Letter 6: Concerning: “For [there is] a cup in the hand of the Lord.
Isidore of Pelusium→Ursenuphius|c. 390 AD|Isidore of Pelusium|Human translated
illness
To Isaiah the soldier. The one who delights in battles and takes pleasure in tumults, and is more eager to be hated by all — what need is there to admonish such a person? For those who choose wickedness as their way of life do not easily receive correction. Nevertheless, one must never cease from providing counsel. To Eustathius the Presbyter. Concerning endurance. He who wishes to win a glorious victory must not only bear insults and injustices nobly, but must also offer the wrongdoer more than he wishes to take, and surpass the limits of that man's wicked desire through the abundance of his own generosity. If these things seem incredible to you, we shall bring the verdict from heaven and read this law from there. For the Savior did not say, "If someone strikes you on the right cheek, bear it nobly and be quiet" — for even some who shone in philosophy achieved this without instruction, living by the natural law. Rather, he added the command to offer the other cheek also to the one who strikes, ready for the blow. For this is the glorious victory: the former is philosophical, but the latter is supernatural and heavenly. To the same. If you thought that shameful pretexts would harshly dispose the more reasonable people, you should have convicted yourself regarding the cause, and regarded your eagerness toward those who provoke bitterness as something to be deprecated. Why then do you deliberate in a manner so contrary to those who are always the most troublesome fools, whom you now dominate in reputation, introducing to those eager to discover things that are contrary to expectation? But I write these things not as if announcing events that have not befallen even himself, before he himself hastened to despise the affairs of each one, but rather diligently following those things entrusted to him. To Theodosius the Bishop. Let Eusebius, who presides over the people dwelling in Pelusium, learn what the Church is. To Eutonios the Deacon. The Savior, breaking the tyranny of the prejudice that had seized the human race, and from lowly affairs raising it to the transcendent lot. To the same. If it pleases you to partake of our words, by which it is fitting for me to partake, it is worthy to imitate me and to deliberate the same things as I do, even as we ourselves do. To Paul the Presbyter. You take it badly whenever you hear good things. This befits those who practice the utmost wickedness. But I do not even know if any human being has his body upright; yet I do know that you write contradictory things. To the same. Whenever I receive letters from your eloquence, I am filled with instruction and rejoice greatly. For in them there is a display both of affection and of learning. But if you should postpone writing for a short time, I grieve exceedingly. To the same. That wickedness in every way brings forth punishment, you know very well; and that goodness, by its excess, brings forth reward likewise. To Heracleides. One must preserve the grace of remembrance for those who have died. To Oursenophios the Reader. Even if in this present life those who now do things similar to or even more wondrous than the ancients do not obtain comparable glory — for on account of the weakness, or envy, or scarcity of those who would praise them, they seem to have less — yet in the age to come they shall obtain as much glory as it would be just for those who lived nobly but died without fame to receive. To Peter the Monk. You had a glorious beginning to your struggles; for this reason we leap for joy and rejoice, and make your good reputation the occasion of a festival. But it would be just for you to be watchful and careful that you may have a more glorious end — and you will have one, if you forget the things behind and stretch forward to the things ahead, and do not think that you have already been crowned and so cease from your labors. For many who began gloriously, and then grew slack, ended shamefully — may this be far from your sacred head. To Agathodaimon and Ophelios the Grammarians. Since uniform studies and exhortations cut, in a way, the sinews of the soul of the more negligent — for every change seems to them a form of relaxation. To Theopemptos the Presbyter. Neither excuse nor pretext remains for those who dare to teach but do the opposite of what they say. For those who neither practice nor attempt to teach may reasonably be demanded a lighter punishment. But those who pride themselves on the teaching word yet do not practice what they say shall face an inexorable and unforgivable judgment. To the same. I say that those who did what was right without written precepts, and cultivated their innate aptitudes toward virtue and goodness, are worthy of the greatest praises and crowns, freely devoting themselves to the pursuit of virtue. To Didymus the Presbyter. Do not blame those who flee headlong from that relentless beast, which is most cruel in pitiable matters and most shameless in the most disgraceful ones, and which considers as enemies even those who do not harm their neighbors, neither by intention nor by command. To Hierax the Presbyter. Those who were enslaved by fear before the dangers came, and could not endure the expectation, and remedied the change of circumstance before the events, how were they not going to appear unmanly when they encountered the actual dangers? Therefore, if their presence would not have helped their fellow combatants, their absence was of the greatest benefit, and they diminished the grief caused by their betrayal. To Theophanios. Drawing your mind away from the present terror more quickly, my friend, give yourself entirely to the hope of things to come. To Isidore the Bishop. The report of your virtues spreads and travels everywhere.
