Letter 12: Gregory's honeyed letter consoles Evagrius in the desert.

You have not sent us a letter, admirable friend, but a sweet dish dripping with honey and making our soul sweet. You wrote about us as you think of us, and through your words, as in a mirror, you sketched your love for me. We, however, are not the kind of people who are sufficient to pray for others, because we have not acquired purity of heart or the uncovered face that comes to rational nature through freedom from passion and the knowledge of the truth. For who can say, in Solomon's words, "I have a pure heart," or "I am clean from sins"? May God, the maker of all things, and the Lord Jesus Christ send his angel before you and make your way straight, because you humbled your soul to write to us and console us. From all who love us in the desert, this is the only consolation we have received.

Greek retroversion from Syriac transmission (Frankenberg 1912, TAN/TEI CC BY 4.0): ουκ επιστολην ημιν απεσταλκας ω θαυμασιε αλλα ηδυ εδεσμα μελι σταζον και την ψυχην ημων γλυκαινον· ως γαρ περι ημων οιει ουτως γεγραφας και ως εν εσοπτρωι δια των λογων σου την προς με αγαπην σου διεγραψας. ημεις δε ουχ ουτως εμεν ωστε προς το υπερ αλλων προσευχεσθαι αρκειν οτι καρδιας καθαροτητα ου κεκτημεθα ουδε προσωπον ακατακαλυπτον τηι λογικην φυσει δια ψυχης απαθειας επιγινομενον μετα επιγνωσεως της αληθειας· τις γαρ αν ειποι αγνην εχω την καρδιαν η καθαρος ειμι απο αμαρτιων κατα τον λογον σολομωντος . ο θεος τοινυν ποιητης των ολων και ο κυριος Ι. Χ. αποστειλαι τον αγγελον αυτου ενωπιον σου και κατευθυναι την οδον σου οτι εταπεινωσας την ψυχην σου γραψαι ημιν και παρακαλεσαι· ταυτης γαρ μονης της παρακλησεως εν τηι ερημωι επετυχομεν παρα παντων των ημας αγαπωντων Syriac transmission available in the linked TAN/TEI source. The complete corpus is Syriac-transmitted; Greek survives only fragmentarily, so this display text is a retroversion witness.