Letter 392: Theodore Studite, Letter 392; Greek heading: Θεόδωρος ταῖς πανταχοῦ διεσπαρμέναις ἀδελφότησι σὺν τοῖς ἐναθλοῦσιν ἐν τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ Χριστοῦ χαίρειν.

Theodore, to the brotherhoods scattered everywhere, together with those who are contending in the confession of Christ: greetings. We must consider it all joy, my brothers, amid the present afflictions, since it is for Christ's sake that there is both the persecution of those who are persecuted and the imprisonments of those who are shut up, and I would add too the scourgings of those who are scourged. I will not, therefore, cease to address all of you in common and each of you individually, to exhort, to remind, though I know that you are firmly established in the faith and that you possess of yourselves what is consoling and admonitory. But all the same, I, the sinner, am a debtor to add my own part as well, especially since longing forces me on; for I am jealous over you with the jealousy of God, and I, the unadorned, am adorned by your virtues of confession. You are my joy and my crown, my support and my unconquerable stronghold. Yes, I ask and exhort you all to remain unshaken in all good cheer and eagerness. "Rejoice always," says the divine Apostle, "pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks" [1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; the Apostle is Paul]. And are these not joy and exultation, that, if indeed we suffer together, we shall also be glorified together; if we die, we shall also live together; if we endure, we shall also reign together, as it is written? How great is the promise, beloved! Even if we are cast into fire, let us bear it; even if we are given over to wild beasts, let us endure it. For thus did those endure who from the beginning of the age won the victor's prize, both men and women, looking forward to the things of the world to come, lightening the present pain with their hopes, accounting the things that cause suffering a delight, and desiring the increase of their sufferings, not loathing it, like men who seize the larger share of the goods from their partners, as you yourselves know, having tasted from your own experience of the immortal sweetness. O deceitful world! How bitter is your seeming-sweet, and how deadly in every pleasure and excess of delight! And O longing for Christ! For you are the blessing and the joy and the lordship, even over those who are held fast by you. See with what great utterances I, the worthless one, exhort you, not as one of those worthy of praise, but because they are the words of a friend. As for all those who consider the visitation of the Lord to be slowness, let them reflect on this: that the kindness of God leads the persecutors to repentance, and those who suffer to proving; and let them not be downcast, nor scrutinize the judgments of the Lord. It is not for well-disposed servants to say, "How long?" Job, the much-sung, did not say this, nor did Peter nor Paul, those of countless contests, nor any of the martyrs. The sleepless eye knows what is sufficient for both. Do you not pity him, that he is storing up for himself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation and righteous judgment of God [cf. Romans 2:5]? Such a man, for whom there is no end to his punishment nor any telling out of the unbearable torments in the unquenchable fire (and we must beg for forbearance, so far as it lies in us, lest, on account of those who are perishing and falling away from endurance [this not happen]) - he who is eager to see the death of the sinner cannot have peace toward God, than which there is nothing worse; for he is always in turmoil in his soul, desiring the very thing that God loathes, and willing what He does not will. From this come listlessness, fits of weakness, blasphemies, and the rest of the offshoots of wickedness. Let us say, brothers: "Let Your will be done from the heart; I became like a beast before You, yet I am continually with You" [cf. Psalm 73:22-23]. And thus the soul, being at peace, will have boldness toward God, choosing to live a hundred years in the sufferings for His sake; for neither, if we should pray for it, will the swift end come, nor, if we should pray against it, will it be delayed, but it will come then, at whatever time God knows the advantageous and just decree, He who before the foundation of the world appointed it. Pray for us sinners, I beg you, that we may be saved. Your brother and mine, Nicholas, greets you all. Grace be with you. Amen.

