Letter 1501
Isidore of Pelusium→Unknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk
To: An unnamed person
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore writes on matters of virtue.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance. The person who knows what is right but does not do it is worse off than the one who never learned. Virtue is not natural to us — it must be won through daily struggle. But the struggle itself is part of the reward.
Ρεφϑίαι ἤθη οδρὶ ἱπρτολίίδίθ ; οδρίαπι) ὙΟΓῸ δοὶγ οδρίυδη , δβιδιϊπηαυ6 γὙϑ]αὶ ἰοπιυϊοηι ᾳυδάδπι ΘΠ ΓΚοΓ6. Οδρίυδ ΓῸ ποθὴ δβιρεγο βυϑι:- ὨΘΏΒ, ΠΙΟΙΡΟῸ ἰδυογαὶ ἱβουγδ . ΙΧ. --- ΑΜΜΟΝΙῸ ΠΟΓΑΒΤΙΟΟ. 8ὲ γεοία ἰἰϑετογιμε ἰνιδέξιμιΐοπθ; ἀφ φιια εἰ ἰπ. δρῖδι. εἰ σοπιΐπα είς. Οἱ τοῖς ἑαυτῶν παισὶν ἔτι νηπίοις οὖσιν ἐγχατα- ὦ φυἱ βυΐβ Δαΐνις ἰοπογίβ " γ8 ἀσευιηθηίδ ἰη8ογιηί, σπείροντες πρῶτον μὲν τὸν περὶ τῆς θείας ὑπεροχῇς τε χαὶ προνοίας λόγον " δεύτερον δὲ τὸν περὶ ἀρετῇς τρόπον, οὗτοι οὐ μόνον γονεῖς, ἀλλὰ χαὶ διδάσχαλοι ἄριστοι τυγχάνοντες τεύξονται θείων ἁμοιδῶν. Οἵ δὲ πολυθεσίαν () καὶ χαχίαν αὐτῆς () χαταφυ- κεύσαντες, ἅτε θύσαντες αὐτῶν τὰ τέχγα τοῖς δαί- μόσυν, ἄξια χομιοῦνται τὰ ἐπίχειρα. Ι -- ΣΥΜΜΑΧΩ. ρυϊησιη ᾳυϊοπὶ ἐο Ὠεὶ ργωϑίδηιίϊα δίχυδ ργονί ἀθη- ιἰὰ ; ἀδ]ιίης ΥἱΓιμ [ πὶ ΠΠΟΓΟΒ4 ΡΓΟΡῸ5 ρτιοίρίυηι, Ὦΐ ποη τηο40 ραγθῃίθβ, ϑδεὰ δὲ οριϊπιΐ δχβίβίυπι Ἰηδαίϑιγὶ, 6ἱ ἃ πιογοθίίοια δοοὶρίοπι. ( υϊΐ νϑγοὸ ἀδοτυπι προ ἰτυ ἀΐ μοι πηργου ἰδίθηγαυ ἢ] ἀοεθηί, 4υλδὶ (ἰδπ)οη Οἴεγρηϊθ8, ἀδ δοίζίρίεηιὶ Ραηδ88.
◆
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk
To: An unnamed person
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore writes on matters of virtue.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance. The person who knows what is right but does not do it is worse off than the one who never learned. Virtue is not natural to us — it must be won through daily struggle. But the struggle itself is part of the reward.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.