Letter 226: Chrysostom praises Marcianus and Marcellinus for finally writing first.

You have solved the riddle for us. The excuse previously given was not enough; you have now shown that yourself by not waiting to receive a letter, but leaping first into writing. Such is the nature of love: it cannot bear silence, but does what belongs to it even if it may be judged bold. We are so far from faulting you for writing first that we crown you for it and proclaim you. Now especially we know you as genuine lovers of us, not only because you wrote but because you wrote first. God is able to free you from illness, restore you to clear health, and make it easy for us to meet face to face. Even now we receive enough consolation from letters sent by souls so sincere, but we long also for that meeting. May we enjoy it very soon, so that it may bring us a very great feast.

ΣΚʹ. Μαρκιανῷ καὶ Μαρκελλίνῳ. Ἐλύσατε ἡμῖν τὸ αἴνιγμα. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐκ ἤρκει εἰς ἀπολογίαν ἡ ἐγκειμένη τότε πρόφασις, αὐτοὶ νῦν ἐδηλώσατε, μὴ δεξάμενοι γράμματα, καὶ πρότεροι τῷ γράφειν ἐπιπηδήσαντες. Τοιαύτη γὰρ τῆς ἀγάπης ἡ φύσις· οὐκ ἀνέχεται σιγᾷν, ἀλλὰ κἂν θρασύτητος μέλλῃ κρίνεσθαι, τὸ αὑτῆς πληροῖ. Ἡμεῖς δὲ τοσοῦτον ἀπέχομεν τοῦ γράψασθαι ὑμᾶς διὰ τὸ προτέρους ἐπιστεῖλαι, ὅτι καὶ στεφανοῦμεν ὑπὲρ τούτου, καὶ ἀνακηρύττομεν, καὶ νῦν μάλιστα τοὺς γνησίους ἡμῶν ἔγνωμεν ἐραστὰς, οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ γράψαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προτέρους γράψαι. Ἱκανὸς δὲ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας ὑμᾶς ἀπαλλάξαι, καὶ πρὸς καθαρὰν ὑγείαν ἐπαναγαγεῖν, καὶ δοῦναι εὐκολίαν πολλὴν καὶ τῆς κατ' ὄψιν ἡμῖν συνουσίας· ἱκανὴν μὲν καὶ νῦν καρπούμεθα παράκλησιν ἀπὸ γνησίας οὕτω ψυχῆς δεχόμενοι γράμματα· ἐπιθυμοῦμεν δὲ καὶ ἐκείνης τῆς συντυχίας, ἧς γένοιτο μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ τάχους ἡμᾶς ἀπολαῦσαι, ὥστε μεγίστην ἡμᾶς ἀγαγεῖν ἑορτήν.