Letter 1081: Vice needs no teacher — it comes naturally to our fallen nature.
On the crown of the year and the wheel of generation. Since the figure of time is circular, with the day revolving seven times into a week, the week into a month, and the months into a year, and since it always returns again to the same points, Scripture therefore calls it sometimes the crown of the year and sometimes the wheel of generation, for a circle, a crown, and a wheel share the same shape. The four seasons — spring, I mean, and summer, autumn and winter — in a certain manner join hands and revolve the year, dancing a most excellent dance. For they were so wisely and harmoniously created by God the supreme Craftsman that the end of each season, gently blending with the beginning of the next, causes them to dance imperceptibly and painlessly within our bodies. Even the pagans, having observed nature, spoke of the islands of the blessed, of meadows rich in flowers, of abundant fragrance, of gentle breezes, and of choruses dwelling there clad in white robes and singing certain hymns — and, in short, of a recompense stored up for both the good and the wicked after our departure from this life. Let us therefore not disbelieve in Gehenna, lest we fall into it. Do you suppose, Nicostratus, that those who have died after partaking of every luxury in this life will conceal the earth, as though they had escaped the Divine for all time and gone unnoticed? There is an eye of Justice that sees all things. For we hold that in Hades there are two paths: one for the righteous, and the other the road of the impious. If then the just man and the impious man shall have the same end, go ahead — steal, rob, defraud, do every evil. But be not deceived: there is indeed a judgment for you, which God, the Master of all, shall bring about — He whose name is fearful, which I would not even dare to utter — who grants length of life to sinners. And if any mortal thinks that by doing evil day after day he has escaped the gods' notice, he thinks wickedly, and by so thinking is caught, whenever Justice, at leisure, happens to strike. See, all of you who suppose there is no God: He exists, He truly exists. But if someone who is wicked by nature does evil, let him gain time, for in time he shall afterwards pay the penalty.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
