Letter 276: Theodore Studite, Letter 276; Greek heading: Πατριάρχῃ Ἱεροσολύμων.

To the in all things most holy father of fathers, light of lights, my lord and master the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theodore, least of presbyters and abbot of the monastery of Stoudios. "Who shall announce to Abraham that Sarah gives suck?" says the sacred word somewhere [an echo of Genesis, expressing wonder at the unlooked-for]; and who shall bring me, the unworthy one, the good tidings that my lowly letter has reached the sacred hands of your most blessed apostolic head? Yet I believe that it will be so. For it was moved not by an unreasoning desire but by a necessary cause that I the sinner have dared both to dispatch this letter and to send out together with it the letter-bearer Dionysius, my most beloved brother, who is faithful and able to set forth from himself by word whatever the letter leaves out. Therefore, as one absent in body but present in spirit, first I the lowly one embrace her [your most holy see's] God-trodden footsteps (for this to me is both blessing and sanctification); then, as though granted leave by her, I go among the venerable places. I clasp the divine ground where the divine footsteps walked, the life-giving tomb upon which was laid the all-holy body of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, the place of the holy Skull [Golgotha], on which the Lord of glory was crucified. I pass on elsewhere: I behold holy Bethlehem, I venerate the divine manger, above the golden jar in which not manna but the Bread of life was set [proskynesis = veneration]. And indeed I see the holy mountain where was the most divine Transfiguration, the Mount of Olives, from which the Lord of all flew up to the heavens, holy Gethsemane, where is the tomb of our all-venerable Lady the Theotokos ["God-bearer," the Virgin Mary], this and that, lest I draw out a long discourse. Oh, how even from the mere recollection of these things there is a partaking of sanctification! Oh, of how great and awe-inspiring objects of veneration is the head of your blessedness possessed! You are first of patriarchs, even if you be the fifth in number; for where the bishop of souls and high priest of all both was born and performed all his divine works and suffered and was buried and rose and lived and was taken up, there plainly is the dignity that surpasses all. But concerning these things this much has been ventured by me to speak with longing and trembling; now I shall turn to the other report. Persecution has overtaken us, O most blessed one, and of persecutions the most heathen-like; for since Satan perceived that the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ was at the doors, he kindles the flames of heresies greater than before, as forerunners of the coming of the Antichrist. What is