Ep. CXCVII.  A Letter of Condolence on the Death of His Sister Theosebia.

I had started in all haste to go to you, and had got as far as Euphemias, when I was delayed by the festival which you are celebrating in honour of the Holy Martyrs; partly because I could not take part in it, owing to my bad health, partly because my coming at so unsuitable a time might be inconvenient to you.  I had started partly for the sake of seeing you after so long, and partly that I might admire your patience and philosophy (for I had heard of it) at the departure of your holy and blessed sister, as a good and perfect man, a minister of God, who knows better than any the things both of God and man; and who regards as a very light thing that which to others would be most heavy, namely to have lived with such a soul, and to send her away and store her up in the safe garners, like a shock of the threshingfloor gathered in due season,85    Job v. 26. to use the words of Holy Scripture; and that in such time that she, having tasted the joys of life, escaped its sorrows through the shortness of her life; and before she had to wear mourning for you, was honoured by you with that fair funeral honour which is due to such as she.  I too, believe me, long to depart, if not as you do, which were much to say, yet only less than you.  But what must we feel in presence of a long prevailing law of God which has now taken my Theosebia (for I call her mine because she lived a godly life; for spiritual kindred is better than bodily), Theosebia, the glory of the church, the adornment of Christ, the helper of our generation, the hope of woman; Theosebia, the most beautiful and glorious among all the beauty of the Brethren; Theosebia, truly sacred, truly consort of a priest, and of equal honour and worthy of the Great Sacraments,86    Referring to her office as a Deaconess. Theosebia, whom all future time shall receive, resting on immortal pillars, that is, on the souls of all who have known her now, and of all who shall be hereafter.  And do not wonder that I often invoke her name.  For I rejoice even in the remembrance of the blessed one.  Let this, a great deal in few words, be her epitaph from me, and my word of condolence for you, though you yourself are quite able to console others in this way through your philosophy in all things.  Our meeting (which I greatly long for) is prevented by the reason I mentioned.  But we pray with one another as long as we are in the world, until the common end, to which we are drawing nigh, overtake us.  Wherefore we must bear all things, since we shall not for long have either to rejoice or to suffer.

[197] ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΩΙ ΝΥΣΣΗΣ

Ὡρμημένον με πρὸς ὑμᾶς κατὰ πᾶσαν σπουδὴν καὶ μέχρις Εὐφημιάδος γενόμενον ἐπέσχεν ἡ σύνοδος ἣν αὐτόθι τελεῖτε τοῖς ἁγίοις μάρτυσι, καὶ τὸ μὴ μετασχεῖν ταύτης οἷόν τε εἶναι διὰ τὴν ἀρρωστίαν, καὶ ἄλλως βαρὺν ἂν γενέσθαι τῇ ἀκαιρίᾳ. Ὥρμησα δὲ ὁμοῦ μὲν ἐπισκεψόμενος ὑμᾶς οὕτω διὰ μακροῦ, ὁμοῦ δὲ θαυμασόμενός σε τῆς καρτερίας καὶ τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἣν φιλοσοφεῖς (πυνθάνομαι γὰρ) ἐπὶ τῇ μεταστάσει τῆς ἁγίας ἀδελφῆς ἡμῶν καὶ μακαρίας, ὡς ἀνὴρ ἀγαθός τε καὶ τέλειος καὶ Θεῷ παριστάμενος καὶ πάντων μᾶλλον εἰδὼς τά τε θεῖα καὶ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα, καὶ ὃ τοῖς ἄλλοις βαρύτατόν ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις, τοῦτο κουφότατον κρίνων, τὸ τοιαύτῃ μὲν συζῆσαι, τοιαύτην δὲ παραπέμψαι καὶ εἰς τὰς ἀσφαλεῖς ἀποθέσθαι μονάς, « ὥσπερ θημωνιὰν ἅλωνος κατὰ καιρὸν συγκομισθεῖσαν », ἵν' εἴπω τὸ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς, καὶ τῶν μὲν τερπνῶν τοῦ βίου μετασχοῦσαν, τὰ δὲ λυπηρὰ διαφυγοῦσαν τῷ μέτρῳ τῆς ἡλικίας, καὶ πρὶν ἐπὶ σοὶ πενθῆσαι παρὰ σοῦ τιμηθεῖσαν τῇ καλῇ κηδείᾳ καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις ὀφειλομένῃ. Ποθῶ δὲ καὶ αὐτός, εὖ ἴσθι, τὴν μετάστασιν, εἰ καὶ μὴ καθ' ὑμᾶς (πολὺ γὰρ τοῦτο εἰπεῖν), ἀλλ' εὐθὺς μεθ' ὑμᾶς. Ἀλλὰ τί χρὴ παθεῖν πρὸς Θεοῦ νόμον πάλαι κεκρατηκότα, ὃς ἔχει Θεοσεβίαν τὴν ἐμὴν (ἐμὴν γὰρ ὀνομάζω τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν ζήσασαν, ἐπειδὴ κρείττων ἡ πνευματικὴ συγγένεια τῆς σωματικῆς): Θεοσεβίαν, τὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας καύχημα, τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καλλώπισμα, τὸ τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς γενεᾶς ὄφελος, τὴν γυναικῶν παρρησίαν: Θεοσεβίαν, τὴν ἐν τοσούτῳ κάλλει τῶν ἀδελφῶν εὐπρεπεστάτην καὶ διαφανεστάτην: Θεοσεβίαν, τὴν ὄντως ἱερὰν καὶ ἱερέως σύζυγον καὶ ὁμότιμον καὶ τῶν μεγάλων μυστηρίων ἀξίαν: Θεοσεβίαν, ἣν καὶ ὁ μέλλων ὑπολήψεται χρόνος ἐν στήλαις ἀθανάτοις κειμένην, ταῖς ἁπάντων ψυχαῖς τῶν τε νῦν ἐγνωκότων καὶ τῶν ὕστερον εἰσομένων; Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς εἰ πολλάκις ταύτην ἀνακαλῶ: ἐντρυφῶ γὰρ καὶ τῇ μνήμῃ τῆς μακαρίας. Οὗτος ἐκείνῃ τε παρ' ἡμῶν ἐπιτάφιος ἐν βραχεῖ πολὺς καὶ σοὶ παρακλητικὸς λόγος, καίπερ ἄλλους τὰ τοιαῦτα παρακαλεῖν δυναμένῳ διὰ τὴν ἐν πᾶσι φιλοσοφίαν. Τὴν δὲ συντυχίαν (ἐπεὶ καὶ ταύτην ποθοῦμεν) νῦν μὲν ἀφῃρήμεθα δι' ἣν εἶπον αἰτίαν, συνευχόμεθα δὲ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς, ἂν ἔτι ὑπὲρ γῆς ὦμεν, καὶ μὴ τὸ κοινὸν ἡμᾶς διαζεύξῃ τέλος ᾧ πλησιάζομεν. Διὸ καὶ πάντα φέρειν ἀναγκαῖον ἡμῖν, ὡς οὔτε ἡσθησομένοις οὔτε ἀνιασομένοις μακρότερα.