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An Address to Demetrianus

Cyprian of Carthage

Section 1

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

1. I had frequently, Demetrianus, treated with contempt your

‹ An Address to Demetrianus.Section 2 ›

railing

and

noisy

clamour

with

sacrilegious

mouth

and

impious

words

against

the

one

and

true

God

,

thinking

it

more

modest

and

better

,

silently

to

scorn

the

ignorance

of

a

mistaken

man

,

than

by

speaking

to

provoke

the

fury

of

a

senseless

one

.

Neither

did

I

do

this

without

the

authority

of

the

divine

teaching

,

since

it

is

written

,

“

Speak

not

in

the

ears

of

a

fool

,

lest

when

he

hear

thee

he

should

despise

the

wisdom

of

thy

words

;

”

and

again

,

“

Answer

not

a

fool

according

to

his

folly

,

lest

thou

also

be

like

unto

him

.

”

And

we

are

,

moreover

,

bidden

to

keep

what

is

holy

within

our

own

knowledge

,

and

not

expose

it

to

be

trodden

down

by

swine

and

dogs

,

since

the

Lord

speaks

,

saying

,

“

Give

not

that

which

is

holy

unto

the

dogs

,

neither

cast

ye

your

pearls

before

swine

,

lest

they

trample

them

under

their

feet

,

and

turn

again

and

rend

you

.

”

For

when

you

used

often

to

come

to

me

with

the

desire

of

contradicting

rather

than

with

the

wish

to

learn

,

and

preferred

impudently

to

insist

on

your

own

views

,

which

you

shouted

with

noisy

words

,

to

patiently

listening

to

mine

,

it

seemed

to

me

foolish

to

contend

with

you

;

since

it

would

be

an

easier

and

slighter

thing

to

restrain

the

angry

waves

of

a

turbulent

sea

with

shouts

,

than

to

check

your

madness

by

arguments

.

Assuredly

it

would

be

both

a

vain

and

ineffectual

labour

to

offer

light

to

a

blind

man

,

discourse

to

a

deaf

one

,

or

wisdom

to

a

brute

;

since

neither

can

a

brute

apprehend

,

nor

can

a

blind

man

admit

the

light

,

nor

can

a

deaf

man

hear

.

Notes

3
Some add, “and name.”
4
Prov. xxiii. 9.
5
Prov. xxvi. 4.
6
Matt. vii. 6.