Letter 147: Theodore Studite, Letter 147; Greek heading: Ἡγουμένῃ.
Theodore Studite→Recipient in Theodore Studite Letter 147: Ἡγουμένῃ|c. 817 AD|Theodore Studite|From Studios Monastery, Constantinople|AI-assisted
monasticismcorrespondenceexile
When I beheld the force of your honored letter, how great and how considerable it was toward my lowliness, proceeding from the utmost humility and compunction on your part, that saying came to me to utter, bold though it be, which Christ speaks: "O woman, great is your faith; be it done to you as you have believed." For it is the faith of the one who receives that is tested by God, according to which he also grants the requests, even though they be referred to an unworthy man. This very contrite address and prostration of yours one might justly both praise and approve; for "the righteous man," it is said, "is his own accuser at the first telling." And again Christ: "He who humbles himself shall be exalted." And since you have also chosen the solitary [monastic] life, having exchanged the things that perish for the things eternal, rejoice in your good resolve, ever tracking out and reaching after the paths that lead to the kingdom of heaven through the taking up of the deifying virtues, by which the holy fathers attained their ascent to God. And it is possible for us every day to be made better and to transform ourselves into the things that are higher. On these matters, then, is my first word to you.
But what could we offer you that is worthy in return for the things which, out of confidence, you have so very painstakingly held toward our worthlessness, so as to count blessed those who give us hospitality and to call yourself wretched? Not yet is the deed of those who have received us so great as yours; for they nourish us close at hand and from what is ready to hand, but you, separated as far off as can be, hasten ahead by the wing of compassion to feed, to fatten, to cherish us, partly from Laodicea by your directions (for I have received them), partly from Bithynia by your sendings. Thus with all your might you have astonished us with this whole astonishment, all but surpassing in grace the Shunammite woman [the woman of Shunem who hosted Elisha, 2 Kings 4], even though she gave hospitality to a prophet, while you to a transgressor of the law. And if one must add a word to this image: you will have in the womb of your understanding the fear of God indeed, and may you be in travail with heavenly love and bring forth the spirit of your most complete salvation.
Do you see what utterances I gather up, having no way to repay you your due rewards? But why do you marvel at our word, rustic as it is and stitched together out of the passion of love? Far are we sinners, with whom you compare yourself, as heaven is from the earth in deed and in word. But if our poor little words are pleasing to you, make use of them, yet do not exalt them above others. My lord the spatharius [a Roman court and military dignitary] you rightly extol (for he is most excellent), whom I also greet most warmly, since I greet too his branches, sprung up from a good root. May the God of peace be with you.
When I beheld the force of your honored letter, how great and how considerable it was toward my lowliness, proceeding from the utmost humility and compunction on your part, that saying came to me to utter, bold though it be, which Christ speaks: "O woman, great is your faith; be it done to you as you have believed." For it is the faith of the one who receives that is tested by God, according to which he also grants the requests, even though they be referred to an unworthy man. This very contrite address and prostration of yours one might justly both praise and approve; for "the righteous man," it is said, "is his own accuser at the first telling." And again Christ: "He who humbles himself shall be exalted." And since you have also chosen the solitary [monastic] life, having exchanged the things that perish for the things eternal, rejoice in your good resolve, ever tracking out and reaching after the paths that lead to the kingdom of heaven through the taking up of the deifying virtues, by which the holy fathers attained their ascent to God. And it is possible for us every day to be made better and to transform ourselves into the things that are higher. On these matters, then, is my first word to you.
But what could we offer you that is worthy in return for the things which, out of confidence, you have so very painstakingly held toward our worthlessness, so as to count blessed those who give us hospitality and to call yourself wretched? Not yet is the deed of those who have received us so great as yours; for they nourish us close at hand and from what is ready to hand, but you, separated as far off as can be, hasten ahead by the wing of compassion to feed, to fatten, to cherish us, partly from Laodicea by your directions (for I have received them), partly from Bithynia by your sendings. Thus with all your might you have astonished us with this whole astonishment, all but surpassing in grace the Shunammite woman [the woman of Shunem who hosted Elisha, 2 Kings 4], even though she gave hospitality to a prophet, while you to a transgressor of the law. And if one must add a word to this image: you will have in the womb of your understanding the fear of God indeed, and may you be in travail with heavenly love and bring forth the spirit of your most complete salvation.
Do you see what utterances I gather up, having no way to repay you your due rewards? But why do you marvel at our word, rustic as it is and stitched together out of the passion of love? Far are we sinners, with whom you compare yourself, as heaven is from the earth in deed and in word. But if our poor little words are pleasing to you, make use of them, yet do not exalt them above others. My lord the spatharius [a Roman court and military dignitary] you rightly extol (for he is most excellent), whom I also greet most warmly, since I greet too his branches, sprung up from a good root. May the God of peace be with you.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.