# Epistulae 56.3

Julian the Emperor, Epistulae, Letter 56. Ancient Greek.

Canonical: https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/library/greek/julian-the-emperor/epistulae/56.3

Οὐκ ἴστε ὅτι πρὸ πάντων τῶν ἄλλων τὰ τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τὰ τῆς νυκτὸς ἔργα διῄρηται; οὕτως οὖν εἰκότως τῆς μὲν ἀφῃρέθη, τῇ δὲ ἂν ἀνακέοιτο. οὐ γὰρ δὴ τῆς ἐσθῆτος τὴν λευκὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς πένθεσιν ὀρθῶς ἔχον ἐστὶ παραιτεῖσθαι, θάπτειν δὲ τοὺς τελευτήσαντας ἐν ἡμέρᾳ καὶ φωτί. βέλτιον ἦν ἐκεῖνο, εἴ γε εἰς οὐδένα τῶν θεῶν ἐπλημμελεῖτο, τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἐκφεύγει τὸ μὴ εἰς ἅπαντας τοὺς θεοὺς εἶναι δυσσέβειαν. τοῖς τε γὰρ Ὀλυμπίοις οὐ δέον αὐτὸ προσνέμουσι, καὶ τῶν χθονίων, ἢ ὁπωσοῦν ἄλλως οἱ τῶν ψυχῶν ἐπίτροποι καὶ κύριοι χαίρουσιν ὀνομαζόμενοι, παρὰ τὸ δέον ἀλλοτριοῦσιν. ἐγὼ δὲ οἶδα καὶ τοὺς περιττοὺς καὶ ἀκριβεῖς τὰ θεῖα θεοῖς τοῖς κάτω νύκτωρ ἢ πάντως μετὰ δεκάτην ἡμέρας ὥραν ἱερὰ δρᾶν ἀξιοῦντας. εἰ δὲ τῆς ἐκείνων θεραπείας οὗτος ἀμείνων ὁ καιρός, οὐδὲ τῇ θεραπείᾳ πάντως τῶν τεθνεώτων ἕτερον ἀποδώσομεν.

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Julian the Emperor, Epistulae, ed. Wilmer Cave Wright. Text: The Greek Library, from the Perseus Digital Library and other open sources, CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: apostrophes normalised and the text divided into reading sections by Interlinea.
License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Source: https://thegreeklibrary.pages.lisn.upsaclay.fr/works/tlg2003.tlg013.local001/.