this? The impiety that of old was stirred up under Leo and Constantine [the iconoclast emperors Leo III and Constantine V], and that raged for a long while and was broken by divine rebuke, the present ruler, of the same name and the same sense with that impiety [Leo V the Armenian], has now again renewed, and to such a degree as to eclipse the madness of those former men. He persecutes Christ depicted [in icons] together with his Mother and his servants, and wherever he may find them he tears them down, he burns them; hence altars overthrown, sacred churches defaced, holy vessels burned up; there is no part of the realm under him left untouched and unravaged, but if anywhere someone be found who has hidden a sacred icon [eikon = holy image] or a tablet [book] containing anything that may be said in its favor, he is straightway carried off, torn with scourges, and undergoing every other dreadful thing. Hence dreads and tremblings and bewilderments concerning every man, so that brother turns away from saying "rejoice" [greeting] to brother, and friend to friend. A synod ratifying the impiety of old and anathematizing orthodoxy [the iconoclast council of 815]. The priests played the fool and sought not the Lord, but applauded what seemed good to Ahab [the idolatrous king of Israel]. All have turned aside, together they have become worthless, except for a very few; which few? Bishops and abbots, monks and nuns, and by the grace of God himself our most chief high priest; of whom some were scourged, others banished, and some, even at the very moment of their punishments, departed to the Lord, having taken up the athlete's crown. What of the things of blasphemy? The venerable and awe-inspiring icon of Christ is mocked as an abomination of desolation, as an idol of error; so likewise every other icon of our Lady and of the saints. Now, he says, the faith is pure and unblemished; now, he says, the Lord has spoken peace upon his people and upon his holy ones and upon those who turn their heart unto him [Psalm 84/85] - as though peace had already been taken away since the time Christ said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you," up to the present; and as though his Church were defiled, which the holy Paul cries aloud to have no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but to be holy and without blemish. Some have utterly made shipwreck concerning the faith, while others, even if in their reasonings they were not sunk, yet are destroyed together with the rest through communion with the heresy. But indeed even those who are orthodox in mind, through the persistence of the persecution, grow dizzy concerning the truth, like those who are darkened amid the storm-waves of the sea by inexperience of sailing. All things are pitiable to us and worthy of lamentations. The psalmodies handed down from