Home › Letters › Isidore of Pelusium › Letter 1504 From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk
To: Peter
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore writes on matters of general.
The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning is difficult, the middle uncertain, and the end glorious. Persevere. What matters in the end is not what we knew but what we did with what we knew.
ἔστησαν χατὰ τῶν παθῶν " ἐφ᾽ ὧν πρότερον ὁμολο- γήσαντες ἦσαν τὴν ἧτταν. Εἰ τοίνυν χαὶ αὐτὸς πολλά- χις ἔἕπταῖσας, γνωσιμάχησον. Κι. --- ΠΕΤΡΩ. Οταϊον πον ἐοπῖρον ρεγδιαάοῖ, Ῥγορίδν ϑεγωηι αὐ αϊθπιῖς αἀτδίιτίνηι. Οοπ[. ον. , ,, , [ι, ὅ21, , , , εἰ ον. δ05, ἐδ. 1χν. λόγγο Β νἱἀογ8, Βοηθ νἷγ, ποὴ δηίυπιὶ - ΠΟΙ ΘΙ Εἶ5 γἡδίογα οἰοφυθῃιίαμη, φυλαί ργοῦδιῃ ἴἢ- ἀοίδιν οἷ φυὶ δΔἀ!ποποίυτ. Ρογβυδάσνρὶ θηΐην Π0 μηγϑυδάογὶ, ἴῃ 68ὲ ἈγὈΠ ΓΟ οἱ 4υδ8ὶ] ἀοπιὶδίυ. Ναιὴ οἴπηΐθυβ υἱ ροΓδυδλάογοι, η6 (ἐγ ϑίυ5. αυΐάθη) ρΡγβίίει. Θυοά δἱ πορανβ, δχθηρίο ὑη0 , ουἱ ἰιοσυαι ὨῸ ]υπ ορροηᾶβ, ἢ άἀθη) ἰάσΘΓΘ ΘΟΠΔΌΟΘΓ. φυΐβ5 δηΐπ), δηιδῦο, δὺϊ αἰνίο Ὑογῦ)ο ἰοαυ θη Γ, δυὶ αυΐβ βϑαρίθη(ἃ δαρίο γ δχϑ(ἶϊ, αυ18 τοὶ ἰδῃ- ἰλ4ιι6 ῥγοίθγγοί νεῦρα οἱ ὑἱαπάϊθοιϊα τ ἴὰα6, Εἰ Κινδυνεύεις ἀγνοεῖν, ὦ μαχάριε, ὅτι οὐ τοσοῦτον ἡ φρόνησις τοῦ λέγοντος, οὐδὲ ἡ εὐγλωττία τοῦ πα- ραινοῦντος δύναται τὸν πταίοντα δυσωπῇσα:, ὅτου τοῦ συμόουλενομένου ἡ εὐγνωμοσύνη. Τοῦ γὰρ πεισθῆναι χαὶ μὴ, αὐτὸς χύριος χαθέστηχεν. Εἱΐ δὲ ἀπιστεῖς, ἑνὶ παραδείγματι () χρησάμενος, ᾧ ἕτερον οὐδὲν παραδληθῆναι δυνήσεται, πεῖσαι δυνή- σομαι. Τί γὰρ τοῦ Λόγου ἑλλογιμώτερον, ἣ τί τῆς σοφίας σοφώτερον τῆς τοσαῦτα χαὶ τηλιχαῦτα φησά- σης () χαὶ προσηνῇ χαὶ δραστήρια, ὥστε ἀναστεῖ- ΥΑΒΙΚΑΣ ΤΕΘΟΊΙΟΝΕΚ ΕΤ ΝΟΤΑ. () οιωοβιει . ἰοου5 ἐθδι Ῥηϊρρίς. ὅ οἱ . ΘΟΗΟΤΤ. () Ργο χαταψηφίσῃ εὐΔά. Υαι. θῦ0 οἱ ΑἸι. - ξυμ! χαταψηφίζει. ΡΟΒΘΙΝ. (() Εν: παραδείγματι. θὲ διὰ ργοάϊιοτγε, [οἱο- 4υ6 ''ος ἀγρυιηδῖίο ὕυθὴ6 ἰοησαμ ἀσοίλμαυο ἰερ6 δι. Ἰ5᾽ ἀοΥὶ ἐρίϑι. . ὄ1ν. (ἢ γίϑιυην 5υ] Δὐδ- το θ8 ἃς θ᾽ . ἢ1 ργοίδοϊθθθ, τοῦθα