Letter 1638
Isidore of Pelusium→Unknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk
To: An unnamed person
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore writes on matters of conduct.
Character is revealed not by what a person says but by what he does when no one is watching. The test of virtue is consistency. The person who changes his behavior depending on his audience has not acquired virtue — only its imitation.
Ἐκ εε φιΐεγιε ἀἐ αἰϊὶς ἡμάδίεαι!, μι Ζοεῖηιιδ ρεεείηεμε αἴτος φκυσμα ππαίυε ἐε:ε ςεπεεϑαϊῖ. (ΥἹἱάε ἐρίε!. .) Ομβηθ, πιογίδϊεβ υἱ [ ἀϊοδπι), ἀ6 ἱρβὶ, διιῖ ἀθ ἐσ δὲ ᾿υάΐουμι. Ουΐ δοἷπι Ἰαϑίυς , γε ψι05 Πάντες, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, ἄνθρωπο: ἐχ τῶν χαϑ᾽ ἑαυτοὺς χαὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων τὰς ψήφους ἐχφέρουσιν, Ἄογοάϊι ἰυδιοβ, οἱ ἰσιπρογδηβ ἰδιηρεγδηίος αἰΐος : οἷς δ Ὁ γοῦν δίχαιος διχαίους εἶναι πιστεύει πολλοὺς, χαὶ Εἰ ἰδῖγο, οἵἴβίογοβς [ἰδίγοηθβ, οἱ ποπιϊοϊ δ, ποιηϊοὶ « 1π 2ἱ, Νὺ]! ἰἰδαυδ πηΐγατί, οἱἰϑὶ Ζοβίιηυβ, αυὶ ἐπίογοϑβ ΟΠ1Π65 Πρ ΓΟὈ ( ΟΟΙΘΌΓΘβ βιιρογανὶι, οχΣ ᾿πΠρΓοθο5 :Εβιἰπηοῖ, ὮΧΧΧΙ, --- ΖΟΘΙΜΟ. ὁ σώφρων σώφρονας, χαὶ ὁ λῃστῆς ληττάζ᾽ χαὶ ὁ ἀνδροφόνος ἀνδροφόνους. Μὴ τοίνυν θαύμαζε, εἰ χὴὶ Ζώσιμος, ὁ πάντας τοὺς ἐπὶ παρανομίαις βεθοῃμέ- νους ἀποχρύψας, ἐχ τῶν χαθ᾽ ἑαυτὸν πάντας πονὴ- νοὺς εἶναι ψηφίζεται.
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From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk
To: An unnamed person
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore writes on matters of conduct.
Character is revealed not by what a person says but by what he does when no one is watching. The test of virtue is consistency. The person who changes his behavior depending on his audience has not acquired virtue — only its imitation.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.