Isidore of Pelusium
Isidorus Pelusiota
Top correspondents
All letters (1753)
The holy bishops and the guides of the monastic discipline, from the conflicts and struggles which they underwent,...
Burning coals were set ablaze byit.
Concerning an active life of good works.
Concerning the conflicts which you undergo, excellent sir, be convinced: the present circumstances put before us are...
Concerning the food of the Precursor[17] and asceticism[18].
Concerning: “For [there is] a cup in the hand of the Lord.
Concerning the Mother of God.
That it is necessary that the labor of spiritual discipline[34] be moderate[35].
Concerning the appearances at night.
That nothing is greater than love, in which one has[43] brotherly union as proof.
That in philosophy one is frequently wronged or maltreated.
Although you conceal failure, still you show yourself as haughty, being puffed up concerning your tribe, strength,...
When you were approaching the high mountain of ascetic practice, you cleansed both your clothes and senses.
Concerning practical asceticism[60].
If you are trying to gain the kingdom of Christ — may persistence unworn away crown this –, and the prize of...
Liking cannot see far ahead, while dislike cannot see clearly.
How to provide assurance to the synod If you could personally take the time to join them in deliberating at Ephesus,...
On how you cannot argue with an ignorant person.
Just as the emperor is subject to the laws, the law having a life of its own, so a priest is subject to the laws of...
The indispositions of the body originate from excess.
Once the hierarchy used to correct and temper the office of emperor when it stumbled and fell, but now it has fallen...
To Esaias the soldier. To[2] the disorderly soldier. If, from among your weapons, you consider your spears and your...
. Against the Macedonians, or Spirit-Contesters.
. Concerning him who received (a slap)on the cheek.
Gelasios Concerning pride, impotence and insignificance It is usual for human beings- at least for most, although...
Against theNovatians Say to the disciple of Novatian’s pride: why are you foolishly boasting as if [you were] clean?
, a newly-professed monk Concerning the need always to be sober You have grasped the ploughshare well and to the point.
Against the Theopaschites and those who affirm one nature in Christ.
On those who unworthy aspirations touch on ordination as a bishop.
Why John called the Jews generations of vipers.
If indeed, like Zosimus, Eustathius and Maron, people who don’t have a shred of honesty, who never bother about the...
If riches, beauty, strength, glory, power, everything we find beautiful, are soon consumed and dissipate like smoke,...
Personally, I find wise the things that you you claim are absurd.
It is necessary, my dear chap, to persuade your listeners by facts that the kingdom of heaven exists, and then to...
On the saying, “Do not make my Father’s house a house of trade”.
Almost every other passion, Prohairesios, has a peak, knows a decline, and understands satiety.
Marathonios. Against the Macedonians or Spirit-Contesters.
We will reach the summit of humility — for I would define this not as a descent but as an ascent — if we quench the...
Concerning one ordained by means of money payment.
You are doing something like a man with an incurable disease who, having been given freedom to do whatever he...
This is the explanation of the three periods of day and night of Our Lord’s entombment.
Elias. “What have you to do with the way to Egypt with a view to drinking Nile water?
Possessing a wise means of discovering truth, namely the many-shaped device of torments, use fear with regard to...
For fear of presumption, a terrible ill from which one can escape with difficulty, lest we remain on earth and be...
Since you’ve provided us the occasion to return to the apostolic treasures — in fact you said: ‘It says “Not only do...
Undoubtedly it is to better endure insults in silence, like a philosopher, but your attitude is not without elegance...
Wretched Zosimus, it is the last hour.
Abraham's statement to the rich man — "Between us and you a great chasm has been fixed" — reveals something crucial...
The person who professes the ascetic life must give up everything that belongs to it — not just wealth, but...
Regarding the three days and nights of the Lord's burial: the reckoning is straightforward if you understand Jewish...
Why, best of men, do you place divine assistance second to human support?
If the advocate of Marcion's blasphemy puts forward their so-called Gospel, take it up and read it — you will find...
You seemed to have a good pretext for your last offence to forgive yourself as avenging your brother.
Since you ask me in your letter: For what reason was it that “God gave them over to an intelligence without...
The priest pronounces peace upon the church from the height of his chair, imitating the Lord who upon his ascension...
On the text, "Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" [Matthew 10:16].
It goes beyond all audacity to make theological pronouncements when your life contradicts the faith you claim to uphold.
The celebrated vision of the divine Daniel represents the succession of empires that would rule the world: the...
Why did you choose the narrow way and make vows to God, only to walk the broad road that leads to death?
Even if the heresy of Montanus was unknown to you until now, as you write, it has long been known to the Church —...
The way into the Holy of Holies was hidden within the temple, sealed off by the veil that separated God's presence...
Many people mock you as a grudge-bearer — and rightly so, since you use anger as a weapon of revenge.
The strength of rulers lies in friendship with God.
You honor the Lord well by offering us the firstfruits of your harvest and tithing the produce of your land to the...
Knowing full well that indulgence breeds passions and gluttony drags a person toward sexual immorality, I think you...
Just as it is not safe to travel through a wilderness with a violent companion, so it is not easy to engage in...
When Christ said, "Unless you turn and become like children" [Matthew 18:3], he was not demanding a return to...
The Lord called himself bread — and the name is fitting on two levels.
You began well in your manly resolve, but you have not continued — so we hear.
That flattering companion, that dry and lifeless inflation, that empty and earthly glory — let it be banished from us.
Everything about the supernatural and ineffable birth was itself supernatural.
The Philip who baptized the Ethiopian eunuch and instructed Simon the sorcerer was not the Apostle Philip, but one...
You are wrong to admire Athens — the Stoa, the Peripatetic school, and all that Attic pretension — you who once...
It is good to gird your loins before dangers come, to serve God, and to strike down the opposing ranks by faith...
Why do you carry books around for nothing, when your reading is contradicted by your conduct?
Even if the blasphemy of Montanus was unknown to you until now, as you wrote, it is ancient and extensive, having...
Join in the fight against this man, I beg you by all that is holy.
Those who are guides and teachers must not only keep themselves above reproach but must also be rich in divine virtues.
If you imagine that being tall makes you greater than other people, the giant Nimrod far surpassed you, as did the...
Many people mock you as a grudge-bearer, and rightly so — for you use anger as a weapon of petty revenge.
The strength of rulers is friendship with God.
I am ashamed both when I write to you and when I turn away from your bad conduct.
Some people prefer Epicurus to Christ — and the reason is obvious, even if they will not admit it.
You have scorned temporal profit and chosen the divine reward instead.
Do not merely consider yourself above reproach — consider yourself worthy of praise.
If it were possible to take your money with you after death, even then it would hardly be precious — it would be...
I consider it a sacred duty to trust the divine oracles and follow them diligently, rather than to prefer one's own...
Among the pagans — though the devil led them wherever he pleased, even into idolatry — and among the Jews — though...
Since excessive intimacy seems to invite suspicion, let it be tempered by the fear of God, so that both may flourish...
I hear that flatterers hang on your every word, swearing that everything you do is excellent — even if what you...
Your blessed brother Timothy has departed from among us, leaving behind everything mortal in the earth but walking...
When anger snaps the reins of the guiding reason, it drags a person's mind far beyond the boundaries of nature.
The most just judge of disputed matters, in my opinion, is the one who is not overawed by the highest rank but...
"Professing to be wise, they became fools" [Romans 1:22] — this was said, my wise friend, because among the...
The person who is conscious of no good in himself, wise friend, and therefore speaks modestly and is forgiving — or...
Among true Christians alone — those who genuinely deserve the name, for one should not judge the faith by the...
Epicurus, the shepherd of your flock, impiously declared that everything came into being by chance and would return...
Two things, I believe, convinced people to embrace the divine message: the power of the message itself, and the...
The apostles, as students of wisdom and lovers of truth, saw the Savior paying attention to the blind man and...
In Holy Scripture, expressions that go beyond the singular number indicate the distinction of the persons;...
Setting aside the well-worn interpretations, let me state the meaning clearly — even if some think I am cutting a...
Your brother, my admirable friend, is admired for his character; you are admired for your eloquence.
The most destructive thing in the world is false doctrine, and the labors of those who follow it are utterly fruitless.
I know perfectly well that if I were to ask you whether I am wiser than Paul, you would treat the very question as...
I greatly admire the courage of the celebrated Paul — how even when he was on trial, he gave public addresses, and...
You seem not to realize that the same word, the same phrase, and the same statement, when spoken with a different...
Do not seek wealth, my friend — it is the father of pride, the parent of contempt, the supplier of pleasures, the...
The pleasures of the body are smooth-tongued and dangerously enchanting.
A distinguished man — upright in character and splendid in life (I will pass over his high office, for that is only...
On the Arians and Eunomians.
For the ordained minister: wealth is the beauty of virtue; pleasure is self-control; luxury is contentment with...
The terrible pirate does not simply launch himself at those sailing this storm-tossed sea.
A festival — properly speaking — is one that is unstained by any shameful indulgence, but adorned instead with...
Since small causes often ignite great wars, I advise you: do not throw sparks of contention.
Those who fail conspicuously at what is universally acknowledged to be right have no authority to pronounce on...
On the text: "Why do you see the speck in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log in your own?
The cross — the very thing the idol-worshippers mocked — crucified their polytheistic delusion.
Just as it is not his cloak and staff that show a man to be a philosopher, but his boldness of speech and his way of...
On the text: "Do not practice your almsgiving before others" [Matthew 6:1].
On the text: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called...
Why are you surprised that so many heresies arose after the Savior's incarnation in the flesh?
Since you have written asking for an explanation of the passage, I will answer briefly.
On the Epistle to the Romans: "God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done" [Romans 1:28].
On the question of whether God is the cause of evil.
When the celebrated temple was destroyed and the city was given over to its captors, many asked: why did God permit...
What you call unreasonable, I consider to be wisdom.
Injustice is always bad.
On the captivity of the Jews.
Continuing on the destruction.
On the Apostle: "He is a chosen vessel of mine" [Acts 9:15].
On three texts:
It is wise — what you call unreasonable — that we do not have knowledge of all things.
Do not grow weary in the contest.
On the text: "If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?
The richness of divine teaching is such that a single passage of Scripture often contains answers to questions we...
On the text: "He stands in every way that is not good" [Psalm 36:1], and on "His soul shall be blessed in his life"...
Not only the uneducated and the rough-mannered fall into moral error.
On the text: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" [John 2:19].
On the coming of God in the flesh.
The body was made to serve the soul, not to govern it.
Even during the tyranny of Eusebius — as you have written — when the friends of virtue were being destroyed, no one...
They stood firm against the passions — the very passions they had previously acknowledged defeat against.
Truly, as you have written, many disturbances have swept through the churches.
The person who falls twice into the same trap does not deserve the same mercy as the one who fell once without...
Stain, pollution, defilement — what should I call it that would be enough?
The person who sins in full knowledge of it seems to me better off than the one who sins without knowing.
I reproach you sharply for this: the gratitude that was owed has died in you.
Whether in prosperity or adversity, in public life or in private — the standard of conduct does not change.
The temptation that has already passed quickly loses its edge and turns toward forgetting.
I define the wise — and I offer this as my view, not as law — as those adorned with the virtues of the reasoning...
What you will in any case leave to your enemies against your will — give it willingly now.
For those of moderate virtue, suspicion is an inconvenience.
First, you must overcome.
True grace has piety as its foundation and virtue as its crown.
Do not confuse the apostolic life with a comfortable domestic arrangement.
If your natural gift for love — and it is a great gift — is being wasted on quarrels, then something has gone badly...
I will not pass judgment, and I will not condemn, a man whom I have never heard speak and never met in person.
I will not render judgment based on hearsay alone, and I will not take sides before hearing both parties.
When mercy is sought, let it be found.
If words alone could destroy wickedness, every teacher would be a savior.
Know this: those who discipline you are not your enemies, and those who flatter you are not your friends.
A good speech does more than convey information — it transforms.
The usurper must be reprimanded — not to gratify those who are watching, and not to make a point at his expense, but...
The things of this life are fleeting and shadowy.
We all greatly marvel at the mystery of the Incarnation — and rightly so.
Secular power and spiritual authority are different things and must not be confused.
It is a bold claim — but the calamity threatening the Church does not come primarily from external enemies.
On "heap burning coals on his head" [Romans 12:20]: repaying evil with good is not merely a clever strategy for...
I am troubled that in our time the names of virtues and vices have been systematically confused.
What seems broad and pleasant often turns out to be narrow and painful.
We owe thanks for everything — not merely for the blessings we recognize as blessings, but also for the trials we...
Most people are slow to do what is genuinely good, and quick to do what is harmful.
Advice given seems like a warning.
I am astonished at the insatiable greed of certain people.
The one who neither transgresses himself nor leads others to transgress has achieved a double crown.
The wise person keeps his head during prosperity and prepares for adversity while things are going well.
Victory over temptation brings relief — but relief can breed complacency, and complacency invites the next attack...
Prayer does not always obtain what it seeks — and this is itself a mercy.
The path of the spiritual life has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
When your own strength fails — as it will — calling on God is not weakness.
The theater — that furnace of irrational love — captures the best of men and drags them into the worst of themselves.
The one who commands rightly must first have learned to obey rightly.
The theater is to be avoided — not because pleasure is evil in itself, but because this particular pleasure actively...
The arrogant mind cannot follow the straight path because it cannot see it.
All honors are fleeting, and all positions of power are temporary.
Patience in bearing injuries benefits the soul more than any revenge could benefit the pride.
If you wish to judge others, first judge yourself.
Do not blame those who fled headlong from that merciless threat — the danger lurking in what was happening.
Look at what people actually do, and consider how far short it falls of what they later claim they intended.
Just as those who are easily frightened are terrified even at the bare sound of danger, and cannot endure so much as...
That one ought not to do anything licentious or boyish, but to keep a temperate and disciplined manner of life in...
Truth is powerful, Peter — and often silent.
Your former transgression, Maron, has become a ready pretext for the present one.
Whoever, having seen the ineffable and surpassing beauty of self-control, was not conquered by its attraction — let...
A bishop cannot content himself with having done no harm.
You know how pleasantly good repute is nourished, when it is well tended.
If you were to dwell on the memory of the coming glory, Pepios, it would put wings on your soul.
Even Hippocrates the physician, so the story goes, knowing that death was coming, wanted to improve the condition he...
You seem to be ignorant of how great a joy the untroubled life contains.
Your letter reached me, and I read it with care.
I would gladly ask you this, Maron: why is your war against virtue an unrelenting and unproclaimed one — a war waged...
Forgetting does not happen outside the range of human experience — it falls upon us like other ailments.
I have received what you sent, and I recognize in it the spirit of one who genuinely seeks rather than one who...
Two things are generally confused by those who hold authority: the power to command and the obligation to care.
When I heard that you had written to Zosimus the Presbyter in those terms, I was troubled — not because your...
Do not think you need only to be above reproach, Arabianus.
You asked about the raven sent to feed Elijah.
The philosophers who claim to have abolished passion altogether have not, in my view, achieved virtue — they have...
You may wonder why I continue to write rather than coming to speak with you face to face.
The work of virtue is done slowly, Paul — so slowly that it sometimes seems nothing is happening.
The man who cannot be corrected has made himself into a finished product before he is finished.
Envy, Epiphanos, is remarkable among the vices for this: it punishes its possessor more reliably than it punishes...
You have trained your mind well, Ioannis — I do not doubt that.
What does it mean to be a Christian, Markos?
When someone treats you unjustly, Athanasios, the natural response is to respond in kind.
Correct belief and correct life are not the same thing, Antiochos, but neither are they separable in the end.
The philosophers teach, Nemesios, that the soul has parts, and that its health depends on the right ordering of...
Wealth, Paul, does not belong to its possessor in the way that his virtues belong to him.
The danger that accompanies learning, Ammonios, is pride — and the pride of the learned is particularly resistant to...
You share my name, Isidoros, and I take that as a reason to write to you with particular care.
The man in authority, Arcadios, does not have the same privacy available to him that an ordinary person has.
The longer a wrong goes unaddressed, Ammonios, the harder it becomes to address.
The defense of sound doctrine is not a matter of institutional pride, Pamretios.
The courage required to speak truth to the powerful, Alexandros, is different from the courage required in battle —...
