John Chrysostom, Letters

a choice, ripe fruit, you have presented to the common Lord of all. Applying these and similar thoughts as medicines both to yourself and to my lady her most honorable mother, increase the reward laid up for you for these things; so that not only 52.648 for her most excellent upbringing, but also for bearing this her most excellent departure meekly and with thanksgiving, you may receive a great recompense from the philanthropic God. ΟΒʹ. To Alphius. Although we sit far from you, yet hearing of your good deeds, and the great magnanimity which you show towards those in need, we leap, we rejoice, we are glad. And we wished to meet with your honor in person, and being present to acknowledge our many thanks to you in person. But since this for the time being is not possible, because the Isaurian troubles have intensified, and every road has been walled off; for I know well that if this were not so, you yourself would have come, and would have made great haste to run to us; but since this for the time being is not possible, we both write and greet your honor, and we continually ask, whenever it is possible, to write to us and to bring us the good news concerning your health and that of your whole house. For not of an ordinary kind will be the comfort we shall enjoy, even sitting here, from such letters from your honor. ΟΓʹ. To Agapetus. Although a long time has passed since we were separated from your excellency, and the distance of the road itself that separates us is great, yet in love we are bound to you, and we pass our time near you, or rather we have you in our very mind, carrying you everywhere wherever we may be. And the friendship that has existed from the beginning between you and us, the warm and genuine, the strong and unwavering, we have engraved it in our conscience. And we ourselves maintain our flourishing disposition towards you, most honored and wonderful master, allowing neither the length of time nor the length of the road to make it weaker. I ask you, therefore, whenever it is possible, not to hesitate to write to us continually about your health. For you know how we cherish it, and how great a favor you will grant us by sending us such letters. Ο∆ʹ. To Hesychius. I for my part desired to see you, and neither the fear of the Isaurians nor the weakness of my body would have prevented me, if indeed it lay in my power to move wherever I wished; but you, although you are master of this, not even so do I draw you, nor do I urge you to rise from home and run to us. But even though the season of the year permits this, and the journey for you is short—for we are not separated by a great distance—still I would not choose to draw you here, because of the fear of the Isaurians. But I ask you to continually write to us about your health; for surely the incursion of the brigands will not be a hindrance to you for this too. Grant us then this 52.649 favor, which is both ready and easy, and pro52.649 viding us with much gladness. For you know how great a favor you will grant us by showing this generosity towards us. ΟΕʹ. To Harmatius. What is this? That we might with freedom give orders to your people in whatever we might need, you have granted us great authority; but of what we most needed, of this you have deprived us, I mean your letters, which report to us about your health. Do you not know that for those who love most genuinely this is most sought after and longed for, as it is now for us? If therefore you wish to grant us a favor, my most honored master, ceasing to command your people to serve us in our bodily needs—for we need none of these things, but everything flows to us as from springs—yourself, through a small piece of paper and ink, provide us the greatest favor, and the one we most desire to enjoy. And this is to write to us continually about your health, and that of your whole household. For if it were possible for us to meet with one another, I would have roused you from your home, and would have asked as part of a very great favor, to

