Letter 1590: The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
To Marcianus. The world judges by appearances, but God judges by the heart. The person who appears righteous to his neighbors may be wicked in the sight of God, and the person who appears wicked to his neighbors may be righteous in God's eyes. This does not mean that appearances do not matter — they do, for we are responsible for the example we set — but it does mean that they are not the final measure of a person's worth. Many who seem to be first shall be last, and many who seem to be last shall be first. This reversal of human expectations is one of the most consistent themes of the Gospel, and it should give both comfort to the humble and warning to the proud. Let us therefore concern ourselves less with how we appear to others and more with how we appear to God, who sees not the outward appearance but the heart, and whose judgment alone is infallible and final.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
αυμπι ποιηΐηα υηΐνογβα εἰν ρυγαυθ παίυγα δίιγθαῖδ ᾿3δη28 ΒυρΟγοηϊ οοηαϊοηΐδ το ηδυγδῃι, ἰδ υπ0 σΟμφΡρυδηΐοΓ πδίυγῷ οἱ υἱγίθυβ ποδί ὶβ ἀἶνὶ- ἢῦπὶ ὐπθῃ π08 ἰμπἰδτὶ πιασχίπιο ἀθοοί. Ουϊὰ δυίθτ ἰϑδιυὰ Απἰπιὶ δυυντἰβ8ῖο. Ουἱά οηΐθ ΒΔΌΘΠΙΒ οἰυϑπιοιίὶ φυοά Θτίο Γ6 η08 διὶ ἀγγυβδη(ἰδπι γαὶϑδὶ ἢ υἱ μαϊγίαγοα Αὐγϑθδπὶ δὶς : ε ΤΟΥΓᾺ βυυβ οἱ οἰνἶβ ; » οἵ τοῖο ἰοφίβιδίου αἷιϊ ρμίνξε "; οἱ ἰυχίᾶ Ῥεαϊίοπι τγορίυμῃ : γεγπεῖς οἱ [ἐπμηα δ᾽; ὁ] ἰοηἷς γ6ΓῸ γδ8 Ραυΐϊυ9, πεϊδετία δ. ΟὟ 4υς5 δηΐμ δβοίρβϑῃπὶ τηϊβογαίυγ, πιϊβογυσιαυο ρτϑάϊςαι, οὗ , οἱ ἀ6 υηἷ- ΥΟΓΒῸ δθηθγο δυπιδηο ἰδιο αὶ συ], Ὁσαδιόῦτοηι ἰΠυτῦ, « φυὶ οὐπὶ ἰῃ ἰοτηδ οὶ βοιβοὶἱ ρδῦπι δυϊηἶανὶι .» αἰ οηγ. Οἰθηοπι ἰίδυο. [λϑιυ δ ἰυγείἀυπι πδίαγο ποϑίγβ σορυρηδηΐδπι Δὐ ϊοἰοπίο8, Βυπ Πἰδίοπι ἠϑίυγ ΟΟὨΥΘὨΪ ΘΠ . ΒΟΡ ξοκηδίδη) ΘΧΟ ΓΟ ΔΠΊ18. ΘΟΟΧΙ, --- ΜΑΒΟΙΑΝΟΙ Ααἀδβοτιίαῖἷο φμαίΐε 6ε26 ἀεϑεαιϊ. ((οπ[ἐεγ. ἐρεῖ. .) Δύσχολον εἶναί μοι δοχεῖ, τὸν παραινοῦντα τῷ ἃ Ἑαυΐάοπι ἀἰδοὶϊ ορίποῦ πογίαπάυ ἰδ μὴ θέμις δρῶντι, μὴ εἰς ἀπρεπεῖς ἐμπεσεῖν () λό- ὦ (λεῖα πείλ5, πο ἱποίάεγα ἱπ ἰθάθοογατι οΓϑιΙ ΟΠ 6ΠΙ. γους" ἃ γὰρ μὴ πράττειν θέμις, οὐδὲ λέγειν θέμις. Τί οὖν ποιητέον ; Ἂν μὲν γὰρ σεμνῶς εἴπῃς, οὐ δυνήσῃ χαθάψασθαι τοῦ ἐνόχου τοῖς λεγομένοις ὄν- τος" ἂν δὲ βουληθείης χαθιχέσθαι σφοδρῶς, ἀνάγχην ἔχεις ἀπαμφιάσαι, χαὶ τὸ παραπέτασμα ἀνελεῖν. Διὸ χαὶ ἐπαινεῖται ὁ εἰρηχώς " ε Φοδοῦμαι, μὴ τὰ προσήχοντα περὶ σοῦ λέγων, εἷς οὐ προσήχοντας ἐμαυτῷ λόγους ἐμπέσω. » Οὐχοῦν μέσην τινὰ χώραν βαδιστέον, δι᾿ ἧς μήτε ἑαυτόν τις αἰσχύνῃ λέγων ἃ μὴ δεῖ, μὴτε ἐχεῖνον ἀνωφελῆ χαταλείψῃ.
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