Letter 132: Theodore Studite, Letter 132; Greek heading: Ναυκρατίῳ τέκνῳ.

With great anxiety I was watching for the report of your letter, my beloved child, not only because of the things you had written to me beforehand, as to how they would turn out, but also because of the things being noised abroad here concerning the earthquake. And when I had received your letter and read it, I was thrown into no small consternation, groaning over the things that had happened, taking pity on the dead, and then also at this, that, even after these things had occurred, the heart of the impious remains unsoftened, hardening itself rather all the more in its wickedness; for once they have been taken captive alive in the will of the devil [cf. 2 Timothy 2:26], they have no wish to swim back up to the surface, or, even if they wished, they are not able. Who will still the storm? Who will heal the shattering of the church that is among us? Who other than He who said to the sea, "Be muzzled" [Mark 4:39]? But this will not come to pass, unless there be some who are in truth disciples of Christ, to whose cry the Lord who wills mercy might give ear. Become, then, one of such persons, my child, through a pure heart, and make propitiation, lest God, being still angry, destroy the righteous together with the impious, according to what is written [cf. Genesis 18:23]. Strengthen the seven [the seven brethren under his care] by letters and by certain commissions [apostolai, things sent or charges entrusted]. May God do you good, because you dealt kindly with the cleric Stephen, and deal kindly still, since you are able. Read the letter of the metropolitan [the metropolitan bishop] and give me an account of the question, and receive also something from the archbishop, disclosing to him my opinion as coming from me, yet not that I have written to the metropolitan. You labor, my child, in feeding us, and you feed six. Handiwork [ergocheiron, the manual labor of copying] for writing has failed me, which I hold to be a great consolation and a help to the soul; therefore see to it for me from now on that there be such handiwork as you wish, written in a flowing hand [syrmaiographa, a cursive script], only do not put me to loss in the prices. And I have told the brother briefly what you are to send. Greet for me the brothers who are with you. Those here salute you warmly. It was reported to me concerning those who have died, and blessed is the metropolitan. May his spirit be with the saints.