Letter 807
Isidore of Pelusium→Unknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk
To: An unnamed person
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore writes on matters of priesthood.
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career. Those who pursue it for gain or status have already disqualified themselves. A true priest serves God's people, not himself. The priest who measures his success by income rather than the state of his people's souls has traded the priesthood for commerce.
Περὶ τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος. Τὰ μὲν τὸν ἑνιχὸν ὑπερόαίνοντα ἀριθμὸν ἐν τῇ ἱερᾷ Γραφῇ, τῆς τῶν ὑποστάσεων διαφορᾶς ἐστ: παραστατιχά" τὰ δ᾽ ἐνιχῶς ἐξενηνεγμένα, τῆς ταῦ - τότητος τῆς φύσεως. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ εἴρηται, ἵνα Σαδέλ- λιος χαὶ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐπιστομισθῶσι" τὰ δ᾽ ἵνα !Αρειος χαὶ Εὐνόμιος, χαὶ Ἕλληνες στηλιτευθῶσιν. Οἱ γὰρ πλατύνοντες μὲν εἰς τὴν ἀγίαν Τριάδα τὸν τῶν ἰδιο- τήτων ἀριθμὸν, συστέλλοντες δὲ εἰς μίαν οὐσίαν, ὁρ- θότατα δογματίζουσι, χαὶ ταῖς τῶν οὐρανίων χρη- σμῶν ἕπονται διδασχαλίαις, μἦτ᾽ εἰς πολυθεξαν διὰ ἘΡΙΘΤΟΙΛΆΙΜ . ΠΙ.-- ἘΡΙΘΤ. ΧΥΧΙ. τῖς φύσεω; διαφορὰν ἐχπίπτοντες, μετ᾽ εἰς Ἴου- Α ἀϊδαογίπλοη ἴῃ ρῥἰαγίυπι ἀδοταπὶ ουυπὶ ολάϑηϊ, ποο δαϊαμὸν, διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἑνὸς ποοσώπου σύστασιν ὁλι- σθαίνοντες. ᾿ ΚΗ', -- ΑΦΘΟΝΙῺ ἘΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ. ᾿ς Ἀπὸ τῶν ὁμολογουμένων τὰ ἀμφίδολα χρὴ χρῖνε- σθαι, οὐχ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀμφιδόλων τὰ ὁμολογούμενα. Οἷόν τι λέγω " ὁπηνίχα ἀπὸ τοῦ Βαδυλωνίου τὸ ὄναρ «ἧς εἰχόνος ἀπέπτη, χαὶ ἐζήτει μαθεῖν οὐ μόνον τὴν ἑρμηνείαν τοῦ δειχθέντος, ἀλλὰ χαὶ αὐτὴν τὴν ὄψιν, χαὶ πάντες ἡπόρησαν, τότε ὁ Δανιὴλ οὗ πρῶτον τὰ ζητούμενα ἔφη, πρὶν περὶ τῶν δήλων ποιήσασθαι «ὴν ἐξήγησιν τὰ γὰρ χατὰ διάνοιαν αὐτῷ βουλη- θέντα ὑφηγησάμενος, ἀξιόπιστον ἑαντὸν χαὶ ἀνύπο- πτὸν περὶ τῶν ἀμφισδητουμένων χαθίστη. Ἧ γὰρ «ερὶ τῶν ὁμολογουμένων διδασχαλία, τὴν τοῦ πλάτ- τεσθαι τὰ λεγόμενα χατηγορίαν ἀνήρει. ΚΘ. --- ἙΡΜΟΓΈΝΕΙ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΏ. Εἰ δεῖγμα σαφὲς τῶν ἑχάστον τρόπων ἡ τῶν συν- όντων ἐστὶ πολιτεία, μὴ θαύμαζε εἰ Εὐσέδιος τοὺς περὶ Μαρτινιανὸν χαὶ Ζώτιμον χαὶ Μάρωνα, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τοὺς ὁμοτρόπους αὑτοῖς, διὰ τιμῆς ἔχει. “Ὥσπερ γὰρ εἰ ἀρετῆς ἦν ἐραστὴς, οὐκ ἂν τῶν φιλ- ἀρέτων ἑτέρους προετίμησεν" οὕτως ἐπειδὴ σύντρο- φον χαὶ φίλην τὴν χαχίαν ἔχει, τοῖς ὁμοτρόποις χρῇ-
◆
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk
To: An unnamed person
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore writes on matters of priesthood.
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career. Those who pursue it for gain or status have already disqualified themselves. A true priest serves God's people, not himself. The priest who measures his success by income rather than the state of his people's souls has traded the priesthood for commerce.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.