Letter 475
Isidore of Pelusium→Unknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Timotheos
Date: ~410 AD
Context: A brief letter distinguishing the apparent good from the real good — and urging Timotheos to train his judgment to see the difference.
The apparent good and the genuine good are often different things, Timotheos. The apparent good presents itself attractively; the genuine good sometimes does not. This is why judgment is required — to see past appearance to reality.
The man whose judgment is untrained mistakes the attractive for the valuable and the comfortable for the good. The man who has cultivated his discernment sees through the attractive wrapper to what it contains. Pursue this discernment. It is more useful than almost any other capacity you could develop.
ἢ ἱπιροτὶα. Να οἴη, 4υὶ δυίεγθ αἰϊαι ἃ [οοἶδϑὸ νϑωβ 6δϑί, " οι , γΘΓ ΩΣ , " ἰδωῖα 4φιυΐϊίθω) (οἰ “ πιδηϑυοιπ εἶα οἰ οῦ [Δοῖτ 68ι. Ναι ᾿᾿ , φιοὰ δχἰ βι πδδοὶ θυ, ἢ τ δ [ Οὐἑ . εἰορΓὸ - παπάσγοιιγ, ἰη πη ρη ἀφ 3πὶ σοι γον ἐγ], ΠΠΓῸ δροηία οἱ Ἰδίδηδὲ μοιέβίδιθν ἀεμἶι. Ηἰς δυίόιῃ - ρἰοι απ δέυ π Ἀγ Γλ10., . ΡΙΗ͂'. --- ΘΕΟΦΙΛΩ. Περὶ ἀγνωμοσύνης. Μὴ τὸν δόξαντα σοφόν τι πεποιηκένα’ αἰτιῶ, ἀλλὰ τὸν μηδὲ τῇ τοσαύτῃ ἐπιειχείᾳ σωφρονι- αθέντα. Ὃ μὲν γὰρ νομίσας τὸν ἐπ᾽ αὐτοφώρῳ χα- ταληφθησόμενον, εἰς ἀναισχυντίαν τρέπεσθαι, ἐχὼν δέδωχε τοῦ λαθεῖν ἐξουσίαν. Ὁ δὲ τὸ σορὸν νομίσας ἡλίθιον, τῷ μὴ δόξαι πεφωρᾶαθαει, τὴγ ἀναισχυντίαν ἔθρεψεν, ὕδρεσι τὸν εὐεργέτην ἀμειψάμενος. ἀδργα θηϑιι ΟΧἰβ ἢν , ᾿ππ ρει] ) ) δἰυΐ, οπλ ποι ἀῶ ὕδι8 τἠογίϊλυ οοῃλιπ Γ6- ΟΧΙΧ., --- ΟΡΠΕΠῸ ΟΛΑΜΜΑΤΙΟΟ. ἢ παίμτγα αμὶηιαίἑ μι.
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From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Timotheos
Date: ~410 AD
Context: A brief letter distinguishing the apparent good from the real good — and urging Timotheos to train his judgment to see the difference.
The apparent good and the genuine good are often different things, Timotheos. The apparent good presents itself attractively; the genuine good sometimes does not. This is why judgment is required — to see past appearance to reality.
The man whose judgment is untrained mistakes the attractive for the valuable and the comfortable for the good. The man who has cultivated his discernment sees through the attractive wrapper to what it contains. Pursue this discernment. It is more useful than almost any other capacity you could develop.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.