John Chrysostom, Letters

is accustomed to accrue to souls from temptations. For the nature of the flame renders that material much brighter and purer, consorting with it for as long as the law of the art allows; and the furnace of successive temptations makes men who are like gold in their way of thinking brighter and more precious than any gold, with great abundance. For this very reason, though we are situated at such a great distance, we do not cease to bless you continually. For you know, you know clearly, how great is the gain from such plots, and how the prosperity of the present life is only a bare name, devoid of substance, but the good things to come are solid, immovable, permanent, immortal. And this is not the only marvel of virtue, that it provides us such prizes, but that even before the prizes, its contests become prizes, and not only when the theater is dismissed does it come bearing the rewards for the victors, but even in the very midst of the arena it weaves brilliant crowns for the contestants. For this reason Paul also rejoices and is glad not only at the rewards for afflictions, but is also adorned by the afflictions themselves, saying thus: Not only so, but we also glory in tribulations. Then, counting out the string of affliction's rewards, he says that it brings forth patience, the mother of good things, the waveless harbor, life in tranquility, stronger than rock, and harder than adamant, more powerful than any weapon, and more secure than walls. And this, when achieved, makes its nurslings tested and noble, and beyond measure unconquerable. For it does not permit them to be troubled or tripped up by any of the painful things that befall them; but just as the rock, the more it is struck by waves, is itself cleansed the more, not being moved in the least, and easily destroys the mass of waters breaking against it, annihilating them not by striking, but by being struck; so indeed also the one who has been approved through patience stands superior to every plot. And the wondrous thing is this, that he becomes stronger not by doing evil, but by suffering evil, easily confounding those who do it. I have sent this not as to those needing to learn from us; for I know your understanding, which you have demonstrated through your very deeds; for what we have now philosophized about in words, you have proclaimed through what you have suffered. Therefore I have not sent this as to those needing to learn from us, but since you have been silent a long time, or rather we have kept a long silence together, I wished the letter to be a long one. And in writing to such noble athletes of patience, about what else was it necessary to discourse, than about these things, through which you have appeared so brilliant and renowned? But not even here does the fruit of the contest stop, but it goes on further, teeming. For testing, he says, brings forth hope; a hope that will certainly result in reality, not like this human kind, which having often exhausted with toils those who gaped toward it, was not strong enough to give them the fruits of their toils, but along with loss, also encompassed them with shame and dangers. But this hope is not of such a kind, since it is not human. Which Paul, declaring in one word, said: And hope does not put to shame. For not only does it not harm the one who contends in such things, nor does it only not put him to shame, but it comes bringing him much more, both wealth and glory, for his toils and his sweats. For such is the hand that bestows the rewards of these toils. Perhaps we have exceeded the measure of a letter, but not for you who are such vehement lovers of us. For since you judge such things not by the rule for epistolary correspondence, but by the law of friendship, I know well that you will consider even this letter to be a short one. But nevertheless even if it seems short to you, I will not cease demanding from you the wages for it, not to be loved by you; for you do not need one to demand this, it of your own accord

