Letter 818: Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
Make the catalog of the books, which I have written to you, known to your friend with precision, lest creeping forgetfulness bring loss to you and a charge of ingratitude upon him.
To Leontius the Bishop: The beginning of friendship and the spark of love is mutual goodwill. But goodwill is sustained not by words alone, but by deeds that confirm the words. For many speak of friendship, but few practice it. Many promise loyalty, but few maintain it through adversity. The true friend is known not in prosperity, when companions are plentiful, but in misfortune, when they are scarce. Therefore I urge you, O bishop, to show your friendship not merely in pleasant greetings and smooth words, but in courageous actions and faithful counsel. For a bishop who flatters is more dangerous than an open enemy, since the enemy wounds the body while the flatterer corrupts the soul. Let your speech be seasoned with salt, and let your love be without hypocrisy, that those entrusted to your care may find in you not a mirror reflecting their vanity, but a physician healing their infirmities. Let us therefore cultivate the habit of speaking with precision and acting with integrity, so that our words and our deeds may form a single, seamless testimony to the truth. For the servant of God must be like a coin of pure gold: genuine throughout, bearing the image of the King on every surface, and ringing true when struck upon the stone of testing. Anything less is counterfeit, and the counterfeit, however skillfully made, will ultimately be detected and rejected.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
Τὸν στιχισμὸν τῶν βιδλίων, ὧν γέγραφά σοι, τῷ φίλῳ δήλου μετ᾽ ἀχριδείας, ἵνα μὴ ἕρψασα λήθη, σοὶ μὲν ζημίαν, αὐτῷ δὲ ψῆφον ἀγνωμοσύνης () ἐπ- αγάγῃ. Π7΄. --- ΛΈΟΝΤΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ. Αιτηϊε αι ρου πιογάϊυπι, ὃς θα βονο θη ἰᾳ πἰοι , Ο τὸ τῆς φιλίας προοίμιον, χαὶ ὁ τῆς ἀγάπης