Letter 518: Theodore Studite, Letter 518; Greek heading: Αὐξεντίῳ ἡγουμένῳ.

We have received the letter of Your Honor, and, so far as it was possible for us, we have gone through it, setting aside the praises directed at us as something remote, since we are in no way worthy of any expression of praise, but rather of accusatory mockery; for what are we, the useless ones, not even worthy of the name by which we have been called? But as for the scriptural points you have inquired about, we were greatly astonished, both that the inquiry should be addressed to us, the unlearned, and indeed concerning such matters of meaning as belong to the God-bearers [the inspired Fathers] alone to make clear, by whom the explanation has already been given, and most particularly, word for word, by the Great and divine Basil [Basil of Caesarea]. Take, then, his interpretive volume on Isaiah, and you will learn the things you seek; besides, the matter exceeds the measure of a letter, since the examination of such things requires a whole treatise. As to the fact that a war of words has been set before you with the Jews: let the fighters against Christ, O best of fathers, rage against themselves. For those who have spurned the teachings of Christ himself, our true God, who have thrust aside the injunctions of the apostles, and who, in short, have loathed the lofty utterances of all the God-bearers, would scarcely be guided by us, or condescend to engage in discussion. "Let them alone," the Lord said, "they are blind." And the prophet says: "There is no bidding the impious to rejoice, says the Lord." For, besides gaining nothing in the joining of debate, we would even do ourselves harm, being poisoned, as by a serpent, by their venomous words. "God will crush their teeth in their mouth; the Lord has shattered the jaws of the lions." Let this suffice for you. But as for what is required of us of necessity, that we may be well-pleasing to the Lord, how shall we escape the snares of the devil? Plainly, by becoming winged in spirit, seeking the things above, setting our minds on the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; from whence also he will come with the angels of his power in flaming fire, rendering vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey his gospel, that is, on the Jews and on any who share the mind of the Jews, both in the perversion of faith and in the crookedness of life. Meditate on these things, my good friend, be in these things, that your progress may be manifest to all: so Paul exhorts you, the great herald of the truth; "but foolish questions, and genealogies, and strifes, and Jewish quarrels avoid." And that we may answer in summary concerning the things you have put forward: the whole burden of the prophecy concerns the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, in which also the people that had been cast off has been saved again out of the four corners, that is, the ends, of the earth; and that the walls of the new Jerusalem are portrayed upon the hands signifies the passion of the cross, since, pierced with nails in his holy hands, he unnails [draws the nails out of] humanity from its sinful, passion-ridden condition, and makes it beautiful with the archetypal beauty of deification [theosis]. After this, a little later, through the three-day-and-night resurrection: "Lift up your eyes round about and behold all your sons; behold, they are gathered together and have come to you; as I live, says the Lord." The things attached to the prophecy that follow upon these are joyful and festal and full of gladness. And the right-minded man will understand and will join in declaring what is fitting, but the unreasonable Jew will be crooked of heart and will give no sound hearing either to the Old or to the New