Letter 475: Theodore Studite, Letter 475; Greek heading: Πέτρῳ Νικαίασ.

Now we have been granted the means to write to your fatherly holiness, at the time when we have returned back from our banishment; for the incursion of the Arabs, along with many others, carried us off too, the lowly ones, releasing us from our place of sojourn and leading us away to a point before the city, onto the island of Prinkipo [the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara]. In that place, how greatly we suffered both from the crowd of fellow exiles confined together with us and from the burning heat and from the foul waters, what need is there even to tell? Then, when we had advanced nearer, toward Chalcedon, there one of the two of us collapsed in a sickness hard to bear, with nephritic pains [kidney pains] disciplining our pitiable flesh up to the space of a week; and, to put it simply, our journey had become exceedingly grievous. Nevertheless, by the grace of God these three things came about for us as successes: first, to venerate [proskynesis: to do reverence to] our most blessed high priest [archiereus: chief priest, i.e. the patriarch], having received his sacred prayers; then to venerate these and those of the sacred fathers and brothers; and third, to dissolve, by the mercy of God, the objections and counter-charges which the artificers of peace had kindled against us, from where I do not know. For they had previously portrayed us as schismatics from communion with our divinely inspired high priest; they declared us to be a law unto ourselves [self-governing] in the penances imposed on those who had been captured by the heretical communion [koinonia: communion, fellowship]; and other things, which it would be too laborious to circle round in writing. Yet, as was said before, by your prayers we met each one of these charges squarely and on target, and we have shown ourselves to be in communion with our sacred patriarch, who, with surpassing condescension, both received us and treated us kindly and sent us away, without any account of the things that had been intrigued against us being put on record; nor indeed was anything recorded against the lord Tarasios, even he who is commemorated among the saints [Tarasios, Patriarch of Constantinople 784-806]. For those who pretend to love the fathers said that we had been cut off from him too, and that we call the holy synod held at Nicaea for the second time [the Second Council of Nicaea, 787] a merely local synod. But we established ourselves as both holding him among the holy fathers and confessing that synod to be ecumenical, both in writing and unwritten, even if at some point and at some time and in some manner and to some persons we answered otherwise. These things must not now be sought out and scratched open again, just like the matters that were then done otherwise; for it is a cause of disturbance and brings no benefit, but rather a war of words and a stumbling-block to the Church of God, that in this way and that, these men and those acted and wrote, each thinking that he held the truth. Over long years, as you know, thrice-longed-for one, the much-talked-of matter was brought to completion, becoming known to East and West; and the things done and written neither party is able to overturn. Now is the time for concord, now is the time for striving together; the remaining acts of the one who has written, if indeed they seem to those who come after to be well, are deserving of praise, but if not, the opposite. The word is faithful, and concerning this we wish to say nothing else, neither now nor for the time to come; and it will make all clear, as Scripture says, the day of the revelation [apokalypsis] and the final fire, by which our works are judged and purified. These things have necessarily been written, at once to you as a father of one soul with us and a prince of peace, and at the same time because to speak out one's griefs is known to bring relief to those who are in pain. And if, having been entreated, you should be seen by us, the lowly ones, taking up the labor of love, you would assuredly make us more glad in every respect. Those who are with us salute your holiness very greatly. We too greet very greatly those who are with you, most holy one.