Letter 450
Isidore of Pelusium→Friends who have been accused|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Permothenes the Bishop
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore responds to a letter from a bishop, urging that the standard for episcopal conduct must exceed what is merely defensible — the bishop must be a model, not merely a minimum.
Your letter reached me, and I read it with care. What you describe — the disputes, the pressures, the difficulty of maintaining your position between factions that want different things from you — I recognize. These things are not peculiar to you; they are the common burden of the office.
But I notice that you frame the question as whether you have done anything that can be justly criticized. This is the wrong question, Permothenes. The question for a bishop is not whether he has avoided reproach but whether he has merited praise. These are not the same standard. The first is achievable by the mediocre; the second marks the excellent.
Judge yourself by the higher standard and you will not go wrong.
Οσγναυ θυ νογυΐ8, υἱ δὲ πᾶ ραγίωϊη 6δι, ρίοιδ8 ἴυΔ ργρδοηιυ8 αυϊθυδυλιη Δπιϊοὶβ ᾿" δοουϑαγὶϊ, υοά ἰ᾿θονγίοτυυβ δογίογὶ ὃυ54 ) τηϊηΐ μι δ'πὶ (φιι ἀοφυίΐάθεν ιν [ ᾿ς βιανθῶ Δ41Πη0- πἰἰοη68 πὶ γ] δ γι ), αυΐθυβ οὐἰδην ποϊθη πὶ ὀρίβεορυπ) Ευ56 πῈ σοΥΓίζαγο μοι ΐ586η). ἤος ἱμὶ- ἴυ ὙΠ, τη 5Δογοβδηοίυ! οᾶρυϊ (Π δ ἢ ρυγβθοιη Οροτίοι), υ ] ῸῺ πιθι οἰ πα: ρϑηυ8 [Δ υἱδηάΐυδ, . Δδραγί (θη , Π66 δοῦυπὴ, ᾿Ἰπογῦυπι γον ! τὸ ἀἐθοῦδηι, σα φυδιη οπλεΐη0 ΓΦ ΟΓΠ : ἰΔ!6η ἰ(Δ4 ροίιυΐ586 : αυοά νἱ δ! 66ὲ πογθυ8 Οπληΐθιι5 ΓΘι οἷ ϑυρογίοῦ γδίδ ἶοῦ ἰηνοηιυ8 ., δίφυθ ἐμ δίυρογοιη ὄχοὶς- ἀεγὶ!. Θυδηαυδη ἃυῖ6η τηΪηΪπ16 ἀἰνυΐχαγα διι - , Οὐ] νίο6 . [ ᾽Γδπιὶο δοινίδγθιμ δυιὶ, ρμϑιυοᾶ [ΔΠΠ16Π] ΟΣ ἰΪἰ8 ργί ναι διἱ διμη Φυ δ᾽. νογθογιην) ἰυΘγίδιὸ δογίρϑὶ, εἰὐΐ ρδιοία- οἶαπι, υἱὲ ον δῆς 4Ό04) ρδγι ὁ) ΟΟΙ ΘΙ η. Κζ85, οὐ δγὶ . ΕἸ ΘΉΪΠ) π 18ἃ αυϊάδη) 8ι[ δυπὶ, ) Οροτίοῦθδι, δογὶ ρ8] : ρϑιι σᾶ δυϊοπ) ἰΔΟΓΥΠΊΔ85 [0πἀδη8 δοῦίῃο, ρίθγϑβαυθ δηλ Ο ΣΘΒΘΟΔΡΟ, " ψγο χὶ . ορί πἰοπθη δι δῶμ : ὈπίνοΓ8Ά, ρογβρίομα (ἃ ἤαρὶμἰα ἰγὰρίο! ΨΘΡΙΐ ΡΓοβο΄υθηβ., διὶ πιούμπι ἸἰοαἱτΡ : Οπϑη) οϑυδιη) Γ88 ἰΠ᾿ Π 4110Π656 γΘ . Εοαυΐι! βαοὸγ- ἀοιΐυπι ρτγουΐς Ουϊά αἴἶδογβ, φιοά εἰϊνίπο Νιν σδιιροηϑΓγιπ) αἰ δυο Γ] ἢ (γι, οΔι805 ἐϑΐ, φυδινουγθιη ἰθρ] σοηίληηΐ η85 ἢ ΕΘΟΙΓ ΑΥΘΣΘ] ρ81)- Ῥόγιιιι Ὀοηΐ8 ορ68 ΟΟἰ Ὁ Ου͵ά , ΘΌΡ ἴῃ - ἐπεῖιν, τὴν δ᾽ ἀρετὴν προπηλαχίζειν. ΚΑ΄. --- ἙΕΡΜΟΓΕΝΕΙ͂ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ, " Δεινὴν ἡμῶν, ὡς ἐπυθόμην, ἣἧ σὴ θεοσέδεια ἐπὶ φίλων ἐποιήσατό τινων [ ἰ τὴν χαταθοὴν, ὡς [ἔδει] διὰ γραμμάτων