Iambi ad Seleucum

I bid you rejoice, noble and good son Seleucus, branch of a noble root. And I myself pray to rejoice in your life, thinking highly of your studies and your ways. First, then, have fear and desire for God; for God is for all who think rightly the beginning and end of every life. Second, practice your character, child, to be gentle, humble, self-controlled, steadfast, sweet, without envy, just, courageous, wise, reverent, industrious, stable, and temperate. For this is the adornment for both young and old—to be rich not so much in possessions as in character; for this is truly yours. But possessions play, deceiving the disease of love of wealth, naturally smiling upon one after another, imitating the manner of a faithless harlot who mocks many lovers in various ways, consorting and fleeing and clinging to these and those, but to none genuinely. For the nature of wealth has no stability, likened to violent waves of the sea that swell and fall with unsteady motion. Therefore, O child, if you are always rich in character, you will have a treasure not plundered by thieves, not set forth in the midst for sycophants, nor drained by the hands of tyrants or sacked by the weapons of barbarians, but remaining within the bodiless chambers of the soul, safely guarded in its storehouses, which neither the violent force of fire consumes nor the wave of the sea's swell covers. Guarding this wealth, which is truly yours and genuine, polish it with studies, with the books of poets, with the writings of historians, with the fluent eloquence of orators, and by exercising yourself in the subtle concerns of philosophers.

all these, read wisely, skillfully gathering from them what is useful, while avoiding the harm of each with discernment, imitating the work of the wise bee, which alights on all flowers and cleverly culls the useful from each, having nature itself as its teacher. You, by reason, freely pluck from those things that benefit. But if something brings harm, recognizing the evil, quickly fly away. For the mind of humans is swift-winged. Therefore, whatever writings praise virtue and censure vice, learn these with zeal and preserve both the sense and the grace of the expression. But whatever they wrote about gods in broad nonsense—shameless myths, teachings of demons, myths worthy of laughter and tears—turn away from these as from snares and traps. Having read both—the gods and the words, ridiculous gods and lovely words—despise the pleasure-loving gods, but honor the words, just as from one plant you flee the thorns and pluck the rose. And for you, this is the best rule concerning external writings. As for those to which you must devote all zeal, we will speak, but a little later. For I wish to say this to you first. The young man must utterly flee evil company and the pleasures that accompany them. For there are many, like cattle full of scab and some disease, who tempt the simpler young men, and rubbing against them in the deceit of villainy, they wish to infect them with wickedness as with a disease, so that by the fellowship of the majority they may overshadow their own evils. Guard against these. For, as Paul thinks, evil company corrupts good character.

Indeed, you must strictly observe this: hate the theaters, the beast shows, the horse races, their shameful song, the contentious spectacle of evils, the vanities of life, the hydra of pleasures, the indecent teachings of licentious men for whom nothing is shameful except being temperate. For some of them, servants of shame, have as their craft the art of thinking in terms of outrages, mimes accustomed to the blows of laughter, cutting modesty with razors before the hair, a shameless workshop of filth, for whom it is permissible to suffer and do all things that are not lawful, as a part of their art in the sight of all. Others, a more wretched tribe than those, dancing away the reputation of men, bending their limbs and with them their nature, men who are women, effeminate males—neither men nor women in truthful speech. For they do not remain what they are, nor have they attained what they are not. What they are, they do not remain in their manner; what they wickedly desire, they are not by nature—a riddle of profligacy and a conundrum of passions, men for women and women for men.

