Letter 498
Isidore of Pelusium→Unknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Archivios the Presbyter
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore on the particular danger of spiritual pride — the feeling of having made sufficient progress, which is itself the sign that progress has stopped.
The man who believes he has sufficiently progressed in virtue has stopped progressing, Archivios. This is the peculiar trap of the spiritual life: the feeling of arrival is itself the sign that one has not arrived.
The genuinely excellent man always sees more clearly than those around him how far he has yet to go. His understanding of what virtue actually requires has deepened to the point where his own current attainment, however real, appears modest against the standard he now sees. This is not false humility — it is accurate vision.
The man whose pride in his progress leads him to compare himself favorably with others and to feel satisfied with where he has arrived — that man has lost the vision. He has begun to measure himself against inferior standards. Restore the accurate vision, Archivios, and let it humble you into continued movement.
Ἔνθα καταφοριχῶς περὶ τῶν καχῶς τὴν ἱερωσύ- γῊΡ μετερχομένωγ. Πολλῶν ὄντων, ὡς ἔφης, θαύματος ἀξίων, ἕν ἐστιν, ὃ μάλιστα πάντων ἐγὼ θαυμάζω, χαὶ τοῦ πάντὰ ΗΙΆΧΙ ΠῚ ΠΙΙΓΟΓ, φιοάφυδ ἰάοπθο τοΐΐ ἀγριθνῖο (ὶ διεφθάρθαι τεχμήριον εἶναί φημι ἱχανόν. Διὸ δὴ ἐχεί- οἐϊ, οπιηΐα ουγΓρία οἱ ρογΐ! . Ουοοίγοι ΘΙ . " ΡΓϑ ΘΟΕ πὶ ππς ἀἴσα1) ἀδηηοηβίΓ8 . Ὀϊς ἰφίιυγ ἰδιϊὶβ, αυΐθυβ μορι!ὶ πιαχί πα συγ δυιὶ, τοί, υἱ γοοιῖυ5 ἰοαιαγ, θ0. Οὐ Γὰδ Π ἀδ- υδαδιί, τοῦ πΌ οπγηΐπο πιοάο δυηῖ, οἰ πὶ γο8, ρ6Ρ 6ἃ ., αι δι 5δσογάοι ἢ , νοΐ ἱχιοίυ σοι ιοαπΐηΐ, ΄υογδυπὶ ἰδ νάθπὶ πιο ἐβιϊαι χα ι Ὁ ΝΑΙ δὶ ρϑίθγηδπὶ ἐἰγγαηηΐἀδιη Π,ΟΙΪ ὁδι15, [ 82η6, 4υΐι8 ἱπιρο γι , ᾿πΊρογϑιο : ει φυοᾳιθ πο ἴδιπα οαἰο ται ΐβ ἰγγϑη- " . ΟΥυ ] Γ68 οἱ ἱπηπιδηΐογ γ0ὺ8 ργω θδι . ΝΜυ!