John Chrysostom, Letters

to be changed, and to become virtuous, of how much understanding, and of how much philosophy would that be? For these things we praise and admire you, O most wonderful and most magnificent master; for these things we ourselves also leap greatly, as if for a brilliant crown, glorying in the friendship of your magnificence. And since you also ask for prayers from us through your letters, learn that even before these letters we have not ceased praying, to see so great and philosophical a soul quickly completing the sacred rite, and being deemed worthy of those sacred and awesome mysteries. And if we are able to share in this good news, we have been delivered from this exile, and have forgotten the wilderness, and have been freed from the bodily weakness with which we now wrestle. And I know that you have the zeal, my most wonderful master, and desire to be deemed worthy of these ineffable goods through our littleness, and for us, as you yourself know, this is a matter of great concern. But if our part is to be delayed, let this matter have no delay. For you will surely find, even with us being absent, men very dear to us, able to lead you to this initiation. And if this happens, we will have the same pleasure as if we ourselves had ministered in the giving of this heavenly gift, since the grace is the same. 133. To Adolia. What are you saying? Again you lament plots, and say that you have suffered terrible things? And what prevents it, tell me, to sail into a calm harbor, and to be delivered from all these waves? Did I not continually repeat these things to you all the time, and you were never willing to listen to us? But you also procure for yourself countless evils from the mud of these affairs, continually falling into swamps, and bringing upon us continual and frequent griefs from enduring these things. Or do you think I am little disheartened now, having heard these things which you have sent, that from your own people, or rather strangers—for I will use your own words for them—you have endured betrayals, and grievous tragedies? Until when will you sit by the smoke, clouding the clear sight of your soul's eye? until when will you not free yourself from the bitterest slavery? And what is preventing you from coming here, and for us to take counsel together about these things? For you said you would not even speak of having any perception of these things, if this had happened. I am greatly astonished and amazed, and I find no reason for you to be so far separated from us, other than laziness and hesitation alone. For the journey is short, and the season of the year is very suitable for travel, causing distress neither by cold nor by heat. But again perhaps what is always for you the mother of all evils, I mean, 52.692 the care for worldly things, this is now also a hindrance. I, therefore, am very grateful if you come, and if you do not come I do not complain, nor am I displeased, but I have the love, which I have always shown to be flourishing for your grace. But I am pained and greatly distressed, hearing that you are still entangled in countless affairs, and that you carry countless burdens of worldly cares. And if the necessity of exile had not bound and held us here, I would not have troubled your reverence, but even if I were weaker than this weakness I now have, I myself would have run out, and I would not have desisted before doing and managing everything, until I had delivered you from this storm-tossed sea, and from the mire, and from the refuse of countless evils. But since this is not possible, I wished that you would come and discuss these things with us. But if not even this is easy, but difficult, we will not cease exhorting and counseling by letters, so that you might cut the ropes, sever the nets, break the fetters of the soul, and walk with much ease and freedom. For thus not only will you reap gladness from this, but you will also receive heaven with much ease. From which things, therefore, you are going to depart unwillingly a little later at the time of your departure from here, send these things willingly beforehand into the inviolable treasuries, and through

