Letter 1607: Anger is a fire: useful when controlled, devastating when unleashed.
To Nilus. The ascetic life is not an end in itself but a means to an end, and the end is love. The person who fasts without growing in charity has missed the point of fasting. The person who prays without growing in compassion has missed the point of prayer. The person who practices silence without growing in wisdom has missed the point of silence. Every ascetic discipline is a tool, and every tool must be judged by the work it produces. A sharp chisel in the hands of a skilled sculptor produces a masterpiece; the same chisel in the hands of a vandal produces only destruction. So also fasting and prayer and silence: in the hands of the humble they produce sanctity; in the hands of the proud they produce nothing but spiritual pride, which is the worst of all vices because it parades as the best of all virtues.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
ἱΠΠυπλ ΠΟΒΙΓυ ΠῚ ργΟπρὶΘ π 81ἃ αι: ρδίζαγο, ἃ6 Υἱμευῖΐο γοίυιἱ ἰμίγαοιο σοΠἸφαιυ πὴ ἰμ ῬΓθΟΘρ8. [ογγῖ, δὐυδυγιία 4αυθ4η6 σοηῃι!6η40. Αἱ τηἰηΐἶπη6 δι1- νἰγδιῖαγ, ογθ δι . δι ἰπ46 4ἋὉ ἰπία εἶα ρόγτοῦ- δὺ5 ἴῃ ἀἶ68 πηογοθ δεσυη)υΐδ556. ΡαΐΓΟ ϑηΐπὶ ἡγδηεϊρίο ὨδΙυΠ] ΠΘΓΙῸ ρῥγϑιοπουηί. ϑογνὶ δηΐη τηυ]ιὶ ἸΠυαεῖϑ μουν ηἶθι8. 8ιδ ρα ρΓϑοϑίαγα πιο θι85 ΓΕρ ΓΜ - ἴυν. Ε͵ι8 νθγῸ ὁχ δρῃθ ἀχοριίδηι! δἀυμοδιϊοη θη) δοουϑδηϊ, υἱ ΟΠ] ζαποτὶϑ γΓοίογίδπι υἱεἰϊς. ΠῚπηῸ οἱ νἱγὶ οι ὕδᾳι6 φοἰἀΐοθι ΘΟιη ἱπηρτγουΐίας δὶ, Δυΐίφυδ ἴῃ μὰθλίαι). ΜΙγαῦὶ ἰϊλη! ἀ6βἰπα6, 5ἷ ργθ- οἶθιι5 ῬΓῸ δὲ ἤθυμι [ ρίδοος ἢ φγαιΠοατὶ . ΒίΔιϊδπὰ ἰογῖθ ροϑί ὨΔὈΪ υγυϑ8. ΟὝΥΧΧΧΎΥΙΪΙ. --- ΝΠ. Μοάοταιίε ἰαιιάατα οροτιεῖ,, πεὸ θπιοίίοτε πὶ ἰαμάΐθιε. ((οπ. ἐρὶδι. δ50, , εἰ . Εἰ χαὶ οἱ φιλότιμοι δι᾽ ἐπαίνων μάλιστα παραθῆ- γονται (διψῶσι γὰρ ἐπαίνων μᾶλλον, ἣ ποτῶν), ἀλλὰ μετρίως χρὴ τούτους ποιεῖσθαι, χαὶ μὴ ἄγαν ὑφαίνειν. Πολλοὺ γὰρ ἔχ τῆς ὑπερθολῆς τῶν ἐγχὼν μίων. ἐχλυθέντες, ἐχλύουσι τὴν εἰς τοὺς πόνους πα- ρασχευήν. γλθ΄. -- ΑἀΓΑΘΟΔΛΑΙΜΟΝΙ ΚΑΙ ΩΦΕΛΙῺ ΓΡΑΜΜΑ- ΤΙΚΟΙΣ. Εἰιϑὶ Ἰαυάΐα ουρὶαΐ φἰοτία φοι 5βϑέιμιμη οχρεϊαιυ δη- ᾿ἊἃΡ ([Δυάδηι δι η ρὲυ8 φυδιὰ ροίιηι ϑἐυιη!), πιοάο- Γαΐ (ΔΠ261 ) ἀφοηάυ!η [ Π , ἠδ4υ6 ἴαχαγο εἰμ ΐυηι. ῬΙογίφιυο οηἷπὶ ἰδ . εὐ ]. ἸΔθογθιη υἱοϊβδίμ ΗΠ φοι δι Γοιπἰυμ!. ΟΌΧΧΧΙΧ.. -- ΑΟΑΤΗΟΏΞΞΜΟΝΙ ΕΤ ΟΡΗΕΙ,Ὸ0 ΛΟΒΑΜΜΑΤΙΟΙΚ. ΜἩϊδοοπάμηι μἰ ἀαμἰοὶ ἐπ δοτὶριϊδ. Ἐπειδὴ αἱ μονοειδεῖς μελέται τε χαὶ παραινέσεις κόπτουσι τρόπον τινὰ τῆς τῶν ἀμελεστέρων ψυχῆς τὰ νεῦρα (δοχεῖ γὰρ αὐτοῖς πᾶσα μεταδολὴ σχήμα- θιυδηθο ἀδεοἰΔπιαιίοπθ5 ᾿ογιδιίοπόβαυς υπίυς τη0 ἢοενοϑ δἰ ργοϊάυηι περ σοηιίυαι ἀίηυθ ἡβῃδνυόγυπὶ (ΟΗΊ ΘηΐΪπ) δα διμα μη) νωγίαιϊο .- Ὁ, ἸΟΙΌΟΚΒῚ ΡΕΠΌΘΙΟΤ λιν! εὐηδ 6χ518. ), δοτὶρία ἀδοδὶ βισάϊο δηϊπιί4ᾳιθ ἃ τος ἡδὺ), χρὴ τὰ συγγράμματα ἔχ σπουδῆς χαὶ Ψψυχ- πιοία ἰδθρογαγο. Ετ δυΐπιὶ βἰαυΐϊάοπι ποῦ πἰμ αγωγίας χεχρᾶσθαι. Ἐχ μὲν γὰρ τῆς ψυχαγωγίας διιϊοαὶ οἴοιείππιιν, Νος ζοπ νογὸ ἐσ δἰυάΐο οαπὶ οἱ ἐμμελεῖς οὐδὲν παραδλαδήσονται, ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς ΔΉ πὶ πιθίι! οοπιδι ρόγαιο υἱἱ Π ι186 ρίυγέπηυπι δὺ- ὌΡΧΙ,. -- ΤΠΕΟΏΌΘΒΙΟ. σπουδῆς τῆς τῇ ψυχαγωγίᾳ χεχραμένης οἱ μὴ λίαν ῥάθυμοι ὠφεληθήσονται.
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