Letter 1622: Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
To Isidore the Bishop. I have heard reports of your conduct that fill me with grief, for you bear my own name and I cannot but feel that your disgrace reflects upon me. A bishop should be irreproachable — not perfect, for no one this side of heaven is perfect — but irreproachable, meaning that no legitimate accusation can be brought against him. Your behavior has given your enemies legitimate ammunition and your friends legitimate cause for sorrow. I do not write to condemn you but to awaken you, not to cast you down but to lift you up. Repentance is still possible, and restoration is still within reach, but both require an honest acknowledgment of what has gone wrong and a sincere determination to set it right. Do not let pride prevent you from confessing your fault, for the bishop who confesses is infinitely more admirable than the bishop who conceals, and the sinner who repents is closer to God than the hypocrite who pretends to have nothing to repent of.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
ΜΠ αϑοταπιὶ εἰ [ἀεἰθηιὶ φμανίμπε ἷπ ἐδ , ἢ οῖι8 [οτι αἰαὶϊμπι. γιγμμ πὶ ἰαιδ. (δ. ερίει. διδ εἰ . Ὃ μὲν ἀρετὴν ἀσχῶν, δίχαιος ἂν εἴη χαὶ τὴν θείαν εἰς βοήθειαν ἐπιχαλεῖσθαι ῥοπήν" ὁ ὃὲ μηδ- ὁλως φροντίξων ἀρετῆς, οὐδ᾽ ἂν χαλοίη, ἔπήχοον ἕξει τὸ Θεῖον. Τῷ γὰρ πάντα τὰ παρ᾽ ἑαυτοῦ πλη- ροῦντι εὐμενῶς ἐπινεύει. Ἵνα δὲ χαὶ διὰ παρα- δειγμάτων βαδίσας ὁ λόγος σαφέστερον τοῦτο ποιὴ- σῃ, παρεὶς τὸ φάναι. Εἰ ἡ πόρνη βούλεται μὲν σω- θῆναι, οὐ βούλεται δὲ σωφρονῆσαι, πῶς σωθήσε- και; Ἐχεῖνο φράσω. Γἕστω τις γράμματα μὲν ἐπι- θυμῶν μαθεῖν, εἰς διδασχάλου δὲ μὴ φοιτῶν " εἶτα τῷ γραμματιστῇ ἀγοράξοντι ἐντυχὼ"» λέξοι' ἸΙοίησόν με μαθεῖν γράμματα ἄρ᾽ οὐχ ἡγῇ ἐχεῖ- γον λαμπρῶς ἀποχρίνεσθαι λέγοντα" Ἑμῤρόντητε, χαὶ πῶς ἂν δύναιο μαθεῖν, μήτε εἰς διδασχάλου φοιτῶν, μήτε γραφίδα καὶ δέλτον χεχτημένος, μήτε Β πονεῖν βουλόμενος ; Τῇ μὲν γὰρ ἐπιθυμίᾳ τῇ σῇ εἰ ὁ πόνος συναφθείη χαὶ ἡ ἐμὴ σπουδὴ, ἔσται τι τιλέον. Εἰ δὲ λέγοις μὲν ἐπιθυμεῖν, μηδὲ ποιοῖς ὧν οἱ ἐπιθυμοῦντες ποιοῦσι, πῶς μαθεῖν δυνήσῃ: Ταιοῦτοί εἰσι χαὶ οἱ ἀρετῆς λέγοντες μὲν ἐπιθυμεῖν, πὴν δὲ εἰς αὐτὴν φέρουσαν ὁδὺν ἀποδιδράσχοντες, ΥΞ'. --- ἩΡΩΝΙ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ. Υἱγίατὶ ορεγϑηι πανδηιὶ ϑαυμπὶ 65ὶ ἀϊνίηιιπη οἰἶδηὶ ἱπηρίοταγα, οἱ ορο Ὠδυ5 ἴδγαι, διχι]υ. Αἱ αυἱ 6ἦυ5 πυ!]