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Epistulae Collectio Patmensis

LETTERS OF THE MOST BLESSED THEODORET, BISHOP OF CYRUS

TO BASIL, BISHOP OF ISAURIA. Sending many letters to your piety, I receive few; but I do not know the reason; for I hesitate to charge you with negligence. I, however, am eager to write by each of those departing from here to you, considering such silence a loss, and desiring to gather the lovely wealth of the fruits of love. And these letters bear witness to my sentiment; for though not having received a letter from your holiness, through the most God-beloved Paul the bishop I both write and embrace that head most dear to me, and I ask to receive the same in letters, but in prayers, things greater. For I boast to gain great things by partaking of your prayers. 2 TO EUSEBIUS, BISHOP OF ANCYRA. True, then, is the promise of our God and Savior. For he promised that the teaching of the knowledge of God would be poured out upon the whole world; and the facts cry out, bearing witness to the word. For not only do the disciples of piety and those deemed worthy of the priesthood guide nations and cities and villages and fields and the remotest parts, but also the very regiments of soldiers, living in cities and villages, have consecrated shepherds. Of these, one is also the most devout deacon Agapetus, who boasts of the metropolis of our province as his city, but was appointed to regulate a military unit in divine matters; for which reason he has now also departed for Thrace; for it happens that his company is stationed there. For he fears that command of the Lord, saying: "O shepherds, shepherds, you have not bound up the broken, you have not raised up the fallen, you have not brought back the straying." He therefore, fearing this accusation, has departed from here, and for me he has provided a thing greatly desired; for letters to your holiness are most lovely to me. And this has both created and nourishes my love, the praise of your holiness, which is reported by all, which I pray may increase each day for the praise of the Lord Christ and the benefit of the peoples thrice-desired by him. But for me the greatest good is to obtain the divine loving-kindness for my failings; of which I might easily partake if you would pray, my lord. 3 TO THEODOTUS THE COMES. I continually inquire of those who arrive from there, how your magnificence is faring, both in soul and in your little body, for which I have much concern, and very much indeed. For this is mortal and perishable and has nothing lasting; for the flower of youth ebbs and withers, and its season has many changes, some wrought by time, others by sufferings. And so also strength is spent, and weakness succeeds good health. But the goods of the soul are inviolable, and its beauty ageless, and its wealth is not set before slanderers or evildoers, but surpasses every plot and endures into the endless ages. For this reason, then, being especially concerned for this, I am delighted to learn that

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Epistulae Collectio Patmensis

ΤΟΥ ΜΑΚΑΡΙΩΤΑΤΟΥ ΘΕΟ∆ΩΡΗΤΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΚΥΡΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΑΙ

ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΙΣΑΥΡΙΑΣ. Πολλὰς τῇ σῇ θεοσεβείᾳ πέμπων ἐπιστολὰς ὀλίγας κομί ζομαι· τὴν αἰτίαν δὲ ἀγνοῶ· ὀκνῶ γὰρ ἐγκαλέσαι ῥᾳστώνην. Ἐγὼ μέντοι δι' ἑκάστου τῶν ἐνθένδε πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἀπαιρόντων ἐπιστέλλειν σπουδάζω, ζημίαν ἡγούμενος τὴν τοιαύτην σιγήν, καὶ τῶν τῆς ἀγάπης καρπῶν τὸν ἀξιέραστον συλλέγειν ἐφιέμενος πλοῦτον. Τεκμηριοῖ δέ μου τὴν γνώμην καὶ τάδε τὰ γράμματα· οὐ γὰρ δεξάμενος ἐπιστολὴν τῆς σῆς ὁσιότητος, διὰ τοῦ θεοφιλεστάτου Παύλου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου καὶ γράφω καὶ τὴν φιλτάτην ἐμοὶ περιπτύσσομαι κεφαλήν, καὶ παρακαλῶ ἐν μὲν τοῖς γράμμασιν τῶν ἴσων τυγχάνειν, ἐν δὲ ταῖς προσευ χαῖς τῶν μειζόνων. Μεγάλα γὰρ κερδαίνειν μεγαλαυχῶ τῶν ὑμετέρων μεταλαγχάνων εὐχῶν. 2 ΕΥΣΕΒΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ ΑΓΚΥΡΑΣ. Ἀψευδὴς ἄρα τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἡ ὑπόσχεσις. Ὑπέσχετο δὲ εἰς ἅπασαν χυθήσεσθαι τὴν οἰκουμένην τὴν τῆς θεογνωσίας διδασκαλίαν· βοᾷ δὲ τὰ πράγματα μαρτυ ροῦντα τῷ λόγῳ. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἔθνη καὶ πόλεις καὶ κώμας καὶ ἀγροὺς καὶ ἐσχατιὰς ἰθύνουσι τῆς εὐσεβείας οἱ τρόφιμοι καὶ οἱ τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἠξιωμένοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὰ τῶν στρατιωτῶν τὰ τάγματα, ἐν πόλεσι καὶ κώμαις διάγοντα, ἀφιερωμένους ἔχει νομέας. Τούτων εἷς ἐστι καὶ ὁ εὐλαβέστατος διάκονος Ἀγαπητός, ὃς αὐχεῖ μὲν πόλιν τὴν τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐπαρχίας μητρόπολιν, στρατιωτικὸν δὲ τάγμα ἐτάχθη πρὸς τὰ θεῖα ῥυθμίζειν· οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ νῦν ἐπὶ τὴν Θρᾴκην ἀπῆρεν· ἐκεῖ γὰρ τούτου συμβαίνει διάγειν τὸν ἀριθμόν. Τὴν γὰρ δεσποτικὴν ἐκείνην δέδιεν ἐντολήν· Ὦ ποιμένες, ποιμένες , λέγουσαν, τὸ συντετριμμένον οὐ κατεδήσατε, τὸ καταπεπτω κὸς οὐκ ἀνωρθώσατε, τὸ πεπλανημένον οὐκ ἐπεσ τρέψατε . Αὐτὸς μὲν οὖν τήνδε τὴν κατηγορίαν δειμαίνων ἐντεῦθεν ἀπῆρεν, ἐμοὶ δὲ προὐξένησε τὸ σφόδρα ποθούμενον· ἀξιέραστα γάρ μοι τὰ πρὸς τὴν σὴν ἁγιότητα γράμματα. Τοῦτο δέ μοι καὶ πεποίηκε καὶ τρέφει τὸν ἔρωτα, ἡ παρὰ πάντων φερομένη τῆς σῆς ὁσιότητος εὐφημία, ἣν αὔξεσθαι προσεύχο μαι καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν εἰς ὑμνῳδίαν τοῦ δεσπότου Χριστοῦ καὶ ὠφέλειαν τῶν αὐτῷ τριποθήτων λαῶν. Ἐμοὶ δὲ μέγιστον ἀγαθὸν τὸ τῆς θείας ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐπταισμένοις φιλανθρωπίας τυχεῖν· ἧς ἀπολαύσαιμι ῥᾴδιον εἰ προσεύξαιο, δέσποτα. 3 ΘΕΟ∆ΟΤΩ ΚΟΜΗΤΙ. Ἐγὼ διηνεκῶς τῶν ἐκεῖθεν ἀφικνουμένων διατελῶ πυνθανό μενος, πῶς ἡ σὴ διάκειται μεγαλοπρέπεια κατά τε ψυχὴν κατά τε τὸ σωμάτιον, ἧς πολλὴν ἔχω τὴν φροντίδα, καὶ σφό δρα πολλήν. Θνητὸν γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ἐπίκηρον καὶ μόνιμον ἔχον οὐδέν· τό τε γὰρ τῆς νεότητος ἄνθος ὑποῤῥεῖ καὶ μαραίνεται, ἥ τε ὥρα πολλὰς ἔχει μεταβολάς, τὰς μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ χρόνου, τὰς δὲ ὑπὸ παθημάτων ἐργαζομένας. Οὕτω δὲ αὖ καὶ ἡ ῥώμη δαπα νᾶται, καὶ τὴν εὐεξίαν ἀσθένεια διαδέχεται. Τῆς δέ γε ψυχῆς [ἄσ]υλα τὰ ἀγαθὰ, καὶ τὸ κάλλος ἀγήρατον, καὶ ὁ πλοῦτος οὔτε συκοφάνταις οὔτε κακούργοις προκείμενος, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν ὑπερ βαίνων ἐπιβουλὴν καὶ διαρκῶν εἰς τοὺς ἀπεράντους αἰῶνας. Τούτου δὴ χάριν ταύτης πέρι διαφερόντως φροντίζων γάννυ μαι μανθάνων ὡς