Letter 224: Chrysostom presses Marcianus and Marcellinus to end their silence with health news.

What is this? You love us so much, and your love has not escaped us even from this great distance, because it is intense and fiery. Yet you have accepted silence and have not written to us even once. You have made the matter a riddle. The excuse you sent to my reverend lord the presbyter Constantius is not enough. But I will not scrutinize it too closely. Let that be the reason for the silence. Now that reason has been removed, and I have leapt first into writing to you. I thank you for the sincere love you keep so fresh toward us, and I ask you to write whenever you can. I do not doubt that you would have come here if the obstacles you named had not prevented it. Since that cannot yet happen in fact, give us the consolation that comes from letters, with good news of your health and of your whole household.

ΣΚ∆ʹ. Μαρκιανῷ καὶ Μαρκελλίνῳ. Τί τοῦτο; Οὕτως ἡμῶν ἐρῶντες οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκ τοσούτου καθημένους ὑμῶν διαστήματος ἔλαθεν ἡμᾶς ὁ ἔρως, διὰ τὸ σφοδρὸς εἶναι καὶ πεπυρωμένος, κατεδέξασθε σιγᾷν, καὶ οὐδὲ ἅπαξ ἡμῖν ἐπεστείλατε, ἀλλ' αἴνιγμα τὸ πρᾶγμα ἡμῖν πεποιήκατε; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀρκοῦσα πρόφασις, ἣν ἐγράψατε ἐπιστέλλοντες πρὸς τὸν κύριόν μου τὸν εὐλαβέστατον πρεσβύτερον Κωνστάντιον. Πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἀκριβολογοῦμαι. Ἀλλ' ἔστω τοῦτο οὕτως ἔχον, καὶ κείσθω τῆς σιγῆς ταύτην εἶναι τὴν αἰτίαν· ἰδοὺ καὶ αὐτὴ ὑμῖν ἀνῄρηται, καὶ πρότεροι τοῖς πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐπεπηδήσαμεν γράμμασι, χάριτάς τε ὑμῖν ὁμολογοῦντες τῆς γνησίας ἀγάπης, ἣν οὕτως ἀκμάζουσαν περὶ ἡμᾶς διατηρεῖτε, καὶ παρακαλοῦντες, ἡνίκα ἂν ἐξῇ, καὶ ἐπιστέλλειν ἡμῖν συνεχῶς. Ὅτι μὲν γὰρ καὶ παραγενέσθαι ἐνταῦθα οὐκ ἂν ὠκνήσατε, εἰ μὴ τὰ εἰρημένα κωλύματα παρὰ τῆς κοσμιότητος ὑμῶν ἦν, οὐδὲν ἀμφιβάλλω· μᾶλλον δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς γνώμης καὶ παρεγένεσθε. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο ἔργῳ πληρῶσαι τέως οὐκ ἔνι, τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν γραμμάτων ἡμῖν παρέχετε παράκλησιν, τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας ὑμῶν καὶ τοῦ οἴκου παντὸς εὐαγγελιζόμενοι. Εἰ γὰρ τοιαῦτα δεξαίμεθα συνεχῶς παρ' ὑμῶν γράμματα, κἂν ἐν χαλεπωτέρᾳ ταύτης ἐρημίᾳ καθήμεθα, πολλὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπιστολῶν ὑμῶν καρπωσόμεθα τὴν παράκλησιν.