John Chrysostom, Letters

which we especially desire to enjoy. And this is for you to write to us continually about your health, and that of your whole household. For if it were possible for us to meet one another, I would have both roused you from your home, and asked as the greatest of favors to see you face to face, you who are such a warm lover of us. But since the fear of the Isaurians has prevented this, at least provide us generously with the consolation from letters, and we will have received everything. 70. To Chalcidia. I for my part greatly desire the most honorable presbyter, my master, to be with us. But if you know it is advantageous for him to come there, I prefer his safety and his deliverance from the impending trouble to his presence here. Therefore, do not think that he is being prevented by us, if he should wish to go abroad. For we have detained him until now for this reason, as the nature of the matter did not greatly require his presence, and fearing lest he might fall into the hands of the Isaurians. But if it is so necessary for him to come there, we both urge and encourage him to undertake the journey. For even if we are separated in body, yet we remain bound to him by the chain of love. Let none of the difficult things that befall you disturb you, I beseech you. For the more numerous the trials, the greater is your labor, and the greater the reward, and the recompense from the man-loving God, if you bear what happens with gratitude and courage. For thus these things will be easy to overcome, and the fruit born for you from the endurance of them will be abundant in the heavens, and much greater than the sufferings. 52.650 77. To Asyncretia. I have written to your honor before, that we number you with those who have come, according to the principle of love, and now we say the same thing, that you have come in spirit. But if the weakness of the body prevented you, and the disturbances that have seized Armenia, we have the same verdict concerning your disposition from your mind and your purpose, which we also had before. Therefore, do not neglect to write to us continually, and to make known whether your illness has been resolved, and about your health. Since even now we were greatly pained, hearing that you were in sickness. Therefore, so that we may not be anxious about this, declare to us quickly if your sickness has changed toward health. 78. To Romanus the Presbyter. Not only as far as Armenia, nor the country of the Cappadocians, but even further, the report of your love and of the disposition which you have constantly shown toward us has arrived, clearer than a trumpet. Wherefore we too are greatly adorned by the disposition of your piety, and we do not cease counting you blessed, and we ask you to write to us continually about your health. For even if we are seated in a wilderness, and are settled far from you, nevertheless we are bound to you by the chain of love, having now that same disposition which we showed toward your honor from the beginning, or rather, one much greater and warmer. For neither the length of time nor the length of the road has made you more slothful in this, but rather more earnest. Knowing these things, therefore, my most honorable and most pious master, and considering how great a favor you will grant us by writing more continually, write to us about your health, and especially, being mindful of us always in your holy prayers; so that, sitting at so great a distance, we may from there also reap much alliance. 79. To Gemellus. What is this? When so great and grand a city celebrates a splendid festival—for this is what I call your office—then you have cast us into greater dejection, by keeping such a long silence? And if it were some other one of the many who had suffered this, I would have easily found the reason. And what is it? The majority of men are accustomed, whenever they take hold of a greater office, also to exist in a greater swelling of pride; but in the case of your magnificence, which knows how to philosophize, and has accurately considered these mortal and fleeting things

