Letter 123: Chrysostom urges the clergy and monks teaching in Phoenicia not to abandon their work during the storm.
John Chrysostom→Presbyters and monks in Phoenicia catechizing pagans|c. 405 AD|John Chrysostom|From Cucusus (modern Goksun), Armenia Secunda|To Phoenicia (region)|AI-assisted
church affairsmissionphoeniciatrial
PG 52 Epistulae 123 begins with source heading 'ΡΚΓʹ. Πρὸς τοὺς ἐν Φοινίκῃ πρεσβυτέρους καὶ μονάζοντας, τοὺς κατηχοῦντας τοὺς Ἕλληνας.'. First-time modern English translation prepared from the Greek source for Roman Letters.
When pilots see the sea raging, the storm rising, and the waves in confusion, they do not abandon the ship. Then especially they become more alert, more eager, watchful themselves and rousing everyone else. Physicians do the same when a fever rises and grows fierce: they do not leave the patient, but work with still greater care, both themselves and through others, to break the illness.
I say this so no one will persuade you, because of the present disturbance, to leave Phoenicia and withdraw from there. The more difficulties there are, the harsher the waves, and the greater the confusion, the more you must remain: diligent, sober, awake, and more eager than before, so that your beautiful building is not torn down, your labor made useless, or your cultivation destroyed.
God is able both to end the disturbance and to give you the reward for endurance. Your reward is greater now than when things were easy, because now there is much difficulty, much confusion, and many people causing scandal. Remember the labor you have spent, the work you have endured, and the progress that, by God's grace, has already been made in Phoenicia. Remain and stand firm.
I have ordered that you lack nothing, whether clothing, shoes, or support for the brothers. If we, though surrounded by distress, do not neglect your needs, I ask you not to abandon the work. Write to us about whatever you need, or send someone to us, and nothing will be lacking to you as far as we can help.
When pilots see the sea raging, the storm rising, and the waves in confusion, they do not abandon the ship. Then especially they become more alert, more eager, watchful themselves and rousing everyone else. Physicians do the same when a fever rises and grows fierce: they do not leave the patient, but work with still greater care, both themselves and through others, to break the illness.
I say this so no one will persuade you, because of the present disturbance, to leave Phoenicia and withdraw from there. The more difficulties there are, the harsher the waves, and the greater the confusion, the more you must remain: diligent, sober, awake, and more eager than before, so that your beautiful building is not torn down, your labor made useless, or your cultivation destroyed.
God is able both to end the disturbance and to give you the reward for endurance. Your reward is greater now than when things were easy, because now there is much difficulty, much confusion, and many people causing scandal. Remember the labor you have spent, the work you have endured, and the progress that, by God's grace, has already been made in Phoenicia. Remain and stand firm.
I have ordered that you lack nothing, whether clothing, shoes, or support for the brothers. If we, though surrounded by distress, do not neglect your needs, I ask you not to abandon the work. Write to us about whatever you need, or send someone to us, and nothing will be lacking to you as far as we can help.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.