Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 8.djvu/226

 ISIDORE

186

ISIDORE

fable and the Mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, that the former, as acknowledged by the pagans them- selves, conceived and brought forth the fruits of debauchery, whereas the latter conceived without having had intercourse with any man, as is acknowl- edged, says he, by all the nations of the world. His letter to Hierax defends the legitimacy of the venera- tion of relics; that to Tuba shows that it was con- sidered unbecoming for a soldier to carry a sword in the city in time of peace and to appear in public with arms and military uniform.

His letters addressed to persons following the re- ligious life afford many important clues which enable us to form a fairly exact idea of the intellectual stand- ard then existing in Egyptian monastic centres. Isidore reproaches the monk Thalela-us with lieing in- terested in reading pagan historians and pagan poets which were full of fables, lies, and obscenities capable of opening wounds that had healed and of recalling the spirit of imcleanness to the house from which it had been ejected. His advice with regard to those who were embracing the monastic state was that they should not at first be made to feel all the austerities of the rule lest they should be repelled, nor should they be left idle and exempt from ordinary tasks lest they should acquire habits of laziness, but they should be led step by step to what is most perfect. Great ab- stinences serve no purpose unless they are accom- panied by the mortification of the senses. In a great number of St. Isidore's letters concerning the monas- tic state it may be remarked that he holds it to consist mainly in retirement and obedience; that re- tirement includes forgetfulness of the things one has abandoned and the renunciation of old habits, while obedience is attended with mortification of the flesh. A monk's habit should if possible be of skins, and his food consist of herbs, unless bodily weakness require something more, in which case he should be guided by the judgment of his superior, for he must not be governed by his own will, but according to the will of those who have grown old in the practice of the re- ligious life.

Although for the most part very brief, the major- ity of St. Isidore's letters contain much instruction, which is often set forth with elegance, occasionally with a certain literary art. The style is natural, un- affected, and yet not without refinement. The correspondence is characterized by an imperturb- able equability of temperament; whether he is en- gaged at explaining or reprimanding, at disputing or praising, there is always the same moderation, the same sentiments of sincerity, the same sober taste. In the explanation of the Scripture the saint does not conceal his preference for the moral and spiritual sense which he judges most useful for those who con- sult him. Everywhere he is seen to put in practice the maxims he teaches to others, namely that the life should correspond with the words, that one should practise what one teaches, and that it is not sufficient to indicate what should be done, if one does not trans- late one's maxims into action.

BoBER, De arte hermenetUicd s. IsidoH Pelusiota (Cracow, 1878); BoovT, De s. Isidoro Pelusiotd libri tres (Nlmes, 1885); Heumann, Disaertatio de Isidoro Pelumotd ejiusque epistolis quas viaximam partem fictitias ease demonstratur (Gottingen, 1737); LuNDSTROM, De IsidoTi PelusiotcB epistolis Teeensendie prrslu- siones in Eranos, II (1897), 68-80: Niemeyer, De Isidori Pelu- siotce vitd, acriptis et doctrind, commentatio historico-theoloQica (Halle, 1825) : Gluck, Isidori Pelusiotw Summu doctrince moralis (Wurzburg, 1848). His Letters have been edited by de Billy in 3 vols. (Paris, 1585), by Rittershausen (Heidelberg, 1609), by ScHOTT (Antwerp, 1623), and in P. G., LXXVIII.

H. Leclercq.

Isidore of Seville, Saint, b. at Cartagena, Spain, about .WO; d. 4 April, G36. Isidore was the son of Severianus and Theodora. His elder brother Lean- dcr was his immediate predecessor in the Metro- politan See of Seville; whilst a younger brother, St.

Fulgentius, presided over the Bishopric of Astigi. His sister Florentina was a nun, and is said to have ruled over forty convents and one thousand religious. Isidore received his elementary education in the cathedral school of Seville. In this institution, which was the first of its kind in Spain, the trivium and quadrivium were taught by a body of learned men, among whom was the archbishop, Leander. With such diligence did he apply himself to study that in a remarkably short time he mastered Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Whether Isidore ever embraced the monastic life or not is still an open question, but, though he himself may never have been affiliated with any of the religious orders, he esteemed them highly. On his elevation to the episcopacy he immediately constituted himself protector of the monks. In 619 he pronounced anathema against any ecclesiastic who should in any way molest the monas- teries.

On the death of Leander, Isidore succeeded to the See of Seville, 13 March, 599. His long incumbency of this office was spent in a period of disintegration and transition. The ancient institutions and classic learning of the Roman Empire were fast disap- pearing. In Spain a new civilization was beginning to evolve itself from the blending racial elements that made up its population. For almost two centuries the Goths had been in full control of Spain, and their barbarous manners and contempt of learning threatened greatly to put back her progress in civili- zation. Realizing that the spiritual as well as the material well-being of the nation depended on the full assimilation of the foreign elements, St. Isidore set himself to the task of welding into a homogeneous nation the various peoples who made up the Hispano- Gothic kingdom. To this end he availed himself of all the resources of religion and education. His efforts were attended with complete .success. Arian- ism, which had taken deep root among the Visi- goths, was eradicateil, ami the new heresy of Aceph- ales was completely stifletl at the very outset; religious discipline was everywhere strengthened. Like Lean- der, he took a most prominent part in the Councils of Toledo and Seville. In all justice it may be said that it was in a great measure due to the enlightened state- craft of these two illustrious brothers that the Visi- gothic legislation, which emanated from these coun- cils, is regarded by modern historians as exercising a most important influence on the beginnings of representative government. Isidore presided over the Second Coimcil of Seville, begun 13 November, 619, in the reign of Sisebut. But it was the Fourth National Council of Toledo that afforded him the opportunity of being of the greatest service to his country. At this council, begira 5 December, 633, all the bishops of Spain were in attendance. St. Isidore, though far advanced in jrears, presided over its deliberations, and was the originator of most of its enactments. It was at this council and through his influence that a decree was promulgated com- manding all bishops to establish seminaries in their cathedral cities, along the lines of the school already existing at Seville. Within his own jurisdiction he had availed himself of the resources of education to counteract the growing influence of Gothic barbarism. His was the quickening spirit that animated the educational movement of which Seville was the centre. The study of Greek and Hebrew, as well as the liberal arts, was prescribed. Interest in law and medicine was also encouraged. Through the author- ity of the fourth council this policy of education was made obligatory upon all the bishops of the kingdom. Long before the .^rabs had awakened to an appre- ciation of Greek philosophy, he had introduced Aristotle to his countrymen. He was the first Chris- tian writer to essay the task of compiling for his co- religionists a summa of universal knowledge. This