Letter 506: I have heard things about your conduct, Isidoros, that I wish I had not heard — that you carry the title of deacon...

To Isidore. On how the interpreters of prophecy ought to proceed. The divine and undefiled Power, the fountain of wisdom, the beginning and cause and root of understanding and of every virtue, having willed to weave the predictions of things to come into the more ancient Scriptures, accomplished the task wisely, beyond all speech and praise. Whenever, then, some matter occurred that was able to contain the image of the good things to come, in that very matter she sketched some features in outline [in shadow-drawing], while others she displayed through vivid colors, and so showed forth the bright and living likeness of the image. For from this two very great results came about: that the men of older times were neither bewildered nor mocked what was said, since they had something profitable to reap from the things spoken; and that those who were to come might hunt down the unerring fulfillment of the prophecy. For which reason one must worship the divine grace, and must marvel how easily it passed through so great a difficulty of the matter. Those who interpret, therefore, ought, if it be possible to go through every point without break, to do this readily; but if not, they ought not to force what does not fit, lest even with respect to what does fit they breed a suspicion of falsification, and lest they furnish handles to Jews and Greeks [pagans] and heretics, by referring to Christ certain lowly things that are less than his worth. Rather, they ought either to gallop past the lowly things, or to consider them as belonging to the Incarnation, if it fittingly receives the character; but as for the exalted things, they should grant that these are spoken solely for the sake of his worth. And if anything was said on account of the events of that time, they should grant that this was spoken because of those events, and not force it into what is unseemly.

Ἡ θεία καὶ ἀκήρατος δύναμις, ἡ τῆς σοφίας πηγή, ἡ τῆς συνέσεως καὶ πάσης ἀρετῆς ἀρχὴ τε καὶ αἰτία καὶ ῥίζα, βουληθεῖσα τὰς τῶν μελλόντων προῤῥήσεις ταῖς ἀρχαιοτέραις ἐνυφῆναι γραφαῖς, σοφῶς, καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντα λόγον καὶ ἔπαινον, τὸ πρᾶγμα μετῆλ- αθεν. Εἰ ποτε γοῦν πρᾶγμα ὑπέπιπτε δυνάμενον χω- ρῆσαι τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν τὴν εἰκόνα· ἐν αὐτῷ τὰ μὲν ἐσκιογράφει, τὰ δὲ διὰ χρωμάτων ἀτρά- νου (43), καὶ λαμπρὸν καὶ ζῶντα ἐπεδείκνυτο τῆς εἰκόνος τὸν χαρακτῆρα. Δύο γὰρ ἐκ τούτου συνέδαινε μέγιστα, τό τε τοὺς ἀρχαιοτέρους μὴ ξενίζεσθαι, μήτε διαχλευάζειν τὰ λεγόμενα, ἔχοντάς τι καρποῦσθαι ἐκ τῶν λεγομένων ὠφέλιμον · τό τε τοὺς ἐσομένους, τὸ τῆς προφητείας θηρεύειν ἀδιάπτωτον. Ἐφ᾽ ᾧ δὴ τὴν θείαν χάριν προσκυνητέον, καὶ θαυμαστέον, ὅπως τοσαύτην δυσκολίαν πράγματος ῥᾳδίως μετ- ῆλθε. Χρὴ τοιγαροῦν τοὺς ἑρμηνεύοντας (44), εἰ μὲν ἀδιάστως οἷόν τε εἴη διὰ πάντων διεξελθεῖν, προθύμως τοῦτο ποιεῖν· εἰ δὲ μή, μὴ ἐκδιάζεσθαι τὰ μὴ προσήκοντα· ἵνα μὴ καὶ τοῖς προσήκουσιν ὑποψίαν παραποιήσεως τέκωσι, καὶ Ἰουδαίοις μὲν καὶ Ἕλλησι καὶ αἱρετικοῖς λαβὰς παράσχοιεν, εἰς ὃν τὸν Χριστὸν ταπεινά τινα καὶ τῆς ἀξίας αὐτοῦ ἐλάττονα ἀνενέγκοιεν· ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν ταπεινὰ παριπ- πεύειν, ἢ καὶ τῇ ἐνανθρωπήσει προσήκοντα ἡγεῖ- σθαι, εἰ πρεπόντως δέχοιτο τὸν χαρακτῆρα, τὰ δ᾽ ὑψηλὰ τῆς ἀξίας μόνης ἕνεκα εἰρῆσθαι συγχωρεῖν. Εἰ δέ τι τῶν τότε γεγενημένων ἕνεκα ἐῤῥέθη, τοῦτο συγχωρεῖν δι᾽ ἐκεῖνα εἰρῆσθαι, καὶ μὴ εἰς τὸ ἀπρεπὲς ἐκδιάζεσθαι.