Letter 1554: If I claimed to possess words capable of eliminating every kind of wickedness, I would rightly be accused of arrogance.
αμπε ἐμᾶς γατίεε ἐθοτῖ! ἱπ Ζοεῖνκο εοὐα[ἰμεημε αὐπιοη ἰοπῖϑιιδ ΜΟῊ δὲς τοί οι Εἰ λόγους ἔφασχον ἔχειν πάσης χαχίας ἀναιρετι- χκοὺς, εἰχότως ἂν εἶχον ἀλαζονείας αἰτίαν. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο μάλιστα πάντων ἐπίσταμαι, ὅτι τοῦ μὲν παρ- αινοῦντός ἐστι τὸ εἰπεῖν τὰ βέλτιστα - τοῦ δὲ συμθουλενομένου τὸ πεισθῆναι. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ λέ- γεῖν, ὁ δὲ τοῦ πράττειν Κύριός ἐστι" τί παρεὶς συγγινώσχειν, εἴγε ἀποδέξασθαι μὴ βούλοιο, αἰτιᾷ τὸν τόγε αὐτοῦ μέρος χατορθώσαντα ; εἰ δὲ μηδ᾽ οὕτω καταδέχῃ, ὥρα δε καὶ τὴν ἄῤῥητον σοφίαν αἰτιά- σασθαι, τὴν μῆτε τοὺς ἀποστατήσαντας Ἰουδαίους, μὴτε τὸν προδότην πείσασαν. Τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἀπέσχον τοῦ πεισθῆναι, ὅτι ὁ μὲν προῦδωχεν, οἱ δὲ ἐσταύ- ρωσαν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ μὴ πείσασα καὶ σώσασα, παρὰ πάντων ἀναχηρύττεται" ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς προαιρέσεως, οὐχ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐχδάσεως τὰ πράγματα χρίνεται" τί αἱτιᾷ τὸν τοσαῦτα πεποιηχότα, χαὶ μὴ δυνηθέντα πεῖσαι Μαρτινιανόν τε χαὶ Ζώσιμον, χαὶ Μάρωνα, χαὶ Εὐστάθιον ἀποσχέσθαι χαχίας ; Τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἀπέχω τοῦ ἐρυθριᾷν ἐπὶ τούτῳ ( καίτοι ἐρυθριᾷν () παντὸς μᾶλλον, ὥς γε ἐμαυτὸν", ἐν οἷς τὸ ἐρυθριᾷν χαλὸν, ἐπιστάμενος), ὅτι χαὶ σεμνύνομαι ἐπὶ τῷ τ ι5. Ηδο" οοἷπι οογοηδία, οἱ ἰογηϊοδιίοπα ἰυύϊοὶο οοηἠεοιηηλία, ιτηδι ΓΙ οηἶυ) δυληι) οἰΐαιμ ἰδυάθηι ἐοηῃδοαυίίυγ.
Related Letters
The monastic life demands total commitment.
It is time for you to call the Nile a small river, since you also call yourself small in eloquence.
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
You have honored me with your remembrance, but you did not quite gauge the weakness of my eyes.
Repentance is not a feeling but a reversal — a turning of the whole person from the wrong direction to the right one.