John Chrysostom, Letters

of God. Therefore, your labor and diligence will be no small comfort both to you and to us; to you, because this noble struggle of yours is for the peace of so many Churches, and 52.706 the reward will be with much greater crowns; and to us, because we have enjoyed such great love from you, and have received much diligence from so many and such great men, and though we are separated in body by so great a length of road, you have bound us to yourselves with the chain of love with great exactness. For these things we give you much thanks, and we do not cease to proclaim your great goodwill. For the voice of the events themselves proclaims it, and we do not fail to do this with our own tongue. And if we have written to you now for the first time, we have done so not from indolence, but from the desolation of the place. Now, therefore, having found the lord, the most honorable and most reverent presbyter, who is passing through where you are staying, we are both paying you the greeting owed, and we ask you to receive him with the love befitting you, and upon his return, to inform us about your health, about which we are most anxious to learn. But as for showing the proper diligence in the matter for which you have come, I think your Reverence needs no reminder from another; and you have made this clear by the diligence you have shown at all times. 162. To Anysius, bishop of Thessalonica. We have written to your Love late and slowly; but this long silence of ours has not been voluntary, but because of the desolation of the place in which we are confined, not because of indolence toward your Love. Now, therefore, having found my lord, the most honorable and most reverent presbyter, we have paid the long-owed greeting to your Honor, acknowledging much thanks to your Reverence for your steadfastness, and for your courage on behalf of the Churches. Therefore, having received him, my most honorable lord, as is fitting for you, and having shown him the proper kindness, do not grow weary of doing and accomplishing what contributes to the common correction of the Churches. For you know the magnitude of the achievement, and for how many Churches you have undertaken this noble struggle, and how many crowns are laid up for you by the benevolent God for having labored for the common peace. 163. To Anysius, Numerius, Theodosius, Eutropius, Eustathius, Marcellus, Eusebius, Maximianus, Eugenius, Gerontius, and Thyrsus, and to all the orthodox bishops throughout Macedonia. Great was the former diligence of your Love, and we give thanks for these things, that for so long a time you have stood with the courage befitting you, yielding to none of those who attempt to snatch you away; and we urge you to bring it to a fitting end. For the more your labors, the greater will be the recompense, 52.707 and the rewards from the benevolent God. And we desired to see your Honor face to face. But since the bonds of exile have deprived us of this, and have confined us in one place, we have sent my lord, the most honorable and most reverent presbyter, and through him we both pay the owed greeting, and declare that we do not cease to acknowledge many and great thanks to your Piety, and we ask that you grant us pardon for our long former silence. For indeed we were not silent for so long a time out of indolence, nor out of neglect for you; but since we have now for the first time found someone able to cross over to where you are now staying, and to deliver our letters, we write to you, declaring in what state we are. Therefore, having received him with goodwill and genuine affection, be so kind as to inform us about your health. For from such letters, even while sitting in a deserted place, we will have the greatest comfort. 164.

