ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΙΕʹ
The Victory Already Won
John reminds Olympias that her suffering is part of the spiritual battle she has already fought bravely, so she should not be shaken but rejoice in her victory.
But did you really expect, after showing so much philosophy from your youth and trampling human vanity underfoot, that you would live some untroubled life free from conflict? And how could that be? For if human beings boxing against other human beings take countless wounds both in contests and in wars, how could you—who stripped for battle against the very principalities and powers, against the world-rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness, and stripped so bravely, and raised so many trophies, and through so much grieved that savage and relentless demon—hope to live some quiet, carefree life? So you shouldn't be shaken because disturbances come from every side and the upheavals are many; on the contrary, if none of this had happened, that would have been the time to be amazed.1 For hardship and danger are bound up with virtue. And you yourself know this even before our letters, and you won't need to learn it from anyone else—since we too aren't writing to teach you something you don't already know. For we know that neither exile from your homeland, nor enduring the loss of wealth—the very thing so many find unbearable—nor insult, nor any other such affliction will be able to throw you into turmoil. For if those who become partners with people suffering these things are enviable, how much more are those who are actually going through them. That is why Paul praises the Hebrew believers on both counts when he says: “Remember the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a great contest of sufferings—sometimes being made a public spectacle through insults and afflictions, and sometimes becoming partners of those who were treated that way.” That's why we too aren't making this letter long. For no one comes to someone who has already won and raised a splendid trophy to offer combat support—only praise.
The Heavy Load We Carry
John turns from praising Olympias to reporting his own condition: he has survived severe illness but now faces scarcity, famine, plague, and the threat of bandits.
So since we too have come to know how much philosophical strength you’ve shown in the face of what happened, we count you blessed; we marvel both at your endurance now and at the rewards being stored up for you from it.2 And since I know full well that you also want to hear how we’re doing—for I’ve kept a long silence—we’ve been freed from the most severe illness, but we still carry remnants of the disease. We also enjoy excellent doctors, but even so the lack of necessities undermines the benefit of the treatment.3 For here it isn’t only medicines that are scarce, and everything else that can restore a worn-out body, but already famine too is brewing, and plague. And these evils, for their part, are being brought forth by the continual bandit raids, which pour out as far as the remotest roads and block the routes cut through everywhere, and so put travelers in great danger as well.4 Andronicus, for one, as he says, fell into their hands, was stripped, and only in that way escaped with his life. So I urge your careful concern not to send anyone here any longer.5 For I’m afraid that the very purpose of a journey to us may become an occasion of slaughter for the one who comes—and you know how much grief that would bring us.
Safe Words, Not Dangerous Journeys
John asks Olympias to use only a trustworthy traveller already coming for another purpose to send news, and firmly says no one should travel to him just for that.
But if you can get hold of some trustworthy person who is coming here for some other purpose, have him let us know about your health. Still, no one should come here expressly for that, or even for our own need, because of the danger we've already mentioned.
Read the original Greek
Σὺ δέ μοι προσεδόκησας, τοσαύτην ἐκ νεότητός σου ἐπιδειξαμένη φιλοσοφίαν καὶ τὸν ἀνθρώπινον καταπατήσασα τῦφον, ἀτάραχόν τινα καὶ ἀπόλεμον ζήσεσθαι βίον; Καὶ πῶς ἔνι τοῦτο; Εἰ γὰρ ἀνθρώποις ἄνθρωποι πυκτεύοντες μυρία καὶ ἐν ἀγῶσι καὶ ἐν πολέμοις δέχονται τραύματα, ἡ πρὸς αὐτὰς ἀποδυσαμένη τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας καὶ ἀποδυσαμένη γενναίως οὕτως καὶ τοσαῦτα στήσασα τρόπαια καὶ διὰ τοσούτων λυπήσασα τὸν ἄγριον ἐκεῖνον καὶ ἀλάστορα δαίμονα, πόθεν ἤλπισας ἡσύχιόν τινα καὶ ἀπράγμονα βιώσεσθαι βίον; Οὐ τοίνυν διὰ τοῦτο θορυβεῖσθαι χρὴ ὅτι πολλοὶ πανταχόθεν οἱ θόρυβοι καὶ πολλαὶ αἱ ταραχαί· ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον, εἰ μηδὲν τούτων συμβεβήκει, τότε θαυμάσαι ἐχρῆν. Τῇ γὰρ ἀρετῇ συγκεκλήρωται πόνος καὶ κίνδυνος. Καὶ ταῦτα οἶσθα καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἡμετέρων γραμμάτων αὐτὴ καὶ οὐδὲν δεήσῃ παρ' ἑτέρων μανθάνειν· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἀγνοοῦσαν διδάσκοντες ταῦτα ἐπιστέλλομεν. Ἴσμεν γὰρ ὅτι οὔτε τὸ πατρίδος ἐκπεσεῖν, οὔτε τὸ χρημάτων ὑπομεῖναι ζημίαν –τοῦτο δὴ τὸ πολλοῖς ἀφόρητον –, οὐχ ὕβρις, οὐκ ἄλλη τις τοιαύτη θλῖψις διαταράξαι σε δυνήσεται. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ κοινωνοὶ τῶν ταῦτα πασχόντων γινόμενοι ζηλωτοί, πολλῷ μᾶλλον οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς ὄντες. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Παῦλος ἐφ' ἑκατέρῳ τοὺς ἐξ Ἑβραίων πιστεύσαντας ἀνακηρύττει λέγων· «Ἀναμιμνῄσκεσθε τὰς πρότερον ἡμέρας ἐν αἷς φωτισθέντες πολλὴν ἄθλησιν ὑπεμείνατε παθημάτων, τοῦτο μὲν ὀνειδισμοῖς καὶ θλίψεσι θεατριζόμενοι, τοῦτο δὲ κοινωνοὶ τῶν οὕτως πασχόντων γενηθέντες.» ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ ἡμεῖς μακρὰν ποιοῦμεν τὴν ἐπιστολήν. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ τῷ νικήσαντι καὶ τρόπαιον στήσαντι λαμπρὸν παραγίνεται συμμαχίαν κομίζων, ἀλλ' εὐφημίας μόνον.
Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἔγνωμεν ὅσην περὶ τὰ συμβάντα τὴν φιλοσοφίαν ἐπεδείξω, μακαρίζομέν σε, θαυμάζομεν τῆς τε εἰς τὸ παρὸν ὑπομονῆς καὶ τῶν ἀντιδόσεων τῶν ἐντεῦθέν σοι ταμιευομένων. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα εὖ οἶδ' ὅτι βούλει μανθάνειν –καὶ γὰρ μακρὰν ἐσίγησα σιγήν –, τῆς μὲν χαλεπωτάτης ἀρρωστίας ἀπηλλάγημεν, λείψανα δὲ ἔτι τῆς νόσου περιφέρομεν. Καὶ ἰατρῶν δὲ ἀπολαύομεν ἀρίστων, ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ οὕτω λυμαίνεται τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς θεραπείας ὠφέλειαν ἡ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἀπορία. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον φαρμάκων ἐνταῦθα σπάνις καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν δυναμένων διορθῶσαι σῶμα πεπονηκός, ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ λιμὸς μελετᾶται καὶ λοιμός. Καὶ ταῦτα λοιπὸν ὠδίνει τὰ κακὰ ἡ συνέχεια τῶν λῃστρικῶν ἐφόδων, αἳ μέχρι πορρωτάτω τῶν ὁδῶν ἐκχεόμεναι καὶ τὰς ὁδοὺς ἀποτειχίζουσαι τὰς πανταχοῦ τετμημένας, ἐντεῦθεν πολὺν καὶ ὁδοιπόροις ἐπάγουσι κίνδυνον. Ἀνδρόνικος γοῦν, καθώς φησι, καὶ ταῖς ἐκείνων περιέπεσε χερσὶ καὶ ἀποδυθεὶς οὕτω διεσώθη. ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ σου τὴν ἐμμέλειαν μηδένα λοιπὸν ἀποστέλλειν ἐνταῦθα. ∆έος γὰρ μὴ τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀποδημίας ἡ ὑπόθεσις ἀφορμὴ τῷ παραγινομένῳ σφαγῆς γένηται· καὶ οἶσθα ὅσην ἡμῖν οἴσει τὴν ὀδύνην.
Ἀλλ' εἴ τινος ἐπιλάβοιο γνησίου κατὰ χρείαν ἑτέραν ἐνταῦθα ἀφικνουμένου, δι' αὐτοῦ δήλου τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγιείας ἡμῖν τῆς σῆς. Ἰδικῶς μέντοι εἰς τοῦτο μηδεὶς ἐνταῦθα παραγινέσθω, μηδὲ δι' ἡμετέραν χρείαν, διὰ τὸ δέος ὃ προειρήκαμεν.
Notes
- 1 ↩φιλοσοφία here is the patristic sense of the Christian philosophical/ascetic life, not academic philosophy.
- 2 ↩φιλοσοφία here is Chrysostom's Christian sense: the practiced fortitude and wisdom of a philosophical life under trial, not speculative theory.
- 3 ↩τῶν ἐπιτηδείων: necessities/provisions/supplies needed for recovery, not merely conveniences.
- 4 ↩ὠδίνει: literally 'is in labor with / is bringing to birth' these evils; rendered as 'are being brought forth' to keep the generative force without strained metaphor.
- 5 ↩ἐμμέλειαν: careful diligence/attentive care; rendered 'careful concern' as the quality Chrysostom appeals to in Olympias.
Letters to Olympias (Letters of St. John Chrysostom) companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit