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Epistula ad Cyriacum

A letter of our father among the saints John Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople, sent from exile to Cyriacus the bishop.

Come now, let me drain the sore of your despondency and scatter the thoughts that have gathered this cloud. For what is it that holds your mind captive and grieves you and makes you distressed? Is it that the storm that has seized the churches is savage and gloomy and has made everything a moonless night, and that each day it peaks with certain bitter shipwrecks of birth pangs, and the utter destruction of the world increases? I too know this, brother, and no one will deny it and, if you wish, I will fashion an image of what is happening, so as to make the tragedy clearer to you. We see a sea being stirred up from the very abyss below, sailors floating dead on the waters, others going under, the planks of the ships breaking apart, the sails being torn, the masts being shattered, the oars flown from the hands of the sailors; instead of at the rudders sitting on the decks, clasping their hands around their knees and wailing at the helplessness of what is happening, only shouting shrilly, lamenting, crying aloud, mourning; neither sky nor sea visible, but everything deep and lightless and gloomy darkness, not even allowing one to see those nearby, and the great crashing of the waves and sea monsters attacking the sailors from all sides. But rather, how long do we pursue unattainable things? For whatever image of the present evils I may seek, my speech withdraws, defeated. But nevertheless, even knowing these things, I do not despair of a better hope, thinking of the pilot of this universe, who does not overcome the storm by skill, but by a nod puts an end to the surge. And if not from the beginning nor immediately, such is his custom not to end terrible things at the beginning, but when they have increased and come to the end and are despaired of by the majority, then he works wonders and does marvels, both showing his own power and training the patience of those who fall into them. Therefore do not despair; for only one thing is fearful, one temptation, sin alone. And I have not ceased to chant this saying to you continually. All other things are a fable, whether you speak of plots, or enmities, or deceits, or slanders, or insults, or accusations, or confiscations, or exiles, or sharpened swords, or the sea, or war with the whole world. For whatever these things may be, they are both temporary and mortal and happen to a mortal body and in no way harm a sober soul.

For this reason, the blessed Paul, wishing to show the worthlessness of both the good and the painful things of the present life, declared the whole matter in one word, saying: for the things which are seen are temporary. Why then do you fear temporary things? Those that flow by like the streams of rivers? For such are present things, whether good or painful. But another prophet compared all human prosperity not to grass but to another, more worthless material, calling it all together a flower. For he did not posit a part of it, such as wealth alone or luxury alone, but all things among men that seem to be splendid, encompassing them with the single term "glory," he thus introduced the image of the grass, saying: all the glory of man as the flower of grass. But is adversity terrible and grievous? But consider this also

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Epistula ad Cyriacum

Τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἰωάννου ἀρχιεπισκόπου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου ἐπιστολὴ πεμφθεῖσα ἀπὸ τῆς ἐξορίας πρὸς Κυριακὸν

