Letter 482
Isidore of Pelusium→Timothy's sibling|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Theophilos the Reader
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore addresses someone whose office involves reading scripture publicly — urging that the reader's own understanding must be genuine, not performed, since what he reads is heard by all.
Your office is not merely vocal, Theophilos. The reader who pronounces the words accurately but has not understood them gives the congregation sounds without meaning — or, worse, gives them the sound of meaning without the substance.
The congregation hears in you not just the words of scripture but your relationship to those words. If you read them as a man who has lived with them and wrestled with them and found in them the thing they are actually saying — that comes through, in the quality of attention, in the pauses, in what receives emphasis. If you read them as a man who has merely memorized the syllables, that comes through too.
Prepare to read, Theophilos, as you would prepare to speak. Not the voice, but the understanding. The rest will follow.
Ἐπιτάξιος πρὸς διαφόρῳ ἐν ἀρετῇ ζήσαντα. Ο μαχάριος Τιμόθεος ὁ σὸς ἀδελφὸς, ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ὥχετο, πᾶν μὲν ὅσον εἶχε θνητὸν, ἐν γῇ χαταλείψας, Ὁ τῇ δὲ ψυχῇ οὐρανοδατῶν " καὶ ταῖς θείαις χαὶ ὑπερ- χοσμίοις, ὡς πιστεύω, συγχορεύων δυνάμεσι. Διὸ χαὶ ἡμεῖς τὴν λύπην, χαίτοι μεγίστην ἦσαν, [καὶ] εἰς τὸ δυνατὸν ἀντέχοντας, σχεδὸν χειρωσαμένην, παρεγρα- ψάμεθα, ἐννοήσαντες, ὅτι ἣ τῶν ἐνθάδε τελευτὴ, ἀρχὴ τῶν μεγίστων αὐτῷ ἐχεῖσε χαθέστηχεν ἀγαθῶν. Οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἔτυχεν ὁ ἀνὴρ ἐνθάδε βίον διήθλῃσεν " ἀλλ᾽ ἀνδρείως χαὶ γενναίως, χαὶ παρὰ πάντων ἐπὶ ταῖς ΥΑΒΙΖΑ ΞΕΟΤΙΟΝΕῈΒ ΕΥ̓ ΝΟΤΕ. () Τὸν ὅπιωινον..... καῖως ἔχειν. ἤφοο ἀδογαηὶ ἱη οάϊι. Ραγί5. οἱ βυρρίδηϊυγ ὁχ οοὐἀ. Βεναγίο0 . ἈΠ 1ΟγΘΠ δ πὶ, ἰηιδγργοίδιίοα δἰϊδπὶ χα ἢδης πογάτι ἀσοΟβϑίοη6 ΓΕΙΟΓΙΔῖΔ. ΕΌΙΤ. ῬΑΤΆ. () 1π16 ΠΠῖς Π Π4πὸ θθπ6 Ἰοηβᾶπι φυᾶ 6ϑ8ϊ βυρτ πιπηο. . () ᾿λόπογίθα ὁχ ΑἸι. ἔσῳ τὸ ἴσω. ῬΟΒΘΙΝ. ἘΡΙΞΤΟΙΑΆΌΝ . Π -- ΕΡΙ5Τ. ΟΠ. ἀριστείαις ἀναχηρυττόμενος, πάσης μὲν εὐφημίας Α ΓΕΠῚ ἴῃ πιοάμπν γἱν ἐΠ δα . νἱῖ δαγγίουϊ!η δὰ -- χρεΐττων ὧν, τοῖς δὲ χατὰ δύναμιν ἐπαίνοις στερα- νούμενος. "Ὄντως γὰρ ἦν ἀνάχτορον μὲν σωφροσύ- νης, ἑστία δὲ φρονήσεως, ἀχρόπολις δὲ ἀνδρείας, μητρόπολις δὲ διχαιοσύνης, χαὶ ταμιεῖον μὲν φιλαν- θρωπίας, τέμενος δὲ ἡμερότητος, χαὶ συλλήδδην εἰπεῖν, πασῶν τῶν ἀρετῶν θησαυρός. Οὕτως γὰρ ἐχάστην ἐχτήσατο, ὡς ἂν ἕτερος μίαν τινὰ χτήσασθαι περὶ πολλοῦ ἐποιήσατο. Τῶν γὰρ ὑπερχοσμίων ἐρα- στὴς γενόμενος ἐπήδα πρὸς τὸν αἰθέρα τῷ λογισμῷ, χαὶ τὰ οὐράνια ἐπολυπραγμόνει, χαὶ τῶν ἐπιγείων ἠμέλει. Ἡδονὴν γὰρ ἀληθεστάτην, καὶ Χριστιανοῖς πρέπουσαν, τὴν σωφροσύνην εἰχότως ὑπειληφὼς, γαστρὸς, χαὶ τῶν μετὰ γαστέρα παθῶν τυραννιχῶς ἐχράτησε, τῇ μὲν τὴν αὐτάρχειαν νομοθετήσας, τοῖς "δὲ οὐδὲ πτερύξασθαι συγχωρήσας. Ἐντεῦθεν παν- Β ταχόθεν διήγγελλεν ἡ φήμη τὸ χλέος, χαὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀπάντων στόμασιν ἦν, χαὶ πάντες [ἤλπιζον] λαμ- προτέρας αὑτὸν, εἰ ἀρχῆς ἐπιλάδοιτο ἐχχλησιαστι- χῆς, πέμψειν τῆς ἀρετῆς τὰς ἀχτῖνας, ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὥσπερ ἀγαθὸ; ἀθλητὴς, ποθούντων ἔτι τῶν θεατῶν, εἰς τὰς οὐρανίους αὐλὰς στεφθησόμενος ἀπέπτη, χαταλείψας ἐνθάδε ὥσπερ ἐντάφιον δόξαν