A learned monk and priest near Pelusium in Egypt, an admirer of Saint John Chrysostom, who left some two thousand letters of spiritual and scriptural counsel.
Feast Day
February 4
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Isidore of Pelusium was a fifth-century Egyptian monk, priest, and ascetic writer, remembered chiefly for an immense body of correspondence on Scripture, doctrine, and the moral and monastic life. He is venerated as one of the Desert Fathers and is commemorated on February 4.
Born in Alexandria during the latter half of the fourth century into a prominent family, he was educated in both sacred texts and secular learning. According to tradition he was related to the Alexandrian patriarchs Theophilus and Cyril. Renouncing his inheritance in youth, he withdrew to the ascetic life and settled on a mountain near the city of Pelusium, from which he takes his name. He served as a priest and, in time, as abbot of his monastery, becoming known for his strict observance of the rule and for his austerity of life.
Contributions & Legacy
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Letters and Teaching
Isidore's principal legacy is his correspondence. Over two thousand of his letters survive, gathered in five books; the historian Nicephorus reported that he wrote as many as ten thousand in all. The letters fall into three broad concerns: dogma and the interpretation of Scripture, ecclesiastical and monastic discipline, and practical morality, and they offer reproach, counsel, encouragement, and consolation to a wide range of recipients.
In his reading of Scripture he favored the moral and spiritual sense of the text. He is recorded as holding that proficiency in good works matters more than skill in eloquent preaching, a conviction reflected in the practical and pastoral cast of his writing.
Doctrinal Engagement
Isidore opposed the teaching of Nestorius, and some accounts credit his initiative with helping bring about the Third Ecumenical Council, held at Ephesus in 431, which condemned Nestorianism. At the same time he is reported to have cautioned against excessive rigidity in Cyril of Alexandria's stance after that council. He likewise opposed the Eutychian error concerning the nature of Christ. His letters contain no reference to the Robber Council of 449 or the Council of Chalcedon in 451, which suggests that his death preceded those events.
He maintained a friendship with John Chrysostom, whom he is said to have visited at Constantinople, and he defended him during his persecution, writing to Patriarch Theophilus on his behalf and describing Chrysostom as a great light of the Church.
His companions & kin
Archbishop of Constantinople whom Isidore admired and defended during his persecution.
