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.