Letter 170
Isidore of Pelusium→Unknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Ammonius the Scholar
Date: ~410 AD
Context: A brief note on the proper relationship between body and soul — the body as instrument, not master.
The body was made to serve the soul, not to govern it. When the body commands and the soul complies, the order of things has been inverted — and the inversion, prolonged, becomes a kind of second nature that is very difficult to reverse.
Start reversing it while the habit is still new.
Ρεφϑίαι ἤθη οδρὶ ἱπρτολίίδίθ ; οδρίαπι) ὙΟΓῸ δοὶγ οδρίυδη , δβιδιϊπηαυ γὙϑ]αὶ ἰοπιυϊοηι ᾳυδάδπι ΘΠ ΓΚοΓ. Οδρίυδ ΓῸ ποθὴ δβιρεγο βυϑι:- ὨΘΏΒ, ΠΙΟΙΡΟῸ ἰδυογαὶ ἱβουγδ}}}. ΙΧ. --- ΑΜΜΟΝΙῸ ΠΟΓΑΒΤΙΟΟ. ὲ γεοία ἰἰϑετογιμε ἰνιδέξιμιΐοπθ; ἀφ φιια εἰ ἰπ. δρῖδι. εἰ σοπιΐπα είς. Οἱ τοῖς ἑαυτῶν παισὶν ἔτι νηπίοις οὖσιν ἐγχατα- ὦ φυἱ βυΐβ Δαΐνις ἰοπογίβ " γ ἀσευιηθηίδ ἰηογιηί, σπείροντες πρῶτον μὲν τὸν περὶ τῆς θείας ὑπεροχῇς τε χαὶ προνοίας λόγον " δεύτερον δὲ τὸν περὶ ἀρετῇς τρόπον, οὗτοι οὐ μόνον γονεῖς, ἀλλὰ χαὶ διδάσχαλοι ἄριστοι τυγχάνοντες τεύξονται θείων ἁμοιδῶν. Οἵ δὲ πολυθεσίαν () καὶ χαχίαν αὐτῆς () χαταφυ- κεύσαντες, ἅτε θύσαντες αὐτῶν τὰ τέχγα τοῖς δαί- μόσυν, ἄξια χομιοῦνται τὰ ἐπίχειρα. Ι -- ΣΥΜΜΑΧΩ. ρυϊησιη ᾳυϊοπὶ ἐο Ὠεὶ ργωϑίδηιίϊα δίχυδ ργονί ἀθη- ιἰὰ ; ἀδ]ιίης ΥἱΓιμ [ πὶ ΠΠΟΓΟΒ ΡΓΟΡῸ ρτιοίρίυηι, Ὦΐ ποη τηο ραγθῃίθβ, ϑδεὰ δὲ οριϊπιΐ δχβίβίυπι Ἰηδαίϑιγὶ, ἱ ἃ πιογοθίίοια δοοὶρίοπι. (}υϊΐ νϑγοὸ ἀδοτυπι προ ἰτυ ἀΐ μοι πηργου ἰδίθηγαυ ἢ]} ἀοεθηί, υλδὶ (ἰδπ)οη Οἴεγρηϊθ, ἀδ δοίζίρίεηιὶ Ραηδ.
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From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Ammonius the Scholar
Date: ~410 AD
Context: A brief note on the proper relationship between body and soul — the body as instrument, not master.
The body was made to serve the soul, not to govern it. When the body commands and the soul complies, the order of things has been inverted — and the inversion, prolonged, becomes a kind of second nature that is very difficult to reverse.
Start reversing it while the habit is still new.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.