ἐπίσκοπον. Φέρε δὴ ἀπαντλήσω σου τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας τὸ ἕλκος καὶ διασκεδάσω τοὺς λογισμοὺς τοὺς τὸ νέφος τοῦτο συναγαγόντας. Τί γάρ ἐστιν ὃ συνέχει σου τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ λυπεῖ καὶ ἀδημονεῖς; Ὅτι ἄγριος ὁ χειμὼν ὁ τὰς ἐκκλησίας καταλαβὼν καὶ ζοφώδης καὶ νύκτα ἀσέληνον πάντα εἰργάσατο καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην κορυφοῦται τὴν ἡμέραν πικρά τινα ὠδίνων ναυάγια καὶ αὔξεται ἡ πανωλεθρία τῆς οἰκουμένης; Οἶδα τοῦτο κἀγώ, ἀδελφέ, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀντερεῖ καί, εἰ βούλει, εἰκόνα ἀναπλάττω τῶν γινομένων, ὥστε σαφεστέραν σοι ποιῆσαι τὴν τραγῳδίαν. Θάλασσαν ὁρῶμεν ἀπ' αὐτῆς κάτωθεν ἀναμοχλευομένην τῆς ἀβύσσου, πλωτῆρας τοῖς ὕδασι νεκροὺς ἀποπλέοντας, ἑτέρους ὑποβρυχίους γινομένους, τὰς σανίδας τῶν πλοίων διαλυομένας, τὰ ἱστία διαρρηγνύμενα, τοὺς ἱστοὺς διακλωμένους, τὰς κώπας τῶν χειρῶν τῶν ναυτῶν ἀποπτάσας· ἀντὶ τῶν οἰάκων ἐπὶ τῶν στρωμάτων καθημένους, τὰς χεῖρας τοῖς γόνασι περιπλέκοντας καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀμηχανίαν τῶν γινομένων κωκύοντας, ὀξέως βοῶντας, θρηνοῦντας, ὀλολύζοντας, ὀλοφυρομένους μόνον· οὐκ οὐρανόν, οὐ πέ λαγος φαινόμενον, ἀλλὰ σκότος πάντα βαθὺ καὶ ἀφεγγὲς καὶ ζοφῶδες, οὔτε τοὺς πλησίον ἐπιτρέποντα βλέπειν καὶ πολὺν τὸν πάταγον τῶν κυμάτων καὶ θηρία θαλάττια πάντοθεν τοῖς πλέουσιν ἐπιτιθέμενα. Μᾶλλον δὲ μέχρι τίνος διώκομεν ἀκίχητα; Οἵαν γὰρ ἂν ζητήσω τῶν παρόντων κακῶν εἰκόνα, ἡττώμενος ὁ λόγος ἀναχωρεῖ. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ ταῦτα εἰδὼς οὐκ ἀπογινώσκω τῆς χρηστοτέρας ἐλπίδος, τὸν κυβερνήτην τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς ἐννοῶν, ὃς οὐ τέχνῃ περιγίνεται τοῦ χειμῶνος, ἀλλὰ νεύματι λύει τὴν ζάλην. Εἰ δὲ μὴ ἐκ προοιμίων μηδὲ εὐθέως, ἔθος αὐτῷ τοιοῦτον μὴ ἐν ἀρχῇ τὰ δεινὰ καταλύειν, ἀλλ' ὅταν αὐξηθῇ καὶ πρὸς τὸ τέλος ἔλθῃ καὶ παρὰ τῶν πλειόνων ἀπογνωσθῇ, τότε θαυματουργεῖ καὶ παραδοξοποιεῖ τήν τε οἰκείαν ἐνδεικνύμενος δύναμιν καὶ τῶν ἐμπιπτόντων τὴν ὑπομονὴν ἐγγυμνάζων. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀναπέσῃς· ἓν γὰρ μόνον ἐστὶ φοβερόν, εἷς πειρασμός, ἁμαρτία μόνον. Καὶ τοῦτο συνεχῶς ἐπᾴδων ὑμῖν τὸ ῥῆμα οὐκ ἐπαυσάμην. Τὰ δὲ ἄλλα πάντα μῦθος, κἂν ἐπιβουλὰς εἴπῃς, κἂν ἀπεχθείας, κἂν δόλους, κἂν συκοφαντίας, κἂν λοιδορίας, κἂν κατηγορίας, κἂν δημεύσεις, κἂν ἐξορίας, κἂν ξίφη ἠκονημένα, κἂν πέλαγος, κἂν τὸν τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης πόλεμον. Οἷα γὰρ ἂν ᾖ ταῦτα, πρόσκαιρά τέ ἐστι καὶ ἐπίκηρα καὶ ἐν θνητῷ γινόμενα σώματι καὶ τὴν νήφουσαν οὐδὲν παραβλάπτοντα ψυχήν.

∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τῶν χρηστῶν καὶ τῶν λυπηρῶν τῶν κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον τὸ εὐτελὲς ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος δεῖξαι βουλόμενος μιᾷ λέξει τὸ πᾶν ἐνέφηνεν εἰπών· τὰ γὰρ βλεπόμενα πρόσκαιρα. Τί τοίνυν τὰ πρόσκαιρα δέδοικας; Τὰ ποταμίων ῥευμάτων δίκην παραρρέοντα; Τοιαῦτα γὰρ τὰ παρόντα, κἂν χρηστά, κἂν λυπηρά. Προφήτης δὲ ἕτερος ἅπασαν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην εὐημερίαν οὐ χόρτῳ ἀλλ' ἑτέρᾳ ὕλῃ εὐτελεστέρᾳ παρέβαλεν ἄνθος αὐτὴν ὀνομάσας πᾶσαν ὁμοῦ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ μέρος αὐτῆς ἔθηκεν, οἷον πλοῦτον μόνον ἢ τρυφὴν μόνον, ἀλλὰ πάντα τὰ ἐν ἀνθρώποις δοκοῦντα εἶ ναι λαμπρὰ μιᾷ προσηγορίᾳ τῇ τῆς δόξης περιλαβὼν οὕτως ἐπήγαγε τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χόρτου εἰπών· πᾶσα δόξα ἀνθρώπου ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου. Ἀλλ' ἡ δυσημερία δεινὸν καὶ βαρύ; Ἀλλ' ὅρα καὶ ταύτην