Testament; from which fate may we be delivered by the prayers of the saints, O sanctified father, and may we be saved in the kingdom of heaven, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Τὸ μὲν γράμμα τῆς τιμιότητός σου ἐδεξάμεθα καὶ ὡς ἦν ἡμῖν δυνατὸν ἐπήλθομεν, τὰ μὲν καθ' ἡμῶν ἐγκώμια πορρωτέρω θέμενοι, ὡς οὐκ ἄξιοι ἐγκωμιαστικῆς οὐδόλως ἐμφάσεως, ὅτι μὴ καὶ κατηγορητικῆς μᾶλλον ἐπισκώψεως· τίνες γάρ ἐσμεν ἡμεῖς οἱ ἀχρεῖοι καὶ οὐδὲ ὀνόματος ἄξιοι, οὗ ἐπικεκλήμεθα; πρὸς δὲ τὰ ἐπιζητηθέντα σοι κεφάλαια γραφικὰ πάνυ ἐξενίσθημεν, ὅτι καὶ πρὸς ἡμῶν τῶν ἀμαθῶν ἡ ἐξήτησις, καί γε περὶ τοιούτων ἐμφάσεων, ἃ ἀνήκει μόνοις τοῖς θεοφόροις διαλευκαίνειν, παρ' ὧν καὶ ἡ διασάφησις ἐγεγόνει, καί γε μάλιστα κατὰ λέξιν ὑπὸ τοῦ Μεγάλου καὶ θείου Βασιλείου. λαβὼν οὖν τὸ εἰς τὸν Ἠσαΐαν ἑρμηνευτικὸν αὐτοῦ πτυ-κτίον μαθήσῃ τὰ ἐπιζητούμενα, ἄλλως τε ὅτι καὶ μέτρον ὑπερβαίνει ἐπιστολῆς, ὅλης συγγραφῆς δεομένη ἡ τῶν τοιούτων ἐπίκρισις. Πρὸς δὲ ὅτι τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις λογομαχία πρόκειται, ἔα τοὺς χριστομάχους, ὦ πατέρων ἄριστε, λυττᾶν εἰς ἑαυτούς· οἱ γὰρ αὐτοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν τὰς διδαχὰς ἀπορραπίσαντες, τάς τε τῶν ἀποστόλων ὑποθήκας παρωσάμενοι καὶ συλλήβδην πάντων τῶν θεοφόρων τὰς ὑψηγορίας βδελυξάμενοι σχολῇ γ' ἂν ὑφ' ἡμῶν αὐτοὺς ὁδηγεῖσθαι ἢ συναίρειν λόγον καθῆκον. ἄφετε αὐτούς, ὁ Κύριος εἶπεν, τυφλοί εἰσιν. καὶ ὁ προφήτης φησίν· οὐκ ἔστι λέγειν χαίρειν τοῖς ἀσεβέσι λέγει Κύριος. πρὸς γὰρ τῷ μηδὲν ὠφελεῖσθαι ἐν τῇ συμβολῇ τοῦ λόγου καὶ ἑαυτοὺς παραβλάψοιμεν, τοῖς ἰοβόλοις αὐτῶν ῥήμασι δίκην ὄφεως φαρμακευόμενοι. ὁ θεὸς συντρίψει τοὺς ὀδόντας αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν· τὰς μύλας τῶν λεόντων συνέθλασεν ὁ Κύριος. Ἱκανούσθω σοι ταῦτα. τὸ δὲ ὀφειλόμενον ἡμῖν ἐξ ἀναγκαίου, ὅπως εὐαρεστήσωμεν τῷ Κυρίῳ, πῶς διαφευξόμεθα τὰς παγὰς τοῦ διαβόλου· δῆλον ὅτι ὑπόπτεροι τῷ πνεύματι γιγνόμενοι, τὰ ἄνω ζητοῦντες, τὰ ἄνω φρονοῦντες, οὗ ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν, ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ καθήμενος· ἀφ' οὗ καὶ ἥξει μετ' ἀγγέλων δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ ἐν πυρὶ φλογός, διδόντος ἐκδίκησιν τοῖς μὴ εἰδόσι θεὸν καὶ τοῖς μὴ ὑπακούουσι τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ αὐτοῦ, ἤγουν Ἰουδαίοις καὶ εἴ τισι σύμφροσι τῶν Ἰου-δαίων καὶ κατὰ πίστεως διαστροφὴν καὶ κατὰ βίου στρεβλότητα. Ταῦτα μελέτα, ὦ τᾶν, ἐν τούτοις ἴσθι, ἵνα σου ἡ προκοπὴ φανερὰ ᾖ ἐν πᾶσιν, παρακελεύεταί σοι Παῦλος, ὁ μέγας τῆς ἀληθείας κῆρυξ· τὰς δὲ μωρὰς ζητήσεις καὶ γενεαλογίας καὶ ἔρεις καὶ μάχας Ἰουδαϊκὰς παραιτήσαιο. ἵνα δὲ ἐν κεφαλαίῳ περὶ ὧν προέτεινας ἀποκριθῶμεν, ὅλον τὸ λῆμμα τῆς προφητείας περὶ τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐστιν, ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὁ λαὸς ὁ ἀπωσμένος ἀνασέσωσται ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων πτερύγων εἴτουν περάτων τῆς γῆς· τό τε ἐπὶ τῶν χειρῶν ἐζωγραφῆσθαι τὰ τείχη τῆς νέας Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὸ σταυρικὸν πάθος δηλοῖ, ἐπείπερ, ἥλοις ἐμπεπαρμένος ταῖς ἁγίαις χερσίν, ἀφηλοῖ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ἐκ τῆς ἐμπαθοῦς καθ' ἁμαρτίαν ἕξεως καὶ ὡραιοῖ τῷ ἀρχετύπῳ κάλλει τῆς θεώσεως. ἐφ' οἷς μικρὸν διὰ τῆς τριημερονύκτου ἀναστάσεως, ἆρον κύκλῳ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου καὶ ἴδε πάντας τοὺς υἱούς σου· ἰδοὺ συνήχθησαν καὶ ἦλθον πρὸς σέ· ζῶ ἐγώ, λέγει Κύριος. ἑπόμενα τούτοις τὰ συνημμένα τῇ προφητείᾳ χαρήσιμά τε καὶ ἑορτάσιμα καὶ πλήρη θυμηδίας. καὶ ὁ μὲν εὐγνώμων εἴσεται καὶ συνεπιφθέγξεται τὰ εἰκότα, ὁ δὲ ἀγνώμων Ἰουδαῖος στρεβλοκαρδιάσει καὶ οὔτε παλαιᾶς οὔτε νέας διαθήκης ἐπακούσεται ὑγιῶς· οὗ ῥυσθείημεν εὐχαῖς ἁγίων, ἡγιασμένε πάτερ, καὶ σωθείημεν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν. ἀμήν.