Letter 1608
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.
Ζοεϊηιὶ ἡ ετιπι υἱα υἱτἱοδα, ρτεοῖϑιε αφμε θ60 εὐππεπάππήπηι. (ΘΆΡΥ. ἐρῖει. ἃ εἰ . εἰπεϊ!ὲς ἐρίει. .) Απαϊΐο ἐῈ ἐρ τοῦυδ θη ἀσάύυπι ρτιείογιἰ5 Ζοβί ππη δοδιδᾶζγα,, ποῆδα ΟΣ ἰθιῃρογ δ ἰάρδιι ορροτιυμ ": αὐυῶγογα, πὶ [ δοου368. Π40 Θηΐπη ἷη ρΓΟΠΙΡΙ, . ρῥγοίογδϑ φεβίδ. Ἦϑγυπὶ ΠΟῚ 1Δπὶ δέοσιιβαν Ἠπριαπι ἴῃ οὐπὶ ἀοσοοῖ ὀχδουθγα, 408η) ἰδ - ροἰογπάο, οἱ θόυῃ ροὸ ἰΠ0Ὸ ἀδργεεδηάο ϑδίδβεγο φοηνθηΐ,. Δοουδϑίυδ ομΐπ) Δι πηδίυν, ιυὶ ΔρρᾶΓΘΙ, ἐμοί πηδαὶβ : ἀομ!ογϑῖα8 ν τὸ ροάθ [ΟΥ6 Γ6- ἴεγοι. ΟΥΧΕ!. --- ΖΟΘΙΜΟ. Οἷδα μὲν ἐξ ὧν ἀχούω, ὡς οὐχ ὑπὲρ λίαν ἀρχαίων πραγμάτων λέγων, ἀδεῶς πράττεις τὴν χατὰ τοῦ ἀθλίον Ζωσίμου χατηγορίαν, συναγωνιστὴν οὖχ ἔχων εἰς ψευδολογίαν τὸν χρόνον - αὑτὰ γὰρ ἔχεις μαρτυροῦντα τὰ πράγματα. ᾿Αλλὰ χρὴ μὴ τοσοῦτον τὴν γλῶτταν ὁπλίζειν εἰς τὴν χατ᾽ αὑτοῦ χατηγο- ρίαν, ὅσον εἰς τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν θρήνους χαὶ τὰς προσ- εὐχάς. Κατηγορούμενος γὰρ, πλέον εἰς χαχέαν, ὡς ἔοιχεν, ἐρεθέζεται " θρηνούμενος δὲ, ἴσως ἀνενέγχοι. ᾿ ΥΜΔΑ'΄. -- ΖΩΣΙΜΏ. (εομιΐμηι τποτος οἰπι ποοιτὶε εο[ αἰξ. ((η[. ορῖει. .) Μυμΐ ἀρυὰ Οτγαουβ κοι ΐθβ,, Ὀοπς νἱγ, νἱ γί! πὶ γηῦθτγυιη δοοίδιΐ δυμ1. .᾽Ὶ᾽] ν6γὸ ἰζηιᾶνὸ δέοῦε ρειγί πηι 1Π υ5᾽1Δτ΄υπη406 ἀγαῖ, π6 αὐυϊάδπη Θοηγοηϊί Υἱγίυ [ ἱπιογην ογο οἰυάίυπι). Νά ἰπιογυδ πὶ αυ0 βυρογδπλυβ υοηϊδηι ΠΟ. (ΟΠΟΟΟ. ΟΟΧΙΠΙ. -- ΜΔΟῸΛΒΙΟ ΕΡΙΘΟΟΘΡῸΟ. Πολλοὶ μὲν, ὦ βέλειστε, παρ᾽ Ἕλλησι τὴν ἐθιχὴν κατορθώσαντες ἀρετὴν ἄδονται “ εἰ δὲ χαὶ τὸ ῥᾳθυ- μεῖν ἐχείνοις πάτριον χαὶ σύνηθες ἧν, οὐδ᾽ οὕτως ἡμᾶς προσῆχεν τὴν περὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐπιμέλειαν προέσθαι. Τὸ γὰρ μέσον ἡμῖν πρὸς ἐχείνους οὐκ ὀλί- Ὧον ὑπάρχον ἀφαιρεῖται τὴν συγγνώμην.
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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.