Letter 136: Chrysostom tells Theodotus that leaving Armenia did not remove him from Chrysostom's heart.

Do not wear yourself out looking for an apology for leaving here so quickly, appealing to the weakness of your eyes and to the cold. We count you as present and with us no less than before, according to the logic of love, and we expect one day to enjoy meeting you face to face. If the winter has taken you away from Armenia, it has not thrown you out of our soul. We carry you constantly in mind. Had the Isaurian war not walled off every road and left us without letter-carriers, we would have sent you showers of letters. During the past time we were silent with the tongue, not with the mind. Know this, then: consider yourself with us and living with us in Armenia. If someone tries to plot against you or harm you, rise above those arrows, because suffering wrong is not the true injury; doing wrong is. We admire you all the more for this, praising your firmness and courage because, though such a storm surrounds you, you stand above the turmoil. Sail this calm and waveless sea with joy. Do not be surprised that I call it waveless when you mention many plots. I judge not by the intentions of those causing trouble, but by the peace that belongs to virtue. The life stretched toward heaven may seem hard by the nature of things, but through courage and eagerness it becomes very easy. Whoever pursues it genuinely sails calmly even while the sea rages, enjoying pure quiet while troubles rise everywhere and remaining unwounded though countless darts are thrown.

ΡΛʹ. Θεοδότῳ ἀναγνώστῃ. Μὴ κάμνε ζητῶν ἀπολογίαν τοῦ ταχέως ἐντεῦθεν ἀποδημῆσαι, ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἀσθένειαν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν κρυμὸν καταφεύγων, καὶ τούτοις λογιζόμενός σου τὴν ἀποδημίαν. Ἡμεῖς γάρ σε καὶ παρεῖναι, καὶ μεθ' ἡμῶν εἶναι οὐκ ἔλαττον ἢ καὶ ἔμπροσθεν λογιζόμεθα κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἀγάπης λόγον, καὶ προσδοκῶμεν καὶ τῆς κατ' ὄψιν ἀπολαύσεσθαί ποτε συντυχίας. Μηδὲν οὖν σε τούτων θορυβείτω. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τῆς Ἀρμενίας ἀπήγαγέ σε ὁ χειμὼν, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας ψυχῆς οὐκ ἐξέβαλεν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ διανοίας σε περιφέρομεν διηνεκῶς. Καὶ εἰ μὴ ὁ τῶν Ἰσαύρων πόλεμος πᾶσαν ἀποτειχίσας ὁδὸν, ἐν σπάνει κατέστησεν ἡμᾶς τῶν γράμματα διακομιζόντων, κἂν νιφάδας σοι πολλάκις ἐπέμψαμεν ἐπιστολῶν. Νῦν μέντοι τῇ γλώττῃ τὸν παρελθόντα σεσιγήκαμεν χρόνον, τῇ γνώμῃ δὲ οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλ' ἀεί σε καὶ τὰ σὰ μεριμνῶμεν, καὶ, τό γε ἡμέτερον μέρος, συνεχῶς ἐπεστάλκαμεν. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδὼς, μεθ' ἡμῶν τε εἶναι νόμιζε, καὶ σὺν ἡμῖν ἐν Ἀρμενίᾳ διατρίβειν. Κἄν τις ἐπιβουλεύειν ἐπιχειρῇ καὶ κακῶς ποιεῖν, ὑψηλότερος γίνου τῶν ἐντεῦθεν βελῶν, ἐπειδήπερ οὐ τὸ πάσχειν κακῶς, ἀλλὰ τὸ ποιεῖν κακῶς, τοῦτ' ἔστι τὸ πάσχειν κακῶς. Ἡμεῖς γάρ σε καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μειζόνως θαυμάζομεν, καὶ τὴν στεῤῥότητά σου καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἐπαινοῦμεν, ὅτι καὶ τοσαύτης σε ζάλης περιαντλούσης, ἕστηκας ἀνώτερος τῶν ἐντεῦθεν θορύβων γενόμενος. Μένε δὴ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἡδονῆς τὸ γαληνὸν τοῦτο καὶ ἀκύμαντον πλέων πέλαγος. Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς, εἴ σου πολλῶν ἐπιβουλῶν μεμνημένου ἐγὼ τὸ πέλαγος ἀκύμαντον καλῶ. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ταραττόντων γνώμης, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς κατ' ἀρετὴν ἡσυχίας ταύτην φέρω τὴν ψῆφον. Τί δέ ἐστιν ὅ φημι; Ὁ μέγας οὗτος καὶ ὑψηλὸς βίος, καὶ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν τεταμένος, τῇ μὲν φύσει τῶν πραγμάτων δυσχερής τις εἶναι δοκεῖ, τῇ δὲ ἀνδρείᾳ τῶν μετιόντων καὶ τῇ προθυμίᾳ εὔκολος σφόδρα γίνεται. Καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστὸν τῆς φιλοσοφίας ταύτης τοῦτο μάλιστά ἐστιν, ὅτι τῆς θαλάττης μαινομένης, ἐξουρίας πλεῖ καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς γαλήνης ὁ γνησίως αὐτὴν μετιὼν καὶ θερμῶς, καὶ ὅτι, πολλῶν πανταχόθεν θορύβων ἐγειρομένων, ἡσυχίαν καρποῦται καθαρὰν, καὶ μυρίων πανταχόθεν πεμπομένων βελῶν, ἕστηκεν ἄτρωτος, δεχόμενος μὲν τὰ ἀκόντια, πάσχων δὲ ἐντεῦθεν οὐδέν. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδὼς, καὶ διηνεκῶς ἐν τούτοις φιλοσοφῶν, καρποῦ τὴν ἀμάραντον ἡδονὴν, ἀναμένων τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῶν καλῶν πόνων τούτων κειμένους σοι παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ στεφάνους. Καὶ γράφε συνεχῶς ἡμῖν, ἡνίκα ἂν ἐξῇ, τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας σου δηλῶν καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὸ σῶμα· καὶ τὴν σχολὴν ἅπασαν εἰς τὴν τῶν θείων ἀνάλισκε Γραφῶν ἀνάγνωσιν, τοσοῦτον αὐταῖς ὁμιλῶν, ὅσον καὶ ἡ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἀσθένεια ἐπιτρέπει, ἵν' εἴ ποτε γένοιτο καιρὸς ἡμῖν καὶ τὰ νοήματα αὐτῶν ἐνθεῖναι τῇ εὐγενεστάτῃ σου ψυχῇ, μετὰ πολλῆς τοῦτο ποιήσωμεν τῆς εὐκολίας. Οὐ γὰρ μικρὸν εἰς τοῦτο δυνήσεταί σοι συντελέσαι τὸ μαθεῖν τὰ ἐγκείμενα γράμματα, ἡνίκα ἂν μέλλῃς τὰ ἐν τούτοις νοήματα ὑποδέχεσθαι.