Letter 99: Chrysostom explains to Asyncritia that rare letters are caused by an impassable road, not diminished affection.
I am eager to write to you continually. Wherever we go, we cannot forget your disposition, your modesty, and the honor you have always shown us. We keep your memory always fresh and carry it everywhere.
If we have not written as often as we wished, but only rarely, this has not been because of any laziness on our part. It comes from necessity and from the fact that the road is now impassable for travelers.
Knowing this, my most dignified and noble lady, think of our disposition toward you in the same way whether we write or remain silent, for it is the same affection we have always shown you.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
Θʹ. Ἀσυγκριτίᾳ.
Ἐμοὶ μὲν περισπούδαστον τὸ συνεχῶς ὑμῖν ἐπιστέλλειν· τῆς γὰρ διαθέσεως ὑμῶν, καὶ τῆς αἰδοῦς, καὶ τῆς τιμῆς, ἣν ἀεὶ περὶ ἡμᾶς ἐπεδείξασθε, ὅπουπερ ἂν ἀφικώμεθα, ἐπιλαθέσθαι οὐ δυνάμεθα, ἀλλ' ἔχομεν ὑμῶν διηνεκῶς τὴν μνήμην ἀκμάζουσαν πανταχοῦ περιφέροντες. Εἰ δὲ μὴ ὁσάκις ἐβουλόμεθα ἐπεστάλκαμεν, ἀλλὰ σπανιάκις, τοῦτο οὐ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας τῆς ἡμετέρας, ἀλλὰ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἀνάγκης, καὶ τοῦ τὴν ὁδὸν ἄβατον ὁδοιπόροις εἶναι νῦν. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδυῖα, κυρία μου κοσμιωτάτη καὶ εὐγενεστάτη, καὶ γραφόντων ἡμῶν, καὶ σιγώντων, ὁμοίως διάκεισο περὶ τῆς διαθέσεως, ἣν ἀεὶ περὶ ὑμᾶς ἐπεδειξάμεθα.
Revision history
- 2026-05-27v2.2.34-import
Initial corpus import from modern chrysostom pg52 epistulae gap89 99 v1.
Fields: letter text, metadata, source links. Source: https://catholiclibrary.org/library/view?docId=/Fathers-Synchronized-OR/John_Chrysostom__Epistulae.gr.html
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