Letter 464
Isidore of Pelusium→Unknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Theogistos
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore argues that the willingness to be corrected is itself a mark of wisdom — the man who refuses correction has placed himself beyond the reach of improvement.
The man who cannot be corrected has made himself into a finished product before he is finished. He has declared himself complete. But since no human being who has not reached the end of his life can be called complete, this declaration is always premature — and the premature declaration closes off the very route by which improvement could have come.
To be correctable is not a defect. It is the condition of continued growth. The teacher who submits to correction from a student when the student is right is not humiliated — he is demonstrating exactly the quality he hopes to instill.
Receive correction, Theogistos, from whatever quarter it comes, when it is deserved. That receptiveness is the beginning of wisdom.
βρη] δβ6 θαι " σομἤΠίοηῖυν, ἔμοιὶς δυο Π6- ἔληι ". ἢ δδηνυιν δυμῖ, 4υ] οὐ ἀορπιαίυπν φυΐάδιη Ρυ!εδγιυάΐηεαι φἰογίϑη τ : σαγυ πὶ (υἷα ἤάἀοὶ τηϊηΐ- [ οοηδθηίδι: ) νἱι8πὴ ΘΥ ἢ ἰ θδη!., ) πὶ, φυϑιεῖυτῆ ἰῃ ἱρ6ῖ8 βίϊι οὐ οδὶ, ἀδθύδεογο δίᾳυδ ἱψποηνίηΐα αἱ - εἰ. θυπὶ δηΐη) οἱ αἰνίηδ ͵υ888 ἈΒρδγηϑηίυγ, οἱ δΔάδυσιηηιϊ, υἱ οὰ ὈαΘρίν6 πι γογΐ8 ἰδ ο685δηῖ, ᾳυδηι οἰΐλπι ᾿οιθι σα γα θη ου͵υπι θεῖ ὁ6ὶ, γογυπὶ που πη δυθπα υἱγίυι6 ργῳάϊογυπι,, πο δε - ἐοι δρυγίο8 δίᾳυδ δἀυ]ιογί ὁσοηνΐης- ΕΧΎ΄ -- 1Μ0Ὸ0 ΡΒΕΒΒΥΤΕΠΒΟ. ΟἸδηοταβ , (οἱ οὐ υἱίδπι ΔὉ ΟἸηπἾθ ὁχοϊιδιΐυγ, (ογγο πδαιθο. Αἰαπὶ δηΐη, δογηιοποιῃ ἢ ἱῃ ἰ6, ἰδῃᾷυδηι πῃ αἰυυπὶ ἀἰγίσοιι! , Θυοι πη ρδοῖο Αἰ δι οι (.! ᾿ ροΓιΐα, ργοίδηιιδ ἱρδα . ποία- γἶι57 ()υομδπι ρᾶοίο ρυγᾷ88, 4αυΐ ἱθ)ριυΓυ8 ἢ Θιιοηδι") ρᾶοίο ἢἰΐο8 θεαὶ εἴεϊΒ, αυΐ δΒοΡΥ δηΐ . Ρυγφαγὶ ρῥείυβ ἀδῦθ68, αἴ4ιι6 ἰἰᾶὰ ρυγᾷᾶτο: Ἐ51 ὈΓ ἃ δδοτί ἰοσὶ! οΥ πη ρυγι , Δ. ἴση - εαγαυιΐβ πυτ88 ϑυὐῦϊγα. ΠΞὸ δυάΐοης, Δηΐηνΐ ογιοἶδιι ΞΔ’. --- ΘΕΟΦΙΛΔΩ. Ἐχεῖνοί εἰσιν οἱ Θεὸν μὲν ὅμολογουντες εἰδέναι, τοῖς δ᾽ ἔργοις ἀρνούμενοι, οἱ ἐπὶ μὲν τῇ ὡραιό- τὴτι () τῶν δογμάτων ἐναδρυνόμενοι, διὰ δὲ τοῦ μὴ συμδαίνουσαν τῇ πίστει τὴν πολιτείαν ἐπιδεί- χνυσθαι, τόγε ἦχον εἰς αὐτοὺς, τὸν Θεὸν ἀτιμάζοντες. Τῷ μὲν γὰρ διαπτύειν τὰ παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ χελευσθέντα, τῷ τε ἑτέρους παρασχευάζειν βλασφημεῖν τοῦτον, ὃν χαὶ εὐλογεῖν οὐ πάντων ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἄχρων