Letter 3: My dear friend — for after the years of our friendship in Constantinople I cannot address you otherwise — the...

Gregory to his most holy brother and fellow bishop Leander, greetings. My dear friend — for after the years of our friendship in Constantinople I cannot address you otherwise — the Moralia in Job [Gregory's massive allegorical commentary on the book of Job, written partly at Leander's request] is finished, or at least I have stopped revising it, which is the closest I will ever come to finishing it. The work grew beyond anything I planned. What began as notes on Job's spiritual significance became, over time, an exploration of the whole of Christian life through the lens of Job's sufferings and faithfulness: the nature of virtue and vice, the structure of the spiritual life, the meaning of suffering, the pastoral responsibilities of those who lead Christian communities. It is long — too long, perhaps, for most readers, though I hope the length is justified by the subject matter. Job did not suffer briefly, and the meditation on suffering cannot be brief. I send it to you because you asked for it, years ago in Constantinople, and because I know you will read it seriously and that your reading will help me understand whether it does what I hoped it would do. You have always told me the truth, and I have always needed to hear it. The news from Spain — the conversion of the Goths — has brought me more joy than almost anything I have heard in my years as bishop. You had a hand in that. I am grateful. Gregory