Letter 232: Every day that brings me a letter from you is a feast day, the very greatest of feast days. And when symbols of the feast are brought, what can I call it but a feast of feasts, as the old law used to speak of Sabbath of Sabbaths? I thank the Lord that you are quite well, and that you have celebrated the commemoration of the economy of salvation ...
Every day that brings me a letter from you is a feast day -- the greatest of feast days. And when you send gifts along with the letter, what can I call it but a feast of feasts, as the old law spoke of a Sabbath of Sabbaths?
I thank the Lord that you are well and that you celebrated the commemoration of our salvation [Christmas or Epiphany] in a church at peace. I have had troubles of my own, and I have been weighed down by the fact that my beloved brother remains in exile. Pray for him, that God may one day grant him to see his church healed from the wounds inflicted by heresy.
Do come to see me while I am still on this earth. Come, in accordance with your wishes and my most earnest prayers.
I must confess I am a little puzzled by your gifts. By your lamps you seem to be rousing me to work through the night; by your sweets you seem to be guaranteeing that my body is in fine shape. But there is no munching for me at my age -- my teeth have long since been worn away by time and bad health.
As for the questions you raised, I have included my answers in the enclosed document, written as best I could and as time allowed.
Human translation — New Advent (NPNF / ANF series)
Latin / Greek Original
[Πρός: Ἀμφιλοχίῳ, ἐπισκόπῳ Ἰκονίου.]
Πᾶσα ἡμέρα γράμματα ἔχουσα τῆς θεοσεβείας σου ἑορτὴ ἡμῖν ἐστι, καὶ ἑορτῶν ἡ μεγίστη. ὅταν δὲ καὶ σύμβολα ἐπιφέρηται ἑορτῆς, τί ἄλλο χρὴ ὀνομάζειν ἢ οὐχὶ ἑορτὴν ἑορτῶν, ὥσπερ ὁ παλαιὸς νόμος Σάββατα Σαββάτων προσαγορεύειν εἰώθει; εὐχαριστοῦμεν οὖν τῷ Κυρίῳ, μαθόντες ὅτι καὶ ἔρρωσαι τῷ σώματι, καὶ εἰρηνευούσῃ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τῆς σωτηρίου οἰκονομίας τὴν ἀνάμνησιν ἐτέλεσας.
Ἡμᾶς δὲ θόρυβοί τινες διετάραξαν· οὐ μὴν ἔξω κατηφείας διηγάγομεν, τῷ τὸν θεοφιλέστατον ἀδελφὸν ἡμῶν πεφυγαδευμένον εἶναι. ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ μὲν ἐκείνου προσεύχου, ἵνα δῴη αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός ποτε ἐπιδεῖν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἐκκλησίαν τῶν αἱρετικῶν δηγμάτων τὰ τραύματα ἰαθεῖσαν· ἡμᾶς δὲ λίαν καταξίωσον ἐπισκέψασθαι, ἕως ἔτι ἐσμὲν ἐπὶ γῆς. ποίησον ἔργον σαυτῷ μὲν ἀκόλουθον, ἡμῖν δὲ εὐχῆς ἄξιον τῆς μεγίστης. θαυμάσαι δέ ἐστι καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν εὐλογιῶν, ὅτι δι’ αἰνιγμάτων ηὔξω ἡμῖν γῆρας ἰσχυρόν. ἔδειξας γάρ, ὅτι διὰ μὲν τῶν λαμπηνῶν πρὸς τοὺς νυκτερινοὺς διεγείρεις καμάτους, διὰ δὲ τῶν τραγημάτων τὸ πᾶσι τοῖς μέρεσι τετονῶσθαι κατεγγυᾷ. οὐ γὰρ ἔμοιγε καθʼ ἡλικίαν τὸ τρώγειν, πάλαι τῶν ὀδόντων ἔκ τε τοῦ χρόνου καὶ τῆς ἀρρωστίας ἐκτετριμμένων. πρὸς μὲν οὖν τὰ ἐπερωτηθέντα γεγόνασί τινες ἐν τῷ ὑπομνηστικῷ ἀποκρίσεις, οἵας ἐμοὶ δυνατὸν ἦν, καὶ ὡς ὁ καιρὸς ἐδίδου.
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