σπιν- δῖσιο ἰὰ ᾳυοι! οἱ πι8.) οἱ οριΐπη υἵγιιην Σα Ομ : Πι, Βι ΔπΊογα βαυοίαν!, ἰὴ ργοῦ 4ι οὐδ , ᾳυοά ἴῃ ἱρ5᾽.. Ἰηογῖ δηϊπηδάνογι!. Ῥοβιοδηνϑηι δηΐη ἰρδιπὶ ποη πιοάο υἱγίμἷβ οαυβα, ] οἱ ΐδη) ΘΟΙΓΌΤΑ Υὐγ ΔΙΠΟΓΡ ἰδ ποί, ΠΠΠνοηκ! αἴ Δ] Δοτὶ Δη1Π) ρογίουπι διἰδυηΐοπι σοπβροχὶ, Ὀΐης ΓΘ Π113ΠῚ ᾳφυοαυθ νἱγὶ [ [ἢ ΠΟ πὶ ᾿λη]ηλπὶ νθ8 οὐογαῖυϑ, δ4] ρθη) Ὡπηϑλι ᾿μοἰ ἴδιας. ΟἿ") θη ΓΉΡΘΙ ΠῚ ἰησδηὶ 14Π 50Ρ] : ρἰ6Ι3 (Ὠν βιϊδη ἠοσηνδῖ σοηνο ογ6 δῖ4ι: ᾿αυοίποϊηγα ΟΠ ΓΘ. ἢἷς ὙΘΙῸ ΟΟΥΓΘΙ ΔΓΠῚΪ5 ΔΨ ΑΥΠΟρ15- Ἰηἷ5 ᾿ηβι γι οἱ, Ποῖ ὈΓΪῚ5 [ΟΥΓΘ (ἰδ . ., ]. ὨΓΟΓΒ05 ἰη [ὈξΠ σοι 1556Π , μΟΤΑμ Ομ δτη οἱ ᾿ἱπίοσγηπὶ νἱοἰογίδην γοϊι η . ΗΟ τ ΓΒ ) ΠΟΙ 21η Π π. ποη ἀΐσηπη ἰσηΐ σι . [λχ ρεογερίου διίθηβ88 ], . ρυγηνληδὶ!. Νὰ) δἃ ἀϊνίη! Ἀπιουῖϑ ίαχ οϑί. (ὐογρόγθης δἰησι θη), ὑἱροῖο δ) οι . οἱ 'ι πῈ ( αδηἀοχυϊάσιη ἃ οογροιΐθυδ ἢηχὶβ εἰ οϑάιοἰς ςοὐριῃθιίαι!ν. ) Π , δίφυς Πογιη θὴρ, χαὶ τὸ τρῶσαν ἀμφοτέρους, ἐμέ τε καὶ τὸν ἄρι- στον Εὐτόνιον, εἰς τὸν πρὸς ἀλλήλους πόθον, τὸ μισῦ- πόνηρόν ἐστιν ἦθος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶδον αὐτὸν οὐ μόνον ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν φιλαρέτων ἡδέιος χινδυνεύοντα, ἀπὸ τούτου χαὶ τὴν λοιπὴν φιλοσοφίαν τἀνδρὸς ἰχνηλατήσας, ἐτρώθην πρὸς φιλίαν. Ἐπειδὴ ὃξ χαὶ σοφιστομανοῦντές τινες τὰ δόγυατα τῆς εὖσε- θείας λυμήνασθα! ἐμηχανῶντο, ἐνταῦθα φραξάμενοι τοῖς Σχείνων ὅπλοις, χαὶ τοῖς συλλογισμοῖς πατάσσον- τες, οὐ πρότερον ἀνήύχαμεν, ἢ τελέως τρέψασθαι, χαὶ τὸ χράτος χαθαρῶς ἀναδήσασθαι. Οὗτος δεύτε- ρος ἡμῖν τῆς ἀγάπης οὐχ ἔτι σπινθῆρ, ἀλλ᾽ ἔδη πυρ- σὺς περιφανῶς ἐξήφθη, χαὶ παρέμηνε. Τοιοῦτος γὰρ τοῦ θείου ἔρωτος ὁ νόμος. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ σωματιχὸς, ἅτε “ γαμαίζηλος ὧν (ἐπε: δὴ ἀπὸ ῥευστῶν συνίσταται σι»- μάτων), ῥεύσει, χαὶ δίχην ἀνθῶν μαραίνεται. Οὔτε Υὰρ πῦρ μένει τῆς ὕλης τῆς τὴν ὑπόθεσιν τῇ φλογὶ δεδωχυίας ἀναλωθείσης, ἀλλὰ σὺν αὑτῇ συναπέρχε- ται" οὔτε πόθος ἴσταται μαραινομένου τοῦ ὑπεχχαύ- ΥΑΒΙΑΣ ΕΟΤΙΟΝΕῈΒ ΕΤ ΝΟΤΑ͂.. () Οοε, γαιῖς. βοΐν5 ἀποχλείεις ρ6Γ [τὰν ἰπδαοιῖι