of old, in which something is sung concerning icons, are set aside; the new doctrines are sung in their stead, lying impious before our very eyes, others handed down to the children by the teachers; and a most godless transformation of all things. We have become, properly to speak, like Sodom and Gomorrah according to our sins, and the tempest of the heresy, mounting to its height, mounts higher day by day, and one to rouse up Christ our God to rebuke this wicked sea has not been found. But become for us one of the twelve apostles, O most blessed one; awaken the sleepless eye that sleeps by dispensation [oikonomia = providential ordering], because we are utterly perishing. If in any other way too there is some medicine of help, make haste as one skilled to heal those who have grown sick. Yes, we beseech you, most holy one, we implore, we exhort: we are your members, since all the faithful are the body of Christ and members in part. Give leave to our other holy fathers as well to stretch out an intercessory hand, that from many persons the mercy toward us might be from God. For this very reason is the letter, and the letter-bearer sent by the purpose of all, even if from us alone, the least, who fill the place of those others. And that your headship might know in part what manner of things the doctrines of the godless are, I have sent together with the letters these things in quires [notebooks], which I the unlearned have undertaken to refute, being urged on by others. And I ask of your divine wisdom that the deficient be examined and set right, and that you receive me with pardon for what I owe; and moreover that our fellow-servant the brother be supported, both for the distribution of the letters of the other holy persons concerning which we have written, and indeed, God willing, for the conversion of his recantation [or: for his return journey back here].

Τῷ τὰ πάντα ἁγιωτάτῳ πατρὶ πατέρων, φωστῆρι φωστήρων, κυρίῳ μου δεσπότῃ πατριάρχῃ Ἱεροσολύμων, Θεόδωρος ἐλάχιστος πρεσβύτερος καὶ ἡγούμενος τῶν Στουδίου. Τίς ἀναγγελεῖ Ἀβραὰμ ὅτι Σάρρα θηλάζει; φησί που ὁ ἱερὸς λόγος· καὶ τίς ἐμοὶ τῷ ἀναξίῳ εὐαγγελίσοιτο, ὅτι μου τὸ ταπεινὸν γράμμα εἰς ἱερὰς χεῖρας φθάσειεν τῆς ἀποστολικῆς ὑμῶν μακαριωτάτης κορυφῆς; ὅμως πιστεύω ὅτι γενήσεται· οὐ γὰρ ἀλόγῳ ἐπιθυμίᾳ, ἀλλ' ἀναγκαίᾳ ὑποθέσει κινηθεὶς ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ἐτόλμησα καὶ τὸ γράμμα ἀποστεῖλαι καὶ τὸν ἐπιστοληφόρον Διονύσιον τὸν ποθεινότατον ἀδελφὸν συνεκπέμψασθαι, πιστὸν ὄντα καὶ δυνατὸν ὅσα ἐλλείπει τῇ ἐπιστολῇ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ἐξηγορῆσαι. Τοιγαροῦν ὡς ἀπὼν τῷ σώματι παρὼν δὲ τῷ πνεύματι πρῶτον μὲν ὁ ταπεινὸς κατασπάζομαι τὰ θεοβαδῆ αὐτῆς ἴχνη (τοῦτο γὰρ ἐμοὶ εὐλογία τε καὶ ἁγιασμός), ἔπειτα ὡς πρὸς αὐτῆς ἐπιτραπεὶς ἄπειμι ἐν τοῖς σεβαστοῖς τόποις· προσπτύσσομαι τὸ θεῖον ἔδαφος, οὗ τὰ θεῖα