Letter 480: Theodore Studite, Letter 480; Greek heading: Κατηχητικὴ πρὸς τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ μαθητάς. Θεόδωρος ἐλάχιστος, πρεσβύτερος καὶ ἡγούμενος τῶν Στουδίου, ἠγαπημένοις ἀδελφοῖς μου καὶ πνευματικοῖς υἱέσιν, τοῖς διὰ Κύριον ὧδε κἀκεῖσε διεσπαρμένοισ.

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who has granted you the persecution that is for the sake of his name; which, even if it is grievous according to the flesh, is yet a cause of joy according to the spirit, for it is the source of the blessings spoken by God [the Beatitudes] and the procurer of eternal crowns. For which reason I too, the lowly one, rejoice with joy and exult with exultation, that I have been counted worthy to see my beloved ones in such advancement, in so great a degree of the good confession which we confessed before God and men: to venerate [proskynein: the cultic veneration owed to images of Christ] Christ depicted, that is, set forth in an icon, just as all our holy fathers did. Only I exhort and remind you to conduct your life worthily of the Gospel of Christ, keeping your manner of life good in the places and among the persons where you pass your time: your speech seasoned with grace and salt, your habit filled with reverence, your eating and drinking kept within self-sufficiency, your clothing and your gait regulated with discretion, so that you may be an illumination to the laity, and not the contrary; a ground for divine confession, and not the contrary. Let each one, as he received a gift of grace, administer it among yourselves as good stewards [oikonomoi] of the manifold grace of God, even as it is written. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God, and not vain babblings; if anyone serves, let him serve as out of strength, and not in arrogance; if anyone works, let him work with his own hands so as not to be burdensome, and not be one condemned as idle and unworthy even of eating; if anyone in all things acts according to the commandment, as a worker of God, and does not become a cause of stumbling to his neighbor, so that in all things God may be glorified, and I, the wretched one, hearing it may be of good cheer and rejoice. Beware of evil associations, beware of ruinous boldness of speech, beware of the gluttony that breeds fornication. Let no one converse with a woman without necessity; let no one sit alone [secluded apart]; let no one be a lover of money, adding coin to coin and increasing his gold, in which sin is rooted, and the portion of Judas. Let no one sell off his monastic freedom by acquiring a slave bought with silver; for the wickedness of certain men has gone so far that they have become enslaved to attachment and have lost the monastic dignity. Let no one be a drunkard, hearing the Apostle: "Use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities" [1 Timothy 5:23] from which there are kindled against the soul the desires of the flesh, and there is set ablaze the house of God, which is our inner man. But let