Οὐ παντός, ὦ οὗτοι, τὸ περὶ θεοῦ φιλοσοφεῖν, οὐ
παντός· οὐχ οὕτω τὸ πρᾶγμα εὔωνον καὶ τῶν χαμαὶ
 ἐρχομένων. προσθήσω δέ, οὐδὲ πάντοτε, οὐδὲ πᾶσιν, οὐδὲ
πάντα, ἀλλ’ ἔστιν ὅτε, καὶ οἷς, καὶ ἐφ’ ὅσον. οὐ πάντων
μέν, ὅτι τῶν ἐξητασμένων καὶ διαβεβηκότων ἐν θεωρίᾳ,
καὶ πρὸ τούτων καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα κεκαθαρμένων, ἢ
καθαιρομένων, τὸ μετριώτατον. μὴ καθαρῷ γὰρ ἅπτεσθαι
 1 ἄρα καὶ] om καὶ bcd || 10 νόμον ’τον ὑμέτερον c. 3. 16 κα οις]
ἐφ’ ὄις b || ἐφ’ ὅσον] ων b 
 3. ἐλαλήσαμεν . . . ἕσχςν] Gr. as- 
sumes that what he asks has been
done, and looks back upon the re-
suit. The words are a quotation
from Ecclus. xxv 9. 
 5. ὁ σπείρων τ. λ.] Mk iv 14. 
 6. καἰ τοῦτο ἤμ’. διαπτύσαντες]
Cp. Oral, xxv § 18 διάπτυέ μοι τὰς
ἐνστάσεις. ’ Pouring contempt upon
this utterance as you have done tipon
others of ours.' ’ If they fail to get
good, Gr. ironically says they will
at least have the advantage of in-
dulging in increased contempt for
their opponents. 
 9. παράδοξον] i.e. what the Eu-
nomians will consider to be such.
ΙΙ. νεανικῶς] ’ ’ ‘audaciously’; cp.
iii 1. On ’s lips of course it has
an ironical meaning. 
 3. To speak on theological subjects
belongs only to men prepared by deep
study and by moral self-purification.
It should be done only in seasons of
calmness, before serious hearers; and
the subjects should be such ἃς the or-
dinary intelligence can grasp. 
 14. εὔωνον] ’so cheaply acquired.'
ib. τ. χαμαὶ ἔρχομ’.] ’ nor is it the
property of those tvho go along upon
the ground ’ ; a common expression
from Homer downwards. 
 17. διαβεβηκότων] Διαβεβηκώς is
one who stands firmly planted upon
both feet. Elias paraphrases by
ἡδραιωμένων, though he gives an
alternative explanation. 
 19. τὸ μετριώτατον] ‘to say the
least of ’ For the thouglht, cp.
Athan. de Inc. § 57. 

 
καθαροῦ τυχὸν οὐδὲ ἀσφαλές, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ ὄψει σαθρᾷ
ἡλιακῆς ἀκτῖνος. ὅτε δέ; ἡνίκα ἂν σχολὴν ἄγωμεν ἀπὸ
τῆς ἔξωθεν ἰλύος καὶ ταραχῆς, καὶ μὴ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν ἡμῶν
συγχέηται τοῖς μοχθηροῖς τύποις καὶ πλανωμένοις, οἷον
γράμμασι πονηροῖς ἀναμιγνύντων κάλλη γραμμάτων, ἢ 
βορβόρῳ μύρων εὐωδίαν. δεῖ γὰρ τῷ ὄντι σχολάσαι, καὶ
γνῶναι θεόν· καὶ ὅταν λάβωμεν καιρόν, κρίνειν θεολογίας
εὐθύτητα. τίσι δέ; οἷς τὸ πρᾶγμα διὰ σπουδῆς, καὶ οὐχ
ὡς ἕν τι τῶν ἄλλων καὶ τοῦτο φλυαρεῖται ἡδέως, μετὰ
τοὺς ἱππικούς, καὶ τὰ θέατρα, καὶ τὰ ᾄσματα, καὶ τὴν 
γαστέρα, καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ γαστέρα · οἷς καὶ τοῦτο μέρος τρυφῆς,
ἡ περὶ ταῦτα ἐρεσχελία καὶ κομψεία τῶν ἀντιθέσεων.
