John Chrysostom, Letters

you have caused much perplexity. For I cannot find the reason for your silence, when I consider your warm and genuine love, which you always showed towards us. Nor can I reckon it as sloth; for I know your sleepless soul; nor cowardice; for I know your courage; not hesitation; for I know your roused and active spirit; nor even illness; and yet not even this would have been sufficient to hinder you; but still I learn from those who come from there, that you are healthy and strong. What then is the cause, I cannot say, but one thing only: I am grieved and in pain. Do everything, therefore, to free us both from this grief and from this perplexity. For if even after this letter you are unwilling to write to us with great speed, you will grieve us so much, that much labor will be needed to cure our despondency. 203. To Salustius the presbyter. I was grieved in no ordinary way on hearing that both you and Theophilus the presbyter have grown slack. For I learned that one of you gave five homilies until the month of October, and the other none, and this has become more grievous to me than my solitude here. Be willing, therefore, if this is false, to make it known to me; but if it is true, to correct it; and stir up one another; since you will grieve me greatly, though I love you exceedingly and beyond measure. And what is more grievous, that you will also draw down upon yourselves great judgment from God, by living with such idleness and hesitation, and not contributing what is in your power. For what excuse could you have, when others are being persecuted, exiled, and driven away, while you do not even contribute the zeal of your presence or of your teaching to the storm-tossed people? 204. To Paeanius. Whenever you consider, my most wonderful lord and sweeter to us than honey, that our separation is heavy and burdensome, reflect what a matter you are handling, and that you are setting right a whole city, or rather the whole inhabited world through that city, leap for joy and be glad. For along with the benefit, it is possible for you to reap much pleasure also. For if some people who collect money that both perishes and destroys them, are filled with so much gladness, being separated from their homes, and wife, and children, and all their relatives for a long time, what words could describe the pleasure of the wealth, that great treasure, which you gather every day, 52.725 and by merely appearing there? For I do not say these things to flatter you, and those here who also hear these things from us in your absence know it, but because I am greatly pleased, and rejoice, and am winged with gladness. For you are sufficient, even by your appearance, to set many of those there upright, to strengthen, to anoint, to rally them. I know my champion, I know your brave deeds there, your zeal, your