John Chrysostom, Letters

always with great abundance both depositing and owing; not even to write back to us; for I know that not even for this do you need anyone else to remind you; but what is the reward? To make it clear to us that you leap for joy, that you rejoice and 52.667 are glad, and that you have suffered no harm from the dreadful things brought upon you, but that the plots against you become a source of greater pleasure. For if we should receive a letter bringing us this good news, it will be a comfort to us for the desolation, and famine, and plague, and Isaurian wars, and every sickness, to all of which we are now given over, such letters will be a comfort, and medicines, and remedies for us. Considering, therefore, how great a favor you will grant us, be urged both to write, and to write these things to us, so that you may fill us with great joy, even though we sit at so great a distance. 108. To Urbicius the bishop. Although a long time has passed since I met with your Reverence, yet I have not on that account become more negligent about loving you. For such is the nature of genuine love; it is not withered by length of time, nor is it dimmed by the difficulty of affairs, but it remains continually flourishing. Therefore, we too, though we have been in many difficulties, and now have been carried off to the remotest wilderness of the inhabited world, living in constant fear of the bandits—and in a novel siege, for every day Cucusus is besieged, as the bandits have walled off the roads—we have in none of these things become more negligent concerning your Reverence, but we both write and pay the greeting that is owed, and we urge you, if it is not burdensome nor troublesome, to write to us yourself as well. For in this way we will reap great pleasure, receiving letters from you who love us so genuinely, and through them imagining your presence. 109. To Rufinus the bishop. I know the steadfastness of your love. We were together with you for a short time once in Antioch, my most honored and reverend lord, but we have had great experience of your piety and understanding, and of your love for us. Since then, although much time has passed in between, we keep our love for you flourishing, and as if we had seen you yesterday or the day before, so we imagine your presence. Therefore we both write and urge you to remember us always. We have been carried off to the most desolate place of our inhabited world, Cucusus, and almost every day we are besieged by the attack of the Isaurians. But nevertheless, though we are in such great difficulties, if we may be confident concerning 52.668 your love, and see clearly that we enjoy your genuine affection, we shall reap no ordinary comfort even in these afflictions. 110. To Bassus the bishop. What is this? You who showed so much love for us, both in former times and recently in Constantinople, having heard that we are in the neighborhood of your Honor, have not even thought us worthy of a letter. Do you not know how we are disposed towards your Reverence, and how we are bound to you by the bond of friendship? For I was expecting you both to come here and to comfort us, situated as we are in so great a wilderness. For what could be more desolate than Cucusus, which along with its desolation is also besieged by the attack of the Isaurians? But nevertheless, if this is difficult because of the fear of the bandits themselves, and because of the hardship of the road, do not hesitate to write to us and to announce the good news about your health, so that, even while living in a foreign land, we may reap great comfort from this. 111. To Anatolius, bishop of Adana. I for my part desired to meet with your Honor, hearing from many of the fervent love which you have for us, and this without having met us. But since for the present this is not possible, for the hope of a meeting to come about, I make up for it by the converse of letters, granting myself the greatest favor. For even if Cucusus, to which we have now been carried off, is a most desolate place, and full of many dangers, and besieged by the constant fear of bandits, yet none of these things us

