Letter 460
Isidore of Pelusium→A wealthy man|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Zosimus the Presbyter
Date: ~410 AD
Context: A precise argument against Zosimus's attachment to money: it cannot follow him after death, it can be converted to almsgiving, and he doesn't even have the excuse of supporting children — making his hoarding indefensible.
Let me put this to you plainly, Zosimus. If it were possible to take your money with you after death, even then it would not be particularly precious — it would be overshadowed by the infinitely more valuable things found in that place. But even such a shadow of consolation would at least be something.
But since that is impossible, and since it is entirely possible to convert what you have into almsgiving, and since you cannot even invoke the plausible-sounding excuse of your children — that pretext is not available to you — it would be better to make by choice what is in any case a necessity.
And if you will not even do that, then why do you not blush when you take what belongs to the poor? The man who will not give what is his own has no right to help himself to what belongs to others.
Εἰ μὲν δυνατὸν ἦν τὰ χρήματα μετὰ θάνατον ἀποχομίσαι μετὰ σαυτοῦ, μάλιστα μὲν οὐδ᾽ οὕτω τί- μια Ἦν, ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχεῖσε τιμαλφεστάτων ἐπισχοτού - μενα - πλῆν ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως ἐδόχει σχιάν τινα παραμυ- θίας σοι φέρειν. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο μὲν ἀδύνατον, δυνατὸν ὃξ ταῦτ᾽ ἀμεῖψαι εἰς ἐλεημοσύνας ἀναλώσαντα, χαὶ μάλιστα μηδὲ τῆς εὐπροσώπου δοχούσης εἶναι τῶν παίδων σχήψεώς σοι προσούσης" ἄμεινον τῆς προαι- ρέσεως γενέσθαι, ὃ τῆς ἀνάγχης ἐστίν, Εἰ δ᾽ οὐ βού- λει παρασχεῖν, τί καὶ τὰ τῶν πενήτων ἁρπάζων οὐχ ἐρυθρίᾷς ; ΧΗΙΥ͂, --Ζ ΌΘ51Μ900Ὸ ΡΒΔΕΒΒΥΤΕΒΟ. ϑὲ ΠΕΡῚ ροβδϑὶ υἱ Ορθ8 ( ροΒδὶ (ἰδο6588Π) Υἱία δου! ὩΔΒροΓίᾶΓοβ, 4υοηηυλι) πὸ δὶς 4υΐάδπι ῥγοιὶὶ ου͵υδαυλη) , υΠροῖΘ ρΓΘΙΪΟ5551Π118 δ᾽ [ ΓΪ . Ὁ «νὶ εἰν" οὐβουγδί:β, Ιδιῆθὴ θ᾽ :η πιἀδπὶ ουῃβοϊλείοι εἰ0ὲὶ ἃ γγα νἱἀδγοηίαγ. Οἱ) Δαΐδηι . Πογὶ μϑ ῦθαι, ροϑϑὶβ Δ , ] " ΘΙ ΘΘΙΠΟΒΥ͂ - ΠΔ5 ᾿Π51Πρ5 γῖ5, ἢ ᾿ογὸ8. ΘΟ 4Γ6, ) ἴιὶ ἰᾳ [μεἰ57 ργαιβου την ουην η6 ΠΙογιπὶ 4υΐάδηι Θχο- , Πι86 ἰιοιιθ5ι ου͵υδάλιῃ ργαίοχιδ βρθοίθπὶ ΡΓῷ [, ὲ] διιρροίαι, πἰ πεῖσαι ἰΦ φυοὰ πθοοϑββὶ- λ115 6ϑῖ, 1η6] , φυρά γο]υμπ!διὸ πη ἱπάυειίοιο οἤϊοεί ταν, Θυ0ι ] ἰἀγαίγὶ ποη νἷβ, φυτὰ 16η , ραυρθγιιν θομ γαρίθηβ, δγυ υ6 ΥΑΒΙΖ ΚΕΟΤΙΟΝΕΘ ΕΤ ΝΟΤΕ. τῷ Ἑοτιο ἰοροινίιπι φιλοσοριχὴ χρῆσις, Ομ ΠῚ ' ηἰς ΡΠ] . τηθηι . ἔλιττ. () Ροϑί τοῦ 6οοἀ. αι. Δ αὐτοῦ, ῬΟ581κ. ΧΙΥ͂. -- ΑἸΕΧΑΝΌΠΟ. Αά πιοπαζῆος ῥο)μμὲὶς ἱπιπιοαΐοο ἀξαϊ!