John Chrysostom, Letters

to easily find those carrying the letters; but I remember you not infrequently, but even continuously. For one thing is in our power, another is not in our power; but while we are masters of remembering continuously, we are not so of conveying the letters. For this reason, the one happens always, the other, whenever it is possible. Therefore, we have sent other letters containing a greeting, but this one also a request for a favor. And what is the favor? It brings profit more to you who grant it than to him who receives it, and it benefits the giver before the receiver. For it has come to our attention that Eustathius is one of those who have offended your honor, and that he has been cast out of your house, and has been removed from your sight. Now, how the nature of the matter stands, and for what reason he has incurred such great anger, I cannot say; for I have learned only that much; but what you ought to hear from us, who are exceedingly concerned for your salvation, is this. You know that the present life is nothing, but imitates spring flowers, and faint shadows, and is the deceit of dreams; but the true things, and firm, and unmovable, are those which will receive us after our departure from here. These things you have often heard from us, and you continue to philosophize from your own resources. Therefore, I am not making the letter long, but we say this: if some people, acting injuriously, cast him out unjustly, then, respecting the nature of justice, correct what has been done; but if justly, then honoring the laws of humanity, do this same thing again, in which you yourself will reap the greater fruit rather than he. For just as he who demanded the hundred denarii from his fellow servant did not so much harm him as he gave himself a fatal wound, by his strict accounting with his fellow servant overthrowing the forgiveness of ten thousand talents; so he who overlooks the sins of his neighbor makes the future reckonings gentler for himself, and by how much greater the sins he forgives, by so much the more forgiveness will he himself obtain. And not only in this is there a difference, but also in giving a servile favor, one receives a masterly gift. Do not, therefore, say to me that this and that was done amiss by him. For the more grievous you show the deeds to be, the more necessary you make the occasion for forgiveness, 52.673 since you will store up for yourself in the future a far greater stock of philanthropy. Release your anger, then, even if it is just, tame your wrath with philosophical reasoning, offer this as a sacrifice to God; grant this favor also to us who love you, and show how great a power we have even from a short letter. Grant also to yourself these great things which I have mentioned: tranquility, the banishment of the consequent disturbance from your soul, the ability to ask with much confidence, even from here, from the philanthropic God for entrance into the kingdom. For kindness towards one's neighbor is a great purification of sins; For if you forgive men, he says, their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Therefore, having considered all these things, send us a letter, indicating what our letter has accomplished. For our part is complete, and we have done what is in our power: we have exhorted, we have beseeched, we have asked a favor, we have given the counsel that was needed. All the effort, then, is henceforth for your sake. For for us, the reward for this exhortation will be laid up, whether anything more comes of it or not; for it is possible to receive a recompense even for words. But our whole labor is to win, through the deed, your modesty, and from present right actions to reap with much ease the future and immortal good things. 118. To bishops and presbyters in prison. You dwell in a prison, and are bound in a chain, and are shut up with the squalid and filthy; and what could be more blessed than you on account of these things? For what is a golden crown placed on the head compared to a chain wrapped around the right hand for God's sake? and what are conspicuous and great houses compared to a prison full of darkness and filth, and of much unpleasantness, and of affliction on account of

