Letter 150

Isidore of PelusiumUnknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Menas the Deacon
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore on the destruction of Jerusalem — explaining why God permitted it, and why he delayed so long before acting.

When the celebrated temple was destroyed and the city was given over to its captors, many asked: why did God permit this? And why, having permitted it, did he not act sooner?

The answer to the second question helps with the first. He did not act immediately — even when provoked — for two reasons: first, to give them time for repentance; second, to make clear to everyone that the disaster, when it came, came from their own choices and not from any failure of his patience.

God is not unmoved by wickedness. But he is slow to punish, and his slowness is not weakness — it is the space he opens for those who might yet turn back.

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.