§22οἱ δὲ πανταχόθεν ἄριστοι καθάπερ εἰς πατρίδα [θεραπευτῶν] ἀποικίαν στέλλονται πρός τι χωρίον ἐπιτηδειότατον, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὑπὲρ λίμνης Μαρείας κείμενον ἐπὶ γεωλόφου χθαμαλωτέρου, σφόδρα εὐκαίρως, ἀσφαλείας τε ἕνεκα καὶ ἀέρος εὐκρασίας.
But the best from everywhere, as if setting out for a colony to their homeland, travel to a most suitable place, which is situated above Lake Mareotis on a rather low hill, very conveniently placed, both for the sake of safety and the mildness of the air.
§23τὴν μὲν οὖν ἀσφάλειαν αἱ ἐν κύκλῳ παρέχουσιν ἐπαύλεις τε καὶ κῶμαι, τὴν δὲ περὶ τὸν ἀέρα εὐκρασίαν αἱ ἔκ τε τῆς λίμνης ἀνεστομωμένης εἰς τὴν θάλατταν καὶ τοῦ πελάγους ἐγγὺς ὄντος ἀναδιδόμεναι συνεχεῖς αὖραι, λεπταὶ μὲν αἱ ἐκ τοῦ πελάγους, παχεῖαι δὲ αἱ ἀπὸ τῆς λίμνης, ὧν ἡ μῖξις ὑγιεινοτάτην κατάστασιν ἀπεργάζεται.
For the safety is provided by the farmsteads and villages around, while the mildness of the air is provided by the continuous breezes rising both from the lake which opens into the sea and from the sea which is near; the breezes from the sea are light, while those from the lake are heavy, and their mixture produces a most healthy condition.
§24αἱ δὲ οἰκίαι τῶν συνεληλυθότων σφόδρα μὲν εὐτελεῖς εἰσι, πρὸς δύο τὰ ἀναγκαιότατα σκέπην παρέχουσαι, πρός τε τὸν ἀφ’ ἡλίου φλογμὸν καὶ τὸν ἀπ’ ἀέρος κρυμόν·
The houses of those who have come together are very simple, providing shelter for the two most necessary things: against the heat of the sun and the cold of the air.
οὔτε δὲ ἐγγύς, ὥσπερ αἱ ἐν τοῖς ἄστεσιν, — ὀχληρὸν γὰρ καὶ δυσάρεστον τοῖς ἐρημίαν ἐζηλωκόσι καὶ μεταδιώκουσιν αἱ γειτνιάσεις — οὔτε πόρρω, δι’ ἣν ἀσπάζονται κοινωνίαν καὶ ἵνα, εἰ λῃστῶν γένοιτο ἔφοδος, ἀλλήλοις ἐπιβοηθῶσιν.
They are neither close together like those in cities—for proximity is troublesome and unpleasant to those who affect and pursue solitude—nor far apart, for the sake of the fellowship they cherish, and so that, if an incursion of robbers should occur, they may help one another.
§25ἐν ἑκάστῃ δέ ἐστιν οἴκημα ἱερόν, ὃ καλεῖται σεμνεῖον καὶ μοναστήριον, ἐν ᾧ μονούμενοι τὰ τοῦ σεμνοῦ βίου μυστήρια τελοῦνται, μηδὲν εἰσκομίζοντες, μὴ ποτόν, μὴ σιτίον, μηδέ τι τῶν ἄλλων ὅσα πρὸς τὰς τοῦ σώματος χρείας ἀναγκαῖα, ἀλλὰ νόμους καὶ λόγια θεσπισθέντα διὰ προφητῶν καὶ ὕμνους καὶ τὰ ἄλλα οἷς ἐπιστήμη καὶ εὐσέβεια συναύξονται καὶ τελειοῦνται.
And in each house there is a sacred chamber, which is called a semneion or monasterion, in which they sequester themselves to celebrate the mysteries of the solemn life, bringing in nothing, neither drink nor food, nor any other things necessary for the needs of the body, but laws and inspired words declared through prophets, and hymns, and the other things by which knowledge and piety grow together and are perfected.
§26ἀεὶ μὲν οὖν ἄληστον ἔχουσι τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ μνήμην, ὡς καὶ δι’ ὀνειράτων μηδὲν ἕτερον ἢ τὰ κάλλη τῶν θείων ἀρετῶν καὶ δυνάμεων φαντασιοῦσθαι· πολλοὶ γοῦν καὶ ἐκλαλοῦσιν ἐν ὕπνοις ὀνειροπολούμενοι τὰ τῆς ἱερᾶς φιλοσοφίας ἀοίδιμα δόγματα.
Thus they always maintain an unforgettable memory of God, so that even through dreams they imagine nothing other than the beauties of divine virtues and powers; indeed, many even speak out in their sleep, dreaming of the famous doctrines of the sacred philosophy.
§27δὶς δὲ καθ’ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν εἰώθασιν εὔχεσθαι, περὶ τὴν ἕω καὶ περὶ τὴν ἑσπέραν, ἡλίου μὲν ἀνίσχοντος εὐημερίαν αἰτούμενοι τὴν ὄντως εὐημερίαν, φωτὸς οὐρανίου τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτῶν ἀναπλησθῆναι, δυομένου δὲ ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ τῶν αἰσθήσεων καὶ αἰσθητῶν ὄχλου παντελῶς ἐπικουφισθεῖσαν, ἐν τῷ ἑαυτῆς συνεδρίῳ καὶ βουλευτηρίῳ γενομένην, ἀλήθειαν ἰχνηλατεῖν.
And they are accustomed to pray twice each day, at dawn and at evening: when the sun rises, asking for true prosperity, that their minds may be filled with heavenly light; and when it sets, praying that the soul, being completely relieved of the crowd of senses and sensible things, may trace out the truth, having entered its own council chamber and senate.
§28τὸ δὲ ἐξ ἑωθινοῦ μέχρις ἑσπέρας διάστημα σύμπαν αὐτοῖς ἐστιν ἄσκησις· ἐντυγχάνοντες γὰρ τοῖς ἱεροῖς γράμμασι φιλοσοφοῦσι τὴν πάτριον φιλοσοφίαν ἀλληγοροῦντες, ἐπειδὴ σύμβολα τὰ τῆς ῥητῆς ἑρμηνείας νομίζουσιν ἀποκεκρυμμένης φύσεως ἐν ὑπονοίαις δηλουμένης.
And the entire interval from morning until evening is a spiritual exercise for them; for reading the sacred scriptures, they practice their ancestral philosophy by interpreting allegorically, since they think that the words of the literal explanation are symbols of a hidden nature revealed in allegories.
§29ἔστι δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ συγγράμματα παλαιῶν ἀνδρῶν, οἳ τῆς αἱρέσεως ἀρχηγέται γενόμενοι πολλὰ μνημεῖα τῆς ἐν τοῖς ἀλληγορουμένοις ἰδέας ἀπέλιπον, οἷς καθάπερ τισὶν ἀρχετύποις χρώμενοι μιμοῦνται τῆς προαιρέσεως τὸν τρόπον· ὥστε οὐ θεωροῦσι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ποιοῦσιν ᾄσματα καὶ ὕμνους εἰς τὸν θεὸν διὰ παντοίων μέτρων καὶ μελῶν, ἃ ῥυθμοῖς σεμνοτέροις ἀναγκαίως χαράττουσι.
They also have writings of ancient men, who, having become founders of their sect, left many monuments of the method used in allegorical interpretations, which they use as archetypes to copy the manner of their life's purpose; so that they do not only contemplate, but also compose songs and hymns to God through all kinds of meters and melodies, which they necessarily write in solemn rhythms.
§30τὰς μὲν οὖν ἓξ ἡμέρας χωρὶς ἕκαστοι μονούμενοι παρ’ ἑαυτοῖς ἐν τοῖς λεχθεῖσι μοναστηρίοις φιλοσοφοῦσι, τὴν αὔλειον οὐχ ὑπερβαίνοντες, ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ ἐξ ἀπόπτου θεωροῦντες· ταῖς δὲ ἑβδόμαις συνέρχονται καθάπερ εἰς κοινὸν σύλλογον καὶ καθ’ ἡλικίαν ἑξῆς καθέζονται μετὰ τοῦ πρέποντος σχήματος, εἴσω τὰς χεῖρας ἔχοντες, τὴν μὲν δεξιὰν μεταξὺ στέρνου καὶ γενείου, τὴν δὲ εὐώνυμον ὑπεσταλμένην παρὰ τῇ λαγόνι.
For six days, then, each of them, sequestered by themselves in the aforementioned monasteria, practices philosophy, not crossing the outer gate, nor even looking out from a distance; but on the seventh day they meet as if for a common assembly and sit in order of age with a fitting posture, keeping their hands inside, the right hand between the breast and the chin, and the left withdrawn close to the flank.
§31παρελθὼν δὲ ὁ πρεσβύτατος καὶ τῶν δογμάτων ἐμπειρότατος διαλέγεται, καθεστῶτι μὲν τῷ βλέμματι, καθεστώσῃ δὲ τῇ φωνῇ, μετὰ λογισμοῦ καὶ φρονήσεως, οὐ δεινότητα λόγων ὥσπερ οἱ ῥήτορες ἢ οἱ νῦν σοφισταὶ παρεπιδεικνύμενος, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐν τοῖς νοήμασι διηρευνηκὼς καὶ διερμηνεύων ἀκρίβειαν, ἥτις οὐκ ἄκροις ὠσὶν ἐφιζάνει, ἀλλὰ δι’ ἀκοῆς ἐπὶ ψυχὴν ἔρχεται καὶ βεβαίως ἐπιμένει.
Then the oldest and most experienced in the doctrines comes forward and discourses, with a composed look and a composed voice, with reason and wisdom, not showing off cleverness of speech like the rhetoricians or the sophists of today, but having searched out and interpreting the exact meaning in the thoughts, which does not merely light upon the tips of the ears, but comes through the hearing to the soul and remains firmly there.
καθ’ ἡσυχίαν δὲ οἱ ἄλλοι πάντες ἀκροῶνται, τὸν ἔπαινον νεύμασιν ὄψεως ἢ κεφαλῆς παραδηλοῦντες αὐτὸ μόνον.
All the others listen in silence, indicating their approval only by nods of the eyes or the head.