Letter 1574: What you have written is truly bold — and true.
To Nilus. The man who is swayed by every wind of opinion has no anchor in the truth and will be carried away by the first strong current that strikes him. Steadfastness is not stubbornness — it is the virtue of holding fast to what is true while remaining open to what is new. The stubborn man clings to his errors as fiercely as to his truths; the steadfast man distinguishes between the two and holds the one while releasing the other. Be steadfast therefore in the faith you have received, testing every new teaching against the standard of Scripture and the tradition of the Fathers, and accepting nothing that contradicts them, however eloquently it may be presented.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
Ῥυφαϊεῖς ἱπιηιϊποπίοηι Ἐςοίοεῖα εαἰπηιϊαίοπι δεοίφεία εἰοτίοογμηι υἱΐα. Αὐμαχ ργοίδριο, ιιοι βογ θ8, , (ϑιῦθα νορ, Β Τολμηρὸν μὲν ὄντως τὸ παρὰ σοῦ γραφὲν, ἀληθὲς 4υοά πλ2 0Γ οΟἰμηΐ 8ρ6 δἱ νοίο τϑγυηι ἃ Οἰ γίβίο ἴδοι ᾿ηδίδυΓΔι ρΓΟΡ6 6ϑὲ υἱ Οἰδιβοοίυν δογυϊῃ 4υὶ ἃὉ θη ΟΓδη οχίγθη) ἰηϊχιίαι6. Οαδηιδἀπιοάσιῃ εηΐπι δὶ βο. ἀφργοβϑὶ δβϑδμῖ, οἱ οαμν ἰΠ χυὶ ΒΟΜΟΓΆΝἢ ἀθοθΓΊΘΏ!, ᾽ Π] ἤθη ἀρυηὶ αυορά ἴῃ εὖυ8 οοἀαὶ Ὀ]Δϑρ!ιδονλη). Ἐσηυΐβ ἰρίίαγ ᾿ος. ναὶ ἃ ΓΘΡΓΘΙΙΘἢ ᾿ἴθθγΘΙ, Ὑ6] φυρμ!εἰο δχίαιαι ἢ ᾳυὶ ἀΓπιΐβ8 ΘΟ ΓΟ σοη Γὰ γπιδηίθη ε8ἱ, οἱ ογἃ ραιείμοϊεη!, οἱ φυοά οφγορίι δι διμδηθαιῖο- ΝΠ ΤΠ) Π .] σομ ρΑγΔη68.. ΟΟΧΧΊΤΙ, -- ΘΕΟΤΊΙΚΟ ΥΗ1Ο ΟἹ, ΑΠΙ58. δέ" ὅτι ἢ χρείττων πάσης ἐλπίδος τε χαὶ εὐχῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἐπανόρθωσις ἣ ὑπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὙΕΥΕΞ νημένη, χινδυνεύει ἀμαυροῦσθαι ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν πᾶρ αὐτοῦ τιμηθέντων ἀνυπερόλήτου χαχίας" ὡς γὰρ εἰς τοῦτο προχειρισθέντες, ἵνα τῷ τιμήσαντι πολε- μήσοιεν, οὕτως ἅπαντα δρῶσιν, ἃ ἂν εἰς τὴν ἐχείνου διαθδαίνει βλασφημίαν. Τίς οὖν ἐξέλοιτο τούτους ἣ χατηϊορίας ἣ δίχης, τοὺς τοῖς ὅπλοις τῆς ἱερωσύνης κατὰ τοῦ ὀὁπλίσαντος χρησαμένους, χαὶ τὰ τῶν ἀπέ- στων στόματα ἀνοίξαντας, χαὶ τὸ ὑπερφυὲς χκατόρ- θωμα μηδὲν () παρασχευάσαντας ;
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