Letter 556

To Zosimianus the Proconsul. God, knowing from on high what is profitable for us, divided human affairs into two lives, into this present one and into the one to come; and of these, wishing to show to rational beings that the present life is necessary for instruction, he has made it full of affliction and grief and pain, since all learning and education has griefs and torments attached to it, through which those being educated become more prudent and better than they were. The experience of affairs also teaches us this clearly: from it, all who wish to bring up their own children carefully do so with much crushing discipline, and with much hardship leading them on, so that, having proved themselves in their lessons and their education, they may in due season be able to receive the fruits of these labors. The holy Paul also makes this plain when he says, "Now no discipline for the present seems to be joyful, but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" [Hebrews 12:11]. And on these same points, teaching us also to endure with gladness things grievous and distressing, since they lead us toward some good end, he writes: "My son, do not despise the discipline of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by him; for whom the Lord loves he disciplines, and he scourges every son whom he receives. Endure for the sake of discipline" [Hebrews 12:5-7], and what follows.

Ἄνωθεν τὸ συμφέρον ἡμῖν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπιστάμενος εἰς δύο βίους διεῖλε τὰ ἀνθρώπινα, εἴς τε τὸν παρόντα τοῦτον, καὶ εἰς τὸν μέλλοντα, ὧν τὸν μὲν παρόντα πρὸς μάθησιν ἀναγκαῖον θέλων δεῖξαι τοῖς λογικοῖς, θλίψεως, καὶ λύπης γέμειν, καὶ ὀδύνης πεποίηκεν · ἐπειδὴ πᾶσα μάθησίς τε, καὶ παίδευσις προσοῦσας ἔχει τὰς λύπας, καὶ ἀλγηδόνας, δι’ ὧν σωφρονέστεροί τε, καὶ βελτίους ἑαυτῶν οἱ παιδευόμενοι γίνονται. Διδάσκει μὲν τοῦτο ἡμᾶς καὶ ἡ πεῖρα τῶν πραγμάτων σαφῶς, ἀφ’ ὧν πάντες ἐπιμελῶς ἄγειν βουλόμενοι τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς ἑαυτῶν, μετὰ πολλῆς μὲν συντριβῆς, πολλῆς δὲ ἀγούσης τῆς ταλαιπωρίας, ὡς ἂν ἐν μαθήμασί τε, καὶ παιδεύσει δόκιμοι γεγονότε; κατὰ καιρὸν δυνηθεῖεν τῶν πόνων τούτων δέξασθαι τοὺς καρπούς. Δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Παῦλος, λέγων « Πᾶσα δὲ παιδεία πρὸς μὲν τὸ παρὸν οὐ δοκεῖ χαρᾶς εἶναι, ἀλλὰ λύπης, ὕστερον δὲ καρπὸν εἰρηνικὸν τοῖς δι’ αὐτῆς γεγυμνασμένοις ἀποδίδωσι δικαιοσύνης » ἐφ’ οἷς δὴ καὶ ἡμᾶς διδάσκων τῶν τε λυπηρῶν καὶ τῶν ἀνιαρῶν μεθ’ ἡδονῆς ἀνέχεσθαι, πρὸς ἀγαθὸν τί τέλος ἐπαγόντων ἡμᾶς, γράφει « Υἱέ μου, μὴ ὀλιγώρει παιδείας Κυρίου, μηδὲ ἐκλύου ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ ἐλεγχόμενος, ὃν γὰρ ἀγαπᾷ Κύριος, παιδεύει, μαστιγοῖ δὲ πάντα υἱόν, ὃν παραδέχεται. Εἰς παιδείαν ὑπομένετε, » καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.