Letter 443
Isidore of Pelusium→Unknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: A Presbyter
Date: ~410 AD
Context: The distinction between genuinely practicing virtue and merely appearing to practice it — the gap between a painted fruit and a real one.
With all your strength, best of men, you ought to practice virtue. But do not think it sufficient merely to appear to practice it.
The difference is the difference between a painted fruit and a real one. The painted fruit looks nourishing, and perhaps is pleasant to look at — but it feeds no one. A man who has made virtue his genuine possession feeds those around him by the simple fact of his existence. A man who has made the appearance of virtue his project feeds nothing but his own reputation.
A presbyter of all people cannot afford the substitution. Those who rely on you are counting on the real thing. Give them that.
Περὶ ἀρετῆς. Παντὶ σθένει, ὦ βέλτιστε, προσήχει τὴν ἀρετὴν ἀσχεῖν (), ἀλλ᾽ οὐχ ἀρχεῖν ἡγεῖσθαι τὸ δοχεῖν ἀσχεῖν. ΑΒ ΚΕΟΤΙΟΝΕῈΒΘ ΕΤ ΝΟΤΕ. () Τιγὸς ἐπὶ φιλοσοφίᾳ διαλάμψαντες. ὕ δούγαίοβ, Αὐἰϑι , ΡΙ]ιοσίοι οἱ δἱιὶ. ἤτττ. () Μα] ἰῃβογίυἱίωγ ἰ δα εἶθ Ποες ἀρίδῖ01., Ἰου- εοὐ. αι, οἱ ΑΙϊ., ἴῃ αφυΐθας πυπειραῖα Ὡς ερί δία Ιἐρφίιαν ἸΠίᾳ, Ποία. Ῥοβϑιν. (9ὅ) ᾿Ασχεῖν, 4ινοι δυζβέγυηι οοὐά. αεῖς. εἱ νίχ, δυπία, αυοά ποπΊϑη πλυ γα, οὐ δὶ δ6 Υἱγιμῃ ΘΟΠΙΘΧΙΙ8 'ρ56 ΠΗ Γ6λ186 . ΘΓιε Βοιμθι ἰπΠ αύυθιι εἰς ἰδ᾽άοτα δἰ! θ4ηΐίυν ρνοθιὶ ΑἸι., γϑοδρίμνι8 οἱ διδιογίϑου ἰδοῦ πδ [εὐΐοθμν Δι ον) . Εν τ. ΡΑΤκ. ἘΕΡΙΒΤΟΙΑΒΌΜ ..--ἘΡΙΒΥ. ΧΙΥ͂. . --- ΧΑΙΡΗΜΟΝΊ, ἈΝΑΤΌΛΙΩ, ΓΟΤΘΙΩ, ΜΑ- ἃ Χ. -- ΟΗΑΙΒΕΜΟΝΙ͂, ΑΝΑΤΟΒΙΌ, ΟΟΤΤΗΙΟ, ΡΩΝΙ. ΜΑΒΟ Πρὸς ἀσκητάς. Ἐπειδὴ τοῖς ἁγίοις ὁ βίος ὁ ὑμέτερος δαχρύων γέγονεν ὑπόθεσις ἀεννάων, λογιζομένοις δι᾽ ἣν αἰτίαν Χριστιανοὶ φάσχοντες εἶναι, Ἐπιχούρειον διαζῇτε βίον, οὔτε ἔργον ἀχολασίας χαταλείψαντες ἄπραχτον, οὔτε λόγον αἰσχρὸν ἄῤῥητον: γέγραφα παραινῶν, ὅπως γνωσιμαχήσαντες, ἑαυτοὺς μὲν αἰσχύνης χαὶ ὀνειδῶν, καὶ τῆς μελλούσης ἀδεχάστου χρίσεως, τοὺς δὲ ἁγίους τῆς ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτοῖς λύπης, τὴν δὲ Ἐχχλησίαν δυσεχπλύτου () χηλῖδος ἀπαλλάξητε. Αα γιιὶ δε ἰῃ γμὶείαί6 ἐχέγεοπϊ. Ουομίδιη νἱ τὰ νοβίγα ραγθηη η ἸΔΟΥ͂ ΠΛ ΓᾺΠῚ )- δδι1ὴ εἱ πιδιογίδπιὶ δδιιοι8 Υἱγίβ ργῴυΐ (εοη5᾽ - ῬΔ πἰπηΐγυπ αυϊάηδιῃ σϑι0. 