What could one say of the shameful songs' plagues, and melodies that unman the heart's strength, the flutes, the whorish dances of bacchic revels, for which the thrice-wretched ones even award prizes? Are these, then, worthy of praise and spectacle and delight, or of tears and groans? Laughter tyrannizes, nature is adulterated, and a manifold flame of pleasures is kindled. Theaters of dishonor are built, so that the plagues may not even be shameful in secret, but prizes are set for the lessons of evils. You, however, abhor these things; do not stain your eyes, fleeing all corruptions of sight, so that you may keep your eyes virgin for me. Flee even more the bloodthirsty spectacles of the gluttons, whose god is the belly. For being slaves of the belly, they serve the evil commands of a most shameful plague. And it, as a bitter mistress of the remaining limbs, sits within, selling limbs to beasts, greedily devouring the payments, a profligate belly thrusting kindred limbs tyrannically into the bellies of beasts. Of these passions, unfeeling men are spectators. And if a man flees a beast, they groan, as if they themselves are more played than the beasts and sit in vain. But when a man is caught and groans low, crying bitterly and beating the dust, all pity from the spectators' sight has fled, and with pleasure there is the greatest applause, when they see streams of blood. For they rejoice in seeing what they ought to mourn, and they grant a turn of favor to the beasts and urge on those who seize, sharpening their angers as if they are filled, and kneading men's flesh together with beasts. And the evil sellers of their own limbs, slaves of food and again food for beasts, living hateful and dying wretched, have such a bitter end of life.

Of the limbs, some are buried by beasts, others are mercilessly devoured under teeth, and others, half-torn, dart about with various convulsions, still thinking there is a time for flight and imagining a course. Do not defile your eye with the pollutions of raw spectacles, nor train yourself to see dead men, gorged beasts, running tombs, and kinsmen lying there. And indeed, the spectacle of horse races, which seems more civilized to many, is also a plague and a disease of souls. It tears cities apart, brings the populace to factions, teaches battles, sharpens the abusive tongue, cuts the bonds of citizens, clashes families together, shames elders, maddens youths, kindles enmity among dearest ones, tramples laws. And worse than these evils, it dares a worse evil: it stirs up sorcerers as allies for the maddened, helpers of victory, and nourishes disease with disease. For when they are inflamed into hot strife, their course is straight to the sorcerers. And these in turn call upon the wickedness of demons as their accomplice in falls, crashes, and murders. For the host of demons rejoices in evils. Therefore, clearly, even the spectacle of horse races, which seemed gentle, is a contentious sight, a destruction of souls, a battle of bodies, and besides these, a clear harm to wealth. How many households has it suddenly brought down? How many rich men has it forced to beg? How many formerly well-ordered cities has it utterly destroyed? For as the burgeoning faction stained the hands of the people with the murders of rulers, widowed the cities of men by the law of the sword, fire and iron divided the cities, punishing slaughters with slaughters, murders with murders.

Who then, among the prudent, will endure to behold a contest of sorcery, not the speed of horses, a rebellion that begets murder, a plague of cities? Instead of these, rejoice in learning, from which you will practice the best way of life. When you have moderately trained your mind, as in a wrestling school, with various writings, then devote yourself to the divinely inspired scriptures of the two testaments, gathering great wealth, from the old and from the new always. For the new is the second written, and after it there will be no third. Devote all your zeal gladly to these, from which you will learn to practice a good way of life and to worship the true and only God. For it is a Monad and a Triad, eternal, Father with Son and all-holy Spirit, a Triad distinct in persons, a Monad in nature. Do not confuse the hypostases by number, nor, when you worship God, divide the nature. For the Triad is not divided in nature. For there is one Triad, one God almighty. This is a subtle, pious mystery. For the path of truth is indeed narrow, a path with cliffs on both sides, compressed, from which those who slip fall from opposite sides into deep-precipiced error, Sabellius looking toward the Jews, Arius imitating the idolaters, the one confusing the hypostasis of the persons, the other impiously dividing the essence.

