John Chrysostom, Letters

to write more frequently; for indeed from this we would have reaped the greatest consolation, if indeed we had met with those who carry letters. But since this is not easy for us, who have been settled at the very extremities of the inhabited world, and with no one being able to visit us quickly, now when we have met my lord, the most honorable and most reverent presbyter, we have given the due salutation, and we beseech your Reverence, considering the magnitude of the achievement, even if much time has passed and been spent, and the contentiousness of those who oppose us is growing worse, and they remain incurably sick, at least not to cease contributing from your part to the correction of what has happened. For the greater the difficulty, the greater and more abundant will be for you the reward for these noble struggles from the man-loving God. 159. To the same. We have no small consolation for the evils that have befallen things here, in the greatness of your zeal. For indeed the things previously done by you were sufficient, the sleeplessness, and the zeal, and so great a care, to provide us with much comfort; but what you have now added, to undertake so long a journey abroad for the benefit of the Churches, has made us all breathe again freely. And we all in common acknowledge many thanks to you for such great labors, and for the toils, 52.705 and for these noble struggles, and we do not cease blessing you for this noble readiness and zeal. Therefore we also asked my lord the most honorable and most reverent presbyter to run to you. Therefore, having received him with the kindness befitting you, be urged to put an end worthy of the beginnings. For even if those who have brought so many storms and wars upon the Churches are for now incurably sick, it is so much the more necessary to count them wretched and weep for them, and for you to be amazed and to proclaim, that even as the evils increase, you, ever advancing, show a greater zeal for correcting such things. 160. To a bishop who came from the West. When I consider the toil you have toiled, both sitting at home and undertaking so long a journey across the sea, for the matters benefiting the Churches, even before the end I do not cease crowning you and proclaiming you and calling you blessed. For whether something more comes of your zeal, my most honored lord, or whether those who cast the disturbances from the beginning remain in the same contentiousness, incurably sick, for you the reward is complete from your purpose and from contributing all that is in your power. For this reason we call you blessed, we admire you, we do not cease acknowledging our thanks to you. And we wished to write more frequently; but since the desolation of this place, in which we are confined, has deprived us of this, now when we have met my lord the most honorable and most reverent presbyter, we both write and give you the due salutation. For in mind and disposition we have written many times, but with paper and ink for the first time now, since it is now for the first time that we have found someone coming to you. Therefore, having received him as is fitting for you, and having shown the appropriate love toward him, let him delight in your disposition. For he will have no small comfort and consolation for so great a hardship, that of the journey, in enjoying your goodwill. For that you will need no reminder from others to use the most vigorous zeal for the benefit of the Churches, you have shown through the facts themselves. 161. To the Roman presbyters who came with the bishops. You have endured much labor, having undertaken so long a journey across the sea, much toil, but not for worldly and perishable matters, but for the benefit of the Churches, for which you will also receive rewards much greater than your labors from the man-loving

