Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

422 THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH AND"or by writing to the private circle of scholars whogave themselves up entirely to his philosophy.These Aristotle called "philosophical" or "teaching"discourses, proceeding, that is, from the principlesproper to each branch of learning, and notfrom the opinions of the lecturer. These latterwere termed "tentative," as belonging to the exoteric.Simplicius, one of the latest writers onGreek philosophy, defines exoteric as " the com-mon, and what concludes by arguments which arematter of opinion ;" and Philoponus, as discourses" not of strict proof, and not directed to lawfully-begotten hearers," that is, trained and prepared,it but to the public, and springing from probabilities."78Thus in Aristotle, the largest in grasp ofmind, the most observant of facts, the most accuratein definition among Greek writers, the*phi-losopher in fact and "master of those who know,"79for all future ages, we find the same three constitu-ents of teachin as in Plato, / and in the same orderof importance : first, hearers selected for their naturalaptitude, and then submitted to a moral disciplineand a common life ; secondly, the instructionof such hearers by word of mouth, question and78 '£»/ K.OIVC? fyiyv6fjLevoi Aoyoi . . . e'/cSeSo^uei/ot \6yor ol Kara fyiXoGofyior 5(5acr/caAi/col \6yoi, ol e/c T&V ot/ceuoz> ap%a?i> 4/eao-Tou jua^juaros /cai OVK e/c&V TOV airoKpivopevov 5o£c£j> (rvXhoyifyiAtvoi, which last are \6yoi 7reipa