Letter 417: Theodore Studite, Letter 417; Greek heading: Ναυκρατίῳ τέκνῳ.

The sacred Scripture says: "A voice was heard in Rama, much lamentation and wailing, Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be comforted" [Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:18]. But I, wretched man that I am, altering the saying, might fittingly utter this instead: glad tidings of joy have been sounded in our ears by Your Honor, at which not this city or that, but, one might almost say, the whole world under heaven may leap for joy, because the Lord has cast down—not Sihon king of the Amorites, nor Og king of Bashan [Numbers 21], petty kings oppressing only a small portion of the inhabited world, but the newly-appeared and great dragon who was ravaging much of the inhabited world, the crooked serpent who hisses blasphemies, the abomination of desolation [Daniel; Matthew 24:15], the vessel of wrath, the son of Tabeel [Isaiah 7:6]—not to say of Caballinus [a term of abuse for the iconoclast emperor Constantine V, "Copronymus," here applied to his line]—the descendant of Ahab, the very copy of Julian [the Apostate], the fullness of the Evil One, the insulter of Christ, the enemy of the Theotokos [the God-bearer, the Virgin Mary], the adversary of all the saints. For of those whose venerable likenesses [charakteres, the sacred figures, i.e. the holy icons] he persecuted and made to vanish, it is clear that he proved himself the utter enemy and persecutor. Let the heavens rejoice and let the earth exult, let the mountains drop down sweetness and the hills righteousness. The enemy has fallen; he who was striking us has been broken to pieces. The mouth that spoke unjust things has been stopped; the hand of Absalom has been restrained; the hard-hearted Pharaoh is gone. And it is not yet the time or the place for me to set forth the things worthy to be heard about that all-wicked dragon. But this I would add to what has been said: that it was fitting for the apostate to be sundered from life in such a manner as you have written. It was right that death should overtake the son of darkness in the night; it was right that he who laid waste the divine temples should see, within the temple of the Lord, the swords bared against him; it was right that he who had brought this place to ruin should not be saved when he had taken refuge at the divine altar; that against the hand stretched out against the holy things a cutting blow should be brought; that a blade should be driven through the throat that belched forth godless things; that a mortal blow should sink into the shoulder that quivered to insult Christ; that for the shedding of the blood of the righteous, unjust blood should be poured out; that in return for the hacking and tearing of limbs and backs, his God-hated limbs should be cut off; that in return for a holy death an unholy death should be his appointed lot; and that, in place of the purple robe, that dishonorable seed should be clothed in rags. And it is not that I exult over the fall of the impious one—for indeed I both groan and weep—nor that I make a mockery of the manner of his death, but rather that the wicked man perishes wickedly, as the verdict of Him who cannot lie declares, and that everyone who acts arrogantly against God will receive here too a recompense matching what he has done; for I do not yet speak of the future and final fire, by which every impious and lawless man shall be tested. What then, in face of these things? There is need of a new Josiah, or if you will, of some Jovian or another of such men; one who, being zealous for the Lord, would hasten to raise up again the things that have been thrown down, to join together the things that have been divided, to render to God the things of God—that is to say, to set up again the icon of Christ, of the Theotokos, and of each of the saints; not that the icon of Christ has ever fallen—far from it—but that we who have fallen through impiety may be raised up again. This is what we sinners pray that the most pious and God-set-forth emperor will both show himself to be and become. And if it be so, that is best and to be hymned for ages; but if, on account of my sins, it be not so, yet let us at least be so in the confession of Christ, not making light of His holy guard, nor cowering at anything, nor fearing anything else before God, as God Himself gives assurance. Make these things known to your fellow-confessors, whom also greet on our behalf, since you would judge them both friends and pious men. May we be counted worthy to come also to a face-to-face conversation; but if it be not willed by the Lord, make use, my brother, of the letter, beholding from it and being beheld. Your brother Nicholas warmly sends his greetings.

Τὸ μὲν ἱερὸν γράμμα φησί· φωνὴ ἐν Ῥαμᾷ ἠκούσθη, θρῆνος καὶ ὀδυρμὸς πολύς, Ῥαχιὴλ κλαίουσα τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐκ ἤθελε παρακληθῆναι· ἐγὼ δὲ ὁ τάλας μεθαρμόσας τὴν φωνὴν ἐκεῖνο εἰκότως φράσαιμι· χαρᾶς εὐαγγέλια ἠκουτίσθη ἡμῖν παρὰ τῆς τιμιότητός σου, ἐφ' ᾧ σκιρτᾶν ἔστιν οὐ τὴν πόλιν τήνδε ἢ τήνδε, ἀλλὰ σχεδὸν εἰπεῖν ἅπασαν τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανόν, ὅτι καθεῖλεν Κύριος οὐ τὸν Σηὼν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀμορραίων οὐδὲ τὸν Ὢγ βασιλέα τῆς Βασάν,βασιλεῖς μικροὺς καὶ μικρὸν μέρος τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐκθλίβοντας, ἀλλὰ τὸν νεοφανῆ καὶ μέγαν δράκοντα καὶ πολλὴν οἰκουμένην ληίζοντα, τὸν σκολιὸν ὄφιν καὶ συρίζοντα βλάσφημα, τὸ βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως, τὸ σκεῦος τῆς ὀργῆς, τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Ταβεήλ, ἵνα μὴ λέγω Καβαλλίνου, τὸν ἀπόγονον τοῦ Ἀχαάβ, τὸ ἐξεμπλάριον Ἰου-λιανοῦ, τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ πονηροῦ, τὸν ὑβριστὴν Χριστοῦ, τὸν ἐχθρὸν τῆς Θεοτόκου, τὸν ἀντίπαλον τῶν ἁπάντων ἁγίων. ὧν γὰρ τοὺς σεπτοὺς χαρακτῆρας ἐδίωξέ τε καὶ ἐξηφάνισεν, δῆλον ὅτι τούτων ὁλοτελῶς ἐχθρὸς καὶ διώκτης ἐχρημάτισεν. εὐφραινέσθωσαν οἱ οὐρανοὶ καὶ ἀγαλλιάσθω ἡ γῆ, ῥανάτωσαν τὰ ὄρη γλυκασμὸν καὶ οἱ βουνοὶ δικαιοσύνην. πέπτωκεν ὁ ἐχθρός, συνετρίβη ὁ κόπτων ἡμᾶς. ἐνεφράγη στόμα λαλοῦν ἄδικα, ἐπεσχέθη χεὶρ Ἀβεσσαλώμ, οἴχεται ὁ σκληροκάρδιος Φαραώ. καὶ οὔπω μοι καιρὸς καὶ τόπος ἐκφράσαι τὰ ἀκοῆς ἄξια τοῦ παγκακίστου δράκοντος. Ἐκεῖνο δὲ προσθείην τοῖς εἰρημένοις, ὅτι ἐχρῆν τὸν ἀποστάτην τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ, καθὰ γέγραφας, ἀπορρῆξαι τὴν ζωήν· ἔδει ἐν νυκτὶ τὸν τοῦ σκότους υἱὸν ἐπικαταλαβεῖν θάνατον, ἔδει τὸν τοὺς θείους ναοὺς ἐρημώσαντα ἐν ναῷ Κυρίου ἰδεῖν τὰ κατ' αὐτοῦ ξίφη γυμνούμενα, ἔδει προσφυγόντα τῷ θείῳ θυσιαστηρίῳ μὴ σωθῆναι τὸν τοῦτο ἀφανίσαντα, κατὰ τῆς εἰς τὰ ἅγια ἐκταθείσης χειρὸς τομὴν ἐπαχθῆναι, κατὰ τοῦ λάρυγγος τοῦ ἐρευξαμένου ἄθεα μάχαιραν διελάσαι, κατὰ τοῦ ὤμου τοῦ παλλομένου ἐφ' ὕβρει Χριστοῦ καιρίαν πληγὴν ὑποδῦναι, ὑπὲρ ἐκχύσεως αἱμάτων δικαίων αἷμα ἄδικον χεθῆναι, ἀντὶ κοπῆς καὶ ξεσμῶν μελῶν καὶ νώτων μέλη κοπῆναι θεοστυγῆ, ἀντὶ θανάτου ὁσίου ἀνόσιον θάνατον ἀποδειχθῆναι καὶ ἀντὶ πορφυρίδος ῥάκος ἐνδύσασθαι τὸ ἄτιμον σπέρμα. Καὶ οὐκ ἐπιχαιρόμενος τῷ πτώματι τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς (ἐπεὶ καὶ στένων καὶ κλαίων) κωμῳδῶ τὸν τρόπον τοῦ θανάτου, ἀλλ' ὅτι κακὸς κακῶς ἀπολεῖται, ὡς ἡ τοῦ ἀψευδοῦς ἀπόφασις, καὶ πᾶς νεανιευόμενος κατὰ θεοῦ ἐφάμιλλα ὧν ἔδρασεν ἀπολήψεται κἀνταῦθα· οὔπω γὰρ λέγω τὸ μέλλον καὶ τελευταῖον πῦρ, ᾧ δοκιμασθήσεται πᾶς ἀσεβὴς καὶ παράνομος. τί οὖν πρὸς ταῦτα; νέου Ἰωσίου χρεία, εἰ δὲ βούλει, Ἰοβιανοῦ τινος ἢ ἄλλου τῶν τοιούτων· ὃς ζηλῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ σπεύσειεν ἀνορθῶσαι τὰ κατερραγμένα, συνάψαι τὰ διεστῶτα, ἀποδοῦναι θεῷ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, ἀναστῆσαι τὴν εἰκόνα Χριστοῦ, τῆς Θεοτόκου καὶ ἑκάστου τῶν ἁγίων· οὐχ ὅτι πέπτωκέν ποτε ἡ Χριστοῦ εἰκών, ἄπαγε, ἀλλ' ἵνα οἱ πεσόντες ἡμεῖς τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ ἀνασταθείημεν. Τοιοῦτον ἐπευχόμεθα οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ καὶ φανῆναι καὶ ἔσεσθαι τὸν εὐσεβέστατον βασιλέα καὶ θεοπρόβλητον. καὶ εἰ μὲν οὕτως, ἄριστον καὶ εἰς αἰῶνας ὑμνούμενον· εἰ δὲ κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλά γε ἡμεῖς οὕτως ἐν τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ Χριστοῦ, μὴ ὀλιγωροῦντες τὴν ἁγίαν αὐτοῦ φυλακὴν μηδέ τι ὑποπτήσσοντες μηδὲ φοβούμενοι ἄλλο τι πρὸ θεοῦ, ὡς αὐτὸς θεὸς ἐγγυᾶται. Ταῦτα ὑπόδειξον τοῖς συνομολογηταῖς σου, οὓς καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν προσαγόρευσον, ἐπεὶ καὶ φίλους καὶ εὐσεβεῖς οὓς δοκιμάζοις. ἀξιωθείημεν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κατ' ὀφθαλμοὺς ὁμιλίας ἐλθεῖν· εἰ δὲ οὐ θελητὸν Κυρίῳ, χρῶ, ἀδελφέ μου, τῷ γράμματι, θεωρῶν ἐντεῦθεν καὶ θεωρούμενος. ὁ ἀδελφός σου Νικόλαος θερμῶς προσαγορεύει.