Letter 16: Chrysostom praises Olympias's endurance under repeated trials, compares affliction to fire refining gold, and sends news that his health has improved for now.

Nothing strange or unreasonable has happened to your piety. It is entirely fitting that, through the continuous succession of trials, the sinews of your soul should become stronger, and that your eagerness and strength for the struggle should grow greater, so that you may reap much joy from it. This is the nature of affliction: when it takes hold of a brave and vigorous soul, it produces these effects. Just as fire makes gold more tested when it touches it, so affliction, when it comes upon golden souls, makes them purer and more proven. That is why Paul said, "Affliction produces endurance, and endurance produces tested character." For these reasons I leap and rejoice, and in this wilderness I draw the greatest comfort from your courage. Even if ten thousand wolves surround you and many assemblies of wicked people gather, I am not afraid for you. I do pray that the present trials may be extinguished and that no others may be added, obeying the Lord's command to pray that we may not enter into trial. But if they are allowed to happen again, I am confident about your golden soul, which gathers the greatest wealth for itself even from this. With what can these people frighten you, when everything they dare brings ruin on their own heads? With loss of money? I know well that you consider such things dust and worth less than any clay. With expulsion from your homeland and your house? You know how to live in great and crowded cities as if they were deserts, because you have spent all your life in quiet and stillness, trampling down the illusions of this life. Do they threaten death? You have practiced that in advance for your whole life. If they drag you to slaughter, they will drag a body already dead to the world. Why say more? No one will be able to do anything to you for which he will not find endurance already perfected in you with abundance to spare. Because you have always walked the narrow and afflicted road, you have been trained in all these things. Having practiced this beautiful discipline in the training ground, you have now appeared more radiant in the contests themselves: not merely undisturbed by what is happening, but winged, leaping, and dancing. The things for which you trained are the very contests you now handle with great ease. In a woman's body, frailer than a spider's web, you trample with laughter on the madness of vigorous men who grind their teeth, and you are ready to suffer more than they are ready to inflict. Blessed are you, and three times blessed, for the crowns that come from this, or rather for the struggles themselves. Such is the nature of these contests: even before the prizes, even in the arena itself, they already contain rewards and returns: the joy you now reap, the gladness, courage, endurance, patience, invincibility, the state of being above everything, the training by which no one can do you harm, the standing on rock while so many waves break over you, the sailing with a fair wind and deep calm while the sea is raging. These are the rewards of affliction here, even before the kingdom of heaven. I know, I know that now, lifted by this joy, you hardly think you are still clothed in a body. If the moment called, you would put it off more easily than others take off the clothes they are wearing. Rejoice, then, and be glad both for yourself and for those who have died a blessed death, not in bed or at home, but in prisons, chains, and tortures. Mourn and weep only for those who do these things; even that is worthy of your wisdom. Since you also want to know about my bodily health, for now we have been released from the illness that troubled us before, and we are easier than we were. Only let winter not come back and harm the weakness of my stomach again. As for the Isaurians, we are in great safety.

