John Chrysostom, Letters

the same subject? For these things leap, rejoice, be crowned, dance, because the sorrowful things that have happened are for you an occasion for much gain. This is a seed proclaiming an unspeakable harvest, this is a wrestling match having victory and prizes, this is a voyage producing much trade. Therefore, considering all these things, my most honored and most pious lords, rejoice and be glad, do not cease glorifying God for all things, and giving timely blows to the devil, and laying up beforehand for yourselves the great reward in heaven. For the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in you. But write to us continuously. For we greatly desire to receive letters from men bound for God's sake, reporting your sufferings, and from this, even while living in a foreign land, we will reap much comfort. 119. To Theophilus the presbyter. Therefore, since I have opened a door for you to write, show 52.674 that it was not sloth that caused your former silence, but your waiting to receive from us the boldness to write, and send us snowstorms of letters, announcing to us your good repute; for you know how we cling to it; and do not let the tyranny of despondency cast you into silence, but having torn it apart more easily than any spider's web, appear resplendent in the battle line, and with much boldness and freedom confound your adversaries. For now is the time of good repute and of much trade. For a merchant, sitting in the harbor, would not be able to gather his cargoes, but by crossing great seas, and daring the waves, and contending with hunger and the beasts in the sea, and enduring many other difficulties. Therefore, having considered this yourself, that this time of troubles is a time for trade, and of great repute, and of unspeakable rewards, raise up the wing of your mind, and having shaken off the dust of despondency with great ease, run about the whole phalanx, assembling, anointing, rousing all, strengthening, making them more zealous. And make these things known to us through your letters, suspecting nothing, if you are to report your own achievements, but as fulfilling our command, grant us this joy, so that even though we are far away, we may reap much pleasure, hearing these things from your piety, which we desire to learn. 120. To Theodora. We have been consumed, we have been spent, we have died a thousand deaths; and those who are delivering the letters know how to report these things more accurately, and this though they were with us for a brief moment; with whom we were not even able to converse a little, being cast down by constant fevers, which having, both by night and by day I was forced to travel, and being besieged by heat, and being destroyed by sleeplessness, and perishing from the lack of provisions, and the want of those who would care for me. For we have both suffered and are suffering things more grievous than those who work in the mines and who dwell in prisons. And late and with difficulty I reached Caesarea, as if coming from a storm into a calm and a harbor. But not even this harbor was strong enough to recover from the evils of the tossing waves; so completely had the former time overcome us. But nevertheless, having come to Caesarea, I recovered a little, because I drank clean water, because I partook of bread that was not moldy nor hardened, because I no longer bathed in the fragments of jars, but found a bath of some kind, because for the time being I have been allowed to be nailed to my bed. It was possible to say even more than these things, but lest I confuse your understanding, I stop the account at this point, adding this: that you not cease reproaching those who love us, because having so many 52.675 lovers, and being clothed with so much power, we did not obtain what the condemned obtain, so as to be settled in a more gentle and nearer place; but even with our body failing, and the fear of the Isaurians all