μετὰ πολλῆς ἀεὶ τῆς δαψιλείας καὶ κατατιθέντες καὶ ὀφείλοντες· οὐδὲ τὸ ἀντιγράψαι ἡμῖν· οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι οὐδὲ εἰς τοῦτο ἑτέρου τινὸς ὑμῖν δεῖ τοῦ ἀναμνήσοντος ὑμᾶς· ἀλλὰ τίς ὁ μισθός; Τὸ δῆλον ἡμῖν ποιῆσαι, ὅτι σκιρτᾶτε, ὅτι χαίρετε καὶ 52.667 εὐφραίνεσθε, καὶ ὅτι οὐδὲν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπενεχθέντων ὑμῖν πεπόνθατε δεινῶν, ἀλλὰ πλείονος ἡδονῆς ὑμῖν ὑπόθεσις αἱ ἐπιβουλαὶ γίνονται. Ἂν γὰρ δεξώμεθα ἐπιστολὴν ταῦτα φέρουσαν ἡμῖν τὰ εὐαγγέλια, καὶ ἐρημίας, καὶ λιμοῦ, καὶ λοιμοῦ, καὶ πολέμων Ἰσαυρικῶν, καὶ ἀῤῥωστίας ἁπάσης, οἷς ἅπασιν ἐκδεδόμεθα νῦν, ἔσται ἡμῖν παράκλησις τὰ τοιαῦτα γράμματα, καὶ φάρμακα, καὶ ἰατρεῖα. Ἐννοοῦντες τοίνυν ἡλίκα ἡμῖν χαριεῖσθε, καὶ ἐπιστεῖλαι, καὶ ταῦτα ἡμῖν ἐπιστεῖλαι παρακλήθητε, ἵνα ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἐκ τοσούτου καθημένους διαστήματος, πολλῆς ἐμπλήσητε τῆς εὐφροσύνης. ΡΗʹ. Οὐρβικίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ. Εἰ καὶ πολὺν ἔχω χρόνον μὴ συγγενόμενός σου τῇ εὐλαβείᾳ, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἐντεῦθεν ῥᾳθυμότερος περὶ τὸ φιλεῖν γέγονα. Τοιαύτη γὰρ τῆς γνησίας ἀγάπης ἡ φύσις· οὐ χρόνῳ μακρῷ μαραίνεται, οὐ δυσκολίᾳ πραγμάτων ἀμαυροῦται, ἀλλὰ μένει διηνεκῶς ἀκμάζουσα. ∆ιὸ δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς, καὶ ἐν πολλαῖς περιστάσεσι γενόμενοι, καὶ νῦν εἰς τὴν ἐσχάτην τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐρημίαν ἀπενεχθέντες, καὶ φόβῳ συζῶντες διηνεκεῖ τῷ τῶν λῃστῶν, καὶ πολιορκίᾳ καινῇ καθ' ἑκάστην γὰρ ἡμέραν ἡ Κουκουσὸς πολιορκεῖται, τὰς ὁδοὺς τῶν λῃστῶν ἀποτειχισάντων, οὐδενὶ τούτων γεγόναμεν ῥᾳθυμότεροι περὶ τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ γράφομεν, καὶ τὴν ὀφειλομένην ἀποδιδόαμεν πρόσρησιν, καί σε παρακαλοῦμεν, εἰ μὴ βαρὺ, μηδὲ ἐπαχθὲς, καὶ αὐτὸν ἡμῖν ἐπιστέλλειν. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ἡδονὴν πολλὴν καρπωσόμεθα, παρ' ὑμῶν τῶν οὕτω γνησίως ἀγαπώντων ἡμᾶς δεχόμενοι γράμματα, καὶ διὰ τούτων τὴν παρουσίαν φανταζόμενοι τὴν ὑμετέραν. ΡΘʹ. Ῥουφίνῳ ἐπισκόπῳ. Οἶδά σου τῆς ἀγάπης τὸ στεῤῥόν. Ὀλίγα μέν σοί ποτε συνεγενόμεθα ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ, δέσποτά μου τιμιώτατε καὶ εὐλαβέστατε, πολλὴν δέ σου πεῖραν τῆς εὐλαβείας καὶ τῆς συνέσεως εἰληφότες, καὶ τῆς περὶ ἡμᾶς ἀγάπης. Ἐξ ἐκείνου, καίτοι πολλοῦ μεταξὺ γενομένου τοῦ χρόνου, τὴν περὶ σὲ ἀγάπην ἀκμάζουσαν διατηροῦμεν, καὶ ὡς χθὲς καὶ πρώην σε ἑωρακότες, οὕτως σου φανταζόμεθα τὴν παρουσίαν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπιστέλλομεν, καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν μεμνῆσθαι ἡμῶν διηνεκῶς. Ἀπήχθημεν εἰς χωρίον τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς οἰκουμένης ἐρημότατον, τὴν Κουκουσὸν, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην σχεδὸν τὴν ἡμέραν ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν Ἰσαύρων πολιορκούμεθα ἐφόδου. Ἀλλ' ὅμως, καὶ ἐν τοσαύταις ὄντες περιστάσεσιν, ἢν θαῤῥῶμεν περὶ 52.668 τῆς ἀγάπης τῆς ὑμετέρας, καὶ ἴδωμεν σαφῶς, ὅτι γνησίας ἀπολαύομεν διαθέσεως, οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν καὶ ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσι ταύταις καρπωσόμεθα τὴν παράκλησιν. ΡΙʹ. Βάσσῳ ἐπισκόπῳ. Τί τοῦτο; Ὁ τοσαύτην περὶ ἡμᾶς ἀγάπην ἐπιδειξάμενος, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἔμπροσθεν χρόνῳ, καὶ ἔναγχος ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει, ἀκούσας ἡμᾶς ἐκ γειτόνων εἶναι τῆς σῆς τιμιότητος, οὐδὲ γραμμάτων ἡμᾶς ἠξίωσας. Οὐκ οἶσθ' ὅπως διακείμεθά σου περὶ τὴν εὐλάβειαν, καὶ ὅπως συνδεδέμεθά σοι τῷ τῆς φιλίας δεσμῷ; Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ προσεδόκων σε καὶ ἥξειν ἐνταῦθα, καὶ παρακαλέσειν ἡμᾶς ἐν ἐρημίᾳ τοσαύτῃ καθεστῶτας. Τί γὰρ ἂν γένοιτο ἐρημότερον Κουκουσοῦ, μετὰ τῆς ἐρημίας, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν Ἰσαύρων πολιορκουμένης ἐφόδου; Ἀλλ' ὅμως, εἰ τοῦτο ἐργῶδες διά τε αὐτῶν τῶν λῃστῶν τὸν φόβον, διά τε τῆς ὁδοῦ τὴν δυσκολίαν, γράφειν ἡμῖν μὴ κατόκνει, καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας τῆς σῆς εὐαγγελίζεσθαι, ἵνα, καὶ ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ διατρίβοντες, πολλὴν ἐντεῦθεν καρπωσώμεθα τὴν παράκλησιν. ΡΙΑʹ. Ἀνατολίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Ἀδάνης. Ἐγὼ μὲν καὶ συγγενέσθαι ἐπεθύμουν σου τῇ τιμιότητι, παρὰ πολλῶν ἀκούων τὸν θερμὸν ἔρωτα, ὃν περὶ ἡμᾶς ἔχεις, καὶ ταῦτα μὴ συγγενόμενος ἡμῖν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦτο τέως οὐκ ἔνι, τὸ τῆς συνουσίας ἐλπὶς γενέσθαι, διορθοῦμαι τῇ τῶν γραμμάτων ὁμιλίᾳ, χάριν ἑαυτῷ παρέχων μεγίστην. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐρημότατον χωρίον, εἰς ὃ νῦν ἀπηνέχθημεν, ἡ Κουκουσὸς, καὶ κινδύνων γέμον πολλῶν, καὶ φόβῳ διηνεκεῖ τῶν λῃστῶν πολιορκούμενον, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων ἡμᾶς