Letter 461: Theodore Studite, Letter 461; Greek heading: Ἰωαννίκῃ ἐρημίτῃ.

A pleasant sight, whenever one beholds it, one is wont ever to contemplate again in the mind even after departing from it. So then we too, the humble ones, God-honored man, having once looked upon you and conversed with you, have not forgotten, but we hold you imaged in our thought, rejoicing in this very thing, to behold a man of God, shining with divine grace in countenance and in conversation, and urging us on toward the glorification of God. And this you obtained through your solitary life in the wilderness and through your approach in prayer, having been made radiant in the face, after the manner of Moses, by the ineffable light. Therefore we long once more to gaze upon you and to share in the graces that are in you according to a second sanctifying participation: you from God, and we from you. Do you see how greatly God has glorified you, since you glorified Him? But may He glorify you still more at the end of your life, when you finish your course worthily; and for us sinners pray that we may at least begin upon the saving course, since the least of men are far from God. The first aim of this letter is in these things. What is the second? It concerns Theoctistus the hermit; who, in what manner he was torn away from the body of the Church through certain heretical suppositions, you yourself know better than we, most honored man. Yet we too, the year before last, when we drew near to your dwellings, learned from those who knew the man's affairs; and indeed by letters also we admonished him and besought him to abstain from those dark and demon-fashioned utterances, and rather to hold the orthodox doctrine concerning the all-holy Theotokos [the Mother of God] and the other matters. Now then Nicanor our brother, having come to us, reported that the man has come to repentance and is willing to be of one mind with the Church, and says that he had not even received any letter of mine, but that he also desires to receive one. Since therefore, holy father, it is written, "He who brings forth the worthy from the unworthy shall be as my mouth," and, "He who turns a man back from the error of his way shall cover a multitude of sins" [cf. Jeremiah 15:19; James 5:20], your Holiness must rouse yourself and give a hand of help to the one who has gone astray; for in this you will be a fellow worker of God. And how shall this be? That by a message you bring Theoctistus to yourself, and speak and converse with him on what is fitting. And if you find him yielding to the divine word, speak also concerning me, the humble one, that I have been moved to this very thing, loving his salvation; and if you should approve, father, and he too desires it, I will write to him at a fitting time, so that from both sides the one who is perishing may be drawn and gained. For this is what God wills, and for this He came upon the earth, seeking to turn back that which was lost; and He makes the love of one's neighbor for us the proof of love toward Himself. And we must be moved with all our strength, holy father; for it was with a view to this that I too, being moved, wrote to you. But if, after such an undertaking, he persists in his disobedience, let the lawless one see to it; the Lord says, "Let them alone, they are blind" [cf. Matthew 15:14]. As then the Lord prospers your way, be so good, father, as to make this known to me by your honored letter.

Ἡδὺ θέαμα ὁπόταν τις θεάσοιτο, τοῦτο καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀναχώρησιν εἰς νοῦν ἀεὶ ἀναθεωρεῖν εἴωθεν· οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ ταπεινοί, θεοτίμητε, ἅπαξ σε βλέψαντες καὶ ὡμιληκότες οὐκ ἐπιλελήσμεθα, ἀλλὰ φανταζόμενον ἔχομεν ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ, αὐτὸ τοῦτο γαννύμενοι ὁρᾶν ἄνθρωπον θεοῦ, προσώπῳ τε καὶ ὁμιλίᾳ χάριν θείαν λάμποντα καὶ εἰς δοξολογίαν θεοῦ προτρεπόμενον. ἔσχες δὲ τοῦτο τῇ ἐρημικῇ μονώσει καὶ τῇ προσευκτικῇ προσελεύσει, λαμπρυνθεὶς μωσαϊκῶς τὴν ὄψιν πρὸς τοῦ ἀρρήτου φάους. διὸ καὶ αὖθις γλιχόμεθά σε κατοπτεῦσαι καὶ συμμετασχεῖν τῶν ἐν σοὶ χαρίτων κατὰ δευτέρωσιν ἁγιαστικοῦ μετουσιασμοῦ, σὺ πρὸς θεοῦ καὶ ἡμεῖς παρὰ σοῦ. ὁρᾷς ὅσον σε θεὸς ἐδόξασεν, ἐπεὶ ἐδόξασας αὐτόν; ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔτι δοξάσειεν ἐν τέλει τοῦ βίου ἀποπεραίνοντα ἀξίως τὸν δρόμον· ἡμῖν δὲ τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς εὔξαιο κἂν ἄρξασθαι τοῦ σωτηρίου δρόμου, ἐπείπερ μακρὰν ἀπὸ θεοῦ οἱ ἐλάχιστοι. ἡ πρώτη ἐπιβολὴ τοῦ λόγου ἐν τούτοις. Τίς ἡ δευτέρα; περὶ Θεοκτίστου τοῦ ἐρημίτου· ὃς ὅπως διερράγη ἐξ αἱρετικῶν τινων ὑποθέσεων τοῦ σώματος τῆς ἐκκλησίας αὐτὸς ἡμῶν μᾶλλον ἐπίστασαι, τιμιώτατε. πλὴν ὅτι καὶ ἡμεῖς προπέρυσι πλησιάσαντες τοῖς καθ' ὑμᾶς ἐνδιαιτήμασιν ἐξεμάθομεν παρὰ τῶν εἰδότων τὰ τοῦ ἀνδρός, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ γραμμάτων ὑπεμνήσαμεν καὶ παρεκαλέσαμεν ἀποσχέσθαι αὐτὸν τῶν σκοτεινῶν ἐκείνων καὶ δαιμονοποιῶν φθεγμάτων, ὀρθοδοξεῖν δὲ μᾶλλον ἐπί τε τῆς παναγίας Θεοτόκου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τρόπων. νῦν οὖν Νικάνωρ ὁ ἡμέτερος ἀδελφὸς φοιτήσας πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀπήγγειλεν ἐλθεῖν εἰς μετάγνωσιν τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ ἐθέλειν ὁμοφρονεῖν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ λέγειν τε μηδὲ γράμμα ἐμὸν εἰληφέναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐρᾶν δέξασθαι. Ἐπεὶ οὖν, πάτερ ἅγιε, γέγραπται, ὁ ἐξάγων ἄξιον ἐξ ἀναξίου ὡς στόμα μου ἔσται καί, ὁ ἀποστρέφων ἄνθρωπον ἐκ πλάνης ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν, δεῖ τὴν ἁγιωσύνην σου διαναστῆναι καὶ δοῦναι χεῖρα βοηθείας τῷ πλανωμένῳ· ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ θεοῦ συνεργὸς ἔσῃ· ἔσται δὲ τοῦτο πῶς; ἵνα δηλώματι ἄξοις τὸν Θεόκτιστον πρὸς σέ, εἴποις τε καὶ διαλεχθῇς τὰ εἰκότα. καὶ εἰ μὲν εὕροις αὐτὸν εἴκοντα τῷ θείῳ λόγῳ, εἴποις καὶ περὶ ἐμοῦ τοῦ ταπεινοῦ ὅτι εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο κεκίνημαι, φιλῶν τὴν σωτηρίαν αὐτοῦ, κἂν δοκιμάζοις, ὁ πατήρ, κἀκεῖνος ἐρᾷ, ἐπιστείλω αὐτῷ εὐθέτως, ὥστε ἀμφοτέρωθεν ἑλκυσθῆναι καὶ κερδηθῆναι τὸν ἀπολλύμενον· τοῦτο γὰρ βούλεται θεὸς κἀν τούτῳ ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τὸ ἀπολωλὸς ἐκζητῶν ἐπιστρέψαι· καὶ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ἀγάπης ἀπόδειξιν τὴν τοῦ πέλας φιλίαν ποιεῖται ἡμῖν. καὶ δεῖ παντὶ σθένει κινηθῆναι ἡμᾶς, πάτερ ὅσιε· εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ κἀγὼ κινηθεὶς ἔγραψά σοι. εἰ δὲ μετὰ τὴν τοιαύτην ἐπιχείρησιν ἀπειθῶν ἀπειθεῖ, ὄψεται ὁ ἀνομῶν· λέγει Κύριος, ἄφετε αὐτούς, τυφλοί εἰσιν. Ὡς οὖν εὐοδοῖ Κύριος ἀγαθύνθητι, πάτερ, δηλοποιῆσαί μοι γράμματί σου τιμίῳ.