John Chrysostom, Letters

you who are such a fervent lover of us to see her in person. But since the fear of the Isaurians prevented this, at least provide us lavishly with the consolation that comes from letters, and we have received everything. 74. To Chalcidia. I for my part greatly desire my lord the most honorable presbyter to be with us. But if you know it is profitable for him to be there, I prefer his safety to his presence here, and his being delivered from the impending trouble. Do not, therefore, think that he is being prevented by us, if he should wish to go abroad. For we have restrained him until now for this reason, since the nature of the matter did not strongly require his presence, and because we feared lest he might fall into the hands of the Isaurians. But if it is so necessary for him to be there, we both beseech and urge him to undertake the journey. For even if we are separated in body, yet by the chain of love we remain bound to him. Let none of the difficult things that are happening trouble you, I beseech you. For the more numerous the circumstances, the greater is your labor, and the greater the reward, and the recompense from the man-loving God, if you bear what happens with thanksgiving and courage. For thus these things will be easy to overcome, and the fruit born for you from the endurance of these things will be abundant in the heavens, and much greater than the sufferings. 52.650 77. To Asyncritia. I have written before to your honor, that we also count you with those who have come, according to the principle of love, and now we say the same thing, that you have come in spirit. But if the weakness of your body prevented you, and the disturbances that have seized Armenia, we from your mind and intention have the same vote concerning your disposition as we did before. Do not therefore neglect to write to us continually, and if you are released from your illness, to let us know about your health. For indeed we were very much grieved now, when we heard you were ill. Therefore, so that we may not be anxious about this, let us know quickly, if your illness has changed to health. 78. To Romanus the presbyter. Not only as far as Armenia, nor the land of Cappadocia, but even further, the report of your love and the disposition which you have continually shown towards us has come, brighter than a trumpet. Wherefore we too are very much adorned by the disposition of your piety, and we do not cease counting you blessed, and we ask you to write to us continually about your health. For even if we sit in a desert, and have been settled far from you, yet still by the chain of love we are bound to you, having now that same disposition which from the beginning we showed towards your honor, or rather, one much greater and more fervent. For neither the length of time nor the length of the road has made you more slothful in this, but even more zealous. Knowing these things, therefore, my most honorable and most pious lord, and considering how great a favor you will grant us by writing more frequently, write to us about your health, and first of all, remember us continually in your holy prayers; so that even sitting at such a great distance, we may from this reap a great alliance. 79. To Gemellus. What is this? When so great and so large a city celebrates a splendid festival—for this is what I call your office—at that time you have cast us into greater dejection, by keeping such a long silence? And if it were someone else from the multitude who had experienced this, I would have easily found the reason. And what is it? Many men are accustomed, whenever they attain a greater office, to become also greater in pride of mind; but in the case of your magnificence, which knows how to be a philosopher, and has accurately considered the nature of these perishable and fleeting affairs, and is not deceived by outward appearances and pretenses, but understands things stripped of their masks, I am not able to find the reason for the silence. But that you love us similarly both now as also before,