ῥγοίΐδγνοι δὐασιμοῦ! , αι05. γὙῸ ἰΔρ Υτα μᾺ- (τα χια ἰμΠοοίογα ρ05586 Υἱύδτγοηΐν. (Οουίογ οἱ ορίδι. ὅ50 [ὺ. ὃν . ... Μοχ, δι᾽ ὃν χαὶ ὁ τῇς χρίσεως ἀξιόχρεώς ἔστι λόγος. ᾿άδμν ᾿ϑΠυγυ5 ἴῃ ὡυδ᾽ ερίδι. ἰυγὶ ᾽ν οἱ ργοχίμα δ ουσεδόμν πεσίυνι οἷς δα. Διὸ χαὶ τῆς χρίσεως βέδαιος ὑπάρχει λόγος. ΠΠ1 οἰἴ81: τὸν ἀχούοντα χύριον τιδἰὸ ἰἰΘ γα ἃ ΠΌΓΑΤΙ5, ΡΓΟΓΙ ΟΟΥΓΟΧΙ . ΘΟΒΟΤΤ. ( δὴ σαθὴς Δ1 οὐ. αι, 6Ὁ0 οἱ Δ1 . αϑιληιὶ ἰι φοάσασης. ῬΟΣΣΙΝ. ΕΡΙΞΤΟΙΛΆΜ . Υ. --- ΕΡΙΘΤ. ΧΧΠΙ. λαι τοῦ Ἰοῦδδα τὴν φιλοχρηματίαν, καὶ μὴ ἀνυσάσης ; Α εἰβοδεῖα, υἱ ᾽υὰς ρτγοάἑιονὶ ογίρογα δυδγῖ ει : ογίιμθη οὐ παρὰ τὴν οἰχείαν ἀσθένειαν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὸ τὸν ἀχούοντα χύριον εἶναι τῆς οἰχείας γνώμης, διὰ τῆς αὐτεξαυσιότητος ὄρον, δι᾽ ὃν καὶ ὁ τῆς χρίσεως ἀξιό- χρεώς ἔστι λόγος" εἰ τοίνυν ταῦθ᾽ οὕτως ἔχει, ἀποδο- χῆς μὲν ἄξιος ὁ τὰ αὐτοῦ πληρῶν᾽ μέμψεως δὲ χαὶ χατηγορίας ὁ ταῖς ἀγαθαῖς παραινέσεσι μὴ πειθό- μενος " ὁ δὲ τὴν τοῦ () πεισθέντος χατηγορίαν ἐπὶ τὸν μὴ πείσαντα τρέπων, ἡλίθιος, ἅτε χαὶ τῶν θείων χαὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων ἀγνοῶν τὴν φύ- ΚΑ’, --τ ΛΕΟΝΤΙΩ ἘΠΙΣΚΟΙΩ. ροϑϑβοὶ, δἱ η01 [ : ἰύαυδ πο ὃχ ϑυλ ᾿Π , βθἀ 4φυοὰ δυάΐδης δῖ δϑυιάδ8 ργορίον διγθ γὶ! ἰθ6γ- ἰδίθη) δυδη); ἰη ροίοϑβίδίθ ὨλθοΓεὶ δοη(οπιίΐδιη ἢ Ου ( οαυδὰ ἱαάϊοϊϊ! ἰθοηθα ἀσίδηϑϊ10. θυ: οὐπὶ [ἃ δι, ἰδυὰδ ἀΐχηιι ὁδὶ αυΐ [ Γραρ56 δχβϑϑαυδίυγ : .. νυἱιυραγαιοθι ΘΟ Γᾶ ἃ6 ΓΟΡΓΘΙ ΘΒ ) "Ὶ "δγοδίαγ, 4ὺ] ὕοπὰ δβυδίδηι! ἤθη ραγααῖ. δίυ! ἰίδαυα φυΐ ἴπ βυλάξιίοπι, 4αυοι] πο ρεγβυλάθδαϊ, ἰ060 Δοσιυδαι ΠῈΠ), πἰροῖὶθ ἀΐνπᾶγυπ Δ ΔΓ) ΓΟΡΙ ἰφιᾶγι8, σοηνογιδὶ. :
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Modern English Latin / Greek Original
The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning is difficult, the middle uncertain, and the end glorious. Persevere. What matters in the end is not what we knew but what we did with what we knew.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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