Letter 238: Theodore Studite, Letter 238; Greek heading: Εὐοδίῳ καὶ Ἰωάννῃ τέκνοισ.

And now, having received your letter, my beloved child, I welcomed it gladly, recognizing your true faith and love, and not only these but also your noble and holy resolve, which you hold on behalf of the truth of God, being ready to suffer all things for his sake. Blessed be the Lord, who has so prepared and equipped you. This gladdened me exceedingly; this drew me on the more toward affection for you; and then it also strengthened me. For when you are being poured out as a libation [offered up in sacrifice, cf. Philippians 2:17] for Christ's sake, I, the lowly one, am strengthened. May the Holy Spirit, therefore, preserve you in such a disposition (I speak in the plural because I have learned that brother John, my equally beloved child, is together with you). For this is what is meant by, "For your sake we are put to death all the day long" [Romans 8:36; Psalm 44:22]; this, I say, is such a readiness and preparation. But pray, I beg you, also for me the lowly one, that the Lord may bring me to completion in the contest set before us, not only the visible one but also the one perceived by the mind. Your brothers who are with me greet you. Grace be with you. Amen.