συνεχέστερον ἐπιστέλλειν· καὶ γὰρ μεγίστην ἐντεῦθεν ἂν ἐκαρπωσάμεθα τὴν παραμυθίαν, εἴ γε τῶν τὰ γράμματα διακομιζόντων ἐπετυγχάνομεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐ ῥᾴδιον ἡμῖν τοῦτο πρὸς αὐτὰς τὰς ἐσχατιὰς τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀπῳκισμένοις, καὶ οὐδενὸς ἡμῖν ταχέως ἐπιχωριάζειν δυναμένου, νῦν ὅτε ἐπετύχομεν τοῦ κυρίου μου τοῦ τιμιωτάτου καὶ εὐλαβεστάτου πρεσβυτέρου, τὴν ὀφειλομένην ἀποδεδώκαμεν πρόσρησιν, καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν ὑμῶν τὴν εὐλάβειαν, ἐννοοῦντας τοῦ κατορθώματος τὸ μέγεθος, εἰ καὶ πολὺς ὁ παρελθὼν ἀνηλώθη χρόνος, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον τῶν ἐναντιουμένων αὔξεται ἡ φιλονεικία, καὶ μένουσι νοσοῦντες ἀνίατα, τὰ γοῦν παρ' ὑμῶν μὴ διαλιπεῖν εἰς διόρθωσιν τῶν γεγενημένων εἰσφέροντας. Ὅσῳ γὰρ πλείων ἡ δυσκολία, τοσούτῳ μείζων καὶ δαψιλεστέρα ἔσται τῶν καλῶν τούτων ἀγώνων ὑμῖν ἡ ἀμοιβὴ παρὰ τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ. ΡΝΘʹ. Τοῖς αὐτοῖς. Οὐ μικρὰν ἔχομεν παραμυθίαν τῶν κατειληφότων τὰ ἐνταῦθα κακῶν, τῆς ὑμετέρας σπουδῆς τὸ μέγεθος. Ἱκανὰ μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὰ ἔμπροσθεν παρ' ὑμῶν γεγενημένα, ἡ ἀγρυπνία, καὶ ἡ σπουδὴ, καὶ ἡ τοσαύτη φροντὶς, πολλὴν ἡμῖν παρασχεῖν τὴν παράκλησιν· ὃ δὲ νῦν προσεθήκατε, τὸ μακρὰν οὕτως ἀποδημίαν στείλασθαι, ὑπὲρ τῶν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις συμφερόντων, σφόδρα πάντας ἡμᾶς ἀναπνεῦσαι πεποίηκε. Καὶ κοινῇ πάντες ὑμῖν χάριτας ὁμολογοῦμεν πολλὰς ὑπὲρ τῶν τοσούτων πόνων, καὶ τῶν ἱδρώτων, 52.705 καὶ τῶν καλῶν τούτων ἀγώνων, καὶ μακαρίζοντες ὑμᾶς οὐ διαλιμπάνομεν τῆς καλῆς ταύτης προθυμίας τε καὶ σπουδῆς. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὸν κύριόν μου τὸν τιμιώτατον καὶ εὐλαβέστατον πρεσβύτερον παρεκαλέσαμεν δραμεῖν ἕως ὑμῶν. ∆εξάμενοι τοίνυν αὐτὸν μετὰ τῆς ὑμῖν πρεπούσης φιλοφροσύνης, ἄξιον τοῖς προοιμίοις τὸ τέλος ἐπιθεῖναι παρακλήθητε. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀνίατα νοσοῦσι τέως οἱ τοσούτους χειμῶνας καὶ πολέμους ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις ἐργασάμενοι, τοσοῦτον ταλανίζειν μὲν ἐκείνους καὶ δακρύειν χρὴ, ὑμᾶς δὲ ἐκπλήττεσθαι καὶ ἀνακηρύττειν, ὅτι καὶ τῶν κακῶν αὐξομένων, μείζονα ἀεὶ προϊόντες τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὰ τοιαῦτα διορθῶσαι σπουδὴν ἐπιδείκνυσθε. ΡΞʹ. Ἐπισκόπῳ ἐλθόντι ἀπὸ ∆ύσεως. Ὅταν ἐννοήσω τὸν ἱδρῶτα, ὃν ἵδρωσας, καὶ οἴκοι καθήμενος, καὶ μακρὰν οὕτω καὶ διαπόντιον ἀποδημίαν στειλάμενος, ὑπὲρ τῶν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις συμφερόντων πραγμάτων, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τέλους σε στεφανῶν καὶ ἀνακηρύττων καὶ μακαρίζων οὐ παύομαι. Ἄν τε γὰρ γένηταί τι πλέον ἀπὸ τῆς ὑμετέρας σπουδῆς, δέσποτά μου τιμιώτατε, ἄν τε ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς μένωσι φιλονεικίας οἱ τὰς ταραχὰς παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐμβαλόντες, ἀνίατα νοσοῦντες, ὑμῖν ὁ μισθός ἐστιν ἀπηρτισμένος ἀπὸ τῆς γνώμης καὶ τοῦ τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν ἅπαντα εἰσενεγκεῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὑμᾶς μακαρίζομεν, θαυμάζομεν, χάριτας ὑμῖν ὁμολογοῦντες οὐ διαλιμπάνομεν. Καὶ ἐβουλόμεθα μὲν καὶ συνεχέστερον ἐπιστέλλειν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς παρείλετο ἡ τοῦ χωρίου τούτου, ἐν ᾧ καθείργμεθα, ἐρημία, νῦν ὅτε ἐπετύχομεν τοῦ κυρίου μου τοῦ τιμιωτάτου καὶ εὐλαβεστάτου πρεσβυτέρου, καὶ γράφομεν, καὶ τὴν ὀφειλομένην ὑμῖν ἀποδιδόαμεν πρόσρησιν. Γνώμῃ μὲν γὰρ καὶ διαθέσει πολλάκις ἐπεστάλκαμεν, χάρτῃ δὲ καὶ μέλανι πρῶτον νῦν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ νῦν πρῶτον τὸν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἀφικνούμενον εὑρήκαμεν. ∆εξάμενοι τοίνυν αὐτὸν ὡς ὑμῖν πρέπον ἐστὶ, καὶ τὴν προσήκουσαν περὶ αὐτὸν ἐπιδειξάμενοι ἀγάπην, δότε ἐντρυφῆσαι ὑμῶν τῇ διαθέσει. Οὐ γὰρ μικρὰν ἕξει τῆς τοσαύτης ταλαιπωρίας, τῆς κατὰ τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν, παραμυθίαν καὶ παράκλησιν, τὸ τῆς εὐνοίας ἀπολαῦσαι τῆς ὑμετέρας. Ὅτι γὰρ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἐῤῥωμενεστάτῃ χρήσασθαι τῇ σπουδῇ τῶν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις ἕνεκεν συμφερόντων οὐδὲν δεήσεσθε τῆς ἑτέρων ὑπομνήσεως, ἐδείξατε διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν. ΡΞΑʹ. Πρεσβυτέροις Ῥωμαίοις ἐλθοῦσι μετὰ τῶν ἐπισκόπων. Πολὺν ὑπομεμενήκατε πόνον, μακρὰν οὕτω καὶ διαπόντιον ἀποδημίαν στειλάμενοι, πολὺν τὸν ἱδρῶτα, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὑπὲρ τῶν βιωτικῶν καὶ ἐπικήρων πραγμάτων, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῶν ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις συμφερόντων, ὑπὲρ ὧν καὶ πολλῷ μείζονα τῶν πόνων λήψεσθε τὰ βραβεῖα παρὰ τοῦ φιλανθρώπου