἀαίπὶ ἰῃ ᾿ποῆτ] σ0Π)- πωίοί. ()υθεἶ 5ὲ 45ὶ5 δι ὅὉ8 δεν! ., Ν6. ν)6ῆ-" ι[ ᾳυϊ θοῦ) οἱ ρὑγυδοηθθ Ρεγϑθξοθρϑ νἱ- ἀδίυν. ΧΧΙ. ---ΕἸῈ ΜΝ. Υἱγίβ βδηοιΐβ. βδρί θη Π Υἱγ, φγλν δὶ! 4ι8- ρογίουΐα, ηαὐ8 Υἱγιιἷ8 οαυ88. δἰδυμῖ, μηδ ]οΥ εἰοτίοε πηνδιόγίαιη ργῦθῃηι. ΧΧΙΙ. --ἸΒΙΏΟΒΟ ΑΘΟΝΟ. Οπεοπιδαϊηοιί! δογυξδίθιν ( ραγϑρίσυο δλθιηρο υἱδῦ οὐπὶ αἀἰνί δι: χΧ πλυμα οἱ ὩΓπι1Ά ΟΓΔΙ, ΓΟΟΙΔ οἶἰγὰ ἰἀθογουν δὲ ογυόγαηι (ΓΟ θᾶ 51Ἀ- ἰποἴγαῖ; σα ἈΠ ) , ρΓορμίογοα 4υοα! ἀν νἘ 'ρβᾶπι ἱπϑην βαρὶ, β656. 5ρ0 , ΠΟδι Π5 Παμηνὰ Θ8η1 ΠῚ ] πδϑοι ρτγοβίογηθῦνι : Θοὔδη πιο ( ᾿ - Π13 4υοηας, ] ἰνίπἃ Ορᾶ ργορίογ ᾿τπόγιλὶ σΟη δι Π - εἰ8πὶ "πο ἀδδιϊαιν 8όρι δἵ τπἷ1ὰ [ἀΟΓΠ, Πο5168 ΓΔ0 δυρεραυὶι ; ] δυΐδιν ἴπ ρεσιδιιηη μρογωροτγὶ!, νος φυϊάδιν τὰγυμ!δόγ ἀἰδοίυμηι ἰζψηθ6 ἑὁοπα- δγαθὶ!, ἢΠΠ Ὸ δυο Κυυ1ο ἤάηνα ογυοί Ὀἱ[ΠΓ. ΧΧΙΣ, σ- ᾿ΑΘΟΓΕΡΙΟ ΒΟΡΗΙ͂ΣΤΙ. Οἰη Χογχοβ, ὁ ιϑῖ2 (πᾶπ) ἃ ἰυἷ5 ἰιἰδίοΥ ἴδοι δ . , Γαι θι5 ΠΘΙ]Θοροπίο Αἰἰιθιαι:- . ΔΠ 1Π08 ΓΝ ἰυ50 ρτοίηθΓα νηΐ ΐπη6 μ0- ἴυθτι!, νόγν αυδημν8 ἢ ΠῸη ἰδηιλγοὶ, διηιιθ οἰἴαι ἡ ροϑἐ ἅμ Θἰθη θη . ἰοςθι) ἰηποναγθῖ, ἴλη δη ἃ) δ μἴπ ρΓομοβίιο μαι αυδϑιι ἀἰϊπνονοῦν τ δυ] σοὨ5, μαοι!οοιυγμ δαἰδιϊμμαδιὶ, αἱ . ΙΒΙΡΟῈῚ ΡΕΙΓΌΘΙΟΤᾺ ϑυΐηην ποδί μιπη) ἀϊπηονθδβ, δίαηο Δι θη ἰδ) Α τρέπειν χαὶ πῶς οὐχ ἄτοπον : πέπαυσο τοίνυν τοι- οι διναθάση ἡ θοί85. ΑπθΟ .) ἢος ) - ὁδον . Ουθοῖτοῦ οἰ υδηηο0α͵ φυδιίϑη! οΟη , ΠΟὉ ( ἀδδβίηθ, ' τὐΐηυ8, ὁχ διηοοῦγ ΟἤογΟ [ ΒΟΟΘΓΠΟΠΊΙ8.
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