χαὶ μνήμην, [χαὶ] τὸν παρὰ πάντων ἕπαινον. Τίς τοιγαροῦν τὸν τοιοῦτον ἐγχωμιάσαι βουλόμενος, χἂν ἐπ᾽ ὀλίγον τῆς ἀξίας ἐφάψοιτο ; Τίς ἐπαινέσαι θέλων οὐ χατόπιν τῆς ὑπο- θέσεως ἀπολειφθεὶς ἑαυτὸν αἰτιάσοιτο, ὡς πράγματ: ἀμηχάνῳ ἐγχειρήσας ; Τίς τὴν πραότητα χαὶ τὸ μει- λίχιον, καὶ τὴν πρὸς ἅπαντας μὲν, μάλιστα δὲ πρὸς τοὺς φιλαρέτους αἰδὼ, λόγοις ἐπιχειρήσας ὑπογρά- ψαι, οὐχ ἑαυτὸν μέμψοιτο, μηδὲν εὑρίσχων εἰπεῖν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐφάμιλλον ; Οὕτω γὰρ τοὺς συνόντας ἧρει, ὡς εἰς τὸν τῆς φιλίας θεσμὸν, αὑτῷ νέμεσθαι τὰ πρωτεῖα. 'Υψηλὸς μὲν γὰρ ἦν τῇ ἀρετῇ, ταπεινὸς δὲ τῷ φρονήματι, χαὶ πρᾶος μὲν ἐν ταῖς συντυχίαις " ὀξὺς δὲ ἐν ταῖς ἐννοίαις " χαὶ πολὺς μὲν ἐν ταῖς εὐεργεσίαις, ταχὺς δὲ ἐν ταῖς παραχλήσεσιν. Ὃ δέ με χαταπαῦσαι βουλόμενον οὐχ ἐᾶ, τοῦτο ῥητέον, ὅτι τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην διαφερόντως ἀγαπῶν, τὸ λαθεῖν φιλανθρωπευόμενος ἐθηρᾶτο" εὖ εἰδὼς, ὅτι τοῦτο μάλιστά ἐστιν ἐλεημοσύνη. Οἱ γὰρ μετ᾽ ἐπιδείξεως ταύτην διαπραττόμενοι (), οὔ μοι δοχοῦσι φιλαν- θρωπεύεσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὰς τῶν εὖ πασχόντων ἐχτρα- γὙῳδεῖν συμφοράς " χαὶ τὸ θεῖον ἔργον ἀργαλεωτάτῳ λυμαίνεσθαι νοσήματι. Φιλάνθρωποι γὰρ χαὶ εὐερ- γέται καλεῖσθαι ποθοῦντες, τὰς τῶν ἄλλων ἔἐχπομ- λεύειν οὐ παραιτοῦνται δυσπραγίας. Ὁ δὲ ἀοίδιμος ἔχεῖνος " σιωπᾷν γὰρ οὗ θέμις, χαὶ φθεγγομένους ἀναγχαΐον ἐλέγχεσθα! τὴν ἀξίαν αὑτῷ μὴ σώξοντας " οὐχὶ τῷ παρέχειν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ λανθανόντως τοῦτο διαπράττεσθαι, τοὺς εἰς τὴν χάμινον τῆς πε- νίας τυγχάνοντας () ἐδρόσιξζεν. ᾿Αλλὰ τί χάμνω, πέλαγος ἀγαθῶν, εὐτελεῖ λόγῳ ἀνυμνῆσαι πειρώμε- νος Διὸ δὴ ἐγὼ μὲν ἐνταῦθα στήσω τὸν λόγον " αὖ , ΥὙΘΡΓΙΩΝ ΒΊΓΟΙΘ σΡΠΉΘΓΟΒ6,, ἀ( ἰἰὰ υἱ ὁ" ρΡυιεία γα [Δ οί πογὰ οἰ θυ5 ρῥτραϊοαγοϊγ,, δι Ομ 4υΐ δι) ᾿α16 δ] ΠΟΥ , Δι ! ἰδ0- ὁ π νἱγεδ ρογε ἰόγοί, σογοπϑγοίυγ. ΕἰδεΐΠ) Τονθγῷ ρυΚΠ ΠΟ ἃς ἰοιηρογαμεῖ ἀο᾽υγυη) ογαΐ, Ργυΐδαη , ΓΟγυ Δ ἌΓΧ, ἰυπι πιοῖρο- ΡΟ ᾽, δ δη . ροινιῖ., πη βυδι α . ἰθιηρί μη, δίφιιθ υἱ ὕὑηὴ0 νοΓΡῸ ουμῃρίθοιογ, νἱγία ἢ) ΟἸ ΠἾ ἰπδϑϑιγυβ. ᾽ οηἷην Οἴη68 διίόρίιι8 ὁδί, υἱ ππᾶπΔ αυδιπάδι δι ἰρίϑε! τπϑδι ] ἐρθιϊπη458561. ΕἸδΏ ἑν Γ
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From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Theophilos the Reader
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore addresses someone whose office involves reading scripture publicly — urging that the reader's own understanding must be genuine, not performed, since what he reads is heard by all.
Your office is not merely vocal, Theophilos. The reader who pronounces the words accurately but has not understood them gives the congregation sounds without meaning — or, worse, gives them the sound of meaning without the substance.
The congregation hears in you not just the words of scripture but your relationship to those words. If you read them as a man who has lived with them and wrestled with them and found in them the thing they are actually saying — that comes through, in the quality of attention, in the pauses, in what receives emphasis. If you read them as a man who has merely memorized the syllables, that comes through too.
Prepare to read, Theophilos, as you would prepare to speak. Not the voice, but the understanding. The rest will follow.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.