Questionable Studies

Τί γὰρ δεῖ μοι πολυπραγμονεῖν, τὶ μὲν ἄρα τὸ χρημά ἐστι τῆς γεωμετρίας, ἁρμονικῆς τε καὶ ἀριθμητικῆς, καὶ τῶν ἑτέρων ἐπιστημῶν, ἂς δὴ καὶ μόνας ἀξιοῦσι τιμᾷν, καὶ ὑψηλὴν ἐπ' αὐταῖς ἀνασύρουσι τὴν ὀφρυν. Καίτοι τό γε ἧκον εἰς εὐκοσμίαν, καὶ τὸ ἀμωμήτως ἔχειν εἰς ἔθη καὶ τρόπους, ἀσυντελῆ φαίην ἄν τὴν εἴς γε ταυτὶ σπουδήν τε καὶ προθυμίαν. Οὐ γὰρ τοῦ κατεψεγμένων ἡδονῶν ἀμείνων τις ἔσται, οὐ τῶν ἐξ ὀργῆς κυμάτων ἐλεύθερος, οὐ φιλοψογίας καὶ φθόνου μακρὰν, οὐ τῶν εἰς ἐγκράτειαν σπουδασμάτων ἐπιμελητὴς, οὔτε μὴν τῶν ἑτέρων ἀγαθῶν, ἂπροσόντα μὲν καὶ προσπεφυκότα τισὶν ἀποφήνειεν ἂν αὐτοὺς ὅτι μάλιστα τῶν ἄλλων εὐκλεεστάτους, ἀπόντα δὲ καὶ οὐκ ἐνυπάρχοντα, λόγου οὐδενὸς ἀξίους. Ἔστι γὰρ, ἔστιν ἰδεῖν εὐφυᾶ μέν τινα, καὶ τετορευμένην τὴν γλῶσσαν λαχόντα, λαλίστατον δὲ καὶ οἶον ἀττικουργῆ καὶ εὐτεχνέστατα κατεσκευασμένον εἰς καλλιέπειαν, ἀνόσιον δὲ τοὺς τρόπους, καὶ τοῖς τῶν αἰσχίστων ἐπιθυμιῶν ἀλόντα βρόχοις. Ὁ δέ γε σοφὸς καὶ ἀρτίφρων, οὐκ ἐν ψιλαῖς καὶ μόνοιας φωναῖς κεκτήσεται τὸ εἶναι τοιοῦτο· οὐδ' ἄν ἀρκέσειεν αὐτῷ πρὸς δύναμιν εὐκλείας, τὸ ἀνευρεῖν δύνασθαι πικρὰς εὐρεσιεπείας, καὶ διαστρόφων ἐννοιῶν ἀπρόβλητον δείνωσιν. Τεχνίτρης μὲν γὰρ ὁ τοιοῦτος, τό ψε ἧκον εἰς λόγους, οὕπω γε μὴν πάντως ᾗ ἀγαθός. Οὐκοῦν ἐν γεωμετρίᾳ καὶ ἀστρονομίᾳ καὶ αἱ λοιπαὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἐπιστημῶν, εὐκλεᾶ καὶ ἀξιοζήλωτον ἀποφαίνει τὸν ἐξησκηκότα· μόνη δὲ μᾶλλον ἡ ἀκριβὴς καὶ ἰσχνὴ καὶ ἀμώμητος περὶ Θεοῦ γνῶσις, καὶ τόγε δὴ δεῖν διὰ σπουδῆς μὲν ἔχειν τὸ ἀγαθὸν, ἀπόβλητον δὲ ποιεῖσθαι τὸ ἐναντίον, ταυτὶ φαίην ἂν αὐχήματα. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Προς Τα Του Ἐν Ἀθεοις Ιὀυλιανου, Λογος Πεμπτος

For why must I be busy with such things, why the study of geometry, harmonies and arithmetic, and the other disciplines, which things are the only things to them worthy of honour and because of them they raise their eyebrows up on high. Yet I would say that for keeping oneself free from blame in one's ways this desire and zeal is useless. For no one by these things will be superior to deplorable pleasures, or be free from the surges of anger, or be far from censoriousness and envy, nor will there be care for diligent self control, or indeed any of the other goods that make those to whom they belong and have nurtured them of greater repute than the rest, and in those in whom they are lacking and non existent, of no account. For it is so that one may see someone who is very clever, who has an elaborate style of language, a most fluent Atticist, a master of finely wrought prose, and yet he is wicked in his ways and caught up in the snares of disgraceful desires. But one who is wise and sensible has not come to be so by words alone, nor will it be satisfying to him to gain good repute through an inventive ability for biting novelties and an astonishing facility for the production of twisted ideas. For such a man, I say, is a craftsman with regard to words but has not yet become good in any way. Thus geometry and astronomy and the rest of the disciplines render their practitioners famous and worthy of envy, but only an accurate and firm and flawless knowledge of God, together with the zeal for the good and the rejection of what opposes it, I think, is worthy of glorying in. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Against Julian, Book 5