Letter 820: The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Some heap praises upon upright men as if bestowing a kind of reward, thinking that through laudation they actually accomplish something of benefit. But in truth, praise directed at the virtuous man does not add to his virtue, for virtue is its own reward. Rather, it is the one who praises who profits, insofar as he is spurred on to imitation. But beware: flattery disguised as praise is a poison deadlier than any venom, for it corrupts the praised by making them complacent and deceives the praiser by making him think he has done something noble. The truly virtuous man neither seeks praise nor is puffed up by it; he receives it with the same equanimity with which he bears reproach. For he knows that human opinion is as changeable as the wind, and that the only judgment that matters is that of God, who sees not as man sees. Therefore I counsel you: if you must praise, praise the virtue and not the man, so that others may be drawn to imitate the quality rather than to worship the person. And if you must censure, censure the vice and not the man, so that the sinner may have hope of amendment rather than falling into despair. The true friend is not the one who applauds your successes but the one who corrects your failures. The true counselor is not the one who tells you what you want to hear but the one who tells you what you need to hear. And the true prophet is not the one who promises peace when there is no peace, but the one who calls for repentance when repentance is needed. Let us therefore prefer the wounds of a friend to the kisses of an enemy, and the bitter medicine of truth to the sweet poison of flattery. For faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
Θυδουύοφυϊάθπι π ργοῦοβ υἱγος ἰδυάίθυβ εἴἴοιειδ, [ογυδιρ φυοαια πιρηιίοηοιι (Θοἰδιὶ, 56Π85 εχ ἰὸ συξγοίδηι), αυοι δι ρᾷοί0 : μδ6ς ἰῃ ὑπ ἐοηνεμίγ ημθλμὶ. δίᾳιίϊάθ ἰδιυάδιϊο δὰ νοϊυηϊ8- ἔθη) δρδοίδι : (ογίιμδ νοῦ ροθπὶ νἱγιμῃ ἰδ ὐδεὶ ἤθη μοπ Εἰ, αυΐ δυΐθην (οἰ χ δι [ογί δι ρΓδ- αἰοοίυν, αἰηΐθ ργοὰίυοι. Ραγαα ἢ) Θηΐηι, διΐλ πη) (ἰ6 νϑϑῖγα βϑηϊθηϊὰ, χιιΐ σοι αν το! χίοπδηὶ ο0 - , ἰοῦ ( οὐ ργιἤοαιοηθιη οἱ Ἰδυάδιίοη πὶ αἰφεγίν δ. 1ΠΠ4 αὐΐρρα [(υγίυπϑ, [ ἃ γο- δυηίδίς πιϊ406 ἱπθυσίίοης