Letters 5.119–5.160

To Theodore the scholasticus. If you have a very sharp tongue, it is best to curb it and rein it in with a bridle; but if you cannot, use it as it should be used: for the divine and pure glory, for the help of the wronged, for the defence of the noblest things, against the greed of wrongdoers, against the ignorance of those who entrust the Providence of the universe to evil demons, against the madness of heretics, against the superstition of the Greeks, against the want of instruction of the Jews, in accusation of sinners. But if, leaving these aside, you use your sharpness against those you meet, you will do something most absurd. For you will act as if, having a sharp sword, you turned it on your friends, or strength, on your fellow citizens, when one should use the one against enemies and the other against opponents. So do not make the medicine a poison, but use it as you should. [Letter 5.120] That those who put off doing what they should want to see terrible things close at hand (for those who out of indolence outrage virtue draw upon themselves punishments that thirst to pursue those caught), I think everyone knows. But that offences will turn into punishments unless they are healed by repentance, both the flood and what happened to the Sodomites cry out clearly. In their case, even if there was some delay, justice did not remain unmoved to the end, but was moved, slowly perhaps, but surely. [Letter 5.121] Speech is not admirable when it flows abundantly and runs beyond what the occasion requires, but when it is brief in length but rich in arguments, leaves nothing out in its brevity, and, given life above all by the occasion, appears more alive.

To Martinianus, Zosimus, Maron and Eustathius. Since you have incurred shame not only by doing what no one else among those notorious for the most shameful deeds ever did, but have also outrun every madness by priding yourselves on what you should rightly hide your faces for, I thought it right to engrave this letter to you. For you are as much worse than they, as people say, as they did these things but hid them, while you even glory in them. And the crowning evil of all, they say, is that those who live decently seem to you to be mad, and those who give advice to be out of their minds. What defence, then, will be left to you? What mercy, what pardon? I cannot say.

To Thomas. Let us hold to the possession only of those things we shall need after our release from this life, and despise the rest.

To Harpocras the sophist. Bring to his senses with a weightier threat the man who slanders almost everyone to everyone, so that he may not need punishment later.

To the same. Whenever I receive letters from your eloquence, I am filled with learning and greatly delighted; for there is in them a display both of affection and of eloquence. But if you put off writing even for a short time, I become very despondent and my tongue grows dull, since neither gladness nor the benefit of your words comes to me. So do not wrong the law of friendship, but write often; so you will please me more. [Letter 5.126] I know very precisely that formerly the church of Christ had both brilliant teachers and esteemed pupils; for this happened in my own time too, not only long ago. And that this is not impossible now, as you say, but possible, is beyond doubt. For if it is firmly present on the part of the leaders, and they stop their tyranny and show a fatherly care, then it will be possible to consider how those under them will be saved. But before laying the foundation rightly, I think it quite superfluous to speak of the finishing touch. For they will not be willing to obey, even if they hear it ten thousand times, unless they learn it from deeds. The present time needs much counsel and forethought; and I do not think it very difficult to know what one should advise. But I am at a loss how one should speak to them. For I am precisely persuaded, from what I know both when present and by inquiry, that most of the divine oracles have escaped them because they do not wish to do what they should, and so do not understand. I urge them, then, if I should speak with frankness, to bear it, considering whether I speak the truth, and for this reason, that they may become better. For it is through flattering some that the affairs of Christians have fallen into such turmoil. What, then, must be done? I shall say it briefly and not hide it. If they think the divine Scriptures myths, let them practise silence; but if they think them truly heavenly laws, let them first act, then preach. For while they are not such, the divine law shuts their mouth. [Letter 5.127] Since our nature has nothing grand or extraordinary, let us drive it together to what is moderate and gentle, as being its own and akin to it, banishing all boastfulness. [Letter 5.128] Scripture calls "fleshly" those who have slipped down into the things of the flesh; "natural" those who accept nothing beyond the sequence of reasonings; and "spiritual" those adorned with a divine and spiritual gift, who have risen above the sequence of reasonings and are enlightened about things beyond nature. For instance, that the three youths thrown into the Babylonian furnace were not burned would have no basis in nature, if one examined what is likely and hunted for it with weak reasonings. But if one considers the divine power, which overcomes nature, surpasses the sequence of reasonings and is stronger than every device, one accepts what is said.