δὺν ἀποὶι γαιϊοηθπι, ποηὰ8 ἰηνοσαιὶ ΝυΠΊΘ.), Πυἀ ρτορίεϊαπι ποθὴ ἀχρογίοίιγ, (γυΐ δι ῃ ΟἸπηΐἃ, αυοδὰ Πεοτγὶ μοίεϑι, ἰϊηρ!εῖ, Ὀδηΐψηα οἱ θυ δηηυΐ!. π᾿ γογὸ δσθϑιηρὶβ οἰϊϑιῃ Β6Γη0 οἰαγίυβ ἰὰ οβίδηεδί, ἀἴσαγα ἡ νἱἀογὶβ : Ουἱά ] δοογίι πη ]- γὙΑΓὶ γὙο , ἢ. ὙΠ τδιθθῃ Ἰποοπιϊῃθηι1ἃ -- γΆΓΟ, αὖυῷ ἀθιηυπὶ Γαιϊΐοηθ βαϊναυίίυγ ἢ Εδὶ αυοά Γοδροηήσμη) : δ ἀΐθοογα [ἰἰ6γ858 ουρίδ!, ΡΓ85- ὁδρίογθι ἴδη 6ι Ποῖ Γροαφιυδηίαγο, ὀθΐης ᾿ἰη βγϑιη- ιω.ἰδίθη (ΠΠος 65ϊ, δογίθογε ἀοοεηίθθ, ἂς ἰἐϊ- ἰογ8 εἰἰδδογθηΐθι ) ἱποϊθηβ, ἀΐεαὶ : ἰίι((6Γ88 Πη0 ἀοοθ88 ; Δῆποη εἶῶγο Γοδροηβυγυῖῦ Ορὶπδγὶβ : ἤδυϑ δἰ0 , φμοιμοίο ἐΐβϑοογα 4υθδ8, δὶ ργΓϑοερίο- ΓΘ) (γοαυδι!, Π6α4υ6 δίγίυπι ἰΔ0υ Δι , οἱ ἰοθογαγα γθουβαβὴ Τυῶ οἷ ἀϊδοθηαΐ ευρὶα 26εοββοῦὶβ ἰάῦθογ, δίαυθ ορότγα οἰἰδηι πιθὰ, Δ δοὶυ- ἴα φυΐά ραείδοιαηαιιο ἀνδιίοὶ. Θυοι δἱ ἀθε! άογαγθ ( ἤϊεηηθ8, πϑαυθ αὐ δεϊβηαὶ οὐ ρί αἱ (ΔΘ6Γ6 οοπδυδνόγυηϊ, φποιμοῦο ἀἰβοογα αιιθ85 δίς. 4υἱ νἱτγιυίαπι Ορίᾶγα ἀἴοιμ!, Υἱδῆὶ ἀποδηίοιη ἰπσγοάϊ γοίυφίυη!. ΟὈΙΧ, --- ΒΕΒΟΝῚ ΡΠΕΒΒΥΤΕΒΟ. δεοίαηάμ δα φιῷ αὐ υἱγί με, ἀσφιγθίαις αἀπιϊηϊσμίο φιθαμῖ. Μηδὲν τέμιον εἶναι νόμιζε, ὃ μὴ πρὸς ἀρετὴν φέρη, μηδὲ ποιῇ ἀμείγους τοὺς περὶ αὐτὸ σπουδά- ὅλνα ρυι68 αἰϊοιι ργοι!; φυοὰ δὰ νἱγίθοπι Π0) ἄυσαί, πο4υ6 προ! οτο γοθ δὶ δἰ ἀδάϊο5. Αἀ ζοντας. Φέρει δὲ εἰς ἀρετὴν τὸ τοῖς φιλαρέτοις ἀχο- (, Υἱγίυἴ6 πὴ Διο πὶ πιδηῖ ἀπο , δὶ υἱγίυια ργεαϊο5 λουθεῖν, χαὶ ὁμιλεῖν νοῖς σωφρονεστάτοις, ἀλλὰ μὴ τοῖς ἀσελγεστάτοις " τοῖς εἰρηνιχωτάτοις χαὶ οἷς αυνδιατρίδειν λυσιτελὲς, ἀλλὰ μὴ τοῖς μαχιμωτά- τοις. Εὖ γὰρ εἰδέναι χρὴ, ὅτι χαχίας τις ῥᾷον με- ταλαμθάνει ἣ ἀρετῆς. Εἰ γὰρ ἣν ῥᾷον τὸ ἀρετῆς μετασχεῖν, ἐχρήν χαὶ τοῖς χαχίστοις συνεῖναι τοὺς δυναμένους ταύτην χαρίσασθαι. Ἐπε:δὴ δὲ τοῦτο δύσχολον, ἄμεινον ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ εἷναι, χαὶ φεύγειν τοὺς πονηρούς. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι οὐχ ὠφελοῦνται, δι᾽ ἂν αἰτίαν αὐτὸς ζημιοῦσαι ;
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