ῥᾳδίως ἐπιτυγχάνειν τῶν κομιζόντων τὰ γράμματα· μέμνημαι δέ σου οὐκ ὀλιγάκις, ἀλλὰ καὶ διηνεκῶς. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐφ' ἡμῖν κεῖται, τὸ δὲ οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν· ἀλλὰ τοῦ μὲν μεμνῆσθαι διηνεκῶς, αὐτοὶ κύριοι, τοῦ δὲ κομίζειν τὰς ἐπιστολὰς, οὐκ ἔτι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τὸ μὲν ἀεὶ γίνεται, τὸ δὲ, ἡνίκα ἂν ἐξῇ. Τὰς μὲν οὖν ἄλλας ἐπιστολὰς πρόσρησιν ἐχούσας ἐπέμπομεν, ταύτην δὲ καὶ χάριτος αἴτησιν. Τίς δὲ ἡ χάρις; Σοὶ τῇ παρεχούσῃ μᾶλλον, ἢ τῷ δεχομένῳ τὸ κέρδος φέρουσα, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ λαμβάνοντος τὸν διδόντα ὠφελοῦσα. Καὶ γὰρ ἦλθεν εἰς ἡμᾶς, ὅτι δὴ Εὐστάθιος τῶν προσκεκρουκότων ἐστὶ τῇ τιμιότητί σου, καὶ τῆς οἰκίας τῆς σῆς ἐξέπεσε, καὶ ἀπὸ ὄψεως γέγονεν. Ὅπως μὲν οὖν ἔχει τοῦ πράγματος ἡ φύσις, καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν τοσαύτην ὑπέμεινεν ὀργὴν, εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἔχω· ἐκεῖνο γὰρ ἔγνων μόνον· ἃ δὲ χρή σε παρ' ἡμῶν ἀκοῦσαι τῶν σφόδρα σου τῆς σωτηρίας ἀντεχομένων, ἐστὶ ταῦτα. Οἶσθα ὡς οὐδὲν ὁ παρὼν βίος, ἀλλ' ἢ ἄνθη μιμεῖται ἠρινὰ, καὶ σκιὰς ἀδρανεῖς, καὶ ὀνειράτων ἐστὶν ἀπάτη· τὰ δὲ ἀληθῆ πράγματα, καὶ πεπηγότα, καὶ ἀμετακίνητα, τὰ μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀποδημίαν ἡμᾶς διαδεξόμενά ἐστι. Ταῦτα καὶ παρ' ἡμῶν πολλάκις ἤκουσας, καὶ οἴκοθεν φιλοσοφοῦσα διατελεῖς. ∆ιόπερ οὐδὲ μακρὰν ποιοῦμαι τὴν ἐπιστολὴν, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνό φαμεν· εἰ μὲν ἀδίκως τινὲς ἐπηρεάσαντες ἐξέβαλον, αἰδουμένη τοῦ δικαίου τὴν φύσιν, διόρθωσον τὸ γεγενημένον· εἰ δὲ δικαίως, τοὺς τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τιμῶσα νόμους, τὸ αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο πάλιν ποίησον, ἔνθα καὶ αὐτὴ τὸ πλέον καρπώσῃ μᾶλλον ἢ ἐκεῖνος. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ τὸν ὁμόδουλον ἀπαιτῶν τὰ ἑκατὸν δηνάρια, οὐκ ἐκεῖνον τοσοῦτον ἔβλαψεν, ὅσον ἑαυτῷ καιρίαν ἔδωκε τὴν πληγὴν, διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὸν σύνδουλον ἀκριβολογίας μυρίων ταλάντων συγχώρησιν ἀνατρέψας· οὕτως ὁ παρατρέχων τὰ τοῦ πλησίον ἁμαρτήματα ἡμερωτέρας ἑαυτῷ ποιεῖ τὰς ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι εὐθύνας, καὶ ὅσῳ ἂν μείζονα τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἀφῇ, τοσούτῳ καὶ αὐτὸς πλείονος τεύξεται τῆς συγχωρήσεως. Οὐ ταύτῃ δὲ μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ διάφορον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ δουλικὴν διδόντα χάριν, δεσποτικὴν λαμβάνειν δωρεάν. Μὴ τοίνυν μοι λέγε, ὅτι τὸ καὶ τὸ αὐτῷ πεπλημμέληται. Ὅσῳ γὰρ ἂν δείξῃς χαλεπώτερα τὰ γεγενημένα, τοσούτῳ τῆς συγχωρήσεως ἀναγκαιοτέραν ἀποφαίνεις τὴν 52.673 πρόφασιν, ἐπειδήπερ πολλῷ πλείονα φιλανθρωπίας ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι προαποθήσῃ σαυτῇ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν. Λῦσον τοίνυν τὴν ὀργὴν, κἂν δικαία ᾖ, δάμασον λογισμῷ φιλοσόφῳ τὸν θυμὸν, ἀνένεγκε τοῦτο θυσίαν τῷ Θεῷ· χάρισαι καὶ ἡμῖν τοῖς ἀγαπῶσί σε, καὶ δεῖξον πῶς καὶ ἀπὸ βραχείας ἐπιστολῆς τοσαύτην ἔχομεν δύναμιν. Χάρισαι καὶ σαυτῇ τὰ μεγάλα ταῦτα, ἅπερ εἶπον ἐγὼ, τὸ ἀτάραχον, τὸ ἐξοικίσαι τῆς ψυχῆς τὸν ἐντεῦθεν θόρυβον, τὸ μετὰ πολλῆς παῤῥησίας καὶ ἐντεῦθεν αἰτεῖν παρὰ τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ τὴν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν εἴσοδον. Καὶ γὰρ μέγα καθάρσιον ἁμαρτημάτων ἡ εἰς τὸν πλησίον φιλοφροσύνη· Ἐὰν γὰρ ἀφῆτε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, φησὶ, τὰ παραπτώματα αὐτῶν, ἀφήσει καὶ ὑμῖν ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἅπαντα λογισαμένη πέμψον ἡμῖν ἐπιστολὴν, δηλοῦσαν ὅ τι ἤνυσαν τὰ γράμματα ἡμῶν. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἡμέτερον ἀπήρτισται, καὶ πεποιήκαμεν οὗπέρ ἐσμεν κύριοι παρεκαλέσαμεν, ἐδεήθημεν, χάριν ᾐτήσαμεν, συνεβουλεύσαμεν ἅπερ ἐχρῆν. Πᾶσα δέ ἐστιν ὑπὲρ σοῦ λοιπὸν ἡ σπουδή. Ἡμῖν μὲν γὰρ ὁ μισθὸς, ἄν τε γένηταί τι πλέον, ἄν τε μὴ γένηται, τῆς παρακλήσεως ταύτης ἀποκείσεται· ἔστι γὰρ καὶ ῥημάτων λαβεῖν ἀμοιβήν. Ὁ δὲ κάματος ἡμῖν ἅπας, διὰ τοῦ ἔργου καὶ τὴν σὴν κερδᾶναι κοσμιότητα, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν παρόντων κατορθωμάτων τὰ μέλλοντα καὶ ἀθάνατα ἀγαθὰ μετὰ πολλῆς καρπώσασθαι τῆς εὐκολίας. ΡΙΗʹ. Ἐπισκόποις καὶ πρεσβυτέροις τοῖς ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ. ∆εσμωτήριον οἰκεῖτε, καὶ ἄλυσιν περίκεισθε, καὶ μετὰ τῶν αὐχμώντων καὶ ῥυπώντων ἐστὲ κατακεκλεισμένοι· καὶ τί ἂν γένοιτο μακαριώτερον ὑμῶν τούτων ἕνεκεν; Τί γὰρ τοιοῦτον στέφανος χρυσοῦς κεφαλῇ περικείμενος, οἷον ἅλυσις δεξιᾷ περιπλεκομένη διὰ τὸν Θεόν; τί δὲ τοιοῦτον οἰκίαι περιφανεῖς καὶ μεγάλαι, οἷον δεσμωτήριον ζόφου καὶ ῥύπου γέμον, καὶ πολλῆς τῆς ἀηδίας, καὶ τῆς θλίψεως διὰ