Letter 182: Grieved as I am at the desolation of the Church, I none the less congratulate you on having been brought so soon to this extreme limit of your hard struggle. God grant that you may pass through it with patience, to the end that in return for your faithful stewardship, and the noble constancy which you have shown in Christ's cause, you may recei...
I grieve for the devastation your church has suffered [likely under Arian imperial pressure], but I also want to congratulate you — you've been brought quickly to the very edge of this hard fight, and that means you're almost through it. May God give you the patience to endure to the end, so that your faithful service and the courage you've shown for Christ's sake will receive the reward they deserve.
Human translation — New Advent (NPNF / ANF series)
Latin / Greek Original
[Πρός: Τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις Σαμοσάτων]
Ὅσον λυπούμεθα ἐνθυμούμενοι τὴν ἐρημίαν τῆς ἐκκλησίας, τοσοῦτον μακαρίζομεν ὑμᾶς εἰς τοῦτο φθάσαντας τὸ μέτρον τῆς ἀθλήσεως, ὃ παράσχοι ὑμῖν ὁ Κύριος μακροθύμως παρελθεῖν, ἵνα καὶ τῆς πιστῆς οἰκονομίας καὶ τῆς γενναίας ἐνστάσεως, ἣν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπεδείξασθε, τὸν μέγαν μισθὸν ὑποδέξησθε.
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