16.t ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ Ιʹ 16.1 Οὐδὲν ξένον οὐδὲ ἀπεικὸς γέγονεν ἐπὶ τῆς εὐλαβείας τῆς σῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα εἰκὸς καὶ ἀκόλουθον τὸ τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῶν ἐπαλλήλων πειρασμῶν, εὐτονώτερά σοι γενέσθαι τῆς ψυχῆς τὰ νεῦρα καὶ μείζονα πρὸς τὰ παλαίσματα τὴν προθυμίαν καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν καὶ πολλὴν ἐντεῦθεν καρπώσασθαί σε τὴν ἡδονήν. Τοιαύτη γὰρ τῆς θλίψεως ἡ φύσις, ὅταν γενναίας καὶ νεανικῆς ἐπιλάβηται ψυχῆς, ταῦτα ἐργάζεσθαι πέφυκεν. Καὶ καθάπερ τὸ πῦρ δοκιμώτερον ποιεῖ τὸ χρυσίον, ὅταν αὐτῷ συγγένηται, οὕτω καὶ ταῖς χρυσαῖς ψυχαῖς ἐπιοῦσα θλῖψις καθαρωτέρας αὐτὰς ἐργάζεται καὶ δοκιμωτέρας. ∆ιὸ καὶ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· «Ἡ θλῖψις ὑπομονὴν κατεργάζεται, ἡ δὲ ὑπομονὴ δοκιμήν.» ∆ιὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἡμεῖς σκιρτῶμεν καὶ χαίρομεν καὶ τῆς ἐρημίας ταύτης μεγίστην καρπούμεθα παράκλησιν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνδρείᾳ σου ταύτῃ. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα, κἂν μυρίοι σε κυκλώσωσι λύκοι καὶ πολλαὶ συναγωγαὶ πονηρευομένων, οὐδὲν δεδοίκαμεν· ἀλλ' εὐχόμεθα μὲν καὶ τοὺς ὄντας σβεσθῆναι πειρασμοὺς καὶ ἐτέρους δὲ μὴ προσγενέσθαι, δεσποτικὸν πληροῦντες νόμον τὸν κελεύοντα εὔχεσθαι μὴ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς πειρασμόν. Εἰ δ' ἄρα συγχωρηθείη γενέσθαι πάλιν, θαρροῦμεν ὑπὲρ τῆς χρυσῆς σου ψυχῆς τῆς καὶ ἐντεῦθεν μέγιστον ἑαυτῇ συναγούσης πλοῦτον. Τίνι γάρ σε δεδίξεσθαι δυνήσονται οἱ κατὰ τῆς ἑαυτῶν πάντα τολμῶντες κεφαλῆς; Ζημίᾳ χρημάτων; Ἀλλ' εὖ οἶδ' ὅτι κόνις σοι ταῦτα καὶ πηλοῦ παντὸς εὐτελέστερα εἶναι νομίζεται. Ἀλλὰ πατρίδος ἐκβολῇ καὶ οἰκίας; Ἀλλ' οἶσθα σὺ καὶ τὰς μεγάλας καὶ πολυανθρώπους πόλεις καθάπερ τὰς ἐρήμους οὕτως οἰκεῖν, ἡσυχίᾳ καὶ ἀπραγμοσύνῃ τὸν πάντα συζήσασα χρόνον καὶ τὰς βιωτικὰς καταπατήσασα φαντασίας. Ἀλλὰ θάνατον ἀπειλοῦσιν; Ἀλλὰ σὺ καὶ τοῦτο προλαβοῦσα διὰ παντὸς ἐμελέτησας τοῦ χρόνου, κἂν ἑλκύσωσιν ἐπὶ σφαγήν, νεκρὸν ἐπὶ ταύτην ἕλξουσι σῶμα. Τί δεῖ τὰ πολλὰ λέγειν; Οὐδείς σε οὐδὲν ἐργάσασθαι δυνήσεται τοιοῦτον οὗ τὴν ὑπομονὴν μετὰ πολλῆς οὐχ εὑρήσει τῆς περιουσίας ἐν σοὶ πάλαι κατορθωθεῖσαν. Τὴν γὰρ στενὴν ἀεὶ καὶ τεθλιμμένην ὁδεύσασα ὁδὸν ἐν ἅπασιν ἐγυμνάσω τούτοις. ∆ιόπερ τὴν καλλίστην ταύτην ἐπιστήμην ἐν τοῖς γυμνασίοις ἀσκήσασα, νῦν ἐν τοῖς ἀγῶσι λαμπροτέρα ἀνεφάνης, οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν ὑπὸ τῶν γινομένων θορυβουμένη, ἀλλὰ καὶ πτερουμένη καὶ σκιρτῶσα καὶ χορεύουσα. Ὧν γὰρ προσέλαβες τὰ γυμνάσια, τούτων τοὺς ἀγῶνας μετὰ πολλῆς νῦν μεταχειρίζεις τῆς εὐκολίας ἐν γυναικείῳ σώματι καὶ ἀραχνίων ἀσθενεστέρῳ ἀνδρῶν σφριγώντων καὶ τοὺς ὀδόντας βρυχόντων μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ γέλωτος τὴν μανίαν καταπατοῦσα καὶ πλείονα ἑτοίμη οὖσα παθεῖν ἢ ἐκεῖνοι παρασκευάζονται. Μακαρία σὺ καὶ τρισμακαρία τῶν ἐντεῦθεν στεφάνων, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν ἀγώνων. Τοιαύτη γὰρ τῶν παλαισ μάτων ἡ φύσις τούτων, καὶ πρὸ τῶν βραβείων, καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς σκάμμασιν ἔχει καὶ τὰς ἀμοιβὰς καὶ τὰς ἀντιδόσεις, τὴν ἡδονὴν ἣν καρποῦσαι νῦν, τὴν εὐφροσύνην, τὴν ἀνδρείαν, τὴν καρτερίαν, τὴν ὑπομονήν, τὸ ἀνάλωτον, τὸ ἀχείρωτον, τὸ πάντων ὑψηλοτέραν εἶναι, τὸ οὕτως ἑαυτὴν ἀσκῆσαι ὡς μηδὲν δύνασθαι παρὰ μηδενὸς παθεῖν δεινόν, τὸ τοσούτων κλυδωνίων γενομένων ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας ἑστάναι, τὸ τῆς θαλάσσης μαινομένης ἐξ οὐρίας φέρεσθαι μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς γαλήνης. Ταῦτα τῆς θλίψεως καὶ πρὸ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐνταῦθα τὰ ἔπαθλα. Οἶδα γάρ, οἶδα ὅτι νῦν οὐδὲ περικεῖσθαι τὸ σῶμα ἡγῇ ὑπὸ τῆς ἡδονῆς πτερουμένη, ἀλλ' ἢν καιρὸς καλῇ, εὐκολώτερον αὐτὸ ἀποδύσῃ ἢ ἕτεροι τὰ ἱμάτια ἃ περίκεινται. Χαῖρε τοίνυν καὶ εὐφραίνου καὶ ὑπὲρ σαυτῆς καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν τὴν μακαρίαν τελευτησάντων τελευτὴν οὐκ ἐν κλίνῃ οὐδὲ ἐν οἰκίᾳ, ἀλλ' ἐν δεσμωτηρίοις καὶ ἁλύσεσι καὶ βασάνοις. Θρήνει δὲ μόνους τοὺς ταῦτα ποιοῦντας καὶ δάκρυε. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἄξιον τῆς σῆς φιλοσοφίας. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ περὶ τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἡμῶν ὑγιείας βούλει μανθάνειν, ἀπηλλάγημεν τέως τῆς πρώην ἐνοχλούσης ἡμῖν ἀρρωστίας καὶ ῥᾷον διακείμεθα νῦν· πλὴν εἰ μὴ πάλιν ἐπελθὼν ὁ χειμὼν λυμήνηται ἡμῖν τοῦ στομάχου τὴν ἀσθένειαν· καὶ τῶν Ἰσαύρων ἕνεκεν, ἐν πολλῇ καθεστήκαμεν ἀσφαλείᾳ.