John Chrysostom, Letters

For so this purpose will suffice for you as an alliance, as God accept52.654ing your resolve which in so great a confusion chose the right things, and provides the turning of the scale from Himself. 87. To Eulogius the Bishop. Even if we should arrive at the very ends of the inhabited world, we cannot forget your love, but we go about carrying it everywhere; thus you have captured and subdued us, my most honored and most reverend lord, since even now sitting in Cucusus, in the most desolate place of our whole inhabited world, we do not cease continually considering your kindness, your sweetness, the gentleness of your ways, the genuineness of your disposition, the fire, the intensity, the zeal more vehement than flame, and all your other virtue, and delighting in the memory of these thoughts, and proclaiming to all the steadfastness of your resolve, the unswerving, which you showed towards those who warred against the Churches and filled the inhabited world with so many scandals; although indeed this does not need our tongue; for more clearly than a trumpet you yourself have cried out through your very deeds to all those in the east and those farthest away. For these things we give thanks, we bless, we admire, and we exhort you to continue showing the same zeal. For it is not the same thing to show orthodoxy when things are going with the current, and when there are many attempting to destroy the Churches, to be led astray by none of them, but to remain unswerving, turning them away with fitting courage. For this is not a small, but indeed a very great correction of evils. And that while your Reverence is so disposed, all my most honored and most reverend lords, the bishops throughout Palestine, will follow in your footsteps, I think I need not doubt at all. For I know clearly that in such right actions, just as a body is joined to a head, so you have joined them by the sweetness of your love and have caused them to be bound together, which is itself also the greatest proof of your virtue. 88. To John, Bishop of Jerusalem. We have been removed to Cucusus, but we have not been removed from your love. For the one lay in the power of others, but this in our own. Wherefore, while we sojourn here and sit at so great a distance, we both write and exhort your Reverence, to preserve now also that courage which you showed from the beginning in turning away from those who filled the Churches with so many disturbances, and to add an end worthy of the beginnings, or rather, a much more glorious one. For no small reward will be laid up for you from this, when you turn away, as is fitting, from those who have worked so great a storm and filled almost the entire inhabited world with so many scandals, and have nothing in common with them. This is the security of the Churches, this is a wall, this is your crowns and prizes. Knowing these things, therefore, my52.655 most honored and most reverend lord, both secure the Churches, expecting in this way the greatest recompense from hence, and be ever mindful of us who greatly love your Reverence and depend on your disposition. For we know how great a love you show towards us, having learned it from the facts themselves. 89. To Theodosius, Bishop of Scythopolis. By place, indeed, we are far separated from you, but by love we are near you and close, and by it we are bound to your soul. For such is love; it is not hindered by place, it is not kept apart by length of road, but it easily flies over the whole inhabited world, and is present with those who are loved. Which indeed we also do now, carrying you about in our mind. And we exhort you, just as you have done before, both adorning yourselves and securing the Churches, so also do now, and turn away with the courage that befits you from those who have cast so many troubles into the whole inhabited world and have disturbed the Churches.

