Letter 172: There is no need for me to say how much I was delighted by your letter. Your own words will enable you to conjecture what I felt on receiving it. You have exhibited to me in your letter, the first fruits of the Spirit, love.

There is no need for me to describe how much your letter delighted me -- your own words will let you guess what I felt on reading them. In your letter you displayed the first fruit of the Spirit: love. What could be more precious to me right now, when, "because iniquity abounds, the love of many has grown cold" [Matthew 24:12]? Nothing is rarer in our time than spiritual communion with a brother, a word of peace, and the kind of fellowship I have found in you. For this I thank the Lord, praying that I may share in the complete joy that is yours. If your letter alone has this effect on me, what must it be like to meet you in person? If you move me this deeply from far away, what would you be to me face to face? Believe me, if I were not held down by countless obligations and unavoidable anxieties, I would have hurried to see your excellency. My old ailment is a serious obstacle to travel, but in view of the good I would gain, I would not have let even that stop me. To be allowed to meet a man who shares our convictions and honors the faith of the Fathers -- as our worthy fellow presbyters report of you -- is truly to return to the ancient blessedness of the churches, when those suffering from unsound disputes were few, and all lived in peace: workers who obeyed the commandments and "needed not to be ashamed" [2 Timothy 2:15], serving the Lord with a plain and clear confession, keeping their faith in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit simple and inviolate.

ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA To Sophronius, the bishop. There is no need for me to say how much I was delighted by your letter. Your own words will enable you to conjecture what I felt on receiving it. You have exhibited to me in your letter, the first fruits of the Spirit, love. Than this what can be more precious to me in the present state of affairs, when, because iniquity abounds, the love of many has waxed cold? Matthew 24:12 Nothing is rarer now than spiritual intercourse with a brother, a word of peace, and such spiritual communion as I have found in you. For this I thank the Lord, beseeching Him that I may have part in the perfect joy that is found in you. If such be your letter, what must it be to meet you in person? If when you are far away you so affect me, what will you be to me when you are seen face to face? Be sure that if I had not been detained by innumerable occupations, and all the unavoidable anxieties which tie me down, I should have hurried to see your excellency. Although that old complaint of mine is a great hindrance to my moving about, nevertheless in view of the good I expect, I would not have allowed this to stand in my way. To be permitted to meet a man holding the same views and reverencing the faith of the Fathers, as you are said to do by our honourable brethren and fellow presbyters, is in truth to go back to the ancient blessedness of the Churches, when the sufferers from unsound disputation were few, and all lived in peace, workmen obeying the commandments and not needing to be ashamed, 2 Timothy 2:15 serving the Lord with simple and clear confession, and keeping plain and inviolate their faith in Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

[Πρός: Σωφρονίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ] Ὅπως ηὔφρανας ἡμᾶς τοῖς γράμμασιν οὐδὲν δεόμεθα γράφειν. εἰκάζεις γὰρ πάντως αὐτοῖς οἷς ἐπέστειλας τοιούτοις οὖσι. τὸν γὰρ πρῶτον καρπὸν τοῦ Πνεύματος, τὴν ἀγάπην, ἔδειξας ἡμῖν διὰ τοῦ γράμματος. τούτου δὲ τί ἂν γένοιτο τιμιώτερον ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ παρούσῃ τῶν καιρῶν καταστάσει, ἡνίκα διὰ τὸ πληθυνθῆναι τὴν ἀνομίαν, ἐψύγη τῶν πολλῶν ἡ ἀγάπη; οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω σπάνιον νῦν ὡς ἀδελφοῦ συντυχία πνευματικοῦ, καὶ ῥῆμα εἰρηνικόν, καὶ πνευματικὴ κοινωνία, ἣν εὑρόντες ἐν τῇ σῇ τελειότητι ὑπερευχαριστήσαμεν τῷ Κυρίῳ, δεόμενοι καὶ τῆς τελείας ἐπὶ σοὶ μετασχεῖν εὐφροσύνης. εἰ γὰρ ἐπιστολαὶ τοιαῦται, ὁποία ἡ συντυχία; καὶ εἰ πόρρωθεν οὕτως αἱρεῖς, πόσου ἄξιος ἔσῃ ἐγγύθεν ἡμῖν ἐπιφανείς; εὖ δὲ ἴσθι, εἰ μὴ μυρίων ἀσχολιῶν περιεῖχε πλῆθος καὶ αἱ ἀπαραίτητοι αὗται ἀνάγκαι αἷς ἐνδεδέμεθα, αὐτόν με ἐπειχθῆναι πρὸς τὴν σὴν τελειότητα. καίτοιγε μέγα μοι ἐμπόδιόν ἐστι πρὸς τὰς κινήσεις ἡ παλαιὰ αὕτη τοῦ σώματος ἀρρωστία, ἀλλʼ ὅμως οὐκ ἂν ὑπελογισάμην τοῦτο ἐμπόδιον τῆς προσδοκωμένης ἕνεκεν ὠφελείας. τὸ γὰρ ἀνδρὶ τὰ αὐτὰ φρονοῦντι καὶ τὴν τῶν πατέρων πρεσβεύοντι πίστιν, ὡς ὁ τῶν τιμίων ἀδελφῶν καὶ συμπρεσβυτέρων λόγος, καταξιωθῆναι περιτυχεῖν, ὄντως ἐστὶν εἰς τὴν ἀρχαίαν μακαριότητα τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἐπανελθεῖν, ὅτε ὀλίγοι μὲν ἦσαν οἱ νοσοῦντες περὶ ζητήσεις, ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ δὲ ἦσαν πάντες, ἐργάται ὄντες τῶν ἐντολῶν ἀνεπαίσχυντοι, διὰ τῆς ἁπλῆς καὶ ἀπεριέργου ὁμολογίας λατρεύοντες τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ ἄσυλον τὴν πίστιν καὶ ἀπερίεργον τὴν εἰς Πατέρα καὶ Υἱὸν καὶ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα διαφυλάσσοντες.