Θεοῦ. Οὐ μικρὰ τοίνυν καὶ ὑμῖν καὶ ἡμῖν ἔσται παράκλησις ὁ πόνος ὑμῶν καὶ ἡ σπουδή· ὑμῖν μὲν, ὅτι ὑπὲρ εἰρήνης τοσούτων Ἐκκλησιῶν ὁ καλὸς οὗτος ὑμῖν ἀγὼν, καὶ 52.706 ἐπὶ πολλῷ μείζοσι στεφάνοις ἡ ἀντίδοσις· ἡμῖν δὲ, ὅτι τοσαύτης παρ' ὑμῶν ἀπηλαύσαμεν ἀγάπης, καὶ παρὰ τῶν τοσούτων καὶ τηλικούτων ἀνδρῶν πολλῆς τετυχήκαμεν τῆς σπουδῆς, καὶ τῷ σώματι τοσοῦτον διῳκισμένους ὁδοῦ μῆκος τῇ τῆς ἀγάπης ἁλύσει ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς συνεδήσατε μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀκριβείας. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα χάριτας ὑμῖν ἴσμεν πολλὰς, καὶ ἀνακηρύττοντες ὑμῶν τὴν πολλὴν εὔνοιαν οὐ παυόμεθα. Βοᾷ μὲν γὰρ αὐτὴν καὶ αὐτὴ τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ φωνὴ, οὐ διαλιμπάνομεν δὲ καὶ ἡμεῖς διὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας τοῦτο ἐργαζόμενοι γλώττης. Εἰ δὲ νῦν πρῶτον ὑμῖν ἐπεστάλκαμεν, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ τόπου ἐρημίας τοῦτο πεπόνθαμεν. Νῦν γοῦν ἐπιλαβόμενοι τοῦ κυρίου τοῦ τιμιωτάτου καὶ εὐλαβεστάτου πρεσβυτέρου, διαβαίνοντος οἷ διάγετε, τήν τε ὀφειλομένην ὑμῖν ἀποδιδόαμεν πρόσρησιν, καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν ὑμᾶς μετὰ τῆς πρεπούσης ὑμῖν ἀγάπης αὐτὸν ὑποδέξασθαι, καὶ ἐπανιόντος, τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας ἡμῖν δηλῶσαι τῆς ὑμετέρας, περὶ ἧς σφόδρα περισπούδαστον ἡμῖν μανθάνειν. Ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ τὴν προσήκουσαν σπουδὴν ἐπιδείξασθαι εἰς τὴν τοῦ πράγματος ὑπόθεσιν, εἰς ἥν ἐστε ἀφιγμένοι, οὐδὲν οἶμαι δεῖσθαι τὴν εὐλάβειαν ὑμῶν τῆς ἑτέρωθεν ὑπομνήσεως· καὶ τοῦτο δῆλον πεποιήκατε διὰ τῆς σπουδῆς, ἣν διὰ παντὸς ἐπεδείξασθε τοῦ χρόνου. ΡΞΒʹ. Ἀνυσίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Θεσσαλονίκης. Ὀψὲ μὲν καὶ βραδέως ἐπεστάλκαμέν σου τῇ ἀγάπῃ· ἀλλ' οὐχ ἑκουσίως ἡμῶν ἡ μακρὰ αὕτη σιγὴ γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τοῦ χωρίου ἐρημίαν, ἐν ᾧ καθείργμεθα, οὐ διὰ τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν τὴν περὶ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην. Νῦν γοῦν ἐπιλαβόμενοι τοῦ κυρίου μου τοῦ τιμιωτάτου καὶ εὐλαβεστάτου πρεσβυτέρου, τὴν πάλαι ὀφειλομένην ἀποδεδώκαμεν πρόσρησιν τῇ τιμιότητί σου, χάριτας πολλὰς ὁμολογοῦντές σου τῇ εὐλαβείᾳ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐνστάσεως, καὶ τῆς ἀνδρείας τῆς ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν. ∆εξάμενος τοίνυν αὐτὸν, δέσποτά μου τιμιώτατε, ὥς σοι πρέπον ἐστὶ, καὶ τὴν προσήκουσαν περὶ αὐτὸν φιλοφροσύνην ἐπιδειξάμενος, μὴ ἀποκάμῃς τὰ συντελοῦντα τῇ κοινῇ διορθώσει τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν ποιῶν καὶ πραγματευόμενος. Οἶσθα γὰρ τοῦ κατορθώματος τὸ μέγεθος, καὶ ὑπὲρ ὅσων Ἐκκλησιῶν τὸν καλὸν τοῦτον ἀγῶνα ἀνεδέξασθε, καὶ ὅσοι ὑπὲρ τῆς κοινῆς εἰρήνης πονησαμένοις ὑμῖν ἀπόκεινται παρὰ τῷ φιλανθρώπῳ Θεῷ οἱ στέφανοι. ΡΞΓʹ. Ἀνυσίῳ, Νουμερίῳ, Θεοδοσίῳ, Εὐτροπίῳ, Εὐσταθίῳ, Μαρκέλλῳ, Εὐσεβίῳ, Μαξιμιανῷ, Εὐγενίῳ, Γεροντίῳ, καὶ Θύρσῳ, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς κατὰ Μακεδονίαν ὀρθοδόξοις ἐπισκόποις. Πολλὴ μὲν ὑμῶν τῆς ἀγάπης καὶ ἡ ἔμπροσθεν σπουδὴ, καὶ χάριτας ὑπὲρ τούτων ὁμολογοῦμεν, ὅτι ἐν οὕτω χρόνῳ μακρῷ ἔστητε μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης ὑμῖν ἀνδρείας, μηδενὶ εἴκοντες τῶν συναρπάζειν ἐπιχειρούντων· παρακαλοῦμεν δὲ καὶ τὸ τέλος ἐπιθεῖναι οἷον προσῆκόν ἐστιν. Ὅσῳ γὰρ πλείονα τὰ τῶν καμάτων ὑμῖν, μείζονα καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀντιδόσεων ἔσται, 52.707 καὶ τῶν ἀμοιβῶν παρὰ τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ. Καὶ ἐπεθυμοῦμεν κατὰ πρόσωπον ὑμῶν θεάσασθαι τὴν τιμιότητα. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὰ τῆς ἐξορίας δεσμὰ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς παρείλετο, καὶ ἐν ἑνὶ καθεῖρξε χωρίῳ, τὸν κύριόν μου τὸν τιμιώτατον καὶ εὐλαβέστατον πρεσβύτερον ἀπεστάλκαμεν, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τήν τε ὀφειλομένην πρόσρησιν ἀποδιδόαμεν, καὶ δηλοῦμεν, ὅτι χάριτας πολλὰς καὶ μεγάλας ὁμολογοῦντες ὑμῶν τῇ θεοσεβείᾳ οὐ διαλιμπάνομεν, καὶ ἀξιοῦντες ὑπὲρ τῆς μακρᾶς σιγῆς τῆς ἔμπροσθεν συγγνώμην ἡμῖν νεῖμαι. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ ῥᾳθυμοῦντες, οὐδὲ κατολιγωροῦντες ὑμῶν, τοσοῦτον ἐσιγήσαμεν χρόνον· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ νῦν πρῶτον εὕρομεν τὸν δυνάμενον ἐκεῖσε διαβῆναι, ἔνθα διατρίβετε νῦν, καὶ τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν διακομίσαι γράμματα, γράφομεν ὑμῖν δηλοῦντες, ἐν οἷς ἐσμεν. ∆εξάμενοι τοίνυν αὐτὸν μετ' εὐνοίας καὶ διαθέσεως γνησίας, τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας ὑμῶν δηλοῦν ἡμῖν παρακλήθητε. Μεγίστην γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων γραμμάτων, καὶ ἐν ἐρημίᾳ καθήμενοι, ἕξομεν παραμυθίαν. ΡΞ∆ʹ.