watchfulness, your errands, the labor of your soul, your boldness, the freedom with which you even rose up against bishops, when this time demanded it, yet with fitting measure. And I admired you for those things, but much more now, because, when no one stood by you there, but some were fleeing, some being driven away, and others hiding, you alone have stood in the line of battle, adorning its front, and allowing no one to become a deserter, but also by your diligence you daily bring over those who are ranked with the enemy. But I admire you not only for these things, but because while established in one place, you care for the whole inhabited world, the things in Palestine, the things in Phoenicia, the things in Cilicia, for which you especially ought to take thought. For the Palestinians and Phoenicians, as I have clearly learned, did not receive the one sent there by the adversaries, nor did they deem him worthy of a reply; but the bishop of Aegae, as I learned, and the bishop of Tarsus are ranked with them, and the bishop of Castabala has made known here to one of our friends, that those from Constantinople are compelling them to agree to their lawlessness, and for the time being they are holding out. Therefore, you have need of much care, much watchfulness, so as to set right this part also, for the master

πολλὴν ἀπορίαν κατέστησας. Οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναμαι τῆς σιγῆς τὴν αἰτίαν εὑρεῖν, ὅταν ἐννοήσω σου τὴν θερμὴν ἀγάπην καὶ γνησίαν, ἣν ἀεὶ περὶ ἡμᾶς ἐπεδείξω. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ῥᾳθυμίαν λογίσασθαι ἔχω· οἶδα γάρ σου τὴν ἄγρυπνον ψυχήν· οὔτε δειλίαν· οἶδα γάρ σου τὴν ἀνδρείαν· οὐκ ὄκνον· οἶδα γάρ σου τὸ διεγηγερμένον καὶ ἐντρεχές· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἀῤῥωστίαν· καίτοι γε οὐδὲ αὕτη ἱκανὴ ἦν σε κωλῦσαι· πλὴν ἀλλὰ μανθάνω παρὰ τῶν ἐκεῖθεν ἐρχομένων, ὅτι ὑγιαίνεις καὶ ἔῤῥωσαι. Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ αἴτιον, εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἔχω, ἀλλ' ἓν μόνον, ἀλγῶ καὶ ὀδυνῶμαι. Πάντα τοίνυν ποίησον ὥστε ἀπαλλάξαι ἡμᾶς καὶ τῆς λύπης, καὶ τοῦ διαπορεῖν. Ἐπεὶ εἰ καὶ μετὰ τὰ γράμματα ταῦτα μὴ μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ τάχους ἡμῖν βουληθείης ἐπιστεῖλαι, οὕτως ἡμᾶς ἔχεις λυπῆσαι, ὡς πολλοῦ δεηθῆναι πόνου εἰς τὸ θεραπεῦσαι ἡμῶν τὴν ἀθυμίαν. ΣΓʹ. Σαλουστίῳ πρεσβυτέρῳ. Οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχεν ἤλγησα ἀκούσας ὅτι καὶ σὺ καὶ Θεόφιλος ὁ πρεσβύτερος ἀνεπέσετε. Ἔγνων γὰρ ὅτι ὁ μὲν ὑμῶν πέντε ὁμιλίας εἶπεν ἕως Ὀκτωβρίου μηνὸς, ὁ δὲ οὐδεμίαν, καὶ τῆς ἐρημίας μοι τῆς ἐνταῦθα τοῦτο γέγονε χαλεπώτερον. Βουλήθητε τοίνυν, εἰ μὲν ψεῦδος τοῦτο, δηλῶσαί μοι· εἰ δὲ ἀληθὲς, διορθώσασθαι· καὶ ἀλλήλους διεγείρατε· ἐπεὶ σφόδρα με ἔχετε λυπῆσαι, καίτοι μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς σφόδρα