εἰς ἀρετὴν, τούτων νόθους ἑαυτοὺς ἀπελέγχουσι. ΞΕ’, -- ΖΩΣΙΜΩ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΗΩ. Οὐ φέρω τὴν διὰ τὸν σὸν βίον γινομένην παρὰ πάντων χαταθδοήν. Φασὶ γὰρ εἰς σὲ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ σχοπὸν τὸν λόγον τείνοντες " Πῶς ἄλλους ἁγιάζεις ὁ ἐναγής; Πῶς καθαίρεις ὁ ἀχάθαρτος ; Πῶς υἱοὺς Θεοῦ χατασχευάζεις ὁ δουλοπρεπής ; Καθαρθῆναι ὀφείλεις, χαὶ οὕτω χαθᾶραι " μὴ ἱεροσυλεῖν, χαὶ τότα ἱερᾶσθαι. Ταῦτ᾽ ἀχούων, ἀλγῶ τὴν ψυχὴν, ὅτι τε ταῦτα περὶ σοῦ φράζουσι, χαὶ ὅτι καὶ εἰς τὰ μυστιχὰ σύμθδολα παραδλάπτεσθαι τοὺς προσιόντας τῇ θείᾳ ΨΑΒΙΑΣ ΓΕΟΤΙΟΝῈΒ ΕἸ ΝΟΤΑ. ) Ρεὸ ἐτράνου οοἀ. ΑἸ!. [Ιορὶι καὶ ἑτράνει. ῬΟΒΒΙΝ. ) Νοῖία δυγοιη Ὠγοθρίιη ἰπἰογργοίδιϊ οι ἐδ δΔοῖ: ϑογίριι γα : " Υἱοίοιη!α δ' δΆΙ ἰοαιι!! εἐ0- ξ8ι, αὐυοά οὐπὶ δηἾπ 0Ὸ δ00 ργεδδιρβοῦ!. Εἰ εὐπίογῦ 6Ρ. δευΐδα τὶ , ΠΟΙ. . οἱ Φ90 . »ἱἱἰ. οἱ δῃΐϑι. . ᾽1υ. ἈΙΤΤ. () Τῇ ὡραιότητι. ῥτο ᾿ν8 εοἀ. αι, ἰι) δοη - ἰοχίι ρον τῇ ὀρθότητι οἱ ἰάϊρϑιη! οοἀ. ΑΙι. Ν612 ᾿πγμίηδι! οοινργοῦαί. δι οοι!. Αἰϊ. Υ. . μῖῸ τῷ μὲν δογὶυἷἱι τῷ τε ῬΟΒΘΙΝ. μόνον τὴν σαυτοῦ ψυχὴν, ἀλλὰ χαὶ ἄλλας πολλὰς ὑπὲρ ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν. Ἐννόησον γὰρ οἵ τείνει τὸ χαχὸν, ὅταν οὖς () αὐτὸς ἐξηγόρασεν, οὗ χρυσίον, ἀλλὰ τὸ τίμιον ἑαυτοῦ αἷμα δεδωχὼς, σὺ διὰ τὸν σαυτοῦ βίον ἀπολέσῃς. Θοδ, ἶρβ6 ΠΟ] ΔιΓΟ, δ6 δΓΟίΪ0580 ΘΓΌΟΓΘ ρεει .
◆
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Theogistos
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore argues that the willingness to be corrected is itself a mark of wisdom — the man who refuses correction has placed himself beyond the reach of improvement.
The man who cannot be corrected has made himself into a finished product before he is finished. He has declared himself complete. But since no human being who has not reached the end of his life can be called complete, this declaration is always premature — and the premature declaration closes off the very route by which improvement could have come.
To be correctable is not a defect. It is the condition of continued growth. The teacher who submits to correction from a student when the student is right is not humiliated — he is demonstrating exactly the quality he hopes to instill.
Receive correction, Theogistos, from whatever quarter it comes, when it is deserved. That receptiveness is the beginning of wisdom.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.