John Chrysostom, Letters

I desired to see your grace, and to embrace you; and this you know even before our letter. For knowing how to love genuinely, you also know how to recognize those who love genuinely. But since this is not possible, I do what is possible; for the time being I write, I greet you, I request letters, to inform you more frequently about your health. So grant us this favor. For even if you do not need exhortation for this, we will not cease reminding you of it. For it is no small consolation and comfort for us, both from the solitude and the daily fears arising from the raids of robbers, and from the sickness of the body, and other circumstances, to learn about you who love us, that you are strong, and are in good health, and that all things are going smoothly for you, even if you tell us of countless storms. How and in what way? Because it is possible for the noble, and vigilant, and sober man to sail with a fair wind even in a troubled sea of affairs, just as it is for the listless and prostrate and supine man to be disturbed and troubled even in a calm sea. 140. To Theodotus, Nicolaus, Chaereas, presbyters and monks. You blame the Isaurian raid for your absence; but I say that you are present, and are with us, and that not even from this has any hindrance arisen to your arrival. For such are the wings of love; it arrives everywhere at once and with much ease, even if there are countless hindrances. But if we are deprived of your bodily presence, do not cease praying, and the benevolent God will grant these things. Since I myself also continually carry you in my mind, I desire not just any meeting face to face, and I know well that it will happen, as you earnestly entreat him who is able to dispel every storm, and to bring all things into a bright calm. And that you may rejoice upon learning of our affairs, we are enjoying much quiet and leisure, as for our body, although there are many things that damage its health; for there is a scarcity of doctors, and a lack of necessities—for nothing is for sale here—no supply of medicines, 52.699 and an intemperance of the air—for the summer distresses us no less than the frost, imitating the severity of the frost in the opposite way—and a harsh and continuous siege, and constant and successive fears of Isaurian raids; although these and many more things are destroying our strength, for the time being we have been delivered from the severe danger and such sickness, and we enjoy a certain moderate health. So do not cease writing to us continually yourselves, and announcing the good news about your health. For we consider your love to be the greatest consolation, and comfort, and a treasure full of many good things; and whenever we think of your genuine affection, and the unchangeable nature of your sentiment, and your unswerving and firm love—and we never cease thinking of it—we sail as if into a certain broad and wave-less harbor from our many afflictions. 147. To Anthemius. Others rejoice with your excellency in your consulate and prefecture; but I rejoice with the offices themselves on account of your magnificence. For they did not adorn you, but were adorned by you. Since such is virtue; it does not borrow its honors from outside, but carries them within itself, giving honor to these dignities, not receiving it from them. For this reason, we have not now added to our affection for you. For nothing more has been added to you; nor do we love the prefect and consul, but my most gentle lord Anthemius, who is full of much understanding and much philosophy. For this reason we also count you blessed, not because you have ascended to this throne, but because you have received more abundant material for displaying your understanding and your benevolence. And we rejoice with all who are wronged, seeing the broad harbor of your soul, able to save countless shipwrecks, and those in the last extremity of the surge

