Letter 42

Isidore of PelusiumAn inquirer; and to Donatus|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk
To: An inquirer; and to Eustathius
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore explains why Christ called himself the bread of life, and warns against gluttony.

The Lord called himself bread — and the name is fitting on two levels. In the plain sense, he became the nourishment of salvation for all. In the deeper sense, he united the leaven of human nature with himself, purified it, and baked it, as it were, in the fire of his own divinity, becoming one person and one worshipped substance with it.

To Eustathius, on gluttony: Despise fine foods — they are nothing a moment after you swallow them. Their luxury lasts only as long as the gulp. Excess consumption breeds diseases now and stores up punishment hereafter. The belly is a poor master. It promises pleasure and delivers pain.

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

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