Letter 1576: The monastic life demands total commitment.
To Peter. The difference between the Old Testament and the New is not a difference of substance but of degree. The Law was a shadow, the Gospel is the reality; the Law was a promise, the Gospel is the fulfillment; the Law was a preparation, the Gospel is the completion. Those who oppose the Old Testament to the New, as though they were contradictory, fail to understand that they are successive stages of a single divine plan. The seed is not contrary to the flower, nor the foundation contrary to the building, nor the dawn contrary to the full day. Each leads naturally and necessarily to the next, and each is unintelligible without the other. To understand the New Testament, one must first understand the Old; and to understand the Old Testament fully, one must read it in the light of the New. Together they form a single Scripture, inspired by a single Spirit, and bearing witness to a single Christ — promised in the one and revealed in the other.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
βοπμπι γύὸ πιαίο τερέπάοπάο σταιΐα ἱπίίμγ; « εἷς οατϑοηεδ Ἰσπὶς σοπσέγεα δρτγα σαρκὶ μ8. ν (Ποπι. χιι, . ϑμΤ. ορίει. .) Ετ8ὶ ποῖαπιὶ ΟΠ ἶθυ8 Θχοίβεϊ, ἀπιθης ΓΟΘΙ ΠῚ δίηι8 οὐἶο αθγίιη διἰ ψογβα ἢ" πὶ ἰυι, (Δ πηθη Π - εἶι συ 8ἱ ροίθι ) Θχβϑαῦθγαιγ, Ὑογιη πὸ ἰὰ ( τυγθοῖ, πό]π6 Ὀοἰΐυπὶ δυδεῖρί ᾿ππρ : ! ἢ Ροί θ6π6 πηογοηο ἰρϑιπὶ ἰηγογίογ διαί. Εἰϑὶ ομἷπὶ [6γὰ . ΟΠ ηΐ4υ6 ἀυγίοῦ ροίΡᾶ, ἰἀπιοθῃ δι8- (ἰεἷο νίοίυβ ἴθ, οἀΐιπὶ ΡοΠΘΙ. (ἝΟΧΧΧΙ. - ΡΕΤΒΟ ΜΟΝΆΑΟΘΙΙΟ. δογίριιτι οταῖϊο ἠμπιϊ ἷ8, πιόπς ὑτο[μπάα : Εἰ χαὶ πᾶσι δῆλόν ἐστιν, ὅτι ἄνοιαν ὀφλισχά- νων (), καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ἔχθρας μεθύων ὁ σὸς διάδιχος, ὅμως ἐχλαλεῖ ταῦτα, ἃ δυνηθεὶς πράξει. ᾿Αλλά σε τοῦτο μὴ ταραττέτω, μηδὲ εἰς τὸ ἀδιάλλαχτον χειβ- αγωγείτω, ἀλλὰ χαὶ εἰς τὸ εὖ ποιεῖν αὐτὸν προτρε- πέσθω. Εἰ γὰρ θηρίον εἴη, καὶ παντὸς λίθου ἀναι- σθητότερος, ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως αἰδεσθεὶς τὴν εὐεργεσίαν, χατάθοιτο τὴν ἔχθραν. ΣΠΔ'. -- ΠΕΤΡΩ () ΜΟΝΑΖΟΝΤΙ. ἤππιαῆα ἀμίφηι δαρὶοπιὶα ομ]α νοτθὶδ, δειομ εαεεα. ματὰ παης ἱΠἰ, μι ἀπο ίαηι ἀοπιΐπ, ἱπεοτυῖτα αὐπμιμ οί. Ὀινίπα ρ ΠΟ5ορ ογϑίΐο ἴῃ βδογὶ8 [ἱι6γῖ8 ἢυ- ἢ) Τῆς; θείας σοφίας ἡ μὲν λέξις πεζὴ, ἡ ἕννοια δὲ αυΐείδιν , )) Υ6γῸ π , Ρ] Δ! (. Εχίογποῦυ ἢ δ8Π6 δβογρίογυπι ερ[οη πα . ογαιίο, γθὸ νθγὸ ἰνυηνΐ Γαρί!. δὶ 4ιι8 ἰφίίαγ ΠΠις γα θοαὶ ΟΠ , ἰ)υ νγὸ ἀϊςοπεϊΐ οἰαρδη- ιἰλπι, πῷ ἰ βαρίθηι δ ηι158. ᾿αυθαίιγ, ΕἸο΄υ δ η οηΐπ) ἱπϑιγυπιδηίιη σΟρί658ι δοἰ οηἾ:, δὶ οἱ υἱ δΔηΐπιῖδ ΟΟΓΡΙ8 ] εἰ δίυν, οἱ ιἴ ἰγγὰ ἰγγίϑια, ΘΑ ΚΒ πἰ αι θην ρείναι πη ἱπηουϑηβ, 86ιὶ ἰμ!θγ- οὐρανομήχης " τῆς δὲ ἔξωθεν λαμπρὰ μὲν ἡ φράσις, χαμαιπετὴ: δὲ ἡ πρᾶξις. Εἰ δέ τις δυνηθείη τῆς μὲν ἔχειν τὴν ἔννοιαν, τῆς δὲ τὴν φράσιν, σοφώτατος ἂν διχαίως χριθείη" δύναται γὰρ ὄργανον εἶναι τῆς ὑπερχοτμίου σοφίας ἣ εὐγλωττία, εἰ χαθάπερ σῶμα Ψυχῇ ὑποχέοιτο, ἣ ὥσπερ λύρα λυρῳδῷ, μηδὲν μὲν οἴχοθεν χαινοτομοῦσα νεώτερον, ἑρμηνεύουσα δὲ τὰ οὐρανομήχη ἐκείνης νοήματα᾽ εἰ δ᾽ ἀντιστρέφοι τὴν ΥΔΒΙ ΠΓΠΕΡΤΙΟΝΕΒ ΕἸ ΝΟΤΑ͂. () Ποπιοϑι δηΐου ὁϑῖ, παράνοιαν ὀφλισκάνειν, ον, ἰῃ Τιιποσιαίθι : Ἐφ᾽ ἐχάστου τούτων ἡλίχη) τὶπί πονεῖθα ἐκ πηοημογμα ἤογαπι ᾽ ΘΟΠΟΤΤ. () Νοη Πέτρῳ 586μὲ Πρίμῳ ἰιαης ἰπϑογὶ ! οοὰ ς ἂν ὠφληχότες παράνοιαν ἧτε' ᾿καπία ἱπδαπία αὖ ὙὝλῖῖς. . ῬΟΒΒΙΝ. Πομεϊπῖθια ἀαμ παγεηιὶΐ, οἰ ἀἐδδί μετ υος μα ςαυές ] ἘΡΙΒΤΟΙΑΆᾺΜ . Υ. -- ΕΡΙΞΤ, ΟΕΧΧΧΥ. : τάξιν, χαὶ δουλεύειν ὀφείλουσα, ἡγεῖσθαι, μᾶλλον δὲ Α ρτγεῖληξβ ΠΠ π πηοα ας! ο : δ'ι. ογάΐμθιῃ ἢυης ἰμ- τυραννεῖν οἵα τε εἶναι νομίζοι, ἐξοστραχισθῆναι ἂν “ γογιδι, οἱ οὐπὶ ἐδὺδαὶ βογυΐγθ, σέβαγα δὺϊ ροίίυς εἴη διχαία.
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