Letter 164

Isidore of PelusiumUnknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Artemidorus the Presbyter
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore interprets two Psalm passages — "he stands in every way that is not good" (Ps. 36:1) and Psalm 49:18 — explaining how the divine presence paradoxically attends even to wickedness as its adversary.

On the text: "He stands in every way that is not good" [Psalm 36:1], and on "His soul shall be blessed in his life" [Psalm 49:18].

"He stands in every way that is not good" — said of the sinful man. The word "stands" here does not mean approval. Think of it as the position of an advocate: like an unconquerable attorney standing before judges and deploying all his skill on behalf of those who need defense, so God stands over even the wicked — not endorsing what they do, but present, attending, making possible what repentance requires.

On Psalm 49:18: the person whose soul is "blessed in his life" is praised by everyone while he lives — but this praise, purchased at the cost of abandoning what is right, will not carry over. The applause of the world is not the applause of judgment.

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.