Letter 1599
Isidore of Pelusium→Unknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk
To: An unnamed person
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore writes on matters of general.
The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning is difficult, the middle uncertain, and the end glorious. Persevere. What matters in the end is not what we knew but what we did with what we knew.
Επ5ὶ φι 'η γοθι5 σγανίθι5 ΟΟΟΙΡΓΙ πὶ : τ ΠΔ τυ] υτη να θαηΐ ἃς ρ6π6 οορϑηὶ δ ἰΙοπ65( οἰποίοαυα ἀονίατγο, ἰδπίθη 4υἱ ργυσδηικΐα ΠΟ σάΓοηί, διι86ι: ἀν: ἀαχιγ οοιπηἰυηϊ, ἀδοοτυπὶ ροιυ8 αυδιΝ ἰά ᾳυοά ρτίινα [γτοπίθ φρρᾶγαὶ οἰχοιῖθθ, ποῖ] Φρτὸ ἴοτυπι αυοὰΐ υἱοὶ νἱἀδαηίυγ, τόνογα Υἱοίβδα εἰοτίαπιιν. εγα δίνη υἱοίογίἃ Π01 οὶ νἱς νἱἰογὶ ἐμ ἰθιμογα, δα νἱγίαϊο ἂς ἰδία ποι) Οχοὶ- ΘΟΟΩΙΧΧΙ. --- ΒΕΙΙΝΟ ΕΤ ΗΙΕΒΑΟ, ΥἹΆΙΝ ΟΙΑΒΙΘΘΙΜΙΚ. εις ποη δοίιιμε δὰ πιογῖιο., εοα δ᾽ διίρτα ποτ (μη δι05 ΠοπΌΤαΥὸ οἱ υὑμί! οἱ γμοίδεί. Ἢ ἀχήρατος χαὶ θεία δύναμις μόνη μὲν ἐθέλει χατ᾽ ἀξίαν τιμᾷν. Μόνη δὲ καὶ ἔχει δι᾽ ὧν τιμήσει, τῇ βουλήσει τῆς δυνάμεως ἀμιλλωμένης. Οὐχοῦν ἀγαπήσωμεν αὐτὴν, τὴν μόνην χαὶ ἐθέλουσαν ἡμᾶς τιμῆσαι, χαὶ ἔχουσαν, δι᾽ ὧν οὐ μόνον κατ᾽ ἀξίαν, ἀλλὰ χαὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀξίαν τιμήσει" ε Οὐχ ἄξια γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν χαιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλ- λουσαν δόξαν ἀποχαλυφθῆναι. »
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From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk
To: An unnamed person
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore writes on matters of general.
The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning is difficult, the middle uncertain, and the end glorious. Persevere. What matters in the end is not what we knew but what we did with what we knew.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.