Letter 230: Theodore Studite, Letter 230; Greek heading: Μακαρίῳ ἡγουμένῳ.

Even before reading it, from the mere fact that I took into my hands the holy letter of Your Beatitude, my humble soul was comforted, my God-honored father. And when I had read it, I was released from all the suspicion that was grieving my lowliness, having learned the reasons for the slowness of your writing; and I glorified my good God, finding that the spiritual love of your God-loving self remains sincere toward us, the worthless ones. But may it indeed continue, O Peacemaker of all, God and Lord. For know, most God-loving one, that you are genuinely loved by us, and that we keep the bond of love unbroken; this is also why we were moved earlier to write to you, who have entered upon the contests on behalf of true religion [the struggle against iconoclasm] -- not as though our worthless letter could be of any benefit or had the strength to give encouragement (for we are far removed from such things, both in speech and in life, and cast aside), but because the occasion and love demanded it. For this same reason we were also compelled to write to other brothers and fathers. Your Honor has spoken well and very rightly of buying up the time [redeeming the opportunity; cf. Ephesians 5:16] out of consideration for the persecutors and for those who have not held a brotherly mind. Who would not groan over their fall, so grievous as it is and so harmful to the whole Church of God? Even if to them, when they had acted unreasonably, a manner of dispensation [oikonomia, prudent accommodation] seems to have been worked out -- O, the wicked beginning and root! You know which father I mean, from whom the rest too were lost through their ill counsel. But O, how shall I bring Phlouboutes [a former confessor who has now lapsed] to remembrance without tears? In the case of the others, what is done is something customary and does not so greatly astonish; but concerning that man, what shall I say, what shall I think? O, how has the morning star fallen! O, how has the pillar that reached to heaven been brought low! I nearly lost my senses at the report, and it seemed to me utterly incredible that he -- whom I knew through long experience, and indeed whom I myself saw upon the road when I was being sent into exile here, and from whom I received words worthy of a martyr, and who, as he says, even persuaded the bishop of Nicaea himself not to enter into communion, or to break himself off if that man should enter into it -- that this very man has become a partner with those who fight against Christ; and, what is more pitiable still, that he is even unfeeling about it, as I learn, in his impiety, unwilling to utter so much as a word of a prayer of pardon to God concerning this. Do you not marvel, O man of God? Has not the word of the prophet been fulfilled, that 'priest and prophet together have lost their senses'? [cf. Isaiah 28:7] Who will give water to my head, and to my eyelids a fountain of tears, and I shall weep over so great a ruin? [cf. Jeremiah 9:1] Those who were precious and worth their weight in gold have become as vessels of earthenware. [cf. Lamentations 4:2] But why do I lament the affairs of others? I shall turn the dirge back upon myself. How shall I be saved from the evil one? How shall I pass through the present contest, being without strength, now that the powerful have slipped and fallen? For this reason I beg of your holiness: stand, you at least, the chosen one of God, unbending, fixed, firmly set in the unshakable faith of Christ, by your own steadfastness strengthening and confirming, together with many others who have a living spirit, also my own slackness -- which loves indeed to suffer all things for Christ and for the sake of Christ, but is held unworthy because of my measureless sins. May the great hand of the Lord preserve you sound and strong, with God and against those who are against God, my father and master.