σογιθθπ5 ἀποχλείσεις. ΡΘΕΘΙΝ. () (οι. υἱυ8 Υ4ι1. [6κἷῖ ἀγνωσύνης. ἴ0. : ἘΡΙΘΤΟΙΛΆΠΜ . ΠΙ. --- ΕΡΙΞΤ. ΧΟ. ματος. Ὁ δὲ χατὰ Θεὸν χαὶ σώφρων, ἐπειδὴ πράγμα- Αἰ ἰηϑῖ. πηαγουδεῖ!, Ναιὴ πδηυ6 ἰφυΐβ Δυβιιπιρίδ δὰ τος ἑστῶτός ἐστι, διὰ τοῦτο χαὶ μόνιμος " χαὶ ὅσῳ τὸ πιδίογία, 4ιΚ8 ΠηΠΠΠῚ85 Δ 5ΆΠΊ ΡΓΦΠΝ, πηποῖ, γ6- χάλλος αὐτῷ τῆς ἀρετῆς φαντάζεται, τοσούτῳ ἑαυτῷ τγυπὶ ὑπ8 Οηπὶ δὰ Δ βοδαὶι : πος βογρί(ο λίπα οχϑιίη- τε χαὶ ἀλλήλοις συνδεῖ τοὺς τῶν αὐτῶν ἐραστάς. οἰ0 ἱρηίΐουϊο ἀπηοὸῦ ουπείδι!. Αἱ ἀϊνίηυς οἱ ρυιΐεις ΔΠΟΓ, Γαΐ Πγπμῶ8 . 6ϑί, ργοΐβάβ βιδ αὐυοᾳῦ6 ἰρβθ6 δεῖ : σιοαιθ υἱγίυ . ρος γί τὰ - π6 πη πη φίϑιυγΓ, 4υο4υ8 ἀτγοίίιδ, οἱ δδοῦπι οἱ ἰηι6Γ ὀαονίποῖ! ΄υΐ δἀτυιπόδηι του ἀα5ἷ- ἀοτῖὶο Π6ῃ . ΠΗ΄. --- ΤΏ ΑΥ̓ΤΩ. ΧΧΥΧΥὺ ]].--ΕἸΌΕΝ. Εἰ χαὶ εἰσί τινες, ὡς ἔφης, τῶν τὴν προστασίαν Οιδιην δ ΟΧ ἢἶ8, 4ι ρΟρΡΪ] συ ΓΆΩ, ρΓΙ6Οίι- τῶν λαῶν ἀναδησαμένων, ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς τῶν πενήτων ΓΑΙῺ δ. ΒΟΘΡΟΓΙΝ, ΠΟΠΠΗΠΠΪ δἰμί, υδ λυ ( ἐϊείμπὶ σχήψεως ἀρχόμενοι, εἰς ὃὲ τὸν ἴδιον χρηματισμὸν τε- , 4υΐ ΟἸΙΠ ΡΔΒΡΘΓΙ ΠΝ ΠΟΦΟΙ ΠῚ Δ8ΟΓΟ ὈΓΪΙΏΟ ]. λευτῶντες " ἀλλά γε αὐτὸς μὴ τοῖς ναυαγοῦσι πρόσ-ἠ πηγυΐθι, ἰη ργίγϑίυ) ΙΔπάδηι απ ρφίιπ) (: Δ η] : εχε, ἀλλὰ τοῖς τοὺς οἴακας ἀσφαλῶς μεταχειρίζουσι, ἴα ἰλτηθη ἰἴ5, 4υἱ παυΐγαφί) [δοΐηϊ, πα διίθιἰθ, χαὶ ἐξ οὐρίας πλέουσι. γ ΡΠ ἰΐ5, 4τ οἰανυν τὺ ἰΓδοϊδηϊ, δεςσιμμι ἃ ΔυΓἃ ΠΟΥ) ρΆΜΗΙ. ὦ ΠΘ΄. --- ἸΣΙΔΩΡΩ ΔΙΑΚΟΝΩ. ΕΥΧΧΙΧ, ---ἸΘ] ΘΙΑΓΘΟΝΟ. Τὰς ἑδδομάδας τοῦ Δαγιὴ. πῶς ἑρμηγεύδι ( ἢ. δαπὶοἰὶς ᾿μεϑαοπιαά ας φιοπιοάο ἱμιετργείθίμγ , Ἐπειδὴ φιλόπονο; ὧν χαὶ φιλομαθὴς, ἠθέλησας Θιυιηἀοφυϊήοεπι ργῸ ἰπήνπιγ ἀοοί"ι μαθεῖν πῶς ἐπληρώθησαν αἱ παρὰ τῷ Δανιὴλ ἀναγε- 5ιπάϊο ᾿μ Πρϑγα ἀνδ8, αυοηϑι ρϑείο ἀμαὰ δὃα- γραμμέναι ἑξήχοντα χαὶ ἐννέα δύδομάδες τῶν ἑτῶν, πηἰρίεπι ρογβογρίς βοχαρίία πότοηὶ δηπογιη ἤ6 - αἱ ἀπὸ τῆς οἰχοδομῆῇῆς τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀριθμούμε- ἀοημδ665, ΄αυξ ἢ ΘΓΟΒΟΙΥ ον 15π45 υγ] τ Π - ναι, χαὶ εἰς τὴν ἅλωσιν αὐτῆς τελευτῶσ
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