Letter 832
Isidore of Pelusium→Unknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk
To: An unnamed person
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore writes on matters of anger.
Anger is a fire: useful when controlled, devastating when unleashed. The wise person uses it sparingly and always under the guidance of reason. The time to fight anger is before it ignites, not after. Build the walls of self-control while you are calm.
“Ὅτι οὐκ ἔχει πρόγνωσιν ὁ διάδοιλος, ἀ..) ἐκ τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν κιγημάτων στοχάζεται τὰ καθέχα- Οὐ τὰ κατὰ διάνοιαν οἶδεν, ὦ πραότατε, ὁ διάδο- λος " τῆς γὰρ θείας μόνης ἐστὶ τοῦτο ἐξαίρετον δυνά- μεως, τῆς χαὶ πλαπσάσης χατὰ μόνα: τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν " ἀλλ᾽ ἀπὸ [τῶν] τοῦ σώματος () χινημάτων () τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς θηρεύει βουλεύματα. Οἷον εἶδέ τινα πε- ριέργως ὁρῶντα, καὶ ἐστιῶντα τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις χάλλεσι ; λαδὼν ἐχείνου τὴν ὁρμὴν, εὐθὺς ἢ εἰς μοιχείαν, ἣ εἰς πορνείαν τὸν τοιοῦτον ἐρεθίζει. Εἶδεν ὀργίλον καὶ θυμώδη; εὐθὺς τὸ ξίφος ἀχονᾷ, καὶ εἷς φόνον παρορμᾷ. Εἶδεν αἰσχροχερδῆῇ ; εἷς λῃ- στεία; προτρέπει χαὶ ἀδικίας. Εἶδε γαστρὸς ἥττονα ; εὐθὺς χαὶ τὰ μετὰ γαστέρων () αὐτῷ πάθη ὑπογρά- φει, καὶ ὕλας παρέχει πρὸς τὸ εἰς ἔργον χωρῆσαι τὸν οἰχεῖον σχοπόν. Διὰ τί γὰρ μὴ πάντας εἰς τὰ αὐτὰ πάθη ὠθεῖ; Ἐπειδὴ ὁ μὲν τοῦτο, ὁ δὲ ἐχεῖνο μᾶλλον προήρηται χαὶ τῷ μὲν τοῦτο, τῷ δὲ ἐχεῖνο ἀρέσχει. ᾿Απὸ τῶν χινημάτων οὖν τοῦ σώματος, χαὶ τὰ τῶν ψυχῶν σαθρὰ τεχμαίρεται " χαὶ οὕτω πλέχες τοὺς δόλους.
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From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk
To: An unnamed person
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore writes on matters of anger.
Anger is a fire: useful when controlled, devastating when unleashed. The wise person uses it sparingly and always under the guidance of reason. The time to fight anger is before it ignites, not after. Build the walls of self-control while you are calm.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.