ος. Ὑ᾽ργιυϊὶς ΠΆΡΟΡ τηούδεογαίυβ δ᾽, ἢ6 ἱπηπηοίογδιυβ εὐυϊλιϊ οὐ πο αχϑίοίδί. ΧΙΥ͂Ι. - ΑΤΗΑΝΑΒΙΟ ΡΒΕΒΒΥΤΕΒΟ. (οπίνα σομίϊε8. Ὁϊς δὰ δου 4υἱ [δοῖπὶ Δἰιογοαῖυ8 65ῖ, ϑί4:: οἰ μπί οοτυπὶ θοριηϑία ῥγοἤιίθιυγ σοηιΘηδίᾳυς Ενδηρθ-. ἢ πονδῖλ αιδηιάλπι, Δί46 ἃ νοίογὶ ΘΟΏΒΙ61 - ἀΐπα ἀϊδοίἀδπίθαι Υἱτ5 γδιίοπθιρ ἰηάυχίδεδ : ΥἹΓ - ρἰεηιἰβϑίπια,, Ππ ὰ ᾿σηογΆγο υἱ , ᾿θυργοῦ δ π) » διδιι πο πὶ πον δ6 σοι ργπιὶ δίαια δχϑιϊησιιὶ δοΐεγο. θυ ( εὔυϑᾶ Ενδηρ6 ᾳφυο΄υο Ὠοπλῖν5 ἢ ς νϑηΐ ἂς οοἸδβίο υἱῖδο ρόηιδ ἰηνοχὶ!. Εἰ συϊήσην υἱ ἴῃ ργίϑιϊπο βἰδίυ ρογπηϑπογθηυβ, Ἐζ. δι μηοηετγεὶ, εἶ ηονΐὶ πιοὶ τὶ ἤθ666556 [υΪ556ῖ, δίῃ δυίθηι ᾿ἀοίγοο νοηΐ, υἱ οἃ, Πυ)η0 ΓΟΟΙα σοηβιίυ18 δΥδηϊ, Γ6- ρΡγοποπάογαι, πονΐβ Γοῦυ5 ργοίδοιο ογαὶ Ορι . υ ᾿π - ργολ αῦς ἰηναϊυογαὶ [γαηρογοίυγ. ΝΟά6. δι ἴπ) ἢονὶ μοΐοται υὧυἱ οδάύσδιη ἰυγρίτυάίηα Υἱγαβ Οὔ Θηι0 σογγοοιῖῖο ἤσγαὶ : ϑ γι η] οἱ ἤδοδδδ6 6ΓΔΙ, αυὶ νἱτἰὰ ΘΙΊΟΥΟΓΟ ἃς ἀ6 πιοάΐο (ΟἸἸογα οηρίουαϊ, ὁ8 Ποῆ- ἄἀνπὶ Ἰορί θυ ΒΔ ΠΟΙ Θγϑηῖ, ΘΟΓυ ΠῚ ἰΟΓΩΟ, ἴῃ ἀ6- ἐγ ποηῖη πὶ ἃ6 ραΓγηϊοΐθπι ἰπγδίμογδηι., ΘΟη δι) [ΠΘΓΘ, Οπαρτορίοτ Πἰυ( ρΡοίῖι5 ᾽π ἐοπιγαγίυπι δ" Γι οπ θη πλιὰ ἰπηογῖιο πιόνογα ἀθ᾽υΐδβοὶ, δἷἱ οὐπὶ δὰ Γ68 τυϊδινία5 ἢ. νοι ῖ, αἾΠ πονΐ ἰθρῖθι15 )- χίβοοι. Οροτίοι δηΐη οἱ Ἰορ᾽ β αογπ), οἱ πηοη ΟΥ6ΠῚ, , ἸΒΙΏΟΗΙ ΡΕΙΌΒΙΟΤ
◆
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Zosimus the Presbyter
Date: ~410 AD
Context: A precise argument against Zosimus's attachment to money: it cannot follow him after death, it can be converted to almsgiving, and he doesn't even have the excuse of supporting children — making his hoarding indefensible.
Let me put this to you plainly, Zosimus. If it were possible to take your money with you after death, even then it would not be particularly precious — it would be overshadowed by the infinitely more valuable things found in that place. But even such a shadow of consolation would at least be something.
But since that is impossible, and since it is entirely possible to convert what you have into almsgiving, and since you cannot even invoke the plausible-sounding excuse of your children — that pretext is not available to you — it would be better to make by choice what is in any case a necessity.
And if you will not even do that, then why do you not blush when you take what belongs to the poor? The man who will not give what is his own has no right to help himself to what belongs to others.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.