Πᾶσαν χαρὰν ἡγητέον, ἀδελφοί μου, ἐν τοῖς παροῦσι θλιβεροῖς, ἐπείπερ διὰ Χριστὸν καὶ ὁ διωγμὸς τῶν διωκομένων καὶ αἱ φυλακαὶ τῶν καθειργμένων, προσθείην δ' ἂν καὶ αἱ μάστιγες τῶν μαστιγουμένων. οὐκ ἀποπαύσοιμι τοιγαροῦν καὶ κοινῇ πᾶσιν καὶ ἰδίᾳ ἑκάστῳ προσφωνεῖν, παρακαλεῖν, ὑπομιμνήσκειν, καίπερ εἰδὼς ἐστηριγμένους ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇ πίστει καὶ οἴκοθεν ἔχοντας τὸ παρακλητικὸν καὶ νουθετητικόν. ἀλλ' ὅμως ὀφειλέτης εἰμὶ ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς καὶ τὸ παρ' ἐμαυτοῦ προστιθεῖν, ἄλλως τε καὶ τοῦ πόθου ἐκβιαζομένου· ζηλῶ γὰρ ὑμᾶς ζήλῳ θεοῦ, ἐγκαλλωπίζομαι ὁ ἀκαλλώπιστος ταῖς ὁμολογητικαῖς ὑμῶν ἀρεταῖς. χαρά μοι καὶ στέφανος ὑμεῖς, ἔρεισμα καὶ ἀκαταγώνιστον κραταίωμα. ναί, ἐρωτῶ καὶ παρακαλῶ ἀσαλεύτους διαμένειν ἅπαντας ἐν πάσῃ εὐθυμίᾳ καὶ προθυμίᾳ· πάντοτε, φησὶν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος, χαίρετε, ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε, ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριστεῖτε. καὶ οὐ χαρὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἀγαλλίασις, ὅτι, εἴπερ συμπάσχομεν, καὶ συνδοξασθησόμεθα, εἰ ἀποθάνωμεν, καὶ συζήσομεν, εἰ ὑπομένωμεν, καὶ συμβασιλεύσομεν, ὡς γέγραπται; ἡλίκη ἡ ἐπαγγελία, ἀγαπητοί· εἰ καὶ εἰς πῦρ ἐμβληθῶμεν, οἴσομεν, εἰ καὶ θηρσὶν ἐκδοθῶμεν, ἐνέγκωμεν. οὕτω γὰρ ἤνεγκαν οἱ ἀπ' αἰῶνος ἀθλοφοροῦντες, ἄνδρες τε καὶ γυναῖκες, τὰ ἐκεῖθεν προβλέποντες καὶ τὸ παρὸν ὀδυνηρὸν ταῖς ἐλπίσι κουφίζοντες καὶ τρυφὴν ἡγούμενοι τὰ ἐπώδυνα καὶ τὴν προσθήκην τῶν παθημάτων ἐπιθυμοῦντες, οὐκ ἀποστυγοῦντες, ὥσπερ οἱ τὰ πλείω χρήματα τῶν συνεταίρων ἁρπάζοντες, ὡς ἴστε ὑμεῖς, ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν γευσάμενοι τῆς ἀθανάτου γλυκύτητος. ὦ κόσμε πλάνε· ὅτι πικρόν σου τὸ δοκοῦν ἡδὺ καὶ θανάσιμον κατὰ πᾶσαν ἡδονὴν καὶ περιχάρειαν· καὶ ὦ πόθε Χριστοῦ· ὅτι σὺ ἡ εὐλογία καὶ ἡ χαρὰ καὶ ἡ δεσποσύνη καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς κατόχους σου. ἴδετε πηλίκοις ὑμῖν φθέγμασι παρακαλῶ ὁ εὐτελής, οὔ τί που τῶν ἀξιεπαίνων, ἀλλ' ὅτι φιλικοῖς. ὅσοι βραδυτῆτα ἡγοῦνται τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν Κυρίου, ἐκεῖνο ἐννοείτωσαν, ὅτι τὸ χρηστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς μετάνοιαν ἄγει τοὺς διώκοντας, εἰς δοκιμὴν δὲ τοὺς πάσχοντας, καὶ μὴ ἀθυμείτωσαν μηδὲ τὰ κρίματα Κυρίου ἐξεταζέτωσαν. οὐκ εὐγνωμόνων δούλων λέγειν "4ἕως πότε;"5· οὐκ εἶπεν τοῦτο Ἰὼβ ὁ ἀοίδιμος, οὐχ ὁ Πέτρος οὐδ' ὁ Παῦλος, οἱ μυρίαθλοι, οὐδέ τις τῶν μαρτύρων. οἶδεν ὁ ἀκοίμητος ὀφθαλμὸς τὸ ἀρκοῦν ἐπ' ἀμφοτέροις. οὐκ ἐλεεῖς, ὅτι θησαυρίζεις ἑαυτῷ ὀργὴν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως καὶ δικαιοκρισίας τοῦ θεοῦ. ὁ τοιοῦτος, οὗ οὐκ ἔστι πέρας τῆς κολάσεως οὐδὲ ἐξαγόρευσις τῶν ἐν πυρὶ ἀσβέστῳ ἀνυποίστων ἀνιῶν (καὶ παρακαλεῖν ἡμᾶς δεῖ τὴν ἀνοχήν, ὅσον τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν, εἰ μὴ ἄν, διὰ τοὺς ὀλλυμένους καὶ ἐκπεπτωκότας τῆς ὑπομονῆς), ὁ ἐπειγόμενος τὸν θάνατον ἰδεῖν τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ οὐ δύναται εἰρήνην ἔχειν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, οὗ χεῖρον οὐδέν· ἀεὶ γὰρ ἐν ταραχῇ κατὰ ψυχήν, ἐπιθυμῶν ὅπερ θεὸς ἀποστυγεῖ καὶ θέλων ὃ οὐ θέλει. ἐντεῦθεν ἀκηδίαι, ἐκλύσεις, βλασφημίαι καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ βλαστήματα τῆς πονηρίας. εἴπωμεν, ἀδελφοί· γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου ἐκ καρδίας, κτηνώδης ἐγενήθην παρὰ σοί, κἀγὼ διὰ παντὸς μετὰ σοῦ. καὶ οὕτως εἰρηνεύουσα ἡ ψυχὴ παρρησίαν ἕξει πρὸς θεόν, ἑκατονταετίζειν ἐν τοῖς ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ παθήμασι προαιρουμένη· οὔτε γάρ, ἐὰν κατευξώμεθα, τὸ τάχος ἐπιστῇ οὔτ', ἂν ἐπευξώμεθα, βραδυνεῖ, ἀλλὰ τότε ἥξει, ὁπηνίκα ὁ πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου διορίσας τὸ συμφέρον δίκαιον κρίμα οἶδεν θεός. Προσεύχεσθε περὶ ἡμῶν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, παρακαλῶ, ἵνα σῳζοίμεθα. ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὑμῶν τε καὶ ἐμοῦ Νικόλαος προσαγορεύει ἅπαντας. ἡ χάρις μεθ' ὑμῶν. ἀμήν.