To Theopompus. To be convicted of things that are unfitting is painful to those who are not utterly insensitive; to be put on trial, to the more dignified; but to be suspected brings the greatest misfortune to those who have reached the summit of virtue, …

To Nilus. Of old, God both threatened the Hebrews and promised them good things. For one who only threatens and foretells terrible things provokes despair of better things and persuades the hearers to give themselves up entirely to worse; but good hope beckons and prepares for what is better. Hence the prophets everywhere, while threatening them with the captivity in Babylon, also foretold the return.

To Paul, presbyter and anchorite. The very men who boast of being arbiters of virtue and vice give to vice the winning vote they should give to virtue. And by banishing the earnest and applauding the worthless, they have made those who want to do what is right more despondent. They have warred so hard against those who speak frankly that they have almost quenched everyone's impulse toward good things. So those who live the life of dogs and swine rage against those whose life is apostolic; and when they ought to drive them off, they make what deserves lament an occasion for laughter, not only taking no account of virtue, but even priding themselves, among themselves, on the fact that those who practise virtue suffer the fate of the worst, and thinking it worthy of approval. Who, then, will rebuke men so disposed? Who will correct them? Who will refute them? Who will quench their pride? Who will pull down their brows? Who will urge them to take pride not only in office but also in virtue? Who will persuade them that they will undergo the severest reckoning? For if the Judge prophesying in the Gospels is not believed, who will be believed by them and check their madness, which rages and will not stop but grows more grievous every day? Many who have tried have done them no good, but have pierced themselves with the greatest evils. That they will receive the greatest crowns there I know precisely; but the duller sort are led to virtue and flee vice by what happens here. Since, then, the only result of rebukes has been that the one who spoke frankly suffers some evil unjustly, while those who received the counsel are not benefited at all, for this reason it has now become more fearful than before to say what is best. But if, as you say, some of them are even looking for advisers (for not all have been carried down into the pit of self-love and wickedness), they would do right to hear this: above all there are the divine Scriptures, by following which you would know what you must do. But if you also need a counsellor, stop doing what you are doing, and then look for the adviser. For when you have stopped these things and made the road of saying what is best safe, then look for one to counsel you as you need. But before you stop, do not look for one; who, after telling you what is best, will want to be banished by you? You will not find one. I write this not as one afraid of suffering anything here (for, as you know, I have suffered much on this account, and I said to the one who contrived it: "You have crowned me unwillingly"; for God has granted to me too not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him), but wishing to stop the mouths of those who pretend to seek a counsellor, not in order to be counselled but in order to plot. That I have not written this from fear, let such men hear: that by what you do you lead those you govern by the hand into wickedness, and you will undergo a double punishment, both because you did not do what you should, and because you tripped up those who could have been saved had they not been scandalized by you. Stop, then, doing such things as not even the enemies of Christ do to blaspheme his name. Quench the conceit of having been counted worthy of the first seat above the many; relax your pride; pull down your brows; consider that you are earth and ashes; look at what you were a little before and what you will be a little after. Recognize those better than yourselves in virtue; do not use the weapons of the priesthood against the priesthood itself; do not make money and so outrage the teacher of poverty. Do not think myths the gospel words sung over you; do not think you sin with impunity; do not think God unjust; do not suppose that the all-seeing God overlooks things. Do not banish the lovers of virtue; do not applaud those who pursue every wickedness; do not train those who look on in wickedness; do not quench the frankness of those who have divine zeal; do not make a business of other people's misfortunes; do not, while prescribing what is right in word, dishonour it in deed. But why must I be long, when these words are enough to pierce those who are not utterly insensible? So I stop and turn to silence, begging God that this letter may be effective. [Letter 5.132] About what you have written, I have something to say; but I cannot say it to you, obeying the divine oracle that commands: "Do not give what is holy to the dogs." But if you rub off the madness of dogs and show the gentleness of human nobility, I shall tell you even without your asking, delighted by the change, not of form, but of character.

To Ophelius the grammarian. Let the epistolary style be neither entirely unadorned nor adorned to the point of daintiness or luxury. For the one is cheap, the other tasteless; but moderate adornment suffices both for use and for beauty.

