Letter 126: Chrysostom urges Rufinus to go quickly to Phoenicia after renewed attacks on monks there.

News has reached us that the troubles in Phoenicia have flared up again, that the madness of the pagans has grown, and that many monks have been beaten, with some even killed. For this reason I urge you all the more strongly to take the road quickly and stand in the battle line. I know well that if you merely appear there, you will turn back the opposition by prayer, gentleness, endurance, and your accustomed courage. You will break their madness, restore those who are with us, and accomplish many good things. Do not delay or put it off. Let the very things reported to you make you more eager. If you saw a house on fire, you would not withdraw; you would hurry all the more to overtake the flame and do everything, yourself and through others, to quench it. Now that such a fire has been lit, hasten there at once. Some good will certainly come of it, and much will be corrected. To teach people in quiet and calm, when no one is attacking, is something ordinary people can do. But when the devil is raging and the demons are armed, to stand nobly, snatch people from his side, and prevent others from falling into his hands: this belongs to a brave man, an awake soul, your high and alert mind. It is worth ten thousand crowns, unspeakable prizes, and an apostolic achievement. Write to us quickly when you arrive. If we learn only that you have set foot within the borders of Phoenicia, we will be at ease, because we know what follows: like a noble champion, you will raise the fallen, strengthen those standing, bring back the wandering, seek out the lost, and break the whole battle line of the devil.

ΡΚʹ. Ῥουφίνῳ πρεσβυτέρῳ. Ἦλθεν εἰς ἡμᾶς, ὅτι πάλιν ἀνήφθη τὰ ἐν Φοινίκῃ κακὰ, καὶ ἡ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ηὐξήθη μανία, καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν μοναχῶν οἱ μὲν ἐπλήγησαν, οἱ δὲ καὶ ἀπέθανον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό σε μειζόνως ἐπείγω μετὰ πλείονος τοῦ τάχους ἅψασθαι τῆς ὁδοῦ, καὶ στῆναι ἐπὶ τῆς παρατάξεως. Εὖ γὰρ οἶδα, ὅτι φανεὶς μόνον τροπώσῃ τοὺς ὑπεναντίους, καὶ εὐχῇ, καὶ ἐπιεικείᾳ, καὶ καρτερίᾳ, καὶ τῇ συνήθει κεχρημένος ἀνδρείᾳ· καὶ καταλύσεις αὐτῶν τὴν μανίαν, καὶ τοὺς μεθ' ἡμῶν ὄντας ἀνακτήσῃ, καὶ πολλὰ ἐργάσῃ τὰ ἀγαθά. Μὴ τοίνυν μέλλε, μηδὲ ἀναβάλλου, ἀλλὰ πλείονι κέχρησο τῷ τάχει, καὶ ταῦτα τὰ ἀπαγγελθέντα προθυμότερόν σε ἐργαζέσθω. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰ οἰκίαν εἶδες ἀναπτομένην, ἀνεχώρησας ἂν, ἀλλὰ τότε καὶ μειζόνως ἐπέθου, ὥστε καὶ προκαταλαβεῖν τὴν φλόγα, καὶ διὰ σαυτοῦ, καὶ δι' ἑτέρων πάντα ἂν ἐποίησας ὑπὲρ τοῦ σβέσαι τὸ κακόν. Καὶ νῦν τοίνυν ἐπειδὴ τοιαύτη ἀνήφθη πυρὰ, ἀμελλητὶ τὰ αὐτόθι καταλαβεῖν σπούδασον, καὶ πάντως ἔσται τι χρηστὸν, καὶ πολλὴ τούτων διόρθωσις. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ καὶ γαλήνῃ, καὶ μηδενὸς πολεμοῦντος, κατηχεῖν τινας καὶ τῶν τυχόντων ἐστίν· τὸ δὲ οὕτω τοῦ διαβόλου μαινομένου, καὶ τῶν δαιμόνων ὁπλιζομένων, στῆναι γενναίως, καὶ ἐξαρπάσαι τοὺς μετ' ἐκείνου τεταγμένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους κωλῦσαι εἰς τὰς ἐκείνου χεῖρας ἐμπεσεῖν, τοῦτο ἀνδρὸς γενναίου, τοῦτο νηφούσης ψυχῆς, τοῦτο τῆς σῆς διανοίας τῆς ὑψηλῆς, καὶ διεγηγερμένης, τοῦτο μυρίων στεφάνων ἄξιον, τοῦτο βραβείων ἀφάτων, τοῦτο ἀποστολικὸν κατόρθωμα. Ἐννοήσας τοίνυν ὅτι ὁ καιρὸς οὗτος εὐδοκιμήσεώς σοι καιρός ἐστι, καὶ μυρίας ἐμπορίας, καὶ πραγματείας ὑπόθεσις, ἅρπασον τοσοῦτον πλοῦτον, καὶ πολλῇ ταχύτητι χρήσασθαι παρακλήθητι· καὶ διὰ τάχους ἡμῖν ἐπίστειλον, ἐπειδὰν ἀπαντήσῃς αὐτόθι. Ἂν γὰρ πυθώμεθα μόνον, ὅτι τῶν ὅρων ἐπέβης τῆς Φοινίκης, ἀμέριμνοι λοιπόν ἐσμεν, ἀναπαυόμεθα, ἐν ἀδείᾳ διάγομεν. Τὰ γὰρ ἑξῆς ἴσμεν, ὅτι καθάπερ ἀριστεὺς γενναῖος, καὶ ἀνδραγαθεῖν εἰδὼς, οὕτως ἅπαντα ἐπελεύσῃ, τοὺς μὲν κειμένους ἀνεγείρων, τοὺς δὲ ἑστῶτας ἑδράζων καὶ πηγνὺς, τοὺς δὲ πλανωμένους ἐπανάγων, καὶ τοὺς ἀπολωλότας ἀναζητῶν καὶ εὑρίσκων, ἅπασαν τοῦ διαβόλου συγκόπτων τὴν φάλαγγα. Οἶδα γὰρ, οἶδα σαφῶς τὸ ἄγρυπνόν σου τῆς ψυχῆς, τὸ μεμεριμνημένον τῆς διανοίας, τὸ συνετὸν, τὸ ἐμμελὲς, τὸ προσηνὲς, τὸ ἀνδρεῖον, τὸ εὔτονον, τὸ καρτερικόν. Γράφε τοίνυν ἡμῖν συνεχῶς, καὶ πρὶν ἢ τὴν Φοινίκην ἰδεῖν, ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ πυκνὰ πέμπων τὰ γράμματα, ἐπεὶ καὶ νῦν ἐθαύμασα πῶς τῶν περὶ τὸν κύριόν μου τὸν τιμιώτατον καὶ εὐλαβέστατον Θεόδοτον τὸν πρεσβύτερον παραγινομένων, οὐκ ἐπέσταλκας. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ πάλιν ἀλγῶμεν, μὴ δεχόμενοι γράμματα τῆς σῆς τιμιότητος, εἰ οἷόν τε ᾖ, καθ' ἑκάστην μονὴν πέμπε ἡμῖν συνεχῶς ἐπιστολὰς, ἵνα μανθάνωμεν πόσον τε προέκοψας τῆς ὁδοῦ, καὶ εἰ πλησίον γέγονας τῶν μερῶν ἐκείνων. Πάνυ γὰρ μεριμνῶμεν, καὶ φροντίζομεν· καὶ βουλόμεθα ταῦτα καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν μανθάνειν. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδὼς, κύριέ μου τιμιώτατε, χάρισαι ταύτην ἡμῖν μεγίστην τὴν χάριν, καὶ πρὶν ἢ ἀπελθεῖν, καὶ ἐπειδὰν ἀπέλθῃς, συνεχεῖς πέμπων ἐπιστολὰς, καὶ πάντα ἡμῖν δηλῶν, ἵνα ἐὰν μὲν κατορθώματα ᾖ, χαίρωμεν, καὶ εὐφραινώμεθα· ἂν δὲ κωλύματα, παντὶ τρόπῳ, καὶ πάσῃ σπουδῇ πειρώμεθα αὐτὰ ἀνελεῖν. Οὐ γὰρ ἡσυχάσομεν καὶ δι' ἑαυτῶν, καὶ δι' ἑτέρων, ὧν ἂν οἷόν τε ᾖ, τοῦτο ποιοῦντες, κἂν μυριάκις καὶ εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἀποστεῖλαι δέῃ, ὥστε πολλήν σοι γενέσθαι τὴν εὐκολίαν, οὐδὲ τοῦτο παραιτησόμεθα. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδὼς, τὰ παρὰ σαυτοῦ πάρεχε ἡμῖν, τὴν ἀγρυπνίαν, καὶ τὴν σπουδήν. Κἂν ἀδελφοὺς δεήσῃ ἀποσταλῆναι, καὶ τοῦτο δήλωσον ἡμῖν. Καὶ τῶν λειψάνων δὲ ἕνεκεν τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων ἀμέριμνος ἔσο· καὶ γὰρ εὐθέως ἀπέστειλα τὸν κύριόν μου τὸν εὐλαβέστατον πρεσβύτερον τὸν Τερέντιον πρὸς τὸν κύριόν μου τὸν εὐλαβέστατον ἐπίσκοπον Ὀτρήϊον τὸν Ἀραβισσοῦ. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἔχει καὶ ἀναμφισβήτητα, καὶ πολλὰ, καὶ εἴσω ὀλίγων ἡμερῶν ἀποστελοῦμέν σοι ταῦτα εἰς τὴν Φοινίκην. Μηδὲν τοίνυν ἐλλιμπανέσθω τῶν παρὰ τῆς σῆς τιμιότητος. Τὰ γὰρ παρ' ἡμῶν ὁρᾷς μεθ' ὅσης πεπλήρωται τῆς προθυμίας. Σπεῦσον, ἵνα πρὸ τοῦ χειμῶνος δυνηθῇς τὰς ἀστέγους ἐκκλησίας ἀπαρτίσαι.