"In our interest! We shall starve!"
"Do you not fear profanation by what is worse than starvation--lying
wisdom? You say 'Blessed are the poor in spirit,' Be, then, poor in
spirit!... Perhaps you imagine that I am ignorant of your teaching? I
know it better than you do! I see in the Galilean commandments depths
you have never dreamed of!... But let each take his own path. Leave us
our frivolous learning and philosophy, our poor literary knowledge.
What have these poisoned streams to do with you? Yours is a higher
wisdom! We own the earthly kingdom, and you ... the Kingdom of Heaven.
That's no small thing for humble folk like you!... Dialectic and logic
leads to freethinking or heresies? Be then, in good sooth, simple as
children. The ignorance of the fishermen of Capernaum is above all the
Platonic dialogues, is it not? All the wisdom of the Galileans is
summed in the word 'Believe'! Ah, rhetoricians, if you were true
Christians you would bless our edict. At this moment, it is not your
souls, but your bodies which rebel; your bodies, which find sweetness
in sinfulness. That is all I have to say to you, and I hope that you
will learn to agree with me, and that you will find that the Roman
Emperor is more anxious for your souls' salvation than you are
yourselves!"
Julian calmly threaded his way through the crowd of unhappy
rhetoricians, contented with his speech, but Papirian, still kneeling,
tore his hair--
"Why, Queen of Heaven, dost thou suffer such things to be?" and the
two scholars, seeing their master's distress, with clumsy fists
brushed the tears from their eyes.