Miscellanies 2.4.18

And Plato the philosopher too says in the Laws that the one who is to become blessed and happy must share in the truth right from the beginning, so as to live as long a time as possible being true; for he is trustworthy. But the untrustworthy is he to whom voluntary falsehood is dear, and the one to whom it is involuntary is senseless; neither of these is to be envied; for everyone untrustworthy and ignorant is friendless. And perhaps he speaks of this as the kingly wisdom in a veiled way in the Euthydemus. At any rate in the Statesman he says word for word: “So the knowledge of the true king is kingly, and the one who possesses it, whether he happens to be a ruler or a private person, will rightly be called kingly according to the art itself.” Thus those who have believed in Christ are and are called good (chrēstoi), as those cared for by the king are truly kingly. For as the wise are wise by wisdom and the lawful lawful by law, so those who belong to Christ the King are kingly, the Christians. Then, further on, he adds clearly: “What is right would be lawful, and law, being by nature right reason, and not in writings or other things.” And the Eleatic Stranger declares the kingly and political man to be a living law.