30:30
Τούτων οὖν τὴν κατάληψιν μεμυημένος καὶ πεποιημένος βούλομαι καθάπερ τὰ νήπια τῶν βρεφῶν ἀποδύσασθαι. Τὴν γὰρ τῆς πονηρίας σύστασιν ἐοικυῖαν τῇ τῶν βραχυτάτων σπερμάτων ἴσμεν· ἅτε διὰ μικρᾶς ἀφορμῆς τούτου κρατυνθέντος, πάλιν δὲ αὖ λυθησομένου, ἡμῶν πειθομένων λόγοις θεοῦ καὶ μὴ σκορπιζόντων ἑαυτούς. Διά τινος γὰρ ἀποκρύφου θησαυροῦ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐπεκράτησεν, ὃν ὀρύττοντες κονιορτῷ μὲν ἡμεῖς ἐνεπλήθημεν, τούτῳ δὲ τοῦ συνεστάναι τὴν ἀφορμὴν παρέχομεν. Τὸ γὰρ αὐτοῦ πᾶν ἀποδεχόμενος κτῆμα τοῦ πολυτιμοτέρου πλούτου τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἐχειρώσατο. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν πρὸς τοὺς ἡμῶν οἰκείους εἰρήσθω. Πρὸς δὲ ὑμᾶς τοὺς Ἕλληνας τί ἂν ἕτερον, ἢ τὸ μὴ τοῖς κρείττοσι λοιδορεῖσθαι, μηδὲ εἰ βάρβαροι λέγοιντο ταύτην λαμβάνειν τῆς χλεύης τὴν ἀφορμήν; Τοῦ γὰρ πάντας ἀλλήλων ὑπακούειν τῆς διαλέκτου μὴ δύνασθαι τὴν αἰτίαν εὑρεῖν, ἢν ἐθέλητε, δυνήσεσθε· ἐξετάζειν γὰρ βουλομένοις τὰ ἡμέτερα ῥᾳδίαν καὶ ἄφθονον ποιήσομαι τὴν διήγησιν
我既領受了對這些事的領會，又使之成為自己的，便渴望脫去那如同嬰孩的幼稚。原來我們知道，邪惡的構造好像那至小的種子；它既藉一個小小的起點得了堅固，倘若我們被神的話說服、不再使自己渙散，它便要再被消解。原來邪惡是藉著我們某項隱藏的寶藏轄制了我們的境況；我們挖掘這寶藏時雖被塵土沾滿，卻給了邪惡得以存立的由頭。因為那領受了自己全部產業之人，便取得了那更寶貴之財富的權柄。這些話便算是對我們自己家裡人說的罷。至於你們希臘人，除了這話，還有什麼可說的呢——就是不要辱罵那比你們強的人，也不要因他們被稱為化外人，便拿這當作譏笑的由頭？因為你們若願意，便能找出眾人不能彼此聽懂方言的緣由；因為對那些願意查考我們教訓的人，我必把這道理說得既容易又毫不吝惜。
Having been initiated, then, into the apprehension of these things and having made it my own, I desire to put off, as it were, the infancy of babes. For we know that the constitution of wickedness is like that of the smallest seeds; inasmuch as, having been strengthened by a small starting-point, it will again be dissolved, if we are persuaded by the words of God and do not scatter ourselves. For wickedness gained the mastery over our affairs through a certain hidden treasure of ours, which, while digging it up, we were filled with dust, but to it we furnished the occasion of its subsisting. For he who receives all his possession gained the power over the more precious wealth. So let these things, then, have been said to those of our own household. But to you Greeks, what else is there to say, except this—not to revile your betters, nor, even if they be called barbarians, to take this as an occasion for mockery? For if you are willing, you will be able to find the reason why all are not able to understand one another's dialect; for to those who wish to examine our teachings I will make the account easy and ungrudging.