Letter 517: Theodore Studite, Letter 517; Greek heading: Μακαρίῳ μονάζοντι.

When we heard your brotherly voice, we were glad, beloved; for nothing is sweeter than spiritual friendship, and most of all when one mind and one soul is discerned in words and deeds that are according to God. Such is how you have been known to us from above and from the beginning; and for this reason we, the lowly ones, pray that you remain in the same disposition, keeping the word of orthodoxy safe and not setting your manner of life in opposition to the word. But if you confess that you have derived some benefit from us, the matter must be attributed to God, from whom comes the salvation of soul and body, both to us and to you. And concerning these things, enough—since there is not even time for me to speak at length, occupied as I am with other matters not easily resolved. But concerning the bishop of Chios, why have you written this and that? We neither brought the man into our sight when he came here, avoiding suspicions, nor did we leave him altogether without a reply, since it is not even lawful to send away an ordinary person, much less one of the same habit [a fellow monk] and one who has been allotted the title of a bishopric. We were glad, then, that at long last he separated himself from the bishopric, choosing to be cast off somewhere here, and we subjected him also to a fitting penance [epitimion, the canonical disciplinary penalty], just as we have done in the case of those who acted as he did. And God belongs to those who repent. And this clear example of repentance has been required, both by us and by others who are appointed to heal—namely, that the one who has fallen withdraw from the bishopric and be barred from priestly ministry, together with a penance, until the time of peace. If, then, these things have been agreed to by the man, who were we to thrust away the one approaching and in this to act with enmity toward God? Do not, O admirable one, take it grievously against the man—even if, most especially, the things you say he has done are proved to be true—since we have neither heard of them up to the present, nor, even if we had heard, do we judge him in these matters; for it is written: Does our law judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing? [John 7:51] And again the Apostle says: Against a presbyter do not receive an accusation, except on the testimony of two or three witnesses [1 Timothy 5:19]. Furthermore, there is no question here either of a discourse or of authority to judge, but only of admitting to repentance those who have fallen, while the things spoken by your honorableness are reserved either here, at the proper time, for those who preside over the church, or in the age to come, for the Judge of all. Therefore I counsel your goodness, letting go of those words, in the meantime to give thanks to the Lord for the man's repentance, so that we may be fellow workers with God, who loves that every man be saved, and that in this we may have peace toward him through our Lord Jesus Christ. And finally, when you receive the opportunity, if indeed you also seek it, then you may judge with rectitude; but for now pray concerning us, that we be saved in soul and body, since we confess that we are more sinful than all men. The lord the archbishop greets you most warmly, having been greeted by your voice, as do also all the brethren who are with us. Farewell in the Lord, brother.

Ὅτι ἠκούσαμέν σου τῆς ἀδελφικῆς φωνῆς, ἥσθημεν, ἠγαπημένε· οὐδὲν γὰρ φιλίας πνευματικῆς γλυκύτερον, καὶ μάλιστα ὁπηνίκα ἓν φρόνημα καὶ μία ψυχὴ ἐν τοῖς κατὰ θεὸν λόγοις καὶ πράγμασιν ἐπιτεθεώρηται. οὕτως αὐτὸς ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐγνωσμένος ἡμῖν ὑπάρχεις· ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ προσευχόμεθα οἱ ταπεινοὶ ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ σε διαθέσει ἐπιμένειν, τόν τε λόγον τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας σῶον διαφυλάττοντα καὶ τὸν βίον μὴ ἀνθιστάμενον τῷ λόγῳ. εἰ δέ τι πρὸς ἡμῶν ὁμολογεῖς ἀπώνασθαι, θεῷ ἀναθετέον τὸ πρᾶγμα, παρ' οὗ καὶ ἡμῖν καὶ ὑμῖν τὸ σωτήριον ψυχῆς τε καὶ σώματος. Καὶ περὶ τούτων μὲν ἅλις, ὅτι μηδὲ καιρός μοι μακρηγορεῖν, ἐν ἄλλοις ἀσχολουμένῳ πράγμασιν οὐκ εὐδιαλύτοις. περὶ δὲ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Χίου τί τοῦτο κἀκεῖνο γέγραφας; ἡμεῖς οὔτε τὸν ἄνδρα εἰς ὄψιν ἡμῶν ἠγάγομεν ἐληλυθότα ἐνταῦθα, τὰς ὑποψίας διαφεύγοντες, οὔτε πάντῃ ἀναπόκριτον εἰάσαμεν, ὅτι μηδὲ θεμιτὸν καὶ τὸν τυχόντα ἀποπέμπεσθαι, μὴ ὅτι γε ὁμόσχημον καὶ ἐπισκοπῆς ὄνομα κεκληρωμένον. ἠσμενίσαμεν οὖν ὅτι ὀψέ ποτε ἀπενόσφισε τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς, εἱλάμενος ὧδέ που παραρρερρίφθαι, ὑποβάλλοντες αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπιτιμίῳ προσήκοντι, ὥσπερ πεποιήκαμεν ἐπὶ τοῖς ὁμοίως αὐτῷ δράσασι. καὶ ὁ θεὸς τῶν μετανοούντων ἐστίν. καὶ τοῦτο ἐναργὲς ὑπόδειγμα μετανοίας ἐπεζήτηται καὶ παρ' ἡμῶν καὶ πρὸς ἄλλων, τῶν ἰατρεύειν ἐπιτεταγμένων, ἡ τοῦ ὑποπεπτωκότος ὑποχώρησις τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς καὶ εἶρξις τῆς ἱερουργίας σὺν ἐπιτιμίῳ ἕως καιροῦ εἰρήνης. Εἰ οὖν ταῦτα ὡμολόγηται τῷ ἀνδρί, τίνες ἦμεν ἡμεῖς ἀποσείεσθαι τὸν προσιόντα καὶ ἐχθραίνειν ἐν τούτῳ θεῷ; μὴ σύ, ὦ θαυμάσιε, βαρέως φέροιο ἐπὶ τῷ ἀνδρί, κἂν ὅτι μάλιστα, ἃ λέγεις πεπραχέναι αὐτόν, ἀποδέδεικται ἀληθῆ εἶναι, ἐπεὶ ἡμεῖς οὔτε ἀκηκόαμεν ἕως τοῦ παρόντος οὔτε, εἰ καὶ ἀκηκόαμεν, κρίνομεν αὐτὸν ἐν τούτοις· γέγραπται γάρ· μὴ ὁ νόμος ὑμῶν κρίνῃ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ παρ' αὐτοῦ πρότερον καὶ γνῷ τί ποιεῖ. καὶ πάλιν ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγει· κατὰ πρεσβυτέρου κατηγορίαν μὴ παραδέχου, ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ ἐπὶ δύο ἢ τριῶν μαρτύρων. ἔπειτα οὐδὲ περὶ τούτων πρόκειται λόγος ἢ ἐξουσία τοῦ κρίνειν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τοῦ προσίεσθαι τοὺς ὑποπεπτωκότας τὴν μετάνοιαν, ταμιευομένων τῶν ὑπὸ τῆς τιμιότητός σου λελεγμένων ἢ ἐνταῦθα καιρῷ τῷ δέοντι τοῖς προεστῶσι τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἢ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι τῷ κριτῇ τῶν ἁπάντων. διὸ συμβουλεύω τῇ χρηστότητί σου, ἀφεμένῃ τῶν λόγων ἐκείνων, ἐν τῷ τέως εὐχαριστεῖν τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς μετανοίᾳ, ὡς ἂν συνεργοὶ εἴημεν θεῷ, τῷ φιλοῦντι σῴζεσθαι πάντα ἄνθρωπον, κἀν τούτῳ εἰρήνην ἔχωμεν πρὸς αὐτὸν διὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ τέλος, ὅταν λάβῃς καιρόν, εἴπερ καὶ ζητεῖς, τότε εὐθύτητας κρίνοιο· τὸ δὲ νῦν προσεύχου περὶ ἡμῶν σῴζεσθαι ἡμᾶς ψυχῇ τε καὶ σώματι, ὅτι ὁμολογοῦμεν πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἁμαρτωλότεροι εἶναι. ὁ κύριος ὁ ἀρχιεπίσκοπος πλεῖστά σε προσαγορεύει, προσαγορευθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς φωνῆς σου, ἐπεὶ καὶ πάντες οἱ μεθ' ἡμῶν ἀδελφοί. ἔρρωσο ἐν Κυρίῳ, ἀδελφέ.