Letter 1570
Isidore of Pelusium→Zosimus|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk
To: Martinianus, Zosimus, and Eustathios
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore urges three men — likely facing difficulties together — not to rely on their own strength but to cling to the invincible right hand of God.
Do not entrust the verdict of victory to the weak power of human beings. Instead, cling to the right hand of the One who cannot be defeated. Whoever holds on to that hand will surely prove stronger than all the temptations arrayed against him.
This is not advice to be passive. It is advice to fight with the right weapon. The man who enters a battle trusting in his own strength has already taken his greatest risk. The man who has learned that his strength alone is nothing — and who has therefore learned to rely entirely on Another — that man has found the one resource that does not run out. Do not despair over what you suffer; despair would mean you have forgotten whose right hand is still extended toward you.
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From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk
To: Martinianus, Zosimus, and Eustathios
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore urges three men — likely facing difficulties together — not to rely on their own strength but to cling to the invincible right hand of God.
Do not entrust the verdict of victory to the weak power of human beings. Instead, cling to the right hand of the One who cannot be defeated. Whoever holds on to that hand will surely prove stronger than all the temptations arrayed against him.
This is not advice to be passive. It is advice to fight with the right weapon. The man who enters a battle trusting in his own strength has already taken his greatest risk. The man who has learned that his strength alone is nothing — and who has therefore learned to rely entirely on Another — that man has found the one resource that does not run out. Do not despair over what you suffer; despair would mean you have forgotten whose right hand is still extended toward you.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.