τὴν αὐτὴν ὑπόθεσιν; ∆ιὰ ταῦτα σκιρτᾶτε, ἀγάλλεσθε, στεφανοῦσθε, χορεύετε, ὅτι πολλῆς ἐμπορίας ὑμῖν ὑπόθεσις τὰ συμβάντα λυπηρά. Τοῦτο σπόρος ἄμητον προαναφωνῶν ἄφατον, τοῦτο παλαίσματα νίκην ἔχοντα καὶ βραβεῖα, τοῦτο πλοῦς ἐμπορίαν πολλὴν προξενῶν. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἅπαντα ἀναλογισάμενοι, κύριοί μου τιμιώτατοι καὶ εὐλαβέστατοι, χαίρετε καὶ εὐφραίνεσθε, μὴ διαλίπητε τὸν Θεὸν ἐπὶ πᾶσι δοξάζοντες, καὶ καιρίας τῷ διαβόλῳ διδόντες πληγὰς, καὶ πολλὴν ἑαυτοῖς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς προαποτιθέμενοι τὴν ἀμοιβήν. Οὐ γὰρ ἄξια τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν δόξαν ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι εἰς ὑμᾶς. Γράφετε δὲ καὶ ἡμῖν συνεχῶς. Σφόδρα γὰρ ἐπιθυμοῦμεν γράμματα δέχεσθαι παρ' ἀνθρώπων διὰ τὸν Θεὸν δεδεμένων, τὰ παθήματα ὑμῶν ἀπαγγέλλοντα, καὶ πολλὴν ἐντεῦθεν, καὶ ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ διατρίβοντες, καρπωσόμεθα τὴν παράκλησιν. ΡΙΘʹ. Θεοφίλῳ πρεσβυτέρῳ. Οὐκοῦν ἐπειδή σοι θύραν ἀνέῳξα τοῦ γράφειν, δεῖ52.674 ξον ὡς οὐχ ὁ ὄκνος ἐποίει τὴν ἔμπροσθεν σιγὴν, ἀλλὰ τὸ παρ' ἡμῶν ἀναμένειν λαβεῖν τοῦ γράφειν τὴν παῤῥησίαν, καὶ πέμπε νιφάδας ἡμῖν γραμμάτων, τὴν σὴν ἀπαγγελλόντων ἡμῖν εὐδοκίμησιν· οἶσθα γὰρ ὅπως αὐτῆς ἀντεχόμεθα· μηδὲ ἀφῇς τῆς ἀθυμίας τὴν τυραννίδα εἰς σιγήν σε ἐμβαλεῖν, ἀλλὰ πάσης ἀράχνης εὐκολώτερον αὐτὴν διασπάσας, φαίνου λαμπρὸς ἐπὶ τῆς παρατάξεως, καὶ τῇ πολλῇ παῤῥησίᾳ καὶ ἐλευθερίᾳ συγχέων τοὺς ἐναντίους. Νῦν γάρ ἐστι καιρὸς εὐδοκιμήσεως καὶ ἐμπορίας πολλῆς. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔμπορος ἐν λιμένι καθήμενος, τὰ φορτία συνάγειν δύναιτ' ἂν, ἀλλὰ μακρὰ διαπερῶν πελάγη, καὶ κυμάτων κατατολμῶν, καὶ λιμῷ καὶ θηρίοις τοῖς ἐν πελάγει πυκτεύων, καὶ πολλὰς ἑτέρας ὑπομένων δυσκολίας. Ταῦτ' οὖν καὶ αὐτὸς λογισάμενος, ὡς ὁ τῶν δεινῶν καιρὸς οὗτος τῆς ἐμπορίας ἐστὶ καιρὸς, καὶ πολλῆς εὐδοκιμήσεως, καὶ μισθῶν ἀφάτων, διανάστησόν σου τὸ πτερὸν τῆς διανοίας, καὶ τὴν κόνιν τῆς ἀθυμίας ἀποτιναξάμενος μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς εὐκολίας πᾶσαν περίτρεχε τὴν φάλαγγα, συγκροτῶν, ἀλείφων, ἅπαντας διεγείρων, νευρῶν, σπουδαιοτέρους ποιῶν. Καὶ ταῦτα ἡμῖν δήλου διὰ γραμμάτων τῶν σῶν, μηδὲν ὑφορώμενος, εἰ κατορθώματα μέλλοις αὐτὸς ἀπαγγέλλειν τὰ σὰ, ἀλλ' ὡς ὑπόταγμα ἡμέτερον ἀνύων, χαρίζου ταύτην ἡμῖν τὴν εὐφροσύνην, ἵνα καὶ πόῤῥωθεν ὄντες, πολλὴν καρπωσώμεθα τὴν ἡδονὴν, ταῦτα ἀκούοντες παρὰ τῆς σῆς εὐλαβείας, ἅπερ ἐπιθυμοῦμεν μανθάνειν. ΡΚʹ. Θεοδώρᾳ. Ἀνηλώθημεν, ἐδαπανήθημεν, μυρίους ἀπεθάνομεν θανάτους· καὶ ταῦτα ἴσασιν ἀκριβέστερον ἀπαγγεῖλαι οἱ τὰ γράμματα ἐγχειρίζοντες, καὶ ταῦτα βραχεῖαν ῥοπὴν ἡμῖν συγγενόμενοι· πρὸς οὓς οὐδὲ διαλεχθῆναί τι μικρὸν ἠδυνήθημεν, ὑπὸ τῶν συνεχῶν πυρετῶν καταβεβλημένοι, οὓς ἔχων καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὁδοιπορεῖν ἠναγκαζόμην, καὶ θάλπει πολιορκούμενος, καὶ ὑπὸ ἀγρυπνίας διαφθειρόμενος, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἐρημίας ἀπολλύμενος, καὶ τῆς τῶν προστησομένων ἀπορίας. Καὶ γὰρ τῶν τὰ μέταλλα ἐργαζομένων, καὶ τὰ δεσμωτήρια οἰκούντων χαλεπώτερα καὶ πεπόνθαμεν καὶ πάσχομεν. Ὀψὲ δέ ποτε καὶ μόλις ἐπέτυχον τῆς Καισαρείας, ὡς ἀπὸ χειμῶνος εἰς γαλήνην καὶ εἰς λιμένα ἐλθών. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ὁ λιμὴν οὗτος ἴσχυσεν ἀνακτήσασθαι τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ κλυδωνίου κακά· οὕτω καθάπαξ ἡμᾶς ὁ ἔμπροσθεν χρόνος κατειργάσατο. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐλθὼν εἰς τὴν Καισάρειαν, μικρὸν ἀνέψυξα, ὅτι ὕδατος ἔπιον καθαροῦ, ὅτι ἄρτου οὐκ ὀδωδότος οὐδὲ κατεσκληκότος μετέλαβον, ὅτι οὐκ ἔτι ἐν τοῖς κλάσμασι τῶν πίθων ἐλουόμην, ἀλλ' εὗρον βαλανεῖον οἷον δήποτε, ὅτι συγκεχώρημαι τέως τῇ κλίνῃ προσηλῶσθαι. Ἐνῆν καὶ πλείονα τούτων εἰπεῖν, ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ συγχέω σου τὴν μάθησιν, μέχρι τούτου ἵστημι τὸν λόγον, ἐκεῖνο προστιθεὶς, ὅτι μὴ παύσῃ ὀνειδίζουσα τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν ἡμᾶς, ὅτι τοσούτους ἔχον52.675 τες ἐραστὰς, καὶ τοσαύτην δύναμιν περιβεβλημένους, οὐκ ἐτύχομεν οὗ τυγχάνουσιν οἱ κατάδικοι, ὥστε εἰς ἡμερώτερον καὶ ἐγγύτερόν που κατοικισθῆναι τόπον· ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ σώματος ἡμῖν ἀπαγορεύσαντος, καὶ τοῦ φόβου τῶν Ἰσαύρων πάντα