ιὶ εὐΐη ἢΠοτυ πὶ Ἰδμἶι8 δὸ της αι δπὶ Ὑ05, ἐγβᾷ , ἰγγοηπίἀθ ΟρΡΡΓ65508 ἰΘΩΘὈΔηϊ, δοδϑογυηί. δ᾽ δυυ ῖδπι ρϑίθγηϑ οἰ γᾶ νοἱνἷβ ΠΟΙ ἶδδὰ ἐδὶ, αυ͵ ἰγγϑηπο8 : νυ βυρθγαι β ἢ (υἱ φυὶ υ εἰἰνίο ογιογο γοάδηριϊ 5υηῖ, ἱρϑὶ ἴῃ) δογνι ἴδῃ 1Γὰ- με ε Θυἱὰ οχ αἰϊθηΐβ οἰ δην δι . . γΟ οΟμ- Ραγαι Ουἱὰ ΡΓΟ))Ὸ8 ἰθηβρρεγδηῖθα νυἱγοβ γ᾽ . ἢ υΐὰ νἱγίυ βιυάϊοβὶβ ἰηδί αἷς βίγυϊεὶϑ ἢ Ουϊὰ δάυ- νων ἀφέμενος, τοῦτο μάλιστα νυνὶ λέξω χαὶ ἐλέγξω. Εἰπὲ τοίνυν τούτοις, οἷς μάλιστα μέλει τῶν λαῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ οἷς μέλειν μὲν ἔδει, μέλει δὲ οὐδαμῶς, ὅτι Λὐτοὶ δι᾽ ὧν ποιεῖτε ὁμολογοῦντες ἀγνοεῖν, τί ἐστιν ἱερωσύνη, τί τοὺς ἄλλους ἐνοχλεῖτε ; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ τυραννίδα πατρῴαν χεχλήρωσθε, ἡγεῖσθε ὧν ἡγεῖ- σθε (), ἵνα χκἀχείνων τῶν διαδοήτων τυράννων ὧμό- τεροι χαὶ τυραννιχώτεροε ὀφθείητε. Πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐχείνων πραότερον ὑμῶν τοῖς τυραννηθεῖσι πρὸσ- ἡνέχθησαν. Εἰ δὲ πατριχὴν χηδεμονίαν ἑνεπιστεύθητε, τί τοὺς τυράννους ἀποχρύπτετε τῇ ὠμότητι; Τί τοὺς τῷ θείῳ αἵματι ἐξαγορασθέντας αὐτοὶ χαταδουλοῦ- σθε : Τί χρηματίζεσθε ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων συμφορῶν ; Τί γελᾶτε τοὺς σώφρονας ; Τί ἐπιθδουλεύετε τοῖς φιλαρέτοις: Τί τοὺς χόλαχας συγχροτεῖτε; Τί τοὺς παῤῥησιαζομένους ἐξοστραχίζετε ; Εἰ γὰρ ὑμεῖς παύ- σεσθε δρῶντες ἃ δρᾶτε, εἰχὸς χαὶ τὰς τῶν λαῶν ἀρετὰς νεχρωθείσας νῦν δι᾽ ὑμᾶς, εἰς παλιγγενεσίαν ἥξειν καὶ ἀναξίωσιν. Ἰαιογὶ θιι8 ἔδνοιὶβ ἢ Ουϊὰ , 4υἱ ᾿ἰυαγα ἰοφυυμίυν, χροὶ ἐ ἢ ΝΔΩΙ οἱ νο8 αυῶ δϑὶι18, ἀβεγθ ἀδβιηδ- , γογβ᾽ ηλ δεΐδιῃ ργοιμηΐβους ρ]6υ νίγίυ , αὐ πυης Ὑγρβίρὰ σϑι188 ΠΟΓ Δί4 Ἔχδι πς δυμῖ, ΓιδυΝ δά ν] πὶ ΓΘΙ . ΓσΟΧΧΧΥ. --- ΠΕΆΜΙΝΟ ΟΟΜΙΤΊ. Οοά εἰπιὶ γεεία υἱἱα οριις δεἰ εἰἴαπι διοεγαάοίϊ αἀἰσοπαὶ [αοεἱιαί6. Ἀυδιηδὐπιοιύιη Π0 ἀγῦογ, οὐπὶ [γυοιΐθι5 ργὰ- ΣΛΕ", -- ΕΡΜΙΝΩ ΚΟΜΗΤΙ. Ὅτι μετὰ τοῦ ὀρθοῦ βίου χρεία τῷ ἱερεῖ τῆς ἐν τῷ «“έγειν δυνάμεως. Ὥσπερ εὐγενὲς δένδρον, ὅταν τῷ χαρπῷ βρίθηται, ΨΑΒΙἙ ΓΕΟΤΙΟΝΕΒ ΕΤ ΝΟΤΕ. () ἩΗγεῖσθε ὧν ἡγεῖσθε. Β. (ἡ. Ἰεσίτυν ὡς ρτὸ ὧν ; πιδ]ΐπ) ἰίααυα ν γα Γα, ἐΐα δαμε, μι ἱνιρεταιὶς, ἵν» Ῥέταιε. ἰλ111. ἘΡΙΘΤΟΙΑΒΟῸΝ ..]. -- ἘΡΙΘΤ, ΟΟΧΧΧΥ͂Ι. τοῖς φύλλοις χομῶν, καὶ τὸν γεωργὸν εὐφραίνει, χαὶ Α υἷἱδ Θ8ι, ( “ἰνπάδί, «φτιοοίδηη οὈϊοοῖα!, οἱ 5ρ6- «οὺς ὁρῶντας τέρπει, χαὶ τοὺς παροδεύοντα; ἀνα“ καύει" οὕτω χαὶ ὁ εἰς τὸν διδασχαλιχὸν ἱδρυθεὶς θρόνον, ὅταν τῇ ἀρετῇ χοσμῆται, χαὶ τῷ λόγῳ ἀστρά- πτῇ, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν εὐφραίνει, χαὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὠφελεῖ. Εἰ δὲ θατέρου ἔρημος εἴη, οὐ λίαν ὠφελεῖ ποὺς φοιτητάς. Χρεία μὲν