Καὶ πρὸ ἀναγνώσεως, ἀπ' αὐτοῦ μόνου τοῦ ἐπὶ χεῖρας δέξασθαί με τὴν τῆς μακαριότητός σου ἁγίαν ἐπιστολήν, παρεκλήθη μου ἡ ταπεινὴ ψυχή, θεοτίμητέ μου πάτερ· ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ἀνέγνων, ἀπελύθην πάσης ὑπονοίας ὑπολυπούσης μου τὴν ταπείνωσιν, μαθὼν τῆς βρα δυγραφίας τὰς αἰτίας, καὶ ἐδόξασά μου τὸν ἀγαθὸν θεόν, εὑρηκὼς τὴν πνευματικὴν ἀγάπην τῆς θεοφιλίας σου διαμένουσαν εἰλικρινῆ πρὸς ἡμᾶς τοὺς εὐτελεῖς. ἀλλὰ καὶ διαμείνοιεν, ὦ εἰρηνοποιητὰ τοῦ παντός, θεὲ καὶ Κύριε· ἴσθι γάρ, φιλοθεώτατε, γνησίως φιλεῖσθαί σε παρ' ἡμῶν καὶ ἀρραγῆ τὸν τῆς ἀγάπης σύνδεσμον ἡμᾶς διατηρεῖν, καθότι καὶ προήχθημεν τὸ πρότερον γράψαι πρὸς τοὺς ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας ἀγῶνας ἐμβεβηκότι σοι, οὐχ ὡς τοῦ εὐτελοῦς ἡμῶν γράμματος ὀνήσασθαί τι δυναμένου ἢ ἀλείφειν ἐξισχύοντος (πόρρω γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων ἡμεῖς καὶ λόγῳ καὶ βίῳ παρερριμμένοι), ἀλλ' ὡς τοῦ καιροῦ καὶ τῆς ἀγάπης ἀπαιτούσης· οὗ χάριν καὶ τὸ πρὸς ἄλλους ἀδελφοὺς καὶ πατέρας ἐπιστέλλειν ἠναγκάσθημεν. εὖ δὲ καὶ πάνυ εἰκότως λέλεχέν σου ἡ τιμιότης τὸν καιρὸν ἐξαγοράζειν φειδοῖ τῶν διωκόντων καὶ τῶν μὴ τὰ ἀδελφὰ φρονησάντων· ὧν τίς οὐ στενάξειεν τὴν πτῶσιν, χαλεπὴν οὕτω οὖσαν καὶ ἐπιβλαβῆ πάσῃ τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίᾳ; εἰ κἀκείνοις ἀλογευθεῖσιν οἰκονομίας δοκεῖ εἰργάσθαι τρόπος, ὢ τῆς κακῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ ῥίζης–οἶδας ὁ πατὴρ ὃν λέγω, ἐξ οὗ καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ᾤχοντο τῇ δυσβουλίᾳ. Ἀλλ' ὤ, πῶς ἀδακρυτὶ τὸν Φλουβουτῆς εἰς μνήμην ἐνέγκω; ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων σύνηθες τὰ πραττόμενα καὶ οὐ τοσοῦτον ἐκπλήττοντα, εἰς δ' οὖν τὸν ἄνδρα ἐκεῖνον τί εἴπω, τί διανοηθῶ; ὤ, πῶς πέπτωκεν ὁ ἑωσφόρος; ὤ, πῶς κατηνέχθη ὁ οὐρανομήκης στῦλος; μικροῦ καὶ ἐξέστην τῇ ἀκοῇ καὶ ὡς πολλοῦ ἄπιστός μοι ἔδοξεν εἶναι, εἰ, ὃν ἐγὼ ἠπιστάμην ἐν πολλῇ πείρᾳ καί γε ἐν τῷ ἐξορίζεσθαί με ἐνταῦθα εἶδον καθ' ὁδοῦ καὶ ἔλαβον φωνὰς μαρτυρικάς, ἀναπείσαντα καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Νικαίας μὴ συνελθεῖν εἰς κοινωνίαν, ὥς φησι, ἢ ἀπορρῆξαι ἑαυτὸν ἐκείνου συνελθόντος, οὗτος κοινωνὸς τοῖς χριστομάχοις γέγονεν καί, τό γε ἐλεεινότερον, ὅτι καὶ ἀναλγήτως ἔχει, ὡς πυνθάνομαι, ἐπὶ τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ, μηδὲ ῥῆμα πρόεσθαι εὐχῆς συγχωρητικῆς πρὸς τοῦτο εἰς θεὸν βουλόμενος. οὐ θαυμάζεις, ὦ ἄνθρωπε τοῦ θεοῦ; οὐ πεπλήρωται τὸ προφητικόν, ὅτι ἱερεὺς καὶ προφήτης ἅμα ἐξέστησαν; τίς δῴη τῇ κεφαλῇ μου ὕδωρ καὶ τοῖς βλεφάροις μου πηγὴν δακρύων καὶ κλαύσομαι ἐπὶ τῷ τηλικούτῳ συντρίμματι; οἱ τίμιοι καὶ ἰσόχρυσοι ἐγενήθησαν ὡς ἀγγεῖα ὀστράκινα. Ἀλλὰ τί τὰ ἄλλων κατοδύρομαι; εἰς ἐμαυτὸν ἐπιστρέψω τὸν θρῆνον. πῶς σωθῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ; πῶς διαβιβάσοιμι τὸν ἐνεστῶτα ἀγῶνα ἀνίσχυρος ὤν, τῶν δυνατῶν ὀλισθησάντων; διὰ τοῦτο δέομαί σου τῆς ὁσιότητος, στῆθι κἂν αὐτὸς ὁ ἐκλεκτὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἀκλινής, πάγιος, ἐρηρεισμένος ἐν τῇ ἀσαλεύτῳ πίστει Χριστοῦ, τῇ οἰκείᾳ στάσει στερεῶν καὶ βεβαιῶν σὺν πολλοῖς ἄλλοις, οἷς ἐστι πνεῦμα ζωτικόν, καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν χαυνότητα, φιλοῦσαν μὲν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ καὶ διὰ Χριστὸν παθεῖν πάντα, ἀναξιουμένην δὲ διὰ τὰ ἄμετρα ἁμαρτήματα. ἐρρωμένον σε καὶ ἰσχύοντα μετὰ θεοῦ κατὰ τῶν κατὰ θεοῦ ἡ μεγάλη χεὶρ τοῦ Κυρίου διαφυλάξειεν, τὸν ἐμὸν πατέρα καὶ δεσπότην.