Letter 501: Theodore Studite, Letter 501; Greek heading: Τῇ ἀδελφότητι τῆς Πελεκητῆσ.

Grievous indeed is what has befallen Your Honor, brothers and fathers (how could it be otherwise?), that you have lost your shepherd and have become like a flock at a loss, and that too in such days as these, in which heavy wolves are coming upon the flocks of Christ and contriving to carry off souls. But nevertheless, since what has happened is from God, and your shepherd was taken up by Him at the time when the Lord who governs all things in His wisdom knew what was profitable for both parties, we must give thanks and not be indignant; for He Himself gave, He Himself also took up, and as it seemed good to the Lord, so also it came to pass. What, then, is required? That you now come to yourselves and, just as you have chosen to elect as shepherd the lord Sergius, our most reverent brother, provided there is nothing in doubt with respect to the lord Makarios, our spiritual father, you should continue to be directed and governed by him whom you have chosen as your spiritual father, for your God-preserving constitution as a community and for the accomplishment of a God-inclined life, that you may escape the storm of the heretical spirits [the iconoclasts, who reject the veneration of icons] and be brought into the harbor of salvation, so that the name of God may not be blasphemed because of you, but rather glorified according to the holy manner of your life that has prevailed hitherto. And you, beloved brother, have not acted beyond what is fitting, since it has come about thus, in that you have come down from the cleft of the rock and taken the lead of the brothers; for indeed our Lord Jesus Christ, employing condescension, accomplished the mystery of the dispensation [oikonomia, the divine ordering of salvation] for the salvation of all. Stand firm, then, in accordance with what you have decided and what has been decided by the brothers, until the day of the appointment of our sacred high priest, and then there will come to pass what ought to come to pass, more lawfully and more canonically; but until the time that is sought for is present, take the lead of the brothers and prosper in the Lord, as one who will render account for their souls, but also as one who will receive the reward on their behalf; for in proportion as the yoke of leadership is great, in like proportion it is also richly rewarded. Only have eyes to see and ears to hear, a heart that is vigilant and seeking after God, a pastoral disposition, a teaching word, a well-ordered character, a well-marked stance and footing, being wholly and throughout preserved and directed by the word. And blessed are you, carrying out an apostolic work; for indeed the Lord showed forth a preeminent proof of love toward Himself when He pointed out the pastoral staff to Peter, the chief of the apostles: “If you love me, He says, more than these, Peter, shepherd my sheep.” Shepherd, therefore, the sheep of the Lord, securing them within the fold of orthodoxy and nourishing them upon the green pasture of His commandments and making them dwell beside the water of repose of His will. See to it that neither you yourself nor any of your sheep be snatched away by the heretical beasts. Let what has gone before in past times suffice; but now let us walk securely and without stumbling, accounting all things secondary when the occasion calls—even our very bodies, not to speak of any other of the things that perish—for the sake of the love of God, whose peace may give the prize to your hearts and your minds, and may direct your way in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Λυπηρὸν μὲν τὸ συμβεβηκὸς τῇ τιμιότητι ὑμῶν, ἀδελφοὶ καὶ πατέρες (πῶς γὰρ οὔ;), ὅτι τὸν ποιμένα