ἴπ εογοπαπὶ αἀππὶ, εἰ τοίαπι φεπεταιίἱοπῖξ. θΘυδηδοφυΐϊάεπι οἰγου!αγῖίβ οοὲ ἤφυγα (οεπρθΓ[, ] 0ρ6 οὐπι ( δαριΐθ5 αἰγουπγοϊναιιγ ἔῃ Πα - Β ΠΕΡῚ ΤΗΣ ΤΟΥ͂ ΠΑΝΤΟΣ ΔΗΜΙΟΥ͂ΡΓΙΑΣ. Α΄. - ΙΣΙΔΩΡΩ ἘΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ. Ἑὶς τὸν στέφανον ἐνιαυτοῦ καὶ τροχοῦ γεγέσξως. Ἐπειδὴ χυχλικόν () ἐστι τοῦ χρόνου τὸ σχῆμα, τῆς μὲν ἡμέρας ἑπτάχις ἀναχυχλουμένης, τῆς δὲ ΥΔΆΙΖ ΓΕΟΤΙΟΝΕῈΒ ΕΤ ΝΟΤΑ͂. μακάρων νήσους, χαὶι λειμῶνας δὐανθεΐς, καὶ εὐωδίαν “πολλὴν, χαὶ αὔραν λεπτην, καὶ χοροὺς ἐχεΐ διατρί- ἔοντας, χαὶ λευχὴν περιδλεδλημένους στολὴν" καὶ ἄδοντας ὕμνους τινάς" χαὶ ὅλως χαὶ ἀγαθοῖς χαὶ πο- νηροῖς ἀποχειμένην ἀντίδοσιν, μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἔξοδον" μὴ τοίνυν ἀπιστῶμεν γέενναν, ἵνα μὴ ἐμπέ- σωμεν εἰς αὐτῆν. Οφίογυπι, υἱ ΟἸη ἰλπ ἰὐδιΠΠΠοη Ριαιοηΐς οἱ δογσυη)., δδοῦγί πὶ, αυΐ ἱπβίαν δἰηϊ ΟΠ Ἶ ΠῚ, ΘΟ ΓΒ. νοίογὶ8 ΟΟΠ) οἱ, . ἰ8 Ρ] ΠΟΙ .᾿ δἶνο ὈΪΡΒΠ05 6διῖ. γαγίδηϊ δΐπι βου ρίογοβ αυἱ πουΐά οουβαγγάγηηῖ, δβογ ὲῖ δυδιίϊηυ5 ΜΑΓΙΥΓ ἴῃ . ὧδ πιοπατοῆία Βεὶ ; Ὠυΐς ΟἸο6η8 Αἰεχδηαγίηυ ἢθ..ν διγοπηιαῖ. οἱ Ευπαου λυ . χ., γγωραγαί. εουαποείΐεα,, πος πο ΤὨΘοΙογοῖυ5 ογοΐ, δὲ μτουΐά6η- ἶα θεῖ, ἴῃ ορεγα πογϑρδυ (Οτιροδηΐο. δῇρει. ἔχ λόγια δἷπ ϑογίριϊδ ΔΌΓΟΟΒ ἰδῖοϑ ΘΟ ΓΘ5 ( ΓυἰΓῸ Ἰυδίοῖο οἱ ροθινῖβ ἱπηρίονυι σομπίγιαυο φίογη ρίυ- Ιυπὶ φϑυάίϊᾳ,, ἰι8 ἀυχὶ οΟμ οἰ . Οἴει σὺ τοὺς θανόντας, ὦ Νικχόστρατο (αἰ. Νιχό- Τρυφῆς ἁπάσης μετααθδόντας ἐν βίῳ μὲν Καὶ γὴν καλλύψειν, ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ πάντ᾽ εἰς χρόνον Πεφευγέναι τὸ Θεῖον, ὡς .1ε.1ηθότας ; Ἔστιν Δίχης ὀφθαλμὸς, ὃς τὰ πάνθ᾽ ὁρᾷ. Καὶ γὰρ καθ' Αδην δύο τρίδους νομίζομεν, Μίαν δικαίων, ἑτέραν δ᾽ ἀσεδῶν εἷγ᾽ ὁδόν. ΕἸ γὰρ ὁ δίκαιος κἀσεθὴς δξουσιν ἕν, “Δρπαζ ἀπειλθὼν, κιλέπτ᾽, ἀποστέρει, κύκχα. Μηδὲν πιλαγηθῃς" ἔστι κὰν δου χρίσις, Ἤνπερ ποιήσει Θεὸς, ὁ πάντων Δεσπότης, Οὗ τοὔνομα φοδερὸν,, οὐδ᾽ ἂν ὁὀγομάσαιμ' ἐγὼ, Ὃς τοῖς ἁμαρτάγουσι πρὸς μῆχος βίον Δίδωσιν. Εἴ τις δὲ θνητῶν οἴεται τ᾽ οὐρήμερον Κακόν τι πράσσων τοὺς θεοὺς .1εληθέγαι, Δοχεῖ πογηρὰ, καὶ δοχῶν ἀλίσκχεται, "Ὅταν σχοιὴν ἄγουσα τυγχάνει δίνη. ὋὍρᾶθ', ὅσοι δοκεῖτϑ οὖκ εἶναι Θεόν. Ἔστιν γὰρ, ἔστιν" εἰ δέ τις πράττει κακῶς Κακὸς πεφυκὼς, τὸν χρόνον χερδαιγέτω. Χρόνῳ γὰρ οὗτος ὕστερον δώσει δίχην. Οπογαπι δϑηιθι πὶ δ. αἱουπαᾳυὲ [,δ(ηἷδ η4Γ118 δχργΐ θ8Π) : Ταης αγϑίίτατε πιοτίμος, Νιιοοείταῖε (νοὶ Νὶεοναϊεὶ πη οπιηῖδμε σαὶ “οἰϊεὶϊὶς δι ρετ ει ἐὶς υοἰμίαγμη!, πμπιο εἰς σοπίοθὲ, Εσχίπής Νιπιθη ἀυϊΥηῆο ἰδπιροῦ ὑι ἰαἰφαπὶ., αἰφμε αὖ δος [θα ε ἐαὶϊπιαπί", θιιώ οἰπεία εὐτγπαηπί, δι κιπὶ ἐἰππιΐπα. Ναπι εἐτεοαϊπιις ἀκπας αα ἱπίεγος νἱαξ : θμαγμηι μπὰ Ἰμδίοταπι; ἱπηρίοτι μα ἐεἰ αἰ(ΕΥΠ.᾿ Θιυοά εἰ εἰ ρὲοε εἰ ἱπιρίος ἐαάεπι πιαηεῖ οτίνηα, φιΐη [ἐτας΄, εἴθραξ, εἰ παγραρφεᾶ Αι αφμϊα φιοιι8,) εἰ ἱπία δμπεἷδ ππΐδοδας, (μά οὐδίαι Εγτον, οϑοηεξ, πὲ ( [αδεὶηεῖ ϑιια φμεηιῆνε ἰο[ππείμην ἠιανοπί ατὐϊιτία, Οιιεὶς γγωδιαοῦ!ϊ! οπιπὶμηπ ΤΘΟΙΟΥ [) (ἐ)ες ᾿τοπιεπάτιπι ποηιεῖ οἤατὶ μαμὰ φιεαπι : Ρεοοαπίθως φυὶ ξῶρε υἱαπηι Ῥγοτγοθαί. Αἱ εἰ φιιὶς ἐδὲ πιοτιαἰδειπι, τπαία ἐπ αἶδε Θεὲ ἀππὶ Ῥαϊγαὶ, οἰαπι αἰϊδ μείαϊ [οτὸ, ἤαϊεδο ἰδ μμίαϊ, δ6δ6 ἱπημ6 σα8468 ἱπάμὶ!, Ῥοποο ϑεμηι ραμίμπι (πἰθεοῖ! εἰ . ᾿ς ψίαει6 νος, φιιοὶς [αὐτί ἐμπὶ πιιπιΐπα : Εει, εεἰ ὕοιις, δεά ἱπιργοῦε δὲ φιὶς [αοἷξ ῥγαυώ ἱμαοϊὲἐς, ἰοηπιριι6 ἰμοτὶ[ἀεῖαι εἰδὶ. βοεῖ παπιφμε μώπας [6ἤ]ΡΟγ6 εἰαρεο ἀαδῖϊ, Ππ τὸ φυοαυδ ΡΙ πὐλτὶ ἰΘεεἰπιοηίιπ ἐπ Θίψηιρ. ᾧ ὁ υἹυγὰ Υἱῖία, 6ἱ ἴῃ Θὰ δ ρρ ᾿πρίοΓ ἢ ἢ - Ρἰιογι , οἱ ρίογυῃ! "δα υΐπὸ φαυά ὑσηυδιι βπηἰδπἀ8. ἈΙΤΊ. () Ἐπειδὴ κυχιλιχόν.. Ιἀσιὴ ο9ἱ Ἰηἰ ἰἸ ΓΙ ἘΡΙΘΤΟΙΑΆΜ . ΙΥ. --- ΕΡΙΘΤ. Π. ἑδδοιάδος εἷς μῆνα, τῶν δὲ μηνῶν εἰς ἐνιαυτόν " χαὶ Α πιδάδῃ), μον οπι)δάδ δυίοπι ἴῃ πΙΘΏθ6Πι, ΠΘΠ865 γε πάλιν εἰς τὰ αὐτὰ σημεῖα ἀποχαθίσταται " διὰ τοῦτο πῇ μὲν στέφανον ἐνιαυτοῦ, πῇ δὲ τροχὸν γενέσεως ἐχάλεσεν ἡ Γραφή" χύχλου γὰρ χαὶ στεφάνου χαὶ τροχοῦ τὸ αὐτὸ σχῆμα. Τῶν τεσσάρων ὡρῶν, ἕαρι- νῆς, φημὶ καὶ θερινῆς, μετοπωρινῆς χαὶ χειμερ!- γῆς, τρόπον τινὰ τὰς [χεῖρας συναπτουσῶν χαὶ τὸν ὀνιαυτὸν ἑλιττουσῶν, ἀρίστην χορείαν χορεύου- σιν (). Οὕτω γὰρ σοφῶς καὶ ἑναρμονίως ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀριστοτέχνου Θεοῦ ἐδημιουργήθησαν, ὡς ἠρέμα ἐχά- στῆς τὸ τέλος τῇ ἀρχῇ τῆς ἄλλης χιρνώμενον λανθα- ϑφόντως χαὶ ἀνεπαισθήτως χαὶ ἀδλαδῶς ἐν () τοῖς σώμασι χορεύειν. Ἵνα δὲ σ
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