Letter 520: Theodore Studite, Letter 520; Greek heading: Νικήτᾳ σπαθαρίῳ.

In the case of small afflictions, one who is minded to console those in distress can easily find words of comfort; but in the face of so great an affliction as that which has encompassed your God-loving self [theophileia, a respectful form of address], what consoling word could even be found? And who attempting it could skillfully heal such a pain? Oh, the news one would have prayed against! Your lady, your yoke-fellow [wife], has been torn from you, as we have just now heard; the one consolation amid the circumstances of married life has been taken away; the blessed hearth has been stripped of its adornment. The branches are downcast, the good root having been cut down; the menservants and the maidservants wander hither and thither, as having no longer the master's countenance [here, the mistress's] shining upon the household. All things are full of dejection; perhaps even the very air seems to you altered by the alteration of your mind. Where is she who used to receive you joyfully as you returned home from your duties at the palace? Where is she who graciously welcomed your kinsmen, who set in order and reconciled this matter and that and all there were, to put it briefly, who managed and kept the house in all that pertained to the household, in all that pertained to other relatives and to guests being entertained? All is gone and lost, and we have become as in a wilderness, deprived of all the good things we possessed. Such and so great is the affliction of your honored soul, O master, and there is no consolation from any human being able to soothe your inflamed heart, except from God alone, who comforts the lowly in heart through the taking up of good thoughts. For that blessed woman (blessed indeed she is), since she had acquired a sure faith toward God and lived out her life in a holy manner—of which there are many tokens, of which we ourselves have not been left without a share—and finally, since like gold in fire she was tested by her long and grievous illness and so departed from this world. This, then, is sufficient for our consolation: that you have sent forward to God so great a yoke-fellow, who left behind for us in her own life a pattern of the noblest conduct; and further, that, being yourself instructed in divine things, you ought not to be so utterly beside yourself at what has happened. For you know that we, having come into birth by the good pleasure of God, must altogether have departure joined together with birth, and no human being is immortal and no marriage union is undissolved. Let us review, if you please, those from Adam down to this present day, and we shall find the successive series descending until this world itself shall be brought to its end. Where are those who begot you, master, and those who bore them? And going back you will find that human things are nothing else but flux and ebb. What, then, is now the thing to be sought? That we come to ourselves, and on the one hand perform the fitting funeral rites for her of ever-blessed memory—on whose behalf we too, the lowly, prayed not a little, though as sinners we were not heard, that she might remain in this life—and on the other hand that we arrange well the affairs of the children and prepare beforehand our own departure, living out our life in a manner becoming to God, so that, when we depart from here at whatever time providence permits, we may find there our good yoke-fellow, rejoicing through boundless ages together with us in the participation of the ineffable good things. These things, even if they are very small toward consolation, yet because they are demonstrative of our love for you—which love may also be granted to us cheerful and ready to be comforted through your committing all things to God. 21 [To Leo the sakellarios (treasury official)] We are not permitted even to keep silent, enjoying as we do the benefactions of your great and longed-for excellency, and yet we are not able to make a worthy response, being at a loss for a fitting word. But if your God-loving soul does not think it so, that is no wonder (for love, it says, does not reckon up the evil [1 Corinthians 13:5]), since from of old it has been accustomed to take this same view in a friendly spirit and to dignify us as a free gift, us who are worthless, and, as it says, to hold that there is no comparison between one another in respect of superiority. But these things, as has been said, are the tokens of your sacred affection. As for yourself, O all-praiseworthy one, you seem to be established as a kind of citadel in the queen of cities [Constantinople], or, to speak more properly and truly, a spacious harbor, a rest for the afflicted, a sufficient comfort for those thirsting for harmonious speech, daily, so to speak, receiving and healing them, tending and devotedly serving these and those, greater and lesser, priests and high priests [bishops], the perfect and the lowly. How magnificent is your divine dignity and your God-loving practice! There befit you also the utterances of the renowned Job: I became a father of orphans, and a foot to the lame, and to every man my door was opened [Job 29:15-16, 31:32], and all that follows upon these. You are the remnant of piety, the very treasure of orthodoxy; and let our word pass over the many things, lest it seem to speak for favor and flattery the things sounded into one's face. Yet, adding one phrase, let it cease from speaking: one consolation belongs to a father, an only-begotten son who loves his father; and to the queen city belongs your great-natured and far-famed excellence in command.

Ἐπὶ μὲν μικροῖς πάθεσιν ἔστιν ἐξευρίσκειν εὐκόλως τὰς παρακλήσεις τὸν προαιρούμενον παραμυθεῖσθαι τοὺς κακουμένους· ἐπὶ δὲ τοιούτῳ μεγίστῳ πάθει, ἐν ᾧ περιεσχέθη ἡ θεοφίλειά σου, τίς ἂν καὶ ἐξευρεθείη λόγος παρακλητικός; τίς δὲ ὁ ἐπιχειρῶν θεραπεύειν τοιοῦτον ἄλγος ἐπιστημόνως δυνηθείη; ὢ τῆς ἀπευκταίας ἀκοῆς· ἀπερράγη σοι ἡ κυρία ἡ ὁμόζυγος, ὡς ἄρτι ἤκουσται ἡμῖν, ἀφῃρέθη τὸ μόνον παραμύθιον ἐν ταῖς συμβατικαῖς περιστάσεσιν, ἀπεκοσμήθη ἡ εὐλογημένη ἑστία· οἱ κλάδοι κατηφεῖς, τῆς ἀγαθῆς ῥίζης ἐκκοπείσης, οἱ θεράποντες καὶ αἱ θεράπαιναι ὧδε κἀκεῖσε περιειλούμεναι, ὡς οὐκ ἔχουσαι τὸ δεσποτικὸν πρόσωπον ἐπιλάμπον τῇ οἰκίᾳ· τὰ πάντα κατηφείας μεστά, τάχα καὶ ὁ ἀήρ σοι ἠλλοιωμένος τῇ ἀλλοιώσει τῶν φρενῶν. ποῦ ἡ προσιεμένη σε ἐπανιόντα οἴκοι περιχαρῶς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνακτορικῶν διατριβῶν; ποῦ ἡ τοὺς ἀγχιστεύοντας δεξιουμένη ἐπιεικῶς, ἡ τόδε καὶ τόδε καὶ ὅσα ἐστί, συντόμως εἰπεῖν, διευθετοῦσα καὶ συμβιβάζουσα, οἰκονομοῦσά τε καὶ οἰκουροῦσα ὅσα τὰ κατ' οἶκον, ὅσα τὰ πρὸς ἄλλους οἰκείους τε καὶ ἐπιξενουμένους; πάντα οἴχεται καὶ ἀπόλωλε, καὶ γεγόναμεν ὡς ἐν ἐρημίᾳ πάντων τῶν προσόντων ἀγαθῶν ἀπεστερημένοι. Τοιοῦτον καὶ τηλικοῦτον τὸ πάθος τῆς τιμίας σου ψυχῆς, ὦ δέσποτα, καὶ οὐδεμία παραμυθία πρὸς ἀνθρώπου, ἱκανουμένη καταλεᾶναι τὴν φλεγμαίνουσάν σου καρδίαν, ἢ παρὰ μόνου θεοῦ, τοῦ παρακαλοῦντος τοὺς ταπεινοὺς τῇ καρδίᾳ διὰ τῆς τῶν ἀγαθῶν λογισμῶν ἀναλήψεως. ἐκείνη μὲν οὖν ἡ μακαρία (μακαρία γάρ ἐστιν), ἐπὰν τὴν πίστιν πρὸς θεὸν ἐκέκτητο ἀσφαλῆ, καὶ τὸν βίον διετέλει σεμνόν· οὗ γνωρίσματα πολλά, ὧν καὶ ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἄμοιροι τετυχήκαμεν, τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον, ὅτι ὡς χρυσὸς ἐν πυρὶ τῇ μακροτέρᾳ καὶ δυσοίστῳ νόσῳ δοκιμασθεῖσα ἀπέπτη τῶν ἐνθένδε. οὐκοῦν ἀρκετὸν ἡμῖν τοῦτο εἰς παρηγορίαν, ὅτι τηλικαύτην ὁμόζυγον παρέπεμψας μὲν θεῷ, ὑπόδειγμα καλλίστης πολιτείας τὸν ἑαυτῆς βίον ἐναφήσασαν ἡμῖν, καὶ ἄλλως ὅτι, τὰ θεῖα ὤν πεπαιδευμένος αὐτός, οὐ τοσοῦτον ὀφείλεις ἐκσταθῆναι ἐπὶ τῷ γεγονότι· οἶδας γὰρ ὅτι, εἰς γέννησιν ἐληλυθότες κατ' εὐδοκίαν θεοῦ, πάντως τῇ γεννήσει συνεζευγμένη καὶ ἡ ἔξοδος ἡμῖν προσγίνεται καὶ οὐδεὶς ἄνθρωπος ἀθάνατος καὶ οὐδεμία συζυγία ἀδιάζευκτος. ἀναθεωρήσωμεν, εἰ δοκεῖ, τοὺς ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ μέχρι τήμερον καὶ εὑρήσομεν τὴν ὑπάλληλον διαδοχὴν κατιοῦσαν ἕως ἂν καὶ συσταίη ὁ τῇδε κόσμος. ποῦ οἱ φύσαντές σε, δέσποτα, καὶ οἱ ἐκείνους τεκόντες; καὶ ἀναποδίζων οὐδὲν ἄλλο εὑρήσεις ἢ ῥοὴν καὶ ἀπορροὴν τὰ ἀνθρώπινα. τί οὖν ἐστι νῦν τὸ ζητούμενον; ὅπως εἰς ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς γενοίμεθα, καὶ τὰ μὲν εἰκότα ἐπιτάφια ἐπιτελέσωμεν τῇ ἀειμνήστῳ, ὑπὲρ ἧς καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ ταπεινοὶ οὐκ ἐλάχιστα ηὐξάμεθα, εἰ καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσθημεν ὡς ἁμαρτωλοί, τὸ ἐπιμεῖναι αὐτὴν ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ, τὰ δὲ τῶν παίδων εὖ διαθώμεθα καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα ἐξόδια προευτρεπίσωμεν, ἐμβιοτεύοντες τῷ βίῳ θεοπρεπῶς, ἵνα, μεταστάντες τῶν ἐνθένδε ὁπηνίκα ἐπιτρέπει ἡ πρόνοια, εὑρήσομεν ἐκεῖσε τὴν καλὴν ὁμόζυγον, ἐν ἀπείροις αἰῶσι χαίρουσαν σὺν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ μεθέξει τῶν ἀπορρήτων ἀγαθῶν. Ταῦτα, εἰ καὶ ἐλάχιστα πρὸς παρηγορίαν, ὅμως ὅτι ἐπιδεικτικὰ τῆς ἀγάπης σου, ἥτις καὶ χαρισθείη ἡμῖν εὔθυμος καὶ εὐπαρηγόρητος διὰ τῆς ἐπὶ πάντα εἰς θεὸν ἀναθέσεως ὑμῶν. 21 {1Λέοντι σακελλαρίῳ}1 Καὶ σιωπᾶν οὐκ ἐπιτρεπόμεθα, τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν τῆς μεγίστης καὶ ἐπιποθήτου σου ὑπεροχῆς ἀπολαύοντες, καὶ ἀπαντᾶν κατ' ἀξίαν οὐκ εὐποροῦμεν, λόγου ἀποροῦντες προσήκοντος. εἰ δὲ ὅτι ἡ θεοφιλής σου ψυχὴ μὴ οὕτως οἴεται, οὐ θαυμαστὸν (ἡ ἀγάπη γάρ, φησί, τὸ κακὸν οὐ λογίζεται), ἐπεὶ καὶ ἔκπαλαι τὸ αὐτὸ εἴωθεν φιλικῶς ὑπολαμβάνειν καὶ ἀποσεμνύνειν ἡμᾶς δωρεὰν τοὺς ἀλιτίμους καί, ὥς φησιν, οὐδὲ συγκρίνειν ἔχειν πρὸς ἀλλήλους καθ' ὑπεροχήν. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μέν, ὡς εἴρηται, τῆς ἱερᾶς στοργῆς τὰ συμβόλαια. αὐτὸς δέ, ὦ παντεπαίνετε, ἔοικας ἀκρόπολίς τις ἐνιδρῦσθαι ἐν τῇ βασιλίδι τῶν πόλεων ἤ, τἀληθὲς οἰκειότερον εἰπεῖν, λιμὴν πολυχώρητος, θλιβομένων ἀνάπαυλα, διψώντων λόγου ἐμμελοῦς ἱκανὸν παραμύθιον, καθ' ἑκάστην, ὡς εἰπεῖν, εἰσδεχόμενος καὶ ἰώμενος, θεραπεύων τε καὶ ἀφοσιούμενος τούτους κἀκείνους, μείζους καὶ ἐλάττους, ἱερεῖς καὶ ἀρχιερεῖς, ἐντελεῖς καὶ ὑφειμένους. ὡς μεγαλοπρεπές σου τὸ θεῖον ἀξίωμα καὶ τὸ θεοφιλὲς πρακτήριον. προσήκει σοι καὶ τὰ τοῦ ἀοιδίμου Ἰὼβ ἐπιφθέγματα· πατὴρ ἐγενόμην ὀρφανῶν, ποὺς δὲ χωλῶν, παντὶ δὲ ἀνθρώπῳ ἠνέῳκταί μου ἡ θύρα καὶ ὅσα τούτοις συνεπόμενα. σὺ τὸ λείψανον τῆς εὐσεβείας, αὐτὸς τὸ κειμήλιον τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας· καὶ τὰ πολλὰ παρατρέχοι ὁ λόγος, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ πρὸς χάριν λέγειν καὶ κολακείαν τὰ εἰς πρόσωπον ἀκουτιζόμενα. ὅμως μίαν φωνὴν προσθεὶς ἀποπαύσειεν τοῦ λέγειν· μία παραμυθία πατρί, μονογενής τε καὶ φιλοπάτωρ υἱός, καὶ τῇ βασιλίδι πόλει ἡ σὴ μεγαλοφυὴς καὶ περιβόητος ἀρισταρχία.