Letter 141: Chrysostom thanks Theodotus for receiving his spiritual son and encouraging virtue.

May many good things come to you for receiving my son with such honor. He told me this himself and did not hide it, showing gratitude toward his father and wanting to fill me with great pleasure. I consider the honor double: first, because I count whatever good is done to him as done to me, and second, because my letters added so much to your goodwill toward him. Continue, my most revered and noble master, to cultivate this beautiful plant. How will you cultivate it? By continually nourishing in him the love of the best philosophy, which he now pursues, and by making it flourish. Noble souls do not imitate the slowness of plants placed in the earth. As soon as they are planted in desire for virtue, they stretch upward toward heaven and produce such fruit that every earthly wealth is hidden by its abundance and nature. That fruit does not perish with the present life, but travels with us into the life to come.

ΡΜΑʹ. Θεοδότῳ ἀπὸ Κονσουλαρίων. Πολλά σοι τὰ ἀγαθὰ γένοιτο, ὅτι τὸν υἱὸν μετὰ τοσαύτης ὑπεδέξω τιμῆς. Τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτὸς ἡμῖν ἐδήλωσε, καὶ οὐκ ἔκρυψεν, ὁμοῦ τε τὴν περὶ τὸν πατέρα εὐγνωμοσύνην ἐπιδεικνύμενος, καὶ ἡμᾶς πολλῆς ἐμπλῆσαι βουλόμενος ἡδονῆς. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡμετέραν διπλῆν ἡγούμεθα εἶναι τὴν τιμὴν, τῷ τε ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς εὖ πεπονθέναι νομίζειν, ἅπερ ἂν ἐκεῖνος εὖ πάθῃ, τῷ τε καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γραμμάτων τῶν ἡμετέρων πολλὴν αὐτῷ γενέσθαι τὴν προσθήκην ταυτησὶ τῆς εὐνοίας. Μένε δὴ, δέσποτά μου αἰδεσιμώτατε καὶ εὐγενέστατε, θεραπεύων τὸ καλὸν τοῦτο φυτόν. Τίς δὲ ἔσται τῆς θεραπείας ὁ τρόπος; Ἢν τὸν ἔρωτα τῆς καλλίστης ταύτης φιλοσοφίας, ἣν μέτεισι νῦν, τρέφῃς ἐν αὐτῷ διηνεκῶς, καὶ ἀκμάζειν παρασκευάζῃς· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ταχεῖς ἡμῖν οἴσει τοὺς καρπούς. Αἱ γὰρ γενναῖαι ψυχαὶ οὐ μιμοῦνται τὴν βραδυτῆτα τουτωνὶ τῶν φυτῶν, τῶν τοῖς κόλποις τῆς γῆς παρακατατιθεμένων, ἀλλ' ὁμοῦ τε φυτεύονται ἐν τῇ καλλίστῃ τῆς ἀρετῆς ταύτης ἐπιθυμίᾳ, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀνατείνονται τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ τοσαύτην ἐπιδείκνυνται τῶν καρπῶν τὴν φορὰν, ὡς ἅπαντα ἀποκρύπτειν πλοῦτον καὶ τῇ δαψιλείᾳ καὶ τῇ φύσει. Οὐ γὰρ τῷ παρόντι συγκαταλύονται βίῳ, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν ἡμῖν συναποδημοῦσι ζωήν.