Letter 69

Isidore of PelusiumUnknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk
To: An unnamed recipient
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore argues that no one should trust their own strength against temptation.

I consider it a sacred duty to trust the divine oracles and follow them diligently, rather than to prefer one's own harmless ambition over the Lord's safeguards. If anyone should testify of himself that he possesses such self-control that even constant exposure to temptation does him no harm, let him learn the weakness of human nature and the wisdom of God's warnings. Those who fell — and I will spare you the full list, since both the Holy Scriptures, the pagan tragedies, and everyday life are packed with examples — those who fell did so because they trusted themselves. But those who exercised caution and overcame their passions (for there is no effortless path to purity) — these are the ones I will bring forward as examples. If even pagans who achieved self-control did so through vigilance and precaution, not by recklessly throwing themselves into danger, how much more should we take care?

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