ἧς μάλιστα ἀπολαύειν ἐπιθυμοῦμεν. Αὕτη δέ ἐστι τὸ συνεχῶς ἡμῖν γράφειν περὶ τῆς ὑγιείας τῆς σῆς, καὶ τοῦ οἴκου σου παντός. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ δυνατὸν ἦν καὶ συγγενέσθαι ἡμᾶς ἀλλήλοις, κἂν ἀνέστησά σε οἴκοθεν, κἂν ἐν μεγίστης ᾔτησα χάριτος μέρει, τὸ τὸν θερμόν σε οὕτως ἐραστὴν ἡμῶν ὄντα καὶ κατ' ὄψιν ἰδεῖν αὐτήν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦτο ὁ τῶν Ἰσαύρων ἐκώλυσε φόβος, τὴν γοῦν ἀπὸ τῶν γραμμάτων ἡμῖν παραμυθίαν πάρεχε δαψιλῶς, καὶ τὸ πᾶν ἀπειλήφαμεν. Οʹ. Χαλκιδίᾳ. Ἐγὼ μὲν σφόδρα ἐπιθυμῶ σὺν ἡμῖν εἶναι τὸν δεσπότην μου τὸν τιμιώτατον πρεσβύτερον. Εἰ δὲ τὸ παραγενέσθαι αὐτόθι τοῦτον οἶσθα λυσιτελὲς, προτιμῶ τῆς ἐνταῦθα αὐτοῦ παρουσίας τὴν ἄδειαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐπικειμένης ἀπαλλαγῆναι ταραχῆς. Μὴ τοίνυν νομίσῃς αὐτὸν κωλύεσθαι παρ' ἡμῶν, εἰ βούλοιτο ἀποδημεῖν. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ ἕως τοῦ νῦν διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν ἐπέσχομεν, ὡς οὐ σφόδρα τῆς τοῦ πράγματος φύσεως ἀπαιτούσης αὐτοῦ τὴν παρουσίαν, καὶ δεδοικότες μήποτε εἰς τὰς τῶν Ἰσαύρων ἐμπέσῃ χεῖρας. Εἰ δὲ οὕτως ἀναγκαῖον τὸ αὐτόθι παραγενέσθαι, καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν καὶ προτρεπόμεθα ἅψασθαι τῆς ἀποδημίας. Κἂν γὰρ τῷ σώματι κεχωρισμένοι ὦμεν, ἀλλὰ τῇ τῆς ἀγάπης ἁλύσει μένομεν πρὸς αὐτὸν συνδεδεμένοι. Μηδέν σε θορυβείτω, παρακαλῶ, τῶν συμπιπτόντων χαλεπῶν. Ὅσῳ γὰρ πλείους αἱ περιστάσεις, τοσούτῳ σοι μείζων ἡ πραγματεία, καὶ πλείων ὁ μισθὸς, καὶ ἡ ἀντίδοσις παρὰ τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ, ἂν εὐχαρίστως φέρῃς καὶ γενναίως τὰ συμβαίνοντα. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ταῦτα εὐκαταγώνιστα ἔσται, καὶ ὁ ἐκ τῆς τούτων ὑπομονῆς σοι τικτόμενος καρπὸς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς δαψιλὴς ἔσται, καὶ πολὺ μείζων τῶν παθημάτων. 52.650 ΟΖʹ. Ἀσυγκριτίᾳ. Καὶ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπέσταλκά σου τῇ τιμιότητι, ὅτι καὶ σὲ μετὰ τῶν παραγενομένων ἀριθμοῦμεν κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἀγάπης λόγον, καὶ νῦν τὸ αὐτὸ λέγομεν, ὅτι τῇ γνώμῃ παραγέγονας. Εἰ δὲ ἡ ἀσθένεια τοῦ σώματος διεκώλυσε, καὶ οἱ θόρυβοι οἱ τὴν Ἀρμενίαν κατειληφότες, ἡμεῖς ἀπὸ τῆς γνώμης καὶ τῆς προαιρέσεως τὴν αὐτὴν περὶ τῆς διαθέσεώς σου ψῆφον ἔχομεν, ἥνπερ καὶ ἔμπροσθεν. Μὴ τοίνυν καταφρόνει συνεχῶς ἡμῖν ἐπιστέλλειν, καὶ εἴ σοι λέλυται τὰ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας, καὶ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας σου δηλοῦν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ νῦν σφόδρα ἠλγήσαμεν, ἀκούσαντές σε ἐν ἀῤῥωστίᾳ εἶναι. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ μεριμνῶμεν περὶ τούτου, διὰ τάχους ἡμῖν δήλωσον, εἰ πρὸς ὑγείαν σοι τὰ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας μεταβέβληται. ΟΗʹ. Ῥωμανῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ. Οὐ μέχρι τῆς Ἀρμενίας μόνον, οὐδὲ τῆς Καππαδόκων χώρας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ποῤῥωτέρω, τῆς ἀγάπης σου καὶ τῆς διαθέσεως, ἣν περὶ ἡμᾶς ἐπεδείξω διηνεκῶς, σάλπιγγος λαμπροτέρα ἡ φήμη παραγέγονε. ∆ιόπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς σφόδρα καλλωπιζόμεθα ἐπὶ τῇ διαθέσει τῆς εὐλαβείας σου, καὶ μακαρίζοντές σε οὐ διαλιμπάνομεν, καί σου δεόμεθα συνεχῶς ἐπιστέλλειν ἡμῖν περὶ τῆς ὑγείας τῆς σῆς. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐν ἐρημίᾳ καθήμεθα, καὶ πόῤῥω ὑμῶν ἀπῳκίσμεθα, ἀλλ' ὅμως τῇ τῆς ἀγάπης ἁλύσει συνδεδέμεθά σοι, ἣν ἐξ ἀρχῆς διάθεσιν περὶ τὴν σὴν τιμιότητα ἐπεδειξάμεθα, ταύτην, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πολλῷ πλείονα καὶ θερμοτέραν νῦν ἔχοντες. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ὑμᾶς οὔτε τοῦ χρόνου τὸ πλῆθος, οὔτε τῆς ὁδοῦ τὸ μῆκος ῥᾳθυμοτέρους εἰς τοῦτο πεποίηκεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σπουδαιοτέρους. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδὼς, δέσποτά μου τιμιώτατε καὶ εὐλαβέστατε, καὶ λογισάμενος ἡλίκην ἡμῖν χαριῇ χάριν συνεχέστερον ἐπιστέλλων, γράφε ἡμῖν τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας τῆς σῆς, καὶ προηγουμένως διηνεκῶς ἐν ταῖς ἁγίαις σου μεμνημένος εὐχαῖς· ἵνα καὶ ἐκ τοσούτου καθήμενοι διαστήματος, πολλὴν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν καρπωσώμεθα τὴν συμμαχίαν. ΟΘʹ. Γεμέλλῳ. Τί τοῦτο; Ὅτε ἡ τοσαύτη καὶ τηλικαύτη πόλις ἑορτὴν ἄγει λαμπρὰν τοῦτο γὰρ τὴν ἀρχὴν καλῶ τὴν σὴν, τότε ἡμᾶς ἐν πλείονι κατέστησας κατηφείᾳ, μακρὰν οὕτω σιγήσας σιγήν; Καὶ εἰ μὲν ἄλλος τις ἦν τῶν πολλῶν ὁ τοῦτο πεπονθὼς, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ῥᾳδίως ἂν εὗρον. Τίς δέ ἐστιν αὕτη; Εἰώθασιν οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἡνίκα ἂν μείζονος ἀρχῆς ἐπιλάβωνται, καὶ ἐν ὄγκῳ φρονήματος γίνεσθαι μείζονι· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς σῆς μεγαλοπρεπείας φιλοσοφεῖν εἰδυίας, καὶ ἀκριβῶς διεσκεμμένης τῶν ἐπικήρων τούτων καὶ ῥεόντων