Letter 152

Isidore of PelusiumPothianus|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Heron the Scholar
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore on injustice — especially injustice committed by those in authority.

Injustice is always bad. But injustice committed by those in positions of authority is not merely bad — it is compounded. The person in power who acts unjustly not only harms his victim; he corrupts the very institution he was appointed to serve.

Those who have power over others and use it well are guardians of order. Those who abuse it are destroyers of it — and they will answer for both the original offense and for the damage done to trust in justice itself.

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