ἐπεθύμουν ἰδεῖν σου τὴν ἐμμέλειαν, καὶ περιπτύξασθαι· καὶ τοῦτο οἶσθα καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἡμετέρων γραμμάτων. Φιλεῖν γὰρ εἰδὼς γνησίως καὶ τοὺς γνησίως φιλοῦντας διαγινώσκειν ἐπίστασαι. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔνι, ὅπερ ἔνι ποιῶ, τέως γράφω, προσαγορεύω, γράμματα ἀπαιτῶ, τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας τῆς σῆς ὑμῖν πυκνότερον δηλοῦντα. Χαρίζου δὴ ταύτην ἡμῖν τὴν χάριν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ δεῖ σοι παρακλήσεως εἰς τοῦτο, οὐ παυσόμεθά σε ἀναμιμνήσκοντες ὑπὲρ τούτου. Οὐ γὰρ μικρὰ παράκλησις ἡμῖν καὶ παραμυθία καὶ τῆς ἐρημίας καὶ τῶν φόβων τῶν καθημερινῶν, τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐφόδου γινομένων τῆς λῃστρικῆς, καὶ τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἀῤῥωστίας, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων περιστάσεων, τὸ μανθάνειν περὶ τῶν ἀγαπώντων ἡμᾶς ὑμῶν, ὅτι τε ἔῤῥωσθε, καὶ ὑγιαίνετε, καὶ κατὰ ῥοῦν ὑμῖν ἅπαντα φέρεται, κἂν μυρίους ἡμῖν λέγῃς χειμῶνας. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Ὅτι ἔνι τὸν γενναῖον, καὶ ἐγρηγορότα, καὶ νήφοντα καὶ ἐν ταραττομένῳ πραγμάτων πελάγει ἐξουρίας πλεῖν, ὥσπερ καὶ τὸν χαῦνον καὶ ἀναπεπτωκότα καὶ κείμενον ὕπτιον, καὶ ἐν γαλήνῃ διαταράττεσθαι καὶ θορυβεῖσθαι. ΡΜʹ. Θεοδότῳ, Νικολάῳ, Χαιρέᾳ, πρεσβυτέροις καὶ μονάζουσι. Ὑμεῖς μὲν τῶν Ἰσαύρων αἰτιᾶσθε τὴν καταδρομὴν τῆς ἀπουσίας τῆς ὑμετέρας· ἐγὼ δὲ ὑμᾶς καὶ παρεῖναί φημι, καὶ σὺν ἡμῖν εἶναι, καὶ οὐδὲν οὐδὲ ἐντεῦθεν γενέσθαι κώλυμα πρὸς τὴν ἄφιξιν ὑμῶν. Τοιαῦτα γὰρ τῆς ἀγάπης τὰ πτερά· ἀθρόον καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς εὐκολίας πανταχοῦ παραγίνεται, κἂν μυρία τὰ κωλύματα ᾖ. Εἰ δὲ τῆς σωματικῆς ὑμῶν ἀπεστερήμεθα παρουσίας, μὴ διαλίπητε εὐχόμενοι, καὶ δώσει ταῦτα ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Θεός. Ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτὸς διηνεκῶς ὑμᾶς ἐν διανοίᾳ περιφέρων, οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχε καὶ τῆς κατ' ὄψιν ἐρῶ συντυχίας, καὶ εὖ οἶδ' ὅτι καὶ αὐτὴ ἔσται, μετὰ ἐκτενείας ὑμῶν παρακαλούντων τὸν δυνάμενον πάντα λῦσαι χειμῶνα, καὶ εἰς γαλήνην λευκὴν ἅπαντα ἀγαγεῖν. Ἵνα δὲ καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα μαθόντες εὐφραίνησθε, πολλῆς ἀπολαύομεν ἡσυχίας καὶ ἀπραγμοσύνης, τὸ σῶμα ἡμῖν, καίτοι πολλῶν ὄντων τῶν λυμαινομένων αὐτοῦ τὴν ὑγείαν· καὶ γὰρ ἰατρῶν σπάνις, καὶ ἀναγκαίων ἀπορία οὐδὲν γάρ ἐστιν ὤνιον ἐνταῦθα, οὐ φαρμάκων εὐπορία, 52.699 καὶ ἀέρος δυσκρασία τοῦ κρυμοῦ γὰρ οὐκ ἔλαττον ἡμᾶς τὸ θέρος λυπεῖ, ἀπεναντίας τοῦ κρυμοῦ μιμούμενον τὴν σφοδρότητα, καὶ πολιορκία χαλεπὴ καὶ διηνεκὴς, καὶ συνεχεῖς καὶ ἐπάλληλοι φόβοι τῶν Ἰσαυρικῶν ἐφόδων· τούτων τοίνυν καὶ ἑτέρων πλειόνων ὄντων τῶν διαφθειρόντων τὴν ῥῶσιν ἡμῖν, τέως τοῦ μὲν κινδύνου τοῦ χαλεποῦ, καὶ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀπηλλάγμεθα ἀῤῥωστίας, ὑγιαίνομεν δέ τινα ὑγείαν σύμμετρον. Μὴ δὴ διαλίπητε καὶ αὐτοὶ συνεχῶς ἡμῖν ἐπιστέλλοντες, καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας τῆς ὑμετέρας εὐαγγελιζόμενοι. Καὶ γὰρ παράκλησιν μεγίστην, καὶ παραμυθίαν, καὶ θησαυρὸν πολλῶν γέμοντα ἀγαθῶν, τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην εἶναι νομίζομεν· καὶ ὅταν τὴν διάθεσιν ὑμῶν τὴν γνησίαν, καὶ τὸ ἀπερίτρεπτον τῆς γνώμης, καὶ τὴν ἀκλινῆ καὶ στεῤῥὰν ὑμῶν ἐννοήσωμεν ἀγάπην ἀεὶ δὲ αὐτὴν ἐννοοῦντες οὐ παυόμεθα, ὥσπερ εἴς τινα λιμένα εὐρὺν καὶ ἀκύμαντον ἀπὸ τῶν πολλῶν καταπλέομεν θλίψεων. ΡΜΖʹ. Ἀνθεμίῳ. Ἄλλοι μέν σου τῇ θαυμασιότητι καὶ τῆς ὑπατείας καὶ τῆς ἐπαρχότητος συνήδονται· ἐγὼ δὲ αὐταῖς ταῖς ἀρχαῖς τῆς σῆς ἕνεκεν μεγαλοπρεπείας. Οὐ γὰρ σὲ κατεκόσμησαν, ἀλλ' ἐκοσμήθησαν παρὰ σοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοιοῦτον ἡ ἀρετή· οὐκ ἔξωθεν δανείζεται τὰς τιμὰς, ἀλλ' αὐτὴ ἐν ἑαυτῇ περιφέρει ταύτας, τιμὴν τοῖς ἀξιώμασι τούτοις παρέχουσα, οὐκ αὐτὴ παρ' ἐκείνων λαμβάνουσα. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο οὐδὲ προσεθήκαμεν τῷ φίλτρῳ νῦν τῷ περὶ σέ. Οὐδὲν γάρ σοι προσγέγονε πλέον· οὐδὲ τὸν ὕπαρχον καὶ ὕπατον ἡμεῖς φιλοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ τὸν δεσπότην μου τὸν ἡμερώτατον Ἀνθέμιον, τὸν πολλῆς μὲν συνέσεως, πολλῆς δὲ γέμοντα φιλοσοφίας. ∆ιό σε καὶ μακαρίζομεν, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ πρὸς τὸν θρόνον ἀνέβης τοῦτον, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ δαψιλεστέραν ἔλαβες ὕλην, εἰς τὸ τὴν σύνεσίν σου καὶ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν ἐπιδείξασθαι. Καὶ τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις πᾶσι συνηδόμεθα, τὸν πλατύν σου λιμένα τῆς ψυχῆς ὁρῶντες, μυρία δυνάμενον λῦσαι ναυάγια, καὶ τοὺς εἰς ἔσχατον κλυδωνίου