John Chrysostom, Letters

driven from all sides by the attack of the Isaurians. And when at last the evils here abated a little, leaving the deserted places, we fled down to Arabissus, finding the fortress in it safer than the other places; for we do not live in the city, since that is not safe either, but endure a dwelling worse than any prison. For besides death being at our doors every day, so to speak, with the Isaurians attacking everything, and destroying with fire and sword both bodies and buildings, we also fear famine, which the confinement and the multitude of those who have flocked here threaten to cause. And having endured a long illness that came upon us from the winter and our continuous flight, we have now escaped the worst of it, but we still carry about a few remnants of it. But nevertheless, even being in such great evils and such circumstances, we reap the greatest comfort from your love, which is fervent, and genuine, and unchangeable. Knowing these things, therefore, do not hesitate to continually send us good news about your health. For even if we sit at so great a distance, yet we are bound to you with great exactness by the chain of love. I am very grateful to your honor, because even amidst so many troubles, you show great diligence for the affairs in Phoenicia. If, therefore, anything more should be announced from there, do not hesitate to let us know. For no one from anywhere can bear to visit us quickly, since the roads 52.647 from all sides leading here are blocked off. But nevertheless, even if it is difficult to send to us continually, do this whenever it is possible, reporting all things from there, and making known about your health, about which it is very important for us to learn. 90. To Aphthonius, Theodotus, Chaereas, presbyters and monks. I myself wished to see you having come here; but since there are many things preventing it, I do not dare to demand this now, but I ask that, even though you are far away, you provide us with the assistance of your confident prayers; for this help is neither withered by time, nor separated by the length of a road, but wherever anyone who has confidence before God may live, as indeed you do, he is able from there to benefit most greatly even those who are far away, and along with your prayers, to provide us with letters continually bearing good news about your health. For though many are the waves that surround us from all sides, and the desolation of the place, and siege, and the attack of the Isaurians, and daily death for we live with perpetual death, as in a prison, shut up in this fortress, and wrestling with a grievous bodily weakness, yet, even if our circumstances are many, we have your love as no small comfort for these evils. For even if we were with you for only a little while, yet we have had much experience of your disposition, which is genuine and fervent and sweeter than honey, unchangeable, steadfast and firm, which you demonstrate both present and absent. For these reasons, although we are far from you, and constrained by so many terrible things, we rest as in a harbor in the memory of your virtue, considering your love to be a very great treasure. We have, therefore, been delivered from our grievous illness, with the winter having passed and spring having arrived, but we still carry about the remnants of it, which the continuation of the Isaurian disturbances aggravates. Knowing these things, therefore, do not hesitate, even being far away, both to remember us continually, and to write to us constantly, whenever it is possible, bearing good news about your health. 91. To Malchus. Neither be disheartened, nor reckon the most beautiful departure of your blessed daughter as due to sins. For she has sailed into a waveless harbor, and has come to a life that has no end, and having been released from the waves of the present life, she stands upon the rock, having henceforth all the good things she gathered as in an inviolable treasury. And for these things one must rejoice, and leap for joy, and be glad, because her soul, just as a farmer

ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν Ἰσαύρων ἐφόδου πανταχόθεν ἐλαυνόμενοι. Ὀψὲ δέ ποτε λωφησάντων μικρὸν τῶν ἐνταῦθα κακῶν, τὰς ἐρημίας ἀφέντες, ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀραβισσὸν κατεδράμομεν, ἀσφαλέστερον μὲν τῶν ἄλλων χωρίων τὸ ἐν αὐτῇ φρούριον εὑρόντες οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐν τῇ πόλει διάγομεν, ἐπειδήπερ οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀσφαλὲς, δεσμωτηρίου δὲ παντὸς χείρονα ὑπομένοντες οἴκησιν. Μετὰ γὰρ τοῦ καθ' ἑκάστην, ὡς εἰπεῖν, τὴν ἡμέραν ἐπὶ θύραις ἡμῖν εἶναι τὸν θάνατον, τῶν Ἰσαύρων πάντα ἐπιόντων, καὶ πυρὶ καὶ σιδήρῳ καὶ σώματα καὶ οἰκοδομήματα ἀφανιζόντων, καὶ λιμὸν δεδοίκαμεν, ὃν ἡ στενοχωρία καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἐνταῦθα συνδραμόντων ποιεῖν ἀπειλεῖ. Καὶ ἀῤῥωστίαν δὲ μακρὰν τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ χειμῶνος καὶ τῆς συνεχοῦς φυγῆς ἐγγενομένην ἡμῖν ὑπομείναντες, νῦν τὸ μὲν χαλεπὸν αὐτῆς διαπεφεύγαμεν, ὀλίγα δὲ αὐτῆς περιφέρομεν λείψανα. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ ἐν τοσούτοις ὄντες κακοῖς καὶ τηλικαύταις περιστάσεσι, μεγίστην καρπούμεθα παραμυθίαν ἐκ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀγάπης, τῆς θερμῆς, καὶ γνησίας, καὶ ἀπεριτρέπτου. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδότες, συνεχῶς ἡμῖν εὐαγγελίζεσθαι περὶ τῆς ὑγιείας τῆς ὑμετέρας μὴ κατοκνεῖτε. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐκ τοσούτου καθήμεθα διαστήματος, ἀλλ' ὅμως τῇ τῆς ἀγάπης ἁλύσει μετὰ πολλῆς ὑμῖν συνδεδέμεθα τῆς ἀκριβείας. Χάριν δὲ ἔχω σου πολλὴν τῇ τιμιότητι, ὅτι καὶ τῶν ἐν Φοινίκῃ πραγμάτων, καὶ ἐν τοσαύταις ὢν ταραχαῖς, πολλὴν ποιῇ σπουδήν. Ἂν οὖν τι πλέον ἐκεῖθεν ἐπαγγελθείη, δηλῶσαι ἡμῖν μὴ κατοκνήσῃς. Ἡμῖν γὰρ οὐδεὶς οὐδαμόθεν ταχέως ἐπιχωριάζειν ἀνέχεται, τῶν ὁδῶν 52.647 πανταχόθεν, τῶν ἐνταῦθα φερουσῶν, ἀποτετειχισμένων. Ἀλλ' ὅμως εἰ καὶ ἐργῶδες τὸ πέμπειν πρὸς ἡμᾶς συνεχῶς, ἡνίκα ἂν ἐξῇ, τοῦτο ποίει, τά τε ἐκεῖθεν πάντα δηλῶν, καὶ περὶ τῆς ὑγιείας ὑμῶν γνωρίζων, περὶ ἧς σφόδρα περισπούδαστον ἡμῖν μανθάνειν. Οʹ. Ἀφθονίῳ, Θεοδότῳ, Χαιρέᾳ, πρεσβυτέροις καὶ μονάζουσιν. Ἐβουλόμην καὶ αὐτὸς παραγενομένους ὑμᾶς ἐνταῦθα ἰδεῖν· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πολλὰ τὰ κωλύοντα, τοῦτο μὲν οὐ τολμῶ νῦν ἀπαιτεῖν, ἀξιῶ δὲ, καὶ πόῤῥωθεν ὄντας, τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν πεπαῤῥησιασμένων εὐχῶν ὑμῶν παρέχειν συμμαχίαν ἡμῖν αὕτη γὰρ οὔτε χρόνῳ μαραίνεται ἡ βοήθεια, οὔτε ὁδοῦ μήκει διείργεται, ἀλλ' ὅπουπερ ἂν διάγῃ τις παῤῥησίαν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἔχων, καθάπερ οὖν καὶ ὑμεῖς, δύναται καὶ τοὺς πόῤῥωθεν ὄντας ἐντεῦθεν τὰ μέγιστα ὠφελεῖν, μετὰ δὲ τῶν εὐχῶν καὶ γράμματα ἡμῖν παρέχειν τὰ συνεχῶς περὶ τῆς ὑγείας ὑμῶν εὐαγγελιζόμενα. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ πολλὰ τὰ πανταχόθεν ἡμῖν περιεστοιχισμένα κύματα, καὶ ἐρημία τόπου, καὶ πολιορκία, καὶ Ἰσαύρων ἔφοδος, καὶ καθημερινὸς θάνατος θανάτῳ γὰρ συζῶμεν διηνεκεῖ, καθάπερ ἐν δεσμωτηρίῳ, ἐν τῷ φρουρίῳ τούτῳ συγκεκλεισμένοι, καὶ σώματος ἀσθενείᾳ παλαίοντες χαλεπῇ, ἀλλ' ὅμως εἰ καὶ πολλαὶ αἱ περιστάσεις, οὐ μικρὰν εἰς παραμυθίαν τῶν κακῶν τούτων τὴν ὑμετέραν ἔχομεν ἀγάπην. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὀλίγα ὑμῖν συνεγενόμεθα, ἀλλὰ πολλὴν πεῖραν ὑμῶν τῆς διαθέσεως εἰλήφαμεν, τῆς γνησίας καὶ θερμῆς καὶ μέλιτος γλυκυτέρας, τῆς ἀπεριτρέπτου, τῆς σταθηρᾶς καὶ πεπηγυίας, ἣν καὶ παρόντες καὶ ἀπόντες ἐπιδείκνυσθε. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα καίτοι καὶ πόῤῥωθεν ὑμῶν ὄντες, καὶ τοσούτοις συνεχόμενοι δεινοῖς, ὥσπερ ἐν λιμένι τινὶ τῇ μνήμῃ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀρετῆς ἐπαναπαυόμεθα, θησαυρὸν μέγιστον τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην εἶναι νομίζοντες. Τῆς μὲν οὖν χαλεπῆς ἀῤῥωστίας ἀπηλλάγημεν, τοῦ χειμῶνος παρελθόντος, καὶ ἐπιστάντος τοῦ ἦρος, ἔτι δὲ τὰ λείψανα αὐτῆς περιφέρομεν, ἅπερ ἐπιτρίβει τῶν Ἰσαυρικῶν θορύβων ἡ συνέχεια. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδότες, καὶ πόῤῥωθεν ὄντες μεμνῆσθαί τε ἡμῶν διηνεκῶς μὴ κατοκνεῖτε, καὶ γράφειν ἡμῖν συνεχῶς, ἡνίκα ἂν ἐξῇ, τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγιείας τῆς ὑμετέρας εὐαγγελιζόμενοι. ΟΑʹ. Μάλχῳ. Μήτε ἀθύμει, μήτε ἁμαρτίαις λογίζου τὴν καλλίστην ἀποδημίαν τῆς μακαρίας θυγατρός σου. Εἰς γὰρ ἀκύμαντον κατέπλευσε λιμένα, καὶ πρὸς ζωὴν ἦλθε μηκέτι πέρας ἔχουσαν, καὶ τῶν κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον κυμάτων ἀπαλλαγεῖσα, ἕστηκεν ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας, ὅσα συνήγαγεν ἀγαθὰ, ὥσπερ ἐν ἀσύλῳ λοιπὸν ἔχουσα θησαυρῷ. Καὶ δεῖ χαίρειν ὑπὲρ τούτων, καὶ σκιρτᾷν, καὶ εὐφραίνεσθαι, ὅτι τὴν ἐκείνης ψυχὴν, καθάπερ γεωργὸς