Letter 193

Isidore of PelusiumUnknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Paul
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore on patience and on the duty to do good to both friends and enemies — citing the Lord's own standard.

It is good to do good to your friends. Everyone does that much — even those who have no virtue to speak of manage to be kind to those who are kind to them. But the standard the Lord sets is different: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you" [Luke 6:27-28].

This is the test of patience. Patience is not merely enduring hardship in silence. It is maintaining goodwill toward those who are actively working against you, not because they deserve it but because the love you carry is not contingent on how it is received.

Strip away the dulled senses that hardship can create, and recover your perception. This above all: the endurance that does not grow bitter is worth more than any external victory.

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