Letter 441
Isidore of Pelusium→Unknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Theognostos the Presbyter
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore interprets the prophetic command "Speak to the heart of Jerusalem" as requiring teachers to teach through the eloquence of their lives, not merely their words.
You asked what it means: "O priests, speak to the heart of Jerusalem." Let me explain.
Teachers who pursue the life befitting instructors must not merely keep themselves above criticism — they must also be rich in divine excellences. The first is achievable by anyone at all; the second belongs only to those at the summit of virtue, who, even if they say nothing, teach their students more clearly by their silence than others teach by their voices. They do not merely please the ears; they illuminate souls.
For those who think that words are the only thing that matter in a teacher pester the ears of their students and make themselves ridiculous. But those who flash with their deeds, even if they choose silence, educate the souls of those who observe them.
And this, then, is what the command means: "O priests, speak to the heart of Jerusalem." Many are those who harass with words; few are those who teach through their deeds — and it is to those that the office of priesthood truly belongs.
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From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Theognostos the Presbyter
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore interprets the prophetic command "Speak to the heart of Jerusalem" as requiring teachers to teach through the eloquence of their lives, not merely their words.
You asked what it means: "O priests, speak to the heart of Jerusalem." Let me explain.
Teachers who pursue the life befitting instructors must not merely keep themselves above criticism — they must also be rich in divine excellences. The first is achievable by anyone at all; the second belongs only to those at the summit of virtue, who, even if they say nothing, teach their students more clearly by their silence than others teach by their voices. They do not merely please the ears; they illuminate souls.
For those who think that words are the only thing that matter in a teacher pester the ears of their students and make themselves ridiculous. But those who flash with their deeds, even if they choose silence, educate the souls of those who observe them.
And this, then, is what the command means: "O priests, speak to the heart of Jerusalem." Many are those who harass with words; few are those who teach through their deeds — and it is to those that the office of priesthood truly belongs.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.