παῤῥησιάστιχωτέρων ἐλθεῖν (αἱ γὰρ χρησταὶ παραινέσεις, ἴσχυσαν οὐδὲν), δυναμέ. νων διορθώσααθαι Εὐσέθιον τὸν ἐπίδχοπον, χαὶ μὴ βουλόμενον. Ἴσθι τοίνυν, ὦ ἱερὰ χεφαλὴ (χρῆ γὰρ ἀπολογήσασθαι), ὅτι πᾶσαν χεχίνηχα, ὡς οἷός τε ἦν, ἰατρείας ὁδὸν, καὶ προσηνεστέραν χαὶ τραχυ- τέραν’ χαὶ οὐδὲν παραλέλοιπα τῶν ὀφειλόντων ἀναμοχλεῦσαι τὴν νόσον, χαὶ οὐ δεδύνημαι, τοῦ πάθους χρείττονος τῶν βοηθημάτων εὑρεθέντος, χαὶ εἰς ἀναλγησίαν ἐχπεπτωχότος. Δημοσ!ιεῦσαι μὲν [οὖν] οὐ χρὴ τὰ λήθης ἄξια χαὶ βαθείας σιγῆς" ὅμως δὲ ὀλίγα τῶν ἰδιχῶς αὐτῷ μετὰ παῤῥησίας ἐπεσταλμένων δηλῶ, ἵν᾽ εἰδείης ἄτι χαὶ τούτου τοῦ μέρους χατεφρόνησε, χαὶ παύσαιο ἡ μᾶς αἰτιώμενος. Γέγραφα μὲν γὰρ αὐτῷ πολλὰ μὲν ἃ ἐχρῆν, ὀλίγα δὲ δαχρύων γράφω" ἐπιτεμοῦμαι γὰρ τὰ πλεῖστα, μαχρηγορεῖν δόξαι φυλαττόμενος. Ἣ πόλις πᾶσα () τὰ περιφανῇ σου τραγῳδοῦσα δράματα, φησί. Διὶ ἣν αἰτίαν πιπράσχεις τὰς χειροτονίας ; Τίνος ἕνε- χεν προπίνεις τὴν ἱερωσύνην ; Τοῦ χάριν χαπη- λεύεις τὸ θεῖον ; Δι᾽ ἣν αἰτίαν μιαίνεις τὰ ἀνάχτορα; Τίνος χάριν τὰ τῶν πενήτων σφετεριζόμενος χρῇ" ο μᾳτίζῃ; Διὰ τί ἐπὶ γήρως οὐδῷ () νεωτερίζεις τοῖς ἀδιχήμασι; Τίνος ἕνεχεν οὐχ ἔμεινας ἄρχων, ἀλλ᾽ ἀρχόμενος ὑπὸ τῆς χαχίας ἐφωράθης ; Ἴσθι τοίνῃν ὅτι μείζονα δίχην δοίης ἂν, ὅτι δέδραχας αὐτὸς ἃ χωλύειν ἑτέρους ἐτάχθης (). εἰυ158 ᾿ἰπιΐηθ Παρ εἶ οἱ βιοδίοατίθυς [ανοηοϑοὶβ ἢ ὐνγ ποι ἴῃ Πηρογίο ρμογιηδιβίϑιῖ, σϑγαιη ΥἱΠ ρ8- ΤΌΤ ἀδργθιθηβι5 ἢος ἐφίτυγ, δεῖ1ο, ἰ6 ψγδνίουαδθ ποπηΐηθ ρῴμι5. ἀλιαγυπι , 4υοὰ ἰ)) ΡΟΓροίγαβιὶ, Π6. ] σοπρινἡ οΓοπΐδ, ΒΓῸ ( τυ πο γὰ . οἴϊοϊο ργοὶιαγα ἀδυι δι.
◆
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Permothenes the Bishop
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore responds to a letter from a bishop, urging that the standard for episcopal conduct must exceed what is merely defensible — the bishop must be a model, not merely a minimum.
Your letter reached me, and I read it with care. What you describe — the disputes, the pressures, the difficulty of maintaining your position between factions that want different things from you — I recognize. These things are not peculiar to you; they are the common burden of the office.
But I notice that you frame the question as whether you have done anything that can be justly criticized. This is the wrong question, Permothenes. The question for a bishop is not whether he has avoided reproach but whether he has merited praise. These are not the same standard. The first is achievable by the mediocre; the second marks the excellent.
Judge yourself by the higher standard and you will not go wrong.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.