Οὕτω γὰρ ἀρκέσει εἰς συμμαχίαν ὑμῖν αὕτη ἡ πρόθεσις, τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν γνώμην ὑμῶν ἀποδε52.654 χομένου τὴν ἐν τοσαύτῃ συγχύσει τὰ ὀρθὰ ἑλομένην, καὶ τὴν παρ' ἑαυτοῦ παρέχοντος ῥοπήν. ΠΖʹ. Εὐλογίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ. Ἡμεῖς κἂν πρὸς αὐτὰς ἀφικώμεθα τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰς ἐσχατιὰς, ἐπιλαθέσθαι σου τῆς ἀγάπης οὐ δυνάμεθα, ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ περιφέροντες ἄπιμεν· οὕτως ἡμᾶς εἷλες καὶ ἐχειρώσω, δέσποτά μου τιμιώτατε καὶ εὐλαβέστατε, ἐπεὶ καὶ νῦν ἐν Κουκουσῷ καθήμενοι, τῷ πάσης τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς οἰκουμένης ἐρημοτάτῳ χωρίῳ, οὐ παυόμεθα διηνεκῶς τὴν χρηστότητα, τὴν γλυκύτητα, τὴν τῶν τρόπων ἐπιείκειαν, τὸ γνήσιον τῆς διαθέσεως, τὸ πεπυρωμένον, τὸ σφοδρὸν, τὸν ζῆλον τὸν φλογὸς σφοδρότερον, τὴν ἄλλην ἅπασάν σου ἀρετὴν ἀναλογιζόμενοι, καὶ τῶν λογισμῶν τούτων τῇ μνήμῃ ἐντρυφῶντες, καὶ πρὸς ἅπαντας ἀνακηρύττοντες τὸ στεῤῥὸν τῆς γνώμης, τὸ ἀπερίτρεπτον, ὅπερ ἐπεδείξω πρὸς τοὺς πολεμήσαντας ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις καὶ τοσούτων σκανδάλων τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐμπλήσαντας· εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα τοῦτο οὐ δεῖται τῆς ἡμετέρας γλώττης· σάλπιγγος γὰρ λαμπρότερον αὐτὸς πᾶσι τοῖς κατὰ τὴν ἀνατολὴν καὶ ποῤῥωτάτω οὖσι διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν ἀνεβόησας. Ὑπὲρ τούτων χάριτας ὁμολογοῦμεν, μακαρίζομεν, θαυμάζομεν καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν τὸν αὐτὸν παραμεῖναι ζῆλον ἐπιδεικνύμενον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἴσον ἐστὶ, κατὰ ῥοῦν τῶν πραγμάτων φερομένων, ὀρθότητα ἐπιδείκνυσθαι, καὶ πολλῶν ὄντων τῶν ἐπιχειρούντων καταλῦσαι τὰς Ἐκκλησίας μηδὲν ἐκεῖθεν παραλογίζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ μένειν ἀκλινῆ, τούτους ἀποστρεφόμενον μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης ἀνδρείας. Οὐ γὰρ μικρὰ αὕτη, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα μεγίστη τῶν κακῶν διόρθωσις. Ὅτι δὲ τῆς σῆς εὐλαβείας οὕτω διακειμένης πάντες οἱ κατὰ τὴν Παλαιστίνην κύριοί μου τιμιώτατοι καὶ εὐλαβέστατοι ἐπίσκοποι ἕψονταί σου τοῖς ἴχνεσιν, οὐδὲν οἶμαι δεῖν ἀμφιβάλλειν. Οἶδα γὰρ σαφῶς ὅτι ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις κατορθώμασιν ὥσπερ σῶμα συνεχὲς κεφαλῇ, οὕτως αὐτοὺς τῇ γλυκύτητί σου τῆς ἀγάπης συνῆψας καὶ συνδεδέσθαι παρεσκεύασας, ὅπερ καὶ τοῦτο μέγιστον δεῖγμα τῆς σῆς ἀρετῆς. ΠΗʹ. Ἰωάννῃ ἐπισκόπῳ Ἱεροσολύμων. Ἀπῳκίσθημεν εἰς τὴν Κουκουσὸν, τῆς δὲ ἀγάπης τῆς ὑμετέρας οὐ μετῳκίσθημεν. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐφ' ἑτέροις ἔκειτο, τοῦτο δὲ ἐφ' ἡμῖν. ∆ιὸ δὴ ἐνταῦθα διατρίβοντες καὶ ἐκ τοσούτου καθήμενοι διαστήματος, καὶ ἐπιστέλλομεν, καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν ὑμῶν τὴν εὐλάβειαν, τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἣν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐπεδείξασθε ἀποστραφέντες τοὺς τὰς Ἐκκλησίας τοσούτων θορύβων ἐμπλήσαντας, ταύτην καὶ νῦν διατηρεῖν, καὶ ἄξιον τῶν προοιμίων, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πολλῷ λαμπρότερον προσθεῖναι τὸ τέλος. Οὐ γὰρ μικρὸς ἐντεῦθεν ὑμῖν κείσεται ὁ μισθὸς, ὅταν τοὺς τοσοῦτον χειμῶνα ἐργασαμένους, καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην σχεδὸν ἅπασαν τοσούτων ἐμπλήσαντας σκανδάλων, ὡς προσῆκόν ἐστιν ἀποστρέφησθε, καὶ μηδὲν κοινὸν ἔχητε πρὸς αὐτούς. Τοῦτο ἀσφάλεια τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν, τοῦτο τεῖχος, τοῦτο ὑμέτεροι στέφανοι καὶ βραβεῖα. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδὼς, δέ52.655 σποτά μου τιμιώτατε καὶ εὐλαβέστατε, τάς τε Ἐκκλησίας ἀσφαλίζου, τὴν τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ μεγίστην ἐντεῦθεν προσδοκῶν ἀντίδοσιν, ἡμῶν τε τῶν σφόδρα ἀγαπώντων τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν, καὶ ἐκκρεμαμένων σου τῆς διαθέσεως, διηνεκῶς μέμνησο. Ἴσμεν γὰρ ὅσην περὶ ἡμᾶς ἀγάπην ἐπιδείκνυσαι, διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν μαθόντες. ΠΘʹ. Θεοδοσίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Σκυθοπόλεως. Τῷ μὲν τόπῳ μακρὰν ὑμῶν διεστήκαμεν, τῇ δὲ ἀγάπῃ ἐγγὺς ὑμῶν ἐσμεν καὶ πλησίον, καὶ αὐτῇ συνδεδέμεθα ὑμῶν τῇ ψυχῇ. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ τὸ φιλεῖν· οὐ κωλύεται τόπῳ, οὐ διείργεται ὁδοῦ μήκει, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν ῥᾳδίως περιίπταται τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ συγγίνεται τοῖς ἀγαπωμένοις. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς ποιοῦμεν νῦν, ἐν διανοίᾳ ὑμᾶς περιφέροντες. Καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν ὑμᾶς, καθάπερ καὶ ἔμπροσθεν ἐποιήσατε, κοσμοῦντές τε ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ τὰς Ἐκκλησίας ἀσφαλιζόμενοι, οὕτω καὶ νῦν ποιήσατε, καὶ τοὺς τοσαύτας ταραχὰς ἐμβαλόντας εἰς τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν, καὶ τὰς Ἐκκλησίας διαταράξαντας ἀποστρέφεσθε μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης ὑμῖν ἀνδρείας.