γὰρ τοῦ βίου, διὰ τοὺς φιλαιτίους- χρεία δὲ χαὶ τοῦ λόγον, διὰ τοὺς χατὰ τῶν αἱρέσεων ἐλέγχους. Εἰ γὰρ χαὶ ἄνευ λόγου ὁ βίος ὠφελεῖν πέφυχε τοὺς πολλοὺς, ἀλλ᾽ ὅταν ἴδωσιν αὑτὸν ἡττώμενον ἐν συλλογισμοῖς καὶ διαλόγοις, εἰς τὰ χαέρια πολλάχις βλάπτονται, ὑπὸ νόθων δογμάτων χλεπτόμενοι. Οὐ γὰρ τὴν ἀπειρίαν τοῦ διδάσχοντος, ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ δόγματος αἰτιάσοιντο σαθρότητα. Εἰ δ᾽ ὁ λόγος ῥέων χατὰ χράτος αἱρῇ τοὺς ἐναντίους, οἰδίογοϑ νοἰηρίϑια δίοἷ!, ἃς ργϑιογθηνθα Γαορθδὶ οἱ γΓοἤοἷς : δοάδιη τηοῦο ἰ5 αυοι 45ὶ ἰπ ἀοοίοτίβ εοἰ!οοδιυ5 , οὐ οἱ νἱγίιῖθ ογηδῖυ5 οἱ ἰπδιγιοίυς δ51, οἰ ΒΕΓΠΙΟΠ6 δία ἀοοίτγίπα Γΐραὶ, τὰπὸ Ὠουηι ουίοοῖδι, ἰυπὶ ᾿οπἑ ἶδυ . υ. ΠΠ Π41΄6η αὔγι, Θ᾽ δυιθιη ΔΙΙΓ ΓΟ ὀαγοδὶ, αἰδεῖρυ! ἢδυὰ δἀπιοάμνηι ργοάρεῖ. για δηΐπὶ ὁρυ8 , ῥγορίδγ υΐ δά εὐἱραπέυπι εἰ εγἰ πιἰ πδηάιπι μγοοϊνεβ δυηὶ : ἀοοίγίπα ἰἰοπὶ διὶ ΓοΙο οι ἀ85 Πογοβ6 τοαυϊνίυγ. ΝΠ οἰδὶ οἰ 1Γὰ “ ΠΙΟΠἾ5 ὁοοίΓίηϑδ ΟΡΘΗ. Υἱἱᾶδ ῬΓΟΌΪ πη0 υ1 - () Β016ῖ, (Δη)6ὴ εὐ) ον ἦι αἰδριη!οι!ο
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From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Archivios the Presbyter
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore on the particular danger of spiritual pride — the feeling of having made sufficient progress, which is itself the sign that progress has stopped.
The man who believes he has sufficiently progressed in virtue has stopped progressing, Archivios. This is the peculiar trap of the spiritual life: the feeling of arrival is itself the sign that one has not arrived.
The genuinely excellent man always sees more clearly than those around him how far he has yet to go. His understanding of what virtue actually requires has deepened to the point where his own current attainment, however real, appears modest against the standard he now sees. This is not false humility — it is accurate vision.
The man whose pride in his progress leads him to compare himself favorably with others and to feel satisfied with where he has arrived — that man has lost the vision. He has begun to measure himself against inferior standards. Restore the accurate vision, Archivios, and let it humble you into continued movement.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.