Letter 24: John shepherds mostly by the pipe, not the rod, and draws stray sheep back.

Your pure deacon Olympas has greatly comforted us. He told us many things about your achievements and about how you shepherd your flock: a little with the rod, and mostly with the pipe. Many of the sheep that had been grazing outside ran from there to your pasture and your drink, and they confessed one shepherd through one flock. We bore witness to the first matter before all the brothers. As for the second, the eyewitnesses themselves became witnesses for us, since they also told us about the agreement of the church and how the hardness of the enemies had been quenched through your gentleness. You became both gentle and a fighter, according to the word of prophecy. May the result of your prayer be salvation for those who are far away, so that we too, strengthened through your prayers, may approach Jerusalem, become fellow citizens of the saints and members of Christ's household, and glorify the one who gives us the victory.

Greek retroversion from Syriac transmission (Frankenberg 1912, TAN/TEI CC BY 4.0): πανυ παρακεκληκεν ημας ο διακονος σου ο αγνος Ολυμπας και πολλα διηγησατο ημιν περι των κατορθωματων σου και πως τα προβατα σου ποιμαινεις ολιγον δια ραβδου και το πολυ δια συριγμου και πολλα των προβατων των εξω νειμαμενων ετρεχον απο τουδε προς την νομην σου τε και ποτον και ωμολογησαν εν ενι ποιμενι δι’ ενος. ημεις τοινυν εν τοις πρωτοις μεν μεμαρτυρηκαμεν εμπροσθεν παντων αδελφων περι δε του δευτερου αυτοι οι εποπται ημιν μαρτυρες εγενοντο οι και εγνωρισαν ημιν (το προτερον? Ε) περι της συμφωνησεως της εκκλησιας ως δια της πραυτητος σου η των εχθρων σκληροτης εσβεσται· εγενου γαρ πραυς και μαχητης κατα τον λογον της προφητειας . γενοιτο το της προσευχης σου αποτελεσμα σωτηρια των μακραν ωστε και ημας δια των προσευχων σου στηριχθεντας προσελθειν ιερουσαλημ, γενεσθαι δε συμπολιτας των αγιων και οικειους Χ. δοξαζοντας τον νικην ημιν δοντα Syriac transmission available in the linked TAN/TEI source. The complete corpus is Syriac-transmitted; Greek survives only fragmentarily, so this display text is a retroversion witness.