Letter 133

Isidore of PelusiumRulers; and to Titianus|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Timothy, the Most Illustrious
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore commends Timothy's rare combination of gentleness and courage, and urges him to add to these the full range of virtues.

That your gentleness is not something people look down on, and that your courage is not brutal — for your love of humanity tempers your severity — everyone knows. But you must also take on the other virtues, so that in everything you may shine with the full dignity of your office. The man who masters one virtue while neglecting the rest has not yet achieved what virtue actually demands.

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

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