Letter 18: Theodore Studite, Letter 18; Greek heading: Σταυρακίῳ σπαθαρίῳ.

The reason for our humble absence we have already stated, and there is no need to make any further apology. But how shall we begin, or what power could be found to address the suffering that has befallen your honored souls? For just as a physician, coming to a disease hard to cure, is surrounded by helplessness as to how he is to set his hand to the work, so we are dizzy as to how we are to offer the word of consolation upon your most grievous suffering. O the calamity, O the misfortune! There has departed from you a beautiful and lovely child, the very one who first loosed the mother's birth pangs, through whom the name of "parents" was conferred upon you, the beginning of the succession of the family, the root of the bearing of children, the shoot of the rational sprouting forth, the as it were first-grown rose of the father's fruit-bearing. And what could I say to set forth the beauty of the offspring? Or that the little child increased and advanced in stature and in understanding, and the grace of God was upon him, as much as we too have had experience of him from his infancy? How then could such a one, and so great a one, cut off by the knife of death from your very loins, so to speak, fail to work an inconsolable pain in your hearts? Or who would not lament together with you and grieve together over one severed by the sword as to one of the members belonging to him, as he would over you? Fathers, too, would reasonably groan, beholding the loss of so fair a child; mothers, too, would lament, looking upon the cutting away of so lovely a child of their womb. For truly a limb of yours has been severed, your flesh has been cut off; the pain is great, the healing remedy hard to find. There is dejection upon the household, grief upon the servants, sorrow upon the kinsfolk, and rather, before these, upon the great-grandfather the lord patrician [a high court dignity] and the great-grandmother the lady protospatharia [feminine of protospatharios, a senior court title]. On every side things are dreadful and full of grief. But come now to me, good man, you who are great in understanding, wise in prudence, who from many years have gathered the fullest knowledge: heal yourself, cure yourself. Cast, I beseech you, the eye of your mind upon the contemplation of the creation; look back into the ancient generations from our very forefather Adam, and see and know who has remained in this age after coming into the light, but rather, in the manner of grass springing up, has all the more quickly flowered and been withered through death; or, as in the stream of a river, that the one passed out beneath while the other entered in its place, the race that succeeds by generation not standing still but running past day by day. So it was with those who begot the ones who begot us, and those above them. And the argument, going back, will arrive at the very beginning, and coming down again will reach the consummation of this whole universe. And there is no one who shall live, according to what is written, and shall not see death [cf. Psalm 89:48 LXX]. The present life is a kind of appointed service and a daily business, and presently there is the return to our own home, I mean the passing from the things here to the things yonder. Patriarchs, and they passed away; prophets, and they departed; fathers and mothers, and they ceased to be; brothers and friends and kinsmen, and they ran their course past us. And what of kings? What of satraps? What of rulers? What of every age and every race of man? Have not all gone beneath the earth, and will they not, a little later, having sprung up from earth? But here is the thing that is sought: that, having honorably exchanged the things here and having lived as citizens according to the will of God who made us, we may find our standing uncondemned before that most fearful tribunal yonder. This your child has securely and surely found and obtained; for blessed, it says, is he among those born of women who is short-lived and whom the Lord has chosen and taken to himself in his first age, not having made trial of the bitter sins of this life here. The lord Soterichus has gone out and departed, true to his name, in salvation [his name Soterichos derives from soteria, salvation], deemed worthy of the sound of those who keep festival, of unutterable exultation, of being numbered together with the holy infants who repose in the bosom of Abraham, no longer in bondage to corruption and flesh, but in company with eternity. From this we wish you to take the occasions of comfort, from this your consolations. Become a maker of gladness and a healer not only of yourself but also of the lady the spatharia [feminine of spatharios, a court rank], who especially needs treatment and much consolation on account of her tender womanly compassion, and then also of the rest who belong to you; that you may be shown to be instructed in divine things and held fast by the law of God, and knowing whither at last he who is removed has gone (and especially in the case of your sweet child), namely that it is not into death nor into non-being, but into eternal life and into God who made all things; and that you may be set forth before fathers and before all your acquaintances and those gathered together at the funeral as a fair example: to bear the losses of children with self-control and thanksgiving, and not to strive against the commands of God.