ἄριστος καρπὸν ὥριμον, τῷ κοινῷ πάντων παρέστησας ∆εσπότῃ. Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων λογισμῶν ἐπιτιθεὶς φάρμακα καὶ σαυτῷ, καὶ τῇ κυρίᾳ μου τῇ κοσμιωτάτῃ μητρὶ αὐτῆς, πλεόναζε τὸν ὑπὲρ τούτων ἀποκείμενον ὑμῖν μισθόν· ἵνα μὴ μόνον 52.648 τῆς καλλίστης ἀνατροφῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ πράως καὶ εὐχαρίστως ἐνεγκεῖν τὴν καλλίστην ταύτην αὐτῆς ἀποδημίαν, πολλὴν παρὰ τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ λάβητε τὴν ἀντίδοσιν. ΟΒʹ. Ἀλφίῳ. Ἡμεῖς εἰ καὶ πόῤῥω σου καθήμεθα, ἀλλ' ἀκούοντές σου τὰ κατορθώματα, καὶ τὴν πολλὴν μεγαλοψυχίαν, ἣν περὶ τοὺς δεομένους ἐπιδείκνυσαι, σκιρτῶμεν, εὐφραινόμεθα, χαίρομεν. Καὶ ἐβουλόμεθα μὲν καὶ κατ' ὄψιν συντυχεῖν σου τῇ τιμιότητι, καὶ πολλὰς παρόντι παρόντας ὁμολογῆσαί σοι χάριτας. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦτο τέως οὐκ ἔνι, διὰ τὸ τὰ Ἰσαυρικὰ μὲν ἐπιταθῆναι πλέον, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀποτετειχίσθαι τὴν ὁδόν· εὖ γὰρ οἶδ' ὅτι εἰ μὴ τοῦτο ἦν, καὶ αὐτὸς παρεγένου, καὶ πολλὴν ἐποιήσω σπουδὴν δραμεῖν ἕως ἡμῶν· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο τέως οὐ δυνατὸν, καὶ γράφομεν, καὶ προσαγορεύομέν σου τὴν τιμιότητα, καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν συνεχῶς, ἡνίκα ἂν ἐξῇ, ἐπιστέλλειν ἡμῖν, καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας σου, καὶ τοῦ οἴκου σου παντὸς ἡμῖν εὐαγγελίζεσθαι. Οὐ γὰρ τὴν τυχοῦσαν, καὶ ἐνταῦθα καθήμενοι, ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων γραμμάτων τῆς σῆς τιμιότητος καρπωσόμεθα τὴν παράκλησιν. ΟΓʹ. Ἀγαπητῷ. Εἰ καὶ πολὺς μεταξὺ χρόνος, ἐξ οὗ τῆς θαυμασιότητος ἐχωρίσθημεν τῆς σῆς, καὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ δὲ αὐτῆς πολὺ τὸ μέσον τὸ διεῖργον ἡμᾶς, ἀλλ' ὅμως τῇ ἀγάπῃ συνδεδέμεθά σοι, καὶ πλησίον σου διατρίβομεν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ σε ἔχομεν τῇ διανοίᾳ, πανταχοῦ περιφέροντες ὅπουπερ ἂν ὦμεν. Καὶ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς σοι πρὸς ἡμᾶς γεγενημένην φιλίαν, τὴν θερμὴν καὶ γνησίαν, τὴν σφοδρὰν καὶ ἀκλινῆ ἐγκολάψαντες ἡμῶν ἔχομεν τῷ συνειδότι. Καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ ἀκμάζουσαν τὴν περὶ σὲ διάθεσιν διατηροῦμεν, δέσποτα τιμιώτατε καὶ θαυμασιώτατε, οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους τοῦ χρόνου, οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ μήκους τοῦ κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἀφιέντες αὐτὴν ἀσθενεστέραν γενέσθαι. Παρακαλῶ τοίνυν, ἡνίκα ἂν ἐξῇ, καὶ γράφειν ἡμῖν συνεχῶς μὴ κατόκνει περὶ τῆς ὑγιείας τῆς σῆς. Οἶσθα γὰρ ὅπως αὐτῆς ἀντεχόμεθα, καὶ ἡλίκην ἡμῖν χαριῇ χάριν, τοιαῦτα πρὸς ἡμᾶς διαπεμπόμενος γράμματα. Ο∆ʹ. Ἡσυχίῳ. Ἐγὼ μέν σε καὶ ἰδεῖν ἐπεθύμουν, καὶ οὐκ ἄν με ἐκώλυσεν οὔτε ὁ τῶν Ἰσαύρων φόβος, οὔτε ἡ τοῦ σώματος ἀσθένεια, εἴ γε ἐπ' ἐμοὶ τὸ κινεῖσθαι, ὅπουπερ ἐβουλόμην, ἔκειτο· σὲ δὲ, καίτοι κύριον ὄντα τούτου, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἔλκω, οὐδὲ ἀναστῆναι οἴδοθεν παρακαλῶ, καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς δραμεῖν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ὥρας τοῦ ἔτους τοῦτο ἐπιτρεπούσης, καὶ τῆς ἀποδημίας δι' ὀλίγου σοι γινομένης οὐ γὰρ πολλῷ διειργόμεθα τῷ μέσῳ, ὅμως ἑλκύσαι σε ἐνταῦθα οὐκ ἂν ἑλοίμην, διὰ τὸν τῶν Ἰσαύρων φόβον. Παρακαλῶ δὲ συνεχῶς ἡμῖν τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγιείας ἐπιστέλλειν τῆς σῆς· οὐ γὰρ δήπου καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο κώλυμα τῶν λῃστῶν ἔσται σοι ἡ καταδρομή. ∆ίδου δὴ ταύτην ἡμῖν 52.649 τὴν χάριν, ῥᾳδίαν τε οὖσαν, καὶ εὔκολον, καὶ πολ52.649 λὴν παρέχουσαν ἡμῖν τὴν εὐφροσύνην. Οἶσθα γὰρ ἡλίκα ἡμῖν χαριῇ, ταύτην περὶ ἡμᾶς ἐπιδεικνύμενος τὴν φιλοτιμίαν. ΟΕʹ. Ἁρματίῳ. Τί τοῦτο; Ἵνα μὲν μετὰ ἀδείας ἐπιτάττωμεν τοῖς σοὶ προσήκουσιν ἀνθρώποις, ἐν οἷς ἂν δεώμεθα, πολλὴν παρέσχες τὴν ἐξουσίαν· οὗ δὲ μάλιστα ἐδεόμεθα, τούτου ἡμᾶς ἀπεστέρησας, τῶν γραμμάτων λέγω τῶν σῶν, τῶν περὶ τῆς ὑγιείας τῆς σῆς ἡμῖν ἀπαγγελλόντων. Οὐκ οἶσθα ὅτι τοῖς μάλιστα φιλοῦσι γνησίως τοῦτο μάλιστα περισπούδαστον καὶ ποθεινὸν, καθάπερ οὖν καὶ ἡμῖν νῦν; Εἰ τοίνυν βούλει ἡμῖν χαρίσασθαι, δέσποτά μου τιμιώτατε, ἀφεὶς τὸ κελεύειν τοῖς σοῖς ἀνθρώποις θεραπεύειν ἡμᾶς ἐν ταῖς χρείαις ταῖς σωματικαῖς οὐδενὸς γὰρ δεόμεθα τούτων, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἡμῖν ὡς ἐκ πηγῶν ἐπιῤῥεῖ, αὐτὸς διὰ χάρτου μικροῦ καὶ μέλανος τὴν μεγίστην ἡμῖν πάρεχε χάριν, καὶ 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