Letter 510
Isidore of Pelusium→Unknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Ophelios the Grammarian
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore addresses the grammarian on the inadequacy of human language for divine reality — a paradox the grammarian, as a professional with words, is particularly suited to understand.
You of all people, Ophelios, understand that words are not the things they describe. The word "fire" does not burn; the word "water" does not quench thirst. All language is representation, and representation is always at some distance from reality.
This is especially true when the subject is divine. The language we use for God — Father, Lord, Creator — is not false, but it is borrowed from human experience and applied by analogy. It points toward something that exceeds its own capacity to contain. The grammarian who thinks that because he understands the words he understands what they are pointing at has made a significant error.
This is not a reason to abandon language. It is a reason to hold it rightly — as a tool that serves the approach to truth rather than as the truth itself. The theologian's task, like the grammarian's, is to use language with precision. The difference is that the theologian must also know what language cannot do.
Ὅτι μὲν πολλὰ ἄδηλά ἐστιν ἡμῖν, χαὶ λογισμῷ οὐκ εὐθήρατα ἀνθρωπίνῳ, δῆλον. Ὅτι δὲ ἐχεῖνα ἡμᾶς. διαφεύγει (), καὶ τοῦτο χρησίμως, τὰ μὴ συντελοῦντα ἡμῖν εἰς σωτηρίαν, χαὶ τοῦτο δῆλον. Σχοπήσωμεν οὖν, τί ἡμῖν λυσιτελεῖ εἰς μακαριότητα, τί δ᾽ οὔ" χαὶ οὕτως βασανίσωμεν τὰ λεγόμενα. Τὸ λέγειν ἣ σφαῖραν εἶναι τὸν οὐρανὸν, ἣ ἡμισφαίριον" χαὶ τὸ πολυπραγμονεῖν, ἡλίου μὲν τὸν ὠχύτατον δρόμον, σελήνης δὲ μειώσεις τε χαὶ αὐξήσεις, καὶ τῶν ἄστρων τὴν θέσιν" χαὶ τὸ ζητεῖν περὶ γῆς, ἣ χύλινδρός ἐστιν ἣ λιχνοειδὴς, ἣ χέντρον τοῦ παντὸς, χαὶ τὸ τὰ ἐχείνου ἣ ταύτης διαστήματα εἰδέναι, τί συμθδάλλεται εἰς ἀρίστην πολιτείαν, ἐγὼ μὲν οὐ συν- ορῶ. Εἰ δέ τις λέγειν ἔχοι, λέξει μὲν ἴσως, οὐ πείσει δέ. Τὸ δὲ δικαιοσύνην, χαὶ ἀνδρείαν, χαὶ φρόνησιν, χαὶ σωφροσύνην, χαὶ εἴ τι τούτων συγγενὲς, εἰδέναι τε χαὶ πράττειν, τοῦτ᾽ εἰς τὴν χορυφαιοτάτην μαχα- ριότητα ἀναπέμπει τοὺς ἐπιστήμονας. Χρὴ οὖν τῶν μὲν μηδὲν ἡμῖν λυσιτελούντων ἀπέχεσθαι, τῶν δὲ λυσιτελούντων ἀντέχεσθαι. ΔὈΘ ΪΠΘΔΠΉΙ8 : Θἃ Δυίδιη ΟΣ ΣΟΔ'. --- ΓΌΤΤΩ (). Περὶ τῆς τῶν δύο πατριαρχῶν ποιλυγαμίας, ' ᾿Αδραάμ τε καὶ ᾿Ιαχώδ. Ἢ πολυγαμία τοῖν δυεῖν πατριάρχοιν (ὁ γὰρ Ἰσαὰκ μιᾷ ὠμίλησς γυναιχὶ) οὐχ ἀπὸ ῥᾳθυμίας ἣ φιλοπαθίας ἐγένετο, ἀλλ᾽ ἐχ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἐπλάχη, ὡς ἄν Ο τις εἴποι, ἀνάγκης. Διὸ χαὶ συνεγνώσθησαν. Θέα γὰρ, τῇ Γραφῇ ἀχολουθῶν, ὅπως ἐγένετο, Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ᾿Αύραὰμ, εἰ μὴ παρεχλήθη ὑπὸ τἧς γυναιχὸς, τῆς χαὶ ζηλοτυπεῖν ὀφειλούσης, πλησιάσαι τῇ παιδίσχῃ, οὐχ ἂν ἐπλησίασεν " οὐ γὰρ ἡδυπαθῶν (καὶ δείχνυσιν ὁ παρεληλυθὼς χρόνος μαχρὸς ὧν), ἀλλὰ παίδων ἐπιθυμῶν τὴν εὐμορφοτάτην χαὶ εὐειδεστάτην, χαὶ πᾶσαν τὴν Αἴγυπτον τῷ χάλλει ἀναπτερώσασαν ἀφεὶς, ἄλλην [χαὶ] δύσμορφον χαὶ δυσγενῇ ἢναγχά- ζετο σπείρειν ἄρουραν (). Οὕτω γοῦν χαθαρὸς ὧν πάθους παντὸς, ὅτι χαὶ μετὰ τὸ χνῆσαι τὴν παῖδα, χαὶ βασιλίζουσαν ἴσως ἀτιμάσαι τὴν δέσποιναν, ὡς τῆς ἡγεμονίας εἰς τὸν ἐξ αὐτῆς τεχθησόμενον περι- στησομένης, ἐξήλασε τῆς οἰχίας, ὅτε χαὶ ἀπῆλθεν ἐχείνη εἰς τὴν ἔρημον ὁδηγῷ τῇ ἀνάγχῃ χρησαμένη. Εἰ δὲ χαὶ τὴν Χεττούραν ἔσχεν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ [τὴν] τῆς Ἄγαρ χαὶ τῆς Σάρας τελευτήν. Ὃ δ᾽ Ἰαχὼόδ, εἰ ἧς ἦρα [ἐξ ἀρχῆς] ἔτυχεν, ἴσως οὐδ᾽ [ἂν] ἄλλης ἥψατο γυναιχός. Καὶ ὅτι οὐχ ἔστι στοχασμὸς τὸ λε- γόμενον, ἐχ τούτου δῆλον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ χηδεστὴς τὴν πρεσδυτέραν ἄμορφον οὖσαν, ἀντὶ τῆς νεωτέρας τῆς ἀμήχανον χάλλος ἐχούσης αὐτῷ παραχατέχλινεν. Ὃ ΥΑΒΙΖ ΓΚΕΟΤΙΟΝΕΘ ΕΤ ΝΟΤΑ͂. () Ρεγο διαφεύγει Δι οοὐ. γαιὶς. εἰ ΑἸι. αἰ τἰδο βογίθυν! δισφεύγει. ΡΟΒΒΙΝ. () : αρ᾽ϑιοία ᾿π οοι,. Υ4ϊ. εἰ ΑἸ!Ι. ἰηβογί- υἱίυνγ ποῖ ᾿όττῳ, Οοίέο, δε Γότθῳ, (οίπο. ἴν. () Σπείρειν ἄρουραν. Ποῃεδία πιδίομιιογα, ἃ πνι δυοιοτίυυπ υϑυρρείλ, ἀξ αυοά [,διὶ εεὶ, ἐἰϑοτὶς ἀατα ορεέταπι. ϑὶς ΤΙ οαπ5 μάργον ἄνδρα - ἰοδίδίυγ, ὅστις ἄρ᾽ ἀλλοτρίην βούλετ᾽ ἄρουραν ἀροῦν, 4ιΐνα,, 6ϑὶ δριιὶ Ρίδυϊυ., [ἡ αἰΐδηυιη οοἤϊι, Ἰπουϊαπι [μη] γοπὶ ἀδδογί!. Τ4 ογὰϊ νοίυβ Αἰ ἰοὰ [ογπιυϊα σου! γαἰδη αι πιαἰτϊπιομία, ἐπὶ νομίμων παίδων σπορᾷ, ἀδ αι. ] ἰοἰάυγι5. ἰπ1Πττ. ἘΡΙΘΤΟΙΑΕΙΝ .