To Menas the deacon. Those who seem to win in grievous passions, I mean anger and greed, win a victory more grievous than any defeat. For there are times when victory is worse than defeat, and one should not rejoice in such a victory when it comes about unjustly. For the pleasure from it, delighting for a short time, gives birth to eternal shame as time goes on.

To Hierax the deacon. Since through indolence and self-love we neither perceive the terrible things we do ourselves, nor allow others to perceive them, because they are no better disposed than we are, for this reason, thinking we are healthy, we neither seek physicians nor wish to be healed; indeed we do not even know that we are sick, which is a sign of utter insensibility, or rather of deadness. [Letter 5.136] You know very precisely that wickedness in every way gives birth to punishment; and you also know that goodness, because it is exceedingly divine, or because it leads us exceedingly to God, gives birth to rewards beyond understanding. So flee the one and pursue the other, and do not think the divine patience to be neglect. For he will surely bring the sheep to a most exact judgment …

To Paul. It is good to do good to friends; better, to do it to all who are in need; and best of all, to do it even to enemies. "For the first even tax collectors and Gentiles accomplish"; the second, those who obey the divine law; the third, those who live a life befitting heaven. As much, then, as angels surpass people who live lawfully, so much do these surpass the tax collectors; for they exceed the latter as much as they fall short of the former. For the first is reasonable, the second humane, the third beyond words: benefiting friends, who have benefited us or will repay and return the kindness; benefiting anyone at all, who will not necessarily return it; and benefiting even those who do us harm, and sometimes those who will harm us again. For many are not made better even by kindnesses, since envy enrolls them, I do not say among the beasts (for among them there are returns for kindnesses), but among the host of demons, which wishes to do nothing good and even hinders those who wish to. [Letter 5.138] Christ the Master blessed those who for his sake hear things speakable and unspeakable, if those who reproach them are caught lying. One must know, then, that both must belong to the one who will reach the highest blessedness: suffering for his sake, and what is said being false. If the one is present without the other, it does not benefit as much; it benefits, but not as much. For if, suffering for his sake, we hear what is true, we must blush; for though approved in one respect, we are refuted in the other. And if it is not for his sake, but the things said are false, we shall receive the reward of endurance, but we would not attain the highest blessing; which we would attain if both came together.

To Elias the deacon. If the defilement touched only the gateway and not the inner sanctuary, the passion might perhaps be curable. But if it lays hold of the soul itself, let no one deceive himself. And if anyone, deceiving people, says, "No one is crowned unless he competes lawfully," thinking that looking is a lawful bout provided one abstains from the act, let him learn that the president and judge of such contests has said: "Whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." The lawful bout, then, is not the one set by each person's indolence and preconceptions, but the one laid down by the incorruptible Judge. [Letter 5.140] You seem not to know what deserves blame and what deserves praise, and for this reason you have filled your account with confusion. For by mixing what is involuntary with what is voluntary you have, for your part, filled the matter with great confusion. That Eusebius is, as you said, a little fellow, small in body, ugly in face and barbarous in speech, does not count to his blame when truth is the judge; for the first come from nature and the last from upbringing. But that his character is half-barbarous, his tongue unrestrained, his temper beastlike, hostile to virtue and allied to vice (for he banishes the earnest and applauds the worthless), this truly comes from himself and is too great for any pardon. Having learned, then, what one must blame and what one must praise, do not go rashly to either.

To Dionysius. Since you seem to me to be rushing eagerly into civic affairs, as if you would certainly win esteem in them, I urge you not to throw yourself into a sea of cares. For know well that once you are caught up in them, you will neither find thoughts that will advise you what is useful (they will be gone and vanish), nor will you come to your senses when you want; but you will see beforehand the ruin in which you will end, carried toward it as by a current, and be unable to help yourself. So while you are still uncaught, decide what is needful. [Letter 5.142] The terrible and hard-to-cure disease of avarice, which is made worse by the remedies devised for it, will not cease otherwise than if the one caught by it withdraws from what seems to be gain. I said "seems," since in reality it is the greatest loss. If anyone disbelieves, he would do right to be persuaded by the divine Judge, who said: "What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?" For if he withdraws little by little from gathering, he will also come to sharing, and will be brought back to perfect health.

