Letter 212: Why, best of men, do you place divine assistance second to human support?

To Zenon the Presbyter. To ascetics. You have in divine Scripture the fruits of what you sow. To Kyrenios. You yourself asked what state the soul has there, or in what manner it is held. And I say to you: the one that has lived virtuously will come to the resurrection of life; but the one that has lived wickedly will proceed to everlasting fire. Fearing this, take care to be found blameless and without reproach. To Daniel the Presbyter. The one who undertakes a noble subject and attempts to interpret the meaning of the sacred Scriptures must...

of Isidore of Pelusium for me. This is one of the fragments of Eusebius of Caesarea’s Gospel Problems and Solutions, so I have a translation of it. The friend commented on the style of translation adopted, versus a more literal approach. Your translator did a nice job making a loose translation that is quite faithful to the intent and meaning of the letter. … I don’t think the translator was too loose. For an academic translation, which is usually more literal, it does toe the line a little bit, but it does make a far more interesting and pleasant read. Here are two passages that I translated literally. Mine are in [normal text], your translator’s are in italics. Τὸ γὰρ ἀδύνατον καὶ ὄν καὶ δοκοῦν, ὅσον πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀσθένειαν, φημὶ, κατορθώσας, ούκ ἄν περὶ τὸ δυνατὸν ἐξησθένησεν He accomplished, I say, something both apparently and actually – as far as human weakness is concerned – impossible; so he would have shown no weakness in a matter that was possible. For, I say, h

ΣΙΒ. – ΖΗΝΩΝΙ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ. Πρὸς ἀσκητάς. Ἔχεις ἐν τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ ὧν σπείρεις τοὺς καρ- ``` ΣΕΖ΄. – ΚΥΡΗΝΙΟ (43). Αὐτὸς μὲν ἠρώτησας, ποίαν ἔχει ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκεῖ τὴν κατάστασιν, ἢ τίνι τρόπῳ συνέχεται. Ἐγὼ δὲ φημί σοι, ὅτι Ἡ μὲν βιώσασα χρηστῶς, εἰς ἀνάστασιν ἐλεύσεται ζωῆς· ἡ δὲ ζήσασα κακῶς, εἰς αἰώνιον πορεύσεται πυράν. Ἦνπερ δεδιώς, φρόντιζε ὅπως εὑρεθήσῃ ἀκατάγνωστος καὶ ἀκόλαστος. ΔΑΝΙΗΛ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ. Τὸν λαμπρᾶς ἀπτόμενον ὑποθέσεως, καὶ τὸν νοῦν τῶν ἱερῶν Γραφῶν ἐρμηνεῦσαι πειρώμενον, χρὴ τὴν μὲν γλώτταν ἔχειν σεμνήν τε καὶ τρανὴν, τὴν δὲ γνώμην εὐσεβῆ τε καὶ εὐαγῆ, ἀκολουθεῖν τε αὐ- ταῖς, καὶ μὴ ἡγεῖσθαι, μηδὲ πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον βού- λημα, τὸν ἐκείνων νοῦν ἐκβιάζεσθαι. Τοῖς γὰρ παρα- ποιεῖν καὶ παρερμηνεύειν τολμῶσι, κίνδυνος ἐπήρ- τηται μέγιστος εἰς αὐτὴν τὴν ψυχὴν βλέπων. ΣΙΓ΄. – ΘΩΜΑ ΜΟΝΑΖΟΝΤΙ (65). Ἰεζεκιήλ. Τι ἐστι τὸ γεγραμμένον· « Τὰ δικαιώ- ματά μου ἀπώσαντο· καὶ ἐν τοῖς νόμοις (66) μου οὐκ ἐπορεύθησαν. » Ἐπειδὴ ἔφης, δι' ἣν αἰτίαν εἶπεν ὁ ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ Ἰεζεκιήλ· « Τὰ δικαιώματά μου ἀπώσαντο· καὶ ἐν τοῖς νομίμοις μου οὐκ ἐπορεύθησαν, » συντό- ΣΙΒ. – ΑΥΣΟΝΙΟ ΚΟΡΡΗΚΤΩΡΙ. Ἐπειδὴ ἀνήρ τις ἀγοραῖος (45), πράγματα βουλόμενος παρασχεῖν ἀνθρώπῳ ἀπραγμοσύνῃ συζῶντι, εἴλκυσεν αὐτὸν εἰς δικαστήριον· κατελέξων, θᾶττον μὲν κωλύσαι τοῦτον ἀδικῆσαι· χαριῇ γὰρ αὐτῷ· τὸν δὲ εἰς τὴν ἀγροικίαν πέμψαι, τῆς φίλης γεωργίας τὴν ἀντίδοσιν ἀσπασόμενον.