ἀγαπῶντα ὑμᾶς. Καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ πολὺ καθ' ἑαυτῶν ἐπισπάσεσθε τὸ κρῖμα, ἀργίᾳ τοσαύτῃ συζῶντες καὶ ὄκνῳ, καὶ τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν οὐκ εἰσφέροντες. Ποίαν γὰρ σχοίητε συγγνώμην ἑτέρων διωκομένων, ἐξοριζομένων, ἐλαυνομένων, ὑμεῖς δὲ μηδὲ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς παρουσίας ὑμῶν ἢ τῆς διδασκαλίας εἰσφέροντες τῷ χειμαζομένῳ λαῷ σπουδήν; Σ∆ʹ. Παιανίῳ. Ὅταν ἐννοήσῃς, δέσποτά μου θαυμασιώτατε καὶ μέλιτος ἡμῖν γλυκύτερε, ὅτι βαρὺ καὶ ἐπαχθὲς τὸ κεχωρίσθαι ἡμῶν, λογιζόμενος οἷον πρᾶγμα μεταχειρίζῃ, καὶ ὅτι πόλιν ὁλόκληρον κατορθοῖς, μᾶλλον δὲ οἰκουμένην ὁλόκληρον διὰ τῆς πόλεως ἐκείνης, σκίρτα καὶ εὐφραίνου. Μετὰ γὰρ τῆς ὠφελείας πολλὴν ἔξεστί σοι καρποῦσθαι καὶ τὴν ἡδονήν. Εἰ γὰρ χρήματά τινες συλλέγοντες τά τε ἀπολλύμενα καὶ ἀπολλύντα αὐτοὺς, τοσαύτης ἐμφοροῦνται τῆς εὐφροσύνης, καὶ οἰκιῶν, καὶ γυναικὸς, καὶ τέκνων, καὶ πάντων τῶν προσηκόντων ἐπὶ πολὺν χωριζόμενοι χρόνον, τίς ἂν παραστήσειε λόγος τὴν ἡδονὴν τοῦ πλούτου, τὸν τοσοῦτον θησαυρὸν, ὃν καθ' ἑκάστην συνάγεις ἡμέραν, 52.725 καὶ φαινόμενος αὐτόθι μόνον; Οὐ γὰρ δὴ κολακεύων σε ταῦτα λέγω, καὶ ἴσασιν οἱ καὶ ἀκούοντες ἀπόντος σου ταῦτα παρ' ἡμῶν ἐνταῦθα, ἀλλ' ἡδόμενος σφόδρα, καὶ χαίρων, καὶ πτερούμενος ὑπὸ τῆς εὐφροσύνης. Ἀρκεῖς γὰρ, καὶ φαινόμενος, πολλοὺς ὀρθῶσαι τῶν αὐτόθι, στηρίξαι, ἀλεῖψαι, συγκροτῆσαι. Οἶδα ἐγὼ τὸν ἀριστέα τὸν ἐμὸν, οἶδά σου τὰς ἀνδραγαθίας τὰς αὐτόθι, τὸν ζῆλον, τὴν ἀγρυπνίαν, τοὺς δρόμους, τὸν πόνον τῆς ψυχῆς, τὴν παῤῥησίαν, τὴν ἐλευθερίαν μεθ' ἧς καὶ ἐπισκόπων κατεξανίστασο, τοῦ καιροῦ τούτου ἀπαιτοῦντος, μετὰ τοῦ προσήκοντος μέντοι μέτρου. Καὶ ἐθαύμαζόν σε ἐπ' ἐκείνοις, πολλῷ δὲ πλέον νῦν, ὅτι, καὶ μηδενός σοι παραστάντος αὐτόθι, ἀλλὰ τῶν μὲν φευγόντων, τῶν δὲ ἐλαυνομένων, τῶν δὲ κρυπτομένων, μόνος ἕστηκας ἐπὶ τῆς παρατάξεως, τὸ μέτωπον αὐτῆς κατακοσμῶν, καὶ οὐδένα ἀφιεὶς γενέσθαι λειποτάκτην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς μετὰ τῶν ἐναντίων τεταγμένους τῇ ἐμμελείᾳ σου καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν μεθιστᾷς. Οὐ διὰ ταῦτα δὲ θαυμάζω μόνον, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ἐν ἑνὶ ἱδρυμένος χωρίῳ, τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν μεριμνᾷς, τὰ ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ, τὰ ἐν Φοινίκῃ, τὰ ἐν Κιλικίᾳ, ὧν καὶ μάλιστα φροντίζειν ὀφείλεις. Παλαιστινοὶ μὲν γὰρ καὶ Φοίνικες, καθὼς ἔγνων σαφῶς, οὐκ ἐδέξαντο τὸν παρὰ τῶν ἐναντίων ἀποσταλέντα ἐκεῖσε, οὐδὲ ἀποκρίσεως αὐτὸν ἠξίωσαν· ὁ δὲ Αἰγῶν, ὡς ἔγνων, καὶ ὁ Ταρσοῦ μετ' ἐκείνων τάττονται, καὶ ὁ Κασταβάλων ἐνταῦθα ἐδήλωσέ τινι τῶν ἡμετέρων φίλων, ὅτι ἀναγκάζουσιν αὐτοὺς οἱ ἀπὸ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως τῇ παρανομίᾳ αὐτῶν συνθέσθαι, καὶ τέως ἀντέχουσι. Πολλῆς τοίνυν σοι δεῖ τῆς μερίμνης, πολλῆς τῆς ἀγρυπνίας, ὥστε καὶ τοῦτο διορθῶσαι τὸ μέρος, τῷ δεσπότῃ