μεταβάλλεσθαι, καὶ γενέσθαι χρηστοὺς, πόσης μὲν συνέσεως, πόσης δὲ ἂν εἴη φιλοσοφίας; ∆ιὰ ταῦτά σε ἐπαινοῦμεν καὶ θαυμάζομεν, δέσποτα θαυμασιώτατε καὶ μεγαλοπρεπέστατε, διὰ ταῦτα καὶ αὐτοὶ σκιρτῶμεν μεγάλα, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ στεφάνῳ λαμπρῷ, τῇ φιλίᾳ τῆς σῆς σεμνυνόμενοι μεγαλοπρεπείας. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ εὐχὰς τὰς παρ' ἡμῶν ἀπαιτεῖς διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων, μάνθανε ὅτι καὶ πρὸ τῶν γραμμάτων τούτων οὐκ ἐπαυσάμεθα εὐχόμενοι, τὴν μεγάλην οὕτω καὶ φιλόσοφον ψυχὴν ἰδεῖν τελουμένην ταχέως τὴν ἱερὰν τελετὴν, καὶ τῶν ἱερῶν ἐκείνων καὶ φρικτῶν καταξιουμένην μυστηρίων. Κἂν τούτων δυνηθῶμεν μετασχεῖν τῶν εὐαγγελίων, καὶ τῆς ἐξορίας ἀπηλλάγμεθα ταύτης, καὶ τῆς ἐρημίας ἐπιλελήσμεθα, καὶ τῆς σωματικῆς ἀσθενείας, ᾗ παλαίομεν νῦν, ἠλευθερώμεθα. Καὶ οἶδα μὲν ὅτι σοι σπουδὴ, δέσποτά μου θαυμασιώτατε, καὶ ἐπιθυμία διὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας βραχύτητος τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων τούτων καταξιωθῆναι ἀγαθῶν, καὶ ἡμῖν δὲ, ὡς αὐτὸς οἶσθα, τοῦτο περισπούδαστον. Ἀλλ' ἐὰν μέλλῃ τὰ ἡμέτερα, τοῦτο μηδεμίαν ἐχέτω μέλλησιν. Πάντως γὰρ εὐπορήσεις, καὶ ἡμῶν ἀπόντων, ἀνδρῶν σφόδρα ἡμῖν γνησίων, δυναμένων σε ἐπὶ ταύτην ἀγαγεῖν τὴν μυσταγωγίαν. Κἂν τοῦτο γένηται, τὴν αὐτὴν ἕξομεν ἡδονὴν, ἥνπερ ἂν εἰ καὶ ἡμεῖς διηκονησάμεθα τῇ δόσει τῆς ἐπουρανίου ταύτης δωρεᾶς, ἐπειδήπερ καὶ ἡ χάρις ἐστὶν ἡ αὐτή. ΡΛΓʹ. Ἀδολίᾳ. Τί λέγεις; Πάλιν ἐπιβουλὰς ὀδύρῃ, καὶ δεινὰ πεπονθέναι φῄς; Καὶ τί τὸ κωλύον, εἰπέ μοι, εἰς γαληνὸν καταπλεῦσαι λιμένα, καὶ τούτων πάντων ἀπηλλάχθαι τῶν κυμάτων; Οὐ ταῦτά σοι διὰ παντὸς ἐπᾴδων τοῦ χρόνου διετέλουν, καὶ οὐδέποτε ἡμῶν ἀνασχέσθαι ἠθέλησας; Ἀλλὰ καὶ σαυτῇ μυρία τὰ κακὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ πηλοῦ τῶν πραγμάτων τούτων προξενεῖς, εἰς τέλματα συνεχῶς ἐμπίπτουσα, καὶ ἡμῖν ἐκ τοῦ ταῦτα ὑπομένειν λύπας ἐπάγουσα συνεχεῖς καὶ πυκνάς. Ἢ μικρῶς οἴει με νῦν ἀθυμεῖν, ἀκούσαντα ταῦτα ἅπερ ἀπέσταλκας, ὅτι παρὰ τῶν οἰκείων, ἤτοι ξένων αὐτοῖς γάρ σου χρήσομαι τοῖς ῥήμασι προδοσίας ὑπομεμένηκας, καὶ τραγῳδίας χαλεπάς; Μέχρι τίνος τῷ καπνῷ προσεδρεύεις, τὸ διειδές σου τοῦ κατὰ ψυχὴν ὄμματος ἐπιθολοῦσα; μέχρι τίνος οὐκ ἐλευθεροῖς σαυτὴν πικροτάτης δουλείας; Τί δὲ καὶ τὸ κωλύον ἐνταῦθα παραγενέσθαι, καὶ περὶ τούτων ἡμᾶς κοινῇ βουλεύσασθαι; Καὶ γὰρ ἔφης μηδ' ἂν αἴσθησιν τούτων λαλεῖν, εἰ τοῦτο γέγονεν. Ἐγὼ σφόδρα ἐκπλήττομαι καὶ θαυμάζω, καὶ αἰτίαν οὐδεμίαν εὑρίσκω τοῦ σὲ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἡμῶν ἀπολειφθῆναι, ἢ ῥᾳθυμίαν καὶ ὄκνον μόνον. Καὶ γὰρ τῆς ὁδοῦ τὸ μέσον ὀλίγον, καὶ ἡ τοῦ ἔτους ὥρα πρὸς ἀποδημίαν σφόδρα ἐπιτηδεία, οὔτε κρυμῷ, οὔτε θάλπει λυποῦσα. Ἀλλὰ πάλιν ἴσως ἡ πάντων σοι μήτηρ ἀεὶ τῶν κακῶν γινομένη, λέγω δὴ 52.692 τῶν βιωτικῶν ἡ φροντὶς, αὕτη καὶ νῦν κώλυμα γίνεται. Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν καὶ παραγενομένῃ χάριν ἔχω πολλὴν, καὶ μὴ παραγενομένῃ οὐκ ἐγκαλῶ, οὔτε δυσχεραίνω, ἀλλ' ἔχω μὲν τὴν ἀγάπην, ἣν ἀεὶ περὶ τὴν σὴν ἐμμέλειαν ἐπεδειξάμην ἀκμάζουσαν. Ἀλγῶ δὲ καὶ σφόδρα ὀδυνῶμαι, ἀκούων ἔτι μυρίοις σε ἐμπεπλέχθαι πράγμασι, καὶ μυρία περιφέρειν τῶν βιωτικῶν φροντίδων φορτία. Καὶ εἰ μὴ ἡμᾶς ἡ τῆς ἐξορίας ἀνάγκη πεδήσασα ἐνταῦθα κατέσχεν, οὐκ ἂν ἔσκηλά σου τὴν εὐλάβειαν, ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ τῆς ἀσθενείας ταύτης, ἧς ἔχω νῦν, ἀσθενέστερον εἶχον, αὐτὸς ἂν ἐξέδραμον, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἀπέστην πρότερον πάντα ποιῶν καὶ πραγματευόμενος, ἕως ἄν σε τῆς ζάλης ταύτης, καὶ τοῦ βορβόρου, καὶ τοῦ φορυτοῦ τῶν μυρίων ἀπήλλαξα κακῶν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔνι, ἐβουλόμην παραγενομένην περὶ τούτων ἡμῖν κοινώσασθαι. Εἰ δὲ μηδὲ τοῦτο εὔκολον, ἀλλ' ἐργῶδες, οὐ παυσόμεθα διὰ γραμμάτων παραινοῦντες καὶ συμβουλεύοντες, ὥστε διακόψαι τὰ σχοινία, διατεμεῖν τὰς πλεκτάνας, διακλάσαι τὰς πέδας τῆς ψυχῆς, καὶ μετὰ εὐκολίας καὶ ἐλευθερίας βαδίζειν πολλῆς. Οὕτω γὰρ οὐ μόνον τὴν ἐντεῦθεν εὐφροσύνην καρπώσῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν μετὰ πολλῆς λήψῃ τῆς εὐκολίας. Ὧν οὖν μέλλεις μικρὸν ὕστερον ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἐντεῦθεν ἀποδημίας ἄκουσα ἀφίστασθαι, ταῦτα ἑκοῦσα πρόπεμψον εἰς τοὺς ἀσυλήτους θησαυροὺς, καὶ διὰ