Π]. -- ΕΡΙΘΤ. ΟΟἸΧΧΙΨΥ.. δὲ ὀψέ ποτε γνοὺς τὴν ἀπάτην, ἡγανάχτησε μὲν, οὐχ Α πηι]! Γαπ) διιἰφίε5οι. Θυοάιδ ΠΟΙ πηθ γα σοηδείυ ΓΑ ἐξέδαλε δὲ, ἄτοπον ἡγούμενος τὴν ὅπως δήποτε παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ νυμφευθεῖσαν ἀποπέμψασθαι. Εἴτ᾽ ἐχεῖνος ἐγχαλούμενος ὡς ἀπατεὼν, αὐτεπάγγελτος ἐπὶ τὸ χᾶϊ τὴν ἄλλην αὐτῷ δοῦναι ὥρμησε, νενομισμένου πάντω: τοῦ τοιούτου, χαὶ συγχεχωρημένου ὑπὸ συν- ηθείας ἀρχαίας. Τοῦ δὲ χαταδεξαμένου, ἡ μὲν πρεσδυτέρα, χαίτοι μὴ καταθύμιος αὐτῷ οὖσα, ἕτι- χτεν᾽ ἡ δὲ χειρωσαμένη αὐτὸν τῷ φίλτρῳ, οὐδ᾽ ἐλπίδα τοῦ πράγματος εἶχεν " ἥτις καὶ τῇ λύπῃ χαταχράτος ἁλοῦσα, ἠπείλει ἀναιρήσειν ἑαυτὴν, εἰ μὴ τέχοι. ε Δός μοι γὰρ, φησὶ, τέχνα" εἰ δὲ μὴ, τελευτήσω ἐγὼ, » τουτέστιν, ἐμαυτὴν χειρώσομαι. ὭὩς δ᾽ ἀπέγνω, πα- ραχέχληχεν αὐτὸν τῇ θεραπαινίδι ἑαυτῆς πλησιάσαι, ἵνα τὰ ἐξ ἐχείνης τιχτόμενα τεχνοποιήσηται, χαὶ δόξῃ παραμυθίαν τινὰ ἔχειν τῆς τοιαύτης συμφο- ρᾶ; (). ᾿Εδόχει γὰρ τότε μέγιστον χαχὸν εἶναι ἡ ἀτεχνία. Ὁ δὲ () οὐ πάθει δουλωθεὶς (οὐ γὰρ ἂν τὴν ἄλεχτον χάλλο: ἔχουσαν ἀφεὶς, θεραπαινίδι ἑαυ- τὸν ἐξεδίδου), ἀλλ᾽ ἐχείνην ἀθυμίας ἀπαλλάξαι βου- λόμενος, πείθεται. Ὡς δ' ἕτεχεν ἡ θεράπαινα, πάλιν ἡ πρεσδυτέρα ζηλοτυπήσασα,
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From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Ophelios the Grammarian
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore addresses the grammarian on the inadequacy of human language for divine reality — a paradox the grammarian, as a professional with words, is particularly suited to understand.
You of all people, Ophelios, understand that words are not the things they describe. The word "fire" does not burn; the word "water" does not quench thirst. All language is representation, and representation is always at some distance from reality.
This is especially true when the subject is divine. The language we use for God — Father, Lord, Creator — is not false, but it is borrowed from human experience and applied by analogy. It points toward something that exceeds its own capacity to contain. The grammarian who thinks that because he understands the words he understands what they are pointing at has made a significant error.
This is not a reason to abandon language. It is a reason to hold it rightly — as a tool that serves the approach to truth rather than as the truth itself. The theologian's task, like the grammarian's, is to use language with precision. The difference is that the theologian must also know what language cannot do.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.