Τὴν μὲν αἰτίαν τῆς ταπεινῆς ἀπουσίας ἡμῶν ἤδη εἴπομεν καὶ οὐ χρή τι πλέον ἀπολογεῖσθαι. πῶς δὲ ἀρξόμεθα, ἢ τίς δύναμις ἐξευρεθείη εἰς τὸ συμβὰν πάθος ταῖς τιμίαις ὑμῶν ψυχαῖς; καθάπερ γάρ τις ἰατρὸς ἐπὶ δυσιάτῳ νόσῳ ἐρχόμενος ἀμηχανίᾳ περιίσταται ὅπως ἐπιβάλῃ τὴν ἐγχείρησιν, οὕτως ἰλιγγιῶμεν, πῶς τὸν παρακλητικὸν λόγον ἐπὶ τῷ βαρυτάτῳ ὑμῶν πάθει προσενέγκασθαι. ὢ τῆς συμφορᾶς, ὢ τῆς συμβάσεως· ᾤχετο ὑμῖν παῖς καλὸς καὶ ὡραῖος, αὐτὸς ὁ τὰς πρώτας μητρικὰς ὠδῖνας διαλύσας, δι' οὗ ὑμῖν τὸ τῶν γονέων ὄνομα κεχρημάτικεν, ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς διαδοχῆς τοῦ γένους, ἡ ῥίζα τῆς τεκνοποιίας, ὁ ὅρπηξ τῆς λογικῆς βλαστοφορίας, τὸ οἱονεὶ πρωτοφυὲς ῥόδον τῆς πατρικῆς καρποφορίας. καὶ τί ἄν εἴποιμι παριστῶν τὸ τοῦ γόνου κάλλος; ἢ ὅτι τὸ παιδίον ηὔξανεν καὶ προέκοπτεν ἡλικίᾳ καὶ συνέσει καὶ χάρις θεοῦ ἦν ἐπ' αὐτῷ, ὅσον ἐκ μικροῦ καὶ ἡμεῖς πεπειράμεθα; πῶς τοίνυν τὸ τοιοῦτον καὶ τηλικοῦτον, ἐκτμηθὲν τῇ θανατικῇ μαχαίρᾳ ἐξ αὐτῆς εἰπεῖν τῆς ὀσφύος ὑμῶν, οὐ κατεργάσειεν ἂν ἀπαραμύθητον ἄλγος ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν; ἢ τίς οὐ συμποτνιάσειεν καὶ συναλγυνθήσεται ἐπὶ τῷ τεμνομένῳ διὰ ξίφους κατά τι τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτῷ μελῶν ὡς ἐφ' ὑμῖν; στενάξειεν δ' ἂν εἰκότως καὶ πατέρες, τοιούτου καλλίστου παιδὸς ἀποβολὴν θεώμενοι, θρηνήσειεν δ' ἂν καὶ μητέρες, τηλικούτου ὡραίου σπλάγχνου ἐκτομὴν προσβλέπουσαι. τέτμηται γὰρ ἀληθῶς μέλος ὑμῶν, ἐκκέκοπται σὰρξ ὑμῶν· τὸ ὀδυνηρὸν πολύ, τὸ θεραπευτικὸν φάρμακον δυσεξεύρητον. κατήφεια ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας, ὀδύνη ἐπὶ τοὺς οἰκέτας, λύπη ἐπὶ τοὺς συγγενεῖς, μᾶλλον δὲ πρὸ τούτων ἐπὶ τὸν προπάτορα κύριον πατρίκιον καὶ τὴν προμήτορα κυρίαν πρωτοσπαθαρέαν. πάντοθεν δεινὰ καὶ περίλυπα. Ἀλλὰ δεῦρό μοι, ἄνερ χρηστέ, ὁ πολὺς ἐν συνέσει, ὁ σοφὸς ἐν φρονήσει, ὁ πλείστην συνειληχὼς ἐκ πολλῶν τῶν χρόνων τὴν γνῶσιν, σαυτὸν θεράπευσον, σαυτὸν ἴασαι. ἐπίβαλέ σου, παρακαλῶ, τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν τῆς διανοίας εἰς τὴν τῆς κτίσεως θεωρίαν, ἔμβλεψον εἰς ἀρχαίας γενεὰς ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ προπάτορος ἡμῶν Ἀδὰμ καὶ ἴδε καὶ γνῶθι, τίς ἐνέμεινεν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ εἰς φῶς ἐλθών, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ δίκην ἀνατέλλοντος χόρτου θᾶττον ἐξήνθησεν καὶ ἀπεξηράνθη διὰ θανάτου, ἢ ὡς ἐν ῥεύματι ποταμιαίῳ, ὅτι τὸ μὲν ὑπεξῆλθεν, τὸ δὲ ἀντεισῆλθεν, τοῦ κατὰ διαδοχὴν γένους μὴ ἱσταμένου, ἀλλὰ παρατρέχοντος καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν· οὕτως