Letter 1: Theodore Studite, Letter 1; Greek heading: Πλάτωνι πνευματικῷ πατρί.

What shall we say to you, our most sweet father, we who for God's sake have been orphaned away from your holy bowels of compassion? What gentle or joyful thing shall we utter? Not even words of lamentation and grief, as though we were vexed at this apparent exile, which we have been taught by you not to recognize as exile, seeing that we are sojourners over all the earth, but rather to count only that as exile which is the falling-away from God through transgression of any one of his commandments, and the casting-off far from him. For this very reason we rejoice and are glad, that, though we are unworthy of heaven and earth, yet together with you, our holy father, we have been counted worthy to suffer these things for the sake of his commandment and to be deprived of communion with you according to the flesh; for in another way you are always with us, father, seen and conversed with. And how indeed could we live otherwise, unless we were preserved unharmed from the evil one under the shelter of your holy prayers, each one of us having been assigned apart by himself? Nevertheless we have all been kept safe and preserved and made steadfast. And even if we suffered some little hardship on the road, some of us even falling sick, yet he who said, 'Behold the birds of the heaven and the lilies of the field' [Matthew 6:26, 28], he who is true in his promises, brought us safely through beyond what we hoped, settling us here and inclining to compassion the hearts of the men who are here over our hardship, and most of all the heart of the archbishop. One concern alone, then, remains to us, and one unceasing prattle accompanied by earnest though unworthy supplication: that you may be strengthened, our greatly longed-for father, and may remain in the things determined concerning the confession of God on behalf of the truth, unbent and unmoved, in nothing terrified or double-souled by the undertakings of those who assail you with a view to overturning the contests for piety that have been built up by you through the grace of God. For the word has resounded everywhere and has all but won over every soul and has raised up a horn of salvation [cf. Luke 1:69] among the Christians and has taken away reproach from the monks. And I know that everyone of sound mind would declare that Christ lives in us and reigns and is obeyed, rather, beyond the men he fashioned, not that he should be disobeyed, but that he should be glorified by them. You know all things, then; you know what is needful; you have no need of our reminding; nevertheless you yourself commanded us beforehand to write thus. Therefore do not fear, father, man or the oppressions of men. You know that the saints, reckoning these things a dream and a shadow, were made wondrous in heaven and on earth. Let us, I beg, labor a little, let us endure yet a little, and the good course will have been finished for us. And the crown is plaited and the reward is being prepared, eternal, and you will be called a friend of the heavenly King and a partaker with the saints and a confessor among men. Yes, yes, I beg and entreat by my fatherly bowels of compassion: become for us a stronghold, an endurance, a steadfastness; for if you, father, stand fast, we your useless children are braced up, are made manly, and we shall bear nobly all that befalls, by the power of God and by your prayers; for the permission [of this trial] is from God, who is altogether well pleased thus with our affairs and who himself gives the power. Do not, O father, be alarmed at the sophistries of those who attempt to bend you aside from the truth. The matter is simple; for holy Epiphanius [Epiphanius of Salamis, fourth-century bishop and heresiologist] says somewhere in his discourse on the Pascha that whatever sort of man advises contrary to the things laid down in the divine Scripture speaks from his own heart and recounts the commandments of men; and concerning such people he applies the words of the apostle, saying that even if it is an angel from heaven, let him be anathema [cf. Galatians 1:8]. And where shall we place the words, 'My priests set at nought my law and profaned my holy things' [cf. Ezekiel 22:26]? This, being prophetic, the Theologian [Gregory of Nazianzus, called 'the Theologian'] took up in his great Apologetic and adds, speaking thus: 'They made no distinction between profane and holy, but all things were common to them.' And how many other things, if anyone is willing to listen? Let them cease, then, those who distort the truth of God with false words, and let them attend to themselves. For we, since the commandment is far-shining and threatens the eternal fire upon transgression, will not stoop to human fears or pains, no, by the contests on behalf of virtue, but even if blood must be shed, we shall pour it out with joy, with God strengthening us through your holy prayers. Be manly, then, you too, brother lord Euthymius; you have fought a good fight [cf. 2 Timothy 4:7]; let us not be parted from one another, my light and my heart, let us not for the sake of a little and temporary good living lose the blessed life. Do not take delight in present pleasures and give way before grievous things, O brother; do not turn your back. Christ took delight, then, seeing you beaten for his sake; do not grieve him, my beloved, nor the angels who rejoiced, nor the lord father, nor the venerable mother who travailed for us also in the Holy Spirit, nor all your brothers, and me above all, whom you say you love as a gift. We are three brothers according to the flesh; let it be so also according to the spirit. Let us not dishonor the precious and divinely-sovereign number; let us give ourselves over to suffer for the commandment of God, that we may live for the age. Great grief, then, is upon us, father, also on account of the rest of our sweet brothers, as to how the Lord has disposed of them. For this we pray, as sinners, that he himself may become their caretaker, their governor, their guide, ordering their affairs as he knows and commands and wills; for in truth we drip bitter tears on their account, and ever before our eyes lie their faces, as they beg for their prayer toward the help of our slothfulness. Yet pray, O father, on behalf of all, that we may gain endurance, good fortune, shelter from God and help against the temptations of the devil, and-what is pleasing to God-concerning our seeing you in the flesh, or our brothers; so be it, so be it. We beg, and we make bold from ourselves to greet our sweet brother, if indeed he is with you, or any other brother of ours, of whatever sort he may be, whom you may manage to make known to us. There salutes your holy soul, together with me, the lord deacon and our father, my good brother and your child, the steward, and the rest of the honored and greatly longed-for brothers. Pray for us, father, fervently and unceasingly, as you command; for we have nothing else to say.