ἴχνη βέβηκεν, τὸ ζωοποιὸν μνῆμα, ἐφ' ᾧ τὸ πανάγιον σῶμα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ κατετέθη, τὸν χῶρον τοῦ ἁγίου Κρανίου, ἐν ᾧ ἐσταύρωται ὁ Κύριος τῆς δόξης. μέτειμι ἀλλαχοῦ· ὁρῶ τὴν ἁγίαν Βηθλεέμ, προσκυνῶ τὴν θείαν φάτνην ὑπὲρ τὴν στάμνον τὴν χρυσῆν, ἐν ᾗ οὐ μάννα, ἀλλ' ὁ τῆς ζωῆς ἄρτος τέθειται. καὶ μὴν βλέπω τὸ ἅγιον ὄρος, οὗ ἡ θειοτάτη μεταμόρφωσις, τὸ τῶν ἐλαιῶν ὄρος, ἀφ' οὗ ἀνέπτη πρὸς οὐρανοὺς ὁ τῶν ὅλων Κύριος, τὴν ἁγίαν Γεσσημανῆ, ἐφ' ᾗ ὁ τάφος τῆς πανσεβάστου δεσποίνης ἡμῶν Θεοτόκου, τοῦτο κἀκεῖνο, ἵνα μὴ μακρὸν ἀποτείνοιμι λόγον. ὤ, πῶς καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῆς μόνης τῆς ἐπιμνήσεως ἁγιασμοῦ ἐστι μετάληψις· ὤ, πηλίκων καὶ φρικτῶν σεβασμάτων ἡ τῆς σῆς μακαριότητος ὑπάρχει κορυφή. σὺ πρῶτος πατριαρχῶν, κἂν πεντάζοις τῷ ἀριθμῷ· οὗ γὰρ ὁ ἐπίσκοπος τῶν ψυχῶν καὶ τῶν ὅλων ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ ἐγεννήθη καὶ ἔδρασε τὰ θεουργὰ πάντα καὶ ἔπαθεν καὶ τέθαπται καὶ ἀνέστη καὶ ἔζησε καὶ ἀνελήφθη, ἐκεῖ δῆλον ὅτι τὸ ὑπεραῖρον ἁπάντων ἀξίωμα. Ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων τοσαῦτα πόθῳ καὶ τρόμῳ τετόλμηταί μοι λαλῆσαι, ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ ἕτερον τρέψομαι ἀπάγγελμα. διωγμὸς ἡμᾶς κατείληφεν, ὦ μακαριώτατε, καὶ διωγμῶν ὁ ἑλληνοειδέστατος· ἐπεὶ γὰρ ᾔσθετο ὁ σατανᾶς ἐν προθύροις εἶναι τὴν μακαρίαν ἐλπίδα καὶ ἐπιφάνειαν τῆς δόξης τοῦ μεγάλλου θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μείζους τῶν αἱρέσεων ἀνάπτει τὰς φλόγας, προεισόδια τῆς τοῦ Ἀντιχρίστου παρουσίας. τί τοῦτο; τὴν πάλαι ἐπὶ Λέοντος καὶ Κωνσταντίνου διεγερθεῖσαν ἀσέβειαν καὶ μανεῖσαν ἐπὶ πολὺ καὶ ῥαγεῖσαν θείᾳ ἐπιτιμήσει, αὖθις ἄρτι ὁ ὁμώνυμος καὶ συνώνυμος τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ κρατῶν ἀνενεώσατο, καὶ τοσοῦτον, ὡς ἀποκρύψαι τὴν ἐκείνων λύτταν. διώκει τὸν Χριστὸν ἐγγεγραμμένον σὺν μητρὶ καὶ θεράπουσι καὶ οὗ ἂν εὕροι καθαίρει, φλέγει· ἐντεῦθεν θυσιαστήρια κατεσκαμμένα, ἱεροὶ ναοὶ ἠμαυρωμένοι, σκεύη ἱερὰ ἐμπεπρησμένα· οὐκ ἔστιν ὅ τι μὴ ἐλλέλειπται μέρος τῆς ὑπ' αὐτὸν βασιλείας ἐαθὲν ἀκαθαίρετον, ἀλλ' εἴ πως εὑρεθείη τις ἐγκεκρυφὼς σεπτὴν εἰκόνα ἢ δέλτον, περὶ αὐτῆς λεκτόν τι ἔχουσαν, ἀνάρπαστος εὐθύς, μάστιξι καταξαινόμενος καὶ πᾶν ἄλλο δεινὸν ὑφιστάμενος. ἐντεῦθεν δείματα καὶ τρόμοι καὶ ἐκστάσεις περὶ πάντα ἄνθρωπον, ὡς καὶ χαίρειν λέγειν ἀδελφῷ ἀδελφὸν καὶ φίλῳ φίλον ἐκτρέπεσθαι. σύνοδος κυροῦσα τὴν πάλαι ἀσεβεστάτην καὶ καταθεματίζουσα τὴν ὀρθόδοξον. ἱερεῖς ἠφρονεύσαντο καὶ τὸν Κύριον οὐκ ἐξεζήτησαν, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῷ Ἀχαὰβ δόξαν συνεκρότησαν. πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, ἅμα ἠχρειώθησαν, πλὴν ὀλίγων κομιδῇ· τίνων τούτων; ἐπισκόπων τε καὶ ἡγουμένων, μοναζόντων τε καὶ μοναζουσῶν, αὐτοῦ τε χάριτι θεοῦ τοῦ κορυφαιοτάτου ἡμῶν ἀρχιερέως· ὧν οἱ μὲν ἐμαστίχθησαν, ἄλλοι ὑπερωρίσθησαν, ἔνιοι δὲ καὶ παραυτὰ τῶν