τίνα δὲ φιλοσοφητέον, καὶ ἐπὶ πόσον ; ὅσα ἡμῖν ἐφικτά,
καὶ ἐφ’ ὅσον ἡ τοῦ ἀκούοντος ἕξις ἐφικνεῖται καὶ δύναμις·
 14 ἐξικνεῖται bd ’Or. 1 etc.’ 
 1. τυχόν] ‘ perhaps ἴθι even free
from danger. ’ The words are based
upon Plato Phaed. p. 67 μὴ καθαρῷ
γὰρ καθαροῦ ἐφάπτεσθαι μὴ οὐ θεμιτὸν
ᾖ. 
 ib. σαθρᾷ] properly = σαπρᾷ ‘decayed,’
‘corrupt,’ but used in the
sense of ’ ’ ’feeble.’ Cp. § 5
and iii 6, where it is contrasted with
ἰσχύν, ἰσχυροῖς. Hesych. σαθρά· ἀσθενῆ,
κεκλασμένα. 
 3. ἰλύος] lit. ’mud’’, esp. in solution,
the impurities which hinder
a liquid from being clear. By τῆς
ἕξ. ἰ. κ. ταραχῆς Gr. seems to mean
the confusions and agitations of secular
life. 
 ib. τὸ ἡγεμονικόν] ‘ the commanding
’ a technical word from
philosophy, esp. Stoic philosophy,
descriptive of the reason. See Plutarch
de Plac. Phil. 898 Ε and 903 B ;
also Cic. de Nat. Deor. 11 xi 29. 
 4. τύποις] ’impressions,’ or ‘images.’
Μοχθηρὸς is a word of many shades
of meaning. Here it appears to
mean, not ’vicious,’ nor ’unhappy,’
but (like πονηροῖς just below) ’poor,’
’worthless,’ — ’worthless and roving
imaginations. ’ 
 5. κάλλη γραμμάτων] So Pint,
speaks of κάλλη οἰκοδομημάτων = καλὰ
οἰκοδομήματα. 
 6. σχολάσαι κ. γν. θεόν] Psalm
xlv (our xlvi) 10. The καὶ γνῶναι
has the force of ‘ and so to ’
‘in order to know. ’ 
 7. ὅταν λάβ’. καιρόν] Psalm Ixxiv
3 (lxxv 2). Not at all times, but
only when we ’ receive the οpportunity,’
can we ’judge according unto
right ’ in matters of theology. 
 8. διὰ σπουδῆς] so ἐστί. ' To
whom it is a serious thing, and who
μ’ not make this also, like other things,
α subject of light conversation.’ 
 10. τοὺς ἱππικούς] sc. ἀγῶνας, or
perh. δρόμους. 
 12. ἐρεσχελία] ‘ disputing for fun?
esp. with a view to provoking, as distinguished
from ’ talking in earnest. ’ 
 13. τίνα] neut. plur. ; ’on what
subjects?’ 
 ib. ἐφικτά] ’ within our reach.’ 
 14. ἕξις] appears to mean skill,’
’ acquired power.’ 

 
ἵνα μὴ καθάπερ αἱ ὑπερβάλλουσαι τῶν φωνῶν, ἢ τῶν
τροφῶν, τὴν ἀκοὴν βλάπτουσιν ἢ τὰ σώματα, — εἰ βούλει
δέ, τῶν φορτίων τὰ ὑπὲρ δύναμιν τοὺς ὑποβαίνοντας, ἢ τὴν
γῆν τῶν ὑετῶν οἱ σφοδρότεροι, — οὕτω δὴ καὶ οὗτοι τοῖς
 στερροῖς, ἵν οὕτως εἴπω, τῶν λόγων καταπιεσθέντες καὶ
βαρυνθέντες ζημιωθεῖεν καὶ εἰς τὴν ἀρχαίαν δύναμιν.