τὸν θερμόν σε οὕτως ἐραστὴν ἡμῶν ὄντα καὶ κατ' ὄψιν ἰδεῖν αὐτήν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦτο ὁ τῶν Ἰσαύρων ἐκώλυσε φόβος, τὴν γοῦν ἀπὸ τῶν γραμμάτων ἡμῖν παραμυθίαν πάρεχε δαψιλῶς, καὶ τὸ πᾶν ἀπειλήφαμεν. Οʹ. Χαλκιδίᾳ. Ἐγὼ μὲν σφόδρα ἐπιθυμῶ σὺν ἡμῖν εἶναι τὸν δεσπότην μου τὸν τιμιώτατον πρεσβύτερον. Εἰ δὲ τὸ παραγενέσθαι αὐτόθι τοῦτον οἶσθα λυσιτελὲς, προτιμῶ τῆς ἐνταῦθα αὐτοῦ παρουσίας τὴν ἄδειαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐπικειμένης ἀπαλλαγῆναι ταραχῆς. Μὴ τοίνυν νομίσῃς αὐτὸν κωλύεσθαι παρ' ἡμῶν, εἰ βούλοιτο ἀποδημεῖν. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ ἕως τοῦ νῦν διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν ἐπέσχομεν, ὡς οὐ σφόδρα τῆς τοῦ πράγματος φύσεως ἀπαιτούσης αὐτοῦ τὴν παρουσίαν, καὶ δεδοικότες μήποτε εἰς τὰς τῶν Ἰσαύρων ἐμπέσῃ χεῖρας. Εἰ δὲ οὕτως ἀναγκαῖον τὸ αὐτόθι παραγενέσθαι, καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν καὶ προτρεπόμεθα ἅψασθαι τῆς ἀποδημίας. Κἂν γὰρ τῷ σώματι κεχωρισμένοι ὦμεν, ἀλλὰ τῇ τῆς ἀγάπης ἁλύσει μένομεν πρὸς αὐτὸν συνδεδεμένοι. Μηδέν σε θορυβείτω, παρακαλῶ, τῶν συμπιπτόντων χαλεπῶν. Ὅσῳ γὰρ πλείους αἱ περιστάσεις, τοσούτῳ σοι μείζων ἡ πραγματεία, καὶ πλείων ὁ μισθὸς, καὶ ἡ ἀντίδοσις παρὰ τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ, ἂν εὐχαρίστως φέρῃς καὶ γενναίως τὰ συμβαίνοντα. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ταῦτα εὐκαταγώνιστα ἔσται, καὶ ὁ ἐκ τῆς τούτων ὑπομονῆς σοι τικτόμενος καρπὸς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς δαψιλὴς ἔσται, καὶ πολὺ μείζων τῶν παθημάτων. 52.650 ΟΖʹ. Ἀσυγκριτίᾳ. Καὶ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπέσταλκά σου τῇ τιμιότητι, ὅτι καὶ σὲ μετὰ τῶν παραγενομένων ἀριθμοῦμεν κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἀγάπης λόγον, καὶ νῦν τὸ αὐτὸ λέγομεν, ὅτι τῇ γνώμῃ παραγέγονας. Εἰ δὲ ἡ ἀσθένεια τοῦ σώματος διεκώλυσε, καὶ οἱ θόρυβοι οἱ τὴν Ἀρμενίαν κατειληφότες, ἡμεῖς ἀπὸ τῆς γνώμης καὶ τῆς προαιρέσεως τὴν αὐτὴν περὶ τῆς διαθέσεώς σου ψῆφον ἔχομεν, ἥνπερ καὶ ἔμπροσθεν. Μὴ τοίνυν καταφρόνει συνεχῶς ἡμῖν ἐπιστέλλειν, καὶ εἴ σοι λέλυται τὰ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας, καὶ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας σου δηλοῦν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ νῦν σφόδρα ἠλγήσαμεν, ἀκούσαντές σε ἐν ἀῤῥωστίᾳ εἶναι. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ μεριμνῶμεν περὶ τούτου, διὰ τάχους ἡμῖν δήλωσον, εἰ πρὸς ὑγείαν σοι τὰ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας μεταβέβληται. ΟΗʹ. Ῥωμανῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ. Οὐ μέχρι τῆς Ἀρμενίας μόνον, οὐδὲ τῆς Καππαδόκων χώρας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ποῤῥωτέρω, τῆς ἀγάπης σου καὶ τῆς διαθέσεως, ἣν περὶ ἡμᾶς ἐπεδείξω διηνεκῶς, σάλπιγγος λαμπροτέρα ἡ φήμη παραγέγονε. ∆ιόπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς σφόδρα καλλωπιζόμεθα ἐπὶ τῇ διαθέσει τῆς εὐλαβείας σου, καὶ μακαρίζοντές σε οὐ διαλιμπάνομεν, καί σου δεόμεθα συνεχῶς ἐπιστέλλειν ἡμῖν περὶ τῆς ὑγείας τῆς σῆς. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐν ἐρημίᾳ καθήμεθα, καὶ πόῤῥω ὑμῶν ἀπῳκίσμεθα, ἀλλ' ὅμως τῇ τῆς ἀγάπης ἁλύσει συνδεδέμεθά σοι, ἣν ἐξ ἀρχῆς διάθεσιν περὶ τὴν σὴν τιμιότητα ἐπεδειξάμεθα, ταύτην, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πολλῷ πλείονα καὶ θερμοτέραν νῦν ἔχοντες. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ὑμᾶς οὔτε τοῦ χρόνου τὸ πλῆθος, οὔτε τῆς ὁδοῦ τὸ μῆκος ῥᾳθυμοτέρους εἰς τοῦτο πεποίηκεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σπουδαιοτέρους. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδὼς, δέσποτά μου τιμιώτατε καὶ εὐλαβέστατε, καὶ λογισάμενος ἡλίκην ἡμῖν χαριῇ χάριν συνεχέστερον ἐπιστέλλων, γράφε ἡμῖν τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας τῆς σῆς, καὶ προηγουμένως διηνεκῶς ἐν ταῖς ἁγίαις σου μεμνημένος εὐχαῖς· ἵνα καὶ ἐκ τοσούτου καθήμενοι διαστήματος, πολλὴν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν καρπωσώμεθα τὴν συμμαχίαν. ΟΘʹ. Γεμέλλῳ. Τί τοῦτο; Ὅτε ἡ τοσαύτη καὶ τηλικαύτη πόλις ἑορτὴν ἄγει λαμπρὰν τοῦτο γὰρ τὴν ἀρχὴν καλῶ τὴν σὴν, τότε ἡμᾶς ἐν πλείονι κατέστησας κατηφείᾳ, μακρὰν οὕτω σιγήσας σιγήν; Καὶ εἰ μὲν ἄλλος τις ἦν τῶν πολλῶν ὁ τοῦτο πεπονθὼς, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ῥᾳδίως ἂν εὗρον. Τίς δέ ἐστιν αὕτη; Εἰώθασιν οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἡνίκα ἂν μείζονος ἀρχῆς ἐπιλάβωνται, καὶ ἐν ὄγκῳ φρονήματος γίνεσθαι μείζονι· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς σῆς μεγαλοπρεπείας φιλοσοφεῖν εἰδυίας, καὶ ἀκριβῶς διεσκεμμένης τῶν ἐπικήρων τούτων καὶ ῥεόντων πραγμάτων τὴν φύσιν, καὶ οὐκ ἀπατωμένης τοῖς ἐπιτρίμμασι καὶ ταῖς ὑπογραφαῖς, ἀλλὰ γυμνὰ τῶν προσώπων τὰ πράγματα καταμανθανούσης, τὴν αἰτίαν οὐ δύναμαι τῆς σιγῆς εὑρεῖν. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν ἡμᾶς ὁμοίως ἐρᾷς καὶ νῦν ὥσπερ καὶ ἔμπροσθεν,