οΥτυΓ. βου θὰ5 ἰψί(υ Ὁ ν) ψοϊδιη, τὴὶγ δγυάϊια, 4θθηδη) ρβοῖο οἱ, ουΐ8 ἰαυσδ5 ργΓΘ Δ ΠΠΌΓ, (ΟΓιυ ΠΡ Β6ΓΙῸ οοιγνοηΐαιὶ, ἃυῖ 'ιόυθ τΠ600 οἷ, 4υἱ [ογιυηδ Ὀοποῆςίο, αἱ ἀἰοἰ ἶ5, ( οχϑι εἶι, ἰδυσθαιΐο οοηστγθαι, Αἰϊοσυ δηΐπὶ Α΄“. ὝὙΘΓΘ05Β . Γι ρυρηδι, ΝΗ! 8ὶ τηϊπί πι6 βρθηῖ ( 65ῖ, μ6 Ἰδυ δοίην: δἷ δυΐϊθι ϑροηίο, ἡ [ΟΤι ἢ: δι ἰϑοι8. ' ἱνορϑαπι βίαϊυΐ!, ργεοθηΐβ ὑοῦ ο6ἰ6- . ΙΘ10ΟΒΙ ῬΕΓΌΘΙΟΤ Ρ'͵ -- ΜΑΡΩΝῚ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ. Οὐ τοῖς ἀδιχουμένοις, ὦ βέλτιστε, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀδι- χοῦσιν ἐπιχρέμαται ὁ χίνδυνος ἅπας " οὗς καὶ ἀγω- νιᾷν καὶ τρέμειν δίχαιον. Εἰ δὲ ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχε:, οὐ τὸ ἀδιχεῖσθαι χαχὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀδικεῖν, χαὶ τὸ μὴ εἰδέ- ναι φέρειν ἀδιχούμενον. ῬΑ', -- Τῇ ΑΥ̓ΤΩ. Εἴρηται καλῶς τινι τῶν ἔξωθεν, οὐ τὸ πένεσθαι ἐπονείδιστον, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὴ φέρειν εὐγενῶς τὴν πε- νίαν (). Εὶ τοίνυν χἀχείνῳ τοῦτο εὖ χαὶ χαλῶς ἔδοξεν, ἐπὶ πενίᾳ μὴ αἰσχυνώμεθα, ἀλλὰ μηδ᾽ ὄνει- δος ταύτην ἡγώμεθα, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ τὴν καχίαν μετενέγ- χωμεν τοῦτον τὸν φόθον. ῬΒ'. -- ΘΕΟΔΩΡΩ ΣΧΟΛΑΣΤΙΚΩ. Ἐπειδὴ πολλοὺς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐγχωμιάζων, χαὶ τύχης μέμνησαι, ἡδέως ἄν σου πυθοίμην, πῶς οἷόν τε ἀμφότερα συνελθεῖν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἕπαινος πρὸς τὴν προαέρεσιν βλέπει" ἡ δὲ τύχη ἐγχωμιά- ζεσθαι μὲν τὸν ἀγαθὸν οὐχ ἐπιτρέπει" μαχαρίζε- σθαι δὲ οὐ χωλύει. Πάμπολυ γὰρ χαὶ χαθ᾽ ὑμᾶς τοὺς τὰ Ἑλλήνων πρεσδεύοντας, μαχαρισμὸς ἐπαί- νον διενηνόχει (θ4). Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐχ τῆς τύχης, ὁ δὲ ἐχ τῆς προαιρέσεως τίχτεται. Γράψον τοιγαροῦν μοι, ὦ σοφὲ, πῶς τῷ ἐπαινουμένῳ ὁ τῆς τύχης ἁρμόττει λόγος" ἣ πῶς τῷ ὑπὸ τῆς τύχης τοιούτῳ, ὥς φατε, γενομένῳ ἐγχώμιον πρέπει. θάτερον γὰρ θατέρῳ μάχεται. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἄχων τοιοῦτός ἔστι, μὴ ἐπαι- ( νείσθω᾽ εἰ δ᾽ ἐχὼν, ἡ τύχη χώραν μὴ ἐχέτω. Εἰ τρόπαιον ἔστησε, χαὶ ἀνακηρυττέσθω " εἰ δὲ ἡ τύχη τοῦτο κατώρθωσς, μὴ ἀπολανέτω ἐπαίνων. Εἰ ἢγω- νίσατο, στεφανούσθω " ἰδὲ οὐχ ἠγωνίσατο, μὴ ἐπαι- νείσθω. υγθιον : ) δΔυίοιη [ΟἿυηα . ργϑεβιὶ ει, πάθη ἢ6 Οὐηβοαυδιυγ. δὶ ἰτηΐσαν!, οὐρθπα ἀοιθίυγ ; δὶ δυ- δ ) ριφηανὶ. πὸ ἰδ δίυτγ, ΟΠ. -- ΒΕΒΜΟΘΕΝΙ ἘΡΙΒΟΟΡΟ, τὰ δηΐιπο, υἱ Ζοβίμιϊ, ΟΠ Γοιθοη , οἱ Μἃ- Τοιΐθ μεοιυ]δη δῖ οἱ ἰρυΐ οῖ 8πΔὸ ΡΘΓ Υἱῆὶ ὁ06Γῃ- . ἱμ5ῖ5 ΟσΟυΓΓΟΓΘ ἴῃ δἰ υπ ἰηθυχίδι, πη ἀρράγαίυ, ἃς εἰν Δ Χ Ομ 651ῖ. δ᾽ δυι6ηι ἰληᾳύυδη Ομ δῖ 4ιι6 δι] ργΣηυπὶ) ΟἰΔΠΟΥ̓ΘΙἢ διιρεγαίυτγιιϑ, Πργ ἰοἶρδαι [ . Ταηίυη διΐνη : ] ἀἰυπι δ᾽ οἱ ἱρμ5ὶ8 πηυλιο ἀἤδρυηι, οὐ ὑτο- λυιη 4υ Υἱγὰλ ] Ο18ε ράγαμ!, 4υϑηῖυπ) ἐπίαογ ] πὶ Θχοίίδη!, οι νόγυην μεϊμοίροιυ ἐμοῦ οομπάππι. Νὰ αυΐ ἴῃ σοπιηποῃΐθυβ Γο- σοι εθγεβ δυηῖ, ᾿ἰάδι ἢ δγίναι ἀἰβϑ θη; οἱ ἢ! ὀχϑιϊηφυδιιάν, φηιδηΐίυην ἰμπ ἰμδ58 δἰίαι οϑὶ, νίγιαϊα ἰηνίοι! οὐδ τοῦθγὶ δβρϑοίθη δὐυμῖ, ἰάθη ἦι οοπιοη (δ ργϊοίραιυ ᾿ποχρὶ ἱπι6Γ δὺ ] ἢ) ᾿ΟΥΘΏΙ. Γ΄, -- ἙΡΜΟΓΈΝΕΙ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΏ. Ἑὶ μὲν ὡς βίᾳ ἀνείρξων τὴν ὕόριν χαὶ τὴν ἀσ- ἔλγειαν, Ζωσίμου τε χαὶ Χαιρήμονος χαὶ Μάρωνος, ὑπαντιάσαι αὐτοῖς προΐρησαι, πολλῆς σοι δεῖ χαὶ τῆς παρασχενῆς, χαὶ τῆς ἄνωθεν συμμαχίας. Εἰ δ᾽ ὡς αὑτοδοςὶ περιεσόμενος, σαυτὸν ἀπατῶν λανθά- Ὁ νεις. Τοσαύτην γὰρ ἑαυτοῖς εἰσφέρουσι συμμαχίαν, ὅταν ἀγαθόν τινα ἄνδρα δέῃ ἀμύνασθαι, ὅσην χινοῦσι πρὸς ξαυτοὺς ἅμιλλαν, ὅταν περὶ τῆς τῶν χαχῶν πλεονεξίας ἀμφισδητῶσιν. Ἐδν γὰρ τοῖς χοινοῖς συμ- θαίνοντες, ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις διαφέρονται, χαὶ ἀπρόσ- μαχον ἐπιδειχνύμενοι ῥώμην ἐν τῷ τὴν ἀρετὴν, τόγε ἧκον εἰς αὐτοὺς, σδέσαι, ἐν τῇ περὶ τῶν πρω- τείων ἁμίλλῃ, ἄσπονδον πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς ξγείροναι πό- λεμον. ΥΑΒΙ. ΓΕΚΟΤΙΟΝΕΘ ΕΤ ΝΟΤΑ͂. () Οὐ τὸ πένεσθαι ἐπονείδιστον, ἀ..1ὰ τὸ μὴ φέρειν εὐγενῶς τὴν πενίαν. ΡΙυγίνε ἰη ᾿Δης 56ῃ- κΔοιίδιν Πἀθομῖ ἢ γγϑῦϑι. οἱ ϑίοὺ. Υἱά. δι ποιδίᾷ δά Ιυδιϊπὐιοι!, εἴ1, Ἔἐπερέοὶ. ἴμον. Ἀϊττ. () Μαχαρισμὸς ἑπκαίγου διεγήνοχεν. Ὑ]ά. ΑΤΙ- διοί. . . Ειπῖς. Το. ῬΔ΄. --- ΑΝΤΙΟΧΩ. Ὥσπερ ἐν οἷς
Related Letters
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
The spiritual life is a journey with a beginning, a middle, and an end.
God's judgment is certain, and no amount of cleverness or delay can avoid it.
The theme of this letter is the abrogation of the Jewish festivals by the evangelical law. It has no claim to be considered a work of Jerome. About this page Source.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.