Letter 192
Isidore of Pelusium→Unknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Hierax the Deacon
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore on finding the right balance between strictness and mercy in pastoral discipline.
The best approach is a middle course between harshness and softness — neither crushing the penitent with excessive rigor, nor encouraging the unrepentant with premature forgiveness.
Be strict with the dangerous sinner — not to punish him but to prevent further harm to others and to force him to face what he has done. Be generous to the genuinely repentant — not because the sin was small but because repentance is real and the person before you is not the same person who sinned.
The hardest judgment is distinguishing the two. Learn to make it accurately. The souls of your flock depend on it.
Ῥετϊομίοεμηε ρέεσζητε, εἰ μέεοῖγε ε Ῥεοίατε. (Υϊάε ορίει. , Ἵ εἰ , δὺ, .) θΘυδηύο μεδυίυπι, Δρίιηυς, πευο ἱροὶ δα βυιᾺ βεῦειηυδ οὗ περι εηι δ δινογεθησς εὐἱ, Βοησ δ᾽} } ρυϑεοινδ, ᾳποὰ εἰ !ο περοίΐαα } εὔκὰ ἰδ. δϑοει! εἷης πεκοιία : ἰάεῖτοοῦ π γϑείθ Ὑδίογο ορὶπα- πο, πόα πιοαύΐοοα αυφείπηυδ, οηῦα ουγλιὶ ἃ . Ἐπαιδὴ τῶν δεινῶν, ὧν δρῶμεν, αἴσθησιν οὐδ᾽ αὐτοὶ ἔχομεν διὰ ῥᾳθυμίαν χαὶ φιλαντίαν, οὔτε ἐτέ- ροις παρέχομεν, διὰ τὸ χἀχείνους μηδὲν ἄμεινον ἡμῶν διαχεῖσθαι, διὰ τοῦτο νομίζοντες ὑγιαίνειν, οὔτε ἰατροὺς ἐπιζητοῦμεν, οὔτε θεραπευθῆναι βου- ϑοτῸ ορίδηναβ : οἱ πὸ ἰος ἰρευπ) αυἱόοπι, ᾳυοό Ὁ λόμεθα' ἀλλ᾽ οὐδ᾽ αὐτὸ τοῦτο, ὅτι νοσοῦμεν, ἴσμεν" φεκτοίδηνι, ςοξροδείιηυς ; αϑοΐ δαργὰ πιοάσπι ὁδὶ ἰη- δοηδὶ "θα , φυΐη εἰ υλεὶ πιοτίυυπι . ΒΑ, ΟΧΧΧΥ͂Ι. --- ΕἸΌΕΜ. ὅπερ ἐσχάτης ἐστὶν ἀναλγησίας, μᾶλλον δὲ νεχρώ- σεως. ῬΑζ'. -- ΤΆ ΑΥ̓ΤΩ. Ῥεεοαίκηε ρμώπαηι, νυἱτίμιια ργαηιΐμηι ραγί( ; φμαηε ἐ{{μώ [κπσϊοπάπην, πες εοἰεπάα. ((οη[ἐγ. ερῖει. .) Οιπηΐβ ἱπιρτοῦϊί ροιιᾶπι ρᾶγίυγ, υἱ ργοῦα Πονίδιΐ : δδά ὔθς ἰΠυἀ [υφ΄ϊ, ρτοὈ Διο πν οοηιΓ Ὅτι μὲν παντὶ τρόπῳ πονηρία τιμωρίαν ὠδίνει, μάλα ἀχριδῶς οἶσθα" ὅτι δὲ χαὶ ἡ ἀγαθότης τῷ ἄγαν ΕρΡὨ. "Υ͂, ; (ἰδὶ. υ, ; (. ", : δλς. τι, . ΥΑΒΙΔἍΣ ΚΕΟΤΙΟΝΕΒ ΕΤ ΝΟΤΑ͂-. () φ πὶ σιγὴν ᾿ἰάδπι πιυίδηϊ ἴῃ ἐπ᾿ ἠχῆν. ῬΟΞΒΙΝ. () θὸ μος οἰιαγασίοστο [ἰυδηϊ! οἀχβίδὶ, βδίνθ ΔΙΟΠΥΠΙΐΪ , ρογῦΓΟΥΘ δυηϊλβπιᾶ., οἱ αυξάδηι ορἰδιοἰΐ τος δογί "θη ) θοιποίγο Ῥμαίογοο, Περὶ ἑρμηνείας. ΕἸοθη γογὸ δορί βίο σγοροῦὶιὶ Νασίδη- θηἱ ] ΝΙσοθ]πι, οὐ} . ἰος [γ ἰηἰεϊυπι : Οκἱ ἐρί" δίοίας ξεγίδιπί. ΘΟΉΟΤΤ. ἘΡΙΘΤΟΙΛΕΙΝ . Υ. - ἘΡΙΘΤ, ΟΧΧΧΙ͂Χ. θεία εἶναι, ἢ τῷ ἄγαν εἰς τὸ Θεῖον ἡμᾶς ἄγειν, τὰ Α ΓΟ νῶι αἀϊνίπϑιι δὶ δευπίηθδ διἰδποοηίδην νοῦν ὑπερδαίνοντα τίχτει γέρα" χαὶ τοῦτ᾽ οἶσθα, Οὐχοῦν τὴν μὲν φεῦγε, τὴν δὲ δίωχε" χαὶ μὴ τὴν θείαν μαχροθυμίαν ἀμέλειαν ἡγοῦ. Πάντως γὰρ εἰς χρίσιν ἀχριδεστάτην προοίσει τὰ πρόδοτα ().
◆
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Hierax the Deacon
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore on finding the right balance between strictness and mercy in pastoral discipline.
The best approach is a middle course between harshness and softness — neither crushing the penitent with excessive rigor, nor encouraging the unrepentant with premature forgiveness.
Be strict with the dangerous sinner — not to punish him but to prevent further harm to others and to force him to face what he has done. Be generous to the genuinely repentant — not because the sin was small but because repentance is real and the person before you is not the same person who sinned.
The hardest judgment is distinguishing the two. Learn to make it accurately. The souls of your flock depend on it.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.