οἱ γεννήσαντες τοὺς ἡμᾶς γεννήσαντας καὶ οἱ ἐκείνων ἀνώτεροι. καὶ ἀναποδίζων ὁ λόγος εἰς τὸ καταρχὴν ἐλεύσεται καὶ κατιὼν πάλιν εἰς τὴν συντέλειαν τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς καταντήσει. καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς ζήσεται, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, καὶ οὐκ ὄψεται θάνατον. τὸ δὲ παρὸν λειτουργία τις διωρισμένη καὶ πραγματεία ἡμερήσιος, καὶ αὐτίκα εἰς τὰ οἰκεῖα ἐπανέλευ σις, τῆς τῶν ἐνθένδε λέγω πρὸς τὰ ἐκεῖσε μεταβάσεως. πατριάρχαι, καὶ παρῆλθον, προφῆται, καὶ μετῆλθον, πατέρες καὶ μητέρες, καὶ ἀπεγένοντο, ἀδελφοὶ καὶ φίλοι καὶ συγγενεῖς, καὶ παρέδραμον. τί δὲ βασιλεῖς; τί δὲ σατράπαι; τί δὲ ἄρχοντες; τί δὲ πᾶσα ἡλικία καὶ πᾶν γένος ἀνθρώπου; οὐχὶ πάντες ὑπὸ γῆν γεγόνασιν καὶ γενήσονται μικρὸν ὕστερον ἐκ γῆς φύντες; ἀλλ' ὧδε τὸ ζητούμενον, ἵνα καλῶς τὰ ἐνταῦθα ἀμείψαντες καὶ πρὸς τὸ βούλημα τοῦ πεποιηκότος θεοῦ ἐμπολιτευσάμενοι τοῦ ἐκεῖσε φοβερωτάτου κριτηρίου τὴν παράστασιν ἀκατάκριτον εὑρήσομεν. ὅπερ τὸ ὑμέτερον τέκνον ἀσφαλῶς καὶ βεβαίως ηὕρατο καὶ ἐπιτετύχηκεν· μακάριος γάρ, φησίν, ὁ ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν ὀλιγόβιος καὶ ὃν Κύριος ἐξελέξατο καὶ προσελάβετο ἐν πρώτῃ ἡλικίᾳ, μὴ πειραθέντα τῶν πικρῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τοῦ τῇδε βίου. Ἐξῆλθεν καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ὁ κύριος Σωτήριχος φερωνύμως ἐν σωτηρίᾳ, ἤχους ἑορταζόντων καταξιούμενος, ἀγαλλιάσεως ἀνεκλαλήτου, συναριθμήσεως τῶν ἐν κόλποις Ἀβραὰμ ἀναπαυομένων βρεφῶν ἁγίων, μηκέτι δουλεύων φθορᾷ καὶ σαρκί, ἀιδιότητι συνών. ἐντεῦθεν βουλόμεθά σε λαμβάνειν τὰς ἀφορμὰς τῆς παρηγορίας, ἐντεῦθεν τὰς παρακλήσεις. γενοῦ δημιουργὸς εὐφροσύνης καὶ θεραπευτὴς οὐ μόνον σαυτοῦ ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς κυρίας τῆς σπαθαρέας, τῆς μάλιστα δεομένης ἰατρείας καὶ παρακλήσεως πολλῆς διὰ τὸ μικρὸν περιπαθές, εἶτα καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν διαφερόντων σοι· ὡς ἂν δειχθείης τὰ θεῖα πεπαιδευμένος καὶ θεοῦ νόμῳ κρατούμενος καὶ εἰδὼς ποῦ ποτε ἀπῄει ὁ μεθιστάμενος (καὶ μάλιστα ἐπὶ τοῦ σοῦ γλυκείου τέκνου), ὅτι οὐκ εἰς θάνατον οὐδὲ εἰς τὸ μὴ ὄν, ἀλλ' εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον καὶ εἰς θεὸν τὸν τὰ πάντα ποιήσαντα, καὶ ὡς ἂν παραδειχθείης πατράσι καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς γνωρίμοις καὶ συνειλεγμένοις ἐν τῇ κηδείᾳ ὑπόδειγμα καλόν, μετὰ σωφροσύνης καὶ εὐχαριστίας διαφέρειν τὰς τῶν τέκνων ἀποβολὰς καὶ μὴ ἀντιτείνειν θεοῦ προστάγμασιν.