Sentences
Sententiae
Piety, mother of the virtues; knowing God§1
1Piety must be cared for above all — rightly called mother of the virtues, for it is their beginning and their end. Both sight and the natural law teach knowledge of God, the cause that holds all things together and makes them: sight by striking what is seen and fixed; the law by reasoning from the seen and ordered things up to their leader.
Greek · §1
Εὐσεβείας ἐπὶ πᾶσι φροντιστέον, ἣν μητέρα φασὶ τῶν ἀρετῶν, ὀρθῶς λέγοντες· αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἀρχὴ καὶ τελευτὴ τῶν ἀρετῶν. Τὸ εἰδέναι θεὸν καὶ τὴν πάντων συνεκτικήν τε καὶ ποιητικὴν αἰτίαν καὶ ὄψις διδάσκαλος καὶ ὁ φυσικὸς νόμος· ἡ μὲν τοῖς ὁρωμένοις προσβάλλουσα καὶ πεπηγόσιν, ὁ δὲ διʼ αὐτῶν τῶν ὁρωμένων καὶ τεταγμένων τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τούτων συλλογιζόμενος.
Open-air faith; three gathered in the Lord§2
2Better is open-air faith than costly piety — and three gathered in the Lord’s name than many who deny the Godhead.
Greek · §2
Κρεῖσσονὑπαίθριος πίστις πολυτελοῦς εὐσεβείας, καὶ τρεῖς συνηγμένοι ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου πολλῶν ἀρνουμένων θεότητα.
Purified word; piety the lasting good§3
3Nothing is so magnificent toward God as a purified word and a soul perfected in the doctrines of truth. The only unchanging and enduring good is piety.
Greek · §3
Οὐδὲνοὕτω τῷ θεῷ μεγαλοπρεπές, ὡς λόγος κεκαθαρμένος καὶ ψυχὴ τελεία τοῖς τῆς ἀληθείας δόγμασιν. Μόνον ἀμετάπτωτον ἀγαθὸν καὶ παραμένον ἡ εὐσέβεια.
What envy will not trust§4
4What cannot be reached is somehow also not trusted, because of envy — for to profane souls nothing fine is credible.
Greek · §4
Τὸ γὰρ οὐκἐφικτὸν οὐδὲ πιστόν πως διὰ τὸν φθόνον· ψυχαῖς γὰρ βεβήλοις οὐδὲν τῶν καλῶν ἀξιόπιστον.