Letter 861: Character is revealed not by what a person says but by what he does when no one is watching.
It is the mark of a wise presbyter, who, for the sake of the divine hatred against the impious, does not shrink from opposing and rebuking them, even at personal cost. For the shepherd who loves his sheep will not hesitate to confront the wolf, even though the wolf has sharper teeth and greater ferocity. The hireling flees because the sheep are not his own; but the true shepherd stands his ground because he has invested his life in the flock. This is what distinguishes the genuine pastor from the mere functionary: the genuine pastor is willing to suffer for the truth, while the functionary adjusts the truth to avoid suffering. The genuine pastor speaks what the people need to hear, not what they want to hear; the functionary tells them pleasant things and sends them away uncorrected. But the day of reckoning will come, and on that day the hireling will be held accountable not only for his own sins but for the sins he could have prevented by faithful preaching. Therefore take courage, O presbyter, and do not flinch from your duty. Better to be hated for speaking the truth than to be loved for speaking lies.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
ΘΔΡΙ6Π5 ΡΓΘΒΌΥΓΟΥ Εἰιβι αι , 4υϊ, ρΓῸ ἀἰνῖπ0 πη ἱπηρτοῦοβ οὐΐο, αἰΐδπι ἰδ ἰδὲ οὐ ἐμιραγο εἰ ΙΈγαῖο, υἱ ποϑι!, Επδίλι ΠΟΠΊΔ Θ586 βΓΔΥΪΟΥ οἱ [ποϊάϑία (ογοῦδὶ, ποπθῇ δυιπὶ ἰΠηηπ Γ6 Εἱ!- ρνίδθαι, μίης δυϑοαβ8:. Νβῆμθ δηΐπὶ [ΟΓ[ ἀἴσαο τὸ [ δϑὲ, πιογίυυϑ . ΝΆηι ργοῦογιη) Υἱτόγυη) (4ι0- γὰ ΠυμΘΓπὶ ἦρ86 4υοι ἀὐυροῦ81) Β0Π ., Π]- Ιἐβιϊσυπιὶ (υἰάδιῃ ἢ πἰ8. δῖ, ὈΟΠΟΓυμΝ ΨΘΙῸ ἐπ .. διφυ θη οογίδηίηυτι ἤηΐ8, οογοηϑγ μὴ ργϊποὶρίυνι δχϑίβί, ΘΟΟΧΙΙ. --- ΡΑΙ ΡΙΔΟΟΝΟ. ΕΔ ηαυοϊαδηνηιοῦο δηΐμ! ρΓΟρΘηΒίΟηΘ , Ο Δηῖ6 , αἰ πηαχὶ πιὶθ φυΐϊ δ ν᾽ γίυιυ5 ἤάδιν Δ θΘά μι, ἰ- σοηιἰ Δυθῖ ροοοα(͵ δυγοζθοι). ἔχ φυοὸ οἰαίίιν, , ] ΘοΟΠηΘΠΊΟΓΔηϊ, ᾿τἶ θ05 ΔΙ οἰ ΔΗ : δυΐθιῃ., ] ΠᾶΡΓαΠ, ] ροδϑύυιη , Πὶ Ὁ ἰνΐσδιν ; δία πὴ πι5, ἰΓἰ βίο πι γυ] ργίογοηο τορτὶτηδη). ΟυΔ: ) ΟὈΓΘΠΊ, ] ᾿ο511 ᾳυοιθ, 4υϊ ἰἀηἀἃ αυφπύληι δὐνογϑυιη ( ργΟ θουι5 πογυῖϊ, Οὐδιγαχὶ, Π6 πη ῖϊ!, , δὴ ἀπΐην πος ἀδάϊι, ται [ : , τὰ ΠῚ , Ρ6Γ αν , σογρυδδ, ΘΠ ατο. ΝΆ (. ἀδηνι ιν σὺ σγδι δι «ἰ ἢ ΓΕΒ. , δ᾽ ΠΟῚ , νου Οαιιδἃ γ ) [ ΠΟΙ ΘΙ ΔΓ. (ΟΟΧΠΠ. -- ΠΆΜΡΕΤΙΟ ΡΙΔΟΟΝΟ. ὃ αἰυΐϊπο παἀυοπίμ. - ΕΠ πε 1ο, ατνυ βαρ οἰ ϑηυΐλοῦυη), αυοά ΥΑΒΙΑΣ ΓΕΘΟΤΙΌΝΕΒ ΕΤ ΝΟΤΙ. () Ῥγὸ ἀν᾽ οοἠ. αι. θ50 πνεῖ ἐφ᾽ οἵ νον8. δὑρόντες “ΟΥἾδΐ1 γγὸ ὁρῶντες. εγβ. ρθη. μῖΓῸ ὅτι ἐπε: αἱ γεῦβ. . ἐχωμῴδησας, Χω μῳδήσας. . ΙΒ100Ά1 ΡΕΓΌΘΙΟΤΕ νἱοιονίαα ρυ]ομγ ἀΐ6 ἰπδίψη σαἰογυπι ΓΟΧ, Α χοὸς τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλεὺς, ὁ ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν ἀν- αὶ οὐ υπμδηΐ ροηογὶβ βαϊυϊθηι ᾿ς γοηΐ!, ροδίθᾶ- 4ιλπὶ ἰά ομπ , φιοά ροοοοθαί, ἰδπαυδη θάτϑᾶγυη ΒΡ ες ; ἴυπἢ γθγὸ ρϑτίᾶ υἱειογία ἰδῆψυδηι ρτορτίιπι Ππ]βα γι! πὶ Π . (ΟΟΣΙΥ͂. --- ΡΕΤΆΟ ΒΟΠΟΙΑΘΤΙΟΟ. Ουὶ ηδη βοϊαη , αυΐυυ5 ἰηυν᾽α , υἱεϊφοίτυν, δα οἰἰδπ ΠΠυ ργονί δι, πὸ χφαΐξ δία) ἐπ γδ δῇϊ- οἶδι, ἷς ἤθη π ἃς [ὉΓι18 ργἱποὶρὶ8., ϑϑγυπὶ διΐδιη [οἰ δἰαιου δ ποιηθη πιογοιὰν: υἱ αυΐ Δ᾽ιογυ ἢ) ρ6Γ ἱπιρογὶΐ ροιδηιϊ8πι, ΔΓ πὶ Ρ6Γ διιἱπιὶ γγυάδη ) σομῇοϊαϊῖ. ΟΟΟΧΥ͂. --- ΑΟΒΟΝΙΟ ΟΟΒΕΆΕΟΤΟΙΙ. Θυΐϊ πδὸ ἴανογθ, πδς οὐΐο, πδὸ πηυπορίθυ5 δ ἀυοἰ- θρώπων τὴν ἐπιδημίαν () τῇδε ποιησάμενος, πᾶν τὸ ἁμαρτάνον ὡς βάρδαρον χειρωσάμενος, ὡς οἰχεῖον μετὰ τὴν νίχην ᾧχτειρε.
Related Letters
The desire to strengthen your hallowed soul made me write to you in criticism of your excessive longing to be with me.
Scripture speaks with precision to those who read carefully.
To my holy brother and fellow soldier Severus,
The man carrying this letter is a philosopher at heart but a lawyer by profession.
1. Our brother Barbarus, the bearer of this letter, is a servant of God, who has now for a long time been settled at Hippo, and has been an eager and diligent hearer of the word of God. He requested from us this letter to your Holiness, whereby we commend him to you in the Lord, and convey to you through him the salutations which it is our duty ...