5ἰῖϊ, ΄σιιο(ἱ νο8, οαθ Οἰ ν᾽ βιϊδοῦυπι ποιπθη υδυγροι8., ΕρΙουΓοΔηι ἴδ1η6 Υἱ εἰυσδιΐα, εἱ 4υἱ π66 ἢ ἀπ . 8ι- ᾳυς ἰμιοιηρογϑη ἰδ ἰδοΐμ! ΠΟ ΡΘγροιγαίι., Π6ς [ἰἰωπὶ υἱϊυπι οἱ οὐ δοθηνπι ΒΘ ΡΠ ΟΠ ὁ ΠΟ ὈΓΟΪΆ11) ΓοΙ φυθεῖ ), ορί βίο! γὸ8 " υἱ Ὁ ἱΠρΓΟυἉ Υἱἱ9 Γαϊΐοηθ δΐπιιπὶ δυυθυσαηί68, οἱ γ08 ἰῃ505 ρΡΓῸ- δγί5 δίφιδ ἰμΐδηια, [υἹυνίηυο Ἰυάϊεὶϊ δανογίίδιθ, οἱ βϑινοίοβ ΥὙἱγοβϑ , ἱν αι1ἃ νοδίγ ὀαυδᾶ ὙΘΓΒΏΠΙΌΓ, μι διϊ ἴα, ἃς ἀδηΐᾳυο Εςοἰοϑίδην σγανὶ, πὲς (δεῖ οἰβοηύα βιδουὶα " γα . 1Δ'. -- ΣΤΡΑΤΗΓΙῺ ἘΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΝΕΩΣΤΙ ΚΑΤΑ- Β ΣΤΑΝΤΙ. Ἴσθι, τιμιώτατε, ὅτι ἐν παντὶ μὲν τῷ βίῳ, μάλιστα δὲ [νῦν] ἐπιδαίνων τοῖς ὅροις τῆς δοξάσης μὲν εἶναι ἀρχῆς, οὔσης δὲ λειτουργίας, δίχαιος ἄν εἴης χολά- ζειν τὰς αὑτοῦ ἐπιθυμίας, ὥστε μηδενὸς τῶν παρὰ τοῖς ὑπηχόοις φαύλων ἡττᾶσθαι. Καὶ γὰρ αἴσχιστον εἰ τοῖς ἀρχομένοις ἐπιτάττειν βουλόμενος, φωραθείης μηδὲ σαντοῦ ἄρχειν δυνάμενος. ’. --- ΓΑΙΩ. Ὅτι ἡ χαχία τὸ τερπνὸν ὀλέθριον ἔχει, ἡ δ᾽ ἀρετὴ τὸ ἐπίπονον, εὐχλεέστατε, χαὶ εὐδόχιμον () (ἱδρῶσι
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From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: A Presbyter
Date: ~410 AD
Context: The distinction between genuinely practicing virtue and merely appearing to practice it — the gap between a painted fruit and a real one.
With all your strength, best of men, you ought to practice virtue. But do not think it sufficient merely to appear to practice it.
The difference is the difference between a painted fruit and a real one. The painted fruit looks nourishing, and perhaps is pleasant to look at — but it feeds no one. A man who has made virtue his genuine possession feeds those around him by the simple fact of his existence. A man who has made the appearance of virtue his project feeds nothing but his own reputation.
A presbyter of all people cannot afford the substitution. Those who rely on you are counting on the real thing. Give them that.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.