ποινῶν πρὸς Κύριον ἐξεδήμησαν, ἀθλητικὸν στέφανον ἀράμενοι. Τί τὰ τῆς βλασφημίας; κωμῳδεῖται ἡ σεπτὴ καὶ φρικτὴ εἰκὼν Χριστοῦ ὡς βδέλυγμα ἐρημώσεως, ὡς εἴδωλον πλάνης· οὕτως πᾶσα ἄλλη δεσποινική, ἁγιωτική. ἄρτι, φησί, καθαρὰ καὶ ἀμώμητος πίστις, ἄρτι, φησί, Κύριος ἐλάλησεν εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ὁσίους αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐπιστρέφοντας καρδίαν ἐπ' αὐτόν. ὡς ἤδη ἀρθείσης τῆς εἰρήνης, ἀφ' οὗ Χριστὸς ἔφη, εἰρήνην ἀφίημι ὑμῖν, εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν μέχρι τοῦ δεῦρο, καὶ ἐρρυπωμένης οὔσης τῆς ἐκκλησίας αὐτοῦ, ἣν ὁ ἱερὸς Παῦλος βοᾷ μὴ ἔχειν σπίλον ἢ ῥυτίδα ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων, ἀλλ' εἶναι ἁγίαν καὶ ἄμωμον, οἱ μὲν τέλεον περὶ τὴν πίστιν ἐναυάγησαν, οἱ δέ, εἰ καὶ τοῖς λογισμοῖς οὐ κατεποντίσθησαν, ὅμως τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τῆς αἱρέσεως συνόλλυνται. ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ κατὰ νοῦν ὀρθοδοξοῦντες τῇ ἐπιμονῇ τοῦ διωγμοῦ ἰλιγγιῶσι περὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ὥσπερ οἱ ὑπὸ τρικυμιῶν θαλάσσης ἀπειρίᾳ πλεύσεως σκοτούμενοι. ἐλεεινὰ τὰ πάντα ἡμῖν καὶ ὀδυρμῶν ἄξια. παραστέλλονται ψαλμῳδίαι ἀρχαιοπαράδοτοι, ἐν αἷς περὶ εἰκόνων ᾄδεταί τι, ἀντᾴδεται τὰ νέα δόγματα, ἀσεβῆ εἰς προῦπτον κείμενα, ἄλλα τοῖς παισὶ πρὸς τῶν διδασκάλων παραδιδόμενα· καὶ μεταστοιχείωσις τῶν πάντων ἀθεωτάτη. ἐγενόμεθα κυρίως εἰπεῖν ὡς Σόδομα καὶ Γόμορρα κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν καὶ ἡ καταιγὶς τῆς αἱρέσεως κορυφουμένη κορυφοῦται ὁσημέραι, καὶ ὁ διαναστήσων Χριστὸν τὸν θεὸν ἡμῶν ἐπιτιμῆσαι τῇ πονηρᾷ ταύτῃ θαλάσσῃ οὐχ εὕρηται. Ἀλλὰ γενοῦ ἡμῖν εἷς τῶν δώδεκα ἀποστόλων, ὦ μακαριώτατε, διύπνισον τὸν ἀκοίμητον ὀφθαλμόν, οἰκονομικῶς καθεύδοντα, ὅτι ἀπολλύμεθα τέλεον. εἴ πως καὶ ἄλλως ἐστί τι φάρμακον βοηθείας, ἰατρεῦσαι τοὺς ἠσθενηκότας ὡς ἐπιστήμων ἐπείχθητι. ναί, δεόμεθα, ἁγιώτατε, ἀντιβολοῦμεν, παρακαλοῦμεν· σοῦ ἐσμεν μέλη, ἐπεὶ οἱ πάντες πιστοὶ σῶμα Χριστοῦ καὶ μέλη ἐκ μέρους. ἐπίτρεψον καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἁγίοις πατράσιν ἡμῶν χεῖρα πρεσβευτικὴν ὀρέξαι, ἵνα ἐκ πολλῶν προσώπων τὸ εἰς ἡμᾶς ἔλεος εἴη παρὰ θεοῦ. τούτου δὴ χάριν τὸ γράμμα, καὶ ὁ γραμματηφόρος πρὸς πάντων τῇ προθέσει ἀπεσταλμένος, εἰ καὶ παρ' ἡμῶν μόνων τῶν ἐλαχίστων, ἀναπληρούντων τὸ ἐκείνων πρόσωπον. ἵνα δὲ γνοίη ἐκ μέρους ἡ κορυφαιότης σου οἷα τὰ τῶν ἀθέων δόγματα, συναπέστειλα τοῖς γράμμασι ταῦτα ἐν τετραδίοις, ἃ καὶ ἔδοξα ὁ ἀμαθὴς ἀνατρέπειν, προτραπεὶς ὑφ' ἑτέρων. αἰτῶ δὲ παρὰ τῆς σῆς θεοσοφίας ἐπισκεφθῆναι καὶ τὸ ἐλλιπὲς ἀνορθωθῆναι, συγγνώμην τε τῶν ἐπωφλημένων δέξασθαί με, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν σύνδουλον ἡμῶν ἀδελφὸν συγκροτηθῆναι πρός τε διάδοσιν τῶν ἐν οἷς ἐπεστείλαμεν ἑτέρων ἁγίων προσώπων ἐπιστολῶν καὶ δή, θεοῦ θέλοντος, εἰς ἐπιστροφὴν παλινοδίας αὐτοῦ τῶν ἐνταῦθα.