To Serenus the deacon. Since a common hatred seems to people the most trustworthy ground for friendship, and those who differ in many things agree in this, that they consider the same people enemies, one must be on guard against such things. Above all one must practise philosophy and not retaliate. But if that is not yet possible, one must take care not to join with one party against the other, so as to seem to be rid of one enemy, and then later be caught ourselves by the stronger one, who has become stronger through our alliance.

To Macrobius. Do not, because you have once or twice defeated anger and desire, the most tyrannical of the passions, relax and think you have won completely and are rid of all battle; but precisely because you have won, keep watch and take care that your earlier trophies are not obscured. For many who had won, I do not say three times, but ten thousand times, were later caught, and became a pitiable sight, led away captive after many trophies. Considering this, one of the apostolic choir cried out: "Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what you have worked for, but receive a full reward." And Paul, who set up countless trophies against the inborn desire, said: "I pummel my body and bring it into slavery, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." For, being a circumspect man who did not go into contests without forethought, he knew both the devil's devices and the rebellion of the flesh: the devil is rather provoked by defeats, and not knowing how to fight openly (for he would easily be caught), he puts on the mask of friendship, often makes the victors complacent, deceives them into thinking they will never be defeated, slackens their toil, breaks up all their preparation, and so carries them down into the pit of licentiousness. The flesh rises up and leaps, and does not easily yield even to those who waste it; but though defeated often in youth, in old age it has fought back from its defeats and wiped out the brilliant trophies raised against it. Who, then, is so foolish, or so heedless, that, seeing the Spirit-bearing man still in the contest after countless trophies, he will grow complacent because he has prevailed once or twice, and slacken his preparation and his striving, and think himself invincible? Will he not rather prepare all the more, thinking it a great thing not to have won already, but not to be defeated until the end? For it befits those who have a treasure of virtues to keep watch more than those who have acquired nothing good; for the one have something to guard, and the others have not; and what has not been acquired does not grieve as much as the loss of what one had.

To Nilus. The virtues of speech are truth, brevity, clarity and timeliness; its vices are falsehood, long-windedness, obscurity and going beyond the occasion. For what use is it if it is true but not brief, and annoys the hearers? Or brief but not clear? Or clear but not timely? But if it has all the virtues, then it will be effective, vigorous and alive, subduing the hearers by its truth, overpowering them by its brevity, laying hold of them by its clarity, and crowned by its timeliness. [Letter 5.146] The pupils within the eyes, like maidens set in their chambers and covered by the eyelids as by curtains, ought to be governed by a temperate reason, so that they may always blush and be ashamed at what they should. And if they ever look at another's beauty, let them blush the more, draw the curtains, bend down, and gaze round at the earth as at a mother who teaches not only our own nature, but also that the beauty seen blossomed from her and will return to her to wither. If they do this, they will truly keep what befits maidens; but if they look without restraint and shamelessly, they will be found to be dogs instead of maidens, raging after the beauty of others. [Letter 5.147] If Eusebius ordained them in ignorance, he will have a moderate defence in his ignorance. But if, as you say, knowing very precisely, he has handed over the flock (for which Christ poured out his precious blood) to wolves for their plundering, to dogs for their lechery and to foxes for their villainy, he has sinned beyond all defence. I say this not as if they will be free of account and not be called to pay the penalty, but because the one who supplied the seeds of their sins will be punished more severely. For the one who gives the cause is responsible for what follows. [Letter 5.148] The doglike and beastly element in our appetites must not be feasted at a costly table, but treated well with necessities (if indeed "feasting" [euōchia] signifies "being well" [eu echein]), so that it may become tame and gentle for us. For those who swim past sufficiency both outrage satiety by surfeit and dull the senses, and through pleasure they unwittingly lose the pleasure of food.