Concerning: “For [there is] a cup in the hand of the Lord.”[27] “There is a cup in the hand of the Lord full of a mixture of pure wine.” The divine prophecy makes known the just recompense is a mixture, on the one hand, with kindness for repentance with respect to the ones putting away[28] sins. “For he was turning from this way to that way,” that is to say, from kindness to the one being owed punishment and just judgment for faults. But in order that we do not altogether appear to be light-hearted[29] of the punishment, it was added: “Nevertheless its dregs were not poured out.” For if they will despise salvation altogether, in the end they will not escape the punishment. “For all the sinners upon the earth,” he says, “will likewise drink” the cup of judgment.
To Isaiah the soldier. The one who delights in battles and takes pleasure in tumults, and is more eager to be hated by all — what need is there to admonish such a person? For those who choose wickedness as their way of life do not easily receive correction. Nevertheless, one must never cease from providing counsel. To Eustathius the Presbyter. Concerning endurance. He who wishes to win a glorious victory must not only bear insults and injustices nobly, but must also offer the wrongdoer more than he wishes to take, and surpass the limits of that man's wicked desire through the abundance of his own generosity. If these things seem incredible to you, we shall bring the verdict from heaven and read this law from there. For the Savior did not say, "If someone strikes you on the right cheek, bear it nobly and be quiet" — for even some who shone in philosophy achieved this without instruction, living by the natural law. Rather, he added the command to offer the other cheek also to the one who strikes, ready for the blow. For this is the glorious victory: the former is philosophical, but the latter is supernatural and heavenly. To the same. If you thought that shameful pretexts would harshly dispose the more reasonable people, you should have convicted yourself regarding the cause, and regarded your eagerness toward those who provoke bitterness as something to be deprecated. Why then do you deliberate in a manner so contrary to those who are always the most troublesome fools, whom you now dominate in reputation, introducing to those eager to discover things that are contrary to expectation? But I write these things not as if announcing events that have not befallen even himself, before he himself hastened to despise the affairs of each one, but rather diligently following those things entrusted to him. To Theodosius the Bishop. Let Eusebius, who presides over the people dwelling in Pelusium, learn what the Church is. To Eutonios the Deacon. The Savior, breaking the tyranny of the prejudice that had seized the human race, and from lowly affairs raising it to the transcendent lot. To the same. If it pleases you to partake of our words, by which it is fitting for me to partake, it is worthy to imitate me and to deliberate the same things as I do, even as we ourselves do. To Paul the Presbyter. You take it badly whenever you hear good things. This befits those who practice the utmost wickedness. But I do not even know if any human being has his body upright; yet I do know that you write contradictory things. To the same. Whenever I receive letters from your eloquence, I am filled with instruction and rejoice greatly. For in them there is a display both of affection and of learning. But if you should postpone writing for a short time, I grieve exceedingly. To the same. That wickedness in every way brings forth punishment, you know very well; and that goodness, by its excess, brings forth reward likewise. To Heracleides. One must preserve the grace of remembrance for those who have died. To Oursenophios the Reader. Even if in this present life those who now do things similar to or even more wondrous than the ancients do not obtain comparable glory — for on account of the weakness, or envy, or scarcity of those who would praise them, they seem to have less — yet in the age to come they shall obtain as much glory as it would be just for those who lived nobly but died without fame to receive. To Peter the Monk. You had a glorious beginning to your struggles; for this reason we leap for joy and rejoice, and make your good reputation the occasion of a festival. But it would be just for you to be watchful and careful that you may have a more glorious end — and you will have one, if you forget the things behind and stretch forward to the things ahead, and do not think that you have already been crowned and so cease from your labors. For many who began gloriously, and then grew slack, ended shamefully — may this be far from your sacred head. To Agathodaimon and Ophelios the Grammarians. Since uniform studies and exhortations cut, in a way, the sinews of the soul of the more negligent — for every change seems to them a form of relaxation. To Theopemptos the Presbyter. Neither excuse nor pretext remains for those who dare to teach but do the opposite of what they say. For those who neither practice nor attempt to teach may reasonably be demanded a lighter punishment. But those who pride themselves on the teaching word yet do not practice what they say shall face an inexorable and unforgivable judgment. To the same. I say that those who did what was right without written precepts, and cultivated their innate aptitudes toward virtue and goodness, are worthy of the greatest praises and crowns, freely devoting themselves to the pursuit of virtue. To Didymus the Presbyter. Do not blame those who flee headlong from that relentless beast, which is most cruel in pitiable matters and most shameless in the most disgraceful ones, and which considers as enemies even those who do not harm their neighbors, neither by intention nor by command. To Hierax the Presbyter. Those who were enslaved by fear before the dangers came, and could not endure the expectation, and remedied the change of circumstance before the events, how were they not going to appear unmanly when they encountered the actual dangers? Therefore, if their presence would not have helped their fellow combatants, their absence was of the greatest benefit, and they diminished the grief caused by their betrayal. To Theophanios. Drawing your mind away from the present terror more quickly, my friend, give yourself entirely to the hope of things to come. To Isidore the Bishop. The report of your virtues spreads and travels everywhere.
Human translation - Roger Pearse (additional translations)