Letter 197: Chrysostom consoles Studius on the death of his brother and urges measured grief.

I know that, being wise and trained to think philosophically, you will have borne gently even before our letter the departure of your blessed brother. I do not call it death. Still, we too must offer what we can. I urge your wonderfulness, most magnificent master, to show yourself in this moment not by refusing grief, for that is impossible for a human being joined to flesh and missing such a brother, but by giving grief its proper measure. You know the perishable nature of human affairs. Events flow like streams. We should call blessed only those who leave this life with good hope. They do not pass into death, but from contests to prizes, from wrestling to crowns, from a stormy sea to a harbor without waves. We grieve deeply with you, yet the virtue of the departed gives us great consolation. Since he lived justly, kindly, boldly, and free from worldly anxiety, you should rejoice for him. Show yourself worthy of yourself now, and let us learn that our letter has cut away much of your despondency.

ΡΖʹ. Στουδίῳ ἐπάρχῳ πόλεως. Οἶδα μὲν, ὅτι συνετὸς ὢν, καὶ φιλοσοφεῖν εἰδὼς, καὶ πρὸ τῶν γραμμάτων τῶν ἡμετέρων πράως οἴσεις τοῦ μακαρίου ἀδελφοῦ τῆς μεγαλοπρεπείας τῆς σῆς τὴν ἀποδημίαν· οὐ γὰρ ἂν αὐτὴν καλέσαιμι θάνατον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἡμᾶς ἀναγκαῖον τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν εἰσενεγκεῖν, παρακαλῶ σου τὴν θαυμασιότητα, δέσποτα μεγαλοπρεπέστατε, καὶ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τούτῳ δεῖξαι σαυτὸν, οὐχ ὥστε μὴ ἀλγεῖν τοῦτο γὰρ ἀμήχανον, ἄνθρωπον ὄντα, καὶ σαρκὶ συμπεπλεγμένον, καὶ τοιοῦτον ἐπιζητοῦντα ἀδελφὸν, ἀλλ' ὥστε μέτρον ἐπιθεῖναι τῇ λύπῃ. Οἶσθα γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων τὸ ἐπίκηρον, καὶ ὅτι ποταμίων ῥευμάτων μιμεῖται φύσιν τὰ πράγματα, καὶ ὡς ἐκείνους μόνους χρὴ μακαρίζειν, τοὺς μετὰ χρηστῆς ἐλπίδος καταλύοντας τὸν παρόντα βίον. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ θάνατον ἔρχονται, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν ἀγώνων ἐπὶ τὰ βραβεῖα, ἀπὸ τῶν παλαισμάτων ἐπὶ τοὺς στεφάνους, ἀπὸ τῆς τεταραγμένης θαλάσσης ἐπὶ λιμένα ἀκύμαντον. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἐννοῶν παρακάλει σαυτὸν, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχεν ἀλγοῦντες, μεγίστην τῆς ἀλγηδόνος ἔχομεν παραμυθίαν, τὴν ἀρετὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, ἣν καὶ αὐτῷ σοὶ μεγίστην οἶμαι φέρειν παράκλησιν. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ πονηρός τις ἦν ὁ ἀπελθὼν, καὶ κακίας γέμων, ἔδει θρηνεῖν καὶ ὀλοφύρεσθαι τούτου χάριν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοιοῦτος καὶ οὕτω βεβιωκὼς, ὡς ἅπασα οἶδεν ἡ πόλις, μετ' ἐπιεικείας, μετὰ χρηστότητος, τὸ δίκαιον ἀεὶ τιμήσας, παῤῥησίᾳ τῇ προσηκούσῃ χρησάμενος, ἐλευθερίᾳ, ἀνδρείᾳ, οὐδὲν τὰ παρόντα ἡγησάμενος, ἀλλ' ἀλλότριος τῆς βιωτικῆς γενόμενος φροντίδος, ἀγάλλεσθαι χρὴ, ἐκείνῳ τε συνήδεσθαι, τῇ τε θαυμασιότητι τῇ σῇ, ὅτι τοιοῦτον προέπεμψας ἀδελφὸν, ἐν ἀσύλῳ λοιπὸν θησαυρῷ, ἅπερ ἔχων ἀπῆλθεν, ἔχοντα τὰ ἀγαθά. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀνάξιόν τι σαυτοῦ λογίσῃ, δέσποτά μου θαυμασιώτατε, κατακλώμενος τῷ πένθει, ἀλλὰ δεῖξον σαυτὸν καὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι καιρῷ, καὶ δηλῶσαι ἡμῖν παρακλήθητι, ὅτι γέγονέ σοί τι πλέον καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γραμμάτων τῶν ἡμετέρων, ἵνα καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἐκ τοσούτου καθήμενοι διαστήματος, καλλωπιζώμεθα, ἀπὸ ψιλῆς ἐπιστολῆς πολὺ τῆς ἀθυμίας ταύτης ὑποτέμνεσθαι δυνηθέντες.