Letter 826: The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
To Paul. If you would make use neither of shameful practices nor of those who employ them, you will win brilliant praise from all. For to make use of such practices is slavish; but not to employ them oneself while associating with those who do undermines one's reputation. For one must neither be suspected of doing what it is shameful to do, nor associate intimately with those who carry out such things. For one must fear slanders, even if they are not true, since many who do not know the exact truth look to reputation, and judge each person to be of such character as they observe his companions to be — casting their vote not only from the facts themselves, but also from those with whom he keeps company. For if, they say, you practice virtue, what is the purpose of your association with the worst of men?
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
ΡΚΔ. – ΠΑΥΛΟ.
Εἰ μήτε τοῖς αἰσχροῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασι, μήτε τοῖς χρωμένοις αὐτοῖς χρῷο, λαμπράν σοι παρὰ πάντων εὐφημίαν θήσει. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ χρῆσθαι αὐτοῖς, ἀν-ελεύθερον· τὸ δὲ μὴ χρῆσθαι μὲν αὐτοῖς, τοῖς δὲ χρωμένοις χρῆσθαι, τὴν δόξαν λυμαίνεται. Χρὴ γὰρ μήθ' ὑπονοεῖσθαι ποιεῖν, ὁ ποιεῖν αἰσχρόν· μήτε τοῖς διαπραττομένοις αὐτὰ ἐπιτηδείοις χρῆσθαι. Δεῖ γὰρ φοβεῖσθαι τὰς κακηγορίας, κἂν μὴ ἀληθεῖς ὦσῖν, ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ τὴν ἀκρίβειαν ἀγνοοῦντες, πρὸς τὴν δόξαν ἀποβλέπουσι· καὶ τοιοῦτον ἕκαστον εἶναι κρί-νουσιν, οἴους ἂν τοὺς συνόντας θεάσωνται · οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν συνδια-τριβόντων φέροντες τὴν ψήφον. Εἰ γὰρ ἀρετὴν, φασὶν, ἀσκεῖς, τί σοι βούλεται ἡ μετὰ τῶν κακίστων συνουσία;
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