us be as strangers and sojourners, O brothers, each of us in this persecution as dying, and behold, we live; as chastened, and not put to death; as sorrowing, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich in the spirit; as having nothing, yet possessing all things [2 Corinthians 6:9-10] - to speak in the words of the Apostle. My eyes are continually toward you, my longed-for ones; my heart is burning within you in the Lord; my senses rage within me whenever I hear an unwelcome report about anyone, when I learn of a turning aside that is hateful to God; my eyes shed tears, my soul is crushed, whenever the one who is no lover of God walks contrary to the tradition and the established order and the manifestation of the things aforesaid. You have gone forth, O fathers, from the monastery into the higher light of persecution - surely not into darkening? We have been separated from one another by the moving of the Spirit - surely not that we should live in passion? Does God then not see? Does not the deed of each one become heard, in whatever way you conduct yourselves? You who keep slaves, hear these things; you who sit alone, you who behave like women - that I may say nothing more - you lovers of money, you lovers of women. Not willingly do I reproach you - forgive me - but in pain I bring accusation, as one set in charge of this. Fulfill my joy, O children, that you be of the same mind, that you walk by the same rule, sealing good examples and reminders upon the souls of those who behold them, to the glory of God, to your own unquenchable renown, to the gladness of me also, the sinner, to the praise of your brotherhood in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory and the might, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῦ χαρισαμένου ὑμῖν τὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ διωγμόν· ὅς, εἰ καὶ λυπηρὸς κατὰ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ χαροποιὸς κατὰ πνεῦμα· μακαρισμῶν γὰρ θεολέκτων αἴτιος καὶ στεφάνων αἰωνίων πρόξενος. οὗ χάριν κἀγὼ ὁ εὐτελὴς χαρᾷ χαίρω καὶ ἀγαλλιάσει ἀγαλλιῶμαι, ὅτι ἠξίωμαι τοὺς ἐμοὺς ἀγαπητοὺς ἰδεῖν ἐν τοιαύτῃ προκοπῇ, ἐν τηλικούτῳ βαθμῷ τῆς καλῆς ὁμολογίας, ἣν ὡμολογήσαμεν ἐνώπιον θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων, προσκυνεῖν Χριστὸν ἐγγεγραμμένον, ἤγουν ἐξεικονισμένον, καθὼς πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι πατέρες ἡμῶν. μόνον παρακαλῶ καὶ ὑπομνήσκω ἀξίως τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑμᾶς πολιτεύεσθαι, τὴν ἀναστροφὴν ὑμῶν ἔχοντες καλὴν ἐν οἷς διατρίβετε καὶ τόποις καὶ προσώποις, τὸν λόγον ἐν χάριτι ἅλατι ἠρτυμένον, τὴν ἕξιν εὐλαβείᾳ μεμεστωμένην, τὴν βρῶσιν καὶ τὴν πόσιν αὐταρκείᾳ τετηρημένην, τὸ ἔνδυμα καὶ βάδισμα συνέσει τεθεωρημένον, ὡς ἂν φωτισμός ἐστε τῶν λαϊκῶν, ἀλλὰ μὴ τοὐναντίον, ὑπόθεσις θείας ἐξομολογήσεως, ἀλλὰ μὴ τοὐναντίον. ἕκαστος καθὼς ἔλαβεν χάρισμα εἰς ἑαυτοὺς αὐτὸ διοικοῦντες ὡς καλοὶ οἰκονόμοι ποικίλης χάριτος θεοῦ, καθὼς γέγραπται. εἴ τις λαλεῖ, ὡς λόγια θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ μὴ ματαιολογίας· εἴ τις διακονεῖ, ὡς ἐξ ἰσχύος, ἀλλὰ μὴ καθ' ὑπερηφανίαν· εἴ τις ἐργάζεται, ταῖς ἰδίαις χερσὶν πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἐπιβαρὴς εἶναι, ἀλλὰ μὴ ὡς ἀργὸς κατακρινόμενος καὶ τοῦ ἐσθίειν· εἴ τις ἐν πᾶσιν κατ' ἐντολὴν πράσσει, ὡς ἐργάτης θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ μὴ κατὰ σκάνδαλον γιγνόμενος τοῦ πέλας, ἵνα ἐν πᾶσι δοξάζηται ὁ θεὸς κἀγὼ ὁ τάλας ἀκούων εὐθυμῶ καὶ χαίρω. Βλέπετε τοὺς κακοὺς συνδυασμούς, βλέπετε τὴν ὀλεθρίαν παρρησίαν, βλέπετε τὴν πορνοποιὸν ἀδηφαγίαν· μή τις μετὰ γυναικὸς ὁμιλείτω ἄνευ ἀνάγκης, μή τις μεμονωμένος καθεζέσθω, μή τις φιλαργυρείτω, κέρματι κέρμα προστιθεὶς καὶ αὔξων χρυσίον, ἐν ᾧ ῥιζοῦται ἡ ἁμαρτία καὶ ἡ μερὶς τοῦ Ἰούδα. μή τις ἀπεμπολείτω τὴν μοναχικὴν ἐλευθερίαν, κτώμενος ἀργυρώνητον δοῦλον· μέχρι γὰρ τοῦδε ἔφθασεν ἥ τινων πονηρία, δουλωθέντων τῇ προσπαθείᾳ καὶ ἀπολελωκότων τὸ μοναχικὸν ἀξίωμα. μή τις οἰνοφλυγείτω, ἀκούων τοῦ ἀποστόλου, ὀλίγῳ οἴνῳ χρῶ διὰ τὸν στόμαχόν σου καὶ τὰς πυκνάς σου ἀσθενείας, ἀφ' ὧν ἀνάπτονται κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς αἱ σαρκικαὶ ἐπιθυμίαι καὶ ἐμπυρίζεται ὁ οἶκος τοῦ θεοῦ, ὅστις ἐστὶν ὁ ἔσω ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος. ἀλλ' ὡς ξένοι καὶ παρεπίδημοι ὦμεν, ὦ ἀδελφοί, ἕκαστος ἡμῶν ἐν τῷδε τῷ διωγμῷ ὡς ἀποθνήσκοντες, καὶ ἰδοὺ ζῶμεν, ὡς παιδευόμενοι καὶ μὴ θανατούμενοι, ὡς λυπούμενοι, ἀεὶ δὲ χαίροντες, ὡς πτωχοί, πολλοὺς δὲ πνευματικῶς πλουτίζοντες, ὡς μηδὲν ἔχοντες καὶ τὰ πάντα κατέχοντες, ἀποστολικῶς εἰπεῖν. οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου διὰ παντὸς πρὸς ὑμᾶς τοὺς ποθητούς μου, ἡ καρδία μου καιομένη ἐν ὑμῖν ἐν Κυρίῳ, τὰ αἰσθητήριά μου μαιμάσσει με, ἡνίκα ἀκούσω ἀπευκτὴν ἀκοὴν ἐπί τινι, ἐπὰν μάθω ἐκτροπὴν θεομίσητον· οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου κατάγουσι δάκρυα, ἡ ψυχή μου συντρίβεται, ὁπόταν παρὰ τὴν παράδοσιν καὶ κατάστασιν καὶ τὴν τῶν προειρημένων ἔκφανσιν περιπατῇ ὁ ἀφιλόθεος. Ἐξεληλύθατε, ὦ πατέρες, ἀπὸ τοῦ μοναστηρίου εἰς ὑψηλότερον φάος τοῦ διωγμοῦ· μὴ γὰρ εἰς ἐπισκότωσιν; διαιρέθημεν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων πνευματοκινήτως· μὴ γὰρ ἵνα περιπαθῶς ζήσωμεν; μὴ γὰρ ὁ θεὸς οὐχ ὁρᾷ; μὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἀκουστὸν γίνεται ἑκάστου τὸ ἔργον, ὅπως ἀναστρέφοισθε; οἱ τοὺς δούλους ἔχοντες ταῦτα ἀκούοιτε, οἱ μονοκάθιστοι, οἱ γυναικιζόμενοι, ἵνα μή τι πλέον λέγω, οἱ φιλάργυροι, οἱ φιλόγυροι. οὐχ ἑκὼν ὀνειδίζω, σύγγνωτε, ἀλλὰ πονῶν κατηγορῶ, ὡς εἰς τοῦτο κείμενος. πληρώσατέ μου τὴν χαράν, ὦ τέκνα, ἵνα τὸ αὐτὸ φρονῆτε, τῷ αὐτῷ στοιχῆτε κανόνι, ἀγαθὰ ὑποδείγματα καὶ ὑπομνήματα ἐναποσφραγίζοντες ταῖς ψυχαῖς τῶν ὁρώντων εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ, εἰς κλέος ὑμῶν ἄσβεστον, εἰς εὐφροσύνην κἀμοῦ τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, εἰς ἔπαινον τῆς ἀδελφότητος ὑμῶν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος ἅμα τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῷ Ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ἀμήν.