εἴωθε προσγίνεσθαι ψυχαῖς ὑπὸ τῶν πειρασμῶν. Ἐκείνην τε γὰρ τὴν ὕλην λαμπροτέραν πολλῷ καὶ καθαρωτέραν ἡ τῆς φλογὸς ἀποφαίνει φύσις, ὁμιλοῦσα αὐτῇ χρόνον τοσοῦτον, ὅσον ἂν ὁ τῆς τέχνης ἐπιτρέπει νόμος· τούς τε τῷ χρυσίῳ κατὰ διάνοιαν ἐοικότας ἀνθρώπους, χρυσίου παντὸς φαιδροτέρους καὶ πολυτελεστέρους μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς περιουσίας ἡ τῶν ἐπαλλήλων πειρασμῶν ἐργάζεται κάμινος. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο, καὶ ἐκ τοσούτου καθήμενοι διαστήματος, οὐ παυόμεθα διηνεκῶς μακαρίζοντες ὑμᾶς. Ἴστε γὰρ, ἴστε σαφῶς, ὅσον τῶν τοιούτων ἐπιβουλῶν τὸ κέρδος, καὶ πῶς ἡ τοῦ παρόντος εὐημερία βίου ὄνομα μόνον ἐστὶ ψιλὸν, πράγματος ἔρημον, τὰ δὲ μέλλοντα ἀγαθὰ, πεπηγότα, ἀκίνητα μόνιμα, ἀθάνατα. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ θαῦμα τῆς ἀρετῆς, ὅτι τοιαῦτα ἡμῖν τὰ ἔπαθλα παρέχεται, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἐπάθλων οἱ ἀγῶνες αὐτῆς ἔπαθλα γίνονται, καὶ οὐ μόνον τοῦ θεάτρου λυθέντος τὰ βραβεῖα τοῖς νενικηκόσιν ἔρχεται φέρουσα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ μέσῳ τῷ σκάμματι λαμπροὺς τοῖς ἀγωνιζομένοις πλέκει τοὺς στεφάνους. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος οὐκ ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀντιδόσεσι τῶν θλίψεων χαίρει καὶ εὐφραίνεται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπ' αὐταῖς ταῖς θλίψεσι καλλωπίζεται, οὕτω λέγων· Οὐ μόνον δὲ, ἀλλὰ καὶ καυχώμεθα ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσιν. Εἶτα ἀπ52.666 αριθμούμενος τὸν ὁρμαθὸν τῶν βραβείων τῆς θλίψεως, φησὶν, ὅτι ὑπομονὴν αὕτη τίκτει, τὴν μητέρα τῶν ἀγαθῶν, τὸν ἀκύμαντον λιμένα, τὴν ἐν γαλήνῃ ζωὴν, τὴν πέτρας ἰσχυροτέραν, καὶ ἀδάμαντος στεῤῥοτέραν, τὴν ὅπλου παντὸς δυνατωτέραν, καὶ τειχῶν ἀσφαλεστέραν. Αὕτη δὲ κατορθωθεῖσα δοκίμους καὶ γενναίους ποιεῖ τοὺς αὐτῆς τροφίμους, καὶ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς ἀχειρώτους. Οὐδενὶ γὰρ ἀφίησι τῶν προσπιπτόντων αὐτοῖς θορυβεῖσθαι λυπηρῶν, οὐδὲ ὑποσκελίζεσθαι· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἡ πέτρα ὅσῳπερ ἂν ὑπὸ πλειόνων παίηται κυμάτων, αὕτη μὲν ἐκκαθαίρεται μειζόνως, οὐδὲ μικρὸν κινουμένη, τῶν δὲ προσρηγνυμένων αὐτῇ τὸν ὄγκον ὑδάτων διαφθείρει ῥᾳδίως, οὐ τῷ παίειν, ἀλλὰ τῷ παίεσθαι ἀφανίζουσα· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ δόκιμος ἐξ ὑπομονῆς γενόμενος, πάσης ἀνώτερος ἕστηκεν ἐπιβουλῆς. Καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστὸν, ὅτι ἰσχυρότερος γίνεται, οὐ τῷ ποιεῖν κακῶς, ἀλλὰ τῷ πάσχειν κακῶς τοὺς ποιοῦντας διαλύων ῥᾳδίως. Ταῦτα οὐχ ὡς δεομένοις παρ' ἡμῶν μανθάνειν ἐπέσταλκα· οἶδα γὰρ ὑμῶν τὴν σύνεσιν, ἣν καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν ἐπεδείξασθε· ἃ γὰρ διὰ ῥημάτων ἐφιλοσοφήσαμεν νῦν ἡμεῖς, ταῦτα ὑμεῖς δι' ὧν ἐπάθετε ἀνεκηρύξατε. Οὐ τοίνυν ὡς δεομένοις μανθάνειν παρ' ἡμῶν ταῦτα ἐπέσταλκα, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ μακρὸν ἐσιγήσατε χρόνον, μᾶλλον δὲ κοινῇ μακρὰν ἐσιγήσαμεν σιγὴν, ἐβουλήθην καὶ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν γενέσθαι μακράν. Ἀθληταῖς δὲ ὑπομονῆς οὕτω γενναίοις ἐπιστέλλοντα, περὶ τίνος ἑτέρου διαλέγεσθαι ἐχρῆν, ἢ περὶ τούτων, δι' ὧν οὕτως ἀνεφάνητε λαμπροὶ καὶ εὐδόκιμοι; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα ἵσταται τῆς ἀθλήσεως ὁ καρπὸς, ἀλλὰ πρόεισι περαιτέρω βρύων. Ἡ γὰρ δοκιμὴ, φησὶν, ἐλπίδα τίκτει· ἐλπίδα πάντως ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκβησομένην, οὐ κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ταύτην, ἣ κατατείνασα πολλάκις τοῖς πόνοις τοὺς πρὸς αὐτὴν κεχηνότας, οὐκ ἴσχυσε τοὺς καρποὺς ἀποδοῦναι τῶν πόνων αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τῆς ζημίας, καὶ αἰσχύνῃ καὶ κινδύνοις αὐτοὺς περιέβαλεν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ αὐτὴ τοιαύτη, ἐπειδὴ οὐδὲ ἀνθρωπίνη. Ὅπερ ἑνὶ ῥήματι δηλῶν ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· Ἡ δὲ ἐλπὶς οὐ καταισχύνει. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον οὐ ζημιοῖ τὸν τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀγωνιζόμενον, οὐδὲ οὐ μόνον οὐ καταισχύνει, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ πλείονα καὶ πλοῦτον καὶ δόξαν αὐτῷ τῶν πόνων καὶ τῶν ἱδρώτων ἔρχεται φέρουσα. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ χαριζομένη χεὶρ τούτων τῶν πόνων τὰς ἀμοιβάς. Τάχα ὑπερέβημεν τὸ μέτρον τῆς ἐπιστολῆς, ἀλλ' οὐ παρ' ὑμῖν τοῖς οὕτω σφοδροῖς ἡμῶν ἐρασταῖς. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπιστολιμαίων γραμμάτων νόμῳ, ἀλλὰ θεσμῷ φιλίας τὰ τοιαῦτα κρίνοντες, εὖ οἶδ' ὅτι καὶ βραχεῖαν εἶναι ταύτην ἡγήσεσθε τὴν ἐπιστολήν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως εἰ καὶ βραχεῖα ὑμῖν εἶναι δοκεῖ, οὐ παύσομαι καὶ ταύτης ἀπαιτῶν ὑμᾶς τοὺς μισθοὺς, οὐ τὸ φιλεῖσθαι παρ' ὑμῶν· οὐ γὰρ δεῖσθε εἰς τοῦτο τοῦ ἀπαιτήσοντος, οἴκοθεν αὐτὸ