Letter 57

Theodoret of CyrrhusLibertinus, Præfect|c. 440 AD|theodoret cyrrhus
imperial politics
From: Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrrhus
To: Eutrechius, Prefect
Date: ~440 AD
Context: Theodoret congratulates a newly elevated prefect, combining genuine warmth with the formal obligations of the patron-client relationship.

To the Prefect Eutrechius,

Among the many blessings the Ruler of the universe has granted us is the news of your excellency's elevation. I congratulate both you on your new honor and your subjects on so gentle a rule. I felt it would be wrong to keep my satisfaction to myself and not express it in writing.

Your magnificence knows perfectly well how warm our affection for you is -- an affection you have most warmly returned. And being so full of this mutual regard, we pray the Giver of all good things to continue pouring his manifold gifts upon you.

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.

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