ὑμῶν ἀποβεβλήκατε καὶ ἐγένεσθε ὡς ποίμνιον ἠπορημένον, καὶ ταῦτα ἐν ἡμέραις τοιαύταις, ἐφ' αἷς λύκοι βαρεῖς ἐπὶ τὰ ποίμνια τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπερχόμενοι καὶ συλαγωγεῖν ψυχὰς σοφιζόμενοι. ἀλλ' ὅμως, ἐπειδὴ παρὰ θεοῦ τὸ συμβὰν καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ προσελήφθη ὁ ποιμὴν ὑμῶν, καθ' ὃν καιρὸν ᾔδει τὸ συμφέρον ἀμφοτέρων ὁ τὰ πάντα ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ σοφίᾳ διοικῶν Κύριος, εὐχαριστητέον καὶ οὐκ ἀγανακτητέον· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἔδωκεν, αὐτὸς καὶ προσελάβετο καί, ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν, οὕτως καὶ ἐγένετο. τί οὖν τὸ ἐπιζητούμενον; ἵνα εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ἄρτι γένησθε καί, καθὼς ᾑρετίσασθε ἑλέσθαι ποιμένα τὸν κύριον Σέργιον τὸν εὐλαβέστατον ἀδελφὸν ἡμῶν, εἴπερ μή ἐστί τι πρὸς τὸν κύριον Μακάριον τὸν πνευματικὸν ἡμῶν πατέρα ἐνδοιάζον, ἐπιμείνητε εὐθυνόμενοι καὶ ἀρχόμενοι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, οὗ ἐξελέξασθε πνευματικοῦ πατρός, εἰς ἐπισύστασιν ὑμῶν θεόσωστον καὶ εἰς ἀποπεραίωσιν βίου θεοκλινοῦς, ὡς ἂν τὴν ζάλην τῶν αἱρετικῶν πνευμάτων διαφύγοιτε καὶ εἰς λιμένα σωτηρίας ἐμβιβάζοισθε εἰς τὸ μὴ βλασφημηθῆναι δι' ὑμᾶς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ, μᾶλλον δὲ δοξασθῆναι κατὰ τὴν προκρατήσασαν εὐαγῆ διαγωγὴν τῆς ζωῆς ὑμῶν. Σὺ δέ, ἀδελφὲ ἀγαπητέ, οὐκ ἔξω τοῦ εἰκότος πέπραχας, ἐπὰν οὕτως ἐγένετο, κατεληλυθὼς ἐκ τῆς ὀπῆς τῆς πέτρας καὶ ἡγησάμενος τῶν ἀδελφῶν· καὶ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, συγκαταβάσει χρησάμενος, τὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας ἐξετέλεσε μυστήριον ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τοῦ παντός. στῆθι οὖν, καθὸ κέκρικας καὶ κέκριται ὑπὸ τῶν ἀδελφῶν, ἕως ἡμέρας ἀναδείξεως τοῦ ἱεροῦ ἡμῶν ἀρχιερέως, καὶ τότε γενήσεται ὃ δεῖ γενέσθαι νομιμώτερόν τε καὶ κανονικώτερον· ἕως δ' ἂν μὴ παρῇ ὁ καιρὸς ὁ ἐπιζητούμενος, ἡγοῦ τῶν ἀδελφῶν καὶ κατευ οδοῦ ἐν Κυρίῳ, ὡς λόγον ἀποδώσων ὑπὲρ τῶν ψυχῶν αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς τὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν μισθὸν κομιούμενος· καθ' ὅσον γὰρ μέγας ὁ ζυγὸς τῆς προστασίας, κατὰ τοσοῦτον καὶ πολύμισθος. μόνον ἔχε ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ ὁρᾶν καὶ ὦτα τοῦ ἀκούειν, καρδίαν ἄγρυπνον καὶ θεοζήτητον, ἕξιν ποιμαντικήν, λόγον διδασκαλικόν, εὔρυθμον ἦθος, εὔσημον στάσιν καὶ βάσιν, ὅλος δι' ὅλου ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου συντηρούμενος καὶ διευθυνόμενος. καὶ μακάριος εἶ, ἀποστολικὸν ἔργον διατελῶν· καὶ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος ἀπόδειξιν τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν φιλίας προύχουσαν ὑπέδειξε τῷ κορυφαίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων Πέτρῳ τὴν ποιμαντικὴν ῥάβδον· εἰ φιλεῖς με γάρ, φησί, πλέον τούτων, Πέτρε, ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου. Ποίμαινε οὖν τὰ πρόβατα Κυρίου, ἀσφαλιζόμενος αὐτὰ ἐν τῇ μάνδρᾳ τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας καὶ ἐκτρέφων αὐτὰ εἰς χλόην τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ κατασκηνῶν ἐπὶ ὕδατος ἀναπαύσεως τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ. βλέπε μή που ὑφαρπαγῇς ἢ αὐτὸς ἢ τῶν σαυτοῦ τι προβάτων ὑπὸ τῶν αἱρετικῶν θηρῶν. ἀρκεῖ τὰ προλαβόντα ἐν τοῖς προλαβοῦσι· νῦν δὲ ἀσφαλῶς περιπατήσωμεν καὶ ἀνεμπτώτως, πάντα δεύτερα ἡγούμενοι καιροῦ καλοῦντος, καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ σώματα, μὴ ὅτι γε ἄλλο τι τῶν φθειρομένων ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ θεοῦ, οὗ ἡ εἰρήνη βραβεύσοι τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ νοήματα ὑμῶν καὶ κατευθύναι τὴν ὁδὸν ὑμῶν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν.