Letter 1: To an Unknown Correspondent.
To an Unknown Correspondent.
The prophet speaks of the wise listener alongside the excellent counselor — and I am thinking of you in that same spirit. I am sending you the commentary I have written on the divine Apostle, not so much to a wise listener as to a just and perceptive judge. When goldsmiths want to know whether their gold is pure and unalloyed, they touch it to the testing stone. I have sent my book to Your Reverence for the same reason: I want to know whether it holds up under scrutiny, or whether it needs further refining.
You read it and sent it back — but said nothing. Your silence leads me to conclude that the judge has rendered a verdict of condemnation but is too kind to say so outright. Please set aside any such hesitation. Don't spare my feelings; tell me your honest opinion of the book.
Human translation — New Advent (NPNF / ANF series)
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