You, however, must steadfastly keep the middle way, dividing as is necessary and joining as is proper. For the triad is united without confusion, just as the monad is separated without division. For the nature is indivisible, while the hypostases always remain entirely unconfused. May you abide as a guardian of these doctrines, a genuine worker of the commandments, and wise in all mystical contemplations, ever advancing, never puffed up. For grace will bloom the greater in this way. You see how faithful Moses, the man of God, an image of the virtuous life, after learning all the wisdom of the Egyptians and being raised in deep wealth, willingly became a fugitive and a pauper, and in the deserts exchanged the luxury of Egypt for the humble table of shepherds, preferring a hard life to the glory of tyrants, until, judged worthy of perfect visions, he saw the greatest mystery of an angel appearing from the flame of a burning bush. Then, deemed worthy to hear the voice of God for the first time, and receiving authority, he loosens the yoke of slavery for the groaning people and rules the entire nation by the decree of God. Having received such height, he is not exalted, but calls himself weak-voiced and slow-tongued, saying he is feeble, so that, being humble-minded, he may remain strong. Keep this image of his life, forming yourself after the manner of Moses. And as for the learning of the Greeks, like a judge bearing a lawful vote, order it to serve, as is fitting, the freedom of true doctrines and the all-wise contemplation of the Scriptures. For it is just that the wisdom of the Spirit, being from above and arrived from God, should be mistress of the lower education, as of a handmaid not vainly puffed up, but accustomed to serve modestly.

ible. For the lower part must serve the higher. But above all, it is most fitting for you to learn this: not every book that bears the sacred name of Scripture is safe. For there are, indeed, sometimes falsely named books; some are intermediate and akin, so to speak, to the words of truth, while others are spurious and exceedingly dangerous, like counterfeit and base coins, which bear the king's inscription but are adulterated by their materials. For this reason, I will recount to you each of the God-inspired books, so that you may learn clearly. First, I will speak of the books of the Old Testament. The Pentateuch includes Genesis, then Exodus, Leviticus as the middle book, after which come Numbers, then Deuteronomy. To these add Joshua and the Judges, then Ruth, and the four books of Kings, and the pair of Chronicles. First Ezra, then the second. Next, I will tell you of five poetic books: Job, crowned with the struggles of various sufferings, and the book of Psalms, a healing melody for souls, and three by the wise Solomon: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. To these add the twelve prophets: first Hosea, then Amos the second, Micah, Joel, Obadiah, and Jonah, who experienced the three-day passion, then Nahum, Habakkuk, ninth Zephaniah,

Haggai and Zechariah, and the two-named angel Malachi. After these prophets, learn the four: the great Isaiah the outspoken, Jeremiah the compassionate, Ezekiel the mystic, and last Daniel, the wisest in deeds and words. Some also include Esther among these. Now it is time for me to speak of the books of the New Testament. Accept only four evangelists: Matthew, then Mark, to whom add Luke third, and count John fourth in time, but first in the height of doctrines. For I rightly call him the son of thunder, who thundered most greatly with the word of God. Accept also the second book of Luke, that of the universal acts of the apostles. Next add the vessel of election, the herald of the Gentiles, the apostle Paul, who wisely wrote to the churches fourteen letters: one to the Romans, to which must be joined two to the Corinthians, one to the Galatians and one to the Ephesians, after that the one to the Philippians, then the one written to the Colossians, two to the Thessalonians, two to Timothy, one each to Titus and Philemon, and one to the Hebrews. Some say the letter to the Hebrews is spurious, but they speak wrongly; for its grace is genuine. Well, what remains? Of the catholic epistles, some say there are seven, others that only three should be accepted: one of James, one of Peter, and one of John. Some accept the three and in addition the two of Peter, and Jude as the seventh. The Revelation of John, again, some include, but the majority say it is spurious.

This would be the most truthful canon of the God-inspired scriptures. If you are persuaded by them, you would escape the snares of the world, cast down the vanity of hopes, and with a generous hand scatter the fleeting wealth to the poor, remaining a secure harvest. For what is sown in the heavens you will store up. Follow Christ, the wise Word of God. O thrice-blessed one, O thrice-fortunate you, who have appeared as a light to many elders and youths. For a pious life shines more than the stars. And the chorus of prophets, martyrs, and apostles, standing around you as a familiar member, will crown you, sending you forth with a victory cry. Then, reaping unceasing glory, you will rejoice, crowned and dancing in the midst of angels. Farewell, and remember what has been written. Greet Olympias, your nurse, the living image of modesty, purity, and asceticism, and the seal of faith. If you wish, Seleucus, to learn the number of iambs, know that there are three hundreds, as many tens, and three units. I always pray, child, that you be a friend of the Trinity.