Letter 304: Theodore Studite, Letter 304; Greek heading: Ζαχαρίᾳ ὑπάτῳ.

I both write again and will not cease to write, making my defense and giving abundant thanks to your God-loving charity for your zeal in Christ and your virtue-loving disposition toward our wretchedness, which from the very beginning and from the start you have displayed, doing good freely, showing mercy freely, freely setting yourself but a little short of dangers, not standing in fear of the difficulty of the times, but giving a glimpse of the measure of your love; not weighed down by the multitude of those you assist, but borne aloft on wings by the hope of the divine gifts. This is the property of a true Christian, of one who fears God, of one who clearly keeps ever before his mind the day of death and of judgment at the fearful tribunal of Christ. Of such virtue too is the yokemate [wife] joined to you by God, and indeed your children as well; and rightly so, since from a good root the offshoots also would be good. And I think that those under your hand are also of this sort, because such as is the ruler, such for the most part is the ruled by nature. What, then, is there to say to these things but what the divine David said: Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord? [Psalm 128(127):4] May the Lord bless you out of Sion, and may you see the good things of the Jerusalem above [the heavenly Jerusalem], together with your whole household, O my most longed-for master.