The bishop who is only firm is feared but not loved.
Command without example is only half of leadership, Paul — and the less important half.
The person who reveals what has been entrusted to him in confidence has committed a betrayal, Theognostos.
The apostle Paul addressed this clearly, Isidoros: Christians who drag their disputes before pagan courts have...
The pressure to accommodate, to soften, to avoid the fight that orthodoxy requires — I know this pressure, Herakleides.
Humility, Ammonios, does not require you to accept every criticism that is made of you as accurate.
The affairs of the city that have been placed in your hands, Hedid and Dorotheos, are not your private possession.
The difficulty you are experiencing in maintaining the disciplines you have chosen is not a sign that you chose...
I have heard things about your conduct, Isidoros, that I wish I had not heard — that you carry the title of deacon...
The calling does not change with the circumstances, Isidoros.
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Prayer is not the manipulation of God but the alignment of our will with his.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
Character is revealed not by what a person says but by what he does when no one is watching.
Scripture speaks with precision to those who read carefully.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
Scripture speaks with precision to those who read carefully.
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
Anger is a fire: useful when controlled, devastating when unleashed.
God's judgment is certain, and no amount of cleverness or delay can avoid it.
Prayer is not the manipulation of God but the alignment of our will with his.
True humility is not the absence of accomplishment but the refusal to boast about it.
Vice needs no teacher — it comes naturally to our fallen nature.
Wealth is a tool, not a treasure.
The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Anger is a fire: useful when controlled, devastating when unleashed.
Vice needs no teacher — it comes naturally to our fallen nature.
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
Anger is a fire: useful when controlled, devastating when unleashed.
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
God's judgment is certain, and no amount of cleverness or delay can avoid it.
The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
Anger is a fire: useful when controlled, devastating when unleashed.
A ruler's authority comes from God and must be exercised in justice.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
Flatterers are not friends — they are parasites who feed on your vanity and disappear when your power fades.
The cross — foolishness to the world — is the power of God.
Vice needs no teacher — it comes naturally to our fallen nature.
The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Anger is a fire: useful when controlled, devastating when unleashed.
A ruler's authority comes from God and must be exercised in justice.
Scripture speaks with precision to those who read carefully.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Character is revealed not by what a person says but by what he does when no one is watching.
Wealth is a tool, not a treasure.
Scripture speaks with precision to those who read carefully.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
Scripture speaks with precision to those who read carefully.
Anger is a fire: useful when controlled, devastating when unleashed.
Anger is a fire: useful when controlled, devastating when unleashed.
The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
Scripture speaks with precision to those who read carefully.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
Death is not the end but a transition.
If, as you write, the piety of rulers in matters of God has exposed the impiety of bishops — if the extraordinary...
The resurrection of the soul deadened by sin happens here, in this life, when it is reformed into life by acts of...
The vile and God-hated Zosimus dares to serve as priest — as you write with shock.
Character is revealed not by what a person says but by what he does when no one is watching.
Everyone, without exception, is utterly astonished and struck dumb when they see how quickly the great collapse and...
Virginity is the most divine and supernatural of the three states; lawful marriage is honorable; fornication is lawless.
A teacher must live what he teaches.
Do not be shaken by the fact that many who love virtue suffer countless terrible things in this world.
I am thoroughly astonished at those who confuse not only the things themselves but their very names — who have...
If, speaking of a man and a woman as two separate persons, it is said: "What God has joined, let no man put asunder"...
Just as the inequality we see in this present life — the righteous suffering, the wicked prospering — appears to be...
Touching on the highest of all subjects — for there is nothing more glorious than leading a wandering soul back to...
This much is enough for me: your holiness has testified that your anger was not the ill-temper of a man making much...
There were once two full brothers who had quarreled so violently with each other that they regarded as enemies even...
Since genuine and sincere friendship is guaranteed precisely by the fact that it speaks without fear, it is on this...
If, having failed to obtain what you contested — having been decisively defeated — you now appear to be asking a...
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
God's judgment is certain, and no amount of cleverness or delay can avoid it.
Anger is a fire: useful when controlled, devastating when unleashed.
I consider the truest rule of friendship to be the one who agrees with his brothers without making excuses, who...