To Theodosius the scholasticus. The case you have written of seemed to me clever-looking and just-looking, but not just. So if you trust Plato, who said, "For this is the utmost limit of wickedness, to seem just without being so," hunt not for what seems just but for what is just. For so God will praise you, people will accept you, and your opponent at law will be well disposed and forget his enmity. [Letter 5.150] Do not appear, my good man, to be more fiercely sick with the things for which you were recently caught and paid the penalty, so that you may not be condemned as insensible and not brought to your senses even by punishment. [Letter 5.151] One must walk in the footsteps of those who have kept the divine laws, not of those who have transgressed them; for the one is safe, the other slippery, and therefore not to be emulated. For what reason, then, do you think you should not pay the penalty when you do such things? Because some who did them have not paid it here? But know that many have paid it here too. And if some escaped, it was to the harm of their own heads; for when they depart they will pay a heavier penalty there. And you, because you emulated what is not to be emulated, will certainly pay a greater one there, and sometimes you may pay it here too. For if something unreasonable was done in times past (and you have emulated it), you will not escape for that reason, but will pay much more. For just as, if one of them had been caught first, you would not have done these things, so, if you are caught, another will not do them.

To Phileas the curial. You seem, as I learned, to be terribly troubled at having failed to win civic glory. Consider, then, the glory of this life, cheaper than spiders' webs and feebler than dreams, and transfer your mind to what is above the world, and you will more easily calm the turmoil of your soul. For one who reaches for both cannot obtain both. It is possible to obtain both when we love not both but the one that comes from heaven; but one who loves both cannot obtain both. So if you long for glory, love the divine glory, which the glory here often follows as well.

To Eutonius the deacon. If you are blamed for the very things for which you deserve the greatest praise, by those who consider other people's virtues their own misfortunes, do not lose heart. For this itself is the greatest proof of virtue.

To the same. I learn that you have quarrelled with someone I do not wish to name; for may he not be worthy of remembrance, since he has chosen to live harshly and to be difficult toward lovers of virtue. Still, if he acknowledges his fault, accept his apology; and if not, but you know that he will be benefited if you are the first to leap toward peace, do that too. For you will have a double crown, for your own philosophy and for his reform.

To Ischyrion the deacon. By setting out clearly a short dialogue I once had with someone, I think I have answered what you wrote. For someone once met me and said, "Make me righteous." I answered, "And how could you become so while you sin?" When he said he would sin no more, I said, "Then, if you are telling the truth, you have become what you wished." [Letter 5.156] The man you wrote about met me, seeming to grieve but more likely rejoicing. For on his face, though it pretended to scowl, a mind full of pleasure was clearly instilled. And when, testing him with words, I forced him to bring his secrets to light, then, as if caught, he sent a smile mixed with anger across his cheek; then, bursting into a broad laugh, he openly admitted that he was very pleased at what had happened. [Letter 5.157] One should, as it seems to me, bury the body and consecrate it to rest in the place where it died. For I think it the mark of a womanish and small mind to carry bodies from city to city and to make public the mysteries of nature, since the whole earth is our fatherland.

To Hierax the deacon. Do not define blessedness by a full table, unrestrained song and flowing wealth, but by sufficiency and lacking none of the necessities. For the former make the soul servile, but the latter make it a queen.

To Peter. To sin is bad; worse is to sin and be insensible of it; but to have one's very will corrupted and not even to have a right judgement of things, one would rightly define as worst of all. For the first will perhaps stop; the second may come to feel his wounds and seek a physician; but the third, lingering most pleasantly in wickedness, even praises those who do such things. As much worse, then, as one who does not yet perceive his disease is than one who knows he is sick, so much more grievous than the one who does not perceive it is the one who even pleads for the disease. That is why Paul said: "Not only do they do them, but they also approve of those who practise them." For he rightly defined praising and pleading for as worse than doing. Some who did not understand this, wishing to interpret it, thought it had been tampered with, and did not hesitate to arrange it thus: "Not only those who do them, but also those who approve of those who practise them," so that doing would be greater and approving less. But they did not know that the one comes from indolence, the other from a corrupted mind; the one from being misled, the other from an unsound judgement. For the indolent man will blush and may perhaps come to repentance; but the one whose own vote pleads for the passion will neither abstain from wickedness nor blush, but will even pride himself on it.

To Theon the bishop. If it is plain to everyone that the punisher of wrongdoers would rightly pay a greater penalty if he were caught doing the things he was appointed to prevent in others, why do you deceive yourself that you will escape the notice of the sleepless eye?