John Chrysostom, Letters

Rejoice and 52.667 be glad, and that you have suffered no harm from those things brought against you, but the plots have become for you a cause of greater pleasure. For if we should receive a letter bringing us this good news, and of desolation, and of famine, and of pestilence, and of Isaurian wars, and of every sickness, to all of which we are now given over, such letters will be for us a comfort, and medicines, and a healing place. Considering, therefore, how great a favor you will do us, be so kind as to write, and to write these things to us, that you may fill us, even though we are situated at so great a distance, with much gladness. 108. To Urbicius the bishop. Although it has been a long time since I have met with your Reverence, yet I have on this account become no more negligent in affection. For such is the nature of genuine love; it does not wither with long time, it is not dimmed by difficulty of circumstances, but remains flourishing forever. Wherefore we too, though we have been in many difficulties, and now carried away to the most remote desert of the world, and living with continual fear of robbers, and a new siege—for every day Cucusus is besieged, the robbers having walled off the roads—we have on account of none of these things become more negligent concerning your Reverence, but we both write and we give the greeting that is owed, and we ask you, if it is not burdensome, nor troublesome, to write to us yourself as well. For thus we shall also reap much pleasure, receiving letters from you who love us so genuinely, and through these 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 most reverent lord, but having had much experience of your reverence and understanding, and of your love for us. From that time, although much time has passed between, we keep our love for you flourishing, and as though we had seen you yesterday and the day before, so we imagine your presence. Therefore we also write, and we ask you to remember us continually. We have been carried away to the most desolate place of our world, Cucusus, and we are besieged almost every day by the attack of the Isaurians. But nevertheless, even being in so many difficulties, if we may have confidence concerning 52.668 your love, and see clearly that we enjoy 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 deemed us worthy of a letter. Do you not know how we are disposed toward 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 in so great a desolation. For what could be more desolate than Cucusus, with its desolation, and being besieged by the attack of the Isaurians? But nevertheless, if this is difficult both because of the fear of the robbers themselves, and because of the difficulty of the road, do not hesitate to write to us, and to announce the good news about your health, so that, even while we are living in a foreign land, we may reap great comfort from this. 111. To Anatolius, bishop of Adana. I for my part was desiring 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 time being this is not possible, for the hope of a meeting to come to pass, I make up for it by the converse of letters, granting myself the greatest favor. For even if Cucusus is a most desolate place, to which we have now been carried away, and full of many dangers, and besieged by the continual fear of robbers, yet none of these things disturbs us, nor troubles us, as we enjoy your love; but even if we are separated in body, being bound to you in spirit with much vehemence, we seem to inhabit your untroubled and peaceful place, rather than Cucusus,

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 θορυβεῖ, οὐδὲ διαταράττει, τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀπολαύοντας ἀγάπης· ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ τῷ σώματι διεστήκαμεν, τῇ ψυχῇ συνδεδεμένοι μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σφοδρότητος ὑμῖν, τὴν ὑμετέραν μᾶλλον τὴν ἀτάραχον καὶ ἀπόλεμον, ἢ τὴν Κουκουσὸν οἰκεῖν δοκοῦμεν,