Letter 141

Isidore of PelusiumUnknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Paulidus
Date: ~410 AD
Context: A sharp aphorism: neither the philosopher nor the Christian is identified by his outward appearance, but by how he lives.

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 life — so it is not habit and words that show a man to be a Christian, but conduct: a life that actually conforms to right reason.

Wear whatever you like. Say whatever sounds right. Neither makes you what you claim to be.

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