Letter 138: Theodore Studite, Letter 138; Greek heading: Ἰωάννῃ μοναχῷ Ἀνατολικῷ.

Since you have written to us once again, O dearest of my children and brethren, I too in turn set the pen in motion for you, a letter at once of greeting and of admonition: that it is always a good thing, and dear to God, for each man to blame himself in all matters, and not his neighbor; for from this it comes about that what exists is by nature diminished, while what does not exist does not accrue. And so concerning this, enough; for give an occasion to a wise man, and he will be the wiser, and for the prudent man, out of a few seeds there is a great harvest of intellectual grain. But what comes next? Thanksgiving on my part, sinner that I am, and praise, for the reception of my beloved child Meletius. For not only do I heed your entreaty, but indeed I also acknowledge to you, O longed-for one, a very great debt of gratitude for the offering brought over by your harmonious good counsel, transferred out of an unsteered zeal into the harbor of good order and truth. And O, the providence [of God], that does not permit those who in humility seek their own salvation to be led altogether astray! I have therefore received him through your voice and have made him a member of my own body, and indeed I rejoice over him more than over those to whom I was joined from the beginning. And if he should also write to me, which must indeed come to pass, he shall receive in return what is fitting. I urge you to greet him, praying for my salvation unforgettingly.