Letter 658

To Theodotus the Deacon. There is no need to be astonished at the things that happen; for everywhere temptations are yoked alongside those who are vigilant, coming from one's own people and from strangers. For this reason the Apostle too [Paul], seeing the snowstorms of dangers being brought on, and fearing that some of the disciples might be thrown into confusion by this, wrote and said: "I sent Timothy to you, so that no one should be shaken in these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are appointed for this" [1 Thessalonians 3:2-3]. And what he says amounts to this: This is our life, this is the sequence that belongs to the apostolic way of conduct, namely to suffer countless evils. "For we are appointed for this," he says, just as wares are set out for this purpose, to be sold and bought; so too the apostolic life is appointed for this, to be reviled, to suffer badly, to have no respite. And all those who are vigilant are not only not harmed by this, but even gain the greater profit.

Οὐ χρὴ ξενίζεσθαι τοῖς γινομένοις· πανταχοῦ γὰρ πειρασμοὶ τοῖς νήφουσιν εἰσι παρεζευγμένοι, ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκείων, ἀπὸ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων· Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος βλέπων τὰς νιφάδας τῶν κινδύνων τὰς ἐπαγομένας, καὶ δεδοικὼς, μή τινες τῶν μαθητῶν ἐντεῦθεν θορυβηθῶσι, γράφων ἔλεγεν· Ἔπεμψα ὑμῖν Τιμόθεον, εἰς τὸ μηδένα σαίνεσθαι ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσι ταύταις. Αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἴδατε, ὅτι εἰς τοῦτο κείμεθα. Ὁ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Οὗτος ἡμῶν ὁ βίος, αὕτη τῆς ἀποστολικῆς πολιτείας ἡ ἀκολουθία, τὸ μυρία πάσχειν κακά. Εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ κείμεθα, φησὶν, ὥσπερ τὰ ὤνια εἰς τοῦτο πρόκειται, εἰς τὸ πωλεῖσθαι καὶ ἀγοράζεσθαι· οὕτω καὶ ὁ ἀποστολικὸς βίος εἰς τοῦτο κεῖται, εἰς τὸ λοιδορεῖσθαι, εἰς τὸ πάσχειν κακῶς, εἰς τὸ μηδεμίαν ἔχειν ἀνακωχήν. Καὶ ὅσοι νήφουσιν, οὐ μόνον ἐντεῦθεν οὐ βλάπτονται, ἀλλὰ καὶ μειζόνως κερδαίνουσιν.